New Moon in Scorpio: Soul Immersion for Samhain

'Soul Awakening' by Trent Kuhn

New Moon in Scorpio: Soul Immersion for Samhain

Moon conjunct Sun- 10/27/19 @10:38pm CDT

'Ride on Hallows Eve Night' by Susan Brack

The Mourning Moon phase begins a few days before Samhain (SAH-win) in our Northern Hemisphere, the cross-quarter holiday between Autumnal Equinox and Winter Solstice. While our Southern Hemisphere friends are beginning their Flower Moon phase as they approach Beltane (Spring becoming Summer), we are coming to “Summer’s End” (which is what Samhain means). This is the third and final Harvest of our year...in this witch’s view, the most significant of the four fire festivals of the year. Autumn becoming Winter is an entrance into the ‘time which is no time’...the Witches’ New Year...when the veil between worlds is lifted for everyone...not just those of us familiar with access beyond those liminal spaces.

The Otherworld is invited to interact in our own realm...through the ancient rituals still alive today like Trick-or-Treating (a modern derivation of Mumming in costume door-to-door, where the ‘trick’ was actually a sacred offering of song or verse for the dead...and the ‘treat’ was more of a gesture of gratitude for the song rather than an expectation or obligation). It is a beautiful experience, in this time, to honor those who have passed...as they are quite present (in extraordinary ways) where invited.

One of the things my family does for our departed loved ones is called a ‘Dumb Supper’ (dumb meaning silent, referring to our dearly departed who are invited to the feast). “We invite you in, our kith and kin, from your travels beyond the veil. We welcome you this Samhain Eve, with another year of tales to tell.” And we tell things of interest that have happened in our family since last Samhain, our kids entertaining our silent guests with their liveliness, almost like a reunion of sorts. Those loved ones who have passed since last Samhain, which are many for us this year, have a special honor...and especially if they have lived with our family for any amount of time (such as our cat, Ani, who passed this June).

But most of us have our own expressions of this holiday...some more specific to our modern understandings of Halloween, some more ancient. The important thing to keep in mind is that these soulful, spiritual interactions are happening all around you during this ‘time which is no time’...whether you are interacting intentionally or not. They are rather potent now, and hard to miss. I find it’s best to be intentional with any interactions. Engaging with those who come to visit you (in whatever way) heightens the magickal interaction of this time.

'Spider Woman' by Susan Seddon Boulet

What the dead know well is that the journey of the Soul (through life, through death, and everything in between and beyond) is an important process of becoming. Those who were important to us in their physical incarnations are even more supportive of our Soul’s Journey once they’ve ‘shuffled off this mortal coil’. And the path of the Soul takes us to those most complicated depths of our Psyche to find the simplest truths. It immerses us into uncomfortable and unknown territory, confronts us with our shadows, brings us to our most vulnerable feelings, and has us question everything we’ve ever thought we knew. It can be very beneficial to connect with guides who can see beyond what we see, supporting our steps through the dark.

This is the lunation for deep Soul Work...beginning with planting the seed of intent at this New Moon for whatever transformation your Soul is calling you to undergo. The vibrations of this lunar cycle carry some powerful inspiration to make the changes that are most needed in your life. Some of this inspiration will feel harmonious, but some of it is likely to arise as stress that demands a change (even if you feel you are doing everything right!).

This lunation follows a harsh square between Mars (action) and Saturn (restriction), begins with a potent opposition to Uranus (awakenings), and progresses toward Samhain where Mercury (communication) stations retrograde in Scorpio. In other words, there is a LOT going on at this time...and that’s really not even the half of it. This is a lunar phase to reinvent yourself...an action which requires letting go of stagnant emotional patterns.

We’re definitely going to have to dig deep to make these restorative changes in our lives. It doesn’t hurt to open the lines of communication with those ancestors and loved ones who are supporting us from beyond the veil. Because while everyone living will be immersed in their own deep soul dive in the coming weeks, the shadows of loneliness can crash in like waves...and the Spirit World is ever ready with messages of ‘you are not alone’.

Moon and Sun in Scorpio 5

“A massive rocky shore resists the pounding of the sea”

'Rocky Shore' by Carol Thompson

This Sabian Symbol highlights the stability we build up by enduring the many changes we face throughout our lives. It is those pounding sea changes full of emotional charge that shape us into who we are meant to become...a process that creates strength gradually over time, and extends from our ancestral past all the way into future generations. In this process, we learn to trust our own inner strength to not crumble when emotions are overwhelming and unpredictable changes come crashing in.

We will likely see some resistance to change at first...something seemingly solid not budging. This resistance can manifest in many ways, some good and some not so good...but likely a mix of both. It is a good indicator that what you are most resistant about changing is the very thing that needs to change. The overarching wisdom here is that even what we perceive, in this time, as resistance to change is actually changing us in ways we don’t see. Keep working at it. Scorpio energy is powerful for zeroing in on things and holding that focus.

The message in the last lunation, ground and center, carries through to this one. There will be strong emotions pushing and pulling at us as we release our blocks and make lasting changes in our lives...and we’ll find the necessity to hold our ground once we figure out what it is that’s needing to transform.

Uranus Retrograde in Taurus 5

“A widow at an open grave”

'Widow' by unknown artist

Uranus is that force which is strongly opposed to whatever rock-solid resistance is holding us back from moving forward at this time. The planet of unexpected and sudden change challenges our attachments to anything we’ve grown comfortable with...anything we may expect to support us and provide safety and stability throughout our lives. This symbol of the widow reflects that Uranian truth that all things change, and that when they do...there is a necessity to reinvent ourselves as we let go of who we used to be. Releasing the past when we experience the death of a loved one is not about leaving the memory of the person we loved behind us...that always remains, as well as the connection we have beyond the physical. It is about releasing ourselves from clinging to something that has already transformed into something new. And so, it’s about self-renewal in response to that significant transformation.

In mourning a death (either literal or figurative), we often come across feelings where we romanticize who we used to be (with that person, or with a habit, or with anything that must change). Old emotional patterns that pervade our thoughts like ‘he gave me the strength to carry on’, or ‘I was more fun when I was drinking’, etc...whatever it is that’s coming up as significant change, you will be undergoing a shift in perspective (aided by Mercury’s upcoming retrograde). The widow in the image is looking far beyond the open grave and into the Void, the unknown, facing the question we’re all feeling: ‘What now?’

In this Mourning Moon phase, we are facing our fears as well as our resistance to the unknown. We are dropping into the soul experience at this time and finding the strength we each carry. Emotions may feel heavy, and thoughts may turn dark...but this too shall pass. A shift in perspective about what we’re experiencing at this time can help. Often times, the most difficult experiences become the turning points in our lives that we look back on with gratitude for what we learned.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi