Working with the magic of October; reflect with death, decay, and rebirth

As the leaves change color and the air turns crisp, we notice how this month beckons us into the depths of the world around us and the shadows within ourselves. October is a month of ancestors, death, transformation, and walking in the shadows, and is marked by the festival of Samhain and Halloween. It’s a time to honor the ancestors, remember the dead, and celebrate the thinning of the veil between the worlds. This month’s magic is a time to release, of letting go, and death. It is the month that reminds us of the importance of endings. Showing us the beauty in taking a moment of reverence to honor where we have been and where we came from. At the same time reminding us that it is necessary for a vibrant new beginning. As we give thanks for the harvest of this year and the stores we have prepared for the dark, bitter, Winter months ahead. We take the time to connect to the cycle of death and decay, fertilizing the soils where one day our future seeds will be planted to bloom for all to see.

History of October

October is the 10th month of the Julian and Gregorian calendars with a length of 31 days. The name October means 8th month in Latin as it was the 8th month of the year according to the old Roman Calendar which began in March.

Zodiac Signs For The Month Of October

Those born in October are said to be born under either the sign of the scales Libra or the scorpion Scorpio.

First, Libras are born between September 23rd–October 22nd. They are known for being charming, diplomatic, and peace-making, and are said to have a strong moral compass and the ability to see both sides of an argument. They are also known for being obsessed with symmetry and balance, and strive to create equilibrium in all areas of life.

Second, Scorpios are born between October 23 and November 21. They are known for being passionate, intuitive, sensual, and emotional. Scorpios are known for their intense passion and magnetic presence. They are also said to be fierce and enigmatic.

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 like Samhain, Halloween, and the Day of the Dead, 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.

Sacred Days And Celebrations In October

Every Single month has sacred and important days and celebrations to help you connect to the energies of the month. Plus they usually are a lot of fun to take part in! Below you will find a list of the sacred days and celebrations for the month of October and there are many for this month! But, first we are going to talk about the one that is front and center this month for pagans, and witches. We even see it on the wheel of the year. In case you didn’t know; the wheel of the year; is a visual representation of the cyclical nature of time and the seasons, and symbolizes the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth. This month we celebrate the sabbat, Samhain, a festival marking the end of the harvest season, the beginning of the darker half of the year, and the thinning of the veil when our ancestors are the nearest.

Samhain

Samhain is probably the best known Wheel of the Year holiday. Irish Gaelic for “Summer’s End” Samhain (pronounced Soo-Ween) is a Celtic festival that takes place from October 31 to November 1. It marks the end of summer, the harvest, and the darker half of the year. the veil between the physical and spirit worlds is thin during Samhain, allowing for more interaction between the two. This time of the year is to close the year, reflection, set intentions for the year to come, celebrate and honor deities of the dead and our ancestors. Samhain is also considered the Witches and Wiccan New Year too many. 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.

To learn more about Samhain you can check out my ritual from Samhain 2023 with Divination on youtube today!

Álfablót

Alfablot is deeply rooted in Norse culture and practices. It was a time when the people honored the Alfar, their ancestors/ the elves, with sacrifices, rituals, and offerings left at their burial mounds. Alfablot literally means Alfar and blood sacrifice or the elven sacrifice. So essentially, this was an observance that consisted of giving offerings or sacrifices to the Alfar, the elves or our ancient male ancestors. Álfablót was celebrated at the end of the harvest season, around the same time as Samhain, the Day of the Dead, and later all saints day. How this day was actually celebrated is shrouded in intense mystery but, what we do know is the women of the family usually led the festivities on the families property at the end of harvest season.

Dias De los Muertos

Day of the Dead combines the ancient Aztec custom of celebrating ancestors with All Souls’ Day, a holiday that Spanish invaders brought to Mexico starting in the early 1500s. The holiday, which is celebrated mostly in Mexico on November 1 and 2, is like a family reunion, except dead ancestors are the guests of honor. Día de los Muertos is a joyful celebration that is more about healing than feeling bad. It is also a time to face mortality and not be afraid of it. It’s a time when families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration. Even though it is celebrated on November 1st I wanted to include it this month to give you prep time.

To learn more about Dias de los Muertos you can learn all about it on Divination Academy’s YouTube channel today!

Other sacred days and holidays

Magical And Witchcraft Themes For October

In witchcraft, October is a time of magic, transformation, and honoring the cycle of life and death. As the days grow shorter and the nights longer in the Northern Hemisphere, witches embrace the energy of the season to connect with their ancestors and the spirit world. It’s the month when we are able to communicate with them more easily and we welcome them alongside us once again. This month encourages us to be more aware of the cycles of life and to appreciate the beauty found in change. To embrace the necessity of death and decay for with it comes rebirth, transformation, and change. It is also a time for reflection, where we look back on what we have experienced and what we are grateful for. This is the time of the year when we reap what we have planted, nourished, and sown. This is the month we welcome our shadows and the things that we hide in the dark.

