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Ritual One
4 Corner Candles (Red, Black, White, Yellow)
1 Candle for the Maiden
1 Candle for the Mother
1 Candle for the Crone.
1 Black Candles
1 Orange Candle
1 White Candle
A braided cord, about 15 feet
Chalice
Nectar
Broom
Athame or Picket Knife
Parchment or Plain Paper
Pencil or Pen
Incense Burner or Smudge Pot
Cinnamon Incense
An Apple
Bowl of Salt or Earth
Bowl of Water
Nuts, Berry's and Seeds
Anointing Oil
Once all of these items have been gathered, you will have to anoint each candle.
Using your bare hands, put an anointing oil into the wax starting at the middle of the candle and working your way up to the top (if you have no anointing oil visualise a white light surrounding the candle) as you say:
I Anoint thee
In the name's of the Gods and Goddesses
In the name's of the Guides and Guardians
In the name's of the Lords and Ladies
Blessed Be!
Start again at the middle and this time work your way down to the bottom of the Candle and say:
I charge thee with power
In the name's of the Gods and Goddesses
In the name's of the Guides and Guardians
In the name's of the Lords and Ladies
Blessed Be!
You will have to do this for all 10 candles that you will be using. Once the candles have been anointed, leave them till you are ready to use them.
Gather together all the materials that have been stated.
Place the Corner Candles in their direction, North = Black, East = Red, West = White, South = Yellow.
Take the three candles that are to symbolise the Maiden, Mother and Crone. Place them facing the North.
Take the Black and Orange candles and place one in the east and one in the west, your choice of which goes where. The candles can go on your altar or the ground it is your choice depending on your work area.
Get the Braided Cord and form a circle with it around you. Do not close the circle, keep a small gap open, this will be closed later on.
Turn off the lights (if you wish) and light the Black and Orange candles, saying:
Light the way on this hallow day.
Get your broom, and face the north.
Stand and say: On this night of Samhain I mark your passing,
I also mark the passing of all who have gone before,
and all who will go after.
Eternal Goddess, Eternal Mother
Guide me on this path I walk.
Take your broom and sweep counter clock wise around the circle, while saying:
The wheel does turn, the wheel returns
Time will pass, a new wheel will turn
The circle is unbroken.
Now with the broom, sweep towards and out of the circle where the small gap is, while saying:
Time to go, Time to leave
Birth must come once again.
Enter Maiden fair
Mother welcome
Crone bid the return of what will come
Now take one of the ends and close the circle, once this is done hold your broom and point it to the north, saying:
The Circle was broken, now unbroken.
Your ritual has now begun.
Light the three candles that represent the Maiden, Mother and Crone.
Start with the one that will represent the Maiden,
Say: "This is for the Maiden,
Follow that by lighting the Mother Candle,
Say: This is for the Mother
Follow that by lighting the Crone Candle,
say: This is for the Crone.
The protector of the veil of the worlds. Blessed Be!
Light the white candle. This is for your ancestors and those who have passed. Kneel before the altar.
Light the Maiden candle,
say: This I light for the Maiden�s bright glory.
Light Mother candle: This I light for the passion and triumph of the Lady/Mother
Light Crone candle:
This for the wisdom of the Crown
Light the incense, (or smudge yourself while) saying:
I honour my ancestors
The Three-Fold Goddess
And Her strong, horned consort.
He who is sometimes laughing, sometimes grim
And close nearby on this night
Stand, pointing towards the sky, calling:
On this, the sacred night of Samhain
Do I call to my ancestors
In honour of the Goddess, and of the God
And of the Ancient Ones
From the times before Time.
To all I do give by love
And my warmest greetings.
Kneel before the alter and hold your arms out over it, crossed, and give the incantation:
This is a time that is not a time
In a place that is not a place
On a day that is not a day
Between the worlds And beyond...
Pause for the space of 13 heartbeats. Then hold your hands over your offerings (the berries, nuts and seeds) in a attitude of blessing, and say:
For this salt, bread, and wine/nectar
Do I ask the blessings
Of Maiden, of Lady/Mother, of Crone
And of the Horned God/One
Who guards the Portal of the Worlds
Take your athame or picket knife and touch it to the berries, nuts and seeds then touch the salt, saying:
May I, and those whom I love
Have sufficiency and good health
After eating some of the nuts, berries and seeds, take the chalice and hold it up in a toast towards the north, saying:
May our spirits be strong.
Drink the nectar/juice, and say:
By the Threefold Goddess
And by the Horned God/One
So be it!
