Samhain and the Sacred Yew

At dusk on Samhain, the Celtic people celebrated the beginning of the new year.  They honored the cycles of light/dark, life/death and the sacred symbolism of opposites, believing that new life and light was birthed from the season of darkness. Samhain was a portal into the underworld where the veils became thin between the seen and unseen unlocking access to the spirit world of the ancestors.

The yew tree is also connected to Samhain, a sacred tree to the druids who saw it as a representation of the eternal cycle of life and death. The yew is one of the oldest living things on earth and is connected to the Crone of the triple goddess. She is the ancient goddess of wisdom who carries the seed of life into the other world for renewal. Known also as the tree of life and death it holds the medicine of death to the finite self and gives birth to immortality.  This wisdom offers great healing as it helps us overcome fear of change. Through change there is always a new beginning and transformation into embodying the next greater whole of ourselves. The yew reminds us that in seeing our eternal nature we can embrace the knowing that death and change are just portals to rebirth.

The wisdom of the yew has touched my own life deeply this past year and has become my personal totem for the initiation into transformation.   It has taught me that all life experiences are mirrors that reflect back what we need to learn to grow wiser. That in the darkness there is always light and surrendering to the natural cycles of change are what make us beautiful, alive and free.

Blessings of light to all~
Cara

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