“Full circle from the tomb of the womb to the womb of the tomb we come, an ambiguous, enigmatical incursion into a world of solid matter that is soon to melt from us like the substance of a dream.”

― Joseph Campbell, Hero with a Thousand Faces

Welcome to The Nudge | Samhain 2022
This seasonal care package has been prepared by the team at The Trailblazery.

Dear Friends,

We are delighted to prepare our latest care package for you, The Nudge, as we approach the start of Samhain season on October 31.

Samhain is the cross-quarter portal, half-way between Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice that marks the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The ancients welcomed Samhain as a time of initiation into the darkness of the womb and tomb. They celebrated the cycle of birth, death and rebirth - the great trifecta at the source of all existence. The cauldron was the alchemical symbol for transformation and transmutation.

During this time, the veils between the physical and spirit worlds are thinnest as we enter into the darkest part of the year governed by the Great Crone Goddesses - the Dark Feminine. Darkness was associated with new beginnings, the potential of the seed below the ground. Just as the world around us prepares to go into darkness and the animals prepare to hibernate, we too can take our cue from the more-than-human world and rest.

Olwen Fouéré speaking about the Cailleach at one of our recent events.

In ancient mythology and folklore, the wisdom of darkness is often expressed by the crone figure known as the Cailleach - the Irish word for a hag or old crone. She can be found in Ireland, Scotland and England, traced through the names of ancient monuments and natural wonders and through mythology and stories. She is also connected to the ’bean sidhe’ or banshee - the wild women of the Otherworld.

We call in The Cailleach, Divine Hag and Creatrix and ask her to guide us through these dark times. Her role is to catalyse change through the transformative power of darkness. She leads through death into new life. She is the protectress of the land and all of the creatures who dwell here.

This is a good time to review all that you've received throughout the year, and it's also a time to review what needs to be relinquished.

Some Journal Prompts to inspire you

🍂What signs of the thinning veil do you sense around you?

🍂What is your relationship like to your ancestors?

🍂What life changes have you experienced from the last Samhain to this
one?

🍂What cycles and patterns have you noticed?

🍂What lessons have you learned and what are your takeaways?

🍂What are you ready to let go of?

🍂What wants to die?

🍂What might emerge from the darkness?

🍂What is ready to be born?

🍂How will you honour the darkness?

🍂What self care practices will support you to rest and be open to
receive?

What’s coming up over the next
6 weeks at The Trailblazery:

As the Great Wheel turns yet again, we are invited to pause and remember what we have traveled through together. We are excited to let you know what we have coming up for you over the next 6 weeks here at The Trailblazery:

Moon Medicine Academy presents:

A one-day alchemical Winter Immersion

This Winter experience is a one-day online immersion, on Saturday November 19. We have designed this to support women to tune-in more deeply to our cyclical rhythms and creative life force and the seasons of our living world.

This immersive experience will be hosted by Kathy Scott (Women’s Teacher & Creative Entrepreneur) & guest luminary Rebecca Wilson (Embodied Feminine leader & Conscious Business Coach).

Together, they will be diving deep into a host of women’s empowerment teachings, embodiment practices, shared rituals and resources. There will be 3 x 2 hours sessions, with breaks for rest and renewal. This 6-hour training programme is a curated experience that will prepare, support and nourish women for the times ahead.

This is a one-day offering that invites you to drop into the fertile darkness between Samhain and Winter Solstice and surrender to spectral realms of Scorpio season. This is a potent time of initiation. Together we will release all that rots and no longer serves us so that we can regenerate and rise.

The Moon Medicine Academy is a modern Mystery School, Business School and School of Life. So wherever you are in your personal life or professional mission, you are welcome.

Find out more here

Moon Medicine Live

Tickets are currently on sale for our November Moon Medicine gathering, which will take place on Monday 7 at 7pm Dublin time.

“Embracing the Season of Darkness with Reverence & Ritual”, the gathering will feature women’s educator, storyteller and songstress Tara Wild

Tara’s greatest passion is connecting women to the wisdom of their ancestors. She has been on a journey of remembering and reclamation for over ten years, honoring the earth based feminine wisdom left in her blood and bones. In collaboration with the Wise Women of her ancestry, she shares the sacred feminine traditions that flow through her lineage.

For more info on this event, visit our website here

(We offer a limited number of free spots each month for those who need it.)

Our monthly online gatherings align with the lunar cycle and the Medicine Wheel of the Year. We meet around every Full Moon and welcome inspiring guest luminaries to share their stories, experiences and wisdom with us. We also invite extraordinary musicians and performers to play at our gatherings. This is an opportunity to illuminate and celebrate our creative life force and sovereignty. If you haven’t already, you can sign up to our Moon Medicine mailing list here to be informed of all upcoming events.

Recommended Resources

Here are a few reading, watching and listening pieces to nourish your senses in the days ahead:

♪ Listen: For your ears

We created a Winter Playlist. You can listen here

✦ Smell: For your nose

These are the essential oils that are commonly used to create ritual anointing oils for the Celebration of Samhain:
Angelica, Anise, Cedarwood, Cinnamon, Clove, Myrrh, Pine, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Thyme, Vetiver

❤ Read: For your heart