On a separate piece of paper, write down any messages you may have for your loved one. Use only one message per piece of paper. When finished, burn the pieces of paper in the flames of the three Goddess candles and ask the Lady to help send your thoughts to your loved ones.
Light the four candles of the corners saying:
O corners of earth, air, fire and water, (north, south, east and west) grant release from pain, heal those who remain here, in this more lonely world. And speed the soul of the one who is loved into the beautiful realms of the Gods.
Light the three goddess candles (Maiden, Mother and Crone) saying:
Lovely, sombre Lady of the Declining Moon, strong and silent Lord of the Far Realms beyond, be with us here at this time of loss.
Stand before your altar facing south:
O, {friends name}, I do call on thee in spirit to stand here with me, and before the Gods. That I may give honour and love to one whom I have known who has passed beyond.
I have for a while lost one who is dear to me. But it is only for a time, and I have no sorrow. There is a reason for being here and a reason for going. The Summerland, and the places beyond are warm pleasing and beautiful. With all ills gone, and youth anew, so let me be truly happy for the one love knows true joy at last!
Dying is only a mode of forgetting. A way of rest, a way of returning to the eternal Source. To be renewed and made strong. To rest and finally to return.
I of the Old Ways know that when a person dies the soul returns again to earth. This has been a tenet of loving faith taught since long before history began.
It is said in our lore:
Arrayed in some new flesh disguise, another mother gives birth. With sturdier limbs and brighter brain the old soul takes the road again.
Pouring nectar and face north, as you call: "O gracious Lady who gives rest, O Lord of the twilight realms we do thank thee for guiding our friend to the golden portals of the beauteous lands beyond. I do ask, the love and good wishes for {departed's name} and for those good friends who yet remain behind.
Turn to the East and say:
I propose a toast... To the Gracious and Lovely Lady...... Blessed Be!
And so I propose a toast...... To {departed's name}, who now revels in the glory and beauty of the Summerlands..... Blessed Be!
Say a poem about the Goddess
At this time you can relax, meditate, commune with yourself and your ancestors and departed ones. Or you may improvise that which you feel is appropriate for this occasion. When you feel that the ritual should end, put out the candles saying:
Though these flames
Of the material world
Be blackened,
They shall ever burn
In the worlds beyond.
The rite is ended!
Remember that Love Springs Eternal, and that the memories of the deceased still live in our hearts. Bid them love, and joy, and ask them for guidance in your lives.
Open the circle, by taking up the Braided cord, while saying: The Circle is broken
The Circle is open
A new year has begun
Blessed Be!
The Samhain ritual is over. Before packing everything up, go outside and place the apple under a bush, or near a tree. If possible bury it there. This is to nourish the new year, and those ancestors who have not been so honoured.
Ritual Two
A pentagram should be marked on the ritual area, centred on the spot where you will be sitting before the alter. The pentacle should be about eight feet across. (if you wish not to use a pentacle then cast your circle as you feel you should.)
Set up the ritual area in advance,then retire to bathe before robing for this rite, fixing in your mind that the water is cleansing not just the physical body, but also the heart, spirit/soul of all guilt, stain and imperfection, leaving behind only that which is strong and good.
On the alter place a bit of bread and some salt in a small dish, as well as a glass or chalice containing some red wine or nectar. Incense should be available, as it is used liberally thoughout the ritual. (Essential Oil may be substituted is you wish)
When you are ready, meditate for awhile, think of what has happened in the past and of those who have gone before you. This is a time for joy and celebration of your dead ancestors.
Items you'll need:
7 candles
1 White
1 Green
1 Black or Purple
4 of various Seasonal Colours
Small Pumpkin
Ear of Corn with Husks
Bit of Bread
Salt
Red Wine or Nectar
Cup or Chalice
Cauldron (or suitable substitute)
Incense or Essential Oil
Go to the place of the ritual, and kneel before the alter. Light the candles on the alter, saying as you do so:
Light white candle:
This I light for the Maiden's bright glory.
Light green candle:
This I light for the passion and triumph of the Lady/Mother
Light black/purple candle:
This for the wisdom of the Crown
Light the incense, and then the five candles which sit before the alter, saying:
These do I light in honour
Not only of the Three-Fold Goddess
But for Her strong, horned consort.
He who is sometimes laughing, sometimes grim
And close nearby on this night
Stand, pointing the wand out before you, calling:
On this, the sacred night of Samhain
Do I build this small temple
In honour of the Goddess, and of the God
And of the Ancient Ones
From the times before Time.
