Pagan calendar

Samhain Solitary Simple Wiccan ritual

Introduction

This is a guideline on how to conduct your Samhain ritual. It is designed for a solitary practitioner. The primary purpose of the Samhain ritual is to honour our ancestors whose lives brought us about. You should familiarise yourself with the ritual before performing it.

Items used:

• God and Goddess candles. Any colours that feel right to you can be used.

• A white candle for the altar.

• Incense – sandalwood or patchouli is a good choice

• Salt. Table salt is fine.

• Bowl of water

• Bread or cake

• Wine or fruit juice

• Paper and Pencil

• Candle snuff

• A fireproof bowl or area to burn some paper

• Matches or a lighter

• A copy of the 'Witches rune'

• A space to perform the ritual, this can be as small as a meter square.

Preparation:

• You might choose to have a ritual cleansing bath beforehand.

• Set up the items needed for the ritual on an altar in the east of the ritual area, also anything symbolising time of year. e.g. pumpkin. The alter can just be a placemat placed on the floor in the east of your circle.

Instructions:

The ritual should be self explanatory with the start of lines indicating whether an action is taking place or whether something needs to be spoken. When raising the circle, use visualisations. e.g. when calling earth picture a mountain, when purifying the space picture blue light.

The Ritual:

Action: Enter the ritual area.

Say: "Hail Samhain, start of the Celtic year, day of the dead. Time of honouring our ancestors who brought us into this world. At this turn of the wheel the veil between us and the spirit realm is thinnest, easing communications between the world of the living and the world of the dead.”

Action: Light the white altar candle. Light the Goddess candle and say “Mother Goddess, be here with me”.

Action: Light the God candle and say “Father God, be here with me”.

Action: Mix some salt and water in a bowl

Action: While occasionally saying “I purify this area with the power of earth and water”, walk clockwise around the ritual area, and sprinkle the salt and water mix on the floor. Then sprinkle some inside of the area ritual area.

Action: Light the incense with the white altar candle and walk clockwise around the outside of the ritual area with it while saying “I purify this ritual area with the element of air”. Then return the incense to the altar.

Action: Light a candle from white altar candle and walk clockwise around the outside of the ritual area with it while saying “I purify this ritual area with the element of fire”.

Say: In the East of circle, face outwards to the East and say “Hail, Guardian of the Watchtower of the East, Powers of Air! I invoke you and call you, to witness this rite and to guard this circle. ”

Say: In the South of circle, face outwards to the South and say “Hail, Guardian of the Watchtower of the South, Powers of fire! I invoke you and call you, to witness this rite and to guard this circle. ”

Say: In the West of the circle, face outwards to the West and say “Hail, Guardian of the Watchtower of the West, Powers of Water! I invoke you and call you, to witness this rite and to guard this circle.”

Say: In the North of the circle, face outwards to the West and say “Hail, Guardians of the Watchtower of the North, Power of Earth! I invoke you and call you, to witness this rite and to guard this circle. ”

Action: Recite the witches rune

Action: Thank your ancestors for bringing you into this world and giving you life. Honour them for they braved the world and brought about you, hope to inherit their best qualities and learn from them, both their achievements and their mistakes. We can honour them by living our lives as best we can. Be happy for them while on their afterlife journey and we shall wish them the best. If you want to write this message or any other message down to send them, put it on a piece of paper, fold it, light it and put it in the fire proof dish to burn it away, relight it if it doesnot all burn away."

Say: "May my ancestors receive my respects. May they rest in piece.

Note: We will now start bringing down the circle

Say: “Fair-well God and Fair-well Goddess, I thank you for attending my ritual, Hail and Fair well”.

Action: Extinguish God and Goddess candles with candle snuff

Priest: To all spirits raised in this ritual, we bid farewell to thee. Merry met, merry part and merry meet again. All unused raised energies are released"

Say: "This ritual has come to an end, the circle is open, but unbroken. Blessed Be."

Action: Drink wine and eat bread to ground yourself, giving some to the earth and saying "Blessed be"

Note: Now is the time to scry, sing, read stories, etc. Dispose of salt water in earth where it wont hurt any plants or grass.

Suggested stories

The myth of Persephone, the chthonic goddess of the Underworld.

The Dagda and the Morrigan