SAMHAIN RITUAL & SPELL

Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. The veil between the spiritual and physical realm is at its thinnest, making this the perfect time for paying our respects to our ancestors, remembering and celebrating those who have passed on, and reflecting on the cycles of life and death.

Samhain Rituals & Spells
Samhain (pronounced sah-win) is celebrated in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere on the 6th of May and on the 31st of October in the Northern Hemisphere.

After Mabon, Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. The veil between the spiritual and physical realm is at its thinnest, making this the perfect time for paying our respects to our ancestors, remembering and celebrating those who have passed on, and reflecting on the cycles of life and death. Samhain traditions are associated with death and rebirth, and is also the origin of Halloween!

RITUAL FOR SAMHAIN

DIVINATION
Samhain is the perfect opportunity for connecting with your ancestors and spirit guides, so whip out your favourite divination tools!

There are many different divination tools available for you to use, from tarot cards, oracle cards and runes just to name a few.

You can even reserve certain divination tools specifically for any ancestors or spirit guides you wish to seek guidance from. If you wish to delve into ancestor work, it is recommended to set up an ancestral altar.

SAMHAIN TAROT CARD RITUAL
Set up your Samhain or Ancestral Altar.
Cleanse your space and tarot deck using your preferred method of cleansing. This could be by smoke cleansing or using sound such as an altar bell.
Light your ritual candles.
Sit down by your altar and clear your mind. This can be done via meditation, deep breathing or just simply taking a moment to calm your thoughts.
Invite your ancestors or spirit guides to come forth.
Provide an offering before requesting anything from them. This could be a glass of water, alcohol or even some food. Bonus points if you know their favourite food or beverages!
For this Samhain tarot ritual, we will be doing a 3 card spread. Shuffle your deck and ask the following question:

“What do I need to let go of?”

While you’re shuffling, a card might pop out at you. If this happens, this is your answer. If this doesn’t happen, that is also okay! Simply cut your deck into three piles, then draw one card from the top of one of the piles you feel most drawn to and place it face-up in front of you – this will be your answer.
Shuffle your deck again and ask the following:

“What do I need to bring into my life?”

Repeat the same step as above
Lastly, shuffle your deck again and ask the following:

“What do I need to do in order to make this happen?”

Follow the same directions to pull a card

SAMHAIN CANDLE SPELL
Samhain is traditionally celebrated with fire and aids us with remembrance. Candles are the perfect modern way of honouring traditional Samhain rituals. The flicker of the candle can induce a hypnotic effect, allowing us to calm our minds so we can reflect on our intentions for this Sabbat.

The following Samhain Candle Spell is the perfect ritual you can follow using your favourite candle:

Set up your Samhain Altar and decide on your intention for this spell.
Cleanse your altar, space and yourself using your preferred cleansing method. This could be by smoke cleansing or using sound such as an altar bell. Recite the following:

“Malicious energies, spirits & intentions must begone”

Light your spell candle keeping in mind your intention.
Sit by your spell candle while watching its flame. Envision your spell candle working to bring you what you desire and think about how your intention will manifest in your life. Images may appear to you in your spell candles flame – this is how your ancestors or spirit guides may pass on messages to you.
Stay by your candle until it burns down completely. In addition to this, you can also write down anything you wish to release or bring into your life. Simply write down your wishes on a piece of paper, fold several times, grab a pair of tongs and light the corners with the flame from your intention candle, then place the lit paper into a cast iron cauldron. The same goes for your burning paper – pay attention to its flame in case any images appear.
Safe witches are clever witches, never leave a flame unattended and always be prepared to safely put out a fire if needed. 

The Veil is Thinning

Whenever our world is turned upside down, wherever there is a wound, or things go black and all is unknown, the veil thins. Wherever there is a vulnerability, a crack in our defenses, in our sureties and our normalcies, the veil thins. Whenever there is a dying of something, our lives as we knew them, our old selves, our bodies, a loved one, the veil thins.

In this liminal, broken open place, the world and its interconnections seem to come alive in ways unexplainable. Here there is no division between the mundane and the magical…The departed turn into owls, spirits knock at doors, appeals are made by fox and coyote and crow. Here we come face to face with cougar on our evening walk, whom we had dreamt of the night before. Here the visions and voices of the sacred come to us. Here we learn the language of nature herself.

Only, it is not the world that has come alive, but we ourselves who have. We are the ones waking up, removing the sleep and the veils from our eyes, finally seeing clearly what has always been. Seeing not just what is in front of us, but what is beyond, beneath, above, around, within. Seeing not with the eyes of our mind, but the eyes of our soul.

And now, during these troubling though numinous times, the veil is thin and growing thinner. More than ever people are dreaming of ancestors and loved ones who’ve crossed over coming to help, to guide, to comfort. More than ever people are dreaming big dreams, showing us what is real and true about ourselves and the world we live in. Lifting the veil on all things. Lighting our way, and the world’s way, forward.

And here where the veil is thin, miracles occur. Not the miracles we might ask for, not cures or solutions, but the miracles that remind us we belong to a universe far more mysterious, more interwoven, more astonishing than we could ever comprehend. Miracles that may not solve the misfortunes in our lives, but instead allow us to soften into the-not-solving, allow us to live as deeply, as widely, as creatively and magically as possible. Miracles that may not change our circumstances, but that change us. These are the miracles of transformation.

But no transformation can occur, no death and rebirth are possible, without passing through this betwixt and between place, without resting awhile in not knowing what will come of us or where it is all headed. Because it is precisely in the vulnerability of not knowing, that the veil thins, that this magic opens to us, that transformation’s potential awaits.

Samhain Lore (October 31st)

Samhain, (pronounced SOW-in, SAH-vin, or SAM-hayne) means ”End of Summer”, and is the third and final Harvest. The dark winter half of the year commences on this Sabbat. It is generally celebrated on October 31st, but some traditions prefer November 1st. It is one of the two ”spirit-nights” each year, the other being Beltane. It is a magical interval when the mundane laws of time and space are temporarily suspended, and the Thin Veil between the worlds is lifted.

Communicating with ancestors and departed loved ones is easy at this time, for they journey through this world on their way to the Summerlands. It is a time to study the Dark Mysteries and honor the Dark Mother and the Dark Father, symbolized by the Crone and her aged Consort. Originally the ”Feast of the Dead” was celebrated in Celtic countries by leaving food offerings on altars and doorsteps for the ”wandering dead”. Today a lot of practitioners still carry out that tradition.

Single candles were lit and left in a window to help guide the spirits of ancestors and loved ones home. Extra chairs were set to the table and around the hearth for the unseen guest. Apples were buried along roadsides and paths for spirits who were lost or had no descendants to provide for them. Turnips were hollowed out and carved to look like protective spirits, for this was a night of magic and chaos. The Wee Folk became very active, pulling pranks on unsuspecting humans.

Traveling after dark was was not advised. People dressed in white (like ghosts), wore disguises made of straw, or dressed as the opposite gender in order to fool the Nature spirits. This was the time that the cattle and other livestock were slaughtered for eating in the ensuing winter months. Any crops still in the field on Samhain were considered taboo, and left as offerings to the Nature spirits. Bonfires were built, (originally called bone-fires, for after feasting, the bones were thrown in the fire as offerings for healthy and plentiful livestock in the New Year) and stones were marked with peoples names. Then they were thrown into the fire, to be retrieved in the morning. The condition of the retrieved stone foretold of that person’s fortune in the coming year. Hearth fires were also lit from the village bonfire to ensure unity, and the ashes were spread over the harvested fields to protect and bless the land.

Various other names for this Greater Sabbat are Third Harvest, Samana, Day of the Dead, Old Hallowmas (Scottish/Celtic), Vigil of Saman, Shadowfest (Strega), and Samhuinn. Also known as All Hallow’s Eve, (that day actually falls on November 7th), and Martinmas (that is celebrated November 11th), Samhain is now generally considered the Witch’s New Year.

Why do we celebrate Hallows Eve

Hallowe’en – which literally means ‘holy evening’, dates back to the pagan times and is thought to originate with the Celtic pagan festival of Samhain. Samhain was a celebration of the end of the harvest season, meaning ‘summer’s end’.

Gaels in this period are thought to have believed this time of year was also when the walls between the worlds were thin and porous and enabled spirits to pass through. Gaels feared the return of spirits through this thin wall between the worlds because they thought they might damage their crops for the next season.

As a result, to appease any spirits that would creep through, they would set up places at their dinner tables and offer the spirits food and drink. Bonfires would also be lit to scare off evil spirits.

Why do we go trick or treating?
Rear view of three children wearing halloween costumes trick or treating. Credit: Cultura/Getty
Rear view of three children wearing halloween costumes (Picture:Getty)
Trick or treating started in Ireland, Scotland and Wales and involved people dressing up in costumes and knocking on doors asking for food. The groups would offer up poems and songs in exchange for the food.

This trick or treat tradition evolved into children exchanging prayers for the dead in exchange for ‘soul cakes’ in the 11th century in a tradition called ‘souling’. These soul cakes were sweet with a cross on the top and they were intended to represent a spirit being freed from purgatory when eaten.

By the 19th century, this had evolved into a tradition where children would sing songs, tells jokes and read poems instead of prayers for pieces of fruit and money. Later, the children would play threatening pranks on people to get them to hand over sweets.

The name ‘trick or treat’ was first used in America in 1929 after immigrants took traditions surrounding the day overseas.

Why do we carve pumpkins?

This goes back to the Samhain festival when people would decorate their homes to ward off bad spirits. They used to carve turnips and over time this evolved into carving pumpkins. This is believed to be because when Irish immigrants were in America they could only find pumpkins to carve. The pumpkin carving tradition took off properly in the 1920s.

The term ‘Jack O’Lantern’ is believed to have come from the folk story of Stingy Jack who tricked the devil into buying him a drink. Because of this, when he died he wasn’t allowed into heaven or hell but instead was trapped by the devil instead a burning ember, which was kept inside a turnip.

Symbolism of Samhain:

Third Harvest, the Dark Mysteries, Rebirth through Death.

Symbols of Samhain:

Gourds, Apples, Black Cats, Jack-O-Lanterns, Besoms.

Herbs of Samhain:

Mugwort, Allspice, Broom, Catnip, Deadly Nightshade, Mandrake, Oak leaves, Sage and Straw.

Foods of Samhain:

Turnips, Apples, Gourds, Nuts, Mulled Wines, Beef, Pork, Poultry.

Incense of Samhain:

Heliotrope, Mint, Nutmeg.

Colors of Samhain:

Black, Orange, White, Silver, Gold.

Stones of Samhain:

All Black Stones, preferably jet or obsidian.

