Samhain (pronounced sah-win) is celebrated in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere on the 5th of May and on the 8th of November in the Northern Hemisphere. If you're a beginner or even an experienced witch, our Samhain rituals will help you with celebrating this Sabbat in 2024.
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.
We have made celebrating Samhain easy with our Samhain Sabbat Ritual Kit & Samhain Bath Ritual Kit!
Read more: Celebrating Samhain in 2024 | Setting up your Samhain Altar
Rituals for Samhain
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.
Our following Samhain Candle Spell is the perfect ritual you can follow using our Samhain Ritual Kit.
You Will Need:
- 1 x Coloured Spell Candle
The colour of this candle can be picked on your intention, popular colours for Samhain include black (endings, release, rebirth), white (cleansing, guidance, healing), orange (freedom, vitality, celebration) & gold (abundance, positivity, happiness). These are just a handful of these candles' intentions, to find out the full list head to our Simple Guide to Candle Magic blog. - 1 x Cleansing stick or altar bell
- Lighter or matches
- (Optional) Pen & paper
- (Optional) Tongs & cauldron
The Ritual
- 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.
- 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.
- Stay by your candle until it burns down completely.
Samhain Bath Ritual
One of the traditional ways to celebrate Samhain is by taking a ritual bath, which is believed to cleanse the body and spirit and prepare you for the dark months ahead. This ritual will cleanse you, let you slough away any heavy energies weighing you down, and leave you refreshed and full of healing and light for the coming year.
Our Samhain Bath Ritual Kit is the perfect way to celebrate Samhain this year, click here to learn more.
Recipes for ritual and spell work always contain layers of meaning in their ingredients. Knowing the meaning is important! The symbolic use of natural elements provides foundational support for energy work. The bath ritual in our Samhain Ritual Kit includes the follow ingredients, and is the perfect way to celebrate Samhain.
Himalayan Pink Salt: For centuries pure salt has been used for protection, especially protection in and around the home. During the month of Samhain, as the Veil Between Worlds thins, it becomes essential to protect your energy from negativity.
Epsom Salt: The grounding minerals in Epsom salt are also believed to help with detoxing your spiritual energy and cleansing bad spiritual energy out of your aura.
Mugwort: Used for centuries in rituals involved with intuition, transformative rituals, and ancestor magic.
Cinnamon: is a traditional herb of Samhain. We added actual cinnamon bark instead of cinnamon essential oil because the essential oil can irritate the skin.
Rosemary & Wild Mint Essential oils: Awakens the senses, transports, and energises the spirit. The perfect blend for renewing the spirit and the direction of one's life.
Rose buds & petals: To represent moving forward with the new year fresh and full of passion. Indulgent rose is a perfect mix with uplifting rosemary. Together, they work to reduce stress levels, improve your mood, and leave you feeling lighter and cleansed.
You Will Need:
- 1 x Samhain Bath Rituals
- 1 x Black spell candle
- 1 x White spell candle
- 2 x Candle holders or cups & blu-tac
The Ritual
- Light the candles and place on the edge of the bath tub either in a candle holder or upright in a cup with blu-tac.
- Run your bath and sprinkle your desired amount of bath ritual salt in the bathtub while the waters are running, stirring to dissolve the salts.
- Step into the bathtub and lie down slowly.
- You may use your hands or a sacred vessel to scoop the water over yourself, do this ritually and slowly, picture that you are washing off the baggage or heaviness of the past year to begin anew. This is a time to reflect on the concept of death and endings and wash away whatever you no longer want to carry with you.This should be repeated until you start to feel lighter, more free and you may enter a mild trance state whilst doing this.
Affirm that all energies, aura contaminants, cords connected to others, and old beliefs are removed. Cleansing is a chance for renewal. It is a time to reaffirm how you have grown in the last seasonal year, arriving to where you are now. - After you perform the cleansing, lie back comfortably in the water (you might want to add a little more hot water to the bath) and float whilst allowing yourself to fill with light and warmth. You might have specific deities or ancestors you wish to thank, or renew connections to.
- Once you feel you are ready, leave your bath and dry yourself.
- Take some time to sit somewhere comfortable and warm afterwards, give yourself time to come back to yourself and this world slowly and with care. Wear something soft and cosy and you might make yourself a cup of your favourite tea. We have included a beautifully scented candle you might wish to burn.
- If you wish to, this is a perfect time to journal your intentions for the year ahead.
This bath ritual will help you recenter so that you are not carrying other people's energy, outdated experiences and to increase your energy so you are resistant to psychic attack during the darker months where your energy may feel lower. The best protection is prevention.
Samhain Divination Ritual
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. Our Samhain Altar guide can help you with getting started.
If you're new to tarot reading, check out our Beginner's Guide to Reading Tarot Cards to help you get started with choosing a deck, understanding the cards and interpreting their meanings.
You Will Need
- 1 x Tarot or Oracle deck
- Black or white spell candles
- Lighter or matches
- An offering for your ancestors, this could be a glass of water, alcohol, or even some food. Bonus points if you know their favourite food or beverages!
Samhain Tarot Card Ritual
- Set up your Samhain or Ancestral Altar.
- 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, while placing your offering on your altar
- For this 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 Step 6 for this question.
- Lastly, shuffle your deck again and ask the following:
"What do I need to do in order to make this happen?"
- Repeat Step 7 for the last question as well.
Safe witches are clever witches, never leave a flame unattended and always be prepared to safely put out a fire if needed.
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