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Samhain Seasonal Practice
As the days grow shorter and darker, we can see this as a prompt to turn inwards. We have harvested the final harvest and planted the seeds to germinate and nurture over the coming hibernation.
To share a little background to this, I want to share some of the text that I included in this month's Community Home Practice about Self-Care:
I wanted to share a link to a reel about ‘Self Care’ as defined by Audre Lorde.
Self Care as a Radical Act
I think that it’s easy to dismiss self care since it has been coopted and monetised by capitalism. To feel that it’s an indulgence and unnecessary. Just a form of individualism wrapped up in something that smells really really nice.
Coming to you from my (metaphorical, because childcare) sick bed this week after my first reinfection in 4.5 years, I can categorically say that looking after ourselves is absolutely necessary and also radical.
As we live through this Polycrisis of pandemic, genocides, climate collapse, late stage capitalism, we truly need to be in it for the long haul (no covid pun intended).
We need to care for ourselves, in order to care for others. We owe each other everything, our health, freedom, lives and love are inextricably linked.
Recognising the ways that the polycrises seem to be worsening, whilst also coming in to a season that in nature would focus around hibernation creates a real challenge.
We need to keep a sense of being grounded in order to not burnout. One of the greatest resources we have for being present is our body. Capitalism trains us to forget this as it needs our bodies to be seen as simply vehicles for our brains and for production, but nature can prompt us to reconnect.
The Samhain Practice invitation is to engage in the
Compassionate Body Scan.
My hope is that this practice can offer you a gentle way to explore being more present in your body, and through that presence and awareness you may be able to access more self-compassion and feel more resourced. It is available via Insight Timer or Google Drive - links for both below.
If you want to connect with a group of us to mark Samhain, you can do so by joining the Community Membership in Substack. It's been lovely to have a base there for our Events and Practices and it's Pay what you can (including free spaces), so it is financially accessible to all.
I have shared my own Samhain reflections on the podcast and I'd love to hear your responses to the prompts and/or to what I've shared in the comments - come on over to Substack.
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