Samhain

 

Samhain (October 31st)

 

HISTORY

 

Samhain to the Celts was their New Year's Eve.  That mysterious moment belonging to neither past nor present, or this world nor the other.  It was a time when the herds were slaughtered and the meat salted, which also led to the use of salts in magic ritual as a disinfectant against psychic or spiritual evil.  On this night also, the spirits of dead friends sought the warmth of the Samhain fire and communication with the living.

 

The divinatory aspect of Halloween is understandable for two reasons.  First, the psychic climates of the season favored it, and second, the anxiety about the coming winter demanded it.  The fertility ritual aspect was reflected in legends of gods and heroes.  As such, it was a time of deliberate (and tribally purposeful) sexual freedom.  That is primarily a Celtic tradition, as many other superstitions say to refrain from sex for fear that your former (dead) friends would take over your body and you might have A Change Child.

 

So, Halloween was on the one hand a time of propitiation, divination, and communication with the dead, and on the other, an uninhibited feast of eating, drinking, and defiant affirmation of life and fertility in the very face of the closing dark.  (Witches Bible Complete page 122)

 

"The feast itself, in the banquet sense, the original food was of course a proportion of the newly slaughtered cattle, roasted in the purifying Samhain fire, and doubtless having the nature of ritually offered first fruits.  The fact that the priesthood had first claim on the slaughtered animals for divinatory purposes and that what they did not use provided a feast for the tribe, points to this."  (Witches Bible Complete page 126)

 

B. THE ALTAR AND CIRCLE- Remember that these are “should be” and not demanded, and neither is perfection.

 

1.  Decorate with apples, pomegranates, pumpkins (as is or cut into jack-o'-lanterns.  If using jack-o'-lanterns, let them mark the four corners), squashes, marigolds, and chrysanthemums.  The altar cloth and candles should be orange, to symbolize the harvest, the falling leaves, and all the colors of fall.

 

2.  Foods- turnips, apples, corn, nuts, gingerbread, pumpkin dishes, meat, pumpkin cookies, candy apples, popcorn, and candy corn. Note that this is the only Sabbat where meat can be a symbol of the season since it is slaughter time in rural communities. It is not required.

 

3.  Drinks-cider, the mulled wine

 

4.  The cauldron should be in the north quarter, filled with firewood. 

 

C. RITUALS

 

1.  This is the time of reflection, of looking back over the past year and friends who have passed on.  Honor them, but do not call them to you.  Leave the plate of food outside the home for the souls of the dead.  A candle placed in the window guides them to the afterlife, varying apples "feeds" them on their journey.

 

2.  Write on a piece of paper any aspect of your life you wish to be free of.  Such as anger, baneful habits, disease, or misplaced feelings.  Burn it in a ritual.  (Solitary Practitioner page 142)

 

3.  Past life regressions are sometimes done in CIRCLE. This can take a very long time, so I personally recommend either a group meditation or a separate session outside of the main Samhain celebration.

 

4.  Scry into the past or future in CIRCLE. This is the time of divination, and whatever method calls to you is acceptable in your own circle.

 

5.  Return the corn dollies of last year to the ground.  (See Imbolg)

 

6.  Bobbing for apples.  There were many divination practices associated with Halloween, many of which dealt with marriage, health, and the weather.  Ducking for apples was a marriage divination based on the belief that the first to bite into an Apple would be the first to marry in the coming year.  This is like the wedding tradition of throwing the bridal bouquet for women and her garter for men.  Apple peeling was another type of divination to determine how long one's life would be.  The longer the unbroken peel the longer the life of the one peeling it.

 

7.  Have the high priest dress in "Man in Black" costume and charcoal for his space.  He leads a dance within the CIRCLE.

 

8.  Divination using tarot cards in CIRCLE. This can be done to give the whole coven a single divination for the group, or each member may use their own tools to divine for themselves or others.

 

9.  At the close of the Halloween CIRCLE, which will be extinguished the altar candles to symbolize the dark half of the year now beginning.

 

10.  This is an invocation you may use if you wish.  Wise one of the waning moons, goddess of the starry night, I create this fire within your cauldron to transform that which is plaguing me.  May the energies be reversed, from darkness, light!  From bane, good!  From death, birth!

 

11.  Carved jack-o'-lanterns. This is a lovely tradition that can include family members, especially children. Don’t forget to arrange that all pumpkins (carved or not) are taken to an appropriate setting such as a wooded area and smashed to give the wild things a treat. You may also share a beer with the nature spirits if you so desire.

 

12.  Finish any incomplete projects and pay off lingering bills, if possible, to close out the old year and begin the new year fresh.

 

13.  Leave food out for the birds and other wild animals.  Donate food or funding to an animal shelter in honor of the spirit of animals who have died for your family's nourishment over the year.

 

14.  Put pictures of ancestors who have passed on your altar for your Sabbat rite. Light a special candle for them, to show them away to return and celebrate with you.  This is the graves of your ancestors or if this is not possible, the nearest cemetery. Be still there and listen for the voices of those who have passed.  Leave offerings of food and drink for them, and for the animals.

 

15.  Have a mask making party in which you create masks to celebrate and represent your ancestry.

 

16. Dumb Feast—This is much more difficult and yet profound than it first might seem. All guests must RSVP in advance, because one place at the table must be left empty, with a full place setting before it. From the moment the guests step through the door, all is silent. All thoughts are centered on the empty place, symbolizing those who are no longer with us. Seasonally appropriate foods are served, with care taken that no allergens or harmful substances are included. After all the food has been served and eaten, the guests leave the dining area in silence. Socializing and speech may take place only after all have left the room and the candles have been extinguished.

 

D. SYMBOLISM

 

1.  Farewell to the God.  The God dies and prepares to be reborn at Yule.

 

.2. Time of sacrifice when animals were slaughtered to insure food throughout the winter.

 

3.  The feast of the dead, when the veil between the worlds is thin. We honor the dead and remember them with fondness.