In creating this Hop, I truly believe it was the spirits of some of my own beloved dead who brought me to thinking of the questions I utilized to create the topics for the Hop, as follows:
1. What is the most important thing the spirits of your beloved dead have been attempting to show or teach you this year?
2. What is your personal connection to Spirit, as you define it, whether that be Gods and Goddesses, the Powers of the Land, the Souls of the Dead (or the Living), or in any other way you define this word. How does Spirit connect with you and at the end of this year, what is the primary energy of Spirit that is showing itself to you?
3. What will be your personal Gift to Spirit, whether this is an offering made to Deity, something you will do because of what Spirit has taught you, or some other way of acknowledging the influence of the Living Dead on your own life?
And I was all set to answer the questions as those of whom I was thinking might have suggested, so here are my responses, one for each of the people I believe, from my own inner light and from the Samhain rites I have already attended this season, were definitely trying to talk to me.
spirit.
My next beloved spirit is my father, and his energy was always that represented by the Hierophant, the Seeker and Source of Inner Wisdom. He was the one who repeated, incessantly to each of us children when we were growing up, "How can you say you're bored? Don't you have ANYTHING going on inside your mind?" I have learned, and hope to have taught to my own children, that inner wisdom is valid and must be acknowledged--one can't look outside the Self to find the answers for everything. One of our main difficulties as humans is that often we know, but we don't know that we know. And every time I come up with some kind of new idea or insight from within my own head, I see my Dad standing before me waiting to discuss it with me. I consider the things I can think of, some of them not thought of ever before or given to me by another living person, as perhaps the gift I can give to Spirit as I improve on my own inner wisdom and attempt to share it with my Universe.
The third beloved spirit who has been influencing my inner being at this time of year for over 30 years is the spirit of my older sister, Ellen, who died before I was born. And the card that is her being and her message has apparently changed each and every year--this year, she sends me, and lives within, the Star. Her message to me is different from the one I have always used. I saw the Star as a reminder to look up and see the truth of the Self, not the reflection as seen by others. But Ellen's message, in my dream of last night, simply said, "The Star reminds us that, in a sense, we are agents of divine will in our day-to-day lives. If we let go of the idea that we are supposed to be in control, we can more easily notice and appreciate the synchronicities that are nudging us along. We are all of Spirit, both the living and the dead, so it isn't about what you see in yourself, not all the time. It is about what you see in your Spirit and how that connects with the Eternal Spirit of all life." I am truly meditating on this one, and will be thinking about it, probably, from this day until next year when Ellen and I talk again.
These three people, and their cards, are my own interpretation, not only of the questions asked, but also of the true meaning of Samhain. It may be the end of the year, but it is also the beginning of the following year, and the end of life is also the beginning of the next life. And may your own walk into life from the death of the current year be rewarding and amazing.
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Hi Aisling--Thank you so much for sharing this with me. I appreciate it.
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