Samhain Ritual

[Neiru2012]

(can be done anytime after twilight Oct. 31-Nov. 11 or 12)

NOTES: The first Sabbat script I made, developed in 2001 to help heal the global trauma of 9/11. I usually perform Sabbats without a magick circle and include a Drawing Down the Sun invocation. This, however, is the only Sabbat script I have that is held inside a circle and does not have a Drawing Down the Sun invocation. Samhain is a very tricky time when unpredictable forces are afoot, so it is best to be more cautious lest you conjure up more than you can handle.

LORE: The harvest was seen as the personification of the God. There were three such harvests: Lughnasadh (grain), Mabon (fruit), and Samhain (meat). The God died bit by bit with each successive harvest, until finally passing into the Underworld on Samhain. He did so willingly, because without the self-sacrifice of his body to serve as sustenance, the people would not survive the winter. According to Celtic tradition, it is also at this time that the late God collected the souls of that year’s dead and took them with him to rest in the Underworld. The Otherworld gates were flung open, and the veil between the world was thinnest, so various spirits, ghosts, and faeries were also free to roam the land at this time. It was a time of transition – between life and death, between the physical and the astral – the Celtic New Year.

SUGGESTED MATERIALS:
1 silver candle (to represent the Goddess)
1 gold candle (to represent the God)
1 green candle (to represent the North and the element of Earth)
1 yellow candle (to represent the East and the element of Air)
1 red candle (to represent the South and the element of Fire)
1 blue candle (to represent the West and the element of Water)
1 fireproof cauldron
1 smudge stick incense (sage and/or cedar and/or sweetgrass)
1 Athame (ritual dagger) or 1 Wand

(Bold: title of text, Italics: actions, Normal text: say out loud)

Cast a circle by mentally projecting protective energy outward through either an Athame (ritual dagger), a Wand, or simply your hand as you trace three circles around your working area, saying:

Triple Goddess Chant:
Maiden, cast Your circle white
Weave a web of glowing light
Stag and bear, hawk and wolf,
Bind us to thee.

Mother, cast Your circle red
Weave the strands of glowing threads
Earth and Air, Fire, Water,
Bind us to thee.

Wise One, cast Your circle black
Weave the wisdom that we lack
Sunlight, moonlight, starlight’s shimmer
Bind us to thee.

Although it is called a circle, it is actually a sphere, so make sure you spend enough time visualizing and feeling a safe, protective sphere around your working area inside of which no harm or ill will has power.

Invocation to the Elements & the Seven Directions:
Turn to the West:

I welcome the powers of the WEST, rulers of Water, Emotion, and Autumn: Help me in matters of healing, joy, and intuition. Help me use my power wisely.

Light candle representing the West and feel the presence of the Water Elemental. Turn to the North:

I welcome the powers of the NORTH, rulers of Earth, Body, and Winter: Help me in matters of patience, groundedness, and stability. Help me use my power wisely.

Light candle representing the North and feel the presence of the Earth Elemental. Turn to the East:

I welcome the powers of the EAST, rulers of Air, Mind, and Spring: Help me in matters of wisdom, insight, and clear thought. Help me use my power wisely.

Light candle representing the East and feel the presence of the Air Elemental. Turn to the South:

I welcome the powers of the SOUTH, rulers of Fire, Spirit, and Summer: Help me in matters of strength, confidence, and focused will. Help me use my power wisely.

Light candle representing the South and feel the presence of the Fire Elemental. Hold hands up to the sky:

I welcome the powers of the SKY FATHER, rulers of the heavens and all that is in them: Help me in matters of cosmic awareness, unconditional love, and unlimited consciousness. Help me use my power wisely.

Light candle representing the God and breathe in His presence. Kneel down and touch the ground:

I welcome the powers of the EARTH MOTHER, rulers of the Earth and all that is in it: Help me in matters of abundance, harmony, and balance. Help me use my power wisely.

Light candle representing the Goddess and breathe in Her presence.

I stand at the CENTER, where all powers intersect. I take my place in the circle of life, and remember to use my power for the good of all. All is one and one is all.

Light candle representing the Center and feel the interconnectedness of all things.

Fourfold Purification:
Light smudge stick with the Western candle. Waft the smoke over yourself and say:

I purify my EMOTIONS. May they flow as as freely as a rushing woodland stream. May they never stagnate, but express themselves in constructive ways. Help me in matters of joy and intuition.

Light smudge stick with the Northern candle. Waft the smoke over yourself and say:

I purify my BODY of all sickness, disease, illness, and toxins. May it be healthy and strong, healed and whole – a proper temple for the expression of my spirit!

Light smudge stick with the Eastern candle. Waft the smoke over yourself and say:

I purify my MIND of all stray thoughts, so that it may be as crisp and clear as a mountain zephyr. May it be receptive to divine guidance, and learn to discern truth from lie. May it be insightful, inspired, and motivated!

Light smudge stick with the Southern candle. Waft the smoke over yourself and say:

I purify my WILL. May it remain strong and steadfast when it has set upon the path of the greater good. May it never waver, but give me the courage to fulfill my destiny to the best of my capabilities and the fullest of my potential!

Light smudge stick with the Center candle. Waft the smoke as you walk clockwise around the ritual area and say:

I purify this SACRED SPACE, may no ill will enter here! Protected from the West, protected from the North, protected from the East, protected from the South, protected from Above, protected from Below, and sealed at the Center! Only those of good will may enter here!

Invite any other entities you want to join you (guardian angels, guides, faeries, etc)

The Circle is now cast, I stand between worlds!

On this night of Samhain I mark your passing,
O Blessed God, through the sunset into the Land of the Young.
I mark also the passing all who have gone before, and all who will go after.
O Blessed Goddess, teach me that with every life comes death, and with every death comes rebirth!1

Invocation to the Wise One (Crone) :
I invoke the Wise One with an open mind and an open heart!
You who are known as Cerridwen, Baba Yaga, Sekhmet, Kali-Ma, