Samhain Gathering - Ancestors · Shadow · Release

With Ginny Farquhar & Ali Rabjohns At Samhain the year turns fully into the dark. The last of the harvest is in, the land is going quiet, and the veil between the worlds grows thin. This is the old new year - a threshold where endings and beginnings sit together, and where those who came before draw close. It is a time to honour the dead, to meet what we have kept in shadow, and to let the year compost down into the soil from which the next one will grow. Held in the waning moon following the Full Moon of 26 October, this gathering invites you to turn toward what is ending, and toward the ones who walk beside you. 🕯️ Ancestors · Shadow · Release Ancestors We carry our lineage in our bodies, our gifts, and our inherited patterns. Through the ceremony, we will: - Honour those who came before, known and unknown - Listen for what the line is asking to have healed - Give thanks to the wise and loving ancestors who walk with you Shadow What we turn away from does not leave. It waits. Together, we will: - Turn gently toward what has been kept out of the light - Meet it with curiosity rather than judgement - Recognise the gift that so often sits inside the difficulty Release Composting is not disposal. It is how the old becomes fertile. We will: - Name what has completed its season - Offer it to the fire and to the earth - Trust the dark to do its slow work 🌿 Ceremonial & Creative Space This day will include: 🧡 Opening circle and guided meditation 🧡 Seasonal teaching and ceremonial focus - ancestors, shadow, and composting 🧡 Land-based practice or a walk in the South Downs 🧡 Creative making - embroidered ancestral cloths, clay vessels, and ritual fire 🧡 Reflection, journalling, and quiet integration 🧡 Organic herbal teas, cake, and nourishing connection Our approach is grounded, spacious, and non-judgemental. You are invited to move at your own pace, listening to what feels right for you. No prior experience is needed. Everything is gently guided. 🕯️ Seasonal Reflection Join us for a Samhain gathering in the South Downs - a day of ceremony, creativity, and connection, honouring the ancestors and letting the year fall away. You will be invited to sit with the question: What am I ready to release, and who walks beside me? 🌿 Who this is for This gathering may be for you if you: - Feel drawn to working with the seasons in a deeper way - Are curious about creative, embodied practices - Would like to explore shamanic work in a grounded, relational space - Are longing for connection - with yourself, others, and the land 🌸 About the facilitators Ginny Farquhar Ginny is a sustainable textile maker and natural dye artisan whose work is rooted in slow making, ecological awareness, and heritage textile traditions. She works with plant fibres, natural colour, and reclaimed materials - honouring cycles of care, reuse, and renewal. Through her practice and teaching, Ginny invites making as a quiet, attentive dialogue with the land. Ali Rabjohns Ali Rabjohns (MBACP, Accred) is a therapeutic arts facilitator and shamanic practitioner based in Sussex. Her work weaves felt-making, mindfulness, and spiritual practice, creating gentle, non-judgemental spaces for exploration. Drawing inspiration from the South Downs and the living energies of natural materials, she invites creativity as a path of presence, connection, and healing. Together, Ginny and Ali create spaces where land, material, and imagination meet - inviting participants into slower, more mindful ways of making and being. 🌿 Practical Details - You are warmly invited to bring a photograph or small object connected to your ancestors for the altar - Please bring a poem if you feel called to - Tea, coffee, and snacks will be provided - Compost toilets are available onsite Spaces are limited, and booking is essential. Sliding scale £80-£90 for the day (concessions available - please reach out). To bypass Eventbrite fees, BACS payment is available - please email: [email protected] Location: https://w3w.co/appraised.duck.outsider 🌿 A gentle note This is not about making 'beautiful things', but about process, presence, and relationship. All practices are offered with flexibility and care, and can be adapted to individual capacity, energy levels, and physical needs. Ancestral work can bring grief close to the surface. You are welcome to take part as fully or as quietly as you wish, and support is always available. 🕯️ Closing As the wheel turns, so do we. This gathering is an invitation to sit at the thinning veil... to remember those who walk beside us... and to let the year return to the dark soil. 'I left feeling deeply replenished from such a nourishing space. The workshop offered exactly what I didn't know I needed.' You are warmly welcome.