The Nudge - Dispatch 16 | Samhain 2023

“I feel the nights stretching away

thousands long behind the days

till they reach the darkness where

all of me is ancestor.”

  ― Annie Finch, Spells: New and Selected Poems

Welcome to The Nudge | Samhain 2023

This seasonal care package has been prepared by The Trailblazery team.

As we prepare our latest care package of The Nudge for you to mark the ancient festival of Samhain we are aware that we are in a collective state of Samhain on our planet right now.

This is a crucible moment. We are watching one world die as another waits to be midwifed and born. We are being called to bear witness to these global contractions and somehow alchemise our pain into purpose.

We are ancestors-in-training ~ what we meet, heal, own, integrate and metabolise now will impact many generations to come. May we find the pathways available to post traumatic growth. May we claim our shared response ~ ability to step into a collective healing field, together. Our future depends on it

We stand at the threshold of Samhain which marks the beginning of the New Year. Winter is coming and as we slip into darkness, we also embrace the potential for renewal that dwells within this darkness. This is the sacred portal between Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice, is a time when the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth is celebrated: we find ourselves at a crossroads where the veils between worlds are at their thinnest and we are invited to cross over into the dark half of the year.

Photographer: Martin Emiji

In Ireland, our ancestors were rooted in the seasons of the Earth and in harmony with the cycles of the Cosmos. They etched their wisdom into the Wheel of the Year, commencing with Samhain - the sacred festival of the Dead. They welcomed this festival as a time of initiation into the darkness of the womb and tomb. 

In this season, we also heed the call of the Crone, beckoning us to cross over into the shadows where new beginnings take root, much like the world around us readies itself for its winter slumber. The Cailleach, in her ancient wisdom, guides us through these shadowed times. She, the catalyser of change, leads us through the sacred dance of death and rebirth, guarding the land and all its inhabitants. 

This season is a time of reflection, a moment to review the gifts bestowed upon us throughout the year, and an opportunity to discern what we must release. We stand on the precipice of transformation, ready to heed the call of the Crone and step into the womb-tomb of the Great Unknown.

Journal Prompts to inspire you

at samhain:
 

🍂What signs of the thinning veil do you sense around you?

🍂 How do you embrace both darkness and light within yourself and in the world?

🍂 Is there a specific healthy ancestor whose qualities or experiences resonate with you? How can you incorporate their wisdom into your life at this liminal time?

🍂 Track and identify the recurring cycles and patterns in your life. What wisdom do they hold?

🍂 What aspects of you or your life are seeking a natural conclusion?

🍂 Reflect on a specific moment of transformation or rebirth in your life. How did this experience shape your current path?

🍂 What practices and allies can support you to enter into the season of Samhain consciously this year?

🍂 How can you actively engage in the process of release and shedding with your relationships, your circle and your community? 

🍂 How can you create a sacred space for rest and receptivity, allowing yourself to be replenished at this time?


 

What’s coming up over the next
6 weeks at The Trailblazery:

As the Great Wheel turns yet again,  we are invited to pause and remember what we have traveled through together. We are excited to let you know what we have coming up for you over the next 6 weeks here at The Trailblazery:

Join us for Beyond the Veil

An online trilogy of Samhain-inspired experiences

Sunday, Oct 29 | Nov 5

With all recordings available

7pm Irish | 3pm ET | 12pm PT
 

You can still join us for a deep journey of exploration through story, song, music and communal ritual. Beyond The Veil is a call to dive into the creative cycle of life, death and rebirth - the great trifecta at the source of all existence.

We will gather at the place between worlds, where the Crone tends to her cauldron, stirring her sacred alchemical brew.

This three-part alchemical journey is led by three carriers of Crone wisdom; Marian Dunlea (Jungian Analyst, Somatics Practitioner & Author of Body Dreaming in the Treatment of Developmental Trauma), Riane Eisler (Systems Scientist, Cultural Historian, Futurist & Author of The Chalice and the Blade) and Vandana Shiva (Environmental Activist, Food Sovereignty Advocate & Author of Ecofeminism). We will also receive the musical gifts of Ceara Conway (Vocal & Visual Artist), Leah Song (Singer-songwriter, Poet, Activist) and Julianna Bloodgood (Theatre-maker, Vocalist, Performer).

For more information and tickets, visit our website here.

Recommended Resources
 

Here are a few reading, watching and listening pieces to nourish your senses in the days ahead:
 

❀ Listen: For your ears

We recommend this Samhain Playlist to ease into the season.

✮ Smell: For your nose

This Samhain candle’s warm, earthy tones make it a perfect companion for the season, creating a soothing and inviting atmosphere in any space. Enjoy the comforting embrace of autumn with this beautifully crafted candle.

✦ Read: For your heart

The Book of the Cailleach by Gearóid Ó Crualaoich

In this book, Ó Crualaoich unveils the enigmatic figure of the wise woman, the hag, and the Cailleach, shedding light on her profound understanding of human existence. This Samhain, delve into this book and connect with the energy of the Crone.

❤ Taste: For your mouth

The hawthorn has long been a sacred tree in Ireland: its flowers bloom at Bealtaine and the berries ripen at Samhain, allowing us all to enjoy their tangy and sweet taste and to make wonderful jam from them.

❤ Connect: For your soul

Hollywood Forever Cemetery & The Hedge School presents
The Descent
a live mytho ~ sensory Samhain experience

Easter Star Room, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles
Tuesday, October 31 | 7-9pm PT
Tickets: $50

The Descent is an initiation into the spectral realms of magic at one of the world’s most historic and glamorous final resting places. This is a liminal time when the veils between this world and the Otherworld are thin. You are invited to surrender and drop into the cauldron of Samhain with us. 

This immersive experience evokes the spirit and mythos of Samhain through symbols, sound, scent and other sensory surprises. We will travel together on a wild Irish wonder voyage (mytho-sensory immram) and celebrate the power of rest as a radical act. We will weave breathwork with story, song and communal ritual practices ~ guided by Kathy Scott (Cultural Activist of The Trailblazery, Ireland) with Anne Walsh (Singer, Sound Healer, Alchemizer). Together, we will remember the ancestors, honour our descendants and claim our collective place in the world as ancestors-in-training. If you’re in California or have any friends around LA, you are most welcome to join us. To purchase tickets, go to the website here.

✮ Watch: For your eyes

This Samhain season, we recommend you watch any or all of these all time favourites movies:

Practical Magic (1998)

Witches of Eastwick (1987)

The Witches (1990)

May this Samhain season serve you in alchemising your pain into purpose. May all beings know peace.
 
Thank you for walking this path with us,
 
Beannachtaí,
Kathy and all at The Trailblazery