As one of the most important days in Scorpio season, Halloween is a time to explore ideas of death, transformation, and the underworld. But this year—with a new moon in Scorpio on October 28 and Mercury turning retrograde on October 31—Halloween is going to be particularly spooky.
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October 31st also marks Samhain, a traditional Pagan holiday that celebrates the harvest and is the underpinning of our modern understanding of Halloween. Samhain reminds us to take stock and consider the things we’re planting and harvesting right now, in this time before the cold and darkness determines how we live our lives for the next several months.
Because Halloween is a time believed to have access to the underworld and beyond, it’s a powerful night for rituals that give us a deeper sense of ourselves and the universe. Here are three ways to harness Scorpio’s all-encompassing energy for this year.
As Mercury retrograde takes a U-turn in dark Scorpio on Halloween, you might want to watch out for miscommunications, especially in the realm of secrets and sex. Because of it, this is a great time to reconnect with your own body.
Since Halloween is the day of the year where the line between the physical world and the spirit world is the most permeable, sitting in a liminal space (like a bath) is a nice way of honoring the energy of things that lie in between.
As a water sign, Scorpio helps us get in the flow of things. The purpose of a ritual bath is to cleanse and release, so we present our freshest selves.
What You Need:
Instructions:
Put all the fall herbs in a in a sachet that you place on your altar or around your home after the bath. As you run the water, surround your bath with candles in the color of the season. Then, turn off the lights and allow the past to wash off your body.
Halloween is a holiday associated with connecting to the dead, so making an altar to commune with your ancestors that have passed on is a great way to celebrate. Note: If you work with an altar already, it’s a good idea to keep this one separate. Ancestor altars are often placed in areas of congregation in the home, like the kitchen or living room.
What You Need:
Instructions:
Find a safe space in your home and cleanse it with sage or palo santo. After you lay the white tablecloth over the altar, you can add a few drops of Florida Water or burn incense. Arrange photos and personal belongings of past relatives you feel connected to on your altar. Use use items that remind you of them, such as a favorite food or flower, as offerings. You can refresh and replace offerings every few days, or when you feel inspired to connect. A bowl of water can be infused with essential oils to strengthen the connection.
You can spend time with your altar anytime you need to feel a connection to your past. Pay attention to any images, words, or ideas you have when you meditate near your altar, as these may be messages from your ancestors for your inspiration or protection.
As we prepare to begin the long march through winter, it’s important to take time to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going. With the recent Scorpio new moon, this is a great time to let go past resentments and clear the path for fresh desires.
What You Need:
Instructions:
Start by lighting a black candle. This candle represents any fears or restrictions from the past year that you’d like to release and let you.
You may want to meditate on these things, or journal about them as the candle burns. Your black candle can also release people or relationships that have felt muddled lately. Right now, Venus (planet of love) is also in Scorpio. This is an intense placement that can lead to jealousy and suspicion in relationships, but it can also push us to create bonds with deeper roots. This is not the time to keep things casual! When you’re ready, blow out the candle. It’s important to wait until you feel a sense of peace, so as to not carry any negative feelings into the future.
Now, light your white candle, symbolizing hope and intention. Think about or journal on what you’d like to invite in, heal, or manifest this season. It might be wise to make a list and keep it on your altar to return to later. Visualize yourself in the future, having achieved your goals and satisfied with your progress.
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Lead photo courtesy of Twenty20