This ritual came from Patricia Telesco's book, The Wiccan Book of Ceremonies and Rituals. I love this book, it has so many great ritual ideas and scripts.
Preparations
Since spirits and faeries run free today, you may wish to take extra precautions in protecting your home and sacred space. Clean the floors with basil steeped water to wash away any negativity from the old year. Hang gorse near your windows or doorway, and cast white beans around the circle to banish both ghosts and bad luck.
Gather pictures of, or memorabilia from, people in your life who have passed over. and put these in the sacred space at the western point. For the three other points you will need a knife or scissors, candles, and a symbol of transformation for yourself.
Carve a pair of black and white candles to represent what you want to release and gather for the New Year, respectively. Also find a quartz or obsidian crystal to use for scrying (although you can also use a black mirror, which is what I do), and have self-lighting charcoal for the brazier or cauldron, and write messages on pieces of paper for your loved ones who have passed over (one piece of paper for each individual you wish to contact).
The Altar
Cover the altar in a black or orange cloth. Decorate it with traditional Halloween touches, such as a cast iron cauldron, bats, owls, brooms, and skeletons. Add a pomegranate to represent the cycles of life-death-rebirth at one side of the brazier; place your messages to loved ones on the other. Put the black and white candles at opposite sides of the altar.
Cast the Circle
Invocations
Begin this ritual when it is totally dark outside. This invocation begins with a prayer that opens the way for the spirits of beloved friends and ancestors to join you:
"Lord and Lady, pull aside the veil;
the edge of time where all things begin and end.
Open a gateway to my loved ones that they may join me in this rite."
Cast the Circle starting in the West, the region where several cultures believe the afterlife resides.
West
come into the Circle of Water, a Circle of Might,
to sing of my family on this Holy night."
Place a familial token on the western point to welcome those spirits.
North
"I come into the Circle of Earth, the Circle of Peace,so wandering spirits may be released."
Place a knife or pair of scissors here to symbolize the freeing of ties (some spirits linger in the Earth plane because they feel compelled to watch over loved ones).
East
Let the old be transformed, by spirit rearranged."
Leave an emblem here of what you plan to transform in the ritual using the black and white candles.
South
as the light grows shorter, and the night grows long."
Extinguish a candle at this point of the Circle to represent the season's darkness.
Center
and welcome familial spirits, this Samhain night!"
Light a central candle, any color you choose, to represent the Spirit's presence.
Meditation and Visualization
Samhain is a time for remembering, and for journeying into our own subconscious. This sojourn unlocks the keys for integrating our past, and handling the present more effectively. For this meditation, sit with the crystal (or black mirror) you have chosen and close your eyes. Think of one person, now deceased, whom you would trust as a guide, and ask silently for his or her guidance.
Breathe deeply and slowly, breathing is the key here. You must be able to relax completely. Feel the energy of the crystal in your hand. For now, let it sit idly here, lending its insightful power to the meditation process. If it helps, lie on the floor with the crystal resting on your Third Eye while you meditate.
Envision all those friends and family members who have passed over in a circle around you, linking hands. Let their love become the magic sphere that holds you in this place between worlds. As you feel this protective, caring energy grow, the crystal will begin to get warm. When this happens, open your eyes and take the crystal in hand.
Think now of one question that has been nagging you. Direct that question into the crystal. Look at the surface of the stone, and let your gaze become naturally blurry (don't stare at the crystal, or allow yourself to see your own image... it won't work if you do). Watch for images to appear. You may see literal portraits, symbols or clouds in response to your question. Portraits and symbols have to be interpreted by you. Generally bright or white clouds moving up or to the right are good omens, while those appearing dark, or moving downward and to the left are negative omens.
After you receive your answer, whisper your thanks to the spirits who watched over you, and to the stone. Make notes of your experience in your ritual journal.
The Ritual
"I welcome the Old Ones, I offer hospitality to kindly guiding spirits in this sacred space.
Those of you who chose to join me here, I beg a boon.
Into these fires I place messages for people close to my heart."
Place the pieces of paper on which you've written your messages to departed loved ones into the cauldron of fire.
"Impart these words gently to _________(fill in with the names of people you wish to contact).
Carry the smoke of my love and memories with you into the next world when you return."
This is a good point in the ritual to look over old scrapbooks and revel in positive memories. Allow tears to flow freely, along with laughter as part of the Circle of Life.
Next, light the black candle, saying:
"Death is a part of life. Today _______ (fill in with whatever you've chosen to release)
dies within me. This is not a loss, but a liberating change that I welcome and accept."
If possible, dance the Circle counterclockwise at this point to release negativity. Keep moving until you feel finished casting shadows from your life.
Light the white candle, saying:
"From death to the old ways comes life anew.
I light the candle of _____ (fill in with a characteristic you hope to gain)
that it may always shine in my heart."
Dance, or walk, the Circle clockwise to draw positive energy, and bring light to the darkness.
Closing the Circle
Put away the tokens you've placed at each quarter point as you recite this dismissal. Note that the progression of the closing gives the attending spirits time to leave before the veil is closed again.
North
"I come into the Circle of Earth, the Circle of Peace,so wandering spirits may be released." Place a knife or pair of scissors here to symbolize the freeing of ties (some spirits linger in the Earth plane because they feel compelled to watch over loved ones).
East
Let the old be transformed, by spirit rearranged."
Leave an emblem here of what you plan to transform in the ritual using the black and white candles.
South
as the light grows shorter, and the night grows long."
Extinguish a candle at this point of the Circle to represent the season's darkness.
Center
and welcome familial spirits, this Samhain night!"
Light a central candle, any color you choose, to represent the Spirit's presence.
Closing Prayer
"Lord and Lady, I have released, sown, and reaped... now it is time to rest. Bring peace to my spirit, to all those souls here gathered, and to this place until we meet again. So Mote it Be!"
Release the Circle
Release the Circle in whatever manner is most familiar to you.
Post-Ritual Foods
Traditionally, animals enjoy the food first today, in thankfulness for the gift of sustenance many of them offer. After that, try cultural foods or favorite edibles of the departed people honored in your ritual.
Don't let leftover pumpkin go to waste; make pie or bread as a protective food. Also consider dark foods, such as rye or pumpernickel bread. Pork and apples are both customary foods for the dead, and beans are also a good choice - they grow counter-clockwise!
I