As we approach the time of the year called Samhain (pronounced Sah-wen) in Celtic tradition, we honor the movement into the darker half of the year, a time when there is more night than day, a time of quiet, deeper rest, and of acknowledging the ancestors. Samhain represents the midway point between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice and is considered to be one of the most potent liminal spaces, one in which the veil between this realm and the unseen realm is at its thinnest. Arriving at this special precipice lends greater access to the mystery of life as it beckons us toward it, and as such, greater access to our ancestors and how we carry them with us in our bones and our blood, how they have shaped us more than we might know or care to imagine. Their stories have been passed on intergenerationally in one way or another, epigenetically shaping patterns of thinking, ways of being, aspects of self. Yet all of this is lying so deep within our psyches and systems that we often have no idea we're carrying this information with us. That is, perhaps, until we become aware of the stories of those who came before us, uncovering the mysteries and making them known. As we become aware of the patterns we've been enacting in life, ones that we don't really understand or get a full sense of, we might start to question their validity, their origin, and their whence, so we can do what we came here to do:: truly live into our potential.

It's no coincidence that Samhain, this great time of calling upon the ancestors, falls during Scorpio season. Scorpio, with its need for the truth no matter what, is here to "make everything that is unconscious conscious," and to do so by deep immersion into the shadow realm, with a palate that is up for experiencing every single flavor of emotion that life offers up, and with as much intensity as possible. Scorpio likes it complex, for anything else might lack the depth that is so important for this sign of the shaman, the sorceress, the witch, the detective. This energy wants to plunge into the depths of life's intricacies, feeling with every cell what is being offered, experiencing with her full being what life offers, be it the most immense beauty, or the most intense suffering. Scorpio doesn't discriminate; it is here to relish it all, full stop.

In ancient Chinese culture, the ancestors were the cardinal priority upon waking in the morning. It wasn't about going to the loo first thing, but about making an offering to the ancestors' altar, lest their ghosts come to curse a person for not having respected them properly. If this was the case, the person who made this mistake could be haunted for years to come and would have to go to great lengths to make amends. Perhaps this seems a bit silly or far-out to us now, yet there might be more truth in this tradition than we think. Trauma is passed down for generations, and more studies are proving this with scientific evidence than we've not seen until recently. Basically, each of us could be carrying the ghosts of our ancestors with us if we haven't gotten to the root of the trauma a particular person or set of people in our ancestral lines underwent. And this is unseen and unknown -- until it's not. For example, my grandfather committed suicide before I was born; 11 years to be precise. Though I never met him, I carried this story in my own life, my own body, thinking it was mine to bear and feeling its weight pressing upon me in ways an adolescent generally just can't integrate. Interestingly, my grandfather's birth chart shows the exact same nodal axis -- an important aspect of evolutionary astrology for doing epigenetic/karmic work -- as my own; in other words, the epigenetic/karmic pattern my grandfather carried in was exactly the same as my own. We were always connected beyond the veil, in more ways than either of us knew. Coincidence? Not at all. I carried his story for a long time, gathering tools of spirituality and deep transformation along the way, until eventually the pattern was seen through and obliterated. This was the only way for me. The work had to be done in THIS lifetime, and no other. And it is totally, completely possible. In many ways, it is why we are here.

It is in times like Samhain when we living here in the present have more access to our ancestors -- their stories, their traumas, their wisdom, their support. Similarly, during Scorpio Season, the need to visit the Underworld/unconscious realm of the psyche becomes pressing. We have the ability to feel more of what we've been carrying in our DNA, and thus the capacity to make everything known that is up for transformation, healing, and integration. And thankfully, we have so many tools at our disposal to help us do this deep work, work that frees our spirits, those of our ancestors, and those of the beings who have yet to be born.

Oh, and the Full Moon in Taurus is happening ON Samhain, also known as Halloween, this year! It's not just about this epic time of liminality and ancestors, but also about Full Moon Magic that's added to the mix just for fun (because we likely need some of that this year). Taurus is Scorpio's opposite, and as such, it needs to find tranquility and calm and looks to Nature and the beauty of both our four-legged friends and the amazing plant (and fungus) realm to do this. It's the sign of being comfortable in our skin, easeful in our embodiment, and peaceful in our presence. When we're carrying around the ghosts of our lineage none of these things are very possible, and the animal instinct is to hold on for dear life to anything that makes one feel comfortable, even if it's the worst habits possible. This is one of the reasons Taureans get a bad rap for being stubborn, by the way. The energy of the sign doesn't have to express like this, it just does when its deeper needs aren't getting met. And this is where Taurus and Scorpio come together and meet on their axis beautifully:: Taurus needs to feel serene in her skin and connected to the magic of Mother Earth, delighting in Nature's bounty that is so in desperate need of our love and attention at the moment. Scorpio needs to go deep and alchemize all of the trauma that s/he has brought in to heal, becoming empowered and free in this endeavor. When we do the deep inner work, we don't have to cling to things we think keep us secure, like money, things, and stuff. We become secure in ourselves because we're connected to the nature that is our true nature, and we want to celebrate it and keep it alive because it matters. And the more we care for our Earth, the more it cares for us, and the many generations that will hopefully come after ours, if we stop to listen and shift some habits. By addressing the deeper places within our psyches that also need our love and attention, the less trauma we pass on, and the more healed we become as individuals and as a collective. But the choice has always been ours. What will yours be?

As always, the Force is with you!