Samhain (North) & Beltaine (South) Cross-Quarter 31st Oct
In the season of Scorpio, we are approaching the powerful seasonal threshold and liminal space of Samhain in the Northern hemisphere, and Beltaine in the Southern hemisphere. These ancient seasonal festivals invite us to reconnect with nature, honour our ancestors and reflect on the cycles of life, death, and renewal.
Samhain is traditionally celebrated around 31st October – 1stNovember in the Northern hemisphere. Samhain (pronounced Sah-win) marking the transition from the harvest season into winter. In contemporary pagan traditions, this threshold is associated with the thinning of the veil between the spirit and physical worlds. It is a time for ancestral honouring, divination, dreamwork and remembering those who came before us.
Dreams may feel profound and intuition strong as ancestral memories walk beside us through these veils. Seasonal customs are to light the sacred fire and leave out food on this night, as an offering or feast for the dead. Samhain invites us to participate in ancestral veneration, reflect on our ancestral connections and acknowledge seasonal endings.
In astrology, Scorpio season from 23rd October – 22nd November 2026, invites us to explore what lies beneath the surface. The ancient ruler is Mars, and in modern astrology Pluto(Lord of the Underworld) rules Scorpio representing transformation, emotional honesty, shadow work and the mysteries of death and renewal. This is an ideal time to reflect on inherited patterns, write in dream journals, explore oracular divination, or to release habits that no longer serve.
For the astrologically minded, the Samhain (North) and Beltaine (South) cross-quarter points occur when the tropical Sun reaches 15 degrees Scorpio, usually around 7th November. This marks the seasonal midpoint between the September equinox and December solstice for both hemispheres, with the astrological cross-quarter point offers another way to experience this liminal transition.
Personally, I feel this marker as a threshold rather than a 'fixed' date. Last year when I was living in my ancestral homeland of England, I was reminded how the land and stories are connected to ancestral gifts, especially as I spent many twilight hours walking in the local cemeteries and observing the lore of the trees. Silver Birch and Hawthorn were both protective allies and initiated me into the old ways of my folk.
While in the Southern hemisphere Beltaine celebrates the gaining sun and the sensuality of nature & creativity in Scorpio season. This seasonal festival is associated with the vitality of the earth. Here in the South, the nature spirits seem to dance with wild abandon as summer approaches. To celebrate Beltaine, light a candle safely, tend your garden, gather seasonal flowers, set intentions for creative growth, or spend time appreciating the beauty of nature. However, you choose to celebrate the fertile magic of Beltaine, may it be joyous and enchanting in your rituals and ceremonies.
Samhain and Beltaine remind us that there many cycles coexisting and whether you are honouring your ancestors in the North or celebrating fertility in the South, Scorpio season invites you to reflect and reconnect with the deeper rhythms of life and magic all around. Take a moment to explore the seasonal landscape surrounding you.
Listen to the land, honour the traditions that speak to you as we journey through the star points of the Sun and Earth in ancient kinship. As above so below… and blessed be your walkings!
Much love from the wild woods.. Rachael x
Keeper of star lore who dwells at the fire door with mugwort, oak moss, and roses.
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