CELEBRATION OF SAMHAIN
Samhain, which is Irish/Gaelic for the Month of November, is also called Shadowfest (Strega), Martinmas or Old Hallowmas (Scottish/Celtic), Halloween, and the Witches New Year. It is the last Pagan harvest ritual and a day to honor the dead. While it is the end of the witches year, it is also the beginning, and for those of us who believe in reincarnation it is just like life and death, this is one of the mysteries…the end is just the beginning.
Light the Samhain candle…Pass the prayer pipe around as an offering and burn incense (dragons blood, cinnamon) and Samhain oil. Envision a hedge growing around you (those in the circle).
I cast the
Samhain hedge between the worlds.
Be thou the halo
of the Goddess
And a protection
against all negativity.
I call upon the
positive spirits and the Watchtowers of the
North…element of
Earth, the East…element of Air, the South…element of Fire, and the West…element
of Water …to aid me in this consecration.
I weave the
hedge, I create a tapestry of power. I
open the West quarter where those who have passed over reside, and I call forth
my birthright and the birthright of all those who are in this circle with me.
Positive energy
flows here in the name of the God and the Goddess.
I hallow this
place of Spirit.
So mote it
be! This circle is sealed! (Stomp Earth)
O Wise Goddess,
veiled Huntress, grant us your power.
Wise God, Father
of magick and the Wild Host,
Waken your wisdom
within us.
By the Hidden
Mother and the Hooded Lord,
Ancestral fire we
kindle….Spiritual love we invoke.
We come from the
Void, and to Her, We shall return.
Ancient wisdom is
our teacher.
Fill us with your
truth
Grant us your
special power.
We know that
there is great comfort in eternal sleep and the dark hours of death.
Tonight we
journey there, to meet the ones we love.
To find wisdom
from the ancients.
And to rebirth
ourselves again.
Samhain is the
celebration of the final harvest—the cycle of life and death.
A time to be
joyful in the rewards that we have cultivated this year.
We stand at the
crossroads of yet another year welcoming purification and renewal.
We honor the
dark, as the days get shorter and the nights get longer.
This is a time
for introspection and planning for the future.
At Samhain, we
know that the veils are the thinnest between the worlds, and bid our ancestors
to visit us tonight and bring us their wisdom.
By the threads
that still connect us
By the silver
cord unbroken
By the love that
is eternal
Now Great
Ancestors we invite you into our circle.
We ask for your wisdom and guidance.
We call upon you as the Western Gate stands open.
To the land of
golden sunsets.
In that peace
that is unending.
In that life that
is eternal.
Now everyone take a few moments to meditate, divine (tarot, runes, crystal balls etc…) and communicate with those who have gone before.
As this Samhain
passes from us
Soon the dawning
will embrace us
And the sunset
portal will close.
Until the turning
of the year
We must part for
just awhile.
Farewell, until
we meet again.
Wise Goddess and
Loving God,
We thank you for
lending us your wisdom tonight.
And being here to
witness this rite.
Positive Spirits
and Watchtower and elements of the North, East, South, and West, We thank you
for protecting us and witnessing this rite.
Hail and
Farewell.
Great Ancestors,
We thank you for
joining us this night.
Releatives,
friends, and loved ones,
We honor you and
wish you sleep well.
May you go in
peace.
Great Spirit
Please protect
and guide us upon this new year.
So mote it be.
I take down the
Samhain hedge,
May the circle be
open but never broken!
Rituals were adapted from Ravenwolf’s Talking to the Dead ritual and her Solitary Samhain Ritual…some information came from “A Witches’ Bible” by Janet and Stewart Farrar.