Rebirth

Welcome to Samhain! And How it Supports your Spiritual and Personal evolution.

Happy Frigging Samhain/Halloween!!!

If you were hoping for the usual opening – today is different!

I have been doing these Monday readings for quite a few years now, and this is the first time that it has actually landed on Halloween, my most favourite celebration on the Wheel of the Year!

So this will be a short writing, as I want to celebrate!

Yesterday in Creatrix Circle, we had an amazing gathering where we talked and explored this delicious and exceptionally potent energy – The Witches New Year. And no, you don’t have to be a Witch to understand it.

I will say, I love Samhain as it is the epitome of endings and beginnings.

This is a transformative time of year.

When you connect with this potent energy, and let it guide you in your soul work, you can create lasting growth & change in your life.

Now if this way of looking at what you know as our Western Culture “Halloween” is new to you, and you are thinking – Jenn WTF?

Grab the Magickal Book of Samhain and all will be explained.

If you just want to read a lovely story about Stingy Jack and why we carve pumpkins, feel free.

In our Western Culture we think of Halloween as the “spooky time”, kids get dressed up and go looking for tricks or treats throughout the neighbourhood. Pumpkins are carved with faces to scare and there is a sense of celebration in the air.

Yet funnily enough Samhain (which is where our Halloween originated) is more than one day.

We have All Hallows Eve, which starts at dusk on the 31st and then on November 1st we have All Saints Day, and on November 2nd it is All Souls day, or Dia de Los Muertos.

All of which are a celebration of death and those who have passed and new beginnings.

Think about it, when we were an agricultural based community, this was the time when the harvest would have all been brought in, the days were getting shorter and it was a time to move into the darkness.

This is the sacred time marking the end of the harvest season. It’s the time of Death in nature. This is the time of year when we acknowledge, and honour, the role that Death plays in the cycle of Life.

You cannot continue to evolve, and birth new life, without experiencing Death.

This is the time of honouring your ancestors and inviting their help and support. It’s a place of reflection and celebration.

If you remember, at Equinox the energy was still mingled with summer, our inner & outer worlds swirling around each other; a time of finding balance between the two.

Now, at Samhain it’s clear that our inner world is overtaking our outer. Day is turning to night as we move into the dark side of the wheel of the year. This is where the energy turns inward, and things need to die on the outside in order to do that.

Samhain celebrates that Death.

But what does this mean for you personally? How does it benefit you?

Turn Inwards. This is the time where you can make peace with yourself and get comfortable with your inner life. This is where the work is for the next few months. It’s a place of being in a neutral mind and just observing.

Embrace the darkness. By embracing the darkness you learn not to fear the darkness.

There’s a lot of beauty in these dark days. Embrace it. Magic is born in the darkness.

And as you turn inward, don’t be afraid to look at your dark parts–be an observer. No judgement. What do your shadows want to show you?

Release whatever needs to die. If you are brave enough to look at the darkness, to listen to what it has to tell you, you discover parts of yourself you need to let go of in order to grow & evolve.

This is where we leave behind the things that we’ve outgrown. Welcome the mystery & the possibilities of the space that it creates in your life.

This is a powerful time for magic & manifestation. What new dreams will be born to replace the leaves that you’ve let go of?

Be gentle with yourself. Being brave enough to journey into the darkness requires really mindful nurturing & self-compassion. This is hard inner work. It requires you to be so gentle & loving & kind to yourself over the next few months.

In perfect divine timing, at Samhain we are entering the feminine/yin side of the wheel of the year.

Yin energy is restful. It’s gentle & nurturing. It’s intuitive & receptive.

So my gorgeous bean, that is how it benefits you when you move in rhythm with Mama Gaia and the seasons.

Now with all that being said, and as I want to go play and celebrate (and if you have actually read this far lol), let’s crack on with the reading.

The guides that decided to come and play on All Hallows Eve surprised me. They are the glorious guides of the Sacred Forest.

Now if these are new to you, please let me introduce them (as not to do so would be rude!)

At the edge of the mind awaits the holy wilderness of the soul. It beckons you, like a great forest filled with vast mysteries and wonders. While this mystical realm exists in a higher dimension, beyond normal reality, it is real nevertheless. To enter this mystical realm, it’s simply a matter of having an open heart and an open mind.

In this healing and holy place, long-sought answers to your deepest questions become known. Ancient wisdom emerges. Revelations about your future are revealed. Hidden talents and abilities are activated with you. It’s a place where miracles unfold, and your spirit can fly. In the deepest sense you remember who you are.

Okay gorgeous bean, here we are on All Hallows Eve, the start of Samhain. The place of release and moving into the warm, feminine darkness that nurtures and supports. I invite you to take a long, deep, luxurious breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. Let your face relax, your jaw relax and the worries of the day drop to the floor like leaves from autumnal trees.

Then I invite you to see in your mind’s eye a glorious warm dark night sky, you feel safe, you feel supported and held and as the clouds pull away you see stars that will guide you. Breathe that in. Allow this gorgeous Feminine Darkness to gently wrap around you and guide you and then when you are ready pick a card or cards that call to you.

You picked yes?

Shall we go see?

FOREST TEMPLE

Enlightenment

The sound of delicate chanting fills the forest. You follow the sound, as you walk down a meandering path into a small clearing. Before you, a forest temple becomes visible. As you get closer, it feels that the chanting is penetrating deep into your soul. Something seems to be shifting within you. Everything is the same, yet everything is somehow different.

Meditate on the light within you and around you. Connect with the ever-present of the Divine. Right now your awareness is increasing. Your ability to understand the world is shifting. More and more, you can see situations from all points of view, and this creates an expansion in all parts of your life.

We can often get stuck in seeing the world from only your personal point of consciousness, which is dramatically restricting possibilities for you. A one-sided adamant view of life can block a vast influx of light, joy, and connection to the Creatrix.

Strict adherence to your beliefs can obstruct wonderful opportunities from flooding your life. Be willing to step outside your limited points of view and see the world from the others’ perspectives, and your life will expand.

With enlightenment, you’ll feel the expansion from a limited sense of self to an awareness of the cosmos around you. That loves you.

Positive changes are coming. You are lightening up; feel buoyant and free. Your connection to Spirit is deepening if you allow it. Old beliefs about who you are and what you deserve in life are falling away, replaced by incredible new paths.

EAGLE SPIRIT

Freedom

Eagle Spirit invites you onto her back, and you dwindle in size so that you can climb on. You hold on to the down beneath her feathers as she soars higher and higher. The forest looks smaller and smaller, yet you can see so clearly as you ascend above the clouds. You have never felt so free!

It’s time to break free and let your spirit fly! Be daring as you go beyond predictable behaviour. Fling your arms up to the heavens in joy.

Also, pay attention when you have let life or others restrict your freedom. Recognising this is the first step to reclaiming your power. Don’t allow yourself to be trapped by convention or the expectations of others. The truth is that you aren’t here on this earth to be ordinary, but to step beyond limitations and self-imposed boundaries.

You have the ability to choose your life on your terms. Perhaps you aren’t always free to create the exact circumstances of your life – but you’re certainly able to decide what meaning to give those situations. Select meanings that empower you, for this is the time to break free. Hold the intent that boundless freedom surges through you, and so it shall.

This is the time to express yourself. Don’t hold back. Choose life on your terms.

Don’t be trapped by the expectations of others.

DAFFODIL FAIRY

New Beginnings

You feel a tap on your shoulder, and in a flash of yellow, you see a Daffodil Fairy fly by you. In a high, sweet voice she says, “The best is yet to be! It’s time for a new beginning!” With glee, you race after her into the forest.

Life goes in cycles. Just as spring follows winter, a new cycle is beginning in your life. In the phases of the earth, the plants die in the fall so that there can be new birth in the spring – it’s the universal dance of death and rebirth. There’s a time to end and begin, and this is the close of one cycle and the beginning of another.

We associate the daffodil with spring, as it is one of the first flowers to emerge after the snows. Its shape echoes the feeling of trumpeting in the new season; its colour suggests vitality, radiance, and sunshine.

It’s time to wipe the slate clean; it’s time to release the old and start again.

It can be difficult to release familiar routines, situations, or relationships when they no longer empower you; however, your higher self encourages you to not cling to the old, but set sail into new waters. If you find yourself afraid to let go, you are urged to face your fear and allow yourself to stretch in a new direction.

The Creatrix is at your side, and wonderful opportunities will be born in your life. Wholeness occurs when you can say yes to both endings and beginnings.

It’s time to start a new project or a new cycle. Life force and vitality are emerging. Release that which doesn’t serve and support you. Make way for a new start!

Lol, you seriously can’t make this shit up! Sorry if swearing offends you, but you can’t! Wishing for you a beautiful Samhain, give yourself the Magickal Book of Samhain if you feel called, but most importantly take the invitation that is being offered of stepping into the dark (in the Western Hemisphere) and really embrace yourself.

Big massive Pumpkin Smiles and may wee tiny Mars bars appear when you need them!

Samhain, Stories and Scorpio New Moon Eclipse!

Jenny Heston · 2:22 pm ·

Happy Marvellous, Magnificent, Magickal, Manifesting, Miraculous Monday!!

How are you delicious one?

What I am absolutely pig wiggly tickled about is, Samhain is almost here!!! (You may know it as Halloween) and I love, love, love Halloween. The smells, the leaves, the costumes, the decorating – the whole nine yards!

At the time that most of us celebrate Halloween it is also the festival of Samhain, the third and final Harvest festival where we celebrate with fire, eating and honouring the dead.

In many places, Samhain coincides with the end of the growing season. Vegetation dies back with killing frosts, and therefore, literally, death is in the air. This contributes to the ancient notion that at Samhain, the veil is thin between the world of the living and the realm of the Dead and this facilitates contact and communication.

This is also the Celtic New Year. Now I know some people get a tad tweaky when we talk Death, but death represents a release, whether it’s a release of breath, a release of habit, a release of a relationship. That’s all it is.

So to help you with one of the most important celebrations on The Wheel of the Year, and to share with you rituals to celebrate your ancestors, I have created a fabulous Book of Samhain (fondly referred to as BOS). 43 pages of lore, magick, stories, rituals, crystals, guided visualisation and all sorts more. This Guidebook is jam-packed with everything you need to create a sweet, simple ritual & personal practice to celebrate Samhain. It also helps you feel deeply connected with nature & the Divine, and in tune with your Authentic Self – by creating a personal practice rooted in the seasons. And as I love to give gifts – I have made it 70% off!

Last week I was honoured and blessed to be officiating a celebration of life. It was the first one I have done since my sister died 3 years ago, as to be honest I didn’t feel ready, it all felt still rather raw.

However, the other month I was approached by a family who had lost their dear father/husband and asked if I would help them craft a ceremony to honour his death. I felt into it and came to the decision that yes, I could.

Now when I help a family create a memorial I work with the philosophy of “Let that person’s life speak”. It’s not just about what they did or how old they were, it’s about sharing the stories of the person, the memories, the anecdotes, the love, adventures, mishaps, funny sayings, hobbies – all of it. And in doing the interviews there are so many amazing stories, tears, laughter and memories that flood to the surface, it’s quite amazing.

So at this memorial there must have been 200 people there, it was incredible! All of them there to honour and celebrate a man they loved and missed. Many friends and family got up to speak and share their memories, even if their voices cracked, there was laughter, music and a beautiful video clip of this wonderful man sharing his wisdom.

To me that is a huge part of the energy of Samhain. Honouring the dead, the stories of your ancestors, whether they be blood or choice. The stories of your heritage whether it be blood or choice. The stories of the past that support you and inspire you.

And beyond reaching out to passed loved ones, make time to acknowledge the “deaths” both great and small in your life. There are so many things that have “died” this year, so honour the ones that matter most to you, even if they are a little painful.

Look to nature for guidance, as it is always showing us how it dies and rebirths itself again and again.

So a question for you.

What are your stories?

Just prior to Samhain, on Tuesday, we open up the second Eclipse Portal of the year as we have a New Moon Eclipse in the delicious sign of Scorpio!

Now if you’ve been with me a while you will have heard me say – Eclipses uncover things you may have not been looking at or totally procrastinating about. So with this Eclipse on a New Moon, what have you stuffed in your closet that you really want to plant the seeds for?

Also, remember, the Eclipse season really ramps up the energy and not just for the day but for the weeks and months to come……. Just saying.

Eclipse Season is always a highly transformative time. You can think of them as portals that fast-track you to the next chapter of your soul evolution. On this fast track, we tend to undergo abrupt transformations that can be life-changing.

All Eclipses will affect us differently, some we may feel intensely and others we may barely notice. But if there is a big soul upgrade that is needed in your life, if you have been nearing the end of a journey or looking for a leaping stone to take you to a new one, Eclipses very often bring the bridge you have been waiting for.

As Forever shares,

“As this Solar Eclipse falls in the sign of Scorpio, we may find ourselves connecting to a higher level of our soul, understanding ourselves on a deeper level, and peeling back some layers to really reveal a new truth.

With Venus very active at this time, we can use this Solar Eclipse energy to expand our hearts, the giving and receiving of love in our lives, and to think about what we truly value. We may find it easier to love, easier to give, or easier to focus on what is truly important to us.

Under this heart-expansion energy, we may even gain the clarity that is needed to help navigate any challenges in our relationships. We may decide that our heart no longer wants to be involved in a certain dynamic, or we may find that our heart is ready to open and move into that next chapter.”

