Samhain Meditation for Yoga, Autumn, Fall

Samhain Meditation

{Find a seated or lying meditation}

 Feel the earth beneath you. Perhaps the earth is cold against your body, notice how your body’s warmth is absorbed and slowly the chill is no longer noticeable. You have given to the earth your warmth and in turn the earth gives you a place of respite. For Samhain, the time of autumn, it is a time to invite rest. A time to nest against the elements, a time to nurture your roots, a time to feed your basic necessities of life. 

At this time of year, the veil between our world and the spirit world is thin, as our hemisphere is discarding the green of summer, as our plants seek shelter from the cold and grow deep into the protection of earth, so too, is our spiritual realm needing to find deeper growth, to rid ourselves of the residue of life past. At this time, leaves turn to autumn glory then dry and crack and eventually become a skeleton of what it once was, finally absorbed into the earth for future nourishment. And for us, our life lesson’s are mere skeletons of what once was, absorbed into the experience of our soul. We shed those things that no longer serve us but what remains is the nourishment of our maturation.

The veil is thin at this time of year because death walks among us, in the trees, the flowers, in the plants and from the infirmed. No other time of year pronounces this cycle of natural living than the time of Samhain. The deer has shed his antlers and the squirrel has buried her nuts. The time when the sun’s power is waning and the naked trees have surrendered, a world withering into quiet. 

Now is the time when your spirit is most vulnerable to darkness. A time when you can peer into your darkness and travel unafraid, so long as you embrace your past. For the spirits of our ancestors can guide you, if you only allow yourself to be present, in your darkness. Allow the spirits of the otherworld to walk beside you, a mirror to your earthly being. Trust in the greater flow of energy, be a legacy of the past and a progenitor of the future. Allow divination to form a more spiritual you.

Soften your body to the earth. Surrender your thoughts to the ether. In your minds’ eye, notice a small flicker of red and gold ember. The glow floats closer until you feel a safe warmth envelope you. With each inhale, your body washes in warmth, with each exhale your breath stokes the embers. Inhale warmth, Exhale embers, {repeat}

You look about you and see a path in front of you, carpeted with yellow leaves, they smell earthy and golden. With each step, your feet make a soft rustle sound, as the leaves give way. Behind you, you see trees with limbs waving goodbye in the ephemeral breeze, encouraging you forward.  Beside you, you feel the presence of loved ones, they step with each of your footfalls but unlike you, they make no sound. 

You continue down your path and the fiery embers continue to draw you ever closer. From above, powerful prehistoric energy converges upon this unknown luminescences. As the glow gradually comes into focus, you see it is a bonefire, an effigy to those who are no longer with us but surround us always. You are here because of them. Honor their legacy, realize that the greatest wealth is to be found in their tapestry. 

You pause in front of the blaze but the spirit beside you continues. The soul steps into this fire of wonder and magic. You are entranced by the dance of the flames. You become empowered by the energy. You look down and find an engraved log with words carved around it, words from unwanted aspects of your life. You lift the log and toss it into the fire and for a moment-longer the fire is emblazoned by it’s fuel, then it burns down into the size of a candle stick. You pick it up, hold it high above your head and peer down your path, you begin again, walking your path, your ancestors lighting your way. 

{Silence for meditation}

Your mind returns to it’s terrestrial existence, and your thoughts serpentine through a labyrinth to your heart, you notice the rise and fall of your chest, observe now your potential to craft and weave a mindful reverence for the souls of the living, rejoice in your daily blessings, give freely of yourself as you wish others to give unto you. Walk with the confidence of a 1000 ancestors. 

{ease out of meditation with thoughtful movements}