Samhain Rituals

Merry meet all,

The wind sings in the trees. The sun sparkles over my street, casting a bright glow on the leaves. The blue sky is clear. It’s a beautiful October morning. A lively morning for October.

Samhain Prayers. Samhain is the time to honor the dead and a time for death and rebirth. Light a candle and meditate on what this time means to you. Record the experience in your Book of Shadows. Here is an example of a prayer:

Corn has been shucked, 
grain has been threshed, 
herbs have been hung to dry. 
Grapes have been pressed, 
potatoes have been dug, 
beans have been shelled and canned. 
It is the harvest season, 
and food is ready for winter. 
We will eat, and we will live,
and we will be grateful.

Now  who can resist a Samhain ritual? I can’t. Use black and orange candles, a black velvet altar cloth, a cauldron, red candle for fire, clean candleholders, a silver athame. Velvet is such a sensual material. This is the time to go all out on your altar. The magic works better if your altar area is clean and fresh. You can celebrate Samhain as part of the ancestor ritual or do it separately. Place a photo of a loved deceased one on your altar. 

Decorate your altar with pumpkins, gourds, a skull- crystal, if you can, roots and berries, and grave rubbings. You could use graveyard irt. Be sure to get the dirt ethically. Be respectful. Usually at Samhain many Wiccans Pagans perform a dumb supper. You solemnly honor the dead and your loved one who passed. If you are sharing the meal with family members, you can choose to speak during the ritual. 

Set the table with a dark-colored plate and set mead, wine, dark breads, and cheese on the table. Serve yourself and the other family members. Set an extra dinner plate for the ancestors. Light the candles. A serving of each food goes on the ancestors’ plate before the family members or yourself. Remember that you don’t speak during the dumb supper. Leave the food as an offering for the spirits outside. 

Let the candles burn down and leave the wine on the table for your ancestors. Think of what family means to you and what traditions you always enjoyed. You can do a separate ritual for pets. You can follow this ritual with a seance. 

Blessed Be,

Lady Spiderwitch