So, when I went to the cards and asked who would like to guide and teach this week I nearly snorted tea out of my nose when I saw who was most adamant. (Seriously you can’t make this shit up!) The cards that chose to guide this week are Les Vampires (seriously!)

Now if these guides are new to you, please let me introduce them.

These are the glorious denizens of a realm of mystery, legend and power.

These lovely guides come to those who are undergoing a test. If a shadow has fallen over your life, if you are confronting the unknown, you may feel abandoned and lonely, as if there is no light, no guide, and no path to follow.

These guides walk the hidden paths of the Dark Forest, the ones who have made the Night their home, the guardians who can help you find your way back to the Dawn. They are abundant in all that you need at this time – rich in messages to offer, lessons to teach, and wisdom to share with you.

Oh my giddy Aunt! Perfect!

So are you ready to play? Hope so! Take a moment, actually take more than one and just take a Breath. Not a shoulder high breath, but a slowing, calming breath.

Breathe it in through your nose and out through your mouth like a shoulder dropping sigh. Keep breathing this way and invite into your minds eye your stories. Don’t judge them, just let them swirl there like watercolours. Don’t attach, just let them Be. Then when you are ready and that energy has settled, pick the card or cards that invite you in. They have something to share with you this week.

Did you remember to pick?

Are you curious?

WITNESS

To have seen what you once thought was only a rumour, or only hearsay, or perhaps even made up, means you have changed. You have experienced the dream that comes true in the weeks after you saw faces in the night, you have spoken with the nature spirits and you have come to know there is more than what so many humans wish to admit is true and alive in the world we all share.

Vampires like us, we are said not to exist. But you know there is more here on this planet than anyone can even begin to dream of.

You may have witnessed something of late that others still deny is “real”. But you are now a witness and having seen, you cannot un-see. Knowing, you can no longer deny. It is not that we wish for you to tell all of your new knowledge. It is that we wish you to not lie to yourself, to no longer agnoise over questions of whether what you saw and felt and understood is true or untrue.

There is so much on this planet of ours. Think of it. Who are we to deny the truth of the wonder that is this planet and all the manifestations of life upon it?

Know that what you have seen and felt is true. Another may deny that you have witnessed a true thing. But having seen or felt it for yourself, and now knowing, you have a duty to never again lie to yourself.

You need not make this truth your entire life. But never again lie to yourself.

Accept the evidence of your experience, and honour it within your heart, and within your words when wisdom demands you speak freely.

The veils of illusion and deceit have lifted. While this can be painful, it is also a great blessing to know the truth. Do not doubt your experience. And when you speak of it freely and share your experience, you will find that others too resonate with what you are sharing.

FAITH

The belief that something will take place, or is right, or is a particular way, can be called faith. Faith is quiet and hopeful, offers contentment and calm, it has not bravado, and it need not insist on its rightness.

Faith is something we have too, and we observe it in the best of those we call humans, the warm-blooded ones of whom you are one.

It is a beautiful gift that you humans have to be believers in this quiet, gentle way. Faith is not always beautifully expressed. Faith is a loving amazing quality, but it must be attached to something that is worthwhile.

What do you have faith in? What is faith to you? Were you taught faith as a child, and did you lose faith at one point? For you are often taught to believe in things that do not deserve your faith.

It may be time to relearn what it is you have enduring constant hope for – what you know will come to be, even if your eyes may never see. To have faith is to remain loyal, but in a truly heartfelt way. Tender, moving and full of grace, your faith may soon return to you. Choose wisely in what you place this gift of your faith.

If you have lost faith in a person, project, or humanity itself, it’s time to examine the source of your faith.

Know that it can be revived, and this time, you may choose where you place this most beautiful and tender of faiths.

REASON

I am the one who comes to you now so you can see clearly! You feel others have had problems in this area, but if you simply think positively and send out waves of love the way will be cleared.

But no, this is not how this particular power works, my friend.

There is an obstructive force around you at present, one that will not allow you to pass, unless you strictly meet all criteria. This force, in the form of a person, or institution, or corporation requires you to do everything that is required to pass through the gates.

So, although you may consider yourself to be more charming, more well-liked, able to convince others, and worthy of inclusion, there is tedious paperwork and criteria that must be met – and we Vampires have this too. You must do this perfectly, if you wish to pass the test, and gain what it is you seek.

In the past it was the Church who controlled, now it is large companies and government institutions with their digital records and officious ways. Whether it is tax time, or when you must fill out a form of endless length, read, and read again, the agreements you sign.

Do not consider yourself different or better than others – for when it comes to matters like these, we are all subject to laws that are tedious at worst, punishing at times, and cruel at others. The list goes on and on – there is a cruelty to the faceless conformity of bureaucracy – and to the negligence that can stifle your plans, and sometimes even threaten your very future.