Samhain and the Return of the Dead

As we begin to approach Samhain, and the astronomical cross-quarter, I though I’d begin to post some traditions associated with this time of the year.
One particular Samhain and Halloween custom which people ask to know about is known as the dumb supper or dead supper.
This practice is one where an extra place is set out at the table for ancestral spirits to join the meal.

While there are claims that the supper originated with the Celtic peoples, and even in the Ozarks, the concept of leaving food for the spirit ancestors and the dead is far more ancient and potentially it is something we have been doing as long as we have wondered about the afterlife itself.
For example, hazelnuts have been found buried at many of our ancient megalithic sites, which archaeologists believe were left there as offerings to the dead or to accompany the spirits to the Otherworld.

There are quite a few variations but the main thrust of the custom goes like this.
On an evening over the Samhain celebrations the family will set out an extra place, as well as an empty chair, which is usually placed at the head of the table.
For many, it is inconvenient to do this on Halloween night but as astronomical Samhain will not take place until the 7th of November here in Ireland there is a full ‘ritual week’ to try this yourself.
Of course, for many, the entire month of November/ Samhain is considered liminal in itself.

It goes without saying that the origins of this tradition are difficult to ascertain.
I don’t know of an Irish custom which encompasses *all* of the ceremony and ritual of how dead/ dumb suppers are conducted today.
In Irish folklore similar practices seem to have been simple as opposed to ceremonial and elaborate; an acknowledgment that the dead would visit their old homes with perhaps salt, water, bread or a symbolic share of the crops being left out for them.
There are sources that document other versions in Ireland, though, such as Robert O Driscoll’s ‘The Celtic Consciousness’, Anne Ross’s ‘Material Culture, Myth and Folk Memory’ and Kevin Danaher’s ‘Irish Folk Tradition and the Celtic Calendar.’

For some, the supper should take place at midnight but for others it is a meal taken at dusk, which is a threshold time itself.
In certain traditions, all of the setting up and actions are performed backwards.
So, knife and fork positions would be reversed, for example. I have heard a few different theories about why this is done. The one I feel is the strongest is that the backwards actions are symbolising the return from the spirit world into the material world but others may disagree with me on that.
This custom of reversal seems to have originated in America as far as I can tell, but if anyone can point to an old Irish source which includes it I would love to hear about it.

The reason the meal is called the dumb supper is because the occasion is supposed to be completely silent throughout. I know of others who feel that it should be a celebratory experience and feel that conversation, stories and songs are what the spirit ancestors would prefer. My own thinking, (which is probably hard to prove), is that the solemn and intense rituals could have been for very specific and magical reasons, and the more popular and casual sittings may have been a way to keep the memories of passed family and friends alive.

An aspect of the supper which tends to disturb people slightly is that disguises and masks can be worn so as the identities of those present is a secret.
Coupled with the silence you can see why this would make for an eerie atmosphere.
The reason for the masks varies depending on your source, but a good explanation is that the hidden face allows the spirits of the departed to take part in the meal without being recognised.

There is an old story about this which tells of two friends who arranged to hold a supper. The first friend set the table and waited for her guest to arrive. There was a knock at the door which she answered and a masked and robed figure stood on the step. The friend silently beckoned her in and they ate their meal without speaking after which the robed figure left the room.
There was then another knock at the door and when the friend opened it she saw her companion all flustered and who apologised for being late!
The person then realised that she had been entertaining a spirit all along.

The supper can be a time to deliberately contact a particular ancestor and to do this they will leave some of the deceased persons favourite objects on the table in order to entice them to arrive.
There are also other magical rules which many people follow such as no artificial light, all crockery being black, and the place where the meal is held being meaningful to the deceased person you are inviting to attend.
When the meal is over, the crockery used for the spirit guest can be buried under a hawthorn tree in some accounts. In others it is burned or left out as an offering.
A similar connected tradition is to clean and sweep the area around the fireside and set out a chair over Samhain. This has parallels with some of the Day of the Dead customs in Mexico.
Because Samhain, or the cross-quarter period, was a place in the year which was considered liminal or ‘thin’ this allowed spirits and ancestors to crossover into our world much more easily.

So, while this tradition might initially seem spooky, and perhaps disturbing to some, there is something invaluable and healing about remembering those we have lost and deliberately inviting their presence into our lives and family occasions again.
Spiritually, it may be ritualised in order to specifically commemorate and grieve a loss, but psychologically it is a way to cross that bridge between memory and the present moment.
It is a way to reaffirm how someone has impacted our lives and to show that we have not forgotten them.

Samhain Spells, Blessings, and POWERFUL Forms of Divination

Every year, when Samhain rolls around, my urge to create, craft, and communicate with the spirits becomes almost too much to bear. So what do I do? I give in to the urge, of course! I cast Samhain spells for purification and prosperity. Also offering Samhain blessings to my witchy family members and friends. And I engage in Samhain divination that allows me to easily communicate with my ancestors, gods, and elementals. Come with me, and you’ll be prepared to make your own POTENT magick this Samhain too.

First, What is Samhain?
Samhain, pronounced Sow-en, is an ancient Celtic harvest festival that occurs annually beginning the night of October 31st through November 1st. The name of this holiday, Samhain, actually means “Summer’s End” and was also once considered the new year to the ancient Celts. It was a time when the last crops were harvested and Winter preparations began. In addition, they believed spirits of the dead and the fairy folk wandered the earth on this night. The “veil” between the living and the dead was at its thinnest, making visitations from the spirit world commonplace.

Today, modern pagans celebrate Samhain by honoring their ancestors, feasting with other pagans, friends and family members, lighting bonfires, and more. Since Halloween is the modern holiday with its roots in Samhain, many pagans will also throw Halloween parties, go trick-or-treating, and engage in Halloween activities. They may even cast Samhain spells and divine for messages from the gods and ancestors. If you’d like to learn more about the history and traditions of Samhain, please review our guide section.

Samhain was considered the end of Summer in older Celtic times. Which also meant it was the end of the old year and new one was starting. Our Celtic ancestors believed performing ritual and casting Samhain spells for purification and prosperity was appropriate for this time of year. It was tradition to symbolically purify their cattle by walking them between two great bonfires on Samhain Eve.

People would also walk between the fires, or (more dangerously), jump over a smaller bonfire. The fire was believed to purge the soul and the physical body of negative spirits and bad luck. So that everyone and every animal was purified and healthy for a new year. You don’t have to jump a fire (and please don’t hurt yourself), so here’s our Samhain spell instead:

Bonfire Release Spell for Purification
This is a simple Samhain spell that utilizes the traditional sabbat bonfire. If you have a firepit or fireplace, this spell for purification is a powerful symbol to the universe. You tell the universe and the gods that you are finished with a toxic habit or person in your life, and release it in the flames.

Here’s what you’ll need for this Samhain Spell:
Paper
Pen
Source of fire (bonfire, fireplace, candleflame)

Gather your materials and sit by the fire. Take a few minutes to just listen to the fire crackling. Gaze into the flames and connect with this powerful element. Next begin to think about what habit or person you are releasing this Samhain. Think about why you’re purifying your life from this thing or person. Then write the habit or person down on the piece of paper. Fold it away from you 3 times. Hold it in your hands and allow all of the negative thoughts and energies inside of you to “drain” out of you and into the paper. Then throw it in the fire and say, “after this Samhain, never again. Never again. I release _________ from my life by the power of the Samhain fire. So mote it be.”

A PUMPKIN Spell for Prosperity
One of my favorite Samhain spells for prosperity utilizes an inherent symbol of the season – a pumpkin. And a little paint. Go to the pumpkin patch (or local store) and select a pumpkin. Or let the pumpkin choose you. Bring it home and paint prosperity symbols on it – money signs, runes for prosperity (Fehu, for example), or harvest glyphs (whatever means prosperity to you). Then place by your front door to invite prosperous vibes into your home this Samhain season.

DRESS for the Job: A Costume Spell to Increase Your Personal Power
You’ve heard people say dress for the job you want, not the job you have? This Samhain spell is FUN and no one will even know you’re casting a spell. In this spell, you’ll be wearing your magick. The first step is to decide on your intention. For example, let’s say I want to increase my witchy abilities and personal power. Then I put together a costume in which exudes witchy power and ability: i.e. a witch, sorceress, fairy queen, goddess, etc. Another example, if you’d like to draw prosperity or fertility to you, dress as an earth goddess or the Green Man/Woman.

Yes, you can buy a costume for this spell but I feel the more effort you put into creating it yourself, the better the outcome of the spell. For example, I might go to the thrift store and find a black dress. I bring it home and alter it just a bit by cutting the sleeves into strips at the end. Then I find a witch’s hat at my local craft store and add cobwebs, feathers and charms. Add accessories like my own personal amulets, ripped fishnets, and my favorite pair of black boots. The entire time I’m piecing my costume together, I’m visualizing or saying out loud my intentions. Then when I wear my costume on Samhain, I’m telling the gods who I aspire to be in the coming year.

Samhain Blessings for Your Friends and Family
For me, one of the best things about Samhain is being with my family and honoring my ancestors in the process. But, unfortunately, not all of my family lives near me. Some are hundreds of miles away. So, in these cases, I always try to send them a card or a note saying that I miss them and giving them Samhain blessings. Feel free to use my Samhain poems provided here as your own:

“Carve the pumpkin, light the candles, invite the ancestors in. May you be blessed with love and peace this Samhain.”

“Summer has come to an end. The ancestors knock on the door, May they bring Prosperity and Health to you and yours ever more.”

“May the old year die away peacefully. May your new year bring peace and prosperity. Samhain is the end and also an open door. To a loving, serene life anew, now and forever more.”

“It’s nearly Samhain and the ancestors have pierced the veil. Listen to the hounds bark and beware the banshee’s wail. May All Hallows’ Eve bring blessings to your door. And may you stay in the ancestors’ favor ‘ere more.“

Samhain Divination: Speaking to the Ancestors
Traditionally, witches have divined on Samhain for centuries. Samhain is the night when the dead return to visit the living. Communicating with our ancestors, ghosts, and even the elementals becomes easier than ever because the “veil” between this world and theirs is at its thinnest. My one big reminder if you decide to divine on Samhain: don’t forget to cleanse your space AND shield yourself. Otherwise, some of the spirits you speak to may not want to leave and could wreak havoc on Samhain.

Mirror Scrying
Mirror scrying is a practice that’s as old as time. Scrying on Samhain isn’t a new concept either. We literally have Victorian Halloween greeting cards showing young women scrying their future in the mirror. I doubt the Victorian era came up with the idea. When the first human peered into a pond and realized he could see his reflection staring back at him, witches realized they could use the water to divine messages from the spirit world. Obsidian mirrors were some of the first mirrors, so if you have an obsidian mirror or even just a black scrying mirror, that is perfect for this Samhain ritual.

