Creating a Samhain Ritual

There are many folk practices, spells, and traditions you could use to create a Samhain ritual. I wanted to share a little bit about this time of year and a simple format for a Samhain ritual, and a few things to add in if you choose.

When to Celebrate Samhain

This season is the time of year when the veils between the worlds are much thinner. That gives us much deeper access to spirits, ancestors, and the deep mystery that is present at this season.

You can celebrate Samhain season or do related magic anytime between mid-October and mid to late November. You can also do it on specific days, such as the three days that follow the calendar date of Samhain, October 31st.

Another option is to do something special at the actual halfway point between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice, which usually falls around November 5th through 7th. You can also do magic on any waning moon during this whole Samhain season, from mid-October to the end of November.

In Nordic and Celtic countries, it was common for people to have big celebrations with bonfires and feasting right around the full moon of November. For most of my European ancestors, this was the time of year they considered the entryway into the dark, deep part of the year, and into winter.

 How to Prepare for a Samhain Ritual

Decide on a focus that feels right to you this year. Usually, the basic themes are honoring the ancestors, with a focus on those who have died since the Samhain of the previous year. But banishing, releasing, divination, and feasting around a fire are all things that could be included. So, spend some time deciding what is important to you to do this year.

Decide if you want to celebrate solo or with a few other people. And then use the template I’m sharing and adjust as needed.

 A Simple Samhain Ritual Plan

~ Create a focus for the year and gather any needed supplies. Like candles, pictures, names of the dead, water, cordial or alcoholic spirits as offerings.

~ Take a purification bath or shower, asking the water to remove what you don’t need for this ritual.

~ Create an altar. More on that below.

~ Center, ground, cast a circle, or do whatever you like to do before you do witchcraft. Casting a circle can be as simple as tracing a circle around the area with a twig of a protective tree like Oak, Rowan, Elder, or Ash. Or sprinkling saltwater, or protective herbs like Rosemary or Blue Vervain around the ritual space.

~ If you work with spirits, call any in you want to work with. Ancestors are traditional at this time of year. Just say something like: “I invite my well and whole ancestors to join me.” There’s more info on the ancestors below and in my previous blog.

~ Light a candle or a fire

~ Then do the main part of your ritual. For me, that would be reading the names of this year’s beloved dead. I like to say something like, "What is remembered lives after each name," if you just have a few. If you are working with a group, each person could speak the names of this year’s dead, and then the whole group can say, “What is remembered lives and move on to the next person. People might all take a drink of a delicious tea or ale and toast each group of names as they say this. Or pour an offering out onto the earth. You can end there if you want

~ Or you can add in other practices from the ideas below.

~ If you're with a group, you can feast, share stories, or do whatever you choose until you feel done. Let the candles burn all the way out.

~ Thank any spirits you’ve invited and feel or imagine taking the circle down if you cast one.

Creating an Ancestor Altar

You can make a simple or elaborate ancestor altar at this time of year, whatever you have the time, means, and supplies for, and whatever feels realistic in your life.

If you are working with a group, creating that altar together can be part of the ritual.

It can be as simple as an ancestor picture or two, a candle, and a plate or glass for offerings. Apples are always good to add. If you don’t have ancestor pictures, you can write down names and put those on the altar. If you don’t have exact names, you can write down the surnames you do know, and yes, adopted family names count.

If you don’t want to work with your personal ancestors, or don’t have access to names, you can always write down broad categories like: my ancestors who were witches, or my ancestors who lived when magic was real and valued, or list broad regions, like my ancestors from Europe or Africa.  You might also want to commemorate those who lived through difficult times, such as war or slavery, or call on the ancestors who were healers of your bloodline.