It’s time to sit calmly down, clear your mind, then begin to work your way through the details of a dilemma. Trust us, there is a person about you who is able to advise you – please ask them for their assistance, and listen and act when that good advice is given with love and no strings attached.

Your mind is powerful, and will be used for your soul’s highest purpose. Accept excellent advice, and see the results this can bring.

Wowzer, wowzer, wowzer. What fabulous messages for this time, with Samhain approaching, New Moon Eclipse and where we are at this moment in time. So most gorgeous bean, I wish for you a stupendous week filled with ease, tears and laughter. Be gentle with yourself and those around you, treat yourself to the glorious Book of Samhain, carve a pumpkin or two! And get ready to really practice your magick and release the old year and welcome in the new one. Big hugs and squeezes!

I love Spring Equinox!

Jenny Heston · 3:17 pm ·

I love Spring Equinox! After a long (this one especially) winter, the idea, the knowing and the full Trust that Spring is going to come is amazing. To me it is about NEW. New plants, new ideas, new ways of moving in the world and releasing the blaugh. So in celebration I planted up over 144 plants yesterday (from seed), my house is clean and smudged and on the actual equinox there will be a glorious fire roaring and a welcoming in of new energy.

Spring Equinox is the second of the four “sky points” in the Wheel of the Year, and it is when the sun does a perfect balancing act in the heavens. In other words, the sun rises exactly in the East, travels through the sky for 12 hours and sets exactly in the West. Thus, all over the world, day and night are of equal length.

As I mentioned this is such a glorious time of renewal, rejuvenation and rebirth. For example spring cleaning is not just about your home, it’s about removing old or negative energies accumulated over the dark winter months to prepare you for glorious growth. It’s about planting seeds of intention, seeds of growth, seeds of food – it’s about shedding that heavy winter coat and picking up something a tad lighter and a bit more fun.

If we were to look through multiple cultures Spring Equinox has and is a glorious time of welcoming in the light, celebrating the rebirth or creation of new things, planting seeds and releasing the old, worn and tired.

For example, there is the story of the Roman god Mithras, which is similar to the tale of Jesus Christ and his resurrection. “ Born at the winter solstice and resurrected in the spring, Mithras helped his followers ascend to the realm of light after death. In one legend, Mithras, who was popular amongst members of the Roman military, was ordered by the Sun to sacrifice a white bull. He reluctantly obeyed, but at the moment when his knife entered the creature’s body, a miracle took place. The bull turned into the moon, and Mithras’ cloak became the night sky. Where the bull’s blood fell flowers grew, and stalks of grain sprouted from its tail.”

In the Mayan culture, at Chichen Itza, spring equinox is most certainly celebrated (I have been there for this, very cool!) It’s called – The Snake of Sunlight “A famous ancient equinox celebration was the Mayan sacrificial ritual by the main pyramid at Chichen Itza, Mexico. The pyramid, known as El Castillo, has 4 staircases running from the top to the bottom of the pyramid’s faces, notorious for the bloody human sacrifices that used to take place here. The staircases are built at a carefully calculated angle which makes it look like an enormous snake of sunlight slithers down the stairs on the day of the equinox.”

Last but not least let’s look at the Iranian New Year, which is called No-Rooz, and happens at exactly the same time. Again, spring cleaning occurs and an altar is set up “Iranians consider No-Rooz as their biggest celebration of the year, before the new year, they start cleaning their houses (Khaane Tekaani), and they buy new clothes. But a major part of New Year rituals is setting the “Haft Seen” with seven specific items. In ancient times each of the items corresponded to one of the seven creations and the seven holy immortals protecting them. Today they are changed and modified but some have kept their symbolism. All the seven items start with the letter “S”; this was not the order in ancient times. These seven things usually are: Seeb (apple), Sabze (green grass), Serke (vinager), Samanoo (a meal made out of wheat), Senjed (a special kind of berry), Sekke (coin), and Seer (garlic). Sometimes instead of Serke they put Somagh (sumak, an Iranian spice). Zoroastrians today do not have the seven “S”s but they have the ritual of growing seven seeds as a reminder that this is the seventh feast of creation, while their sprouting into new growth symbolized resurrection and eternal life to come. “

So in my world, no matter where you are on this planet – equinox time is about balance & harmony. Also, celebration! So whether you just take a moment to say thanks, or you buy yourself some spring flowers, plant some seeds, light a fire, have friends over for a celebration, it doesn’t matter.

But I do invite you to do something, even if it is just writing with a Sharpie on an egg!

So how are you going to celebrate?