The Wild Hunt (https://wildhunt.org/author/clio)
Clio Ajana is a death midwife, lover of tarot, numerology, and astrology. A current practitioner of Baltic Heathenry and Hellenic Alexandrian Witchcraft & Spiritual Tradition, she is a member of the House of Our Lady of Celestial Fire, E.O.C.T.O. Her writings include contributions to the anthologies - Shades of Faith: Minority Voices in Paganism (2011) and Bringing Race to the Table: Exploring Racism in the Pagan Community (2015). A frequent presenter at Paganicon (https://tcpaganpride.org/) and Mystic South (https://mystic-south.com, she considers everything in her life to be touched by and guided by the Gods.
For those who celebrate, today is the astronomical Samhain, a time when the sun is at 15 degrees Scorpio. The upcoming new moon in Scorpio is on Monday, November 9. The table is set, with a feast laid before us. We only have to use the knife to cut into the flesh and partake.
“As the weather cools,” writes Clio Ajana, “the leaves change colors, and start to fall, we feel the veil thinning. We welcome our ancestors into our homes, our practices, and our lives. We celebrate with them and rejoice at their presence in our lives.”
“As a nation,” writes Clio Ajana, “the bicentennial was the American attempt to enjoy a blissful harmonic period as emphasized in music with singles and albums that praised our ability to reach two centuries of existence without killing each other.”
After surgery forced her to stop, rest, and reconsider what failure means, Clio Ajana reflects on listening to the body, accepting change, and finding grace when life refuses to follow our carefully made plans.
“250 years later, our nation struggles through an emotional morass that hovers like a low-hanging weather system,” writes Clio Ajana. “For those who were alive during 1976 bicentennial, the feel, the mood, and the execution of American’s birthday in 2026 is grim.”