 Creating a Samhain Altar

You can expand your Samhain altar to include any other Samhain themes. I always like to represent the underworld and the dark part of the year we are entering. Good examples would be:

~ Black altar clothes or candles

~ Bones

~ Rocks

~Soil

~Seasonal fall leaves or branches

~ Apples & pumpkins

Adding Intuitive Magic to the Altar

Since the veil is thin, divination and spirit communication are much easier. If you want to include that on your altar, you could add things like:

~ A dream pillow to get charged with the energy of the season

~ Glasses and bowls of water, since water is associated with intuition.

~ Any divination tools you use, so they can be charged with intuitive energy

~ Mugwort to help enhance your intuition

Since it’s seen as the witches' new year, you could really add any of your tools for charging, or general witchcraft items like pentacles.

 Writing Letters to the Ancestors

Another piece of magic that you could add to your ritual is writing letters to your ancestors.

If you have ancestors you are on good terms with, you can write them a letter of love or appreciation, or ask for help. If you’re not on good terms with them, or they harmed you, or you feel wronged by them in some way, you might want to write a letter expressing how their actions impacted you.

Fold the letter or place it in an envelope. You can spend time decorating the outside of the letter or envelope. Then bury or burn it. You can, of course, do this solo, but it’s a good one to do with a group.

Banishing and Releasing for the Dark Half of the Year

Since we are entering the dark half of the year, you might want to focus on releasing what you no longer wish to carry in your life. You can add this into your ritual as an extra or use it instead of ancestor work.

Before you start your ritual, think about what you don’t want to carry into the winter with you. Write it out so it’s as concise and accurate as it can be. If you are working in a group and someone can lead a trance journey, you can search for what you need to release during the ritual through trance. Then burn it to release the things you don’t wish to carry. You can also bury that journal page in the ground with a handful of autumn leaves, asking the earth to take that energy and compost it into wisdom.

You could also sit with any of the Gods of the Underworld or the crossroads and ask them to take your burden from you, to release it, and let it die. With all these things, I tend to light a candle at the start and let it burn all the way out to activate the spell.

The Witch’s New Year and Divination

Some people call Samhain the Witch’s New Year, and it’s a great time to do a reading. You could, for example, pull one card for every month of the coming year. You could also just pull one card for each of the six months of the dark half of the year if that feels better to you.

It’s also a wonderful time to scry in bowls, wells, or mirrors. Folk magic tells us that people in Western and Northern Europe did a lot of divination at this time of year using apples and hazelnuts, particularly to find potential partners.

Or during your ritual, ask those ancestors who remember the old ways of magic to send you a dream that night about any info you need right now.

 Protection Spell for the Dark Season

You could also add this to your ritual. Here's a simple spell example.

Take branches of any tree that you have a mutually beneficial relationship with. Oak, Ash, Rowan, or Elder are strongly protective trees. If you have sticks from those or a relationship with those trees, tie them into a cross with red thread.

Hang either bundles of protective herbs or a charm bag filled with protective herbs from the center of the cross, then place it somewhere in your home, like a doorway.

I like using herbs like rosemary, blue vervain, or agrimony because I find those to be reliable for protection, but there are many others you can use.

If you have more experience with witchy skills and already have wards or protective filters in place, this is a good time of year to renew them. Go around and strengthen them, and make sure they still feel fresh. You can use a simple yes/no divination system to verify.

Some people prefer to do that at the Winter Solstice, but you can also renew them by breathing into them, giving them a little boost of energy with your hands and intention.

You can also put protective oil on your hands and rub it onto your charm bags, or retrace protective sigils on your walls. You can use a protective spray made with herbal tea or essential oil on your existing charms and wards.

Maybe you’ll want to do that as part of a group ritual in each other’s homes, as part of a Samhain roving feast, and then share food together afterward with the ancestors at this witchy time of year.

Final Thoughts for Samhain

Samhain is a time of year that calls to many of us, and the power of the season can help us strengthen our skills and go deeper. Take a chance and try some new things. Go deep into the dark and expand. I hope you all have a wonderful Samhain!
Colette Gardiner
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