Samhain 2025: Honoring the Darkness and Remembering the Light

As the last leaves fall and the nights grow long, we arrive at Samhain, the Celtic festival that marks the turning of the wheel from light to dark.
In 2025, Samhain begins at sunset on Friday, October 31 and continues into Saturday, November 1.
It is a threshold moment — the ancient new year of the Celts — when the veil between worlds grows thin and the living and the dead draw close.

Samhain literally means “summer’s end.” It was the time when harvests were stored, herds were brought in, and communities gathered around the fire to share stories, remember the ancestors, and prepare for the long winter ahead. In the old traditions, the day began at dusk, and so too does this turning — light fading into darkness, life folding gently into stillness.

A Time Between Worlds

Samhain invites us into the space between endings and beginnings.
It’s not only a time of death and decay, but also of renewal.
The soil rests, seeds sleep, and new life begins to form beneath the surface.
In the same way, we too are asked to turn inward, to rest, and to listen.

The Celts believed that during Samhain, the boundary between worlds became porous — allowing ancestors, spirits, and unseen guides to cross over. Fires were lit on the hillsides to protect and guide wandering souls, and households left food and candles out as offerings to loved ones who had passed. Many of today’s Halloween customs, from costumes to carved lanterns, echo these ancient rituals of reverence and protection.

Spiritually, Samhain reminds us that darkness is not something to fear but to honor. It holds wisdom, depth, and the quiet space needed for transformation.
As we cross into the dark half of the year, we are invited to release what no longer serves and to make peace with our own cycles of death and rebirth.

Themes for Reflection

Samhain speaks to the soul in archetypal ways — it calls us to meet endings with grace and to trust the unknown. Some themes to contemplate:

• Release and letting go — What do you wish to lay to rest before winter comes?
• Remembrance and gratitude — Who or what are you honoring this year?
• The wisdom of the dark — What truths reveal themselves only in silence or stillness?
• Seeds of intention — What wants to grow in the fertile soil of your inner world?

You might notice that nature already mirrors these themes: trees shedding their leaves, animals slowing down, the earth itself exhaling after the fullness of summer.
When we align with these rhythms, life feels more spacious and grounded — we stop pushing forward and begin to simply be.

Journaling prompts in preparation for Samhain

• What am I releasing at this turning of the wheel?
• What am I carrying forward with gratitude?
• What wisdom does the darkness hold for me now?
• Who in my lineage do I wish to honor or reconnect with?
• What seeds of intention am I planting in the quiet soil of winter?

Let these questions move through you slowly. Write, breathe, and allow the answers to surface in their own time.

A Simple Samhain Ceremony

This ceremony is inspired by the traditional Brisingamen ritual, simplified so that anyone can do it — alone or in a small group.
It can be done indoors with candles or outdoors under the night sky.

What you need:
A candle or small fire, a bowl, a piece of paper and pen, and a small offering (such as nuts, bread, fruit, or a few drops of drink).

1. Prepare your space
Dim the lights or go outside at dusk. Take a few deep breaths and feel your feet rooted in the earth. Light your candle and acknowledge the turning of the wheel — the shift from light to dark.

2. Invite your ancestors and guides
Speak aloud or silently:
“I welcome those who walked before me, whose love and choices made my life possible. May only love and wisdom cross this threshold tonight.”
Place your offering before the candle as a gesture of gratitude.

3. Release what is complete
Take the paper and write what you’re ready to release — habits, grief, stories, attachments. When you’re ready, burn the paper safely in the fire or bowl, watching the smoke rise as a symbol of release.

4. Sit in the silence
Close your eyes. Feel the stillness of the dark. Listen for any messages, insights, or sensations that arise. Trust what comes.

5. Give thanks and close
Offer a final word of gratitude — to the elements, the ancestors, and the cycles of life and death. Blow out the candle, knowing that in the darkness, new light is already forming.

This ritual doesn’t need to be grand. Even lighting a single candle in quiet remembrance connects you with the essence of Samhain: that life and death are part of one continuous breath.

Closing Reflections

As the fires burn low and the year turns, Samhain reminds us that endings are sacred beginnings in disguise.
Every death in nature feeds new life; every letting go creates space for something new.
When we honor the dark with presence, we meet the mystery — and through it, remember our place in the great cycle of life.

So as the nights grow longer, may you find beauty in the stillness, peace in the shadows, and the gentle knowing that nothing is ever truly lost — only transformed.