Samhain; An ending and a new beginning

Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the dark months of the year. It’s also known as the witch’s new year. Samhain is a fire festival celebration that marks the halfway point between the Autumn Equinox (Mabon) and the Winter Solstice (Yule). Samhain is celebrated from sundown on October 31st to sundown on November 1st. This is considered one of the two most important fire festivals. Samhain represents the ending of the light half of the year and the beginning of the dark half. This is also thought to be the time when the veil between the worlds is believed to be thinnest, making it the perfect time for honoring the ancestors and spirits of the dead. Samhain is a sacred moment when the boundaries between worlds blur, and we can easily hear the whispers from the Otherworld. This day is all about remembering our connection to the shadows, the dark, and those who have passed on. We honor the cycles of life and death and connect with passed loved ones and ancestors, not in sorrow but in celebration. We remember their lives and recognize that death is not an end but a passage. The long nights ahead allow Nature to withdraw and rest. Samhain reminds us to embrace the darkness and face our shadows because, a new cycle is about to begin. Come peer beyond the veil hand in hand, as we dance among the graves of our ancestors in celebration waiting for the new year to begin in this blogpost.

What is Samhain?

Samhain, meaning “Summers End,” is the third and final harvest feast and festival taking place on October 31st through November the 1st, though in the Southern Hemisphere it occurs on April 30th and May 1st. Samhain, pronounced “SAH-win”, is the eighth Sabbat and final spoke on the Wheel of the Year. With ancient Celtic origins, Samhain was one of the four fire festivals, and falls at the halfway point between the Autumn Equinox, and Winter Solstice. There are many holidays that occur across the Earth happening on the same days as well; Halloween, Day of the Dead, Third Harvest, and Hallowtide. Samhain not only celebrates the final harvest before the winter frost, but also celebrates lost loved ones, and the beginning of Winter. For some, Samhain is also regarded as “The Witch’s New Year.”

History

To understand where Samhain originated from we must go back all the way to Ancient Gaelic Ireland where Samhain was originally celebrated as the Celtic festival 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.

It was a time of preparation for the winter where communities would ensure that they had enough food for the cold months ahead. Food was gathered and animals were slaughtered in order to preserve food-stuffs for the lean winter months. The slaughtering of animals was a particularly important part of Samhain and is representative of the very themes of death and completion that this festival celebrated. The festival is thought to have originated between 400 and 1100 CE. At that time Samhain is suspected to have lasted three days and three nights.

From Celtic Festival To Religious Remembrance Day (All Saints Day)
As with most Pagan holidays eventually the Roman Catholic Church would assimilate the festivities of Samhain into a new Christian holiday, All saints day. In 835 All Saints Day (also known as Hallowmas and Hallowtide) became formally instituted by Emperor Louis the Pious and eventually came to take over the celebrations of Samhain in the British Isles. Originally it was celebrated on different days of different months around Europe but it subsequently came to take the place of Samhain by being celebrated on the 31st October and 1st November.

All Saints Day was a day of remembering Saints, those who had been martyred and those who had passed on. Christians would pray for those souls who had recently departed and might not yet have reached heaven. The Saints and Martyrs of the Catholic faith were also honored. Families would visit graves and light candles for family members that had passed on and towards the end of the 15th century, the baking and sharing of soul cakes became a common custom. Many believe that trick-or-treating originated from this custom of ‘Souling’ where the poor (often children) would go and visit homes where soul cakes would be given to them in exchange for praying for their departed loved ones. It was also common for verses, songs, and rhymes to be performed in order to earn soul cakes.

Similar Celebrations
Halloween
All Hallow’s Eve
The Witch’s New Year
The Third/Final Harvest
Calan Gaeaf “The First Day of Winter”
Oiche Shamnhna
All Soul’s Day
All Saint’s Day

Samhain Myths and legends

The Wild Hunt
One of the most compelling tales associated with Samhain is the Wild Hunt, a spectral stampede led by a god or king associated with death. The Hunt sweeps across the sky, capturing the souls of those unfortunate enough to cross its path. It is said to be most active during Samhain due to the thinning of the veil between worlds.

The Cailleach
In Scottish and Irish lore, Samhain marks the time when the Cailleach; the divine hag or the veiled one, comes to power. She carries a staff that freezes the ground beneath her, symbolizing the coming of winter.