The gods and goddesses of October

With every season and month there are certain themes, magic, and energies we have the ability to connect to including deities. Everyone works with and views deity energy a little differently. Whether you view them as archetypes of the human consciousness, representations of the source energy, or as being entities on their own, there are certain deities that now is the time to connect to and honor them in the most sacred and amplified way.

During this month a few deities take center stage because they have festivals or sacred days during this month to help you connect with them in a very intimate way. The deities that are going to be the best for you to connect to right now are deities connected to the fall, our ancestors, the spirit realm, death, rebirth, the afterlife, shadows, and the underworld. You can also choose to work with the energy of Samhain and the deities associated with it. Below we will talk about some of the deities you can work with this month.

Persephone

In Greek mythology, Persephone is the goddess of agriculture, the spring, the Underworld, duality, and the wife of Hades. Prior to her marriage with Hades she was known as Kore, which means “daughter” or “maiden”. I find this to be crucial to her story and representation of rebirth, because, before she grabbed power in her marriage to Hades, the gods hadn’t even given her a name or her own place of power. Which makes no sense to me because she was born from two of the most powerful deities. Persephone is the daughter of Zeus, the chief god, and Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. For her to have such little power, be sheltered, and not have her own place of power within the pantheon was in injustice she would rectify through the power of rebirth and duality by becoming Hades wife. As the wife of Hades, Persephone governs the realm of the dead by his side with grace, compassion, and might. Persephone’s presence in the Underworld brings a sense of balance between life and death. Working with her this month you can call her as guide into the underworld and communicating with the your ancestors on the other side.

To learn all about this alluring, intriguing, and transitional goddess, and see her story in a whole new light. Plus meet her in a guided meditation you can watch my class all about her here!

Dionysus

Dionysus is a Greek god most well known for his wine-loving ways, but there’s SO much more to him than what’s on the surface. He is the Greek god of wine, intoxication, sacred polarity, ecstatic trance, dance and theatrical performance, sacred hallucinogens, and masked processions and festivals. He is a very unique god in the Greek pantheon because, he isn’t thought to be one of the original Olympians. But, to have originated from Thrace as a titan and later was added to the pantheon. He not only wasn’t part of the original 13 deities of the Greek pantheon but, he is said to be twice-born. Before he became Dionysus he was born to Zeus and Persephone as their son Zagreus. His story is one of death, sacrifice, transformation, and rebirth which is why he is such a great deity to work with during this month. Use him and his love of wine to help you connect to the deepest shadows of yourself to allow rebirth and connect to the spirits in the underworld.

If you would like to learn more about his first life as Zagreus, what his story means and how he can show up in your life join the Modgepodgemystic Mysteries my patreon community today where I share my journey with him.

Hekate

To some she is Hecate, others Hekate. For many, she comes without a name revealing herself during times of great personal pain and loss. To others she the triple goddess. There is much to learn about Hecate from the written records, but for a witch to truly know Hecate, we need to experience her.
Hecate is a complex goddess with a long history. Hecate is an ancient Greek Goddess often associated with the Underworld, witchcraft, necromancy, crossroads, the spiritual realm, and the moon and so much more. She is the Goddess of Witchcraft, a guide along the path, and the universal Keeper of the Keys. The Guide who leads us back to our soul. And she is a face of The Great Mother, creatrix and destroyer of all. She is a liminal spirit – she guards the thresholds between the human and spirit world. She is the bringer of power and healing. She spins the wheel of time, weaving her magic and mystery throughout. The fiery spark that lives in all the universe. Working with her during this month allows her to hold the torch for you as you walk to the crossroads with your ancestors by your side to choose your path for the next year ahead.

To learn more about her and meet her at the crossroads you can watch my class on her with Divination Academy here.


Osiris

Osiris is one of the most important deities in the Egyptian pantheon, he was the first son born to the god of earth geb and sky Nut. He was the Original ruler of the underworld until his wife Isis took over after his death at the hands of his own brother Set. Osiris was not only the ruler of the dead but also the power that granted all life from the underworld, from sprouting vegetation to the annual flood of the Nile River. He’s the god of fertility, resurrection, and the afterlife. Osiris is super important in the Egyptian underworld, called the Duat. He’s not only a god of the afterlife but, he is the one whom judges all the souls. When someone dies, their soul goes on a journey through the Duat, facing all sorts of challenges. Until The big moment at the end when the “Weighing of the Heart” ceremony takes place. They weigh the person’s heart against the feather of Ma’at, who stands for truth and justice. Osiris is there, watching and presiding over the entire thing. Being the one whom listens to the scales and judges each soul with fairness for all. Working with him this month can give you a chance to look at the weight of your own heart through reflection and do the inner work to still try and tip that eternal scale in your favor.

