Latest / OCCULTINARIUM / Occultinarium - EP 35 - Samhain
Transcript
- Lynn: Hello and welcome to tonight's episode of the Occultinarium. We are the voices of the Occultinarium and your hosts are Luigi: Luigi Amelie: Amelie Lynn: Lynn. Tonight we shall talk about spooky season, spooky holidays. Samhain is just around the corner. exciting dark times for those of us who like it dark. And as we wont to do, we are going to draw a secret card from a tarot stock. reveal it at the end and it's going to be Amelie. She has a wonderful vampire deck for the season. Luigi: Behold. Lynn: Beautiful. So I'm excited to see what we get. Amelie: I do love the backs. Lynn: Yes. Bloody is it a bloody rose? Or is it just blood? A pool of blood. Amelie: It's just a rose really. Lynn: yeah. I say it's a bloody rose. It's yeah. Gothic vampire season. Alright, so this gonna be exciting. We don't know what kind of card she's gonna get. we will guess at the end. Well, let's dive in. Samhain. Luigi: Samhain, yes. Gaelic for roughly Gaelic for summer's end. 'Cause it is the end of summer, it is the beginning of winter. And for the Celtic tradition, is also the beginning of the year. I think like it's New Year's Eve, for us, I suppose. And day after Samhain it will be our new year or our pagan new year. So it's a very exciting time for us pagans. I'm projecting a bit here. Personally Samhain is my favorite season, Sabbath, celebration, time of the year, all that jazz. I I saw a post on on the internet recently and they were asking what do you do for this season? What do you do for Samhain? what what makes Samhain special for you? and I remember thinking it's just the magic or the whatever power is at play just feels so much more palpitable during the season of Samhain Yeah, everything is so ethereal. Everything is technically ethereal all year round, to be honest. But in the period of Samhain it becomes almost enhanced or bigger, more palpitable. I don't know how to put it into words, but it's just it's like being in Disneyland for for someone like me, I suppose. and yeah, Lynn: Sure, sure, sure, sure. Luigi: I think popculturally speaking, people know Samhain for the traditions and the meaning and the purposes of Halloween or Halloween's Eve. And then similar to its Shadow Sabbath, by Shadow Sabbath I mean the Sabbath that it's opposite it in the wheel of the year, that would be Beltane. These were the two times the two Sabbaths, the two period periods of the year were in when and where the veil between between worlds will become thinner. But obviously in Beltane the sun is gaining in power, versus in Samhain the sun is slightly weakened and the power of night, the power of darkness is increasing. Which I guess makes it easier for the spirits to walk across the veil and be amongst us. it was also again a troubling time for people that were living in in periods of history without technology, where will we survive? We touched upon these themes in other episodes recently because it's the theme of the season, but will we live to see another spring or another summer? Will we survive the the dread of winter and the season of death, sort of speaking? So I guess Samhain and and this focus around spiritual practices, communing with the dead, or communing with the ancestors, or communion with the spirits of the past was also a way to protect oneself like an whether it's an individual or a family or a community or an entity to promote you know safety, protection, guardianship through the deaths, the the season of death, I suppose. Lynn: Mm. Luigi: Fire - Samhain is what we call one of the fire sabbaths and fire is extremely important. For multiple reasons. Fire is a spiritual fire is a spiritual element. But at the same time, being the season of darkness, like we said before, you will have this bonfires lit up to not only bring warmth to yourself and your families and your communities and bring forward celebration, it will also be a beacon, you know, for the spirits of the dead, for the spirits of the ancestors, for the spirits of the past to find their way home into this world that they should be familiar with but obviously they've been away from for quite some time. so in a way when you think about it the bonfires of Samhain, you can think of it as the coals or the candles within the jack-o'-lantern, which is a bit of a modern idea mostly, but or more modern than the original purposes of the bonfires. But you can see the resonance fire to illuminate, fire to guide home similar with the purpose of a jack-o'-lantern and whatever was used before Lynn: Mm-hmm. Luigi: the actual pumpkin, turnips and stuff like that. so yeah, I think it's a big focus around collecting the lessons from the year that just passed and embracing and preparing yourself for the new year, but in a way that is unlike the Gregorian patterns or traditions if you if you can say so. Like when we think about the beginning of the year or New Year's Eve. for us which turns to happen tends to happen at the at the end of December and then beginning of January. It's very active, isn't it? it's very I need to I need to get this sorted, I need to get my life together, I need to get my ducks in a row. and there's nothing bad about it. But I think so when because again things are slowing down and are dying, there is an essence of gratitude in what you've done. Plan ahead for what you will do. But not necessarily any action is needed in the period of sour, because the period of source is about rest, coming together, leaning into your communities to protect one another and support each other through the month through the months of winter and the dark season. so yeah, I I think for introverted and homey homebody person such as myself, but also for all the geeks out there that just enjoy a cozy evening at home reading, researching, storytelling, journaling a and daydreaming. Someone is perfect for that. 