Samhain (pronounced sah-win) is celebrated in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere on the 5th of May and the 8th of November in the Northern Hemisphere. Whether beginner or experienced witch, our Samhain rituals will help you celebrate this Sabbat in 2025.
After Mabon, Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. The veil between the spiritual and physical realms 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!
Jump to Samhain Shadow Work Release Ritual
Jump to Ancestor Altar & Communication Ritual
Jump to Divination Tools Guide
Read more: Celebrating Samhain in 2025 | Setting up your Samhain Altar
Rituals for Samhain
Samhain Shadow Work Release Ritual
Shadow work is the practice of confronting our internal darkness. That inner core of ourselves - the parts of ourselves we often ignore or hide. Old wounds, fears, or traits we judge as unacceptable. The "darkness" we avoid. the deepest, most hidden parts of ourselves where we suppress, repress, and bury all that we don’t want to look at, see, deal with or heal.
During this ritual, we descend into our shadow self, our own darkness, shedding what no longer serves us. As we reach the deepest part of our psyche, we can choose to release, let go, to banish dark oppressive energy so that we may be born again into a more expanded, lighter version of ourselves.
Samhain, when the veil is thin, is the perfect time for this sacred introspection.
This ritual invites you to descend into your darkest inner self, not to dwell there, but to ask for protection and guidance as we shed what no longer serves us.
Yes, it can feel uncomfortable, but remember, what you release now creates space for growth. Don’t be afraid of your darkness and shadows. Our true inner spaces are where we find the most insight. It can be hard, and you may find things you don’t want to see, but there is opportunity to learn, grow, heal and transform. We can’t evolve and grow if we don’t uncover what needs to be healed.
You Will Need:
- 1 x Black spell candle (for transformation and release)
- Cauldron, offering bowl or fireproof vessel
- Lighter & matches
- Pen & paper
- (Optional) Cleansing herbs/tools
RITUAL INSTRUCTIONS
Create Your Sacred Space
Choose a quiet, calm space where you feel safe. Cleanse your area with your preferred method.
Ground & Connect Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and breathe deeply. Imagine roots growing from your body into the Earth, steadying you. Feel the season’s energy around you: the crisp air, the fading light, the changing of the seasons. Feel this liminal time and connect with this energy.
Meditate & Listen
As you feel yourself descending into the Death of the season, and journey deeper into your own sacred shadow, take time to meditate on what you’re ready to release this Samhain. Get still. Listen closely. What is calling to be healed? What burdens are you done carrying? What has reached its end? In this quiet, liminal space, the answers will rise to meet you. If they’re not clear at first, ask for guidance. And if you feel called, draw some tarot or oracle cards, cast your runes, or consult any divination tools you connect with. (Just remember - these are only tools. You are your most powerful source of wisdom. The answers have always lived within.)
Write your release clearly on your paper, eg: “On this Samhain night, I release…”
Release
Take your candle and gently carve into it the words, symbols, or intentions that represent what you are ready to release. As you light the flame, call in Divine Light and sacred protection to hold you through the darkness and guide your spirit with clarity and strength.
Set your written release alight and place it into your cauldron or fire-safe bowl. Watch it burn. With each breath, allow yourself to soften. Inhale deeply… exhale what no longer serves. Feel the weight lift and space within begin to expand.
Gratitude
Before closing your ritual, pause in stillness and offer heartfelt thanks. Honour the gifts of the final harvest, the nourishment of the Earth, and the turning of the Wheel. Send your blessings to all living things and to the land that sustains us.
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.
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 yourself.
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 involving intuition, transformative rituals, and ancestor magic.
Cinnamon: A traditional herb of Samhain. We added actual cinnamon bark instead of cinnamon essential oil because the essential oil can irritate the skin.
Frankincense essential oil: for cleansing and protection.
Lavender essential oil: Relaxing, calming and cleansing.
Rose buds & petals: To represent moving forward with the new year, fresh and full of passion. They also represent connecting with ancestors.
Black candle: This candle represents the darkness and mystery of Samhain and represents protection from negative energy.
White candle: This candle represents purification and cleansing yourself of the last year. It promotes serenity and peace and enhances personal strength and insight.
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 bathtub 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 water is 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, freer, 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 at 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 increase your energy so you are resistant to psychic attack during the darker months when your energy may feel lower. The best protection is prevention.
Samhain Dream Magic Ritual
Dreams are a wonderful way to connect with spirits, guardians, and even deities. When we sleep, our mind wanders, the soul travels, and the line between our world and others grows dimmer. Due to this, many people use dreams to contact the spirits of those who have passed on, or even deities.
Because the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest on Samhain, this is the perfect time to conduct dream magic.
Mugwort is a herb often used in dream rituals to enhance dream recall, induce vivid or lucid dreams, and promote astral travel. It can be used in various ways, including as a tea, tincture, loose incense, oil, or in a mojo bag under your pillow.
We have included a roller bottle and mugwort if you wish to create a ritual oil to use in this ritual. Instructions are provided here.
After creating a safe, secure space and getting yourself into a calm, receptive state, you can choose to use mugwort in the way that speaks to you or works best within your practice. You can create a mojo bag full of mugwort and place it under your pillow, place mugwort oil on your temples, wrists, or massage it into any part of your body you wish before bed. You can burn it as an incense, take a warm bath in mugwort-infused water or drink it in a tea.
Set your dream intentions before drifting to sleep. Take time to meditate upon your intentions - lucid dreaming, answers to a question, etc.
Make sure you have a journal next to you, ready to write down any and all messages, visions, ideas or notes as soon as you wake.
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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