A Little About Samhain

Samhain ("Sow-in") is the witchy term (meaning summer's end) for Halloween and is the beginning of the new year on a witch's calendar. During this Sabbat the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is the thinnest. It is a time to celebrate life and give offerings to those who have passed on before us. 

Traditionally lit candles are put in the windows on Samhain night to guide home the spirits of deceased loved ones. Food they may have liked in life can be left on the altar or front steps as offerings. Pumpkins were carved into jack-o-lanterns to ward off evil spirits. Because as much as Samhain is a time to honour the dead and to feel your own mortality, the thin veil allows all sorts of spirits to become more prominent in the physical world.

If you plan to do any spirit workings on Samhain, you must be extra careful. Jack-o-lanterns should be kept outside your house, you should cleanse your space and well as yourself before any magickal workings, and you should spend a great deal of time making your protective circle. Salt is a must.

This image seemed appropriate, haha. Source?

If you keep an altar you should definitely dress it up for the Sabbat. Mini pumpkins and gourds are an obvious choice, as well as autumn leaves. Black candles are a good choice, as well as bones and stone skulls. Pomegranates are also great -recall the Persephone and Hades myth. I currently have the "Death" tarot card on my altar, perfect for Samhain energy.



Samhain is a great time to do rituals or spells for change and spiritual communications. And with the thin barrier between the physical and astral plains, it's also the perfect time for connecting with your spirit animal.

Ritual Ideas:
Celebrate the Cycle of Life and Death
A Samhain Ritual
Evoking Hecate

History & Lore:
The History of Halloween or Samhain
Samhain Lore

Happy Samhain/Halloween everyone! I hope you have a spook-tacular day!

Lady Unlaced