The Tale of Stingy Jack
The practice of carving Jack-o’-Lanterns originates from the Irish tale of Stingy Jack. According to the story, Jack tricked the devil twice, leading to a curse that left him wandering the earth with only a hollowed turnip (later a pumpkin) and a burning coal to light his way.

The thinning of the veil

As the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp, many spiritual traditions recognize a time known as the Thinning of the Veil during the month of October. This concept is central to festivals of Samhain where it’s believed that the boundary between the world of the living and the world of spirits becomes thinner. So, what does the thinning of the veil actually mean? The Thinning of the Veil refers to the belief that during certain times of the year; especially in late October and early November; the division between the physical world and the spiritual realm weakens. This allows spirits, ancestors, and other supernatural energies to come closer, offering an opportunity for reflection, communication, and connection. This concept aligns with the seasonal transition from autumn to winter. The veil’s thinning is a powerful symbol for many people, representing a time to pause and honor the cycles of life and death. It’s believed that during this period, it’s easier to communicate with ancestors and receive messages from the spirit world across many cultures and practices.

A remembrance of passed loved ones

Samhain is a festival that honors the dead, and is a time to remember ancestors in joy and reverence. With the veil being thin during this day, the souls of the dead were thought to revisit their homes, seeking hospitality amongst their loved ones from the beginning of the harsh winter cold. Samhain gives us a space for grief, a space for memories and a space to feel connected to those that we have lost, as well as our ancestors of blood, skin and bone, in a way that no other gathering does. It is a balance and fusion of sadness and joy. It allows us release and connection in the very same breath as the veil is thin. Samhain is a time of release. Instead of holding onto the past, you can let it go. It is an ending and a new beginning. We can look back and remember our ancestors, honor them, and release any grief or ties so that their souls can be free.

The Witches New Year

Samhain is also the beginning of a new spiritual year, sometimes called the Witches New Year. This makes it a perfect time to focus those intentions on new goals and the things you would most like to achieve in the coming weeks and months. This time of the year is to close the year, reflection, and set intentions for the year to come. This is when the Wheel of the Year, which represents the solstices, equinoxes and cross-quarters, now comes to an end and will start over again the following day after Samhain. Because Samhain is also known as the witch’s new year, think of it as a reset for you.

Samhain and the fae

The fae folk, known in various cultures as fairies, are often described as beings of both beauty and danger. These otherworldly creatures inhabit a realm that is both parallel and deeply intertwined with our own, especially during key seasonal moments like Samhain. In Celtic belief, faeries were closer to nature spirits, with their own laws, motivations, and moral codes. On Samhain night, the fae were said to roam freely, as the barrier between worlds weakened with the thinning of the veil. Some legends I’ve read even show that they used this time to move their courts between summer and winter homes, much like the seasonal shifts celebrated by the Celts themselves. It was both a time Gifts were left outside homes to appease them, as the fae were known to either bestow good fortune or bring about mischief, depending on how they were treated.

Samhain and duality

Since, I am a grey witch I look for the duality in every single energy I work with including sacred times like the festival and holiday of Samhain. this festival is all about embracing the balance between endings and beginnings which is one way to view duality in our lives.. It’s a time when the veil between our world and the spirit realm is its thinnest, inviting profound connections with ancestors (the past)and introspective insights (the future). This mix of remembrance and renewal makes Samhain not just a moment to look back in gratitude for the harvest, our passed loved ones and moments of growth, but also forward with hope to the new possibilities that colder days bring wrapped in reflection and healing.

Remember, I said above that Samhain is also recognized as the witches’ New Year, offering a chance to reflect on the past and prepare for the future. As the old year fades away and the new one begins, we find ourselves in a liminal space forcing us into the energy of duality. This is a time of transition and transformation, when anything is possible. It’s a great opportunity to engage in energy work such as meditation or visualization to help manifest your intentions for the upcoming year. Also to work on shadow work and going deep within to facilitate the death needed to happen for rebirth and transformation. The liminal space between one year ending and another beginning is a special time that should be embraced fully!

Common Traditions

The Jack O’ Lantern was brought to the New World by Scots-Irish immigrants. Grisly faces carved out of pumpkins were believed to scare off malevolent spirits and prevent them from entering one’s house on Samhain night. Hence putting them by the front door. They guard our thresholds on the day the veil is the thinnest being the one to decide who crosses it to be allowed in.

