How to Perform a Samhain Ritual

Samhain marks the end of the Pagan Wheel of the Year. Celebrated on Halloween night, usually at midnight, it's not about performing evil magic or costume parties. The Samhain ritual is a time to remember the dead and to plan for the coming year. It's a time of contemplation as we move into winter.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 2 tablespoons of sea salt
• White candle
• Frankincense and myrrh incense
• Relaxing music
• Black, orange and/or gold clothes and jewelry
• Obsidian or other black stone
• Apple cider with cloves and cinnamon sticks
• Apples in all colors

1. Spend time writing down your goals for the coming year a week or so before your Samhain ritual. Concentrate on what you truly want to achieve. Make your goals reachable but ambitious. Collect objects or draw pictures that represent your goals.

2. Add 2 tablespoons of sea salt to a hot bath. Light a white candle and incense of frankincense and myrrh. Put on music that relaxes you and helps you remember the good times in the past. Meditate in the bath on the deceased relatives whom you loved and visualize yourself being cleansed by the salt water.

3. Wear black, orange or gold clothes and jewelry for your Samhain ritual. Buy a black stone, preferably an obsidian stone as black as you can find, from a jewelry or gem store. Bury it somewhere a week prior to Samhain to purify it for ritual.

4. Make cider with cloves and cinnamon sticks for your Samhain ritual. Pumpkin bread is a nice alternative to pumpkin pie. For an interesting combination of flavors, roast or bake red potatoes and apples side by side. Apples in all colors also make beautiful altar decorations.

5. Decorate your altar with the things that represent your goals and create the magic circle. Remember those who've been a comfort to you throughout your life and wish them joy wherever they are. Then concentrate on your goals for the coming year. Write down your goals as soon after the Samhain ritual as you can.

Tips & Warnings

• Be picky about decorations you buy for your Samhain ritual. Make sure whatever you choose is in tune with what the festival really represents.

• Make sure whatever magic you perform on this night is strictly in tune with Wiccan values. Halloween is a powerful night for magic and whatever you send out will come back to you many times stronger.

• Consider choosing Samhain day to look for a new wand. It's a good time to wander through parks or forests, and the branch you find will be infused with greater energy because of the time of year.

Resources

• Find ideas for your Samhain ritual at School of the Seasons.
• Celebrate Samhain with other Wiccans. Find them on Witch Vox.