To all I do give by love
And my warmest greetings.
Place the five candles at the points of the pentagram, touching each with the wand. Rap thrice upon the alter with the wand, then replace it. Kneel before the alter and hold your arms out over it, crossed, and give the incantation:
This is a time that is not a time
In a place that is not a place
On a day that is not a day
Between the worlds
And beyond...
Pause for the space of 13 heartbeats.
Then hold your hands over your bread and salt, and the wine / nectar in a attitude of blessing, and say:
For this salt, bread, and wine/nectar
Do I ask the blessings
Of Maiden, of Lady/Mother, of Crone
And of the Horned God/One
Who guards the Portal of the Worlds
Take the bread and touch it to the salt, saying:
May I, and those whom I love Have sufficiency and good health
After eating the bread, take the wine cup and hold it forth in a toast towards the north, saying:
May our spirits be strong.
Drink the wine/nectar, and proclaim:
By the Threefold Goddess
And by the Horned God/One
So be it!
At this time you can relax, play a musical instrument, and sing or recite poetry, if these are your inclinations. Or you may improvise that which you feel is appropriate for this occasion. When you feel that the ritual should end, put out the candles at the points of the pentacle, then those of the alter, saying:
Though these flames
Of the material world
Be blackened,
They shall ever burn
In the worlds beyond.
The rite is ended!
Ritual Three
The Samhain rituals I follow change a little from year to year. I don't like to have a set of mandatory words or actions that might prevent me from exploring new possiblities in meaning. However, I do include the traditional Samhain rituals of sharing a feast (even if I am alone) and some form of divination. Since it is best that you write/say your own words in performing rituals, I will only include an outline here.
Prepare your house or room
Use black and orange candles, pumpkins (carved or not) and other traditional "Halloween" items if you wish (most are actually traditional for Samhain).
Prepare a table for the Feast of the Dead. It should be covered with a black table cloth and set with black dishes (black paper plates will do just fine). Place a chair at the head of the table, drapped in black cloth, to represent the spirit. The spirit's place is set with a plate with a white votive candle on it. Set places for each of the dead that you hope will join you., and place black votive candles on their plates. Plates for the living (in my solitary ritual, just one) are empty, of course, awaiting the feast food to be served.
Food preparation
My feast is usually very simple: bread, fruit, nuts, and juice or wine. If you've invited living guests, it is common to make the feast potluck. However, since the actual feast will take place in silence, try not to have too many things that would have to be passed or requested.
Light the candles and turn out the lights
Call the quarters (ask the Guardians of the Watchtowers to witness and protect your circle).
Cast a circle (use whatever method you've been taught).
Invite the deities
There are certain Goddesses that I always invite to my rituals. It seems especially important to invite them on Samhain, as I will want to thank them for their help during the past year, and of course, ask that they continue to help me in the coming year. If the departed loved ones were especially close to any deities, I invite them as well.
Feast of the Dead
Light the candles on the plates of the dead and the spirit. The feast should take place in silence so that you can think about your departed friends and relatives. Think of their passing and your hopes for their joyous return. If someone is recently departed, try to put aside your sadness and think of that soul as well and happy in the presence of the Goddess.
Speak in silence an invitation to these loved ones, asking them to join in your feast. Use your own words for this. You know these individuals and can speak to them in a way to which they are likely to respond.
Sit at your table and eat the food you have brought to it. Feel the presence of those who have joined you and rejoice in their presence. Allow them to speak to you of whatever they want to communicate. Take as long as you wish at the table, listening to those you have invited and speaking to them in silence.
When the feast is over, thank your spirit guests for coming, bid them farewell, extinguish the candles on the plates, and leave the table.
Banishings and Resolutions
Now is the time to bring out one of those lists! Before Samhain, write a list of things from the last year that you want to banish: bad habits and addictions, unkind feelings toward others, unkind feelings toward yourself .... anything you do not want to carry over to the New Year. Light a black candle and burn the list, asking the Goddess and God to help you get rid of these and all negative things in your life. If you prefer, you can put about 1/4 cup of alcohol in a cauldron, light it, and burn the paper there. Speak to the deities (you can speak aloud now) about your sincere wish to remove these things from your life. Use a banishing chant, if you wish.
Now you should speak to the deities about those things you want to bring into your life in the New Year. I do these things rather informally, but there are many poems and prose pieces in books that you might want to use. Asking the deities for future rewards must be accompanied by resolutions as to how you will accomplish your goals. They will help you if you are sincere in your efforts to help yourself.