Here’s what you’ll need: a mirror, a dark, quiet room, a bell and a few candles. A warning though: sometimes the mirror shows us things that might be unexpected. Sometimes if we stare at ourselves long enough in the mirror, our image may morph and take on an entirely different persona. Be aware that sometimes mirrors lie. Sometimes mirrors are even haunted and are a portal to another realm. My advice is to cleanse the mirror beforehand and ward with an amulet or a drawn symbol over the mirror before scrying.

Once you have everything prepared and you’re ready to scry on Samhain, it’s best to turn the lights low and light a few candles. Have a bell nearby, as well. Start by gazing softly at your reflection in the mirror. Then allow your gaze to shift towards the candlelight reflecting in the mirror. At this point, if you have a specific person, spirit or intention you’re scrying for, speak it or visualize it. Your answer will come. You may see it in the mirror physically or you may see it in your mind’s eye. Be sure to thank the spirits present and release them when you’re done. Ring the bell as a sign every spirit must leave and cleanse your space.

Who’s Your Future Husband? Apple Peel Initials
Another old school form of Samhain divination involves an apple, a pairing knife, and your desire to find out who your next partner or lover will be. Young girls in the Victorian era would play this as a Halloween parlor game, but it is essentially an old form of divination dating back centuries. The apple in and of itself is a powerful fruit connected to the spirit world. And it’s no wonder it’s also a symbol of the Samhain season.

To divine your future partner’s identity, take your pairing knife and gently, slowly peel the skin off your apple. Try to make the peel stay as one whole piece, if possible. Then toss the peel over your shoulder. The peel will curl up or lay in the shape of a letter. This letter is the initial of your next partner or lover’s name. You may already even know them.

Samhain Divination Tradition: Colcannon with Charms
Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish made and served on Samhain. To sum it up, it’s mashed potatoes with cabbage and sometimes leeks or bacon mixed in. With a hefty serving of butter. As a Samhain form of divination, some Irish families add charms to the Colcannon. These charms, when found by the person eating the dish, foretell that person’s future. A thimble means the person will be single in old age, a ring means a future wedding is near, and a coin means a prosperous year. You can add any charms you’d like, but just warn the people eating the colcannon so they A. don’t chip a tooth if they bite down and B. don’t choke on a coin! 

Samhain Explained

Samhain is probably the best known – and misunderstood – pagan holiday. Irish Gaelic for “Summer’s End” Samhain (pronounced Soo-Ween) is an ancient Pagan celebration marking the end of the harvest season and the start of the long, dark winter months.

For practicing witches, Samhain is the most holy of sabbats, marking the beginning of the Wheel of the Year. Long associated with death and ghosts, Samhain is thought to be a time when the veil between the seen and unseen world is the thinnest. The Latin American celebration of the Day of the Dead is borne out of this belief.

Modern Samhain Celebrations are a great time to set new intentions and goals for yourself. It is also a time to celebrate loved ones who have passed on.

SAMHAIN SYMBOLS
Colors: Black, brown, yellow, purle, gold, silver, red

Foods: Apples, pumpkins, roasted game birds, cider, dark wine, pears, root vegetables

Stones: Smoky quartz, amber, obsidian, pyrite, onyx, carnelian, turquoise

Symbols: bat, cat, blackbird, cauldron

Flowers: Calendula, sunflowers, wild gingseng, wormwood

Deities: Ishtar, Horned God, Orsis, Loki, Persephone, Cerrunnos, Dionysus

WAYS TO CELEBRATE SAMHAIN
Many traditional Halloween activities have roots in the ancient pagan celebration of Samhain. Jack-o-lanterns served as a beacon for departed spirits and those carved with scary faces were thought to keep evil spirits at bay. Halloween costumes were used as a sort of magick trick – if you dress up as who you want to be, it was more likely to come true.

If you want to take time to honor loved ones who have died, you can set up an altar with decorations and photos and other mementos. Samhain is a great time to gather with friends and family. You can throw a traditional costume party or host a bonfire.

DECORATE FOR SAMHAIN
You can skip the plastic Halloween decorations and instead use the vestiges of late Autumn to decorate your home for Samhain. including:

acorns

dried leaves

pine cones,

gourds and

dried flowers

POPULAR SAMHAIN FOODS
Popular Samhain foods include traditional autumn fare such as pumpkin pie, apples, cider, roasted meats, root vegetables, pears cinnamon and dark wine. To keep a Samhain party easy, make it a potluck and ask your guests to bring a favorite dish.

Samhain marks the beginning of the Wheel of the Year for Pagan traditions. It’s ancient roots helped shape modern autumn celebrations including Halloween. Pagan or not pagan, Samhain provides an opportunity to connect with family and friends, remember loved ones and look forward to a new season in life.

The Spiritual Meaning of Fall

The air is beginning to get crisp and the leaves are making their final brilliant warm-toned offerings before falling to become one with the Earth. As we also make our way through Libra season (September 23 – October 22), many of us may be feeling the melancholy that comes in the moments just before something or someone flies away. It can be a time of grief and mourning, a time to make peace with past versions of ourselves that we are outgrowing, and while traditionally associated with the harvest, autumn can be both spiritually potent and challenging as we resist or embrace change.

The fiery summer energy is winding down for the northern half of the Earth, beckoning us to honor both the idea and the reality of the harvest as part of this phase of the natural cycle of life. In many indigenous cultures, the year’s four focal points—the Winter and Summer Solstices and the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes—were believed to mirror the individual’s internal spiritual cycles or journeys. If we are attuned to how nature’s rhythms align symbiotically with our own, this consciousness may help us see how the phases of growth, harvest, death, and rebirth manifest in our own lives more clearly.

Shifting our ritual practices to those that honor what we have, celebrate our prosperity, and express our sincere gratitude in a ceremonial way can help bring more balance and harmony to the fertile soil of our personal growth cycles during the early days of autumn. This shift can feel destabilizing for some of us, especially if we’ve been caught up in the desire to hang on to late summer pleasures like rest and play, perhaps trying to push the arrival of the darker season back a little longer in our hearts and minds.

Whether we’re ready or not, things are slipping away as we enter the fall season. The light of the Sun and her warmth on our skin, the pauses from obligations as we basked in summer adventures, and the long-stretching days are now coming to a close. This might be just the right moment for us to invite more balance into our lives to ground and prepare ourselves for how cooler days could try to tip our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual balance in more ways than one. What’s one thing you could adapt or adjust in your daily routine to welcome a new equilibrium into your life with curiosity and intention?

Autumn Rituals + Harvest Ceremonies

For as long as humans have existed, they have ritualized birth, death, and rebirth through ceremonies and ritual gatherings, evoking magick through spells, potions, and other witchcraft practices. Autumn is a particularly vibrant season for people around the world to share in traditions that incorporate both spiritual and ancestral beliefs. Here are some rituals that highlight how people around the world shower this season in their gratitude and light with feasting, music, family, love, and other sacred offerings.

Mid-Autumn Festival (Throughout Asia + The Asian Diasporas)

Known by many names—Zhong Qiu Jie, Mooncake Festival, Chuseok, and others—the Mid-Autumn Festival is marked by the gathering of families and loved ones to share stories and to hold ancestral rituals. Also celebrated as the Moon Festival, many Chinese cultures view the full moon as symbolic of reunion, which is one of the reasons their families gather to share mooncakes and enjoy a reunion dinner together. To spark some kitchen magick, try Chinese Mung Bean Mooncakes with pumpkin filling, a high protein, vegan, and magickal dessert for the Moon rabbit and Moon goddess.

Diwali (India + The Asian/South Asian Diasporas)

Between October and November each year, South Asians take part in a festival of lights that has traditionally been associated by many celebrants with the goddess of prosperity, Lakshmi. The celebration is marked by wearing new clothes, exchanging gifts, eating special foods, adorning the home with colorful sand, lamps, candles, and other bright decorations, the exchanging of gifts, and lanterns symbolizing light’s triumph over darkness adorning all of the streets of the subcontinent and beyond.

Festival of the Yams (Ghana)

In the Volta Region of Ghana, Asogli Te Za (the Festival of Yams) takes place on the last day of September annually. Celebrating a good yam harvest is synonymous with giving thanks to the ancestors and the gods for a prosperous harvest and year. This festival involves music and dancing, local crafts and feasting. The cultural celebration is also said to honor farmers, their families, and unity among all peoples.

Mehregan (Iran)

Dating back to pre-Islamic times, Mehregan (also known as Jashn-e Mehr) is an ancient Persian festival during which families and friends gather to welcome in autumn. The ancient Persian goddess Mitra is honored by many celebrants, while others prefer to focus on the light, love, and kindness that radiates throughout their communities. At the start of lunchtime, household members will stand in front of a mirror, sing devotional songs, and pray. Following the meal, loved ones and invited guests exchange presents, embrace, and throw fistfuls of wild marjoram, sugar plum seeds, and lotus in merriment. Other traditions include drinking Sharbat and rubbing antimony around the eyes as a good omen.

Mabon (Scotland, Cornwall, + Wales)

With Celtic origins, Mabon is believed by some to have gotten its name from Mabon ap Modron, the Celtic god of fertility. Others say it comes from the Welsh God, son of the Earth Mother Goddess. This pagan holiday is one of the eight Wiccan sabbats of the year, celebrating the autumnal equinox and the mid-harvest festival (or second harvest). Apple picking in a ritual of gratitude is a common pagan tradition, as well as rituals to restore harmony and balance, altars that feature symbols of the season, and feasting.

Autumnal Equinox/Harvest Celebrations (North America)

Indigenous peoples throughout North America observe many different tribal celebrations during the autumnal equinox depending on their unique traditions. In Arizona, native tribes—including the Hopi and Navajo Indians—celebrate the equinox with vision quests during this time of year. Honoring the transition from lightness to darkness, many Indigenous Americans also hold full moon ceremonies, lasting up to several days and concluding with a blue corn pancake feast

Simple Nature Witchcraft for Fall Rituals

While many people fear and reject the idea of witchcraft as something that falls beyond societal norms, our ancestors often relied on magickal ways of thinking and performing rituals for coming together, marking important occasions, and in times of despair. If words like witch, warlock, and magick don’t resonate with you, you can always think of “magick making” as “fixing energy” or adjusting darkness by pouring light into someone or something. These four ritual practices can be done with few tools and on a shoestring budget, making them an accessible entry point for conjuring magick and personal growth.

