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| Image by Verrant James |
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A GREETING
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
(Psalm 16:7)
A READING
Do not remember the former things,
or consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
(Isaiah 43:18-19)
MUSIC
Sung in Irish, the song describes a commitment made by two people at night time,
contrasting their love with the cold air they stand in.
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
This month shall mark for you the beginning of months;
it shall be the first month of the year for you.
(Exodus 12:2)
A PRAYER
Tonight I honor my ancestors.
Spirits of my fathers and mothers, I call to you,
and welcome you to join me for this night.
You watch over me always,
protecting and guiding me,
and tonight I thank you.
Your blood runs in my veins,
your spirit is in my heart,
your memories are in my soul.
- Samhain Ancestor Prayer, found on learnreligions.com
VERSE OF THE DAY
When you send forth your spirit, they are created;
and you renew the face of the ground.
(Psalm 104:30)
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| "Late Fall, Manitoba," by Lionel LeMoine Fitzgerald (1917) |
Yesterday we explored the Celtic Wheel of the Year as a way of being in relationship to the earth. Today, we visit the first of the solstice/equinox festivals, Samhain, considered the Celtic New Year, which corresponds in the Christian calendar with the November 1st celebrations of All Saints and All Souls. Samhain (pronounced Sow-en) is celebrated on November 1st which marks the half way point between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. It marks the beginning of the darkest time of the year. It is also a celebration of starting over and new beginnings. Just as we mark the first Sunday of Advent as the start of the new church year, Samhain marks the end and the new beginning of the earth’s seasons.
Today’s reading from Isaiah speaks to the ‘new thing’ that God manifests whenever we make a commitment to transforming our lives. Such a time of new life and growth requires trying to release painful past life experiences. At Samhain we enter into a ‘thin space,’ the closest we come in the year to the world of those who go before us. In some Celtic practices, a place at the table is set out for those who have recently been lost. For Christian communities, “All Saints” becomes a way of acknowledging the ancestors and loved ones we honour in services of remembrance.
In Celtic cosmology, the new beginnings marked at Samhain are respresented by birch trees. Birches have a shorter life than many other species of trees but contain more moisture, making their wood delicate. They grow rapidly and are easily distinguished in a forest. They are both vulnerable and commanding on a landscape, sometimes glowing in the dark under moonlight.
At Samhain, the companionship of darkness and light, and day and night, allow for both release of the old and the birth of new life to live side by side. This Advent, what experience of this past year can you pray to release, as you wait for the one who brings new life?
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| Image by Michael Foley |
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LC† Come Holy Darkness is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help to support extended offerings throughout the year. Thank you and peace be with you!