Putting the Year to Rest

As we approach Samhain (it's tomorrow, people, TOMORROW!!!), I have been giving some thought to putting this year to rest. Last year it occurred to me that Samhain is a good time to put the year to rest, and then to open the new year on Yule, providing a transition between the two.  I still love this idea--for one thing, I will be focused on holiday celebrations over the next few months, and the idea of a between-year rest seems like the perfect framework for holiday celebrations.  I will be much less likely to take on longer-term goals, and I will spend the time in November and December appreciating my community and joining in holiday-themed celebrations.

Samhain itself, for me, will be spent readying our home for our annual trick-or-treat celebration.  We have steadily added to our holiday decorations over the years, and for the last several weeks, my yard has held host to pumpkin lights, skeleton lights, lighted skulls, ghouls, ghosts and a skeleton tea party.  Tomorrow we will add the boxes and boxes of not-weather-resistant items--rats, bugs, more skulls, more ghouls, shelves of jars filled with enchanting contents with macabre labels, and all manner of creepy, gooey, and frightening things.  We'll be serving candy to the kids, obviously, and hot mulled cider to the grown-ups who come by.

As we do put this year to rest, I will be thinking of all that has happened this year, remember the losses and near-misses we had this year, and consider rest on a spiritual level--well earned this year, if ever!!  I'll pull out the Tarot cards and take some time to consider what messages my subconscious has for me.  I hope to be open to all the messages of the Universe--from myself, my loved ones who have passed on, and helpful forces in other realms.  I'll bring out my new pendulum, my animal spirit cards, and my scrying mirror and spend some time deciding which has a message for me. 

This week has been particularly busy at work, so while tomorrow will be jam-packed with holiday preparations, I'm also looking forward to the relative mental quiet as we prepare for the kids; all Samhain celebrations will start after the Halloween celebrations are over.  I'll be decorating and making cider and focusing on things that are joyful and fun; I won't clutter my mind with worries or chores or the things that typically clutter up my mind.  I am looking forward to this "bedtime ritual" for the year.