'Cause again you can't really do much outside. Obviously we live in different times like winter in most places of the world is no longer so much of a as a threat of a fret, I suppose. and you can still do plenty of activities outdoors if you ch so choose to. but in more rural times it was a bit more of a don't don't do that to yourself. Collect the wood, stay Lynn: Yeah. Luigi: home, light the fire, and prepare yourself for a very magical time. Lynn: Hm. I mean you said that it's not a bad thing that we're all like and active around the thirty first December, first of January. But I mean it's if I if I can just butt in there 'cause I do think it's highly unnatural that we're in the Luigi: Mm. Lynn: midst of winter, in the midst of like the the period of rest and really where like you said, nothing is really happening. You just you know, your body is focused on survival and just trying to get the bits of sun, bits of light that you can get, if at all. So your entire biology is compared to the midst of summer is like shutting down and it's just not as active. Even when you have a solar body, say a male, you know, like with a with a more masculine energy that goes like with the cycle of the sun, I mean 24 hours, rather than us females who are a bit more like the 28 moon cycle, right? even then the the absence of the sun and or the weakness of the sun's rays are still going to impact the human body and the the cold and everything. So being forced to you know organize things and my god and it's it's New Year's we need to do stuff and resolutions and all this speed is really yeah not very helpful for our biology. But that's that's another you know that's another season after Samhain. But I mean it's it it starts. It it can already starts here, right? Yeah. I mean the the Norse tradition agrees. or we think we're not quite sure but it agrees with that also this time of the year is supposed to be the beginning of the next year. as for as for the the month itself, October or Blot month. it's it it used to be a month for for sacrifices and slash hunting. I find it interesting because in the Norwegian sign language October is like this and it it means also to hunt so it's the hunt season or you know where you get when you shoot the deer in the head you know Luigi: Yeah. Lynn: yeah but also like it's a it used to be like a big season of where you slaughter the surplus livestock and and get ready that that meat for or so over over winter and Luigi: Preserve it. Lynn: and it would preserve it and it was connected a lot to Frey worship in in this time and There's a few festivals. So Halloween itself, Samhain, isn't again it's one of those things that isn't so big in the Norse tradition, but we have the winter nights, and the winter nights are the first full moon after the first new moon after the autumnal equinox, which this year is the twenty-fifth of October. so that was a bit of like a a bigger festival period, Sabbath where people come together and celebrate and do all the you know brawls and horse races and eat and drink and and just enjoy life at that peak season before or well the peak of the peak of the end I suppose before we would then go into the new period. Like it would mark the start of winter the winter nights and the start of winter we assume also marked the start of the next year basically. so we're not quite sure but we think that it was the opening for the year then, as well. So yeah, lots of lots of games just in winter nights, but a big, big sacrificial period, and sacrificing to the dark. because you know, also back then you weren't sure necessarily that the light would come back. We we've experienced it like year for year that there's a dark period and after the sun dies the sun resurrects. But can you be sure? You know, like maybe the gods are angry for some reason and then they will not bring the sun back. You never know, right? So you would sacrifice and and try and make sure that the light will come back for the next spring. So a lot of the connections to Frey Frey worship and he's like a a god of of agriculture but also a god of fertility and he's connected to horses and general also the weather So he used to be one of the top gods, before Odin took over. he had a period of being the main god in the Norse religions. so yeah, a big big Frey worship. also an anecdote here that it also seems like in the Norse traditions the winter periods were very connected to women. And the the sun period was very connected to to men or masculine things like, you know, hunt or going out and well both agriculture but going for like warfare and like just solar stuff while in winter the feminine or yin period, right, was more pronounced and they seem to have been very aware of that in these periods of the the winter nights and the different festivals also around it like the Dísir Blot which was a festival to give sacrifice to the Disir, and Disir being female goddesses and spirits and that was led by the ladies of the house like they would sacrifice to the the wights and the spirits of the house and the Disir in this period so it's yeah it's quite feminine focused. which is interesting because that's a lot of traditions have that, that the the darkness and slow period and the ingestation period connected to the feminine energy or, you know, and then that BAM active, you know, the masculine energy. yeah what I can say about actual Hallow's Eve, because that's what we would c call it here, Hallow's Eve and first of November, connects together and while it's probably not been as big as the Winter Night Festival, there was still a festival and a Sabbath and it was connected to, you know, the wild hunt and it was traditionally a a festival where we would do see horse sacrifices. so Hallows Eve or Hallow Mass was also called Hellemisse in Denmark I think and Hellemisse was also called sacrificial horse. So this is a bit dark, but they they used to either sacrifice a an old horse that wasn't useful anymore, or they would also just leave it out in the field to die. Like a more like a naturally occurring sacrifice so that the the the cold would claim the body of the horse basically. But yeah also a note on all this sacrifice, but what I just read also is that I mean you do sacrifice a lot of animals and you have the cycle of life and death and that was you know it's just a natural thing that would occur and that we would do. But I just read this thing that i it was believed that when you sacrifice an animal, I mean for one, we talk in an an very in area or in time where it was very normal to be animist, right? It's not so normal to be animist right