I think of this season between Samhain and Yule as The Void.
Utterly empty.
Inbetween.
Death.
The time of rest and hibernation.
The time inbetween Samhain and Yule is the incubation, the preparation, the rest before rebirth. The decay and the fading away.
The sun is winding down to it’s weakest strength, it’s coldest temperature, it’s lowest position in the sky. If we think of the Solar Cycle of the year just like bigger version of our monthy Moon Cycle, this time would be the Dark of the Sun and the Winter Solstice would be the New Sun where, just like the moon at New Moon, as the path of the Sun is rebirthed in the sky and begins to grow in strength and power.
The sun’s power on the earth is much easier to see and feel than the moon’s – the Sun would be Captain Obvious to the Moon’s Lady Subtlety. When the moon goes into it’s Dark phase, the earth is illuminated by only starlight at night and the sea is making ready for the big Spring Tide at the darkest point. When the sun goes into it’s Dark phase, freaking WINTER happens. Everything dies, the world is plunged into darkness and cold. It’s dramatic.
This time of year, just like the time of the dark moon, is a time of rest and release. It’s where you let go of all the old crap that’s been messing with you and let the Void suck it up and take it away before the Solar Year is reborn at Winter Solstice.
It’s time to reset.
It’s time to dream of the year’s next incarnation.
It’s time to shed your sorrow so you can be pure and new again.
I really like this time of year. It feels like everything is falling away ready for a restart at Yule, when the Sun is born again. For me it’s the perfect time to check in with my goals and dreams, how the year has worked out for me and what changes I want to make in the new year. It’s the perfect time to spend the evenings snuggled up in blankets thinking and dreaming. The frankly shitty weather means it’s a gorgeous time to wrap up and meditate in front of a candle or a roaring fire, read all those books I’ve been meaning to get round to, and go inward.
I think it’s a beautiful time to look at your practice and your life and think, what is really important to me? What actually matters, and how can I get clarity on those things? What’s been distracting me, what has been getting in the way of the things that really matter? In the next rebirth, what do I want to change and what do I want to leave behind?