Samhain | Remember

There is a nebulous moment when the veil between the living world and the spirit world thins. In truth, the veils are always thin, but at this time of year, our attention is drawn instinctively to the fertile pockets where worlds touch. The season changes, the trees are bare, darkness pads our days—all this alerts us to a realm beyond ours. As this Sabbat draws to a close, we can feel it. Just before the clock strikes midnight on October 31st, we are given the space to intuit more than at any other time during the Wheel of the Year—Samhain.

Pronounced Sow-an, and from the Old Irish word samuin, it is a word unto its own. It was created specifically to name the medieval festival day. Irish mythology was always a spoken tradition, which means there a few different variations of its spelling. Samhain in modern Irish, and Scottish Gaelic (from the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages) translates roughly to summer's end.

In the natural world, Samhain is a time to notice the transitions from life to death. All around, insects of the summer are completing their life cycle, plants too. The remnants of harvested crops are tilled under as farmers pause to take stock. As the beginning of a new turn of the Wheel of the Year, Samhain is symbolized in the quiet end of the growing and harvesting months, when the land sleeps and essentially begins to gestate for next spring's rebirth.

In the spiritual world, this is a liminal time. Our hearts may cross the threshold from the living realm into the realm of the dead, although the separation between the two is always more permeable than we realize. You may feel your ancestor's presence in your body, as a kind of embodied knowledge. This is their parting gift to you. Now is the time to gather with family and friends to hold rituals honoring the beloved humans and creatures in your lives who you have lost. To gather with remembrance and joy is a way to honor their lives.

Instructions for Communicating with Your Ancestors' Spirits

Even if you had a tough relationship with some of your relations, they do not hold grudges. Whoever has passed over, no matter how rocky the rapport, wants to help those on this side heal. Samhain is a potent time of the year to make contact, ask for clarity, and resolve any lingering confusion with the dead. To connect with a particular loved one, create a customized altar for that person, full of the things they liked the most. Consider cigarettes, whiskey, a favorite perfume or scent, a particular flower. Ask them to step forward. Sit close by the altar, emptying yourself of worry, anxiety and doubt. Remember the person, what lit them up, what made them laugh, what made them shaky. Steep yourself in those reflections. Ask them questions or confide dilemmas you are struggling with that you would like guidance on. Be open to how they might communicate with you and what you receive. After you feel like you have made contact, you mask ask, if you feel inclined, for a sign that you have indeed connected. Pay special attention in the days following, alert to special messages, sightings, or coincidences. Finally, thank them for showing up and continuing to be such a powerful influence on your life.

You may wish to honor all things related to the dark, the spirit realm, the coming of winter. All Hallow's Eve is the perfect night to get out into the darkness all decked out in a costume which makes you feel freer to be yourself or explore a new way to imagine your identity.

Honorable Mentions

In the Welsh tradition, Halloween is referred to as 'Winter's Eve,' which in Welsh is noson galan gaeaf, which originated from the ancient Celtic festival Samhain. The night of October 31st was one of blurred boundaries between this life and the afterlife, when spirits are believed to roam the Earth.

Like the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday, Samhain includes feasts and rituals to honor the beloved dead. It was believed the 'Fleadh Nan Mirbh'—dead ancestor spirits—returned to the land of the living at this time of year. Some spirits were friendly and could bring good luck, while others tended toward evil or mischief. The root of the masking tradition (also called mumming or guising) is what we now know as trick-or-treating. Masquers would impersonate various spirits and visit their neighbors to receive gifts in exchange for luck blessings or the promise of peaceful coexistence. Guising also had the advantage of allowing you to go about at night without being noticed by evil spirits, who would be tricked into thinking you were one of their own.

The Samhain festival was full of fire festivals, with bonfires being a big part of the celebrations. These fires were meant to bring light into the darkness of winter, which was coming soon. The etymology of bonfire is fascinating—the word bonfire comes from bone fire, the practice of offering the bones of animals to the flames.

In the spirit of little fires everywhere, some celebrate Samhain with a ritual to guide the dead home by opening a western facing door or window and placing a candle by the opening.

Samhain Ritual of Remembrance & Tarot Divination

Tarot Ritual | The Celtic Cross

In the Wheel of the Year, October 31st is the eve of the new year. In the space between one year and another you are given a generous dose of intuition. It is the absolute best time to consult your Tarot deck and divine a reading for the year ahead!

Tarot as a method of divination has been practiced for six centuries. The Celtic Cross spread, with origins in England, Scotland, and Ireland, has been in use for over one hundred years. It's helpful when you have a specific question, for it guides you one card at a time. Here is how to begin.

Initiate & Draw

Shuffle and cut your Tarot deck three times. Sit with the deck in your hands. Close your eyes. Breathe gently and call upon the natural insight which rests within. Call up a question. Or ask for guidance, revelation, or clarity. A simple show me what I need to know right now is a perfectly appropriate request as well.

When you are ready, place the Significator card as an anchor for the reading. Then continue by placing your cards face up in numbered order following the diagram above. Utilize information for your deck's individual cards along with the placement meanings outlined below to read your spread.

