Astrological Samhain
Samhain, like Beltainne, is a solar cross quarter holiday.
The equinoxes and solstices occur when the sun reaches 0° of the Cardinal Signs (Capricorn, Aries, Cancer and Libra).
The halfway point between an equinox and a solstice is a cross quarter day. Samhain is the halfway point between the Autumnal Equinox at 0° of Libra and the Winter Solstice at 0° of Capricorn, and occurs when the Sun is at 15° of Scorpio.
The other cross quarter holidays fall on the 15° mark of the fixed signs Aquarius (Imbolc), Taurus (Beltainne), and Leo (Lughnasadh).
It is perfectly lovely and appropriate to celebrate the solar holidays on their secularized celebration dates (Beltainne on May Day, Samhain on Halloween, Yule on Christmas, Imbolc on Easter, etc). If you prefer to really track and feel the movement of the solar energy as it builds and wanes, you can celebrate on the astrological date.
You can find this date by using an ephemeris (I use the one on Astro . Com). Look at the sun glyph, and then look for the date that it ingresses the degree of the quarter or cross quarter holiday.
You can see from the chart below that astrological Samhain will occur on November 7/8th.
In summary, Cardinal signs herald a new season at their 0° ingress, fixed signs are the deep essence of the season at their 15° point (the middle of the middle) and mutable signs hold the energy of transition and balance. They are the pause or rest, the integration and transition, between the deep essence and the new.
Happy Halloween and blessed Samhain!! May the deep essence of autumn, of harvest and preparation, of skill and boundaries and the balance of life and death, ready us for movement into the cold stillness and introspection of winter as the wheel turns.
