Samhain
Samhain (Halloween)
October 31
Waxing Moon
Moon Phase...Second Quarter
Moon Sign...Pisces
Color...Brown
Incense...Rosemary
Birthstone...Opal
Flowers...Calendula, Cosmos
At Samhain, (October 31st), the Wicca say farewell to the God. This is a temporary farewell.
He isn't wrapped in eternal darkness, but readies to be reborn by the Goddess at Yule.
Also known as November Eve, Feast of the Dead, Feast of Apples, Hallows and All Hallows.
And of course Halloween.
Samhain is a time of reflection, of looking back over the last year, of coming to terms with the one phenomenon of life over which we have no control - Death.
The Wicca feel that on this night the separation between the physical and the spiritial realities is thin.
Wiccan's remember their ancestors and all those who have gone before.
On this night of Samhain I mark your passing,
Oh Sun King, through the sunset into the Land of the Young.
I mark also the passing of all who have gone before,
and all who will go after. O Gracious Goddess,
Eternal Mother, You who gives birth to the fallen,
teach me to know that in the time of the greatest
darkness there is the greatest light.
It is traditional on Samhain night to leave a plate of food outside the home
for the souls of the dead. A candle placed in the window guides them to the lands
of eternal summer, and burying apples in the hard packed Earth "feeds" the passed ones on their journey.
Samhain (October 31) is the Celtic new year, both a beginning and an ending
point on the ever turning wheel.
At this time the third and final harvest of the year is celebrated, a yield
that ensures that life will continue throughout the harsh winter ahead.
But as life is celebrated, so is death. Witches traditionally believe Samhain
to be a time when the veil separating the world of the living from that
of the dead (the Otherworld) is parted, and the ancestors may join in the festivities.
Popular Samhain activities include communication with the dead, divinations to see
what the new year holds, and the hosting of the "dumb supper," a feast for both the living
and the spirits of the dead that is held in complete silence.
The modern festival of Halloween has it's roots in Samhain. The popular children's
custom of trick-or-treat stems from an Old English practice in which children
went door to door begging "soul cakes" to feed the wandering spirits.
Samhain Ritual
The following ritual was found in Aoumiel's book, Green Witchcraft
Preparing Your Alter
Alter candles should be orange.
Incense may be myrrh or patchouli.
Circle may be decorated with autumn flowers, small pumpkins,
branches, Indian corn, and gourds.
Have a piece of parchment with weaknesses or bad habits you want
to be rid of written on it.
Have a black votive candle inside the cauldron.
Have a white votive candle sitting on the alter.
Have some heather on the alter and an apple or pomegranate.
Ring bell three times and say:
I celebrate the dance of life to death to new life and the balance
of the cosmos in my life! The last havest is gathered and stored
for the dark months ahead, and the wheel has turned to the
time of the Hunter.
Ring bell nine times and say:
At this time is the veil between the worlds thin, and I welcome
thee spirits who have gone before and thee others who pass
between two worlds. This is the crone's time and with the Lord of
the Shadows, she is the passage from life to life that all must take.
They give a refreshing rest in the continuous turning of the spiral
dance that goes and returns, yet ever moves on. With the Ancient
Ones, I move with the dance unperturbed.
Love gives strength; give to gain.
Take wand, hold it aloft, and say:
Great Lady, fruitful Mother, you have showered me with
your bounty, and in this turning of the seasons, I bid you
farewell as you walk now as crone with the Lord of the Hunt.
I know that within you is yet another fruit waiting to be
born, and I will bide patient until the mother returns.
Replace wand on alter. Place cauldron on pentacle,
light black candle within it from the center candle and say:
Here is the cauldron of endings and new beginnings.
Into this burning flame do I cast my weaknesses and the habits that keep
me from attaining my potential. By the death of these things
will I live a better life. So mote it be!
Cast the parchment into the flame to burn. After it is reduced to ashes,
ring bell nine tmes. Take the white candle and pass it through the
patchouli incense (or anoint it with patchouli oil if you use a different
incense) and say:
With this candle and by its light I welcome you spirits this
Samhain night.
This candle will be saved to be lit and placed inside the jack-o'-lantern
to light the way for spirit visitors. Because it was used in the Sabbat
and was anointed, it will also screen for friendly spirits, which is why I
usually do the Sabbat a couple of hours before sunset.
Take the heather in your power hand, hold it over the alter, and say:
I call upon the power of this herb to bless this house
and the spirits that come to visit.
Drop the heather into the cauldron and say:
The air is purified and made pleasant for the spirits and others
who may call upon me. Blessed Be!
Take up the apple or pomegranate, hold it aloft over the alter, and say:
I call upon thee, Lord and Lady, to bless this fruit to be
the food for the dead. Let any who visit find sustenance in this
apple and pass on refreshed. So mote it be!
After the Sabbat is concluded, bury the apple in the garden or in a pot of soil outside your door.
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