Lady Hel

The ruler of Helheim. Hel Goddess of the Dead, daughter of Loki, is much more than a mysterious name and looming, shadowy presence. She is a deity of immense complexity, but one that is worth learning from. Hel, also called Hella and Hela, is the daughter of the trickster god Loki and the witch-giantess Angrboda in Norse mythology. Along with her brothers, the wolf Fenrir and the snake Jörmungandr, she was raised by her mother in a place called Járnviðr, the Iron Wood. She rules over the land of the dead, under one of the 3 roots of Yggdrasil, called Helheim. Yes, she is terrifying to behold, as the legends go, yet she brings transformation and paves the way for creation after destruction. When she manifests, she appears as a half-dead half-alive woman, showing the paradox between life and death. The polarity, that is needed for the Universe to continue on. Hel’s spiritual powers include death (physical and metaphorical), the afterlife, protection, transformation, omens, wisdom, mystery and ancestral connection. Work with her this month to learn more about ancestors, shadow work, and to explore your fears about death and the afterlife.

To learn more about her and meet her you can watch my class on her with Divination Academy here.

Correspondences For The Month Of October

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 time of the year like a month, which I will list below for you to use. Remember this is just a start to the list for you. You can use any correspondences that connect the magical themes and energies of October. Just follow your intuition on what you choose to work with!

How to connect to the magic of October

We’ve talked a lot about all the different types of energies the month of October has and gives us access to work with. So, how can you specifically connect to those energies? In your everyday life you can make sure your affirmations , intentions, and manifestations align with the energies of the end of the harvest, duality, transition, death, our ancestors/ guides, the afterlife, remembrance, our shadows and the cycle of seasons. You can celebrate and honor any of the sacred days and holidays and connect to the energies of Samhain, Dias de las Muertos and any other days of the dead while the veil is thinning all around us.

Some Rituals and spell workings during this time that will be really intensified will be based on the cycles of the seasons, death, decay, and the darkness of the shadows surrounding us.  October is a time of the year where witches are able to really connect to the veil, the otherside, and our guides/ancestors. We can use this time to set up altars to connect to those who came before us in remembrance, honor, and respect. We can also take the time to cast spells and do divination work to speak to those who are walking among us from the otherside. Giving them the voices they have been longing for to carry their messages forward. October is a month where witches enjoy spending time in graveyards and cemeteries to perform rituals, say prayers, and connect to the dead who reside there. While all of these are magical, spiritual, powerful, and fun things to do let’s not forget to have proper graveyard etiquette. If you need to learn more about what that is come join me on October 23rd in my patreon community for an exclusive event to learn just that!

October creates a very potent liminal pocket of time that is teeming with duality, balance, and the power of transition through darkness, death, and decay. It’s a month that really pulls us to go deep within ourselves for introspection, reflection, self awareness, and growth. This makes it a great month to do any work on transformation, death, and letting go through shadow work. Allowing the energy of death in the finality of the harvest season to fertilizer your soul, during the cold winter months to bloom and grow after there is no more snow. 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.

Spells and Rituals Ideas

Duality and the month of October

Since, I am a grey witch I look for the duality in every single energy I work with including sacred times like a month of the year like October. October is a month that really shows us how two things that are opposing can come together to create a time of both beauty, love, and joy while also creating death, sadness, and remorse. We see this theme all throughout the month with it starting off with Libra season. an energy encompassing beauty, harmony, and love and then ending in it’s cyclical journey with Samhain and holidays all about death, decay, and ancestors who have passed on. Speaking of; working with our ancestors, passed loved ones, and the thinning veil is the most dualistic aspect of this month over all. Working with spirits, ancestors and our passed loved ones when the veil is thinnest during this month allows us both a chance for comfort and solace. While also bringing us back to a place of sadness and loss. We are given a pocket in time where we can reconnect with those who were dear to us in a more tangible way than simply through memories. Working with them and allowing them into our homes during this month reminds us of the cycle of life. Reminding us to be grateful for our time on the earthly side of the veil and preparing us for when we will walk through it to be an ancestor ourselves.

Reflect with death, decay, and rebirth

We talked about many things in this blogpost including the history, some celebrations, the different energies and magical themes we can work with during this month, how to connect to those energies, deities we can honor and worship, and how to work with the magic of October. October is a time of powerful reflection, death, and spiritual connection. From the quiet introspection of Samhain to the lively celebrations of the Day of the Dead, this month reminds us of the ongoing cycle of life and death, and offers a chance to honor our ancestors. Whether you follow the rituals of Samhain, Halloween, or the Day of the Dead this month allows for a deep connection with both the past and the unseen world around us. Allowing us to bridge the gap between the past and where we are heading to next. October is the month when leaves fall thick to forest floors where they will decay and later be reborn. October is the month when the veil grows thin opening a door for a new cycle to begin.

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