The Sun
heals – charges – warms

Ritual Practice: A Solar Ritual to Connect
Moving into this new season, consider how you can harness the energy of sunrise and sunset. The early dawn is prime time for attracting or calling in wealth, fertility, and new beginnings. Sunset can be an ideal moment for purging, binding, or uncovering a hidden truth. Using freshly harvested solar herbs, you can also create a wand for protection and manifestation. Using a red or yellow cord, seal and wrap your fresh herbs somewhat tightly with the cord. As you wrap, powerfully speak (or visualize) your intentions. Every circle is a devotional knot to the intention you hold in your mind.

The Moon
connects – manifests – unlocks intuition

Ritual Practice: Making Herbal Amulets
The words amulet and talisman are often used interchangeably. An amulet is a container that can be filled with herbs, stones, or other meaningful items to promote or enhance magick. A talisman is more of a pendant, disk, or solid item where images are imprinted onto or carved into it. Amulets, as sacred objects, can help bring about positive changes in your life. Perhaps one of the oldest forms of magick, they can be found in all pagan rituals, as well as many modern practices. Full moons are especially excellent times to activate and create amulets.

The Ocean
cleanses – refreshes – opens energy centers

Ritual Practice: Waters of the World
In the 1980s, a new ritual for connectedness was created by Carolyn McDade and Lucile Schuck for a unique worship service for women’s spirituality. They called it “Coming Home Like Rivers to the Sea”, and gathered eight women in a semicircle around a large earthenware bowl. These women, all from different regions, were asked to bring water from where they called home and pour it into the bowl. As they described its significance, they released their water and joined it with the others to create a harmonious blend of the old, the new, and something uniquely collective and ephemeral. Read more here to get more inspiration and to learn how to recreate your own water-inspired ritual with friends and loved ones.

The Forest
grounds – balances – stabilizes

Ritual Practice: Grounding in Nature
Fall is a truly magickal season for (re)connecting with our Earth Mother. Nature’s healing powers are scientifically proven, but anyone attuned to energetic shifts will note the transformational powers of earthing, grounding, walking barefoot outside, moving meditations, or forest bathing. Witchy wellness tip: as you walk, stand, or sit in the forest (or other nature near you), visualize the Earth pulling out of you any negative energy and anything no longer serving you. Infuse your being with new, refreshed energy and express gratitude for the oxygen the plants are offering you, then reflect on what you’ve experienced.

Herbs for Fall Magick Making

Autumn magick offers us the opportunity to tap into our inner witches and warlocks. For newbies to magick, this introductory list provides some plants, potions, and spirit tools that may help you conjure spells and manifestations that will clear out negative energies and prepare you for a season of rebirth.

Here are 7 herbs for fall magick making that anyone can try:

1. For Kitchen Witches – Also known as the Green Witch, a kitchen witch follows an ancient path paved by herbalists, naturalists, spiritual ecologists, medicine women and men, curandero/as, and healers of all types looking to explore a spiritual conversation with nature. In the fall, you can try concocting magick within your sacred kitchen with Allspice, which has traditionally been used to call in money, prosperity, good luck, and abundance.

2. For Communing With Spirit Guides – Sacred smoke blends are made with herbs and flowers that offer different benefits and spiritual correspondences. Some herbs relax the body and mind, helping to deepen our connection to the spirit realm and open the third eye.

3. For Altars – There are countless herbs for love and fertility, broken hearts and trauma, protection, blessings, purification, and divination. Cinnamon is an incredibly versatile spice beyond the kitchen. In magick practices, it can be burned for purifying purposes, bundled to a tarot deck or other divination tool to charge it, or placed on an altar, among many other uses.

4. For Better Sex – One protection that is often overlooked when considering sex magick is the cleansing, protective magick of a good smudge. Palo Santo, the mystical tree that grows near the coast of South America and translates to “Holy Wood” or “Tree of Life”, has traditionally been used to clear bad energy and spirits that stagnate within spaces.

5. For Honoring Your Blood – Moringa is energy boosting and soothing, a high vitamin C mineralizer, and has the ability to purify water. As a detoxifier and blood cleanser, moringa is essential for keeping the witch within healthy and strong throughout this and other natural cycles.

6. For Mystical Seekers – Pau D’Arco is believed to increase spiritual awareness and psychic abilities, among many other mystical properties. Throughout time, many shamans have used it to support astral projection and to aid in spiritual journeys by accessing deeper levels of consciousness. Because it is also said to ward off negative energies and ill-willed spirits, it has also been used to protect against hexes, curses, and other bad spells, while it is also a magnet for good fortune and amplifying luck! All across South America, countless tribes have also employed it for diverse medicinal purposes, strength, and vigor for hundreds of years.

7. For the Lungs – In Traditional Chinese Medicine, autumn is a season associated with dryness, contracting, and going inward. As such, it corresponds to the lungs and the large intestine. It is believed that we are more vulnerable to respiratory “evils” during the fall, so a blend like the Breathe Tea can help support physical and energetic lung health. As the source processing for our grief and trauma, both tender and common in this season, giving extra attention to our respiratory system is wise. Whether stemming from environmental or energetic origins, the lungs are susceptible to toxic intake. Breathwork is a critical component of much magick, so “clearing the air” is one way for us to purify and protect our sacred vessels that channel divine life force.

This season, as shown by many distinct autumn rituals that persist in today’s modern world, is all about the balance of light and darkness. Yes, the Sun may start to offer us fewer daylight hours, but we can create our own warmth and illumination through sacred rituals and other conscious practices. Let’s make time for introspection, intention and appreciation for what is, so we’re ready for what’s to come!

Samhain. Ritual:

Solstices are the extreme points as Earth’s axis tilts toward or away from the sun—when days and nights are longest or shortest. On equinoxes, days and nights are equal in all parts of the world. Four cross-quarter days roughly mark the midpoints in between solstices and equinoxes.

We commemorate these natural turning points in the Earth’s cycle. Seasonal celebrations of most cultures cluster around these same natural turning point

Organizing our lives around the seasons and cycles and honouring the Holy Days is not a luxury extra, it is a radical necessity. The Earth urgently needs all of humanity to slow down and come back into intimate affiliation and rhythm with her.

The global climate crisis cannot be solved by external fixes, three day working weeks, artificial intelligence or new technologies. Solutions need to be led by the Earth on her own terms.

The holy days are our soul’s watering holes where we ritually recalibrate ourselves, express our full palette of colours, our innate wholeness, delight and reverence through self-styled ceremonies and celebrations.

They infuse our energy with joy and sublime gratitude, make our chosen actions more potent. They are how we open the weave, bring in all the tender ways of the sacred, give unbroken ancestral connection back to ourselves.

Ritual Setup:

Items for this ritual include: Two white candles and four black candles; Four small sprigs of bittersweet; One branch of bittersweet; Strands of black, white and red yarn cut to twelve-inch lengths placed in a basket on the altar; Pomegranate seeds in a bowl; A piece of candy.

Background
Samhain is a time of transition as the earth prepares for winter’s rest and we prepare for our journey through the dark of the year. Samhain is a time to reflect and remember ancestors, loved ones, including pets, who no longer walk this earth. It is important to remember them and speak their names.

Samhain is a time of transition when we begin our journey through the dark of the year. Just as Persephone descended to the Underworld to guide the spirits of the departed, so we descend into ourselves to find the path our spirits needs to follow. This year has waxed with the fullness of life and now wanes into shadow. Our souls take rest in the dark as the wheel of the seasons makes its final turn.

Cord Magic
Following are instructions for working with the cord during the ritual. Take three strands of yarn??”one of each color. Very slowly, twine them together. You can braid them or simply knot them together. Tie at least three knots. If you want to use more knots, do so in multiples of three. Work your love into the yarn. When you have finished, hold the yarn between your palms and send your energy to your loved ones. They will feel your warmth.

The Ritual
Holding the branch of bittersweet, walk widdershins (counterclockwise) around your circle, saying:
Tonight I cast my circle with bittersweet for tonight is bitter sweet with thoughts of those I love who have passed to Tir-na-nog. This is the time of Hecate, Cerridwen??”the Dark Mother who stands alone. This is the time to contemplate the cycle of life, death and rebirth for tonight the veil between the worlds is thin. The circle is cast. Hallowed is this space decreed.

Place the branch of bittersweet on the altar.

Place a sprig of bittersweet at the edge of your circle before calling each direction. Light a black candle after speaking.

I look to the North, place of silent caverns. Spirits of Earth, you nourish me in life and wrap your welcoming body around me in death. Gather here in the name of Inanna; in the name of Tammuz. Be with me this night.

I set my gaze to the East, source of breath. Spirits of Air, you are with me at the beginning and depart with me when I leave this realm. Be with me in the name of Astarte; in the name of Dumuzi. Be with me this night.

I call to the South, source of transforming flame. Spirits of Fire, your brilliant spark guides me through the cycles of life. Come in the name of Hestia, in the name of Horus. Be with me this night.

I turn to the West, place of deep wells and underground springs. Spirits of Water, you carry me through the ebbs and flows of life on your never-ending tides. Join me in the name of Isis; in the name of Osiris. Be with me this night.

Light one of the white candles after saying:
Dark Mother, you come to me alone this night in mourning for your son; in mourning for your consort. The God has departed to the Underworld and the Wheel of the Year follows him into darkness. Crone of the Ages, I call on you, be with me this night.

Light the other white candle, and say:
I take time to honor those I love, those who have gone before. In remembrance I speak their names.

Say the names of those you want to remember, then continue:
Hecate, Cerridwen, guide the spirits of those named here this night.

Take time to honor those you have named and to celebrate their lives. Hold in your mind the memories of those whose names you spoke. Think of how they have touched your life. Feel their presence with you in this hallowed circle.

Cord Magic
As you work with the cord/yarn chant:
Mother of Darkness, these names I share,
Of those I love now in your care.
Guide them gently with love so sweet,
Blessed be until we meet.

When you finish chanting, place the yarn on your altar. Set the piece of candy with it. This will carry the intention to sweeten your loved one’s journey into their next life.

Take the bowl of pomegranate seeds from the altar. Lift it and say:
This year has waxed with the fullness of life and now wanes into shadow. My soul will take rest in the dark as the wheel of the seasons makes its final turn.

Squeeze the pomegranate seeds, and with a finger place a drop of the juice on your lips, then say:
May my spirit find its path.

Take time to contemplate the dark months ahead and how it can be a time of renewal for you. Use your usual method of grounding.

Dark Mother, Ancient and Enduring One, guide me, watch over me and my loved ones both here and departed. I stand at this gateway with you and thank you for your gifts of restoration and renewal. Blessed be.
Extinguish both white candles. In turn, extinguish the black candles.