now in our modern society, but back then most people were so believing that not just, you know, you and me have souls or a spirit, but animals and the land and trees and maybe even stones, you know, have a spirit and that you can communicate with it. so there's a particular sacredness to taking a life because you know a life is worth is has a lot of value. but then in like a period where there's a lot of this taking life, there it used to be believed that if you pity the animal, then you will actually make it suffer. So the people who are supposed to actually do the sacrifices, they always had to be like in like a state of I guess a joy or happiness or like a a kind of a sacred state of mind to ensure that the Luigi: will not be able to. Lynn: Yeah. To ensure that the animal will will die in a way that will not make the animal suffer. And in with suffer it's not necessarily meant that the act of killing it would give it pain, but that the act of going into the realm of death would be connected to well what we would call like trauma now, or so that the the spirit of the animal would somehow be tainted with something negative, but that the spirit of the animal is also just like woohoo! And so when it passes over, it's also more, you know, joyful So yeah, I found that very interesting. Hmm. Luigi: Hmm. I wonder who were those individuals that could manage to, remove themselves emotionally 'cause I probably would fail at that totally. Lynn: Yeah, it was much more natural, you survived by killing animals, so people don't think a lot of people had this feeling that or this distance that we're having nowadays to actually kill something 'cause it was just more normal. plus the that it was much more revered or understood that death was something sacred, in a sense. So I mean there's always been like soft souls I think that didn't want to see other things die. But I I believe firmly that it was much more natural for people to to take a life but to take so in a a certain in a reverence rather than just okay, dead and done. Especially if it's like sacrifices because it's so connected to the godly. So often you build up the the sacrificial animal in a way that you give the animal lots of sacrifices and give it the best food and you deify the animal that you're going to use as a sacrifice until that animal basically is seen as the god or spirit, like they become one. And then when you sacrifice it you basically give the spirit or the essence of that spirit or god back to the god in a way. so yeah. Amelie: Yeah, I was also about to say, I think back in the day, we're so, we kind of detached from the natural source of food because we get everything in shops now. But back in the day, it was, you did that. And when you killed an animal, was, obviously you were super grateful to have the animal and it wasn't like it is now that you got rid of. bits of the animal, you basically savoured the whole animal because it was not just important for you in the material world, but obviously the animal gave you something, so it's a completely different thing. I understand, I understand where you're coming from because we don't want to kill, but I honestly, yeah, it must have been so different back in the day when you were actually connected to nature in that sense and death. is a part of nature and that's just the way Luigi: Mm-hmm. Lynn: Mm. Amelie: is. Lynn: Mm. And we weren't so much on top of the food chain either. If you're thinking a few hundred years back, where it was much more natural or much more easy for us to die from anything. sickness, an angry bear, a boar, probably boars more than bears, out in the wild, you Luigi: Ha ha. Lynn: know. so, you know, that death came so much more easier and violent death even. And it's all it's all I mean, all of this talk about death, I mean makes we are It's it's Samhain, and Samhain is the the death of the year and although from the Norse it doesn't seem to be such so so much of a death cult per se as we feel more like with Samhain when as you said like the veil is thin and the spirits roam more freely or maybe the spirits roam all the time but we are more able to see and feel them because of the veil being so thin or a mix of both. Who knows? But Luigi: Yeah. Lynn: Yeah, it's very connected to this belief that the dead are much closer to to us and I I feel that viscerally, every every year. So to to me, celebrating Samhain is always connecting to the people that are no longer with me, that I have loved or that I've lost and And so I I always go into the Samhain period with both this feeling of deep reverence but also this feeling of some melancholy, because I know it tends to be very impactful for me to to meet these people again. And I always it's always a a time for me or, you know, when I when I go cross when I cross over in a way and and I I connect with them and I often talk to them and this is family and and friend well, more than friends, lost loves and you know, and then it's it it's a lot of tears. And it's very it's very strong. But it's also very sacred and it's a very beautiful experience every year. But it's very it's very harsh also. So it's it's both beautiful and harsh. Luigi: Leaves an impact. Lynn: it leaves an impact. And the the time of the year, you know, we're in Scorpio season. Luigi: Mm. Lynn: During Samhain. So that is going deep. That is, you know, that is the darkness. That is like being under the surface. That is perfect for like going in the underworld and seeing your your dead loved ones. It's you know, it's like on point. Scorpion also the the Decan that leads into Samhain, the first Decan of Scorpios also ruled by Mars and Scorpio is a Mars ruled sign, so we'll be having this like an abundance of martial energy. and you know, so it's I don't know, blood and gore and death, it's just i it works. Amelie: you you Luigi: Yeah, especially following Lynn: Aye, it's the season. Luigi: the Libra season, which is more Venusian as a season I suppose. So Lynn: Hmm. Hmm. Luigi: yeah, you you you you you give and receive, I suppose, isn't it? so it's with the Venusian season of Libra there's level of appreciation and a level of indulgence perhaps. and then in source comes the real quest or and or the real work if you wanna call it work. 