Blessed Samhain!

 

Blessed Samhain! It’s the most wonderful time of year for witchery!

Communication between the living and the dead is easier this time of year and encouraged!

This is a time to enjoy the fruits of the summer’s harvest with feasts and coven gatherings!

Set up your altars to honor your ancestors and set the table for their visit.

Pay homage to the deities that guide the dead between the worlds.

Honor the nature spirits that assist in the care of the land and animals that we so heavily rely on for survival.

Samhain is one of the most important Sabbats in the Wheel of the Year.

You can celebrate with grandiose bonfire gatherings, elaborate feasts, or discreetly in the broom closet!

 

 

Samhain Waaay Back in the Day

The Celtic festival of Samhain is celebrated between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice.

This Sabbat of summer’s end and winter’s beginning has been a tradition celebrated since Neolithic times in Northern Europe.

Tombs in this area predate Christianity and were precisely built so that the passageways aligned with the sunrise during Samhain.

Ancients believed that this was a time to protect the community from the long cold winter days ahead.

They made ritual sacrifices to appease the entities that slipped into our world from the spirit world.

Many offerings were made by sacrificing herd animals and setting out food for the spirits of the land.

Archaeological findings like the Tollund Man have found that some rituals involved sacrificing people.

Feasting on the summer harvest and lighting bonfires were ritually done to protect the community.

People lead their animals through the smoke hoping to be blessed with protection from the dark winter season ahead.

Some of their crops were left unharvested as offerings to the nature spirits, in exchange for a good crop next harvest.

Candles and fireplaces in each home of the community were lit from the ritual fires to secure their protection from winter’s wrath.

It was a time of divination, mediumship, and paying respect to the spiritual realm.

Mystics would scry into the fires to reveal prophetic messages from the spiritual world.

Many of these seers would channel ancestors acting as a medium of communication between the dead and the bereaved.

Some Pagans view Samhain as the time when Cernunnos(The Horned God, The Green Man, Pan, or Wotan) died.

This is when the god transitions to the spirit world and is reborn on Yule.

Basically, it’s when the sun falls south of the equator, then returns north of the equator at the winter solstice.

 

 

Sacrificial Samhain Rituals

Today the majority of the world celebrates Samhain in the form of Halloween.

This has much to do with the Christianization of Pagan traditions to appeal to the people of those times.

Christians frowned upon sacrificial Pagan rituals, even though a lot of hypocrisy followed these views in later years.

Thankfully you don’t have to sacrifice anyone to celebrate Samhain.

Instead, you can sacrifice plants!

Yes, that’s right, using plants in witchcraft is a form of sacrifice.

Herbs can represent an offering of the living and boost the power in your craft.

This especially appeases the nature spirits who prefer that no animals be harmed.

You can do this by sprinkling select herbs into your Samhain bonfires or in your incense burners.

You can also dress candles in herbs and burn them on your Samhain altars.

Beeswax candles are generally the best for witchery (and eco-friendly), but any candle will work just as well.

If you’re in the broom closet, you can simply mix the herbs of your intention into a pumpkin soup and use some of it as an offering.

Another great way to celebrate the season is to boil a pot of moon water over the bonfire and use it to brew your ritual herbs into a tea.

After drinking the tea, add a little tasseomancy (tea leaf reading) to the mix and see what the herbs reveal for the coming months.

Be sure to pour some of the tea out for the homies…aka the Fae.

 

 

 

The Essence of Samhain

There are many ways you can celebrate Samhain.

The important thing to keep in mind is to simply not harm anyone and respect the land.

There is really no wrong way to celebrate your Sabbat rituals.

Samhain has always been a time to embrace death.

The ancients observed the world around them dying and returning back below the ground.

They knew the sun would be falling south and taking with it the warmth and light it gave to sustain life.

They watched the animals fatten from vegetation the light had gifted them and burrow underground to sleep until the sun’s return.

As the cold weather blanketed the land, they waited patiently, hoping the icy touch of winter’s death would miss them, while they protected themselves next to the warm Samhain lit fireplaces.

Samhain is about accepting the idea of dying as being a key part of our earthly experience.

Here is a small list of books that may assist in deeper learning and understanding of Samhain and the other Sabbats.

 

Samhain: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Halloween (Llewellyn’s Sabbat Essentials, 6), Author: Diana Rajchel

 

Sabbats: A Witch’s Approach to Living the Old Ways, Author: Edain McCoy

 

The Ultimate Guide To The Witch’s Wheel of The Year: Rituals, Spells & Practices for Magical Sabbats, Holidays & Celebrations, Author: Anjou Kiernan

 

The Pagan Mysteries of Halloween: Celebrating the Dark Half of the Year, Author: Jean Markale

 

Download our Samhain pages to add to your grimoire or print and color to celebrate the season!

 

Blessed Samhain everyone!