Samhain -- The fields are bare, the leaves have fallen from
the trees, and the skies are going gray and cold. It is the time of year when
the earth has died and gone dormant. Every year on October 31 (or May 1, if
you're in the Southern Hemisphere) the Sabbat we call Samhain presents us with
the opportunity to once more celebrate the cycle of death and rebirth. For many
Pagan and Wiccan traditions, Samhain is a time to reconnect with our ancestors,
and honor those who have died. This is the time when the veil between our world
and the spirit realm is thin, so it's the perfect time of year to make contact
with the dead. You may want to take a moment to read up on:
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Rituals and Ceremonies
Depending on your individual spiritual path, there are many
different ways you can celebrate Samhain, but typically the focus is on either
honoring our ancestors, or the cycle of death and rebirth. This is the time of
year when the gardens and fields are brown and dead. The nights are getting
longer, there's a chill in the air, and winter is looming. We may choose to
honor our ancestors, celebrating those who have died, and even try to
communicate with them. Here are a few rituals you may want to think about
trying for Samhain -- and remember, any of them can be adapted for either a
solitary practitioner or a small group, with just a little planning ahead.
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Lore
Samhain is the third and final harvest, the harvest of meat.
The Old King is dead, and the Crone Goddess mourns him greatly during the next
six weeks. The sun is at its lowest point on the horizon as measured by the
ancient standing stones of Britain and Ireland, the reason the Celts chose this
sabbat rather than Yule as their new year. To the ancient Celts, this holiday
divided the year into two seasons, Winter and Summer. Samhain is the day on
which the Celtic New Year and winter begin together, so it is a time for both
beginnings and endings.
It is also the day we honor our dead. Now, while the veil
between the worlds is thinnest, those who have died in the past year and those
who are to be reincarnated pass through. The doors of the sidhe-mounds are
open, and neither human nor faery need any magickal passwords to come and go.
Our ancestors, the blessed dead, are more accessible, more approachable during
the time of the dying of the land. Samhain is a day to commune with the dead
and a celebration of the eternal cycle of reincarnation.
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Altar
Altar candles should be orange (represents magick of fire
and remainder of fire in autumn leaves), black (collects and absorbs light and
keeps you warm), white (sends out energy), silver, and gold (represents Moon
and Sun).
Incense may be myrrh or patchouli
Decorate with autumn flowers, small pumpkins, Indian corn,
and gourds
Cauldron with black votive candle for petition magick (for
writing resolutions on a strip of paper and burning in the candle flame)
Divination or scrying devises -- tarot, obsidian ball,
pendulum, runes, oghams, Ouija boards, black cauldron or bowl filled with black
ink or water, or magick mirror, to name a few
An animal horn, feather or talon as a power symbol (Samhain
is tradtionally the meat harvest)
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Herbs
Rosemary (for remembrance of our ancestors)
Mullein seeds
(a projection for abundance)
Mugwort (to aid in divination)
rue, calendula,
sunflower petals and seeds, pumpkin seeds, turnip seeds, apple leaf, sage,
mushrooms, wild ginseng, wormwood, tarragon, bay leaf, almond, hazelnut,
passionflower, pine needles, nettle, garlic, hemlock cones, mandrake root
At Samhain, witches once gave one another acorns as gifts.
During the Burning Times, giving someone an acorn was a secret means of telling
that person you were a witch. Acorns are fruits of the oak, one of the most
sacred trees to the ancient Celts. They are symbols of protection, fertility,
growth, values, and friendship.
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Stones
Black obsidian, smoky quartz, jet, amber, pyrite, garnet,
granite, clear quartz, marble, sandstone, gold, diamond, iron, steel, ruby,
hematite, brass
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Spells
At Samhain, witches cast spells to keep anything negative
from the past -- evil, harm, corruption, greed -- out of the future. Cast
spells to psychically contact our deceased forebears and retrieve ancient knowledge,
thus preserving the great Web that stretches through many generations of human
families.
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Happy Halloween from the Crafty Witch family to yours!
-The Crafty Witch
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