Samhain, or the witch new year is upon us! Traditionally this time of year is characterized by Death! The year ends, summer dies, the harvest is reaped so all plants and animals die, and there's also death overshadowing all the people dying in the winter months to come. But at this time of death, there is also new life, of course. The time between these ends and beginnings, aka, sundown Oct. 31 to sundown Nov 1, is a sacred, subliminal space where the veils between worlds really is thinnest. The best way to honor death as well as new life is to call on your ancestors and ask them to guide and help you in the new years. You can makes wishes and promises to spirits best on Samhain. Here are two good rituals you can perform within circles you cast:
As witches, we honor the other side as much as we honor this world. We put out oatmeal, tobacco, and whiskey for all spirits and keep a chair empty at the table for ancestors. We can bury an apple for all lost spirits. We can paint our names onto stones and cast them in the fire to fortell of how we might fare in the future. You can put hazelnuts by a fire and see if they crack to symbolize a lover's fidelity. We can read Tarot cards and play the flute, the witch's chosen instrument. We can project our futures into a crystal ball to amplify their effect.
Apples and pomegranates are an important part of Samhain and this cider works nicely for the season.
- Martenelli's apple cider
- pomegranate juice
- cheap desert wine, aka Port
- 1 apple
- 1 pomegranate
- 4 stix cinnamon
- mulling spices (optional)
The reason people dress up on this holiday is to fool any negative spirits that might be coming to harm you while the walls of this world are thinnest. The tradition of trick or treat originates in these sacrificial rites Druids performed to appease the spirit world while it was close. The handing out of candy is actually like praying to the false, meaningless "halloween idol" candy companies concoct. Instead, perhaps hand out apples or pomegranates as a nod to the Samhain tradition. And to throw a small wrench in the sexed-out Halloween tradition, cross-dressing was the prefered method of concealment. Happy Samhain, everybody!
