Samhain, Halloween and the middle of the fall
Rituals for the spooky season
Hi, there!
As you may or may not know, the fall season starts with the autumn Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. And the autumn Equinox occurs when the Sun arrives at the zodiac sign of Libra.
Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius are the three astrological seasons of the fall in the Northern Hemisphere.
In the Wiccan calendar, a celebration marks the middle of the autumn. This celebration is Samhain, and its characteristics have influenced the modern festivity known as Halloween.
So today, I want to offer you some insights about Wicca, the energetics of the fall, and the characteristics of Samhain.
Ready? Let’s go.
Wicca and the Wiccan Calendar
Scott Cunningham wrote a classic book called Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. I’m using it as a reference for this text.
In this book, Cunningham states that Wicca is a religion that celebrates a harmonious relationship with Nature.
This relationship with Nature manifests in reverence for the God and the Goddess. They are equals, warm, and loving entities. Divinity is not seen as distant and punishing but as caring, generous, and omnipresent in the universe.
In Wicca, the God is represented by the Sun. Wiccans celebrate its force and power on eight holy days or sabbats. Sabbats mark the seasons, the changing fertility of the land, and the cyclic weather patterns.
The Wheel of the Year is the calendar used in Wicca and other Neopagan religions to celebrate the seasons.
This Wheel includes the eight sabbats, one of which is Samhain.
10 Facts About Samhain
In the Wiccan Wheel of the Year, this festival marks the middle of the fall in the Northern Hemisphere.
Some practitioners consider it the Wiccan New Year.
Astrologically, it has to occur when the Sun is at 15° degrees of Scorpio, usually on October 6th or 7th.
Culturally, Wiccans celebrate it on November 1st, with rituals starting on the evening of the 31st of October.
It marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the darker half of the year.
It’s a moment to pay homage to the lives of those who have died. This involves paying respect to ancestors, family members, friends, and pets who have passed away.
It is seen as a festival honoring the balance of the different forces of existence, such as day and night, light and darkness, life and death.
The veil between different realms is thin, so it’s a prime time for divination.
The term “bonfire” comes from burning cattle bones in a fire. This was done to thank the divinity for the last harvest before the winter. The slaughtered cattle were eaten to celebrate the abundance.
It is aligned with Halloween and All Hallows Day.
Samhain Traditions of the Past
In the Wiccan tradition, Samhain signals the symbolic death of the God Sun. He will be reborn in Yule, the Winter Equinox when the days become longer.
This celebration was associated with sacrifices. Animals were offered to the divinity to ensure food was available during the winter.
Samhain is a moment of reflection. This day is perfect for analyzing the period from the last Samhain to the current one. It's also a time to come to terms with the fact that there is only so much we can control.
Some believe that Samhain was the most important festival for the Celts. Since it marked a change in the balance of light and darkness, it was seen as a moment of new beginnings hidden under the surface.
For the Celts, a day began at dusk and ended the following dusk. This is why the celebrations of Samhain begin at dusk on October 31st. Today, people celebrate Halloween by recreating some of the old traditions of the past.
Beltane, the festival marking the middle of spring on May 1st, is celebrated during the day. However, for Samhain, the most magical time is during the night. The Eve of Samhain on October 31st is the most relevant portion of the celebration.
In the past, villagers collected the best of the fall harvest. Besides, they slaughtered cattle to have a feast. The festivities in each village centered around a great bonfire.
Villagers would throw the bones of the slaughtered cattle on the flames. The word “bonfire” actually comes from these fires of bones.
Other objects were also cast into the fires. Usually, they were prayers in the form of objects symbolizing the desires of the supplicants. At other times, they were objects symbolizing ailments or illnesses to be healed. Sacrifices and gifts were also offered up to the fire as a way of thanking for the harvest.
The Celts believed that Samhain was a very holy time. During this celebration, the boundaries between our world and the Otherworld were dismantled.
Since the dead could return to the places where they had lived, many rituals involved providing hospitality for them. The Celts put out food and drinks for the dead. Windows, doors, and gates were left unlocked to give the dead free passage into their previous homes.
