The Goddess as crone, laments the death of her lover as her new lover quickens deep within her womb.
Tree - Willow
Middle of Autumn,
Sun at 15° Scorpio
October 31
Alternate Names: Samhuinn (Scottish), Calan Gaeaf (Welsh), Calan Gwaf (Cornish), Oi Houney (Manx)
Themes: Death, passing beyond the veil, standing outside of time.
Samhain begins the "dark half of the year", "the small sun" or "An Ghrian Mór". Some covens echo this yearly structure by having one coven ruler (HP or HPs) rule one half of the year, and the other rule the other half. In covens with this structure, rulership is usually passed at Samhain and Beltane.
In Celtic Times this was the time to bring the herds down from summer pastures. Well, more likely, this was the end of the period of bringing the herds down. Anything left out in the field after this day was considered unfit for human consumption and given to the fairies (who seemed to have no problem with it.)
At Samhain, the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest. It is much easier at this time to contact the spirits of those who have passed over. Many rituals at this time center on communion with and reverence for the beloved dead.
Leaving a plate of food outside at night for the souls of the dead, burying apples in the earth to feed those who have passed on, especially those that have no one to visit during Samhain, placing a candle in a window to light the way for the dead. One of the most powerful rituals is the Dumb Supper. At this feast, plates are laid out for the dead and the living feast in silence out of respect for the dead's inability to speak.
Samhain represents a point outside time. Our Godly nature is with the God outside of time and space. Through ritual and training we can become more aware of our being at once in this world and outside it. To our corporeal awareness, this is a strange time because much exists outside of what we can know while having a body. This is the place of mystery where death transforms into birth.
Because at Samhain it is more possible to step outside of Time, divination is often done. Often, diviners looked to see what their fortunes will be in the following year. This knowledge would have to be internalized greatly and brought forth later because the time between Samhain and Yule was considered the "dead time", when nothing new could start. Some traditions extend this time to Imbolc.
The following recipe is for a divinatory incense particularly effective at Samhain:
Samhain Incense (from Scott Cunningham)
2x Sandal (p)
1x Orange Peel (d)
1x Mace (d)
1x Cinnamon (p/d)
This incense has a good balance of protective herbs (p) and divinatory herbs (d) - a good mix for this time of year.
A common symbol for Samhain that is still used in the modern celebration of Halloween is the carved pumpkin or gourd. Pumpkins, as we know them in America, were not a part of the Celtic tradition. Pumpkins are a new world plant, but they are related to the European gourd. No doubt, European immigrants to America, when looking for ways to continue their customs, found the pumpkin a very good substitute for the gourd.
Gourds or pumpkins, like melons and pomegranates, have many seeds and so are linked with fertility. In jack-o-lanterns, the seeds have been removed and what remains is the shell after all life has been removed.
The Willow tree is often linked with grieving. We even call one species of Willow, "Weeping Willow". In this way, the Willow symbolizes the Goddess at Samhain weeping for the loss of her child and lover. The Willow is also associated with miraculous births. Diana is said to have been found in a Willow clump and the ancient Egyptians believed the same of Osiris. Moses was also found in a willow basket. The boughs of the weeping Goddess at Samhain will be made into a cradle for the Sun God at Yule.
******
A Solitary Samhain
From www.branwenscauldro n.com
Many covens and circles celebrate this most sacred of pagan holidays as groups, often opening their circles to non-initiates and others who wish to participate. I find myself preferring a solitary ritual, perhaps with some socializing earlier or later in the evening. For me, much of the meaning of Samhain suggests such a practice, though traditionally it is a communal celebration.
Samhain is pronounced as sow-in (in Ireland), sow-een (in Wales), and sav-en (in Scotland). It marks the end of the harvest, the end of the year, and the death of the god. Self-reflection becomes not simply a custom, but a necessity. One cannot (or at least should not) allow the Wheel of the Year to turn without some kind of examination of what has occurred. How have I spent the last year? Did I grow or remain stagnant? Did I live according to the values I claim to embrace? These are questions which must be addressed in solitude and solemnity.
Just as Samhain ends the old year, it must begin the new, though many witches do not celebrate the New Year until Yule. Reflection should continue during this dark time, but reflection should be accompanied by a growing sense of the changes to be made and the light to be sought. I sometimes make many lists during this time -- lists of what I have accomplished and what I still want to accomplish, things I have neglected and those I have tended, and other similar lists. Samhain symbolizes both the past and the future, illuminated by the cycle of the seasons, forever linked as steps on the journey we must all make.
