31 October 2021 (retrograde post)
Happy Samhain! Unfortunately, I don’t know much about how ‘Samhain’ is celebrated in various cultures but, astrologically speaking, it is the celebration of the Scorpio season ruled by Pluto (Hades). In Greek mythology, it is when Persephone, a deity of Spring/ the queen of the underworld, comes back to her husband Hades, the lord of the underworld. Since the underworld connotes “the land of the dead”, the cultural celebrations involve those who passed away, e.g. Halloween.
The season of Scorpio is the time to celebrate metaphorical ‘death’. Scorpio is on the other side of the spectrum, Taurus. In the beginning of May (at the height of the Taurus season), Beltane is culturally celebrated for the season of birth and fertility. I believe that these two signs, Taurus & Scorpio, most significantly represent the nature of ‘Being’. To be on Earth, we have to be created, steadily grown and rooted (Taurus). In the Taurus phase, we are constantly adding and integrating. In the Scorpio season, on the other hand, we are asked to eliminate and let go of what no longer serves us, which is also the nature of ‘Being on Earth’. If we hold tight to staying in the status quo, it will bring stagnation and rotting. When it reaches the limit, it explodes into intense crises.
Astrologically, Buddha was thought to be born in Taurus and his ultimate understanding of Being was impermanence, i.e. nothing stays the same. In this Scorpio season, it is best to practise surrendering and releasing, instead of struggling to keep and maintain what is not serving us anymore.
Astrology is truly an ancient and precise calendar for us to live according to the rhythm of nature. The astrological date of Samhain is the 7th of November when the Sun reaches 15 degrees of Scorpio, the very middle of the Scorpio season.