Bobbing for apples is another traditional Samhain ritual that is now present on Halloween. This activity refers to the Celtic "Paradise of Apples." In this paradise, the dead enjoyed immortality after having eaten sacred apples.
But not all of these spirits were friendly. This is why Celts carved the images of spirit guardians onto turnips or pumpkins. Then, they would put candles inside them and set these "jack o'lanterns" before their doors to keep out unwelcome visitors.
Samhain was a joyous time of family reunion. All household members worked together baking, salting meat, and making preserves for the winter. Being outdoors during the summer gave way to being inside in warm, dim, and often smoky rooms.
Divination for the upcoming year was an essential aspect of Samhain. The Celts often used hazelnuts, symbolizing wisdom, to predict the future.
There was also a playful element during these celebrations. Young people would dress in costumes and wander through the countryside. They pretended to be spirits from the Otherworld or the souls of the returning dead.
The Celts believed that the veil between worlds thinned on November Eve. This connection not only dissolved the barrier between realms but also societal norms. On October 31st, boys and girls would swap clothes, disregarding conventions through boastful behavior and playing pranks on their elders.
With the spread of Christianity, Samhain was rebranded as Hallowmas or All Saints' Day on November 1st. This festivity was a day to honor the souls of those canonized that year. The evening before, October 31st, became known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve.
November 2nd was designated All Souls' Day, a day dedicated to praying for the souls of the departed.
Interestingly, many Celtic traditions aligned well with Christian teachings. The new religion embraced Celtic values of family, community, and reverence for the dead.
Rituals to Celebrate Samhain
Eat produce from the end of autumn: Some goods include apples, pears, pomegranates, pumpkins, beets, turnips, corn, hazelnuts and walnuts. In terms of drinks and dishes, you can have gingerbread, cider, wine warmed up with spices, and stew made with some meat. If you don’t eat meat, you can replace it with tofu or lentils. You can use the fruits and vegetables mentioned above to decorate the house. You can also add some flowers, such as marigolds, mums, and thistles.
Burn your frustrations: On a piece of paper, write an aspect of your life that you want to be free from. It could be an emotion, such as anger or jealousy, a bad habit, or something that makes you feel stuck. Light a candle and look at the flame while you hold the piece of paper in your hands. Take a few deep breaths and visualize the fire burning down what you have written. Then, actually burn the paper on the candle.
Honor the dead: Light a candle and incense. Enter a deep state of meditation and think about your loved ones who have departed. Try doing it with gratitude instead of desperation. In the Wicca, physical reality is not absolute, and souls never die. You can speak aloud and tell them that you miss them. You can look at photographs depicting them or write them a letter. Maybe you can read the short story The Dead, written by James Joyce. Or watch a film about accepting death, such as The Room Next Door by Pedro Almodóvar.
Engage in divination: This is the ideal time to analyze the past and dream about the future. Choose the practice that suits you best. You can use tarot, an oracle deck, or runes, just to name a few options. Ask questions about the lessons from the previous 12 months and the possibilities for the next 12 months.
Cosplay your fantasies: I once heard that the costumes we choose for Halloween are not arbitrary. They contain a desire we want to manifest but are unwilling to express consciously or directly. I couldn’t agree more with this perspective. So, let’s dive into this notion. First, write a list of the costumes you wore in the past. Try to remember the events surrounding that costume. How old were you? Was it a Halloween party or another party where the dress code was wearing a costume? Did you choose it because it was convenient or really like it? Now, go deeper. Do you notice a pattern among these costumes? Something that comes out? Is there a theme connecting them? And, finally, what costume would you like to choose this year or sometime in the future? What energy does that costume have? Wear black or orange during this festivity if you don’t like dressing up. They are the colors associated with Samhain. Black symbolizes the mystery of the world, the respect for the dead, and the welcoming of the darker half of the year. Orange represents the flames and the changing of the season.
Tarot Spread for Samhain
What do the spirits want me to learn from the past year?
What will be the most prevalent energy of the following year?
What advice do the spirits want me to know about the next year?
Which ritual did you like the most? Let me know in the comments.
I hope you have a profound transformation during Samhain. If you want to share your revelations, don’t hesitate to contact me. Until next time!