Samhain Blessings
TWH – It is a day early, and this marks our final Pagan Community Notes of the Pagan Year.
The Great Wheel turns once again. In the northern hemisphere, Samhain arrives tomorrow evening, a sacred time of remembrance, the third and final harvest, and a season to honor those who came before us. Across the world, our kin in the southern hemisphere light the fires of Beltaine, celebrating renewal, abundance, and the wild joy of life returning.
According to the old Celtic reckoning, Samhain marks both the beginning of winter and the turning of the year. It is a time to honor the ancestors, seek wisdom through divination, and gather in festival to give thanks to the gods, the spirits, and the powers of nature.
Of all the sabbats, Samhain is perhaps the most widely known and deeply felt, standing at the threshold where endings and beginnings meet. It reminds us that every harvest must yield to rest, and that from rest comes renewal.
All across the world, kindred spirits celebrate in ways that echo this shared devotion. Baltic Pagans honor Velu Laiks, the “time of spirits.” Ásatrúar keep Álfablót and Winter Nights. Devotees of Antinous observe Foundation Night; Urglaawe practitioners celebrate Allelieweziel; Slavic Pagans commemorate Dziady, or “grandfathers.” In Haiti and the diaspora, Fête Ghede fills the streets with drumming and laughter, while Día de los Muertos is celebrated across Mexico and Latin America in both Indigenous and Santería traditions. Some Witches and Druids mark the astrological Samhain on November 7.
Each of these festivals carries the same truth: that love endures, and the bonds between the living and the dead are never fully broken.
Meanwhile, in the southern hemisphere, the fires of Beltaine blaze bright. The air hums with growth and promise. As one of the four great fire festivals, Beltaine celebrates the awakening of the earth, the warmth of the sun, and the exuberance of life renewed. It is the mirror of Samhain—where one half of the world gathers its harvest, the other dances in blooming fields beneath the waxing light.
Tomorrow night, the secular world celebrates Halloween, our culture’s most openly Pagan child. For many, it is a night of revelry and imagination, when the old stories come alive, and the shadows are met with laughter. It’s the one day of the year when pentacles appear on department store shelves and the liminal is embraced in costume and candlelight. Yet for us, it can also stir bittersweet feelings, as the sacred and the silly entwine in ways that both celebrate and obscure our deeper mysteries.
Still, Halloween’s reach reminds us that the enchantment of this season is universal. Across the globe, people welcome it in their own ways. In Japan, where the love of costuming and festival runs deep, the night gleams with cosplay parades. In Hong Kong and China, the holiday slowly mingles with Yue Laan—the “Hungry Ghost Festival.”
In Italy, children call out dolcetto o scherzetto, and in Miami, a familiar chant of TricoTri fills the streets. Wherever it takes root, the heart of Halloween remains the same: a celebration of the strange, the liminal, and the beautifully human desire to honor what lies beyond the veil.
As the Wheel turns and the veil thins, may we pause to remember:
That we are the living faces of our ancestors’ dreams.
That we stand at the bright edge of their courage.
That every harvest, every flame, and every act of love keeps the circle unbroken.
To our readers in the south:
May your Beltaine fires burn bright with joy and renewal.
To those in the north:
Samhain blessings—May your ancestors share their courage and wisdom with you always.
Thank you again!
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Events and Announcements
Samhain Kispum: A (Virtual) Ritual for the Honored Dead on Oct 30, 2025
This Samhain, as the veil thins and shadows stir, join us in sacred remembrance.
Step into the ancient rhythm of Kispum, a 5,000-year-old Mesopotamian ritual of ancestor veneration that bridges worlds.
In this immersive rite, Silent, Pagan priest, student of Spiritual Direction at CHS, and end-of-life doula, will guide us through a ceremonial act of libation and love, honoring our dead not with mourning, but with memory, presence, and reverence.
With water poured and names spoken, we nourish the spirits who walk beside us still. Dressed in garments meaningful to your ancestors—be it a ritual robe or a well-worn shirt once shared—bring a candle, a vessel of water, and your stories. This is not just a ritual. It is communion across the veil, a thread woven through time.
Hosted by Cherry Hill Seminary, this Samhain Kispum is a living ritual of connection, a declaration that love does not end—it transforms.
Come. Speak their names. Pour the libation. Be the bridge.
If you cannot attend in person, email the beloved dead’s name, your relationship to them, and their favorite libation. Send the email to chs@cherryhillseminary.org. Click to register for Zoom link.
EBSAT Climate Action Magic
More Events at our new Events Calendar
Tarot of the Week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: The Halloween Tarot, by Karin Lee, art by Kipling West, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
Card: Six (6) of Imps (Wands)
This week may offer up some high notes in the form of achieving a major long-term goal or possibly hitting a significant milestone. While the way forward has the potential to be paved with public recognition and continued success, it is important to note that the journey and the work is ongoing—at least for now. So yes, collect all the accolades offered, take a bow if it is called for, but know there is still more to do.
Contrarily, not all achievements are made to be publicly shared, particularly those that are deeply personal. There may also be a focus on redefining what success looks and feels like, how personal values inform choices, and the potential for rearranging priorities. Pitfalls to avoid: allowing the ego to dominate by expressing arrogant and selfish behavior.
ASHEVILLE, North Carolina – The House of Black Cat Magic (HOBCM) is a metaphysical shop where magic, community, and compassion meet. Serving the region’s magically inclined and Pagan practitioners, this metaphysical haven offers books, herbs, crystals, and statuary, as well as classes and workshops for seekers of all paths. Yet what truly sets it apart is its namesake residents: black cats.
Described as a “magical cat rescue,” HOBCM partners with Binx’s Home for Black Cats, a nonprofit foster-based organization that manages the shop’s cat lounge. At any given time, twelve rescued black cats roam the space, awaiting adoption and a second chance at life.
This partnership began when Hannah Soboleski, Executive Director of Binx’s Home for Black Cats, learned that black cats are the most euthanized animals in U.S. shelters. Moved by compassion and purpose, she founded Binx’s Home to challenge the old stigmas that still haunt these animals—the mistaken beliefs that black cats are evil, unlucky, or shape-shifting witches in disguise.
As co-owner and former TWH News editor, Star Bustamonte reflects, “Any time we don’t understand something… we’re afraid of it.”
The numbers tell a sobering story: in 2024 alone, more than 11,000 cats entering North Carolina shelters met non-live outcomes. Since 2021, Binx’s Home for Black Cats has rescued and rehomed over 740 black and special-needs cats, transforming fear into love one adoption at a time.
The short film Blacklisted: The Sacred Magic of Black Cats invites viewers to reflect on the question: We all carry sacred magic within us—how can we use it to create the change our world needs?
From the shadow of the Malleus Maleficarum to the intersection of Paganism, queer identity, and animal welfare, Blacklisted explores the sacred values and spiritual connections that inspire this work, reminding us that to honor all beings is itself an act of magic.
Blacklisted: The Sacred Magic of Black Cats