1. The Querent — You: The querent is one who seeks. Very simply, this card reflects your state of mind in this moment in time, how you are relating to the world around you, what qualities are being expressed within your personality right now.
2. The Obstacle — What Crosses You: This card expresses the situation at hand. It is very direct and will illuminate all obstacles, even if they don't seem to relate to your question.
3. The Near Future — What Crowns You: Your higher self and what is ultimately achievable in relation to the current obstacle is revealed with this card.
4. The Foundation — What is Beneath You: Representing your roots, distant past, the foundation upon which all your actions are based. This card reveals subconscious and ancestral influences.
5. The Past — What is Behind You: This card defines events which have passed or are in the process of passing. The past is however not to be dismissed, as its influence may remain strong.
6. The Present — What is Before You: Here's what's happening now. Imminent resolution or continued work required for a solution are expressed with this card. Often this card reveals things not yet fully understood, or hidden influences in one's life.
7. Your State of Mind: This card identifies the internal perceptions of yourself which play their part in your present life. It can reveal both strengths and limitations of your own making. This means you can choose to change any or all of your perceptions by seeing things differently.
8. Your House: Literally that which encircles you, this card illuminates the walls of your house—the people, situations, environments, energies which surround you.
9. Your Desires & Fears: The paradox of human nature is that we sometimes fear what we desire, or desire what we fear. Interpret this card with that in mind. It may reveal one or the other, or both!
10. Outcome: This is what's to come. This card reveals a resolution or answer. Its wisdoms contain many illuminations, some revealed over time.

Upright or Reversed

Your cards are shuffled and moved around each time you use them. By the time a card is placed on the table, it will show its face to you either upright (where the image and words are right side up) or reversed (where the image and words are upside-down). So what exactly does this mean?

Upright

Interpret the message of this card with its customary meaning and guidance.

Reversed

A reversed card reveals qualities or circumstances to which your attention is being called. Reverse the card's customary meaning (use its opposite or shadow meaning) to interpret.

Learning the meanings of your deck's cards takes time and patience. Working with reversed meanings of your cards is just like working with our own opposite or shadow qualities—it is a rich and meaningful journey which provides us with deeper, soulful wisdoms. Interpretations are personal. Yours are right for you.

When in doubt, trust your natural intuitive guidance.

Interpret

Take your time to look at the cards, but to also sense their message.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What do I see?
• Do I hear a message in the silence?
• What did I feel in my body the moment I turned over each card?
• How can I look at the meaning of each card from different perspectives, such as incorporating the shadow seeing deeper potentials?
• How do the cards relate and talk to each other?
• What is the story that the cards tell, and how is that different from my current narrative?

Close

Slowly gather your cards. Breathe in again. On your exhalation, let go of your expectations and vow to remain open to the messages you receive. Offer up your gratitude in a manner which connects with your spirituality.

The Samhain Altar

An altar is a collection of items which create a hum in your being whenever you are near. It's a reminder of where we are in the turning of the year, and a soulful expression of who you are in its turning. There are no rules, only suggestions based on those who have come before us.

Colors | amber, gold, purple, black, silver, dark blue

Nature | pumpkin, gourd, bone, feather, leaves, web, dried corn, thistle, fossil, apple, pomegranate

Symbols | moon, mirror, bat, owl, raven, cat, cauldron, broom, ghost, tarot, pendulum, wand

Botanicals | mugwort, sage, rosemary, calendula, rowan

Stones | pyrite, onyx, moonstone, selenite, carnelian, labradorite, obsidian

Spiritual | deities, amulets, talismans, images, all personal to you

Elemental | earth/soil, air/feather, fire/candle, water, feminine & masculine symbolic items

Atmosphere | remembrance, intuition, divination, ancestral, transformation, trickery

Cast Your Circle

To cast a circle is to invoke a sacred vessel to hold your ritual. Guidance is provided here.

Prepare

Clean your space and cleanse your body with a bath or shower. Turn off all devices, be still and remember your intention. Choose a location indoors or out. You can use a compass to locate and mark the directions of north, south, east, and west with a stone or crystal. Walk your circle clockwise and purify it entirety with incense. Place your ritual tools and offerings in the center and light your candle. Here are some suggested offerings for Samhain: tobacco, roses, pumpkins, and gourds.

Begin

Invoke the Four Elements

East - Air - Knowledge

I face East, the direction of the rising sun & all beginning. I call upon the element of Air & the creatures of flight. I welcome the beauty of new life & understanding to this circle.

 

South - Fire - Action

I face South, the direction of sustained activity & service. I call upon the element of Fire's forms of flames, lightning, & electricity. I summon the quick coyote & welcome powerful action to this circle.

 

West - Water - Intuition

I face West, the direction of the setting sun & visions. I call upon the element of Water in all her forms & depths. I trust my emotional strength & welcome its true instinct to this circle.

