Of Samhain and other worlds

The nights are getting longer. My cozy pajamas have come out, and I am craving drawing inward to other worlds.

October 31 is the Celtic pagan holiday of Samhain (Pronounced Sow-in). There are eight main Celtic holidays. Four follow the sun. These are the solstices and equinoxes. The other four follow the moon. These are Imbolc, Beltane, Lammas, and Samhain.

Samhain comes after the Autumnal Equinox and before the Winter Solstice. It is an in-between time, a liminal space. During Samhain, it is believed the veil between our world and the otherworld thins. You can almost reach right through to touch the other side.

This is the time to imbibe in other worlds. This is the time of story.

I’m re-reading The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. As the sun sets early and the temperatures begin to fall, I read the scene when Lucy first walks through the wardrobe to Narnia. I can almost feel the soft snow falling on her face and hear the crunch of her steps as she enters this icy new world.

I got The Chronicles of Narnia for Christmas when I was eleven. I stayed awake reading late into the night, as Narnia wrapped me in a warm embrace.

It showed me magic, and, best of all, it showed me healing. I still remember the excitement of Lucy running around the battlefield healing everyone with her little diamond bottle filled with “a cordial made of the juice of one of the fire-flowers that grow in the mountains of the sun.”

Reading stories with portals to other worlds is a wonderful way to dive into the energies of Samhain. They allow you to touch the veil and watch it shimmer. 

This is the time of year to intentionally enter other worlds. Dive into them to receive magic, healing, and wonder.

Rest back into the veil, let it carry you away, and then bring you back with a new depth and sparkle in your eyes.

xoxo,

Emma Veritas