Oh how we Witches and Magic(k) people love Samhain, when the veil thins and the air seems to swarm with the Spirits of our ancestors and our beloved Dead come to commune with us…and all our Spirit allies seem even closer than They normally do…truly the Season of the Witch.
Samhain is generally celebrated on October 31st and is considered the Witches New Year. (Many Witches celebrate Samhain by observing when the Sun transits 15 degrees Scorpio, which they consider to be true Samhain…it has become my practice to mark both and to regard Samhain generally, like the other cross quarter days, as “seasons”) The name Samhain (pronounced “Sow-win”) and is Gaelic meaning “summer’s end”…and is a continuation of ancient Celtic traditions in modern forms. It is believed that the veil separating the material world from the spirit world is at it’s thinest at this time…and is also regarded as the 3rd Harvest festival in the wheel of the year, when we prepare to enter the dark months and the Winter. (Some cultures only conceptualized 2 seasons, summer and winter marked in some places by the celebrations of Samhain and Beltaine).
Here are some of our suggestions for celebrating this Season…at the end of this blog is a ritual suggestion…for honoring the dead on the night of Samhain.
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Black Cat Charm
Black Cats have long been associated with Witches and Witchcraft and thus with Samhain (Halloween). Those who demonized us also demonized the animals and Spirits associated with us…but we know that the Cats (in all colors) are perfect and wonderful allies, not only to Witches but also to humanity in general. Sacred to the Goddess Bastet, the cats are aligned with Her and carry all the beautiful gifts of the Goddess. Somewhat nocturnal and, at times, wildly promiscuous, with glowing eyes and knowing gaze, they must have seemed unearthly and evil to superstitious people convinced that women and cats and the earth were under the power of the Devil. Cats are, in fact, in tune with the Spirit world…which do in fact make them excellent companions and allies for us. During this season, I like to wear black cat charms and when I do, I purify and consecrate them at my altar…and I say this or something similar over the charm:
“Charms of Bast be with me here, banish thoughts of pain and fear,
Goddess guide me in the Night, grant me vision with Thy sight,
By Earth and Air, Fire and Sea, As I will so Mote it Be!”
(Often I will augment this by burning black protection candles dressed with “black cat oil” which is an oil believed to promote “good luck”…all the better if the back candle is in the shape of the Cat.)
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Here is a favorite recipe of mine for a red wine beef stew (always a favorite for this time of year.
Witch Joseph’s Red Wine Beef Stew
Ingredients:
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3 pounds (1350 g) beef chuck roast
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1 tablespoon kosher salt
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3 tablespoons (45 g) olive oil
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3 tablespoons (45 g) all-purpose flour
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1 tablespoon (15 g) tomato paste
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½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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1 ½ cups (375 ml) hearty dry red wine, such as syrah, merlot or Cotes-du-Rhone
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1-2 cups (250-500 ml) vegetable broth
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2 stalks of celery
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2 tablespoons of minced garlic
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1 large onion
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4 large potatoes
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4 large carrots
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1 bay leaf
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1 teaspoon of parsley, rosemary and thyme
Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F…season beef with salt and pepper (along with the flour) and pan sear with olive oil (sometimes I use butter) on all sides…then place in enamel Dutch oven in preparation for cooking in the oven. Deglaze the pan with the red wine…and add to Dutch oven with the beef. Add Veggie broth. Sauté chopped onion, celery and carrots and garlic (add garlic at the very end of sauté so as not to burn.) and add these into the Dutch Oven along with herbs, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Place on middle rack in the oven and allow to cook for 1 hour. Remove from oven, turn beef upside down, add the tomato paste (mixed with some of the broth….and add chopped potatoes. Return to oven for another 1 ½ hours. Serve with homemade crusty breads (biscuits are also good with this stew), a nice salad and of course some red wine.
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Here is a simple petition spell to perform for the Samhain Season.
Witch Joseph’ Samhain Apple Petition Spell
You will need: 1 apple, brown petition paper, crushed Sage, pen, athame
Write your petition on the brown piece of paper…fold it three times towards yourself (if asking for something…away from yourself if banishing something). Cut the apple, revealing the pentagram shape formed by the seeds and place the petition inside the two slices, sprinkle with the ground sage…and place the whole apple in the brown paper bag wrapping it securely. At midnight on Samhain, bury it with these or similar words.
“I offer this petition to the Spirits of this night…grant my request with all your might…by earth and air, fire and sea…as I will so mote it be!” Walk away without looking back.
