Halloween is the cross-quarter day, the shift from one season to the next. In the Northern Hemisphere Halloween or Samhain marks the harvest. It’s the end of the growing season, the crops are harvested and put into storage to prepare for the coming days of cold and darkness. Perhaps if the harvest was the soul reason we celebrated this day those of us in the Southern Hemisphere would be better off celebrating in April. But that which we call Halloween has slowly evolved over centuries, pieces taken from different cultures and belief systems thrown into a cauldron and boiled up together. The final brew looking like what today we call ‘Halloween’….

As a photographer, I’ve spent my life capturing light, and let me assure you, darkness plays just as an important a role as light does. We need both for balance, the light and the dark, the birth and the death. In the natural cycle of life, all living things will eventually die. But if we can allow ourselves to grieve, learn from the experience, and let go with grace, then we create space for new things to grow.

Samhain is a celebration of death. The Celtic (like many cultures) had rituals and traditions to honour their ancestors. There are many ways to honour our ancestors during this time such as; visiting their graves, setting up altars in our homes, holding a traditional Samhain dinner party, or candle ceremony.

Fire is symbolic of the Sun. Lighting a fire at this time is to show gratitude for the light and warmth that allows growth. Lighting fires and giving offerings was also a way to appease visiting mischievous spirits during the time when the veil between worlds is thin. If you are like me then you’re not in a position to ignite a large bonfire in your backyard right now - but you can light some candles. You can buy candles from a store or if you would like to make your own candles at home, I have included a simple method to do it yourself below….

How to make your own Candles

• Soy wax and/or beeswax

• Essential oils

• Candle Wicks

• Pegs or Skewers

• Scissors

• Mason Jars

• Glass Jug

• Pot

Place a pot on the stove and boil water. Put your wax in the glass jug, (you could also use a double boiler for this if you have one). Once the water is boiling, place the glass jug on top of the pot and simmer until all the wax is melted. Pellets will melt a lot quicker than a full block of wax will. You can also get any old candle ends and add them to the melting pot if you want to, this is how I got the purple colour in mine.

While the wax is melting, dip the ends of the wicks in the hot wax and use it to ‘glue’ the wick to the bottom of the jars. Some people use hot glue to do this, but I found that using hot wax worked very well. Secure the wick in the centre of the mason jar with pegs or skewers so that it’s not going to move as the wax is setting.

Once the wax is melted, add in the essential oils of your choice and mix well.

Carefully pour the hot wax into the mason jars and leave to cool for 24 hours. Once the candles are completely set, remove the pegs and trim the wicks as needed.

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