Sabbats Almanac: Samhain to Mabon - Kristoffer Hughes 2018
Hallows Night of Transformation by Michael Furie
Samhain
SAMHAIN IS SUCH A unique time—both an ending and a new beginning. While it is magically linked to its opposing holiday, Beltane, this holiday has an energy that is set above and apart from all the other sabbats. On this night, or more accurately during this time, the culmination of the power and promise of the entire years’ worth of growth and decline comes together as a magical “grand finale” of sorts; laying the groundwork for a new year. If properly constructed, our rituals and even our mundane celebrations can become templates of magical intention for the future; we have the power to harness some of the energy present now in order to help manifest our goals all the way through the next year’s cycle.
The sabbat known as Samhain can vary greatly depending on the tradition one practices, but for me, it is celebrated as a three-day festival from October 30st to November 1st. On the first day, all the wonderful preparations can be made: altars set up, decorations arranged, the feast menu finalized (and some of the food cooked), outfits chosen, ritual outline double-checked, etc. The second day is, of course, “the big day”: when the main ritual for Samhain is conducted. For many of us, it is a double duty type of day, with the modern Halloween celebrations having the focus for most of the daytime and early evening hours and the Samhain observance commencing at night. On the third day, all of the offerings are buried with honor and thanks. In addition to the reverent activities, the third day is also the practical time for cleanup of dishes, costumes, and decorations. I usually prefer to keep most of the interior decorations up for a few weeks after the Sabbat in order to help preserve the energy.
Personally, I’ve always found it strange that so many people seem to be in a rush to take down decorations as soon as the holiday is over, especially when the holiday is a sabbat. I think that in our modern culture where our eyes are always trained to be focused on the next thing coming over the horizon, the appreciation of the here and now has fallen out of favor. The sabbats are celebrated as both a peak of power and an initiator into a new cycle, so the idea that once Samhain is “over” we should immediately turn our focus away from its meaning makes no sense to me. This holiday is (among other things) a beginning: a portal into the dark half of the year, and the power of this change continues throughout the month of November and realistically all the way until Yule further modifies the energy. All too often are the relatively modern Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays rushed forward, leaving Halloween and its “spookiness” in the dust. Speaking from a witchy perspective, the autumn equinox is the time to give thanks for what we have and the time of Samhain is where we acknowledge and honor what we’ve lost and also to make our magical blueprints for the future. If we plan carefully, we can harness and align with the inherent power present at this time, channeling our vision into the greater energy flow so that our intention becomes part of the natural unfolding of events, which is one of the secrets of manifestation; working with the natural energetic tides is more effective than working against them.
Since Samhain is considered the “Witches’ New Year,” it not only represents the traditional themes of honoring departed loved ones and the Ancestors but also the hope and promise of starting over. Magically speaking, if you design the entire Samhain celebration around a magical goal, a vision of how you would like things to be throughout the coming year, you can project a clear and powerful intention. In essence, this means that if you are seeking prosperity in the coming year, the decorations, costumes, and ritual accessories should steer away from the spooky, grim, or grotesque and instead be focused on joyful and elegant. In this case, royal costumes with lots of golden or silver-colored accessories or an outfit adorned with play money could be worn to help empower the intention. Instead of horror-themed decorations, happy jack-o’-lanterns or ones carved with magical symbols, glittering shiny candles and favorite foods and treats; anything that carries a prosperous and joyful feeling to you can be added to the festivities.
Other intentions can follow a similar pattern. If your desire is to increase psychic ability in the coming year, playing up the magical and Otherworldly, divinatory aspects of the holiday can be a great way of projecting this wish. Dress in your witchy finest or in a “fortune-teller” type of costume, lay out all of your favorite tools for divination, like tarot decks, scrying mirrors, crystal balls, etc., and make the decorations etheric and slightly spooky. Owl, bat, and ghost decorations work well for this magical goal; anything that gives the feel of Otherworldly messenger, magical power, or second-sight. If love is the strongest intention, dressing up as a deity known for love, such as Venus or Eros, can be an excellent costume choice not only to represent your desire but also to help draw in the deities to aid in your magic (if you choose to do so). If your desire is to enhance your magical ability in the coming year or if you want to achieve greater confidence and inner strength, the witch archetype can be fully embraced. Black hooded cloaks, bubbling cauldrons, large mystical-looking jewelry, a handy broomstick, or a magic wand can all become a part of the festivities. Magically-themed jack-o’-lanterns carved with pentagrams, elemental symbols, or special sigils can be created and charged with intent.