Water of Life, you sustain me before birth and nourish me as I grow. Spirits of Water, thank you for your presence this night. Stay if you will; go if you must. Blessed be.

Fire of Renewal, like a brilliant sun you warm me and remain forever a guiding light. Spirits of Fire, thank you for your presence this night. Stay if you will; go if you must. Blessed be.

Breath of Life, you carry me through my life as a constant companion to the rhythm of my heart. Spirits of Air, thank you for your presence this night. Stay if you will; go if you must. Blessed be.

Mother Earth, at my journey’s end may I return to rest in your loving cradle. Spirits of Earth, thank you for your presence this night. Stay if you will; go if you must. Blessed be.

If I fear death I cannot fully live, and if I fear life I will not find solace in death. Every beginning has and ending and every ending has a beginning. The cycles of my life continue in faith and unity with the love of the Goddess.

The Jack-o’-lantern

The Jack-o’-lantern is carried by a drunkard named Jack. Jack sold his soul to the devil, so that the devil would pay his pub tab. When the devil returned from the pub to collect Jack’s soul, the man tricked him into climbing a tree, then drew a cross under the tree, trapping the furious devil in its branches. Later, when Jack died and was rejected at heaven’s gates, he had to beg the devil for a place in hell. The devil was delighted at his chance to get revenge. He cursed Jack to wander the earth, with only a small frame for light. Jack put this flame in a carved turnip and used it as a lantern.

The Ignisfatus, or exhalation termed “Will-with-a-Whisp,” or “Jack-with-a-Lanthorn,” which is sometimes seen in churchyards, or marshy and fenny places in summer and autumn, was considered by many old inhabitants in this neighborhood, when the author was in his infancy, to be a kind of device of the evil spirit to draw human beings from the road they were pursuing into some frightful abyss of misery; and there leave them without any hope of regaining the enjoyment of happiness in the land of the living.

Stories of the origins of the jack o’ lantern are many and varied. Here are some of the ones I found:

A Stupid Devil
A popular legend giving the origin of the jack-o’-lantern in Wales deals with the idea of a stupid devil. A long time ago there lived on the hills of Arfon an old man of the name of Sion Dafydd, who used to converse much with one of the children of the bottomless pit.

One morning Sion was on his way to Llanfair-Fechan, carrying a flail on his shoulder, for he had corn there, when whom should he meet but his old friend from the pit, with a bag on his back, and in it two little devils like himself. After conversing for some time they began to quarrel, and presently were in the midst of a terrible fight. Sion fell to basting the devils with his flail, until the bag containing the two little ones went all to pieces, and the two tumbling out, fled for their lives to Rhiwgyfylchi, which village is considered to this day a very wicked place from this fact.

Sion then went his way rejoicing, and did not for a long time encounter his adversary. Eventually, however, they met, and this time Sion had his gun on his shoulder.

“What’s that long thing you’re carrying?” inquired the devil.

“That’s my pipe,” said Sion.

Then the devil asked, “Shall I have a whiff out of it?”

“You shall,” was Sion’s reply, and he placed the mouth of his gun in the devil’s throat and drew the trigger. Well; that was the loudest report from a gun that was ever heard on this earth.

“Ach! – tw! – tw!” exclaimed the smoker, “your pipe is very foul,” and he disappeared in a flame.

After a lapse of time, Sion met him again in the guise of a gentleman, but the Welshman knew it was the tempter. This time he made a bargain for which he was ever afterwards sorry, i.e., he sold himself to the devil for a sum down, but with the understanding that whenever he could cling to something the devil should not then control him.

One day when Sion was busily gardening, the evil one snatched him away into the air without warning, and Sion was about giving up all hopes of again returning to earth, when he thought to himself, “I’ll ask the devil one last favor.”

The stupid devil listened.

“All I want is an apple,” said Sion, “to moisten my lips a bit down below; let me go to the top of my apple tree, and I’ll pick one.”

“Is that all?” quoth the devil, and consented.

Of course Sion laid hold of the apple tree, and hung on. The devil had to leave him there. But the old reprobate was too wicked for heaven, and the devil having failed to take him to the other place, he was turned into a fairy, and is now the jack-o’- lantern.

The Welsh Story of Lantern Jack
This is one of the apparitions of the night, and one of the most mischievous and tricky of the ghostly family. What form or color he has we know not, as no one has ever clearly seen him; his lantern has been seen, and he has been heard splitting his sides with laughter at his own tricks, and the perplexity of those whom he might have led astray; and people say that his laugh was not unlike the loud sudden neighing of a horse.

His light was seen on dark nights like a lighted lantern on the sheep-paths on the hillsides. If he happened to be far off, no one was deceived, as his ungainly movements betrayed him as “Lantern Jack in search of his sheep,” and as the saying goes:

An ignis fatuus
Deceives not many of us.

The time when he generally succeeded with his mischief was when he found someone all alone travelling a path on open fields. He would begin by appearing as a small speck of fire, of a clear blue flame, which he moved before the wayfarer along the middle of the path until his attention had been secured; then the flame would gradually grow until its brightness would completely blind him, after which the traveler was entirely at Jack’s mercy, and he would lead him where he pleased.

Stories are related of men who have been led miles out of their way in this manner, especially young men going to see their sweethearts on dark winter nights.

The Spirits of Unrighteous Men
Jack o’ lanterns are the spirits of unrighteous men, which by a false glimmer seek to mislead the traveler, and to decoy him into bogs and moors. The best safeguard against them, when they appear, is to turn one’s cap inside out.

When any one sees a Jack o’ lantern, let him take care not to point at him, for he will come if pointed at. It is also said that if any one calls him, he will come and light him who called; but then let him be very cautious.

Near Skovby on the isle of Falster there are many Jack o’ lanterns. The peasants say they are the souls of land-measurers who in their lifetime had perpetrated injustice in their measurements, and therefore run up Skovby bakke at midnight, which they measure with red hot iron rods, crying, “Here is the clear and right boundary! from here to there!”

Another Jack o’ Lantern Story
There is, however, another story as to the origin of the jack o’ lantern. The haunting spirit is that of a blacksmith, who could get no admittance even into hell. He was very cold, and begged for a single ember to warm himself, and at last one was given him, and he has gone shivering about with it ever since.

Jack o’ Lanterns Baptized
Jack o’ Lanterns are, as tradition tells us, the souls of unbaptized children. Because these souls cannot enter heaven, they take their abode in forests, and in dark and desert places, where they mourn over their hard lot. If at night they get sight of any person, they run up to him, and then hasten on before him, to show him the way to some water, that he may baptize them therewith. And that no one should neglect to do, because the poor beings must remain without the gates of paradise until some one takes pity on them.

Jack-o’-Lantern Spell

One of my favorite childhood memories is carving a jack-o’- lantern and setting it outside for the whole neighborhood to see. A jack-o’- lantern’s warm glow can imbue magical feelings and deter negativity—they hide magic in plain sight.

This spell requires a pumpkin, a sharp serrated blade, a spoon, a bowl, a tealight candle, and a lighter.

Cut a circle on the top of the pumpkin. Remove the seeds with a spoon, place them in a bowl, and dispose of them outside if possible to give a treat to wildlife. Carve a face in the pumpkin that feels magical and alert. When you’re done, light the tealight and place it inside the pumpkin. Tap the knife against the pumpkin three times to awaken its spirit. Say:

Jack-o’-lantern, I call you forth to
create a magical community! May all who see you feel pure magic! Protect us against those who mean harm.
So Mote it be

Place the jack-o’-lantern outside somewhere safe facing the street. Replace nightly with a fresh tealight to recharge the magic.

10 Ways to Use Pumpkins in Witchcraft

Long before Cinderella’s fairy godmother sent her bewitched pumpkin carriage careening towards a royal party under a reckless magic spell, this mythical fruit vined its way into the legend of witchcraft.

Here are a few ideas to bring this classic spell ingredient into your magical practice.

10 Ways to Use Pumpkins in Witchcraft

* Dry roast the seeds and toss them in a mojo bag for prosperity. The fertile abundance of seeds inside a pumpkin perfect for success mojo bags.

* Use your jack-o-lantern to chase away negative energy. Did you know jack-o-lanterns were originally carved to chase away demons? In the spirit of this tradition, burn a charcoal disk with protection herbs like rosemary to turn away negative energy at the doorstop.

* Bury your kid’s spent pumpkin in the garden to “fertilize” a wishing spell. Never know what to do with your kid’s jack-o-lantern once Halloween is over? The pumpkin’s magical lore makes it “ripe” for wishing magic. Have your child write a goal for the springtime on a piece of (natural) paper, and bury it in the garden to bless his/her endeavors. Kids move so quickly from one phase to the next, seeing their “wish” come up in the spring will remind them of how far they walked since the beginning of the school year!

* Boil your cauldron. If your kitchen-witchy, make a batch of crock pot pumpkin soup
Be sure to include plenty of “heart-warming” magical spices like chili powder or cumin. Stir it clockwise four times and bless it for strong ties between family and friends. Then serve it to everyone!

* Leave it as an offering to the woodland spirits. Samhain is a time to honor those who came before you. Once you’re finished with your pumpkin, take it to woods and leave it as an offering to your ancestors. It also makes great deer food!

* Use it in a group Samhain ritual. Hollow out and carve a large pumpkin with symbols sacred to your tradition. Light a candle inside, go around the circle and talk about your year together as a group or coven. Discuss any remaining tensions, write them down and then agree to let them go with the start of the new Wheel of the Year. Place a candle inside the pumpkin lantern, and one by one, burn the paper. Watch it go up in smoke and let go.

* Save the stems. The stem dries out and cures pretty quickly. Leave it with your magical cabinet to boost wishing spells or prosperity spells during the next Wheel of the Year.

* Draw out your inner beauty. Mix 1/4 cup pumpkin puree with a splash of apple cider vinegar and an egg. Use it as a mask to bring out the “enchanting” side of your inner beauty.

* Place a pumpkin near your creative work space for inspiration and brainstorming. Pumpkins connote fanciful thinking and fairy tales. Use this energy in your work space to break out of box thinking and reach deeper.

* Make a bird feeder to connect with the spirit of fire and air. Invite winter-friendly birds near your home by making a bird feeder out a your pumpkin. When you notice a bird near it, say a blessing and send him off with to carry a wish or prayer skyward 

Earth Angels, Lightworkers, and the Watchers

Are you an Earth Angel?

Do you feel different from other people, as if you were dropped off on this planet and wonder when someones coming to take you home? If so, then you may be an Earth Angel. If you have a passion and talent for healing, teaching, or helping others, yet you yourself have substance abuse problems, weight issues, relationship challenges, and the like, then you may be an Earth Angel. If youre highly sensitive and you abhor violence in any form, then you may very well be an Earth Angel!

