Samhain (sow-en) is the Witch’s New Year, a time to look back at what has passed, and consider the path ahead. Much like at secular New Year, we bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.
Samhain is a cross quarter day; strictly speaking that means the actual date and time fall on the exact midpoint between the quarter days before and after this sabbat, those being the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice.
Most modern witch’s celebrate Samhain in the Northern Hemisphere at the time of Halloween or Dios de Muerta. Southern Hemisphere witches celebrate this sabbat April 30 or May 1.
The 2020 astrological date for Samhain is November 7 at 4:56 pm CST. A quick internet search will yield that information for all of the sabbats, but honestly it doesn’t matter if you observe a sabbat a few days before or after the actual date, the general rule is a three day window of energy (the day before, the day of, and the day after). It’s the intent that counts. And if you think about it, traditional witches of old probably timed their devotions and rituals more by the signs in nature around them, as we can too.
Pagan observances traditionally followed an agricultural calendar of tilling, sowing, harvesting, and preserving. Late October to early November is a logical ending point to the year as the harvest is in and the work is done. But it hardly feels like a new beginning—wouldn’t that be planting time? Not exactly, because as every farmer knows, for the best crop the soil must lay fallow before being planted for another year. Samhain is the season when the earth lays in wait and the planter plans the next year's crops.
Birth - Death - Rebirth
In the Goddess-God mythology, at Samhain the Lord of the Harvest, dies in sacrifice for the good of the people. He retreats to the underworld, where he waits to be reborn again at Yule as the Holly King. The expectant Goddess withdraws from the earth to await the birth of the child she is carrying. She will return in spring as the maiden.
The cycles of the Goddess and God are meant to reflect the cycles of nature, where we see decay and death through fall and winter, followed by the renewal and growth of spring and summer. It’s easy to see that the ancients perceived life force retreating to some underground realm, where it lay in wait to re-emerge when the sun grew strong again.
In agricultural societies, the dark months of the year were also the time for more contemplative pursuits. Late fall and winter offered a time to rest and withdraw, metaphorically, a time to contemplate what was sown, tended and reaped throughout the year, assess achievements and failures, and make plans for the year ahead.
The Dear Departed
Samhain is also considered the time of year when the veil separating the worlds of the living and the dead is the thinnest, making it the best time to honor and connect with loved ones who have crossed over. For our ancestors, I’d be willing to bet that this, too, was because of more time on their hands, especially in the longer hours of darkness. Sitting by lamplight, spinning wool, doing needle work, sharpening and repairing tools . . . all very trance inducing.
Consider laying a tribute altar for your ancestors this month, adding their photos or other personal items connected to them, such as jewelry, keys, and trinkets. Along with photos, my ancestors altar includes my father’s police whistle and badge, a few pieces of my mother’s jewelry that have significance to me, my grandmother’s rosary and a crescent moon made of blue glass, for my grandfather’s tavern, The Blue Moon.
If you want to keep it really simple, put your ancestors photos in an album. Place it on a shelf or coffee table with a candle and a dish to hold a few trinkets. Any time you wish to work with a specific relative, you can open the album to their photo.
Plain white candles are perfectly fine for your ancestor altar, but if there are scents you associate with any of your ancestors, a fragranced candle will add a layer of connection energy. For example, when my parents were dating, my father gave my mother a gardenia to wear in her hair every Saturday night. When I spied a gardenia candle in a decorative tin at a home store, I knew it was meant for my altar. Lilac scent is for my grandmother. Spice scents are for my father.
When you light your candles, take a few moments to recall your memories of loved ones. Thank them for what they gave you in life. Ask them to watch over you now. Ask for their blessings and give them your blessings in return. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. I thank my ancestors for their courage and wisdom and ask that both live on in me.
Leave offerings of candy or other food they enjoyed. I pour a shot glass of whiskey (for my father) and infuse it with cinnamon candies for my mother. Partake of what you offer—my own personal gnosis is that our departed loved ones experience the senses of their former mortal life though those descendants still living. In other words, my mother loved cheesecake, so whenever I have a slice, I especially savor the first bite while inviting my mother to enjoy it with me.
Consider preparing some of your ancestors favorite dishes during this time. Set a place at your table for departed loved one. Leave a plate of food outside your door on Samhain night.
Spirit Communication
The time of the thinning veil also lends itself to divination. October is the month to read your tarot cards, work with your pendulum, or throw your runes to deepen your understanding and relationship with these tools. If you’re new to divination, this is the month to test run a few different channels of communication and see what might spark with you.
Whether or not you believe it’s possible to communicate with other worldly spirits, it should not be taken lightly. If you are new to all of this, Instead of attempting direct communication, you might ask for a message in the form of a dream or a sign. At the very least, cast a protective circle and invite only those who wish to come forward, and who agree to depart back to the spirit realm. I just found out in the last week, from two different mediums, that my grandmother has possibly been camped out at my house since I summoned her to help me with a problem, nearly 15 years ago. It’s cool if she wants to stay, but I need to check with her about that.
Next time, I'll post about Samhain correspondences and activities. However you decide to observe this sabbat, may you have a Happy and Blessed Samhain!
~ Blessed Be and Journey Well
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Links for further exploration and study:
Finding Quarter and Cross Quarter dates: http://www.russellcottrell.com/celticdate/
Celebrating Samhain by Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary: https://www.circlesanctuary.org/index.php/celebrating-the-seasons/celebrating-samhain
A lovely video by Miss Julie Carol to set the tone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njoJTpXptks
Demeter, Persephone and the Seasons http://www.patheos.com/blogs/teaaddictedwitch/2018/09/persephone-autumnal-equinox/