Last week a card came in the mail wishing me a happy Samhaim. Wiccans celebrate this festival as it marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, and is one of four seasonal celebrations throughout the year. It's a festival of darkness, balanced later in the year by the festival of Beltane, a celebration of light and fertility.
This time of year, specifically leaf-peeping season, is one of the most
popular in the Hudson Valley. Every year you’ll find local publications
recommending the best spots to view changing leaves: clifftop overlooks in the
Gunks, winding roads like the Hawk’s Nest, and riverside views of the Hudson. The
reds, oranges, and yellows are here for a few weeks and then disappear before
winter. Spectacular views do make for great fall foliage photos, but just as
interesting can be autumn sunsets, leaves in a puddle, or dying vegetation that
isn’t necessarily bright and colorful.
If you don't feel up to partaking in the traditional Samhaim rituals of taking stock
of your herds and food supplies, or bonfires and divinations, take the time to
step outside and see why Wiccans feel this time of year to be when the divide
between the Earth and the afterlife is
the thinnest, facilitating communication between beings of this Earth and those
who have left before us.
No comments:
Post a Comment