As for costumes, the tradition of guising dates back centuries. Possibly thousands of years.
Guising is the act of dressing in “disguise” and traveling from house to house in a parade or procession. Or going door to door begging for food or beverage in exchange for a skit or song. The disguises were typically bizarre and downright creepy and were also thought to either disguise the people inside OR scare off evil spirits. Now we, see it in the form of trick or treating for candy.

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.

Deities of Samhain

During Samhain its common for many witches and pagans to work with and celebrate deities that connect to and represent the energies central to the celebrations. This season and it’s celebrations are full of magic, and there are many gods and goddesses of death, transition, and the afterlife we can connect to this Samhain. Samhain is a really important time in pagan culture and there are plenty of gods and goddesses to work with or worship, depending on your practice, festivals, and celebrations. Let’s peer beyond the veil and dance on graves hand in hand as we take a look at the deities of the dead we can connect to during this sacred day. You can meet SOME of those deities in my previous post here.

Magical themes of Samhain

Every season and every pagan holiday has certain concepts and magical themes. Which means, depending on your tradition and needs, you can weave one or more of these themes into your personal celebrations. This Sabbat perform spells to cultivate inner balance, honor the dead, reflect on the past year, and planning for new year ahead. It’s a very liminal time weaved with the energies of duality. Samhain is a great time to focus on spells that remind us of the joy and remembrance of our loved ones and the past. This is a very potent time to allow yourself to descend into the depths of your soul for inner work and reflection. To dance between the veil that is thinned now and the liminal space of shadows among the graves to grow, heal, and be reborn. On Samhain, we see the following magical rituals and spells below as well. Remember these are just some of the themes and energies you can connect to and work with on Samhain.

Correspondences for Samhain

First, what is a correspondence? A correspondence is an item or symbol that is meant to connect you to a specific energy thru it’s representation. It is seen also as an item to respect, honor, and venerate that energy as well whether it be a deity, an archetype energy, the zodiac energy the moon is currently or for A holiday or sacred time like Samhain, I will list below for you to use. Remember this is not an all encompassing list and there may be other correspondences to use. Just follow your intuition and use what calls to you.

Ways to connect to Samhain

We have talked about many different themes, and energies you can connect to during this time from death, our ancestors, the harvest, abundance, transformation, reflection, the new year, and more. Let’s talk about how we can connect to and celebrate those themes and energies now. First, you can participate and honor any of the deities listed above or that are associated with Samhain, transformation, and Fall. Samhain creates a very potent liminal pocket of time that is teeming with duality, balance, and the power of transition. It’s a Sabatt that really pulls us to go deep within ourselves for introspection, reflection, self awareness, and growth. This makes it a great celebration to do any work on transformation, rebirth, and renewal through shadow work. Allowing the energy of the thinned veil to look at the past with joy and plan for the new year ahead. If you would like to learn more about shadow work you can purchase my eBook here;  you can book me for a 1:1 session as your guide here; and you can watch my free class previously taught on it through Divination here.

In your everyday life, you can work with any affirmations, mantras, and visualization work for change, rebirth, abundance, reflection, growth, the harvest, and the concept of life and death. You can also begin to turn your attention towards Yule coming next month. Don’t forget to also take the time to give thanks to your passed loved ones and ancestors for the harvest through rituals, prayers, and offerings as well especially during Samhain! Check out below more ways to work with and celebrate this holiday and time of year.

Refresh Your Altar
Another way to connect to a holiday and/or sacred day I always recommend is to cleanse and refresh your altar and/or sacred space. Use earth or fire to cleanse, then decorate with grains, fallen leaves, veggies you have harvested, apples, pumpkins, symbols of death, pictures and items of your passed loved ones, and any correspondences we talked about earlier.

Bonfire Release Spell for Purification

This is a simple Samhain spell that utilizes the traditional purification 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, candle flame)

How to perform:
Gather your materials and sit by the fire. Take a few minutes to just listen to the fire crackling, and feel the heat on your skin. Gaze into the flames and connect with this powerful element of transformation and change. 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. The benefit it will bring to you and how it will help you achieve your dream life. 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 unwanted 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 and transformation of the Samhain fire. As it is, So mote it be.”