An Earth Angel is a soul with non-Earthly origins. Although all souls originate from the same Divine source, our environment and personal history often shape our personalities and physical characteristics. For instance, those who spend most of their time surfing at tropical beaches will have different looks and mannerisms than people who hole up in their inner-city offices every day.

Similarly, all of the lives youve previously lived have impacted you. And just as your physical family-of-origins shape your looks, behavior, even your lifes purpose. Again, the inside of everyone is the same: a beautiful, pristine spark for Divine light. However, as a light worker, your spark of light may have spent times in heavenly realms far from the earth. Those lifetimes that youve logged in the angelic realm, the elemental kingdom, or on other planets have influenced who you are today. Although you inhabit a human body, your soul feels like a traveler in a foreign country-because that is, in essence, what you are.

Not everyone is an Earth Angel, of course-for this role, God called in the biggest and brightest sparks of lighter for transition to the New Age of Peace. Those humans who arent Earth Angels are living lives purely for their own growth, rest, or enjoyment. They may seem dense or decidedly unspiritual, yet theyre Divine spark of life, too. Their lives have simply been dedicated to human, Earthly concerns.

The Earth Angels Vital Mission

If youre an Earth Angel, then youre a powerful light worker with a legacy of healing and miracles behind and in front of you. You accepted your Divine assignment to come to Earth and spread your teachings and healing energies. How has your assignment been so far? If youve have difficulty adjusting to Earthly life, then youll probably find answers, comfort, and guidance by remembering your spiritual origin.

You may discover that youre an Incarnated Angel or Elemental; a Starperson whose past lives have been extraterrestrial (ET); a Walk-in; or a Wise One, which is a reincarnated Sorceress, High Priestess, or Wizard. Youre a seasoned service worker called into action-an Earth Angel. You may have had past lives on Earth as an Incarnated Angel, Elemental, and such, yet you forgot these incarnations, believing that your past lives where human.

The term Earth Angel is not to be confused with Incarnated Angels, which is one of the five groups of Earth Angels. By learning about your spiritual realm of origin, youll understand more about your personality, behavior, and individual quirks. As I mentioned, this is similar to the was our astrological sun signs group us into meaningful categories.

The Healing Power of Lightworkers
by Doreen Virtue, PH. D.
Lightworkers are those who volunteered, before birth, to help the planet and its population heal from the effects of fear. Each lightworker is here for a sacred purpose. Very often, however, life on earth with its material focus creates a form of amnesia in lightworkers. They then forget their divine and perfect identities, and also their abilities to miraculously help the earth and all living creatures. When lightworkers forget their true identity and purpose, they feel lost and afraid.

You are a lightworker if you:
feel called to heal others want to resolve the world’s social and environmental problems believe that spiritual methods can heal any situation have had mystical experiences, such as psychic premonitions or angelic encounters have endured harsh life experiences that eroded the knowledge of your divine perfection want to heal your own life as a first step in healing the world feel compelled to write, teach, or counsel about your healing experiences feel a sense of time urgency to fulfill your mission before the know that you are here for a higher purpose, even if you are unsure what it is or how to fulfill it feel a sense of time urgency to fulfill your mission before the millennium shift

Everywhere on the planet right now, lightworkers are awakening to faint memories about why they came to earth. They hear an inner calling that can’t be ignored. This call is a reminder that it is now time to stop toying with material dreams, and get to work.

Many lightworkers are discovering innate spiritual gifts, such as psychic communication skills and spiritual healing abilities. These are the gifts that we volunteered to use to heal the earth and her population during the crucial decades surrounding the millennium.

Prophecies predicted our coming, and now it is time for us to fulfill our divine purposes. The world depends upon us!

We, who are lightworkers, don’t necessarily need to add anything to ourselves to prepare for our mission. We already have innate abilities, even if they are presently dormant. Instead, we need to work on releasing fears which keep us from feeling confident in our lightworker abilities. When you remind yourself that your power as a lightworker comes from your higher self and God, not from “you,” automatically you feel more assured of your abilities as a spiritual healer.

With our focused intent, thought, and spirit, we can heal anything. There are no limits, except those we place upon our healing abilities. We definitely can heal the earth with our spiritual approach. In fact, scientists have recently demonstrated that people can change water and air temperature and also cloud structures, purely through their thoughts.

Researchers have known for years that prayer positively affects plants and animals. These studies reveal something that many lightworkers have already known: our collective prayers and healing thoughts can avert prophecies of world trauma.

There is only one spirit and one mind, and we are all part of this collective intelligence and love. Miraculous results in scientific laboratories are demonstrating the factual basis of the oneness of all life. Last year, U.S. and Japanese scientists hooked-up test subjects to blood pressure and heart monitor machines. Simultaneously, in separate and sealed rooms, other test subjects were asked to think loving or angry thoughts about the people hooked-up to the machines.

At the exact instant when a subject held a loving thought, the monitored person’s blood pressure and heart rate significantly dropped. And then, at the precise moment when an angry thought was projected, the person’s vital signs sky-rocketed upward.

We who are lightworkers are already aware of the power of our thoughts. What we are continuing to learn, however, is that our thoughts arel.p. even more powerful than we suspected! A large part of our lightworker function, then, is to continuously monitor our own thoughts to ensure they are from a high and loving plane. When we occasionally slip into fearful or judgmental thoughts, we can release these thought forms to the angels which surround us, knowing that these spiritual companions want to help us fulfill our sacred purpose.

If your intuition is urging you toward a healing function, you can be sure that this is a Divine voice and not just wishful thinking. During the last several years, a spiritual call has been broadcast like a psychic “help wanted” ad asking for lightworkers to awaken to their healing roles.

Those who have heard the call sometimes contact me, asking for reassurance that this inner voice isn’t setting them up for disappointment or possible failure.

I can certainly understand this fear, since I experienced it myself. When I was a young mother of two and an uneducated housewife, I began having spontaneous visions in which I saw myself as a healer and author. These visions frightened me, because I didn’t think I had the time, money, or intelligence to succeed. So I began overeating to silence the inner voice and visions. I didn’t feel ready or qualified to awaken to my mission.

What I was doing was the equivalent of pushing the “snooze button” on my spiritual alarm clock. Overeating was my way of delaying God’s plan for me, because food would temporarily drown out the sound and sight of my Divine life plan. I gained nearly 50 pounds before I finally surrendered to the Creator and asked for help in making my inner vision a reality. I discovered that as soon as I committed to following my life purpose, doors opened up for me in succession. In miraculous ways that I could never have planned for, everything in my visions became a reality.

We cannot fail when we accept the mission we chose for ourselves prior to incarnation. The power and intelligence of the One mind makes no mistakes. We would not have been assigned our lightworker role, were we not perfectly qualified. Since we are made in the image and likeness of One who is all-knowing, all-loving, and able to heal anything, we can relax in the sure knowledge that we were born to heal.

THE WATCH
Also Known as Grigori)
Watcher Angels according to ThBook of Jubilees, are the sons of God sent from heaven to instruct the children of men; they fell after they descended to earth and cohabitated with the daughters of men — for which act they were condemned and became fallen angels. But not all Watcher angels descended; those that remain are the holy Watchers and they reside in the 5th Heaven. The evil Watchers dwell in the 3rd Heaven or in Hell.

The mysterious eighth order of angels, the gentle Grigori were created by God to be Earthly shepherds of the first humans.

The Grigori were both physically and spiritually gigantic, at least by the standards of the people who later wrote about them. They served early humanity as vast reservoirs of information concerning the finer points of civilization, and their selflessness was beyond compare.

They were also called the Watchers, as it was their job to observe humanity, lending a helping hand when necessary but not interfering in the course of human development.

As has been implied before, angels — though filled with God’s divine grace — are eminently corruptible in the corporeal world (physical plane) and, perhaps more importantly, when in the presence of humans. The Grigori, designed as the type of angels farthest from divine, proved to be so much more corruptible that it wasn’t long before their enormous zest for physical life, proved to be their undoing, from a spirititual perspective.

They took husbands and wives among the humans and led greatly debauched lives, neglecting their heavenly duties.

Legends tell us that the children the Grigori begot were hideous, misshapen monsters, now known in demonic circles as the Nephalim, and that a group of angels were quickly dispatched to destroy the half-breeds, after which the Grigori were damned to Earth for the remainder of their long lives.

This is mostly true. The Grigori, both for the sin of lust and for neglecting their duties, were banned from Heavenly society, doomed to spend the remainder of their days roaming the Earth.

The Seraphim Council believes that even speaking the name of the Grigori disturbs the Symphony — they refer to them as the Watchers, since that was their original duty. What few angels know, even today, is that besides their more famous gigantic spawn, the malevolent Nephalim, the Grigori did successfully engender half-breed children, part-angel and part-human.

Angels are strictly forbidden to associate with the Children of the Grigori or, God forbid, any actual remaining Grigori they might run across in the course of a mission.
Amaros – Taught men the resolving of enchantments.
Araqiel (Arakiel) – Taught men the signs of the earth.
Azazel – Taught men to make knives, swords and shield; to devise ornaments, coloring tinctures for the beautifying of women, etc.
Baraqijal (Baraqel) – Taught men astrology.
Ezequeel (Ezekeel) – Taught men the knowledge of the clouds.
Gadreel – Introduced weapons of war to mortals.
Kokabel (Kawkabel) – Taught the science of the constellation.
Penemue – Instructed mankind in writing “and thereby, many sinned from eternity to eternity and until this day. For man was not created for such a purpose.” Penemue also taught the children the “bitter and sweet, and the secrets of wisdom.
Sariel – Taught men the course of the moon.
Semjaza – Taught men enchantments, roots cutting, etc.
Shamshiel – Taught men the sign of the sun.

The Watchers and the Watchtowers
Know the history of the Watchers and Watchtowers and why they are called upon in circle. If you don’t know their purpose, why call?

Early History
They are considered an old race who have gone past the need for physical bodies. Some claim they are light.

There are legends that say they came from the stars. They are the ones known as the Watchers. It is claimed that each of the four Watchers reigns over one of the four directions of the circle.

There were star cults in Mesopotamia around 3000 bce. One of the beliefs of these cults was that there were four major stars, each ruling over one of the four cardinal points. These stars where known as “Lords” or “Watchers.”

The Watcher of the East was the star Aldebaran.This star marked the time of the Vernal Equinox. The Watcher of the South was Regulus, marking the time of the Summer Solstice.

Marking the Autumnal Equinox was Antares, Watcher of the West. The North Watcher was the marker of Winter Solstice, Foralhaut.

