)O( Autumn and Its Many Deaths )O(

I promised a gravesweeping ritual, and I shall deliver that at the end of this post.  Currently, I am experiencing an intense personal transition.  Not only is my physical location thousands of miles away from where I've ever been before, I am also experiencing huge shifts in my personal relationships, personal philosophy, and personal boundaries.  I am experiencing shifts in how I see the future, what I want to do with my time, and how I wish to interact with the world.  There will be no stone left unturned within my inner matrix by the conclusion of this process.  
In Celtic Tradition, Samhain (pronounced Sah-when) is celebrated from Sundown on Halloween until Sundown on November 1st.  This particular sacred holiday has always had crucial relevance to the flow of my life.  It is the anniversary of all nine of my love rituals with Deven, it is the day that I often part with places and people that no longer walk in harmony with my path, it is the day that I have had some of my most powerful visions of the past, present, and future.  This year was very different than all the others, but the results are very much the same.  It is a New Year.  
Throughout the past few revolutions around the sun, my connection to ritual and to the subtle realms has fluctuated wildly.  Corrupt leadership, crumbling American infrastructures of both the physical and social variety, and an entire global pandemic contributed to the upheavals.  Betrayals, disappointments, even a little sabotage thrown in for spice, all combined to create a volatile concoction that was absolutely destined to blow.  
I found myself confused about what I really want, what I really wish to share, what I truly need to spend my time on, and even what I would consider a "need".  I found myself achieving a form of non-strivance that is not compatible with the passions that drive me forward.  I found myself able to embody musicality again and yet I was unable to find a method of expressing that ability.  I found myself re-visiting old wounds, stretching the scars, and noting the tender places.  It's been a lot.  
If you've followed me for any length of time, you know that I am not one to stick to things that are not functioning.  It doesn't matter how emotionally attached I am to a particular person, place, concept, or item.  It doesn't matter how much time, energy, money, or effort I've put into it.  If it makes the most sense to quit eating meat, I will (and have) give all the animal products in my kitchen away and start over.  I think this tendency of mine keeps my mind elastic, and keeps me connected to my youth.  
Children are wise in many things, and this particular topic is one of them.  When a child no longer wants to be a fireman when they grow up, they don't keep pretending that their goals have remained the same.  When a kid discovers that they really like something, they go all out with their enjoyment of that thing, allowing themselves to fully experience whatever it is that they've come to enjoy.  I need to work on this.  I am going to learn how to sincerely enjoy myself again.  
Which brings me to being out sweeping ancient graves on the morning of Halloween.  This ritual was a reclamation of my true self.  My entire life, I have had a powerful relationship with the dead. When I was about five, spirits began coming to my bedside to stare at me with enormous, wide-open eyes and mouths.  Of course I was terrified.  I also alienated myself from the other children in kindergarten by asking them if they were afraid of the dark for the same reason I was.   As I grew older, my ability to perceive and interact with the paranormal increased.  Unlike many others who experience this sort of sensitivity, I did not seek a way to shut it down.  Instead, I looked for ways to understand why it was happening, to make sure I am sane, to compare what is commonly accepted from what is known to be factually true.  It wasn't until three years after the death of my beloved Deven that I started shoving the experiences in a back corner of my soul.  
Fast forward to October 31st, 2021.  I woke up with a very matter-of-fact need to perform a grave sweeping for the local spirits.  Like an ancient priestess who knows that it is her responsibility to inform people about the significance of their community choices, or a shaman who knows she must take the time to answer the questions of the seekers who have ventured deep into the jungle to meet her.  Simply put, I could feel the unrested souls politely requesting my assistance.  

In cultures around the world, it is recognized that the veil is thin between the world of the living and the realms beyond the physical on this day.  Many cultures agree that on the night of October 31st, spirits and entities that need to be purified or released from the physical world are out en force.  There are many traditions built around avoiding, placating, and assisting these beings.  Halloween masks worn by children, for example, represent a method of warding off bad spirits upon this night.  
The Master of the Hunt, Lord of the Hunt, or Grim Reaper is the name of a powerful ancient force that is known to "harvest" the souls of those who refuse to move on or who are causing trouble in the land of the living.  He rides at midnight on Samhain, ushering confused, angry, and negative spirits to the other side of the veil.  Grave Sweeping is the practice of preparing a cemetery or other sacred burial site for this time.  The physical rituals used to perform grave sweeping are often literal.  Witches around the world use brooms, rakes, or dusters to energetically sweep the ground of the graves.  They invite lingering spirits to move on, they purify the grounds with their intentions, and they often sing songs meant to encourage or hasten the dead to find true rest.  
By using the energies of wind, light, intention, and will, an initiated necromancer can gently clear the Hunter's path of unrested, unrisen, or unpurified souls without using a physical item like a broom.  I chose to use my violin bow and the power of my voice.  I walked the cemetery's rows, sweeping and clearing every grave with my eyes.  I used my bow to add energy, to direct motion, and to indicate areas my eyes couldn't fully reach.  I used to my voice to speak in spontaneous rhymes that gave power to my intentions and vocalized my will.  It felt wonderful.  
If you would like to participate in ritualistic grave sweeping on the night or day before Samhain, I highly suggest starting with a physical item to assist your endeavor.  After a few years of practice, feel free to use anything that calls to you, because your power is your own, and how best to use it is known only by you.