'cause I think in terms of the dynamic that one can have as an individual or that we can have as a society with death. that also is work. Like how do we relate to this concept, this very natural concept but us for many reasons that we can list forever, forever on, it's still very hard for for us to accept with the either courage and or gratitude. 'cause I guess Death is part of regeneration. But obviously because we work based on attachments and there's nothing wrong with that. But it is something very hard for us to process and that's where that's what grief stems from, the attachments. Again, very natural. But I think one thing that I'm grateful to the Celtic tradition, one thing that I'm grateful of for the pagan tradition, one thing that I'm grateful for the tarot, and Samhain I think it's an appreciation and at least a a sort of embrace regarding death and what it stands for and what it represents. 'cause I think I remember this is totally going on a tiny tangent, but when I grew up l when I was a baby and I was like three or four, I was very naive. And you know that I never found out about death Lynn: Weren't we all? Luigi: I know but but but Lynn: Yeah. Luigi: but here here's the story and this is maybe the embarrassing part. I didn't find out about death until I was six. Like I thought death wasn't a thing. it's something that happens in movies you know, n people don't die. That's not what that doesn't make any sense. That feels like a terrible thing to happen. So it's not real. And so I was watching the The Return of the Jedi. it was a nineteen ninety seven edition and I was at my neighbor a neighbor's house it was an older lady and I was telling her about the plot. I'm like, the emperor is attacking Luke and then the Emperor killed Darth Vader. But don't worry, don't worry. Darth Vader died, but don't worry. we're safe because we don't die. it's just a film. And then she looked at me weirdly and she said Luigi no we we we do die. Like people die, you know like do you do you know that? Lynn: Hmm. Luigi: And I'm like what Amelie: you Luigi: what what do you mean? What what are you talking about? And I started crying. And I was so sad and then I ran home to my mom and she was like, What's wrong? What's wrong? We're all gonna die. Amelie: you Luigi: now looking back it feels funny, but at the time I was depressed for weeks. I had like a a support teacher to help me with my homework and she was like, What's wrong? You haven't been focusing, you're very quiet, you're not talking to me, you're not saying hello and I'm like, Why should I? we're gonna die. We're gonna like the the impact Lynn: Ha ha ha. Luigi: the impact that the revelation of death had was major. And also because I was in hospital when I was around that age. I don't know if it was before or after I think after, but after I found out about death. And I think I've I got a real sense of my mortality and I felt very vulnerable and fragile. but it wasn't until getting into paganism, I suppose, and studying the laws of nature from a spiritual perspective that I got finally a bit of reassurance or a bit further more of understanding in in something that yes it's scary in itself but it doesn't have to dictate how I go about living my life feeling within myself and out of myself. So yeah that was just light tangent but I think it was slightly appropriate in relation to the conversation of sound and death and endings. Lynn: No, absolutely. yeah. I that's that's very interesting. I don't think I ever needed like a pep talk or that's not the right word, but like a a wake up call for that. I think I've always been aware of it. but it might also be because in my like when I was a very small child I died a lot in my dreams. So I experienced yeah, I experienced dying at night a lot. so I don't think I ever questioned it. And I mean, you know, I I I grew up on the countryside, so there were like dead animals, you know, dead mice and dead bugs and whatnot. So and so I don't think it ever had to be or I don't remember it ever having to be explained to me. I just I think I understood that okay, we live and then at some point we die. But the effects on it, of course, or seeing something die or experiencing something die didn't happen for me before I was I think ten around ten years old, ten eleven when my cat died, and that was quite a traumatic experience for for me, of course, 'cause I was very attached to her and everything. And as you do as a child, you blame yourself for things that aren't your fault. Luigi: It was my fault. Lynn: yes, I I believed strongly that it was my fault because we had just we had just moved houses and something had happened to her, we don't know what, like she'd been she'd been out. she was like an outdoors like she she could go outside and something happened because she came back home and she was like clearly in shock. Like my mom would say, like she had like huge eyes and she was kind of weird. And so there was something mental that wasn't okay. Like she was physically apparently okay or fine, but we don't know, because back then I don't think we went to the vet. My mum didn't believe in that. I think. But she seemed fine otherwise, just that she she had some traumatic experience and I wasn't at home. Like she was very connected to me. I wasn't at home because it was vacations. I was with my grandparents. So she was without me, I think, when she came back. and then at the same period we also were in progress of moving houses, which is also quite traumatic for a cat. So we moved houses and I came back. the same day that we that my mum and her boyfriend had moved everything, I come back. so she was in a different environment and but when she saw me, you know, she started to eat and drink again. And so I thought like, you know, I can I can rescue her, you know, because now she's eating and she's gonna gain, you know, she's gonna get her spirit back. yes. But also then at the very same time and I wonder I need to go back like what happened during this time, astrologically be very interesting. Because there was just so much happening at the same time was insane. so on top of me not being there, us moving houses, me coming back, and then school started the very next day. So I had to go to school. just