Actual towers, called Ziggurats (cosmic mountains) were built as a form of worship. Each tower bore the symbols of the Watchers. During ritual celebrations the symbols were traced in the air with torch flames or wands, and the Watchers names were called.

The Watchers were thought of as gods that guarded the heavens and earth. Lunar and Solar cults eventually replaced the Star cults.

The Watchers became the gods of the four winds to the Greeks. The Christians took them over as “guardian angels.”
The Hebrews taught that all angels, known to them as Watchers, were ruled by four “higher” angels. They became the “Archangels” to the Cabalists.

John Dee 1527-1608 and Edward Kelly 1555-1597 and Enochian Magic

It is said Edward Kelly was a seer and alchemist, and John Dee was a sage. Kelly “received messages” from a group of beings of the spirit who claimed they were the same who had instructed Enoch. As Kelly received these messages, Dee wrote them down. His writings now compose the magickal system known as Enochian Magic. It is a system of angel magic influenced by Judeo-Christian beliefs.

The doctrine of Enoch is mathematical. According to Dee and Kelly, there are 49 tables of large number and letter squares. There are 48 Gates of Understanding, one gate can not be opened. The 49 tables has 49 rows by 49 columns. The directions of the angels, known as the Enochian Keys, were extracted from these charts.

There are 48 “Calls” or “Keys” that open the gates of these “astral residences.” These are symbolically represented by a large letter square. It is divided into four parts by a large cross, called “The Black Cross” by Dee. These four quadrants are called the Watchtowers. You are able to access 12 astral cities through each Watchtower.

The Watchers are the angels who live in these astral cities. In order for the angels to leave their cities and enter human consciousness the gates to the Watchtowers must be opened. Each city is represented in the table by a set of letters in numerical and geometric pattern.

The four Watchtowers guard the 4 extremities of the universe. These Watchtowers are said to have been formed at the time Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden.

The Watchtowers contain all human knowledge and command the elemental spirits. They are said to also have the power of the transformation of things. They hold the secrets to all of mankind.

Modern Use of the Watchtowers
The Modern use of Watchtower Elementals is said to be derived from the works of Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelly.

It is also said that Aleister Crowley introduced Gerald Gardner to the Elementals (see below), who then wrote them into his own work.
Many Wicca systems have their own versions of the Watchtowers and Watchers. Some see the Watchers as demi-gods, spiritual teachers, cosmic intelligence or beings composed of light. In some eclectic solitary systems, they may not be used at all.

The Watchers are known as Lords, Elemental Rulers or Guardians of the Elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water. These Elements are said to be populated by Elementals, a type of spiritual creature.

The Gnomes populate the Element of Earth and are seen as “Little People” or green light. They are the givers of stability and material gain. They also protect circles cast outdoors.

Sylphs are of the Air and are seen as fairies or white light. They hold the keys to knowledge, dreams and wishes, and are protectors of magickal applications.

The salamanders inhabit the Element of Fire and may be seen as dragons or lizards. They are protectors of the home or business. Undines, the Elementals of Water, may be “merpeople”, sirens, or pink light. Undines are protectors of the gates of death and karma.

It is taught in some systems of magick that there are two sets of portals in a magick circle. Picture a circle within a circle. The inner circle contains Portals of the Elementals at the East, South, West and North. The outer circle contains the Portals of the Watchers, also known as Astral Portals. The corridor between the circles is known as “The World Between the Worlds.”

Some are taught that this dimension must exist for ritual and/or magickal energies to flow between the Worlds. The Elemental Portals represent the point of access to the Elemental Plane which exists between the Physical and Non-Physical, or Astral, Dimensions. The Elemental Rulers guard the Portals between this World and the Astral.

Some consider it a circle within a square, with the Watchtowers at the outer corners.

The Watchers are said to guard the direct access to the Astral Plane. Each Watcher has its own Watchtower. It is taught they have the power to cancel your magick.
GreyWing does not agree with the above teaching. She does not use the Watchers, nor does she think they are necessary, but that is her opinion. She does call on the powers of the Directions. If a spell has not worked she feels it is not right to say “The Watchers were against my working.” It is more likely that you were unsure of what you were doing, and your subconscious overrode your intended outcome. The mind is a powerful thing, conscious and subconscious.

There are magickal gestures to announce that a magickal rite will be performed. Such a gesture is the drawing in the air of a Pentagram.

These gestures, along with tools and clothing such as robes, are to get you into the proper frame of mind for magickal work, a signal to let your subconscious mind that something special is about to happen.

The Watchers may be called upon to guard the Circle and witness the ritual to be performed. Every time you perform a spell you are sending out strong vibrations to the entire universe. No matter how good your intentions are, you may be at risk when you work a spell. For this reason some witches call upon the Watchers for protection. If in your self-initiation ritual you called on a Watcher to be with you, he/she will always watch and aid you in future magickal endeavors, if you so choose.

They may also assist in a Wiccan’s spiritual growth, but that too, in GreyWing’s opinion, is actually in your own hands. If you are not ready, your mind will drift, letting you know the time is not right for you.
Every time you perform a spell you use the essences of the four elements, earth, air, fire and water. For example, candle magick uses Fire and Air.

It is important to know what each element means when you call on them. What do you mean by Air? You have to know which manifestation of Air you need for your working. This needs to be decided before you begin your circle so that the aspect of the element you wish to call is correct for what you are doing.

Will you choose the Watchers or not? It is for you to decide.
“the Fathers of the beginning,…the Mothers, the Spirits who were before the first spirit…” 

Defensive Magick

This, again, is mostly for working with nature spirits, ghosts, and daemons. Make sure you know what you are doing, and do not start something first. Although you might feel threatened, it does not mean they are malicious or trying to hurt you. Test the energy first, and if you are unwelcomed, leave. You do not want to be powerless against something much, much more powerful than yourself, and you definitively do not want to start something with an entity much more powerful than yourself. This is a last resort.
Keep your magickal space clean. Smudge it regularly to get rid of negativity. Nature spirits do not like unclean areas, especially earth spirits. They will take your things and hide them, or they will disappear altogether. Place protective symbols on your doors, windows, and mirrors. Look into hoodoo and voodoo floor washes if you can, and keep it tidy and looking neat. Recharge your area regularly.
Keep an open-mind. Some spirits just down right hate humans, but have valuable lessons to tell and can be interesting to see as to why they hate us so much. Others like to help and guide us, and can shed new light on situations or turn them around completely. Some may have a very strong dark energy that you might not fully understand, or some may intimidate you. Sometimes a deity will not be what you are expecting, and can frighten you, but remember: they do not go by our human morals or ethics, for they are not of this plane or humanly world.
Be gracious. Give thanks to them, if they were willing to talk or make their presence known. Even if they do not, thank them for listening. Don’t forget about them and put them on the ‘back burner’ because that may infuriate them.

Honouring The Graveyard

One of the easiest ways to feel the thinning of the veil and honor the dead is to visit a local graveyard. (Only visit a cemetery during posted visiting hours!) Walking the grounds and collecting trash and litter that you might find among the headstones is a great way to show respect and care for the resting place of those who have passed on. You could also leave fresh flowers as offerings on forgotten or neglected graves. These are great ways to gain some powerful spiritual allies.

In the early 1900s, many people used to have picnics at local cemeteries (something that’s still seen among those who celebrate the Mexican Day of the Dead), and this is a practice worth reviving. Find a nice grassy spot at the cemetery and prepare a plate for the dead as an offering. You can also close your eyes and extend your senses outward to find out if any of the dead have partaken of your offering or have something to share with you. 

Short Notice Travel Protection Charm

If you’re called to make an unexpected trip and don’t have time to prepare a full-sized bottle charm, making a braid or knot-string out of white yarn or string. As you tie it, say seven times over:

By water and fire, by sky and by stone,
This charm will see me brought safely back home.

Tie the string around your wrist or ankle for the duration of the trip. You can remove it when you return home or let it fall off on its’ own

How to use the Moon Phases for Spells and Magick

Ready to make your spells more powerful? Want to learn how to make your spells work faster? Use the timing of the Moon to add more energy to your spells and intentions!
For centuries, our ancestors have looked up at the sky and using what they saw for timing, healing, predicting, and adoration. When we look to our grandmothers and great grandmothers, we find that they hold a drop of knowledge leftover from the old days, when we were still connected to the Earth and Sky.
Luckily, this knowledge hasn’t been totally removed from our culture! Our Neo-Pagan and Wiccan sisters and brothers still work, live, and dance by the phase of the moon!
Here is how we use the phases of the moon for spell timing!
An image for sharing on Pinterest.
How to use the Moon Phases for Spells and Magick
New Moon
Reflect and meditate on your internal needs and goals.
Give thanks to your inner strength.
Cast binding spells.
Use this dark moon as a final and powerful time to remove or release large or powerful obstacles from your life.
Begin work to fill the void (left from removing obstacles) with positivity.
Begin work to bring things into your life.
Waxing Crescent Moon
(Starting on the third day of the New Moon)
Cast spells to bring something into your life.
Cast spells for new beginnings.
Cast magick for positive change.
Cast spells for increasing protection.
Begin slow, steady long-term manifestation work.
Use the visualization and mantra: As the moon grows to be full, so, too, shall [your wish] in my life.
First-Quarter Moon
Mid-Waxing Check-in: How did your waxing moon spell go? Does it seem to be working? Has it manifested? If not, pivot, and re-cast now.
Waxing Gibbous Moon
(Ending on the first day of the Full Moon)
Cast spells for rapid growth.
Cast minor spells for quick manifestation.
Full Moon
Reflect and meditate on where you are in life.
Give thanks to how full your life is.
Charge your crystals, tools, and talismans.
Cast spells for psychic awareness.
Cast spells for enlightenment.
Cast spells for powerful protection.
Waning Gibbous Moon
(Starting on the third day of the Full Moon)
Cast spells to remove things and harmful energies/situations from your life.
Cast banishing spells.
Begin magick to remove long-time habits and energy from your life.
Use the visualization and mantra: As light is removed from the moon, so, too, shall [your bane] be removed from my life.
Third-Quarter Moon
Mid-Waning Check-in: How did your waning moon spell go? Does it seem to be working? Has that obstacle, item, person, or illness been removed from your life? If not, pivot, and re-cast now.
Waning Crescent Moon
(Ending on the first day of the New Moon)
Cast spells for rapid removal.
Cast minor spells for quick removal.

Personal Wards

For personal wards, the same visualization techniques apply, just on a smaller scale. And it’s perfectly acceptable to use a different visualization for your personal wards than you do for your property wards. For example, I find it much easier to use a bubble or a circular containment figure for my personal wards than the webs I use on my home. When visualizing a personal ward, you’ll picture the same construction process, but around yourself rather than a space or a dwelling.

