This weekend we get back to our roots and celebrate Hallowtide, the gateway to the dark part of the year. It is marked by a fascinating trilogy of festivals: Hallowe'en or Samhain (which means summer's end), All Saints or All Hallows, and All Souls. Our guide will be Tess Ward, author of "The Celtic Wheel of the Year" and an Anglican hospital chaplain.

In this retreat we will welcome the contemplative darkness, recognised in all mystical traditions, and consider what we are incubating this winter. Grounding ourselves in the season, we are encouraged to remember with gratitude a loved one or another who has left a lasting imprint on our souls. There'll be some time outdoors, including celebrations round a fire, some time indoors with silence and poetry and words from Tess's Celtic Wheel book. We will particularly honour the Christian and pre-Christian Celtic traditions in our exploring together.

More about Tess: www.tessward.co.uk

"Blessed be the Keeper of those whom we loved but no longer see

for even with the last leaf fallen and the flowers gone

time cannot undo or unravel their mark

and we weave their love as we wend our way,

plaiting it with new love."

(from The Celtic Wheel of the Year)