The possibilities for decorations and costumes are almost endless, but there is one major exception; horror or “evil” themes should be avoided. The reason for this is pretty straightforward, in that it is usually a bad idea to encourage chaos, violence, or horror into our lives especially at a time of such magical potential. This is the time to cultivate our highest potential, especially since the effects can last for an entire year or realistically, much longer. Skulls, bats, ghosts, and other such decorations are not considered horrific or evil and so can all be included in the holiday. Movie killers, devils, demons, and monsters, on the other hand, are not the best choices when trying to connect to the magic of this day. Living in such a tumultuous world already, none of us need to conjure up any more frightening images or energies, especially in our own lives. By carefully planning the energy and intention that we wish to project out into the world, we can avoid any misdirected magic or negative backlash.
Keeping a nice failsafe condition such as “with harm to none” in the back of your mind while working any magic on Samhain is also a wise idea to help minimize any unforeseen problems or mishaps. Magical manifestations need never result from harm. Please note that I’m not advocating ignoring our “shadow sides” or any dark aspects of the holiday. I am merely saying that when trying to create a magical effect, it is better to stick with the accessories and intentions that will encourage the best possible results. As an example, a red “devil” costume wouldn’t be the best choice for a magical intention of greater power. Even though it could be argued that the horned, red man with cloven hooves, a pitchfork, and a tail is most likely a vilified version of the horned god grafted onto Lucifer, and therefore could be used without any “evil” connotation, it is still a symbolic emblem of evil in the popular mind and would potentially pose a problem to the complete fulfillment of the magic. Spiritual power would be better expressed as a witch, wizard, or deity costume and mundane power would better be expressed as royalty or as a corporate CEO. There are myriad ways to express any magical goal and we can just keep searching and planning until we find one that feels right.
One of the most wonderful mundane aspects of Samhain to me is the fact that most of our witch tools can be openly displayed in our homes at this time even if you are not necessarily a public witch. Cauldrons, brooms, wands, crystals, candles, skulls, etc., are all perfect Halloween decorations and fly right under most people’s radar. Usually people will just think you’re really into Halloween. In this way, we are given the advantage of setting our magical intentions early in the day and allow them to “simmer” while we go out and fulfill our regular obligations, like taking kids trick-or-treating or handing out candy ourselves. Normally wearing special ritual garb out in the everyday world is frowned upon (with some exceptions of course), but on Samhain we’re encouraged to break the rules and disrupt our normal patterns, so turning a costume into a magical garment is a perfect way to enhance the magic. Clothing, jewelry, shoes, and other accessories usually carry a power and ability to make us feel a certain way; gym shoes and sweat pants give us a much different vibe than formal wear for example, and this inherent quality can be greatly enhanced through magic. You can choose just the right costume and accessories and bring them together, blessing them to become vessels to fulfill your magical goal. To do so, place the outfit on your altar, hold your hands over it, and visualize the end result of your intention. Infuse as much emotion into this visualization as you can, visualizing the way you want to feel when your goal is achieved and then mentally willing this power to flow down through your arms and hands into the costume. Fix in your mind that this energy will stay in the outfit until you choose to release it in ritual and also that this energy will remain intact, unaffected by any others. This way it can be worn out into the world without the worry of its power being diminished.
In my personal practice, I choose not to compartmentalize my magical life and my “regular” life, the two walk hand in hand. I think it is empowering to carry my magic into the everyday world, not in an overbearing way but in a subtle yet effective manner. Some witches and Pagans prefer to avoid the Halloween aspects of this day, feeling that it takes away from the true meaning of Samhain to participate in the candy-coated frolic of trick-or-treating or parties. In my opinion, I feel that the power lies in nature and in the individual Witch and that we can draw upon this power and connection no matter where we are or how we choose to celebrate. It is our choice whether or not to bring our magic with us into the everyday world.
The power of Samhain is that of limitless potential. Being a cross-quarter day, it is at its heart, a crossroads where the past and the future converge into the now. This quality is what makes it such an effective time for initiating change; the key is to unleash and project what you desire in the coming year as a clear concept and end result. When we place our vision of the future and what we desire into currents of energy that are already present, we not only help achieve our own goals but also help to turn the wheel from one seasonal cycle to another. By becoming active participants in the inherent rhythms of the earth, we are performing one of the most sacred and significant magical acts that a witch can do; a merging with the powers of nature. May your Samhain celebrations bring you joy, fulfillment, and wonderful magical success! Blessed Be.