after I had come back and she'd gone bad been better and so on. I went to school and I came back home and then she lay in my room dead. And she had, thrown up every it was a really r Luigi: I'm very sad to hear though. Lynn: like I smell like it was really, really traumatic. It was there was puke everywhere and it was a smell I can't still I still recognize the smell of what she smelled like. when I smell it anywhere else. So it was really yeah, it was big and then I thought it was my fault because I didn't want to go to school. I wanted to be with my cat and help her get better. But of course it's like, you know, grown ups like, no no of course you go to school and you have to no no no it's the first day of school and you have to go. So yeah. Many years I had that burden until I was like, Yeah, yeah, I mean that's that's that's what happens, you know, but mm. That was Luigi: I hear you. Lynn: my first traumatic experience. And then there were many more traumatic experiences with death, but that's the first one. Yeah. Luigi: I hear you. bless. Amelie: I don't think I have any traumatic experiences with death. I think Luigi: I am shocked. Amelie: for me, I'm not traumatic. I can't Lynn: Okay. Amelie: say. I just had dreams when I was a kid that I was buried alive, but I was alive. So I wasn't dead. I was buried alive. And also like after death, just, you just Death for me has been almost like sleeping. So Lynn: Mm. Amelie: once you die, you just come back. It's like a transformation of some sort. So I don't, Lynn: Mm, mm. Amelie: I don't know. I never been, I never been frightened as such, but then I had a period of, I think it probably has something to do with anxiety. And when you start thinking about death and then you think about How will it feel when I'm gone or when I'm not here or when I'm dead? And I had a period of like that anxiety when you wake up and you feel like you're kind of dead or it's really difficult to explain, but I know that a lot of people have felt that is that feeling of like being void of your body kind of thing. Lynn: Mm, mm. Amelie: And that used to give me like proper anxiety because it's like Luigi said, the attachment that we have is the attachment to your body. I think this is what makes death so difficult because I don't believe that you just die and it's over. But I think because you're living in your body for so long and you know you're but you're just so attached to the body that we have, it's very hard to let go. Lynn: For some people more so than others, Luigi: Yeah, what will be your next Lynn: definitely. Hm. Luigi: What will be your next body? What will be your next voice? What will be your next next set of eyes? Lynn: Yeah, Amelie: I better upgrade. Either upgrade or become a cat. I don't care. Yeah, that is actually. Lynn: yeah. Mm yes. Better upgrade. Haha. You that is an upgrade probably in many ways one mm. Luigi: Ha ha! Yeah. That is the upgrade, especially in this century. Lynn: Mm, mmm. I I I just there was one thing you said a little while ago, Luigi, with the attachment and now again you brought it up with the attachment to a body and I was just thinking again with the the season that 'cause you mentioned we just come out of Libra season and very Venusian and Venus has this thing about being very attached as well. That's her that's like the almost the detriment of of Venus as a planet or or archetype that she's so about enjoying things and in being like in the body and good food and sex and all that is very, very bodily and her her weak point is that she gets very, very attached to things, which is a little geek thing here, which is why she's in exaltation in Pisces, because Pisces is the sign where there's no attachment. You know, it's just like everything just flows. So she can be her her best self in Pisces where the attachment is kind of nullified Or counterbalanced you know. So yeah, yeah, I found that very interesting when you said attachment. I was thinking of like, yes, Venus. We're just coming out of Venus. Mm. And now we're going Luigi: Yeah, yeah. Lynn: into the Scorpio d the dark Scorpio, death and death sex, rock and roll, drugs. Don't do them kids. But you know, it's there. Luigi: I think in in the line of sex when it comes to Samhain and the season of Scorpio, because there is an element of sexuality in Mars as well, but I like to think of it Lynn: Yes, yes. Luigi: as the instinct of reproduction for the purpose of survival, you know what I mean? Like I feel so sex can be applicable any time of the year, it doesn't have to be isolated to a specific period. But for the sake Lynn: Mm-hmm. Luigi: of what we're talking about when you compare Libra, I suppose, to Scorpio and seasons as well. I would like to think of Libra and again Venusian world and the essence of Venus in the field or the domain of sex as in like let's just enjoy ourselves, let's have a great time. But because now we shift into Samhain and the season of scorpio and the season of death and darkness you think of Gosh, we we bet we better procreate now, so that by the time that you bring a new life into the world, it's gonna be summer and we can safely nurture the baby and then we can continue our bloodline. save and our way to keep ourselves w ourselves Lynn: Hm. Yeah, yes. Yeah. Luigi: warm, I suppose. Lynn: Yeah, but mean that is the natural cycle. Amelie: I guess what else to do in wintertime when you're in the house all the time? Lynn: But that used to be the natural cycle Luigi: Just fuck like bunnies. Lynn: that it yeah, that you procreate more while in winter, both because what what else to do, but also because then if you have the the pregnant months during the winter time, you can then give life i in the time when also life comes back and it's easier to nurture a child and there won't be so much child death when you actually give birth in summer or in spring or summer, because then there's more waste to nurture a child than in winter. but also one thing that you because because there's just so much stuff to talk about. But I found it very interesting. So it's just talking about the the connection that we see with the Scorpio season and and sexuality and in Vedic astrology it's actually Libra that is seen as the most sexual sign. Luigi: Really? Lynn: Mm. Yeah. And I don't know too much about it. It's just like a little tid bit that I caught. But yeah, so it's it it's it's that sign that it's like so people that are born under that t time of like Venus, Venus or Libra are like seen to be more Luigi: To be fair, I have a I have a couple of I have a couple of Libra friends, very close friends, and they are quite I I'm not gonna name them out obviously, but they are very promiscuous in a good way, in a good way. that as a compliment. so it doesn't surprise me, I suppose, what you're saying now, for reflection. Lynn: Yeah, yeah. We Yeah, it it makes sense. we know that the Libra is a very social sign and it's about, it's being it's very flirty and all that, so it's totally makes sense. But still we have in the back of our mind more like this connection with the the Scorpio being like this very sexual mm sign. But yeah. Or a but all ev every sign has sex, right? Sex Luigi: Yeah, exactly. Lynn: and death. We just this is our this is Samhain. Yes, we are we're yeah. Totally on topic. Luigi: And I guess the be on the nose, but I suppose it's also worth reflecting that Major Arcana wise, tarot wise, this season will be reflected by the or the death card it herself. Lynn: Exactly. Hmm. Luigi: So that's something else to add into the mix in terms of the things to reflect on when it comes to the subject of Samhain, and this period of transition. Amelie: mean, it does come, it's a hand in hand kind of thing, right? Because, yeah, like you said, the death card is a card of transition. So transitioning from death to life. And we know what the Norse did. And in Slavic traditions, they have something very similar. They call it jadu. which basically means old men or like elders or, but it's also about fertility. So it makes a lot of sense, this whole sexual thing, because it's like Frey comes with the seed, you know, it has to go somewhere in order to be transformed Lynn: Hmm. Hmm. Yes. Amelie: into life, in order for death to be transformed into life. So it makes a lot of sense. Lynn: Yeah. Amelie: But yeah, in the Slavic traditions as well, what they used to do, they used to basically take food with them to the graves and eat with the dead because you wanted to have them Lynn: Mm. Amelie: on your side because the dead people are closer to life in a sense because they're on the other side, so they are closer to life. you wanted to have their favour so they could help you then to have, I guess, healthy baby or, you that's that is kind of like you, you took that as a like their help that, which I find quite interesting. I guess this is Lynn: Mm-hmm. Amelie: where this whole thing with candles. in the cemetery comes from as well, because nowadays, they don't really do that anymore because they're like Christian now. So everything is a little bit more low key because back in the Lynn: Mm-hmm. Luigi: Uh-huh. Amelie: day they used to literally like pour vodka onto the grave and have good old time, which I assume they don't really do anymore, which is a shame. Maybe they should start doing that. Luigi: Bring it back. Amelie: Yeah, maybe, you know, things are coming back more and more. So maybe there are people that do that. I just found it really interesting. The parallels from like the Norse traditions to the Slavic traditions, basically the same almost, but they also do like a fire as well. So that's very similar as well. Yeah. And they also have a goddess for the winter. Lynn: Yes, we all I think we all do, yeah. Hmm. Luigi: Yeah, the the Celtic tradition Yeah, exactly. I think we Amelie: yet. Luigi: have the Cailleach the mother of winter. the dreaded mother Lynn: Yes. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Luigi: of winter. And the this is also technically the season of the crone, in terms of the the goddess's form. so she went from maiden to mother and then now into crone season. that brings an interesting conversation about the ruling element of Samhain, 'cause you can approach it from so many different perspectives. I think in magic systems and paganism, winter is heavily associated with earth. but then if you look at it from the cardinal aspect of the season you will have Libra which will be air. however if you look at the moda modality of the fixed sign which will be again Scorpio and if you treat Samhain from a Celtic perspective, so the beginning of winter from the season of Samhain which is falling under Scorpio season, you have the element of water instead. But at the same time, if you then focus on Samhain being a fire festival, yes, so one of the many fire festivals, but maybe even possibly the fire festival because as the sun's fire has vanished or at least diminished, the fire that we can ignite from within and without becomes the real engine and the real fuel the the real mother flame, if you will. of the particular season. So you can borrow elementally you can borrow rulership from all the elements. And not just in Samhain. Possibly you can do so for any other Sabbath. but it has me thinking. Lynn: Yeah, yeah, I think you can. Yeah. I I think earth makes a lot of sense to me also because, you know, death and we have big traditions to to put our dead into the ground. you know, unless there's also water burials, you know, but there's a big tradition or a very old tradition of putting them in the ground where we live. and And also Hel, a lot of death death gods residing or being seen as okay, they reside under the ground, in the underworld, in earth. Luigi: The world. Lynn: yeah, so both Hel we also have Tartarus, Hades is also underground. So the yeah, so I think in in in a lot of European traditions and also outside of European traditions, the connection to death and the dead people living in the earth. or living or residing in the earth is quite big. So I I see a connection there and also see a connection with Scorpio being from the polarity of the zodiac, you have a yin polarity or like a heavy or slow, for for water. Water and earth are both the heavier yin elements. So it going into the Scorpio period makes sense. And it switches from the yang energy that we're still having from Libra into like this. And then we switch back again. Mm back. But mm yeah. Luigi: Yeah. Divination as well, storytelling, very big again, stuff that you can do all year round, but I think it's predominantly or especially very unique and advised if not if not encouraged during the season of Samhain. 