The Goddess tells us: "And you who seek to know Me, know that your seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know the Mystery: for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without." We must look inside ourselves for self-knowledge and for the spirit that will sustain us in life's trials. Silence is one of the keys to seeking truth, for we cannot hear the answers in the midst of this noisy world in which we walk every day, nor in the noise of holiday celebrations however joyous.
Samhain is also said to be the time when the veil between the living and te dead is thinnest, allowing us some communication with those who have departed. How befitting this is for such a time of endings and beginnings. Reflections on death can be as instructive as the self-examinations just mentioned. When we think of those who have died, it reminds us of time passing by and of things we could have or should have done. These reminders, coupled with our lists of past and future actions, encourages us to take our New Year's resolutions far more seriously. We know our time is limited, and most of us have much to do in our allotted time. Most of us have to make a living somehow, but death reminds us that we had better spend some of that time in pursuit of our other dreams lest they be lost in the struggle merely to survive.
Samhain Ritual
The Samhain rituals I follow change a little from year to year. I don't like to have a set of mandatory words or actions that might prevent me from exploring new possibilities in meaning. However, I do include the traditional Samhain rituals of sharing a feast (even if I am alone) and some form of divination. Since it is best that you write/say your own words in performing rituals, I will only include an outline here.
Prepare your house or room
Use black and orange candles, pumpkins (carved or not) and other traditional "Halloween" items if you wish (most are actually traditional for Samhain).
Prepare a table for the Feast of the Dead. It should be covered with a black table cloth and set with black dishes (black paper plates will do just fine). Place a chair at the head of the table, draped in black cloth, to represent the spirit. The spirit's place is set with a plate with a white votive candle on it. Set places for each of the dead that you hope will join you, and place black votive candles on their plates. Plates for the living (in my solitary ritual, just one) are empty, of course, awaiting the feast food to be served.
Food preparation
My feast is usually very simple: bread, fruit, nuts, and juice or wine. If you've invited living guests, it is common to make the feast potluck. However, since the actual feast will take place in silence, try not to have too many things that would have to be passed or requested.
Light the candles and turn out the lights
Call the quarters (ask the Guardians of the Watchtowers to witness and protect your circle).
Cast a circle (use whatever method you've been taught).
Invite the deities
There are certain Goddesses that I always invite to my rituals. It seems especially important to invite them on Samhain, as I will want to thank them for their help during the past year, and of course, ask that they continue to help me in the coming year. If the departed loved ones were especially close to any deities, I invite them as well.
Feast of the Dead
Light the candles on the plates of the dead and the spirit. The feast should take place in silence so that you can think about your departed friends and relatives. Think of their passing and your hopes for their joyous return. If someone is recently departed, try to put aside your sadness and think of that soul as well and happy in the presence of the Goddess.
Speak in silence an invitation to these loved ones, asking them to join in your feast. Use your own words for this. You know these individuals and can speak to them in a way to which they are likely to respond.
Sit at your table and eat the food you have brought to it. Feel the presence of those who have joined you and rejoice in their presence. Allow them to speak to you of whatever they want to communicate. Take as long as you wish at the table, listening to those you have invited and speaking to them in silence.
When the feast is over, thank your spirit guests for coming, bid them farewell, extinguish the candles on the plates, and leave the table.
Banishings and Resolutions
Now is the time to bring out one of those lists! Before Samhain, write a list of things from the last year that you want to banish: bad habits and addictions, unkind feelings toward others, unkind feelings toward yourself.... anything you do not want to carry over to the New Year. Light a black candle and burn the list, asking the Goddess and God to help you get rid of these and all negative things in your life. If you prefer, you can put about 1/4 cup of alcohol in a cauldron, light it, and burn the paper there. Speak to the deities (you can speak aloud now) about your sincere wish to remove these things from your life. Use a banishing chant, if you wish.
Now you should speak to the deities about those things you want to bring into your life in the New Year. I do these things rather informally, but there are many poems and prose pieces in books that you might want to use. Asking the deities for future rewards must be accompanied by resolutions as to how you will accomplish your goals. They will help you if you are sincere in your efforts to help yourself.
Divination
Because the two worlds are so close at Samhain, it is the perfect time for divination. I prefer to use a cauldron of water for scrying, since the cauldron seems to fit the mood of Samhain (not to mention Halloween tradition). You may prefer Tarot cards, a pendulum, or runes....whatever method works best for you. Obviously, the goal of this divination is to see what lies ahead in the next year.
