Tag Archives: Samhain

Approaching Samhain Walk

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Join Lynn Shore, professional forager and herbalist, to explore local nature as we approach Samhain.

SATURDAY 26th OCTOBER
10.00 – 12.00 – Park Frankendael
€30 per person

On this 2-hour gentle walk, we will look to local plants, animals and other life forms, for signs of Samhain. That is the cross-quarter day between the Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice. It is seen by many as the start of the Pagan New Year. It is the time when the wild hunt is said to rip through the world, and certainly, it can be a time of spectacular changing weather. Samhain is a time of reflection, inwardness, mushrooms and roots (both the plant and family kind).

You will learn about
Local wild creatures, edible and medicinal plants
Signs in nature as the seasons change
Wild and feral Amsterdam plants
How to identify, harvest and safely use local herbs
Ways to help local wildlife
Increasing your connection to place and self-reliance
Simple rituals to bring yourself closer to urban nature at Samhain

What to expect
This small group walk will be 2 hours long, starting and ending at the same location, near the bike racks closest to Huize Frankendael/Restaurant Merkelbach. We will walk in the woods, alongside water, on grass and other areas of the park. The walk will go ahead in all weather except for storms, so dress for the occasion and check for updates if we get storms. There will be opportunity to walk barefoot, but no pressure if you prefer not to. There will be a handout to help you remember things afterwards and we will drink herbal tea from herbal finds. If you want to forage, please bring along a small paper or cotton bag to take home some herbs and seeds. The walk is gentle and fairly slow, the paths are mostly natural, of woodchip or soil. We will sit outside to drink herbal tea and eat the wild snack. There is a public toilet in the park.
Come prepared to connect simply and more deeply to urban nature.

About your guide
Lynn is an experienced herbalist and professional forager, who is specialized in local herbs and reconnecting city people to nature. She has been teaching foraging in Amsterdam and helping city people become more self-reliant for 14 years, and has been a practicing herbalist for over 20 years. Her special interest is improving mental health through herbs and nature. Lynn set up the beautiful community foraging gardens, over 10 years ago, in Park Frankendael. Part of this walk will be in there. In April 2025, she’ll be participating in the Wildbiome project, eating only wild food for one month, as part of a research project investigating how wild foods affect our health.

Booking
Email urban.herbology.lynn@gmail.com to book your place. When payment is received, your place will be confirmed by email. Please see the fair cancellation policy on the Events page.

Witching Season 2022

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Mabon

Schools are back, holidays are over and the Witching Season has begun to creep in. I love this time of year! Seeds and berries are maturing, pumpkins are ripening and the smell of soil sometimes completely fills the air, even though we have had such a warm dry summer.

This time of year allows for deep connection to nature, before the time of greatest seclusion. As we move from the Autumn Equinox (Mabon) to Samhain (Hallowe’en), it becomes ever easier to connect with the many dimensions from which this world is woven, and to make peace with our need for quiet through the coming months.

Throughout the Witching Season 2022, I will be holding three small gatherings in Amsterdam as I last did in 2020. The purpose is to help others find ways to nurture their nature based spirituality through the autumn and winter. We will explore a number of local magical herbs, tune into the powers of nature, develop a moon practice to help you become more empowered as each month turns, and celebrate the very different qualities of Mabon and Samhain. We will walk, connect, enjoy some simple peace-filled ritual and outdoor crafting together.

The number of places available for these gatherings will be limited. The total cost per person is €60. Each meeting will be two hours long and will embrace whatever weather is present! They will take place in Park Frankendael, Amsterdam Watergraafsmeer. We will start the gatherings late afternoon, a different time each meeting, to allow us to work with the twighlight. The group will attend all three sessions, there will be some simple activities to do in between sessions. The intention is that the same people come for all three sessions, to give us continuity and deeper connection on this witching season journey. For this reason, I ask you to sign up if you plan to join all three of the sessions. These outdoor sessions will take place at the set times and dates unless we have extreme weather. In which case, I will contact you and we will postpone.

If you would like to join this special group, please book via Meetup or email me (mentioning Witching Time) at urban.herbology.lynn@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Dates (please note the different times and days)
Wednesday 21st September 17:30 – 19:30
Tuesday 11th October 17:00 – 19:00
Tuesday 1st November 16:30 – 18:30

Booking via Meetup.com (NB: Event is full with a waiting list)

Hallowe’en in the Park

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I took a walk through Frankendael Park’s woodland today, to connect with nature a little more this Hallowe’en.  What a breathtakingly beautiful day it turned out to be and how delighted I was to find so many reminders of what Hallowe’en or Samhain is really about.

Samhain marks the time in the pagan calendar when the “veil between the worlds” is said to be thinnest.  Meaning that it’s the time when it is thought that the dead and the living are most able to communicate with each other.  Hence the spooky associations most people have with Hallowe’en.  I prefer to think of this date as a time to say goodbye to those who have departed during the previous year, remember those from years gone by and to look at how the old and new live alongside each other, learning from each other and leaning on each other.

So my sunny Samhain walk in Frankendael helped me reflect on this as I took in some of the sounds, smells, tastes, images and feelings aroused by the plants and animals.

Here are a few photos of herbs which stood out today, old and new, living and dead, cohabiting and helping each other…

By the way, I am turning off all comment options for my posts.  Spammers are an interesting group and they are overwhelming my email account with nonsense.  So if you have genuine comments please find my email address and send me a message 🙂