Thoughts on the Cross-Quarter Days: Samhain

It's the evening October 30th, just before sundown. Here in Indiana it is 74 degrees and we have the windows open.

The dark winter feels far from me tonight. Still, I will prepare myself for the long nights and cold days ahead.

For many Samhain is a time for communing with the spirits and celebrating the lives of those who came before us. This year I'll take a different path.

In some recent reading I was reminded that this last harvest was also a time when our ancestors would decide which animals to keep through the winter and which to slaughter. So, for my Samhain, I am going to be considering which elements, habits, and relationships I will be nurturing through this winter and which ones to metaphorically slaughter.