Samhain - From Darkness Comes Light
I just want to say a HUGE thank you to all of you who bought my e-book on Thursday 27 October helping to make it a #1 best seller in the New Age category and #2 in spirituality. As of Friday the book was also currently #1 in the Hot New Releases chart for New Age Meditation and #3 in Hot New Releases for the entire Mind, Body & Spirit category. We’re all delighted!
Hopefully these rankings will help it to get to the people who many benefit, which is what it was all about really, to try and help others from my own experience. It wasn't easy writing that book, over four years of digging deeper into the issues raised, re-writing and re-writing again. It got to the stage when I was done. Otherwise you could just keep re-writing your whole lifetime.
It wasn’t my intention to release it just before Samhain. I would have loved to have launched it months ago as it has become a bit of a weight, keeping me tied to the past, and desperate to break free and create space, but alas there was one delay after another, and well, I am a big believer in divine timing and also knew that the book was all about taking me on an inner journey and one thing I am continuously working with is patience and trust…so…
But what’s interesting is that really it’s perfectly timed without me having any control over it…another wonderful reminder that we should never try to control…because we are descending into the darkness, and this book of course entitled From Darkness Comes Light!. And I’ll be honest, the last week has been a little challenging, not least because of the eclipse and the intense energy it brought with it, but all my fears around being so open and vulnerable to criticism, let alone the fear of harming anyone through the words written, obviously never my intention, but one can never be sure how one’s words are received. It’s been a big week.
All of this then, drew me into a darkness, not because I was unhappy, but because of the fears and because of the sense of what next? There is this space, this emptiness, this not knowing, this not feeling entirely safe, because there is nothing concrete to hold into, because all is dark, transitioning from one way of being to another, and not yet sure what that looks like and therefore the mind’s tendency to want to replicate what has happened before because it is known and therefore safe.
This can cause one to live one’s life very much in one’s head, not really here, trying to work things our logically and rationally, unable to settle the energy down into the heart, because of the inability to let go to it, not a conscious resistance but a resistance nonetheless, and with all that a life review, figuring out what’s working and what’s not, noticing what is abiding and what is dropping away, where energy is being leaked and by whom, and what needs to be taken back again.
This has not been a bad thing because it has drawn me into myself again, caused me to want to rest, to retreat, to tighten boundaries, to be with myself again, after months of outward energy, and try to tie up loose ends, finish the book, release it out into the world, be there for clients, for the children, we know how it goes, always so much going on, but it doesn't have to be like that. What we see outside ourselves is a reflection of what is going on within, and I have seen too much busyness and noise, and now to find greater balance, calm and peace. Needless to say I have found myself in dolmens and making the most of alone opportunities.
It hadn’t dawned on me today, that this is actually the energy of Samhain, the cross-quarter autumnal festival, marking the end of the Celtic year and the beginning of the new one. This is the time of chaos and the several of normal order; endings and beginnings occurring simultaneously. The Celts understanding of the cycle of the year, the turning of the wheel, saw death and darkness as important and necessary, and this part of the cycle, on the wane down to the winter solstice, as a period of rest and regeneration before rebirth.
Like Beltain (1 May - famed by the St Michael’s ley line, which is aligned with Beltain sunrise and passes through Glastonbury Tor and Avebury), Samhain (pronounced sow-ein) is a magical time, because the veil between the world of matter and the unseen world of spirit becomes thin - a sort of crack in the fabric of space-time. It’s a time for going within, connecting with the mystery, divination, and communicating with our ancestors.
It’s also a time to re-evaluate our life and goals and to rid ourselves of any negativity or opposition that may surround our perceived achievements or hinder any future progress. In theory, Samhain should have seen the accomplishment of our previous desires and intentions, and now we seek to stabilise them and protect whatever has been gained. It’s important, because it is impossible to concentre or put energy into new goals, intentions and desires, when what we have is not yet secure.
This is the dark phase of the year, the the mystery of transformation can take place. But alas a part of us may die and that creates some resistance, some anxiety, some depression, some fear as we have to let go like the leaves on trees, and trust in spirit. But there has to be this death in preparation for something new to be reborn. It is a time to journey into the unconscious and the spirit realms within each of us and this of course asks us to sacrifice our outer selves for a while, to rest, sleep, meditate, slow down, be quiet - all the things I, and others I’m sure, have been drawn to do. .
Whatever needs to be born will become increasingly clear after time spent exploring our unconscious over the winter months, ready for rebirth in the spring. We can honour this cycle, safe in the knowledge that each end and death of what has been, of what is now old and done, will bring the opportunity for a fresh start, as each beginning also holds within it an end.
As Glennie Kindred writes, “This endless cycle of change is necessary, bringing renewal of cells, of our understanding, our ideas and ourselves. It means there are always new opportunities to start again, to stay healthy. Many illnesses are rooted in stuck energy patterns, emotional congestion and hanging onto the past.
We have been taught to fear our inner world and to mistrust the information we may receive through our intuition, and our connection to our inherent inner wisdom. Many of our actions come from our subconscious thinking and belief patterns. We may not always be aware of the subtle conditioned responses that may silently rule our lives…
…We need to turn and face our fears with courage and determination and find the potential hidden within them. From this courageous journey will come transformation, a balanced perspective and re-birth in the age-old tradition of Samhain”.
I couldn’t have written that better myself. We can probably all relate to it. And I wonder now if this is why so many are currently feeling anxious because of the energy of the Samhain let alone the eclipses, encouraging us to face our fears and consider where their roots may lie, being honest with ourselves and looking at our lives, seeing where we are with any goals, intentions and desires, paying attention to what needs to be protected, and noticing what needs to be let go of…our fears can be our greatest teacher.
thus it really is a time to drop within, the clocks changing, the dark nights drawing in, an opportunity to get beyond the rational and the logical and explore the edges of our own inner wilderness, beyond that which is seen, known and safe, to truly go to that fear of uncertainty and edginess…and sit deep into it…
I’ve been trying to do this. It’s not easy. But I know that there is no other way. Otherwise we just keep doing more of the same and wondering why we feel stagnant and stuck. Change. And this, was something else that entered my orbit today. The word ‘change’ is used to describe the money we receive when we pay for something and we get some back again. It is understood that this change, can create exactly that. Because we get to choose how we spend that change, and that change and the way we spend it, might just change our life.
We have the choice to use it to pay for things from ethical and independent organisations, or to use it to feed the big corporations. We can use it at farmers markets, supporting our community, we can use it at charity shops, recycling and re-using, we can do all sorts of things wit that change, we just need to be aware how we’re spending that change, and the impact that might have on this world…and how it might therefore be positively used to create change.
So there we go. Samhain. Bringing up our fears and the perfect energy for us to rest, renew and retreat within, to deepen into intuition and inner wisdom and to sacrifice our outer selves for the time being.
I’m excited to explore more of this with some of you at our Mind Your Mind, Yoni Yoga class tomorrow, to celebrate the launch of my book, with optional tea and cakes, conations to Guernsey Mind. All are welcome, 9.30-10.30am at Cobo Community Centre, bring a mat, a blanket and don’t forget the clocks go back!
Lastly, thank you again to those of you who have bought the e-book, it is still available on Amazon for 99p until Monday, and the paperback is now available on Amazon for £10.99, or from me for the same amount. Here’s the linkhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Darkness-Comes-Light-Journey-Wellness-ebook/dp/B0BKGJS9K8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=477D79DEILGD&keywords=From+Darkness+Comes+Light&qid=1667078257&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjgxIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=from+darkness+comes+light%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1
Oh and please don’t forget to leave a positive review! Thank you!
Happy Samhain.
Love Emma x