Divination
Because the two worlds are so close at Samhain, it is the perfect time for divination. I prefer to use a cauldron of water for scrying, since the cauldron seems to fit the mood of Samhain (not to mention Halloween tradition). You may prefer Tarot cards, a pendalum, or runes....whatever method works best for you. Obviously, the goal of this divination is to see what lies ahead in the next year.
Meditation
All of my rituals include some form of meditation. This is when I ask my personal Goddesses to guide me, advise me, and generally keep me on the right path. I also use this time to thank them in a more personal way than by reciting a poem of thanksgiving. At Samhain, I thank them for all their gifts in the last year and ask them to continue helping me in the New Year.
Take as long with your meditation as you need.
Thank the Deities
Give thanks to the deities you have invited by offering them food. I usually say something like "all things come from the Earth and to the Earth they must return." Whatever food and drink I offer (usually bread and wine), I eat a little and save the rest to place or pour on the Earth later.
Open the circle
Thank and dismiss the Guardians
A word about invitations to the dead
For my solitary Samhain Feast of the Dead, I invite not only departed humans but special animals as well. I doubt that this is customary since the feast is usually for one's ancestors. However, when one of my beloved pets has passed away, his or her passing leaves an empty place in my household and in my life, just as the passing of a person would.
I choose to believe that the Goddess takes these creatures and cares for them as She would any human. They are far purer in heart than any human could be, and their love is perfect and unconditional. Surely their spirits deserve whatever rewards await the rest of us.
So, at Samhain, I invite these loving creatues to join in my feast where I can once again feel their presense and their uncomplicated devotion to those they love. In their honor, I also invite either Bast, the Egyptian Cat Goddess, or Diana, Goddess of the hunt and mistress of dogs, both wild and tame.
--author unknownn
Ritual Four
After sunset, preferably at around nine o'clock in the evening, take an earthenware bowl, bury it up to the rim in earth, place salt in the bowl, and in the salt place a candle (which should be short enough to be below the level of the earth). Each celebrant should have a glass of red wine in hand. The celebrants should say quietly:
Blessings be upon the dead that know
Blessings be upon the dead that guard
Blessings be upon the dead that are
(This should be said in unison three times, then the leader should say:
In the name of goodness and mercy and the holy power.
Grant your protection and guidance through this year,
Bless this house and household with your wisdom
Bless this house and household with your strength,
Bless this house and household with your good.
Answer if it will be your answer.
(there should be a moment of two of silence)
Blessings upon you all in all ways we can bless
Gratitude for all good you have given
Reverence for all your help and guidance
This we say on this night of the year
as taken for all nights of all our years
You should then say three times:
Blessings be!"
Red wine should then be poured in the earth around the jar and a little in the jar, not enough to douse the candle. The candle should be left to go out on its own accord, and the following morning the contents should be barred in the appropriate place.
If the ceremony has to take place indoors. The bowl should be placed in the middle of a circle on the floor or in the centre of a round table and the candle should be set in earth which is then covered with salt.
Ritual Five
Cast a circle, or create Sacred space in a way which holds meaning to you.
Light a candle of your favourite colour and place it on the altar.
Say that you are lighting the candle in the honour of deceased loved ones or family members and let them know that you honour them on this night. You may want to say something along the lines of,
"I light this candle for ____NAME(S)___.
May your spirits shine brightly through the veil and illuminate this circle, our hearts, and our paths.
Blessed Be!
Place three candles; white, green, and black in a large cauldron or bowl.
Light the candles, starting with the White, and say something like,
"This is for the Maiden (white),
this is for the Mother (Green)
this is for the Crone (black). The protector of the veil of the worlds. Blessed Be!
Light another white candle. This is for the God.
On a separate piece of paper, write down any messages you may have for the loved ones you mentioned earlier. Use only one message per piece of paper. When finished, burn the pieces of paper in the flames of the three Goddess candles and ask the Lady to help send your thoughts to your loved ones.
Bless some cakes and wine (or bread and juice, crackers and cider, milk and cookies, and offer some to the Lord and Lady, and also some to your loved ones you named earlier.
As you still sit in the circle, remember these people by telling stories, or meditating on their memories.
Remember that Love Springs Eternal, and that the memories of the deceased still live in our hearts. Bid them love, and joy, and ask them for guidance in your lives.
Open the circle, or dissipate the sacred space.
