Sabbats Almanac: Samhain to Mabon - Kristoffer Hughes 2018
Portable Magic by Mickie Mueller
Samhain
SAMHAIN HAS BECOME A really busy time of the year for many of us. Since the spiritual celebration of Samhain dovetails with the secular celebration of Halloween, it can create special challenges. As we dash around stocking up on candy, carving pumpkins, and of course all of our other usual commitments, it can be a challenge to remember Spirit during this pivotal time of the year. It can be especially perplexing when the actual sabbat falls on a weekday, as Samhain does this year. Many of us have work or school early the next morning. We often plan our group or solitary celebrations on the closest weekend when we have more time. I love to do some bits and bobs of magic on the actual sabbat too. Over the years I’ve come up with simple ways to take my magic on the go. The Wheel of the Year stops for no witch, and on Samhain that is doubly true! As we welcome in the Celtic New Year, let’s think about ways to keep our magic close at hand. In all the hubbub of daily life we can still find ways to remain mindful of the real reason for the sabbats, and Samhain is the perfect place to begin a new tradition of sabbat magic on the go.
Skulls or Stones: Jewelry to Honor the Dead
I always see lots of jewelry in the fall that most people would wear only for Halloween but you and I might wear all year long! Jewelry is a wonderful way to bring magic with you wherever you go. Skull or skeleton jewelry can be fun and kitschy or dark and serious, but for a witch they can be a perfect talisman to focus on remembrance, a reminder that life is both beautiful yet impermanent. If you prefer there are also some stones that can specifically help you tap into the energy of this festival of spirit. A few of these include carnelian, jet, moonstone, jasper, bloodstone, obsidian, and onyx or fossil stones. Once you’ve found the perfect piece of jewelry to wear on Samhain, enchant it before you wear it that day.
Cleanse the jewelry by waving it through incense smoke and visualizing any negative energies dissipating. Next simply hold your jewelry in your hands over your heart to charge it with joyful memories of loved ones and thoughts of appreciation of the gifts your ancestors gave you. Wear your special piece on Samhain and let it be a reminder that life is precious and that the spirits guide you lovingly from the other side.
Death and Rebirth Tarot Card Spell
You’ll need your favorite Death card from one of your tarot decks, a slip of cardstock paper about the same size as the tarot card, and a 3" × 5" rigid plastic sleeve to protect your card. You can find a pack of these wherever baseball cards or gaming cards are sold, or on online. I love these for tarot card spells and meditations to keep my cards safe.
The Death card carries energies for clearing away the old to make way for the new, so on the slip of paper thoughtfully write at least three things you want to banish from your life and what you want to replace them with. As examples, “Banish my anger, replace it with understanding. Banish stress, and replace it with peace and balance.” Stack the list on the back of the tarot card and slide both into the sleeve so that you carry it with you all day on Samhain. When it’s protected in the sleeve, you can toss it in your purse, pocket, and easily bring it along throughout the day. As you go about your everyday business, other things will come up that you would like to banish from your life, add them one by one to your list and place it back next to the card in the sleeve. In the evening, set the whole thing on your altar or a shelf next to a candle and leave it there all Samhain night until the next morning. You can replace the Death card back into your deck, the list can be burned in a fireproof bowl or cauldron to send it into the realm of spirit.
Wear Colors of the Day
When you get dressed on Samhain morning, consider the clothes you wear and the significance of the colors corresponding with the magic of the sabbat. Wearing Samhain colors can help you embody the energies of the magic in the air all day.
Black is the most obvious color to wear on Samhain; this is a color that’s great for neutralizing outside energies, so it’s a color for psychic protection. It’s also a stabilizing color and associated with divination, which might come in handy in your wardrobe when the veil between the worlds is thin.
Gray is a ghostly color, and yes, it’s associated with the realm of spirits. You can also wear gray to enhance balance, visions, and dreams.
Orange in all its shades is a color of the harvest. If you don’t look great in bright orange, try a more golden shade or deep pumpkin or just an accessory. This is a color that breaks down barriers representing the thinning veil between the worlds. Orange can also bring happiness and strength, which we need to build up to see us through the winter months.
Purple is a color that has recently become associated with the secular celebration of Halloween, but witches have known that purple is a color to wear for spiritual protection and psychic powers for ages. You can also wear purple on Samhain to help heal emotions and usher in spiritual blessings for the witches new year. Purple has often been a symbol of occult power.
Sabbat on the Go Tips:
If you work in an office or someplace where you can have flowers, put a vase of marigolds or rosemary (or both) on your desk as a message to the spirits of loved ones who’ve crossed over to let them know that you’re thinking of them on Samhain.
Bring a snack of pomegranate seeds and/or pumpkin seeds along on your daily travels. Both are connected to the underworld and also represent fertility and love; pumpkin seeds are full of abundance magic. Focus on these properties while you enjoy these Samhain treats.
Wear any of these oils today: frankincense, patchouli, rosemary oil, or a drop of each. All these oils are perfect for Samhain due to their ability to purify, protect, and impart their high spiritual vibrations assuring only positive experiences with roaming spirits as well as good luck for the coming year.
Carry a charm bag for good luck. Use some or all of the following: pumpkin seeds, crushed eggshell, a coin, crescent moon charm, small piece of broom straw, jasper, carnelian, star anise, allspice, cinnamon, cloves. Keep in mind that in a charm bag, a little of each goes a long way. Place all your items in the middle of a six inch square piece of fabric, gather it up in a bundle, and tie it with twine or ribbon.