Samhain Folklore, Ritual & Journal

A Magickal Folk Grimoire

Morning!

The Samhain Folklore boxes ship today so I have omitted all the spoilers and product references in this post. Paid subscribers can comment on this post if you would like the pdf version to print for your BOS.

All Blessings, Candice

FOLKLORE

Derived from summer’s end in Old Irish, Samhain traditionally marked both the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the Celtic year. Originating 2000 years ago across Celtic nations, Samhain, pronounced Sow-ihn, was honored as a time when the boundaries between the world of the living and the world of the dead dissipated, and opportunities for communicating and crossing over were abundant.

Celebrated October 31st and November 1st, the lines between Samhain and All Saint’s Day traditions blurred over time, giving way to modern Halloween traditions like jack-o-lanterns, costumes, and divination.

In the earliest of times, Samhain was a mandatory observance meant to entertain the gods and royalty. During this time, livestock was brought to slaughter to provide nourishment during the winter, and crops were harvested to prevent being disturbed by fae folk during the shadow season. There was also a fear of being kidnapped by fairies and spirits, so the people would dress up in scary ways to deter them.

Bonfires, some say originating from bone fire, have always played a significant role in Samhain festivities. The bones of the slaughtered animals would often be cast into the fire. The animals that would live would be walked between the fires for physical and spiritual purification. This practice was also adopted by people. The fires also played an essential role in keeping malevolent spirits at bay during this highly active time for visits from beyond the grave.

Celtic lore has long established that the boundary or veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead becomes thinnest during Samhain. This allows otherworldly beings to enter the physical world, including beloved departed, ancestors one may have never met, dark entities, and mal-intended spirits. Jack-o-lanterns and bonfires were often used to ward unwanted visitors from the beyond, while welcome spirits were invited in through an opened westward window or door, beckoned by a candle left burning in a westward window, or honored with a place set for them at the table.

Given that Samhain was also the Celtic new year, much interest was given to divination for the coming year and the distant future. Apples were sometimes peeled and tossed over the shoulder. Its shattered remnants were said to form the first letter of a future intended’s name. Crows, nuts, grains, all used to help divine the opportunities that would be born of the ashes of the fires of Samhain.

SPELL & RITUAL

During Samhain, when we have little choice but to encounter the dark and face themes of death and loss, as we once again acknowledge that endings and beginnings depend on one another and accept that change is one of life’s few constants.

As the darkness begins to dawn, we are ushered into a season of rest, reflection, and release. And just as we grieve the sun, Samhain is the ideal time to mourn those we have lost throughout the year or our lifetime.

The 3rd harvest is also a time of celebration for the fertile opportunities born of the intentions we set during Witches New Year! You’ve survived another year and gained the wisdom along the way to make the best of the new one. That is undoubtedly worthy of some revelry!

Samhain Rituals

While the veil is thin, divination and mediumship are particularly rewarding. Whether seeking inspiration for the coming year or channeling a departed loved one, these rituals can provide comfort, healing, and much to reflect on. Before pulling back the veil, be sure to cleanse and protect your home, ritual space, and aura, ensuring that welcome spirits are not disrupted by malevolent ones.

Opening your home to those you love is equally as opening your heart to healing. Shadow work, past life regression, and shamanic journeys take you on adventures into the shadows that can be very illuminating.

Time spent in nature or bringing the outside can be both grounding and fun! Forest bathing and collecting special items for your bone throwing collection or decorating your altar with seasonal symbols like acorns, apples, feathers, or root vegetables align you with seasonal frequencies.

Samhain Spells

When you are decorating the altar, don’t forget the cauldron! Fire is a vital energy during Samhain. You can incorporate it in protection, cleansing, and cord-cutting spells. Combining fire with cinnamon, ginger, and other season herbs governed by fire can intensify your power.

Purification, manifestation, and road opening spells are well suited for the new year. Make sure to keep negativity at bay when you are done with floor sweeps and door wards. Good Vibes only!

Finally, spells to explore liminal spaces, expand awareness, and heighten perception support the integration of the past year’s growth and wisdom and enable you to use them as a precipice to attain a bird’s eye view of the triumph and transformation next year has in store.

REFLECT

Samhain marks the beginning of our journey into the shadows. First, we plunge into the depths of Scorpio season, and then we are born of Sagittarius’ flames, like the phoenix. It is time to both honor and grieve, release and receive, mentally consolidate and project. Only once we accept the constancy of death can we embrace the infinite nature of possibility.

This is your opportunity to reawaken the spirit of your loved ones and honor their wisdom through heartfelt reflection. These prompts will also allow you to explore unsettling shadow themes, triumphing over fear, fostering transformation. May Samhain bring you necessary endings and desired beginnings.

Samhain Journal Prompts

1. Your loved ones live on through your memories. What are some of your most cherished recollections? What is some of the most meaningful wisdom they have shared? How can you honor these memories or lessons through ritual?

2. It has been said we are our ancestors’ wildest dreams. What does that mean for you? In what ways do you think you have surpassed your ancestor’s hopes? In what ways do you feel you may have let them down? What rituals help you let go of this perceived sense of disappointment?

3. What scares or unsettles you most about failure, loss, and death? How might these fears or concerns hold you back? In what ways can these albeit painful experiences benefit you?

4. The shadow season is a time of rest and restoration. What ideas for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual self-care do you have planned to ensure you are reborn in the sun refreshed?

5. It is Witches New Year! What new habits would you like to establish in your life? What toxic patterns and cycles are you ready to release? Describe the transformed version of yourself who has accomplished both.