That’s right, it’s Samhain…again!  I had been meaning to do a post about this for the last few weeks but I just have been so swamped with other things that it seriously slipped my mind (repeatedly).  When I woke up this morning to a text from a friend saying “Happy Samhain” I nearly fell over.  “Is it really November 7th?”  Sure enough it was, and sure enough I had a full day packed with other things and now I was adding in trying to get a post together to explain why today, November 7th, is Samhain as opposed to the date most people are used to, October 31st.  So here we are!  It will be a quick one, but hopefully it will answer those pressing questions about why Samhain is sometimes celebrated today and not last Monday.

So, what is this I hear about Samhain in November?
Samhain is one of four Sabbats known as the cross quarter days.  These four Sabbats, which also include Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Imbolc, are celebrations that mark the mid-points between the solstices and equinoxes.  For those that are unfamiliar with, or need to be reminded of the Sabbat calendar, it looks like this:

Samhain (cross quarter)
Yule (Winter Solstice)
Imbolc (cross quarter)
Ostara (Spring Equinox)
Beltane (cross quarter)
Litha (Summer Solstice)
Lughnasadh (cross quarter)
Mabon (Autumnal Equinox)
…and then back to Samhain

The solstices and equinoxes are known as the Lesser Sabbats and the cross quarter dates are known as the Greater Sabbats or the Fire Festivals.  As most of you know, the solstices and equinoxes change dates each year (see this prior post for more about these celebrations).   So we see four of these celebrations shift each year by a few days on the calender.  The reason for this has to do with the movement of the earth and the sun; the earth doesn’t always that the same amount of time each year to revolve around the sun (to put it in simple terms) so there will be times that Yule might be on December 21st while other times it might be on December 23rd.  This simple fact (should) raise the question: “If the solstices and the equinoxes fluctuate based on the earth’s rotation, shouldn’t the dates that mark the midway point between them shift as well?”  The answer is yes, they should…and do!

These cross quarter dates actually happen when the sun reaches a certain astrological point during the earth’s movement.  This is sometimes called a “true sun date” or an “old style Sabbat”.  The solstices and equinoxes happen at the cusp, or beginning, of of the cardinal signs Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.  The cross quarter days occur when the sun is 15 degrees of the fixed signs of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius.  This is when the earth is truly at it’s mid-point, or cross between a solstice and equinox.

So it looks something like this, staring with Yule:

Yule (Winter Solstice) – Capricorn – December 19-23
Imbolc (cross quarter) – 15 degrees Aquarius – Feb 2-7
Ostara (Spring Equinox) – Aries – March 19-23
Beltane (cross quarter) – 15 degrees Taurus – May 4-10
Litha (Summer Solstice) – Cancer – June 19-23
Lughnasadh (cross quarter) – 15 degrees Leo – August 3-10
Mabon (Autumnal Equinox) – Libra – September 20-24
Samhain (cross quarter) – 15 degrees Scorpio – November 5-10

What about the fixed dates?
Yes, many of us are used to celebrating Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnasadh on fixed dates at this point.  Does it matter when you celebrate?  Does it change the meaning of your Sabbat if you celebrate on one date and not the other?  This is all a matter of opinion because there are certainly reasons to celebrate on the fixed date we’re used to and reasons for celebrating on the astrological date.

There is an energy that resides in the fixed dates because we have celebrated them that way for so long.  I don’t think you can deny that, even if you celebrate it in November, October 31st still feels like Samhain to all of us.  But it’s worth considering an astrological marking of the date as well, especially if you’re someone that uses astrological timing in your magickal work.

It’s also important to consider, especially with Samhain, that when we celebrate October 31st there are really three holidays happening at once.  There’s All Hallows, or All Saints Eve, a holiday that many of us probably don’t mark in any way.  However there is not only Samhain but also Halloween.  I think it’s really important to remember that even though we may lump Samhain and Halloween together much of the time, they are not the same holiday and they deserve to be honored separately.  This is where holding some kind of observance on the astrological Samhain date can be helpful.

What can I do on this November date?
You can hold any of the same rituals you normally would for Samhain on the 31st of October on the 15 degrees Scorpio date in November.  Take time to honor the dead, do divination for the coming year, and leave offerings for the spirits.  Personally I believe that October 31st is truly the best time to honor the dead and leave offerings for our ancestors, but astrological Samhain is the better time for Samhain related spellwork and divination.

For myself, I like to reserve the Sabbats for celebratory work and for marking the turning of the Wheel and the changing seasons.  It’s very rare that I ever work magick on the Sabbats or as part of my Sabbat rituals.  I tend to do that a few days before or after the Sabbat date.  But this is where using the astrological dates really comes in handy, so to speak.  Use these dates to work magick that might be related to the themes of the Greater Sabbat that you’re observing and let the fixed date, which you’re likely to see more commonly celebrated in the community, as a date for general observance and celebration.