Honoring the Beloved Dead: Creating a Samhain Shrine for the Beloved Dead and Ancestors
When the chill of late October sets in we know that the veil is thinning and we begin to sense the Spirits all around us. It is the perfect time for celebrating Samhain, the Witches’ new year. It is summer’s end in the old Celtic reckoning and standing between the seasons and the years we are able to sense our loved ones in Spirit reaching out to us once more and blessing us with their wisdom and presence.
Many Witches set up a Samhain shrine for the dead and is one of the ways in which we open the door between the realms allowing us to access connection with those who have crossed over and gone before us. The shrine is empowered with our reverence and our intention…and by the very real presence of the beloved Dead.
Choosing the Best Space
It is important to choose the right space…one that invites reverence and quietness. It can be on a shelf or separate altar…some practitioners create it right on their main altar for the season. I usually place mine on a shelf that I can stand or sit before and place offerings. Whatever space you choose, begin by cleansing the space energetically. Smoke cleansing or sound cleansing is ideal. Then anoint the place with a small bit of consecrating oil and ask the Mighty Ones to bless the space and allow it to be a place of honoring and meeting with those we wish to commune with during this Samhain time.
Foundational Considerations
Begin by placing a nice cloth on the area…I usually use black but purple would be nice as well. Follow your intuition and use whatever color you feel is most appropriate. Then it’s nice to place photos and momentos of those spirits you wish to honor. Be sure to leave room for incense burners, candles and at least one offering bowl in which to place offerings for them,
Some of the practices of the Samhain shrine
Candles play a large role in Witchcraft and make excellent offerings for the departed and the ancestors. When placed in small pumpkins or seasonal holders they can really bring a special quality to shrines and altars…and the Samhain shrine for the dead is no exception. Some feel hesitant using actual candles so feel free to use battery operated tea-lights and candles if you so choose. You can also use a defuser in the place of actual “incense”. However you choose to do it, always be sure to practice candle and incense safety guidelines and exercise common sense…and NEVER leave burning candles or incense unattended and keep all such things out of the reach of pets and children. Be sure when you are burning candles and incense to do so in a well ventilated area and use only heat and fire proof containers and burners that meet industry safety standards.
Prepare some offerings to present to the Spirits. Some suitable offerings include fruit, bread, wine, tobacco, incense and flowers. Marigolds, chrysanthemums and roses are appropriate. Incense such as Myrrh is excellent since it has a funerary and chthonic association with it and has long been associated with rituals of the dead. Some prefer Copal or even Frankincense. As with all things, follow your own intuition and preference.
When making the offerings before the shrine it is sometimes helpful to have a liturgical formula to follow which is simply a ritual phrase and format for presenting the offerings respectfully to the Spirits and Deities involved. After choosing your offerings, be present before the shrine and say the following or similar: “Beloved spirits of the Dead and ancestors who are aligned with my welfare and support, come to me and accept these offerings that I present to you in perfect love and in perfect trust. May these offerings give you spiritual nourishment and increase your energies. Commune with me and be present with me in the times to come. Blessed Be!” Then place your offerings in their proper places on the shrine before the pictures and with the candles.
Connecting with the Magick of Samhain
Some practitioners leave the Shrine up for at least a week and certainly during the time they choose to honor Samhain, whether that is October 31st or the astrological midpoint of the Sun’s ingress of 15 degrees Scorpio (Tropical zodiac).
Set some time aside during the season to sit with your altar and reach out to the spirits inviting them to commune with you and to communicate with you if they wish to do so. If you practice mediumship you will probably have great success in bringing forth messages from them. It is often helpful to keep a small journal on hand to record any such messages or every subtle signs that they have answered you and have come to you. Some use tools such as a Spirit board or a pendulum which can be very effective. Be sure to cleanse and consecrate such tools before hand to ensure protection and to make them suitable for use in these matters.
Samhain is also the perfect time to perform divination for the coming season or even the coming year. Cartomancy is often used but other forms of divination are also employed. Some of these include Runes, Tea leaves and palmistry. Scrying is very popular and is an auspicious form to use at Samhain since it can aid in developing the Sight. There are a vast number of divination tools and styles to choose from and eventually practitioners settle on at least one form to be able to get a glimpse of the coming energies.
Shrine Maintenance
As the season progresses, maintain your shrine. Be sure to remove food and drink offerings and place them somewhere in nature along with flowers and such. When the time is right to remove the shrine, do so reverently and with respect. Be sure to thank the Deities, the spirits of the dead and the ancestors for their presence and energy and ask Them to bless you during the dark months ahead.
Remember, that honoring the ones who have gone before us in Spirit is a way of connecting with the endless stream of life that stretches back to the beginning and also forward endlessly into the future. This is not morbid but instead is a celebration of Life in all its stages and a realization that Life has no end…it merely changes form. This is the ancient promise of the Spiral and is just as powerful today as it was in ancient times.
May your workings bring you connection, hope and renewal my friends…and may the Spirits bless you and watch over you.
WJ