 

North - Earth - Wisdom

I face North, the direction of guidance & all paths home. I call upon the element of Earth in her nurturing solidity. I feel my body grounded by soil & stone. I stand & welcome its wisdom to this circle.

 

Ancestral Lineage Ritual

When we honor and express our love for all the beloved humans and creatures we have lost, we connect to our lives in ways which reveal to us not only the brevity of life, but all the expanse of time.

Your life is connected to all others.

Throughout time — both past & future.

The ritual can be very simple, or you can take much more time with it. If you're feeling creative, you might want to sketch or draw your own, more personal ancestral tree. Or, use the tree provided in the booklet.

Ancestors are often incorporated into Samhain rituals. We can look back and remember our ancestors, honor them, and release any grief or ties so that their souls can be free (as well as our own). The purpose of this remembrance is to recall all the good things you can about those you have loved. Think of great meals shared, funny road trips, holidays, vacations, and all the little things they did which made you smile. Remember something small — but with great detail — about each person or pet you have lost.

This is a great ritual to hold with others, as it brings up happy memories you can share with one another.

Gather

Collect and bring to your table, a pencil, pen, or markers. Perhaps some photos of ancestors and beloved others who have left this world. Feel free to include any other art or collage supplies, including glue, stickers, or glitter.

Ritual

Without much thought, feel your way through the tree and begin penciling in names along the branches, along the trunk and on the ground where a tree's roots spread out, or wherever it seems to you that the name belongs.

• Start with those closest to you, most recently lost.
• Continue with names of ancestors, as many as you can think of.
• Add the names of creatures who you loved and lost.

Add embellishments to your tree — doodles, paint, glitter, or collage elements. Allow yourself to play as you remember.

Once completed, sit back to look upon the names. Recall the love, the joyous moments, and how each contributed to who you have become.

Know that the love you shared with your dearest humans and creature is still with you.

Close

Release the elements by speaking a simple phrase of dispersal such as:

The elements and energies of the four elements, I thank you for your presence here and I release you with gratitude and love.

Devotional Inquiry

Think of Samhain as the completion of a year cycle, the end of the harvest and the start of the coldest half of the year. Because it's hard to say goodbye to the warmth and ease of summer, autumn is a great time to practice equanimity in the face of change. It is also the beginning of the spiritual new year, a period rich in potential. Carve out the time to get quiet and connected to your heart. Ask yourself:

• Can I surrender to the new season? How might things be different if I could simply let go of what came before and open to what the next season will bring?
• What old narratives am I being loyal to that are preventing a new identity to emerge?
• What do I wish to be free of?
• What boundaries do I need to put in place to preserve my life energy and to honor myself?
• What can I praise?
• At the intersections of beginnings and endings, the jumping-off place between fear and possibility, at the ragged edges of pain and faith, did I catch the smallest glimpse of the holy?

Will O' the Wisp | Root Lantern

Will o' the wisps are eerie apparitions floating in the night, hovering over bogs, swamps, and foggy marshes. Folklore and legends of the world have different names for them — spooklights, hinkypunks, or pixie lights. Yet all the stories tell of such lights luring passerbys into unfortunate circumstances.

This natural phenomenon of atmospheric lights over damp places is believed to have something to do with organic decay, gases, and water vapor. Or more recently, the bioluminescence of various micro-organisms and insects.

But long before the lights could be explained, people carved and carried lanterns to protect them from harm. Often turnips, rutabagas, or potatoes, carved with a spooky face were used to scare off the threat of the otherworldly. A folktale based on a character named Jack of the Lantern tells of how he was caught in the between worlds, having made a deal with the devil, and left to wander the Earth with a root lantern lit with burning coal. Carved pumpkins were lit and placed on windowsills to ward off evil spirits, becoming Jack O' Lanterns.

Choose Your Root

Select a large-ish turnip or larger rutabaga for your Will O' the Wisp carving. What's the difference? Turnips are generally smaller and have a white flesh, rutabaga are larger and more yellow inside. Once carved out and lit with a small candle, the flesh will determine the color of the glow from inside.

Gather

• Carving tools, such as a sharp knife & sturdy spoon
• Or a drill with a spade drill bit & a chisel
• Wire or twine to make a handle
• Tea light or small candle

Carve

Cut away the top of the vegetable where the root widens to allow enough room to work inside. Then use your tools to work away at removing the flesh without making the walls of the root too thin. If you decide to use a drill to speed up the process, drill a central hole and then smaller holes around the inner edges, taking care to avoid piercing the wall of the vegetable. A sharp chisel works great to chop away at the rest of the inside.

 Make a Face

Draw a design for your face on the outside before cutting it out or carve a face freehand into the root. If you want to honor the origins of the will-o'-the-wisp, a spooky face is what you're after. Don't worry about perfection, the more crooked and clumsy the carving, the weirder and more wonderful your will-o'-the-wisp will be!

Carry or Set

If you plan to carry or hang your will-o'-the-wisp, you can bore two holes into the sides to attach wire or twine for a handle. If you prefer to set it on your altar or table, cut the bottom of the root flat to keep it from tipping over. Please leave no flames unattended.