Samhain

Samhain (SOW-en, SAH-vin, SAM-hayne) takes place October 31st-November 1st

Yesterday was Samhain!!!

(Sorry I am only getting this post out today, I have been out celebrating with friends, and I have been very busy the past few days. Yesterday I was in Salem, and I joined a Witches Circle and I danced and celebrated with them. What a glorious day.)

        Also known as the Witches New Year, Feast of the Dead, Halloween, Summer’s End, Feast of Apples, All Hallows, Third Harvest, Day of the Dead; Samhain is the night when the veil between worlds is thinnest.

Samhain is the end of summer and the last of the three Harvest Festivals/Sabbats on the Wheel of the Year. An offering of food is often made to the spirits, during this time of plenty and abundance. Crops were often cleared, except for what was left as an offering to the Nature Spirits, and livestock slaughtered and stored for the coming winter. 

        As the barrier between worlds fade, it is the perfect time to remember and praise your ancestors and departed loved ones, either through communication, ritual, or a simple prayer. It is a time to honor all those who have gone before us, a time for startling revelations and reflection within our own lives.

Songs: ‘Season of the Witch’, ‘All souls Night’, ‘Circle Song’, ‘Oak, Ash, and Thorn’, Any Halloween songs will work as well. Really, there are tons of songs, but I am having a hard time thinking of any.

Activities: Carving Pumpkins, Bobbing for Apples, Have a Bonfire, Blessing the land for the new year, Divination, Past Life Recall, Apple Picking, Drying Herbs, Spirit Contact, Corn Labyrinth, Costume Party, Dream Interpretation, Performing Protection Spells and Feasting.

This is the time to leave offerings of food and drink to your ancestors, as well as visiting the final resting places of your ancestors or making an alter for them.

Foods: Apples, Pomegranates, Pumpkin, Turnips, Gourds, Walnuts, Pork, Beef, Mulled Wine, Poultry, Beets, Autumn/Winter Squash, Cider, Corn, Gingerbread, Kale, Leeks, Potatoes, Pecans, Pears, Rabbit, Mussels, Hazelnuts, Herbal Tea, Scallops, Chestnuts, Soups/Stews, Halibut, Candied Fruits.
Crafts: Make a Scrying Mirror, Make a Witch Bottle, Make an Ancestor Shrine, Make a Straw Man, Make an Apple Garland, Make a Grave Rubbing (but only if your community allows it because in some places it’s illegal), Make an Ancestor Tree, Carve Pumpkins.
Colors: Black, Orange, Silver, White, Gold, Dark Browns.

Symbols: Apples, Gourds, Black Cats, Besoms/Brooms, Pinecones, Waning Moon, Jack-O-Lanterns, Cauldrons, Masks, Balefire, Bats.
Stones: Carnelian, Jet, Obsidian, Onyx, Other Black Stones.
Herbs: Sage, Mugwart, Broom, Allspice, Catnip, Mandrake, Oak Leaves, Deadly Nightshade.
Incense: Nutmeg, Heliotrope, Mint, Frankincense, Basil, Yarrow, Clove.
Gods: Arawn, Dis, Kronos, Xocatl, Woden, Pluto, Hades, Nefertum.

Goddesses:  Hecate, Carlin, Edda, Pamona, Crobh Dearg, Lilith, Psyche, The Morrigan.

        Any Halloween activity you want to participate in would also be appropriate for Samhain. Costume parties, Jack-o-lanterns, and trick-o-treating all have their roots in Pagan traditions for Samhain. But above all else, Have a safe and happy holiday, and please make sure your pets are safe as well. This is a dangerous time for animals because of decorations, tricksters, crowds of people, Trick-o-treaters, fires, and loud noises. Make sure you keep the furry or feathered members of your family in a safe and quiet part of the house while the festivities are happening, or during trick-o-treating because the loud noises and the door opening multiple times can be an invitation for disaster.