Meditation
All of my rituals include some form of meditation. This is when I ask my personal Goddesses to guide me, advise me, and generally keep me on the right path. I also use this time to thank them in a more personal way than by reciting a poem of thanksgiving. At Samhain, I thank them for all their gifts in the last year and ask them to continue helping me in the New Year.
Sometimes this part of the ritual takes the form of a shamanic journey in which I am taken to a far away place (sometimes familiar, sometimes not) and where I may be given signs that will help me know what I should do (either in general or in specific situations). Take as long with your meditation as you need.
Thank the Deities
Give thanks to the deities you have invited by offering them food. I usually say something like "all things come from the Earth and to the Earth they must return." Whatever food and drink I offer (usually bread and wine), I eat a little and save the rest to place or pour on the Earth later.
Open the circle
Thank and dismiss the Guardians
Blessed Be!
A word about invitations to the dead
For my solitary Samhain Feast of the Dead, I invite not only departed humans but special animals as well. I doubt that this is customary since the feast is usually for one's ancestors. However, when one of my beloved pets has passed away, his or her passing leaves an empty place in my household and in my life, just as the passing of a person would. I choose to believe that the Goddess takes these creatures and cares for them as She would any human. They are far purer in heart than any human could be, and their love is perfect and unconditional. Surely their spirits deserve whatever rewards await the rest of us. So, at Samhain, I invite these loving creatures to join in my feast where I can once again feel their presence and their uncomplicated devotion to those they love. In their honor, I also invite either Bast, the Egyptian Cat Goddess, or Diana, Goddess of the hunt and mistress of dogs, both wild and tame.
*******
The Altar should be provided with:
a lighted black or orange candle
a jack-o-lantern
a chalice filled with wine or cider
a plate of bread
Incense and burner (the incense should be nutmeg, sage, or mint)
Ritual Tools
Photos of lost loved ones
Slips of paper with the names of those you wish to remember written
on them.
A bonfire or large brazier with a fire
Consecrate a circle and call the quarters.
Recite the following Prayer:
The Circle is complete
Once again we stand at the End and the Beginning
It is the time of the waxing of the Night
But we fear not, for our Lady is strong
It is the time of the waning of the Day
But we fear not, for our Lord waits to receive us
The door between our world and the world of the spirits is open
We remember now those who have gone on before
I remember__*name of loved one*__. (say what you loved best about
them). Be
at peace.
(repeat as many times as necessary. As you finish with each name and
remembrance, throw that persons slip of paper into the fire.)
Unto those I have named, from whose eyes
The veil of life has fallen,
May there be accomplished the Divine Will.
Whether they be granted absorption into the Infinite,
Or to be united with their chosen and preferred,
Or to be in contemplation,
Or to be in peace,
Or to achieve the labor of reincarnation
On this planet or another, Or in any Star, or any creature.
Unto them may there be accomplishment of their True Path.
I give this bread to the Fire
Throw the bread onto the fire.
As a remembrance of the lives that have passed.
I give this wine to the Fire
Pour the wine onto the fire.
As a remembrance of the blood that no longer flows.
Isis Guide my friends and loved ones.
Isis Guard them on their journey.
Osiris Receive my friends and loved ones.
Osiris Strengthen them on their journey.
So mote it be!
Meditate as long as you wish. Close the Circle and put out the fire.
*****
Pumpkin Prosperity Spell
If you need to harvest a little money during the Samhain season, try this
spell. From Halloween, Spells, Customs and Recipes by Silver RavenWolf
You will need:
1 small (not miniature)-sized pumpkin
The amount of money y ou need, written on a piece of plain white paper in
green ink (if you don't know how much you need, give a rough figure, but
don't make the request outrageous - the universe works to our needs, not
necessarily on our wants)
1 bag fresh dirt
7 dimes
7 pumpkin seeds from this pumpkin
7 ounces of rain water or water from a stream (no tap or bottled water)
Pencil
Lodestone, Optional
Cut the top off the pumpkin in a scallop design (to aid the flow of money
to you). Clean out the pumpkin. (Save the seed for other magical work.)
Remember to keep 7 seeds for this spell.
Place the pumpkin in the refrigerator until Halloween Eve. One-half hour
before Halloween Eve (not after), bring out the pumpkin, the piece of
paper with the dollar amount you need written on it, the dirt, dimes, seed, and
the water. Place the paper in the bottom of the pumpkin. Pour in the dirt.
