Marking this special time of year, here is a message and a meditation from our mindfulness teacher Martin Towey…

This time of year can be challenging.  Most of us dread the shorter days and understandably so.  We can however consider a different perspective if we choose, and see the coming month as a time to pause, take stock, reflect and make change…

In Ireland, Samhain (November 1^st) was traditionally a ‘liminal’ or threshold festival, when the boundaries between our world and a realm beyond our understanding were broken.  It was thought that this severance allowed contact with the ‘aos sí’ (the ‘spirits’ or ‘fairies‘).  At Samhain, they were appeased with offerings of food and drink, to ensure the people and livestock survived the winter. The souls of dead kin were also thought to revisit their homes seeking hospitality, and a place was set at the table for them at mealtimes.

Today, we can draw inspiration from these traditions and see Samhain as a time to connect with how we are doing, with what is going on in our internal world.  Just sitting in stillness for even a few minutes every morning, or standing outside and connecting with nature, we can notice the preoccupations of the mind, how this is played out in the body and what’s happening in the emotions. 

So my invitation to you, is to take just 5 minutes every morning over the next month or so to sit or stand in silence and NOTICE what’s going on within.  Doing this, we make peace with the aos sí within, and perhaps step out into the world with more wisdom and compassion for ourselves and those who inhabit our world.