'Cause again with the veil getting thin, your psychic abilities supposingly will be enhanced. so yeah, like make sure that you Grab your cards and runestones, children and do your own divinations and rituals 'cause great stuff can tend tends to happen during Samhain. Lynn: Mm. Yeah, or if you're feeling experimental, you know, grab your Ouija board and see w who comes through. Luigi: That's who. Amelie: Be careful, kids. Lynn: Yeah. I do it I do it more focused on the people that I actually want to meet. But you know, some people like the disruption and the chaos from that. Not knowing who comes through. Not to say that I'm doing Ouija board, I'm doing I wasn't I wasn't saying that, I'm doing it my own shamanic journeys and all that. but yeah. Luigi: Alas. I I sincerely hope 'cause it's my favorite time of the year, so I sincerely hope that every single person you you two here with me on this call, but obviously every single person listening to us or connecting to us through psychic means and astral means have a beautiful Samhain and make the most of the season. It's the end of the year. Collect what you gain and achieved and embrace what you're going to collect and achieve going forward. honestly, yeah. Less it be for so Lynn: Yeah. Actually yeah, what I what are you guys doing for s how are you are you doing anything this Samhain, twenty twenty six? Anything planned? Luigi: So I have few friends that wanna go out. and I'm I'm saying that only because of like you know me and going out, I'm all like okay, sure, let's go out. but I like Samhain to be unless you have the privilege of being with a coven or with a community that is in alignment with your beliefs, I suppose. and then you can celebrate Samhain but accordingly, you know, like with chanting and songs and divination and storytelling. But I think what my friends have in mind is a bit more cosmopolitan. Which is totally fine. As long as I maybe can do it in costume, I will be totally satisfied. But that's one of the plans, as well as obviously ritual, either before I leave the house or after I return to return home. Lynn: What about you, Amelie, any plans? Amelie: I normally don't have any specific plans for Samhain, just, I kind of treat the whole month as a very kind of quiet month or trying to like let go of the, because I find summer is a little bit stressful. The only good thing with like hot season is the fact that it's warm, everything else, you know, and I like, I like the solitary. So I quite like the season, but I do always for like Halloween or Samhain or, I was about to say the all dead's day, but, I always, connect to specifically my grandma because I used Lynn: Hmm. Amelie: to be very close to her, but with people that are not longer with me. Just like you mentioned, Lynn, I think that's very Lynn: Mm. Amelie: important. And even maybe people that you, I was about to say not miss that much, but we Luigi: Ha ha. Lynn: Mm. Amelie: do have sometimes people that you don't miss that much, or maybe people that when they lived were not the perfect people. But I do find that connecting with them as well sometimes during this period can shift or it does it does do something and it's almost like Lynn: Hm. Amelie: they had to say I got myself into a pickle. Luigi: Ha ha ha. Lynn: Mm-hmm. Amelie: I do it's almost like they're trying to explain. or not even, it's not about like being sorry, but trying to explain why things happened the way they happened. And I think sometimes, Lynn: Hmm. Amelie: you know, how you, how sometimes you hear that you should just forgive people specifically if they're dead. Sometimes you can't do that, but I think sometimes you can connect with them and maybe see things from their perspective and understand. why certain things happen the way they happened. And I think sometimes it's almost like an unrest in the soul of people like that. And once you try to at least be understanding or listen to what they have to say, it just feels calmer within yourself as well. Yeah, I got myself Lynn: Mm. Amelie: out of the pickle. Thank you. Luigi: Well done. You managed. And she Lynn: Yeah good, good. Luigi: ascends from the underworld. Lynn: Yeah Amelie: Yeah. Luigi: Another thing that I wanna mention quickly is again in connection to death and etc. But in from a Celtic perspective and tradition, Samhain falls on the day that according to the tradition, the Tuatha Dé Danann fought against the Femorians. So there was this big battle and so a lot of blood was shed. so this is also Lynn: Mm. Mm. Luigi: in in memory of the fallen of that particular battle and that particular day. Because it was a battle for Freedom, liberation, I guess also conquest, depending on what perspective you approach the story from. But yeah, there's also that aspect which is very martial, like when I think of it 'cause the Morrigan was according to tradition, the Morrigan was present, was raging around with her call of death and battle and blood and yeah. So I think again very applicable story, a very applicable Lynn: Mm-hmm. Mm. Mm-hmm. Luigi: theme. to Samhain Lynn: Hmm. Mm. Yeah. I I'm not sure how exactly the celebration will happen this year. I mean I usually do what I what I said earlier, like I'm connecting and normally it's a very quiet celebration I'm doing for myself. this year I will be in Denmark with some of my magical friends and we are having yeah we're having a workshop that weekend we're doing a mask workshop so that is actually quite on point i guess we we're going to have some sort of ritual on the 31st and the idea was that we create masks like animal masks that connect to our in Norse traditions called Fylgja, we can talk about that in another episode. that is like a a guardian spirit in an animal form, basically, to put it like very simple, simple. so we want to create masks for our own Fylgja so that we can, you know, kind of shapeshift into them and dance around the fire and shape shift with our masks that's the plan so Luigi: That sounds amazing. Lynn: we will see what happens. I will report back sorry I think the raven