Personal wards move and travel with you. They bend and flex as needed, and can be as large or as small as you like. They can fill a whole room or hover just a hairsbreadth above your skin. It all depends on how much space you need to feel safe and what your personal boundaries are.

Regardless of the size, shape, appearance, or location of your ward, it has one purpose – to protect that which is inside. And once you’ve built it, it generally stays in place until you dismantle it or refresh it. Wards can fade over time, simply from day to day wear of repelling bad luck or whatever harm you’re keeping away. Personal wards generally last for a much shorter period of time than property wards. I would recommend refreshing a personal ward on a daily or weekly basis, where a property ward might only need bolstering monthly or semiannually. Tying personal wards to clothing or jewelry can increase the longevity of the magic, but it will still need to be re-upped occasionally.

Again, you’ll still need to employ mundane safety measures with your magical protections, be they personal or property-based. And if you’re in an unsafe situation, do not, for heaven’s sake, rely on magic to get you out of it. Use common sense and be prepared as far as is reasonably possible.

Blanket Spell

There’s something about a soft, cozy blanket that makes us feel safe and secure. Use this spell to make your favorite blanket extra special by charging it for a specific purpose, such as comfort, healing, or self-love. First, be sure the blanket is clean and dry. Take it outside and shake it thoroughly, visualizing the air enhancing its freshness. You can even hang it on a clothesline for a few hours if you wish to soak up the sun’s warm energy.

The next step is to light some incense and slowly wave the smoke over the blanket, visualizing the blanket being purified and ready for charging. The final step is to roll or fold the blanket so it’s small enough to hug tightly against your chest. As you hold it, charge it by visualizing your specific intent. Chant these words to seal the spell:

As I will,

My purpose fulfill.

This blanket will serve

This need I deserve (state your intent).

Each time you use the blanket, it will reinforce its purpose. Recharge it periodically as desired.

Slavic Spirit: Leshi

Leshi has been known and honored as a woodland spirit or even Deity for centuries. Eastern Slavs call Him “Leshi”, “Lesovik” or “Lisovyk” (although the term Lesovik sometimes may refer to a slightly different woodland spirit), “Lyasun”, “Polisun”, “Visel”, “Blud”, “Lesun”, and sometimes even simply “Les” (Forest). Some also call Him Master of the Woods, Forest Father, Forest Uncle, Wild Man, Woodland Demon, and even Forest Saint and Forest Cherub.

The earliest time He was included in Slavic Divine Pantheon is XVIII century (Pantheon published by Popov, 1768). They say that even in XIX century, peasants claimed that Leshi was more likely to exist (more real to them) than monkeys: “My uncle and many other villagers said they encountered Leshi, yet none of them ever saw a monkey in their lives.” In the Carpathian Mountains, legends of Leshi mingle with the ones of a Bigfoot – Hutsul people call this spirit Chuhaister and believe He helps people find their way out of the woods and eats malevolent spirits like Nyavki.

He appears as “tall as the tallest tree in the woods” or “as short as the shortest weed”. He can take a form of any woodland animal or even a person: a man, a woman, or a child. However, whenever He assumes a human form, a watchful eye can tell this is no ordinary person, for He always has some defect that points out Him belonging to the Spirit world, such as absence of one (right) ear, eyebrows, or eyelashes, or a large wart that seems to be shifting all over His face, His eyes may appear crossed or have a strange green glow about them; His clothes has no buttons, and the edges of his shirt or coat are thrown right over left (normally it should be left over right on man’s clothes), or may be worn inside out or backwards. His long greenish-gray hair is always combed towards the left side. He may also be discovered if a man looks at Him over right ear of his horse. As many other spirits, Leshi does not wear a belt.

Bears and horned owls are His favorites. He may appear as a horned owl Himself or have one upon His shoulder, and his laughter sounds just like the cry of the horned owl. Poles even believe that Leshi takes a form of an owl sitting on an old tree and avoided cutting such trees down. Some Russians say, He could be found not on a tree but in a hole on an old tree: “In a hole in a tree you’d see an owl, or a Satan Himself”.

Magpies are considered His messengers, for they always make a lot of noise whenever they spot a human in the woods (to be honest, magpies also announce presence of other predators). Generally, all animals and everything in the woods, down to the smallest weed, obey to Him. This is why hunters and shepherds were considered magical people, for in order to provide a successful result of a hunt or keep all the domestic animals in the herd safe, they needed to make a pact with Leshi. Even the woodcutters could not cut a tree down in the woods without asking Him first, for in the woods He is absolute master.

Leshi travels on His own special trails, or the ones left by the animals, but no one could ever see His tracks, for the wind blows them over, or even if someone is lucky (or unlucky) to find them, he or she may be utterly confused, for He wears shoes on the wrong feet or sometimes even two left shoes on both of His feet.

Leshi is considered generally benevolent, although sometimes He is known to play pranks on people, especially those who come into the woods on the wrong time, without a blessing, or act negligent towards the forest. When one keeps circling in the forest and can’t find his or her way out, people say: “Leshi is leading him or her in a circle.” In order to confuse one on his path, Leshi only has to walk around that person in a circle. Sometimes, He may also scare people in the woods with mad laughter. To protect oneself from Leshi’s pranks, one needed to change himself according to Leshi’s way: twist all of his clothes inside out and put it on, and also switch shoes and put them on the wrong feet. Another way to break Leshi’s charms is for one to look in between his legs or say Leshi’s favorite saying: “I walked, I found, I lost.” Then Leshi is supposed to come out from behind the tree with words: “You figured it out!” and disappear after that. They also say that Leshi does not like salt and would never approach a fire to which salt was added. This may actually spur from Christian belief that all demons hate salt, for it is blessed in the church and used in Christian rituals (such as blessing of the water). An amulet against Leshi was “lutovka” – a basswood chip with no bark on. However, best protection against Leshi was knowing and respecting the “ways of the forest” (no wandering off if you don’t know where you are going, no following animal trails unless you’re a hunter, and of course, treating the forest and its inhabitants with respect – no dumping or cursing while in the woods!), as well as offerings: bread and two hard-boiled eggs, a gingerbread cookie, or a crepe. Actually, they say Leshi never forgives those who curse in His presence and sometimes takes away children who were cursed by their parents: “May Leshi take you!” They say that as soon as a woman in labor, exhausted from pain and effort says these words, her child immediately becomes property of Leshi, and He would take the child away as soon as the opportunity presents itself. These “kidnapped” children become His children, and if no one finds and blesses (or names) them within seven years, they may become malevolent spirits that lure passbyers, gatherers, and travelers into the woods to their death.

Vepss people (a Karelo-Finnish ethnicity in the Russian North) believe that Leshi needs to be thanked with food that bear prefers. Also, in the Russian North, woodcutters left little “notes” for “the Saint of the Woods” under the rowan tree – once they placed a branch of rowan and several rowan sticks against their heart.

Shepherds made “pacts” with Leshi by throwing a key and lock into the woods, in the hope that Leshi would use it to “lock” the herd in one place (or “lock” teeth to the wolves). This service was paid for with milk, and occasionally, a couple of cows. When a cow went missing, the shepherd or the mistress threw bread over the heads of remaining animals – this was an offering to Leshi in exchange for the missing cow.

Leshi was honored on certain holidays, such as Easter – peasants left an Easter egg on a woodland stump or at the crossroads of woodland trails (tentative date of the holiday uninfluenced by Christianity falls on April 4), Agafon’s Day (Leshi’s “Birthday”) – on this day He was believed to throw the sheaves of grain around if not paid proper respect, and His Farewell Day (October 4/17), when He was best not to be disturbed as He was getting ready for winter.
Leshi is normally envisioned as a solitary spirit. Two Leshis in one wood are believed to fight over their territory, although, according to Ukrainian beliefs, they may occasionally play a game of cards. The losing Leshi has to send His squirrels and hares into the forest of the winner (this is how Ukrainians explained mass migration of wild animals during a wildfire). In Russia, tales of mystical “battle of cards” of 1859 exist. They say that Western Russian and Siberian Leshis had a game of cards, and Siberian Leshi had to send a whole “army” of taiga hares over Ural Mountains into Western Russia.

Despite being a loner, Leshi is believed to have a wife – a hairy woman with tangled hair and breasts so large She needs to throw them over Her shoulders. Lesovichka (Leshi’s wife) is believed to have similar powers to Leshi, although tales about Her are not as common; however, her appearance is sometimes used to explain Leshi’s occasional liking for human girls and women (who were also considered more likely to be attacked by bears, and therefore avoided going in the woods alone or without offerings). Some also believed that Leshi could not marry a human woman unless she was cursed by her parents. Sometimes, Leshi is also believed to have a swamp Kikimora for a wife.

It is also believed that Leshi is afraid of calico cats, dogs that have a pair of light spots over their eyes (seer-dogs or Yarchuky), black roosters, as well as some other spirits, such as Domovoi and Bannik. He also rivals with Vodyanoi by trying to plant things in the water (Vodyanoi’s domain) and thus creating swamps.

One of the items associated with Leshi, aside from His traveler’s staff is the horn that Leshi uses to summon the woodland animals (in some tales, He just whistles instead). Generally, Leshi is not known to carry too many things with Him – at times, He may appear to mushroom pickers as another forager, holding a basket of mushrooms.

Good or evil, merciful or tricky, Leshi is the Forest, its very essence: good and bad, dangerous and resourceful. Let’s not forget this and respect the woods just as if they were a living being!

Let’s live in harmony with ourselves and Nature!

Sabbat Herbs

Samhain
Chrysanthemum, wormwood, apples, pears, hazel, thistle, pomegranates, all grains, harvested fruits and nuts, the pumpkin, corn.

Yule
Holly, mistletoe, ivy, cedar, bay, juniper, rosemary, pine. Place offerings of apples, oranges, nutmegs, lemons and whole cinnamon sticks on the Yule tree.

Imbolc
Snowdrop, rowan, the first flowers of the year.

Eostara
Daffodil, woodruff, violet, gorse, olive, peony, iris, narcissus, all spring flowers.

Beltane
Hawthorn, honeysuckle, St. John’s wort, woodruff, all flowers.

Midsummer
Mugwort, vervain, chamomile, rose, lily, oak, lavender, ivy, yarrow, fern, elder, wild thyme, daisy, carnation.

Lughnasadh
All grains, grapes, heather, blackberries, sloe, crabapples, pears.

Mabon
Hazel, corn, aspen, acorns, oak sprigs, autumn leaves, wheat stalks, cypress cones, pine cones, harvest gleanings