we are heading into the samhain portal- a period of time that spans calendar samhain (october 31st), solar samhain and lunar samhain. the cross quarter days- imbolc, beltane, lammas and samhain- are literally the cross quarter points between the solstices and equinoxes. the exact midpoint between 0 libra (autumn equinox in the northern hemisphere) and 0 capricorn (the winter solstice in the north) is 15 scorpio. the sun precisely transits 15 scorpio between november 7th and the 8th (this can change each year depending on leap year) and correlates with solar samhain. lunar samhain occurs at the new moon in scorpio which changes each year and this year it falls on november 11th.
calendar samhain- which falls on halloween- is actually the only one not associated with cosmic cycles of the sun and moon or even the stars. approximately 1000 years ago this date did correlate with a cosmic cycle- the culmination of the pleiades star system. i found this out yesterday due to a very rude commenter on FB that told me i didn’t know about the star association with the 10/31 samhain date and because of that i was not a ‘real’ astrologer. i LOVE learning new things and did not know about the pleiades association with 10/31 so i can thank her for prompting me to look it up (and that is about all i can thank her for- she was so rude). yet one of the reasons i did not know about this association is because the pleiades do not culminate on 10/31 anymore- that was about 1000 years ago. the pleiades can be found at 29 degrees of taurus (in the tropical system). the culmination of a star (or stars as pleiades is made up of 9- 7 visible, 2 not viewable to the naked eye) only occurs when the sun is exactly opposite the degree of where the stars are positioned. so the pleiades culminates when the sun is at 29 scorpio- which is not on 10/31 but is on 11/21. so this rude commenter knew about something i did not know (and never have i claimed to know everything) but the wisdom she was espousing was from 1000 years ago. if you want to celebrate samhain when the pleiades culminates you need to do so on 11/21 not on 10/31. since what i am talking in this article references the literal cross quarter points of the wheel of the year- what i said still stands. if you want to be literal about the midpoints of the seasons you need to look at samhain (and imbolc, beltane and lammas) as falling when the sun is at 15 degrees of the fixed signs (scorpio, aquarius, taurus and leo respectively). when the sun transits 15 scorpio- from 11/7-8- we celebrate solar samhain. the calendar as we follow it today has nothing cosmic aligned with 10/31- and some conspiracy theorists will even say that this was done intentionally so as to throw people off from the true magical portals that exist during the year. energetically and magically speaking- the solar and lunar samhain dates are the most potent (and the window between them)- but if you want to include calendar samhain in there you can look at the samhain window (this year) as running from october 31st to november 11th (and if you want to include the pleiades culminating in there you can extend samhain out to 11/21). and we are about to enter into that portal tomorrow!
samhain marks the end and the beginning of the wheel of the year- a solar cycle that includes 8 major holy-days. to the celts and ancient earth-based goddess traditions samhain was the equivalent to the shift from new year’s eve to new year’s day. each of the 8 major holy-days of the year correlate with one of the 8 major moon phases. samhain is the dark moon- the time of death, dying, letting go, completion, tying up loose ends, retreating and regenerating. at winter solstice (on december 21st this year) we have the new moon phase of the solar year- a time to plant new seeds and set intentions for what we want to grow in our lives. this is the day with the least amount of Light which is what occurs at the new moon- as we barely see any light from the moon in the sky and the stars are the brightest at this time (it’s a great night for star watching!). imbolc correlates with the crescent moon, spring equinox with the first quarter moon, beltane with the gibbous moon, summer solstice with the full moon, lammas with the disseminating moon and fall/autumn equinox with the last quarter moon (for more information on these moon cycles you can google them). so we are now making our way to the dark moon part of the solar year (or you can also call it the dark sun part of the year)- a time to die to the old so that we can make space for the new birth that is to come.
samhain is a time where the veil between the worlds is thin- which makes the coming 12 days super potent when it comes to intuition, psychic impressions, dreams, prophecy, mysticism and spirituality. it’s a great time to cozy up by a fire or light some candles and listen to your inner voice. it’s also a great time to use astrology, tarot, runes, dreams and more to reflect the Truth back to you. traditionally this would be a time that the ancient celts would connect to their dead ancestors- as they understood that although bodies die, Souls and Spirits are eternal. during this mystical time of the year you could connect with those who have passed on and send them your Love. yet this was also a time where other not so great spirits could come around as well- which is actually why people dressed in costumes (to scare them away!).
each year samhain has a standard energy but part of what influences the unique expression of samhain this year is the astrology that is playing out over the next 12 days. during this period of time we have mercury moving into scorpio and trining neptune, the venus/mars conjunction in virgo, jupiter opposite chiron and quincunx uranus (with juno- the asteroid Goddess of partnership and marriage involved), venus on the north node in virgo and much more (to see in-depth write up check out my weekly forecasts and monthly forecasts. to see how this astrology plays out for you personally check your weekly horoscopes). with lots of venus and juno aspects during the coming samhain window- part of what we are being asked to let go of or die to so something new can be born is related to relationships, Love and money situations, values, self-Love, self-worth, commitments and our relationship to the Divine Feminine (within and without) and how we honor Her.
in addition, with so much planetary energy in scorpio the depths are calling to us. we are being asked to really feel our emotions, dance with our shadows, face our fears and obsessions, and face the places in our lives where we manipulate or control or allow others to manipulate and control us. the Highest expression of scorpio is true empowerment- which is not about giving our power away and playing the victim or lording it over others and playing the tyrant. true empowerment is being centered in our power and from this centered place within ourselves we can masterfully engage with the world around us. scorpio rules all the taboo topics of society- sex, death, money, power and control. those things people are obsessed with or afraid of- scorpio rules them. so during this samhain window and into the deepest, darkest part of the year (until winter solstice) we are supported in facing our darkness and integrating it with our Light. as rumi says ‘both Light and shadow are the dance of Love’. until we can unite them within us- we will never be able to find true Union without.
happy samhain to you!
~divine harmony