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Witch Joseph’s Charm For Lighting The Jack-o-Lantern
After the Jack-o-Lantern(s) has been carved and when the time comes to light the candle and place it inside, I always recite this charm:
“Let the Pumpkin’s candle glare, burn all evil from the air,
By Earth and Air, Fire and Sea, As I will So Mote it Be!”
(I’ve done this for so many years at Samhain and I don’t remember where I initially got this from…I tried to find it online but couldn’t…if anyone knows the source, please let me know so I can properly attribute this to them. Thank you.)
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Many Witches and Pagans and others will set up a shrine to the Ancestors and beloved dead at this time of year…it provides a wonderful focal point for meditation during the season, where we can connect with the spirits of our loved ones…and perhaps receive messages from them.
(A simple shrine made by Witch Joseph years ago)
Setting Up A Samhain Shrine for the Ancestors and Beloved Dead
It’s nice to place pictures of our Departed loved ones on the shrine, which can be on your altar or on a shelf or some special place in your home for the Samhain Season…though not everyone has photos and it can be enough to place their names there instead. Sometimes, people will place important dates (ie birth or death dates)…along with small objects that may have belonged to our loved ones, that remind us of them. Sometimes, we don’t know our ancestor’s names going back very far at all…I like to try to visualize them and allow them to come forward when meditating at the shrine, and at my ritual on Samhain night. It’s customary to place candles (exercise caution of course)…and to decorate the shrine with seasonal items and crystals ect. I also like to place symbols that were important to them on the shrine and incorporate items that were important to them in their own respective faith/religious traditions if any. I like to burn incense before the shrine as an offering… the week of Samhain I leave offerings of flowers, food, drink, herbs and such…often I will write notes to them and leave them there as well. I use the following formula when placing the offerings at the shrine.
“Beloved Dead and Ancestors, We present to you these offerings of food, drink and beauty with Love, Remembrance and Respect. Thank you for communing with us. Continue to guide us, inspire us and aid us in the times to come. Help us to grow in spiritual wisdom and practice. Blessed Be!”
-ring bell-
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Communication with the Spirit World
One of the simplest methods of Spirit communication is with a Pendulum, which is a favorite divination tool of many. After purifying and consecrating the pendulum, according to your traditions, sit near your Ancestor shrine or in front of your altar, preferably during the quiet dark nights of the season. Ask the Pendulum to show you a yes answer. Ask for a no answer. Ask for an inconclusive answer. Now call out and ask if there is a Spirit that wishes to speak with you…the Pendulum will indicate the Spirit's presence with a yes response. Proceed to ask questions that are yes or no in nature. Often the Spirit can be identified in this manner. (The practitioner will learn the “feel” of familiar Spirits and can simply ask “Is this ——-name of spirit——-?” And the Pendulum will respond accordingly. In time, these types of practices can lead to direct mediumship and development of these types of gifts. Record your Spirit sessions in your BOS or in your Journal.
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Samhain Ritual Suggestion
Items need for this ceremony:candle for the cauldron, votive candles one for each of the departed loved ones to be honored.
Sabbat Colors: Black and Orange
Altar is decorated with jack-o-lanterns, pumpkins, gourds, apples and autumn leaves.
Circle is cast or sacred space is established according to your traditions.
Ritual Declaration: “This is the holy night of Samhain. At this time of year, the gates between the worlds are open. We honor the passing of the old year and the beginning of the new. We honor the passing of Summer and the beginning of Winter. We call upon our Ancestors, our loved ones in Spirit, to cross over and join with us at this sacred time.”
-candle is lit in the cauldron-
“Now is a time of change. Now do we leave the Light and we gladly follow our Lord, the Horned One, into the Darkness as He arrives in the Summerland as Lord and Guide of the Dead. Great and Loving Lord, be present with us in the turning of the mighty wheel of the year. This day belongs neither to the old year or the new and as there is no distinction between the years, so there is no distinction between the worlds. Those we have known and loved are free to return to us here in this circle.”
-candles (one for each of the beloved dead being honored) are lit from the cauldron fire with these or similar words-
“I light this candle for my beloved _______N________. I love, honor and welcome you.”
-After candles are lit, a chime is rung once for each spirit honored. While sitting before the burning candles, reach out and connect with the spirits of the departed loved ones and rejoice in the reunion with those that have gone before.”
”From this reuniting, we gather strength. We know that there is no end and no beginning. All is a continuous turning, a spiral dance, that goes and returns, yet moves ever on in that turning. Tonight, we mark the end of Summer and the beginning of Winter…and we have no fear, for we celebrate and experience the promise of the Spiral. We honor the Great God as He begins His journey through the funnel of Darkness that bears the light of the Great Goddess at its end. Blessed Be!”
resonse: “Blessed Be!”