Samhain · Reiki Activation · Manifest Differently
Samhain: Meaning, Ritual and the DescentA Reiki activation for the thinning veil
Down through the dark. Back up as someone new.
Do It Scared · A Witch Wound Reiki Activation · Recorded in Samhain season, 2026
A Samhain activation for this season is on its way. Until it arrives, this one was recorded in the same thinning-veil weeks and walks the same road: down into what has been buried, and back up into the light.
What is Samhain?
Samhain (often pronounced SOW-in) is an old Gaelic festival, traditionally held on November 1 and the evening before it. It marked the end of summer and the start of winter, and its Irish name is often translated as "summer's end."
In the old belief, the boundary between the living and the dead grew thin at this time of year. That is where the language of the "thinning veil" comes from.
Samhain partly shaped modern Halloween, and it is kept again today in modern Pagan and Wiccan paths, where it is one of eight seasonal festivals called the Wheel of the Year. Halloween has Christian roots too, which we'll get to below.
There is no single way to keep Samhain. This page shares how I work with it, and leaves room for how you do.
Samhain as a descent
The part of the year that asks you to go down, and promises you can come back up.
Halloween and Samhain have always run in my blood. I'm a Scorpio rising, my grandmother loved Halloween, and this stretch of autumn arrives just after my birthday. As a Virgo sun and Virgo moon, I've always felt something magical in this transition, a charge in the air that I've never wanted to explain away.
Many people keep Samhain as a time to honor their ancestors, to set a place for them, speak their names and feel them close. It's a beautiful practice, and one of the oldest ways of keeping this night.
My own relationship to the season runs a little differently. I don't lean heavily on ancestor work, and I've never felt I had to call up the dead to honor it. What I feel is transformation. If that includes clearing lineage lines, wonderful. For me, Samhain is a descent.
It's the shape of the oldest descent story I know: Inanna going down through seven gates, asked to set something down at each one, meeting what waits below, and rising again as someone new. That story is the spine of the work I teach, and it's why I invite you to treat this season as a descent and a return.
Whether you come to Samhain for your ancestors, for your own transformation, or for both, you're welcome here. Nothing on this page asks you to change your tradition.
This year's sky
Here is what the sky is doing around Samhain this year. I use astrology as a lens for reflection, never as a rule.
The Sun
Scorpio season
The Sun entered Scorpio on October 23. On October 31 it sits at about 8° Scorpio, the sign of depth, endings and what lives below the surface.
Mercury
Retrograde in Scorpio
Mercury turns retrograde around October 24 and moves forward again around November 13, a stretch many people use for looking back.
Venus
Retrograde until mid-November
Venus has been retrograde since October 3 and turns direct around November 13, a natural time to revisit what you love and what you value.
The Taurus Full Moon arrives on October 25, and the New Moon in Scorpio follows around November 9. Some people mark Samhain at the astronomical midpoint between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice, which falls around November 7 this year.
About the activation
"Do It Scared" is a Reiki transmission and light code activation, about half an hour long, for anyone who has hidden the thing that lit them up. It draws on the Oversoul of Aureya, along with Hecate, Brigid, Gabriel and Quan Yin, which I work with as frequencies in my own words. Hecate, for me, is thresholds and torchlight.
Meet what was buried
Samhain is the season for bringing buried things back to the light. We start with the old memory in the body that being seen isn't safe.
Honor the protective pattern
The part of you that learned to stay small was keeping you safe. We thank it before we ask anything of it.
Untangle fear from wanting
You can carry both: scared, and moving anyway. Nothing here asks the fear to leave first.
Retire an old agreement
We name the agreement ("if I'm seen, I'm not safe"), thank it, and set it down at your own pace.
You can listen any time, not only at Samhain. Headphones are lovely but not required. Receive only what feels right, and if you drift off along the way, let yourself.
A simple Samhain ritual
One way to do it, not the way. Change anything that doesn't fit you.
- Choose a quiet time on October 31, or in the days around it. Dim the lights and light one candle.
- Ask yourself what you are ready to set down this season. One thing is plenty. Write it on a small piece of paper.