With the end of the pencil, make seven holes in the dirt in a circular
pattern (keep the holes at least one inch apart). Hold the first dime in
your hand and think about the amount of money you need. (Important, do not
think negative thoughts about the money you need, no matter how desperate
you are.) Keep the dime in your hand until it grows warm and you feel good
inside. With the pencil, push the first dime in the hole that coincides
with 12 o'clock. Follow the same procedure going clockwise, with the other six
dimes. (if you happen to have a lodestone hanging around, bury it in the
middle of the dirt.) Now, starting at the 12 o'clock and going clockwise,
pour 1 ounce of water into each hole. When you are finished, hold your
hands over the pumpkin and say:
One dime for beginnings
One dime for drawing
One dime for growth
One dime for stability
One dime for banishing negativity
One dime for luck
One dime to seal the spell.
So mote it be!"
Bury the pumpkin on your property the following night one half hour before midnight (no later).
******
Samhain Rite
By Nicola de Pulford
This is a Celtic rite to let go of the troubles and sadness of the
Past year.
Needed:
A personal possession
A purple candle
A small wicker basket
A bell
This spell should be performed on November 1st. The fire feast of
Samhain was held in this month to celebrate the beginning of the
Celtic new year. November is the in-between time, when the veil
Between the past and present, the living and the dead, is thin. As a
Month of endings and beginnings, when the seeds of renewal are shed
From the mother plant, it is a time to rid yourself of the past and
Look forward to the future.
Method:
The personal possession should embody all that you wish to cast
Aside, in order that you can start afresh. On the first hour of
November 1st, light the purple candle and place the unwanted
Possession in the basket. Seal the lid with a little candle wax. Hold
The basket, concentrate on the glow of the candle, ring the bell
Three times, and chant:
"Spirits on this special night,
Collect my past and hear my plight,
I mean no harm but do entreat,
A future becoming sweet."
Repeat this three times, rining the bell between the chants. The next
Morning, take the basket and bury it.
********
SEVEN-DAY SAMHAIN VIGIL
You will need seven candles (style and color of your choice), a picture of
your loved one(s), and seven sticks of incense. On October 25 (at the time
of your choice), light the first candle. You can say a poem, speak aloud to
the deceased, sing a song, or read a passage from a book. Light the incense
and say: "In your honor." Allow the candle to burn completely. On the
following five days, do the same activity with a fresh candle and incense.
On October 31, light the candle and the incense and leave an offering such
as rose petals, a string of beads, or whatever you think is appropriate. On
November 2, dispose of the candle ends and offering by burying them on your
property.
I carried a lot of grief over things left "undone" with my mother. I
carried that emotional garbage for over twenty years. As soon as I began
talking to her, many things changed for the better for me in my life. Don't
wait like I did.
by Silver RavenWolf,
copyright 1999
**********
Samhain superstitions
A burning candle placed inside a hollowed out pumpkin or jack-o-
Latern on Samhain works to keep evil spirits and demons at bay.
For good luck, burn black and orange candles on Samhain. Black and
Orange are the traditional colors of Samhain and Halloween. On this
Day their magickal vibrations are at their peak.
If a candle should suddenly go out by itself on Samhain, as thought
Being blown out by wind or by breath, this is said to be a sign that
A ghost has come to call.
Always burn new candles at Samhain to ensure the best of luck.
Likewise, it is not a good idea to burn Samhain candles at any other
Time of the year. To do so may cause you to experience bad luck
And/or strange happenings over which you will have no control.
Gazing into the flame of a candle on Samhain will enable you to peer
Into the future. Many witches traditionally scry candle flames on
Samhain to receive clairvoyant visions.
It is believed that if a person lights a new orange-colored candle at
Midnight on Samhain and lets it burn until the sun rises, he or she
Will be the recipient of good luck. However, according to an old
Legend from Europe, any person who bakes bread or journeys after
Sunset on Samhain (Halloween) runs the risk of conjuring forth bad
Luck in great abundance.
****
Samhain Ritual
This ritual should be performed barefoot. Although if you do this
Ritual for Samhain, you may want to wear socks. I'm sure the Goddess
Will understand :-)
You will need: Incense made of Frankincense and Myrrh or Lavendar,
Basil and rosemary,2 black or 2 white candles, black altar cloth,
Bell, chalice of milk, dish of barley, 81 black beans, a bowl of
Spring water, and a towel.
-Cast your circle. Light the candles and say:
"Blessed Be thou, creature of light"
-Light the incense. Bless the barley. Say:
"I bless this grain in the names of Demeter and Kore."
-Invoke the Goddesses going counterclockwise. Begin with the North:
"I call upon rich-haired Demeter, Mother of Harvest, Giver of Eternal
Life. Bless me with your protection, Mother, and aid me in these
Rites."
