Seasons of Wicca: The Essential Guide to Rituals and Rites to Enhance Your Spiritual Journey - Ambrosia Hawthorn 2020
Samhain
Sun Celebrations (Sabbats)
Rituals to Enhance your Spiritual Journey
Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the darker half of the year, when the sun’s energy wanes. Samhain, the halfway point to Yule or the Winter Solstice, is also a night when the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds is at its thinnest. The rituals in this section focus on honoring your ancestors and holding a “dumb supper”—a silent dinner to honor the deceased.
SAMHAIN ANCESTOR RITUAL
Samhain is a time to honor and pay tribute to your ancestors or deceased loved ones. This simple ritual will help you show your appreciation and share memories. It uses a purple candle for spirit communication and heirlooms to connect you to your departed loved ones or ancestors.
Ritual Setting
Altar
Tools and Supplies
Festive decorations for Samhain—flowers, crystals, or mementos
Wand or athame
Elemental representation
Deity representation
1 pillar candle—purple
1 cone or stick incense—cinnamon, clove, patchouli, rosemary, or sage
Fire-safe plates or candle holder and incense holder
Photograph or heirloom for each person you want to connect with
Lighter or matches
Bell
Offering of choice—food, craft, or something important
PRIOR TO THE RITUAL
1.Shower or bathe, visualizing all old or unwanted energies leaving your being.
2.Cleanse the altar.
PREPARING THE ALTAR
Place the festive decorations and tools on the altar. Place the elemental representations in a pentacle configuration. Place the deity representation at the top of the altar. Place the candle and incense (on the fire-safe plates) and any symbols, photographs, or heirlooms of your deceased loved ones or ancestors around the altar, in positions you feel are best.
THE RITUAL
1.Cast a circle of protection. Hold the wand or athame as an extension of your hand to gather and direct energy as you call upon the elements. Starting from the east and ending north, call upon the element of air for mental clarity, the element of fire for power, the element of water for fluidity, and the element of earth for stability.
2.Invoke your chosen deity or deities by saying something like: “Lord and Lady, I invite you to join this sacred circle.”
3.Light the candle and incense and say the name(s) of your loved one(s).
4.Ring the bell to raise energy and then say to your loved one(s): “I call out to you to welcome, honor, and thank you. You are gone but never forgotten, for I remember. I hold close our memories together, and you will continue to live on within me.”
5.Spend time sharing memories and thanking your loved one(s) for being part of your life, silently or out loud.
6.Place the offering on the altar. Thank your loved one(s) for their presence and say your goodbyes.
7.Thank the deities for their assistance by saying: “Lord and Lady, I humbly thank you for your presence here. Go if you desire or stay if you’d like.”
8.Release the elements in reverse order by beginning facing the north and ending east, thanking each element for their assistance and bidding them farewell. Then open the circle by saying: “I open this circle and release the energy back into the earth.”
9.Extinguish the candle and incense. Leave the offering on the altar.
DUMB SUPPER
A “dumb supper” refers to a silent dinner or “feast to the dead” at which a seat must be provided for the deceased. This ritual involves eating a meal, writing letters to the deceased, and burning the letters in a fireplace or fire-safe cauldron. The ritual should be conducted in complete silence.
Ritual Setting
Dining room table or area where food can be served
Tools and Supplies
Festive decorations for Samhain—black décor is traditional but not required
Photographs or heirlooms of the deceased
Festive food, drink, and place settings for each guest
Wand or athame
Elemental representations
Deity representation
Taper or votive candles for each place setting—white, purple, or black
Fire-safe plates or candle holders
Pens and paper, for guests to write letters
Lighter or matches
Bell
Fireplace or fire-safe cauldron
PRIOR TO RITUAL
1.Shower or bathe, visualizing all old or unwanted energies leaving your being. Wear black or festive clothing for this event.
2.Cleanse the altar.
PREPARING THE ALTAR
Decorate the room and place the decorations and photographs or mementos of the deceased on your dining table. Set a place setting for each guest, including one for the deceased. Prepare the food and drink. Position the elemental and deity representations around the room. Place the candles on fire-safe plates on the table, one for each person, including the deceased guests. If you will be calling multiple spirits, place the equivalent number of candles at the empty place setting. Once the guests arrive, have each guest write a letter to the spirit they wish to commune with and bring their letter to their place setting.
THE RITUAL
1.Silently cast a circle of protection to call upon the elements. Hold the wand or athame as an extension of your hand to gather and direct energy.
2.Invoke the deity silently by closing your eyes and willing the assistance of the God and Goddess.
3.Serve the food and drink, light the candles, and ring the bell to shift the energy in the room, commencing the celebration.
4.Eat in silence, spending the time thinking about your departed loved ones and the messages you wrote.
5.At the end of the feast, help the guests burn their letters in a fire-safe cauldron or fireplace. Burn your own letter as well.
6.After all the letters have been burned, ring the bell again to end the supper.
7.Silently thank the God and Goddess for watching over the feast.
8.Silently release the elements, open the circle, and extinguish the candles and any embers in the fireplace or cauldron.
9.The room should remain silent. If you wish to speak, you may leave the room and converse elsewhere or dismiss your guests and end the supper.
