Halloween on the other side of the wheel

Tonight is Halloween.

In the north, where most of what we know about it comes from, it is the end of autumn. The old Celtic name for it is Samhain, the night the year turns towards the dark, and the night the veil between the living and the dead is said to be at its thinnest.

Here in Perth it is the end of October, the nights are warming up, and the jacarandas are starting to flower purple along the streets.

We are on the other side of the wheel.

The festival that sits opposite Samhain in the old calendar is Beltane, the fire festival, the halfway point of spring, the celebration of everything coming alive.

So tonight, while the north lights candles for its dead, the south is meant to be lighting fires for its living.

I love that.

Because it is the same night, on the same planet, and the two halves of the world are doing opposite things.

Here is the teaching.

The veil is thin on both sides of the wheel.

At Samhain it is thin because the year is dying, and the dead come close.

At Beltane it is thin because the year is bursting into life, and everything that wants to be born comes close.

Either way, the door between the worlds is open a little wider than usual for a few days.

What you do with that depends on which side of the wheel you are standing on.

In the north, it is a night to remember.

Here, it is a night to begin.

And I think the best thing you can do this weekend is a little of both.

Tomorrow is All Saints, and Monday is All Souls, the days the old church set aside for the dead, and I will write to you about those who have gone ahead tomorrow.

Tonight, I would light a candle for something new.

One thing you want to grow this summer.

A word of warning from the sky.

Early this morning, at 1:19, Mercury in Scorpio squared Mars in Leo, and with Mercury still walking backwards, tempers can run short today. If the kids are loud at the door, smile, and hand over the lollies.

Words said in a hurry today will need saying again next week.

So the practice for tonight.

Light one candle.

Say out loud what you are planting for the summer.

And if somebody you have lost comes to mind while you do it, say hello to them too.

They are closer than you think.

What are you lighting a fire for this spring?

There is more teaching like this in The Library, and every daily post is in Daily Posts. If you would like guidance on your own path, see Readings.