- Listen to an activation, sitting or lying down. Let it carry you down into what you named.
- Sit with the question: who might I become once this is gone? Write down whatever arrives.
- Close gently. Drink some water, feel your feet on the floor, and blow out the candle when you're ready.
If you work with Reiki, you can rest your hands on your heart or belly while you listen. If you don't, that's fine too.
A simple Samhain altar
An altar doesn't need to be elaborate. A small table, shelf or windowsill is enough. Here is what you might gather:
- A cloth in a dark or deep colour to mark the space
- A candle, for the light you carry down and back up
- A bowl of water, to settle and cleanse
- Something from the season: leaves, an apple, a branch
- A photo or keepsake of someone you're remembering, if you like
- An object for what you're laying down, and your journal beside it
Take it down when the season feels finished. The altar is a place to pause, not a rule to keep.
Is Halloween pagan?
Partly, and not only. Halloween takes its name from All Hallows' Eve, the night before the Christian feast of All Saints on November 1. It begins Allhallowtide, three days set aside for remembering the dead. Samhain is also counted among the influences on modern Halloween.
So the answer depends on who you ask and how you keep the night. Some Pagan and Wiccan readers keep Samhain on October 31. Some Christian readers keep All Hallows' Eve. Plenty of people simply enjoy the costumes and the candy. All of that can sit side by side.
Nobody has to give up their tradition to be welcome here.
Past activations
Last year's Samhain activation, 13 Keys, moves through thirteen breath-gates from the root to the whole field. Archangel Michael, Hecate, the Morrígan, Archangels Zadkiel, Auriel and Uriel, the Hathors, the Oversoul of Aureya, ancestors of light, and the yew, hawthorn and owl walk with you through the keys. It runs about fifty-three minutes, so set aside real time. It is yours to return to at any time.
Samhain 13 Keys · Reiki Activation · 2025
The Wheel of the Year
Samhain is one of eight seasonal festivals that many modern Pagan paths mark through the year. Each has its own page, so you can follow the wheel around the year.
Where to go from here
If this season is calling you down, here is a doorway. Take it at your own pace.
The Ongoing Work
Walk the descent in the Temple
Temple of Mysteries is a living mystery school built on Inanna's descent. Inside, the seven gates are walked rather than read: the descent, the transmutation, and the return as a new version of you, with live circles and verbal Reiki activations along the way.
Enter the TempleNot sure where to start?
A short quiz that names the gate you're standing at right now.
Take the Gate QuizRead the story
The seven gates of Inanna's descent, and why I walk with her.
The Seven Gates of InannaCurious about the Reiki behind the activations? Read about the Usui Reiki lineage.
Frequently asked questions
What is Samhain, and when is it?
Samhain is an old Gaelic festival marking the end of summer and the start of winter. It is traditionally held on November 1 and the evening before it, so many people observe it from October 31 into November 1. Some mark it at the astronomical midpoint between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice, which falls around November 7 this year.
How do you celebrate Samhain?
There is no one way. Many people light a candle, set up a small altar, reflect on what they are letting go, remember loved ones, or listen to a guided meditation or Reiki activation. This page has a simple five-step ritual you can adapt.
What do you put on a Samhain altar?
A candle, a bowl of water, something from the season, a keepsake or photo of someone you are remembering if you wish, and an object for what you are laying down. Keep it simple. It is a place to pause.
Is Halloween pagan?
Partly, and not only. Halloween comes from All Hallows' Eve, the Christian night before All Saints on November 1, and Samhain is counted among its influences. People keep the night in many different ways, and they can all coexist.
Do I have to honor my ancestors at Samhain?
No, but many people do, and it is a lovely practice. I hold Samhain more as a season of descent and transformation than of ancestor work, though I know it is deeply meaningful for others. Ancestor work, transformation or both are all welcome here.
What was buried can return to the light.
Down through the dark. Back up as someone new.
Guided by Carissa Andrews, Reiki Master and lineage holder.
Reiki is a practice of energetic support and is not a substitute for medical or psychological care. No specific outcomes are promised or guaranteed.