"In the midst of Darkness, Light persists" - Mahatma Gandhi, 1931

Héraðsskólinn, Laugarvatn, Iceland -   where I hold my retreats

Dearest reader,

today, here in the Northern Hemisphere, on October 31st we meet a cross point in the  wheel of the year traditionally known as Samhain (pronounced "sah-win"), Hallow's Eve or more recent Halloween. This tradition originated in the Celtic culture more then 2000 years ago and marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the cold, dark winter. Also, here in central Europe we mark this day by changing the clock, moving it back one hour, to prolong the hours of light we have in our days during the dark winter months that are coming.
Samhain is a time of endings, reflection of mortality and releasing that which no longer serves in the mundane world. It's a time of rest, releasing, honouring those that have passed and setting our intentions to focus in a refreshed and renewed destiny. 

The winter was often associated with a time of human death and the Celts believed that on this day, the veils between the worlds of the living and the dead became thinner, meaning that communication between worlds comes a lot easier. This was an important time for the Druids (Celtic priests) to get information from the "beyond" on the prospect of the future including the next harvest.
At Samhain, all living beings commence their preparation for the decent into the colder, darker season of winter and you and me my dear friend are not excluded from this process.

It is easy though, in our modern lives to miss this significant transition point, simply carrying on regardlessly. I  warmly invite you to take the opportunity to connect deeply with the rhythm of the circle in the cycle of the seasons. Depending on how you feel about the dark and endings will influence how you experience the energy of this season. I personally love it! Maybe it is because of the long winters I grew up with in Iceland where we during the darkest months have approximately 4 hours of light during the day, the remaining 20 hours are dark!
But it was also a time when the green, violet, yellow and red colours of the aurora borealis danced in the dark sky, the stars and the moon were the brightest, I would lie down in the snow and bathe in all this magnificence. When I think back I can feel it - how being embraced by the darkness brings nourishment to my inner light.

At the same time I can also recognize what it feels like to be afraid of the dark. In the small town where I  lived as a little girl, there were not many street lights.  So if I wanted to visit my grandparents I would have to walk the 2 km from my house to theirs in almost complete darkness, only lit by the stars and the moon if it was not cloudy. On the way I had to pass by a graveyard! Usually, I didn't give it much thought, but sometimes nasty thoughts about ghosts and the dead rising from their graves creped up at me and I found my self running most of the way! Such seemingly insignificant experiences can leave lasting imprints on our relationship with darkness.  Another experience that I want to share with you is a more recent one.

Last summer, my husband and I visited a the longest lava tunnel in Iceland - called Raufarhólshellir. It's 1360 m long and it was formed in a large lava eruption about 5200 years ago. In the beginning of the tunnel, the ceiling has dropped in a few places allowing light to pass into the cave BUT at the innermost part of the tunnel there is absolutely no entrance for natural light. So when our guide invited us to close our eyes, while he turned off the artificial lights in the cave, and then reopen our eyes - it was completely PITCH DARK. I could not see any difference between having my eyes open or closed. That was a really weird experience and even though it lasted only 2 minutes I can still viscerally feel what it was like to be completely absorbed in darkness. And I do admit, it  was little scary. 
That kind of darkness is not healthy for prolonged periods of time - and can result in something called "cave-blindness" which luckily though is reversible. So without light, your brain does not know when, if at all, to release the sleep inducing hormone melatonin. That means, somewhat counter-intuitively, being in the dark will eventually leave you sleep deprived, which has all kinds of devastating effects on our well-being.

Back to Samhain - the festival that celebrates the beginning of the dark season and honours those who have passed.  I want to fully acknowledge that samhain is not a part of my cultural heritage and that some might find it inappropriate for me to even talk about it. I also acknowledge that modern culture has hijacked this ancient tradition and capitalized it for the benefit of itself (the modern culture, not the tradition). For that I am sorry.
That said, I think that this old tradition has much relevance for us right now and that it offers a great  invitation to all of us who tend to shy away from the darkness and prioritise the light. I find it a beautiful practice to honour the loved ones who we no longer have amongst us.

Therefore, I invite you to take the opportunity to reflect and take care of yourself in the most kind and nourishing way. Give yourself the gift of being in actual darkness where only the flame of a candlelight caresses your eyes. More precisely, here are a few suggestions of practices to engage in as you enter the dark months of winter:

• Be willing to explore your shadows  - all the unresolved emotional and mental experience that still govern how you meet yourself and the world
  
• Restorative and gentle yoga, in a candlelit room or darkness - for deep rest and resetting of the nervous system
• Meditate and contemplate on your life. What is ready to die - what are you ready to let go off - and what are you longing for? Set an intention for the next 6 months
• Bring to mind your loved ones who have passed and offer prayers to them
• Slow down - not easy, so make a commitment to have 30-60 minutes everyday where you allow your self just to be
• Go to bed a little earlier than usually and make your sleep a priority 
• Drink hot beverages, herbal teas and eat nourishing warm food