Simmer pot for Samhain

Whether you consider yourself a Kitchen Witch, are vaguely interested in Kitchen Magic or just want to bring some good vibes and good smells into your home, simmer pots are an easy, accessible and fun ritual for any time of year! Simmer pots are easy to create and customize to your liking, so you can make your kitchen a sacred space whenever you want! So, why not make one specifically to call in and honor the energy of Samhain and enhanced communication with the dead.

What are simmer pots? Simmer pots are basically potpourri in a pot! You choose your ingredients, put them in a pot with water, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and let it do its thing. They couldn’t be any easier, just be sure you don’t let your pot boil dry! If you want to keep the pot going simply add more water when it gets low. And obviously never leave it going when you are not home. To learn more about how about this magical practice you can check out my previous blogpost on the topic here.

Host a dumb supper

The tradition of the Dumb Supper comes from an old belief that spirits return to dine with their loved ones on Samhain. A dumb supper is where all members of the dinner party are silent throughout the meal.. Sometimes specific spirits are invited, other times the invitation is simply open for any spirit which chooses to partake. The meal becomes an actual ritual in which the ancestors are called to join the table and so it is critical to remain silent to allow the ancestors to manifest and/or speak to us in whatever way they can.

Bobbing for apples

In addition to the typical Samhain tradition of carving pumpkins, bobbing for apples was also customary. This particular custom dates back at least a couple centuries, but has its roots in ancient times. The apple across many cultures was seen as fruit of divine and magical powers attached to prosperity, protection, love, and more. So, this Samhain why not make it a family custom to go bobbing for apples creating some fun memories and calling in all those magical energies. You can also learn more magical ways to work with apples in my previous blogpost here.

Faery Offerings
In Ireland, it’s a well-known fact that not only do the ancestors visit on Samhain but the good folk do too (aka fairies). Traditionally, the people gave offerings of food and drink to the fae to keep them appeased and from causing mischief on Samhain Eve.

Reflect on the past year and set SMART goals for the new one ahead

Since Samhain traditionally marks the Celtic New Year, now’s the time for pagans and witches alike to make New Years Resolutions and set SMART goals. Sure, you can wait until New Years Eve BUT your resolutions will be more powerful if set on Samhain night. Set with potent and powerful intention to bring to manifestation with the aid of your ancestors behind them this night. When setting new years goals it’s important to reflect on the past year as well. Take stock of what worked, what didn’t, and be brave enough to listen to the whispers of your soul guiding you on where this next year should go.

Visit Ancestors’ Graves
Another simple Samhain tradition is to visit your ancestors’ graves. This is also customary in Mexico on the Day of the Dead aka dias de los muertos; to visit and celebrate one’s ancestors’ graves. Visit the cemetery during the day and decorate their graves with flowers and leave offerings out of respect. You can also take a pot or bowl of marigolds and leave that at your front door of your home to lead them back there to join you for the night.

Graveyard magic

Samhain is magical for spending time in graveyards and cemeteries to perform rituals, say prayers, and connect to the dead who reside there. Graveyards are set apart from the hustle and bustle of everyday life—they remain quiet and sad while the world grows up around them. There is a stillness and a timelessness in graveyards. They often hold strong emotional energy, which can be potent for us to call on. They are a symbolic boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead. While working in and with graveyards can be a magical, spiritual, powerful, and fun thing to do let’s not forget to have proper graveyard etiquette. Come learn about different types of graveyard magic and proper graveyard etiquette in my previous blogpost here and be prepared for when you go to dance among the graves.

Other ways to connect to Samhain

As the leaves turn golden and a crisp chill settles in the air with whispers from loved ones for us to hear honor Samhain this year. Let Samhain create liminal space to give gratitude for the end of the harvest and prepare for the beginning of winter soon ahead. Allow the most mystical times of the year, to show you the bridge between the living world and the spirit realm. Follow the call to join your shadows and go deep within and watch this new year begin with healing, transformation, and magic. Samhain is a time of release. Instead of holding onto the past, you can let it go. It is an ending and a new beginning, enjoy this next new cycle.

To learn more about this holiday and if you would rather listen and watch than read you can check out my last year’s (2023) class and ritual here!

Come join me for community, knowledge, and to restore the enchantment of magic in yourself and life today!

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