-Leave an offering of barley for Her. Move to the West. Say:
"I call upon Hecate, Witch-queen, the hag of the crossroads who walks
With Death. Bless me with your protection, Mother, and aid me in
These rites."
-Leave an offering of barley for Her. Move to the South. Say:
"I call upon Vesta, sacred Hearth and Flame, Guardian Goddess of home
And nations. Bless me with your protection, Mother, and aid me in
These rites."
-Leave an offering of narley for Her. Move to the East. Say:
"I call upon Isis, Black Madonna, compassionate Queen, whom our fore-
Mothers worshipped from Asia to the Atlantic. Bless me with your
Protection, Mother, and aid me in these rites."
-Leave an offering of barley for Her. Return to the altar. Say:
"Hail Persephone! Queen of Earth and the underworld. In this time of
Growing life (or for Samhain say in this fading time) renew our
Hearts, and purify our homes."
-Toss a handful of barley onto the altar, SAy:
"I offer this grain in thanksgiving to Persephone, Condutor of Souls.
I ask you to lead my departed kindred into your realms of peace."
-Lay your hands over the chalice of milk and blessit by saying:
"I bless this cup in the name of Persephone, Queen of the Dead.
Shades of my ancestors, known and unknown, I offer this cup in
Thanks, for all your care, and all your gifts. Depart in peace to
Your abodes in the Earth, knowing that all is well."
-Place your hands in the sign of the Yoni (a upside down triangle).
Rinse your hands in the water 3 times in the water and dry. Take 9
Beans into your mouth. Make the sign of the Yomi again, turn around
Counterclockwise, spit the beans out through the opening in your
Hands. This a symbolic rebirth for spirits. Say:
"These I send forth. With these beans, I redeem myself and mine."
-Do this 9 times. When you have used all the beans, turn away from
Thjem and avert your eyes, giving the spirits a chance to pick them
Up. Keep still for the space of 13 heartbeats. Take up the bell and
Ring or strike it 9 times, say after each strike:
"Shades of my ancestors depart."
-Then say:
"It is done! Blessed Be!"
-Thank the Goddesses and open your circle. Bury the milk and candles.
Walk away without looking back.
*******
A short ritual for solitary wiccan's, includes tools and lore.
Place upon the altar apples, pomegranates, pumpkins, squashes and other late
autumn fruits. Autumn flowers such as marigolds and chrysanthemums are fine
too. Write on a piece of paper an aspect of your life which you wish to be
free of: anger, a baneful habit, misplaced feelings, disease. The cauldron
or some similar tool must be present before the altar as well, on a trivet
or some other heat-proof surface (if the legs aren’t long enough). A small,
flat dish marked with an eight-spoked wheel symbol should also be there.
Prior to the ritual, sit quietly and think of friends and loved ones who
have passed away. Do not despair. Know that they have gone on to greater
things. Keep firmly in mind that the physical isn’t the absolute reality,
and that souls never die.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle of
Stones..
Recite the Blessing Chant.
Invoke the Goddess and God.
Lift one of the pomegranates and, with your freshly-washed white-handled
knife, pierce the skin of the fruit. Remove several seeds and place them on
the wheel-marked dish. Raise your wand, face the altar and say:
On this night of Samhain I mark your passing,
O 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.
Taste the pomegranate seeds; burst them with your teeth and savour their,
bittersweet flavour. Look down at the eight-spooked symbol on the plate; the
wheel of the year, the cycle of the seasons, the end and beginning of all
creation.
Light a fire within the cauldron (a candle is fine). Sit before it holding
the piece of paper, gazing at its flames. Say:
Wise One of the Waning Moon,
Goddess of the starry night,
I create this fire within your cauldron
To transform that which is plaguing me.
May the energies be reversed:
From darkness, light!
From bane, good!
From death, birth!
Light the paper in the cauldron’s flame and drop it inside. As it burns,
know that your ill diminishes, lessens and finally leaves you as it is
consumed within the universal fires.
If you wish, you may attempt scrying or some other form of divination, for
this is a perfect time to look into the past or future. Try to recall past
lives too, if you will. But leave the dead in peace. Honour them with your
memories but do not call them to you. Release any pain and sense of loss you
may feel into the cauldron’s flames.
Works of magic, if necessary, may follow.
Celebrate the Simple Feast.
The circle is released.
Samhain Lore
It is traditional on Samhain night to leave a plate of food outside the home
of 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.
For food, beets, turnips, apples, corn, nuts, gingerbread, cider, mulled
wines and pumpkin dishes are appropriate, as are meat dishes.
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