Samhain Festival
Foundation Centre - Ireland
8th November 2025
By: Rev. Noeleen Watson
Today we had an early start as it was my Ordination Day, as I was to be ordained as a Priestess. The skies were a deep blue; both the sun and the moon were present. I have never seen a mist like the one that hovered over the local farming fields. For a November day, we were certainly blessed as all week we had plenty of rain.
As we gathered in the castle courtyard, the sun beamed down on us all. We were bathed in the hot warmth which is so unusual for this time of year. A fabulous group came, new and returning faces, all eager to set off on our journey to celebrate Samhain. Cait, our presiding Priestess welcomed us all. She gave us a little background on this time of the year and how the gods blessed us with an amazing day.
We started our procession towards the Rose Garden; we were greeted with a lively group of hens looking for breakfast. Would you believe there were so many flowers still in full bloom! When we arrived in the Rose Garden, there were new buds on some of the rose bushes. A priestess brought us on a little journey to connect with the Rosa Mundi.
Our procession brought us through the gardens down towards the Sacred Grove, which is dedicated to the Druid Clan of Dana. The path was covered in orange, red and yellow leaves. It was fun to kick the leaves and hear the crunches as we walked. Cait shared the story about how Olivia’s father planted the grove over hundred years ago. We were all invited to stand and touch a tree, to take some time just to be.
Next we made our way towards the Abbey, which is dedicated to the Noble Order of Tara. The abbey was Olivia's favourite place. Here, the Goddess Eriu was invoked. We had all placed written notes in the cauldron, things we wanted to let go of. Cait ignited them all and we watched as they all turned to ash.
Now it was time to say hello and invoke the Goddess Persephone, before we made our way into our Temple, the dark womb. There was a kite (bird) flying overhead, we were truly blessed with gifts from Mother Earth today. We gathered around the sacred Brigid’s Well, where Cait gave a little history on the sacred well and the castle. Deity was invoked and I got to invoke my patron Goddess for the first time, which was so exciting and emotional. Priestesses gave blessings at this time.
We made our way to the High Altar where a Priestess was waiting to share an oracle with us. The oracle today was from the Goddess Arianrhod, she is associated with the moon, stars, and the "silver wheel" of fate, which represents cycles of life, fertility, and reincarnation. The oracle was immensely powerful urging us to be weavers. She asked us to go out to the night sky and see the stars and the moon.
Cait brought us on a mystical journey to the old woman of winter. It was lovely to hear about why we wear masks at Halloween, that it was a way of our ancestors to face their fears. Then came a mystery play, the theme was about our ancestors and one of our priestesses channelled our ancestors to give us stories and advice for the months ahead. Other creative offerings were shared. Maureen, a priestess gave Cait a beautiful bouquet of roses to thank her for all she does for the Fellowship. Cait reminded us, that we are not alone and to reach out if you need to.
There was certainly a beautiful and loving energy generated from everyone today. I am looking forward to my new role as a Priestess and will be forever grateful for the pure love and magic I felt today from everyone.
Our community is thriving and welcomes everyone with an open heart. All deity was thanked, and Cait brought our ceremony to a close. We all made our way to the coffee shop for tea, cake, and chats.
Our next ceremony is Saturday 20th December at 11am. (Winter Solstice) (Please note: Festivals are accessible by invitation only - to request one, please see this page: Events)
