May you find clarity in the darkness. May your ancestors stand with you. May fires cleanse and protect you. Happy Samhuinn! 🔥

End 🧵

Christianity brought with it the fear of the dead and now many traditions on Samhuinn involved protections against them.

Now, you can blend these ideas or not - as long as you understand the history of these ideas 🧵

Long ago, speaking to ancestors and our dead was a daily practice. Today is a good day to leave offerings, clean altars, tend to graves, and listen to the messages of those who have transitioned 🧵

Samhuinn was a time for divination. Folk practices for divination used the tools they worked with every day: herbs, plants, bows of water, bread, jewelry, and fire.

Today, you could connect with some of these practices or you could use your own forms of divination 🧵

Baking bannocks for divination, offerings, and gifts were part of the practices during Samhuinn. Today, you could bake cakes or breads, such as bannock, for the very same purposes. 🧵

Samhang, or Samhuinn fires, were sacred bonfires used to cleanse fields and animals, and massive torches were walked across fields to reaffirm boundaries between trickster spirits and crops.

Today, you could have your own fire or even light a candle to honor this practice and cleanse your space 🧵

Before Christianity, for the Scots the Aos-sìth were active all year. There was no veil, the people lived alongside spirits, fairies, and ancestors. Healers worked in harmony with fairies, leaders consulted their ancestors.

Now, many believe the veil thins, allowing spirits to walk the Earth 🧵

With the arrival of Christianity, Samhuinn became a night of liminal spaces and wandering ghosts.

And, it's important to note that there are differing folk practices between communities and cultures. Both Ireland and Scotland celebrate Samhuinn, but the beliefs & practices & histories vary 🧵

Awwww the wee lamb!! I love hearing about the two of you getting to know each other 🥹

Kitties also do this when they are SUPER excited or overstimulated, so maybe suddenly she just hit her wall of excitement and that was her way of saying "okay I'm getting overstimulated and we gotta stop." It's a signal for alarm, yes, but it's also a signal for a sensory limit.

hell yeah!

Sending good vibes, healing energy, and so much love your way!! <3

Thank you ❤️

Thank you so much ❤️❤️

YOU gotta give yourself a little compassion. You're making your decisions on her behalf with love in your heart. That IS doing right by her, actually.

How old is she? Is she just a baby?

Kittens are tough - and cats are all so unique and it takes time to get to know them and their quirks and needs.

I am not an expert, but I have had a lot of cats & kittens. I'm happy to brainstorm in DMs if that is helpful! 💜

Thank you so much, my friend ❤️❤️🫂

Nothing, the phrase just made me laugh 😅