Samhain (pronounced sow-in) is often called the witch's new year. The garden is finished, the leaves are putting on a show of immense beauty as they teach us about letting go, the days and nights are cooler, and we are preparing to descend into the dark time of the year. We recognize life, death, and regeneration as the rhythm of the spiral.
Like Persephone, who descends into the underworld at this time of year, we all experience deep and dark seasons in our lives. We see that life has a flow - from activity into rest, light into dark, and back again - and we ride that flow throughout our life. We recognize grief for losses, like Demeter's grief for the loss of her daughter to the underworld. There is space and time for introspection and personal growth. We remember our ancestors at this time, and prepare to settle into our "Winter Work." Darkness and depth are sometimes feared - but there is no light without the dark, without moving through the wheel of the year, the spiral, both metaphorically and literally.
So, as we descend, what is your Winter Work? For some, it's a new commitment to self in the form of art or writing, or it's planning and completing projects and working towards goals. For others, it's a time of rest and contemplation.
When the wheel turns again at Imbolc, we emerge as "the same people, wiser than before." We emerge from the dark, into the light and once again realize our role in the spiral at this time, in this place.
Wishing you all the sweetness and depth of Winter Work.