Ritual Six
A Rite For Evoking Ancestor Spirits
On Samhain Eve,when the veil of illusion which separates our world from that of the spirits is parted, our thoughts naturally turn to our passed over loved ones. To help assure that your beloved dead are with you this Samhain, try working a simple spell using a portal incense consecrated to this purpose, and an incantation designed to reach their wandering ears.
The incense should contain two parts lavender, one part sage, one-half part cinnamon, and a dash of either wormwood or yarrow. As you mix the incense, be sure to visualize it as a gateway for 'only' your own loving family.
You will need to have on hand one single, unlit candle for this rite. When you are ready to begin, cast your circle as usual.
Place your incense censor, with coals already smoldering, inside the circle between the center point and any directional point which you or your tradition feels represents the Land of the Dead (usually the north or west).
Sit or stand in the center of the circle and cast another one just large enough to encompass you. Remain in this inner circle and spend a few moments mentally attuning yourself to the spirit world.
When you are ready to start the rite, toss one third of the incense onto the coals and begin the following evocation:
Hear my cry my ancestors.
On this most magical night of the year,
I open for you the portal back into my world.
The veil is parted wide, the feast awaits.
Come, beloved ancestors,
and join in the ancient rites.
(Toss on another third of the incense and continue)
Come to me in love.
Come to this plane in peace.
Come with the blessing of the Lord and Lady
whom we will praise together this hallowed eve.
The door is open, the beacon is lit
(light the candle now) the way is clear.
Arise, blessed dead, and celebrate with me.
Toss the final third of the incense on the coals and await the coming of your ancestors.
by Edain McCoy
Ritual Seven
Place upon the altar apples, pomegranates, pumpkins, squashes and other late autumn fruits. Autumn flowers such as marigolds and chrysanthemums are fine too.
Write on a piece of paper an aspect of your life which you may wish to be free of; anger, a baneful habit, misplaced feelings, disease.
The cauldron or some similar tool must be present before the altar as well, on a trivet or some other heat proof surface (if the legs aren't long enough). A small, flat dish marked with an eight spoked wheel symbol should also be there.
[This is just what it sounds like. On a flat plate or dish, paint a large circle. Put a dot in the center of this circle and paint eight spokes radiating out from the dot to the larger circle. Thus, you have a wheel symbol a symbol of the Sabbats, a symbol of timelessness.]
Prior to ritual, sit quietly and think of friends and loved ones who have passed away. Do not despair. Know that they have gone on to greater things. Keep firmly in mind that the physical isn't the absolute reality, and souls never die.
Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle of Stones.
Recite the Blessing Chant.
Invoke the Goddess and God.
Lift one of the pomegranates and, with your freshly washed Boline, pierce the skin of the fruit. Remove several seeds and place them on the wheel marked dish. Raise your wand, face the altar and say:
On this night of Samhain I mark Your passing,
O Sun King,
through the sunset into the Land of the Young.
I mark also the passing of all who have gone before,
and all who will go after.
O Gracious Goddess,
Eternal Mother,
You who gives birth to the fallen,
teach me to know that in the time of the
greatest darkness there is the greatest light.
Taste the pomegranate seeds; burst them with your teeth and savour their sharp, bittersweet flavour. Look down as the eight spoked symbol on the plate; the Wheel of the Year, the Cycle of the Seasons, the End and Beginning of all Creation.
Light a fire within the cauldron (a candle is fine). Sit before it, holding the piece of paper, gazing at its flames. Say:
Wise One of the Waning Moon,
Goddess of the Starry Night,
I create this fire within Your cauldron to
transform that which is plaguing me.
May the energies be reversed:
From the darkness, light!
From bane, good!
From death, birth!
Light the paper in the cauldron's flames and drop it inside. As it burns, know that your ill diminishes, lessens and finally leaves you as it is consumed within the universal fires. [The cauldron, seen as the Goddess.] If you wish, you may attempt scrying or some other form of divination, for this is a perfect time to look into the past or future. Try to recall past lives too, if you will. But leave the dead in peace. Honor them with your memories but do not cal l them to you. [Many Pagans do attempt to communicate with their deceased ancestors and friends at this time, but it seems to me that if we accept the doctrine of reincarnation, this is a rather strange practice. Perhaps the personalities that we knew s till exist, but if the soul is currently incarnate in another body, communication would be difficult, to say the least. Thus, it seems best to remember them with peace and love but do not call them up.] Release any pain and sense of loss you may feel into the cauldron's flames.
Works of magick, if necessary, may follow.
Celebrate the Simple Feast.
The circle is released.
updated Setember 3, 2000
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