WHAT TO SLAUGHTER, WHAT TO BREED?
These are high holy days marking the end of the harvest cycle. Long before Pope Boniface put a new twist on the ancient Celtic celebrations in an attempt to Christianize the nature religions in the 7th century by renaming this feast "All Hallows Eve" from ancient times people have marked this time of year with reverence and wonder. Later Martin Luther donned Halloween 'Reformation Day' grafting the Protestants into the tradition too. In The Episcopal Church we celebrate All Souls Day and All Saints Day at this time. No matter what your religious preferences, people throughout history and around the world agree that this is a time to celebrate the end of harvest time and to remember the dead.
I am scrambling to put together creative costumes for my children and dreading the influx of sugar and corn syrup in my home, I know it would be easy to miss the deep spiritual energy that is available to us during this time. As I was brushing up on my Halloween history, I also learned that the livestock were judged at this time as it was decided which to slaughter and which to breed. Who stays in this realm and who goes on to other realms. During this time, the veil between the realms is thin; we can make peace with those who have passed and take some time to prepare to face our own death someday.
Here is what I plan to do: I will take some time to sit at my altar and honor my relatives who have passed and ask for their guidance as I move into a new season of my life with the intention to honor them and bring healing to my family line. I will take some time to honor all who have died, all souls stuck between worlds, and offer guidance to the light. I will honor the earth as her energy is moving into the underworld. I will take some time to reflect on what needs to die in my life and what needs to be nourished into more abundance.
I would love to hear some of your ideas to commemorate this sacred time in the comments below and also what you plan to release and what you plan to nourish. (Tonight is the new moon! A potent time for seeding intentions!)
One thing I have put a lot of energy into over the past year is studying and practicing the way of the ancient priestess as I began a Dove Oracle Priestess program. My sisters and I discovered many old fears which have needed to be slaughtered along the journey as we were initiated beyond many taboo thresholds to reconnect with our core feminine essence and unique sacred nature. Through hours of studying ancient esoteric mysticism and refining my meditation practice, I have discovered an opening to the 'thin places' and I have experienced divine guidance coming through with more grace and ease. My training will end on the Winter Solstice on December 21 where I will come into the world as a Dove Oracle Priestess. If you are in the Fargo-Moorhead area I hope you will join me for this special event (details to come!).
Enjoy these pictures from our last retreat, and explore www.taraloma.com to discover how my ministry is unfolding with several new offerings for 2017.
The light in me salutes the light in you! Have a blessed week <3
Jessica