ate them. Amelie: And where were our invitations? Where are our invitations? Luigi, we have to make some masks now. I'm going to make a Luigi: Yeah. it doesn't sound like we're welcomed the Amelia. It feels like we're being cast out. Lynn: Yes. Hmm. Amelie: mask and I'm going to dance around my stove. Lynn: Yes. Yes. We can connect like that in spirit on the thirty-first and we all do that together. But I'm excited. I'm not sure how it's gonna be and but we I'll see, just jumping in. Yeah. Luigi: Love it. Lynn: Yeah, love it. All right, well, card. Luigi: Yeah, did it connect to the theme, Amelie, or in your opinion, before you reveal it though? Amelie: When I saw what it was, I got a little bit... not scared, but I got a little bit like, whoa. But I feel like we have somehow... we spoke about a few of the things that are like connected to this card in a way. But yeah. Lynn: Okay. So so we can rule out death, it was not so much on the nose I guess, because that would that would be like the that would be the Luigi: He also doesn't sound it doesn't sound like a major. Amelie: No. No, it's not a major, no. Lynn: Well if she's mm. Luigi: Is it a minor? Okay, Amelie: Yes. Luigi: okay, okay, we're getting there. Lynn: Are we in the realm of Mars? Amelie: yeah, I'd say. Lynn: Are we? Luigi: Are we? Okay. is he is he Lynn: Is it the five of cups? Amelie: very close but not really. We're not in waters. Luigi: W are we in swords? Lynn: what Amelie: No. Lynn: We're an earth. Luigi: gosh. Amelie: No, there's no, there's only one left. Lynn: So we're in fire. wow. Okay. Luigi: okay. What in wands, interesting. Amelie: Well, you got it. You got it. Well, Lynn, you got it because she said five of cups and it's five of wands. Yeah. Yes. Luigi: What what did I say? what five of ones. Lynn: Yeah. Yes. It's five ones. Mmm, okay. Okay. Amelie: Though I do like, I do like this one. Maybe this is Lynn: see. Amelie: better. I actually quite like Luigi: Wow. Amelie: the way it looks here. because you're not fighting loads of people. Luigi: Mm. Amelie: And it's almost Lynn: Wow. Amelie: like you have to be brave, brave to face something that might be against you. And Luigi: Mm. Amelie: we were talking about this Ouija board, right? Be prepared for all the demons that are against you because, know, that was a joke, but you know, you should. Luigi: Full disc full disclaimer. Lynn: I I am just this is a Black Panther, right? I'm not hallucinating. Amelie: No, you're not. Lynn: Because I have a mm that is on point for me. I'm sorry. Amelie: Yeah. Yeah. Lynn: Okay. I I'm taking that. I'll I'll take it. But mine is not gonna Luigi: Yeah. Lynn: care if I come with a cross that's in flames, it's not gonna Luigi: It's not in the mind. Amelie: Don't forget this is a vampire deck so that's why Lynn: Yes, yes. Amelie: I think the cross is there, Lynn: Yeah yeah yeah no no no I I got that. But mm I I appreciate that a lot. Thank you. Luigi: Yeah, and I think the Five of Wands, again, when you showed it and when you revealed it made me connect to the battle of I forgot what the place is called, one sec. Well you know, when between the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Femorians. I'm gonna butcher the name. It it's the Battle of Mag Tuired that's where they faced each other on Samhain's night. So it kinda reminded me of the bloodshed of that myth. Amelie: do think if this was the, the normal five of wands with the five people fighting, it wouldn't feel as, I don't know, this card just has a, a different kind of, I guess, because it's a vampire deck. So it would have these kind of, you know, spooky themed things, but, This could be also in a cemetery somewhere. And I like the fact that it's... it's fire, but it's also autumn, or the leaves as Lynn: Mm. Mm. Amelie: well. And... Luigi: Seasons that's. Lynn: Mm mm. And yeah, with another fixed sign, right? Mm mm mm. Just kind of the Luigi: I guess also no need to resist Samhain 'cause I think in the five of wands there's an element of resisting is futile, lean in. Amelie: Yeah, absolutely. And it's almost like, don't be afraid for something that looks scary as well. Because Lynn: Hmm. Hmm. Amelie: at the end of the day, this is merely a cat. Give him some cuddles, you know, and... Lynn: Ha ha. Give it something to play with. Luigi: Wow. Well thank you. Lynn: yeah, I like that. Yes, thank you very much. That was enlightening. Luigi: May the five of wands enlighten your way through Samhain. Lynn: Yes. I mean the idea of like running around a fire kind of untamed, in some sort of slightly mad state possibly is not very far away from the imagery of the the Smith five of wands, you know. So yeah. Alright. Luigi: Quite similar. Yeah. Lynn: It's yeah. Except we're not trying to fight each other. But we don't know because if somebody has a a wolf and the other has a deer, I'm not sure what's gonna happen. If they really get into their shapes. But yeah. Wow. Amelie: Well, there will be a sacrifice. Lynn: might be sacrifice, yeah, for the Samhain spirit for sure. Let's hope nobody falls into the fire anyway. We'll see. Amelie: Yeah, learn. Luigi: Keep us informed. Lynn: I shall keep you informed, the first of November, I guess. Luigi: If we don't hear you back from you on the first of November, we're sending a search party. Amelie: Yeah. Luigi: We're doing a Blair Witch Lynn: Alright. Luigi: project. Lynn: Okay. Yeah. Thank you very much. I feel utterly cared for. Thank Luigi: Good. Lynn: you. Well, thanks guys for for jumping in listening to our episode about Samhain this year, twenty twenty six. I hope that you have a wonderful time. Don't let the the spooky stuff spook you too much. Embrace it, see what it wants to tell you and If you maybe you can connect with some of your loved ones that have passed, it's the it's the time for that. hold that reverence in your heart when you go into this time of the year. well give us a thumbs up if you like this episode and if you like let us know what you're doing for Samhain or if you have any experiences, the past sounds that have passed and Luigi: Share with us ghost stories. Lynn: Share ghost stories. Alright. Well, Amelie: yeah. Lynn: could that we like that? Alright, well, bye and good night. Have a blessed time.