Once in a Blue Moon... Joyous Samhain!

On October 31st 2020, many important events come together. This day will be the marriage of a full moon, a blue moon, and the beginning of the celebration of Samhain.

Summary at the bottom.

Halloween is also known to many witches as Samhain. Samhain, originally celebrated by Celtic Druids and Pagans, is the celebration from the eve of the 31st of October to the eve of the 1st of November.

This celebration is one of death (and in turn, life), during the time in which it is believed the veil between the worlds of the dead and the living are the thinnest. In modern practice, this time is not only to reflect on the death of other people, but also the end of life events as you change and grow as a person. 

Traditional activities during Samhain include lighting bonfires, holding feasts, and giving offerings.

Traditional Samhain bonfires are designed as cleansing and protection tools, and are often accompanied by rituals.

Feasts on Samhain are held as invitations to the souls of ancestors and kin to sit at the table and bridge the gap between the living and the dead.

Offerings of food and drink are offered as a prayer for protection for both human and livestock lives during the winter to come.

More modernly, traditional practices have been adapted to fit modern lives on a smaller scale. If you cannot hold a bonfire, you can light a fire in a safe place like a small cauldron and focus your intentions to be magnified through that fire. If you cannot hold a feast or large dinner, set your intentions on inviting your ancestors to whatever dinner you can hold, and if you cannot offer much in the way of food and drink as an offering, or do not have livestock or pets to ask protection for in the upcoming winter, offer what you can comfortably do so and ask for protection for yourself and household instead. 

The importance is in the intention of memorial and celebration of the dead, not in the physical practice, so any way you practice is the right way.

The moon itself is associated with female energy and the Goddess, so a full moon is akin to full power.

Many witches use the full moon to charge crystals, wands, and water with energy as it is so abundant during this time. 

Spells also have more potency during this time, and psychic energy is more attuned and heightened. In this way, the full moon is also associated with power and clarity.

A blue moon occurs when there are two full moons in one month, as opposed to the usual one. This only happens every three or so years.

In witchcraft, this lends extra energy to the moon phase it appears on, which makes it's appearance a great time to both charge energies in your tool and focus your intentions and spells.

As the celebration of Samhain is on both the full moon and a blue moon, the energy and power which you put toward all of your celebration activities will be stronger, more potent, and more clear and focused. The power of the full moon is magnified by the rarity and significance of the blue moons. In short, if a full moon is full energy, then a blue moon is double that. 

Use this time to connect strongly with the spirits of those who have passed and to celebrate the passing of any life events you have outgrown, be that a relationship, a job, or a place you have moved out of. Charging your tools on this day will lend them more energy for your rituals, and your rituals themselves will be stronger and more clear.