🌒Moontime Musings turns 3!🌟
...plus an invitation for Winter wellbeing
Briefly: Rituals for Rest begins on Friday 31st October - 13 weeks of ritual Wintering.
Dearest friend,
Welcome to this anniversary edition (and the 77th) of Moontime Musings!
As we stand on the threshold of the dark half of the year, marked by the festival of Samhain at sunset next Friday, there is magic in the air and whisperings of transformations unfolding as we wind down into Winter.
As the Wheel of the Year turns once again, this edition is open to everyone, with six more in the archives for this year so far. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive all editions by clicking the button above and share this edition with a friend. Thank you.
Samhain (pronounced SOW-ain) or November Eve, begins at sunset on 31 October and ends at sunset on 1 November is otherwise known as Celtic New Year; and believed to be a time when the veil between physical and spiritual worlds is thinnest. This sabbat (sacred/rest day) also marks the end of the harvest season punctuated by 3 key harvest festivals:
Lughnasadh ~ the grain harvest (1 August)
Mabon ~ the fruit harvest (21 September)
Samhain ~ the blood harvest (31 October)
This is a time of integration and introspection - an opportunity to rest after the abundance of Summer and a time to plant overwintering seeds (physical and metaphorical!) based on what we’ve learnt about ourselves this harvest season.
🕯️Rituals for Rest
After years of dreading Winter, I’ve discovered a new way of approaching this time of year which I’m sharing with my community.
Rituals for Rest is a 13 week journey from 31 October to 1 February designed to help you wind down and discover what you need for deep rest as we approach the darkest point in the Wheel of the Year - the Winter Solstice on 21 December.
Each week you will receive an voice note from me which will contain suggestions for a ritual that you may wish to incorporate into your week.
We will meet in online circle 6 times to explore how to layer each ritual so that you can integrate those which you love the most, into your daily life. Our first circle is on Thursday 6 November.
If this journey sounds like the right fit for you please click the button below to sample some of the course materials and secure your place. If you know someone who needs this journey, please consider sharing it with them too. Doors close midnight 31 October.
Inside this newsletter I share some musings on this week’s Libra New Moon and my Rosehip Syrup recipe.
But first, here’s what’s coming up for the end of October and early November:
26 October: British Summer Time ends (clocks back 1 hour)
28 October: Reed Moon (Celtic Tree Calendar)
31 October - 1 November: Samhain/November Eve (Pagan)
31 October: Halloween/All Hallows’ Eve
1 November: All Saints Day (Christian)
2 November: All Souls Day (Christian)
5 November 13:19 GMT: Full Darkest Depths Moon in Taurus
5 November: Guy Fawkes (Bonfire) Night
Sun remains in Scorpio until 21 November
♎Libra New Moon
Libra, as you may know, is a sign which is all about balance. Under the airy Libra New Moon you are invited to reflect on imbalances in your relationships in particular. Where are you failing to set and stick to boundaries? What relationships aren’t serving you? And what relationships are bringing you joy and fulfilment - how can you nurture these over the quieter times of Autumn and Winter?
The New Moon is typically a time for reflecting on the shadow parts of ourselves and setting intentions for the next fortnight (until the Full Moon) and the next 6 months (the Full Moon in Libra) to help guide us forward on our journey into the dark half of the year, focusing on practices and people which serve us in positive ways.
Take time under the waxing Moon to evaluate your relationships and personal values - ask yourself if you can more fully commit to what really matters to you.
🌹Rosehip Syrup
In the U.K, October is a time of auburn abundance in the hedgerows with rowan berries, hawthorn berries (haws), sloes and rosehips be-jewelling the bushes. Looking back to the first edition of this newsletter, 3 years ago, I shared that:
[Rosehips’] protective properties were first made common knowledge during WWII when UK government scientists realised that, weight for weight, rosehips contain over 20 times more vitamin C than oranges! As a result the Ministry of Food recommended rosehip syrup for children’s health and created a national week for rosehip foraging with Scouts, Guides and other groups would head out to harvest this powerful gifts from nature.
Source: The Woodland Trust
The week leading up to Samhain is an excellent time to gather Rosehips - before the first frost. Click on the button below to access my easy recipe for raw rosehip syrup - a powerful tool to have in your cupboard to protect against the inevitable Winter colds.
✨If you or someone you know needs rest rooted in ritual this Winter click the button below to sign up for Rituals for Rest.✨
As we stand on the threshold between the end of the harvest season and the beginning of Samhain-tide which continues right up until the Winter Solstice - 21 December - when we mark Yuletide.
To honour the slower season - or slow-vember(!) - I’m adjusting my writing rhythm from bi-monthly to monthly for November through to February and enjoying the time this releases curled up with a book and mug of hot chocolate. I’ll also be turning my attention on holding space for my Rituals for Rest course which spirals inwards from Samhain down to the darkest depths of Yule and re-emerges to the light of Imbolc on 1 February 2026.
If you have a moment, please consider sharing Moontime Musings with someone who you think would like it.
Thank you so much and Samhain blessings,
Love,
Charly x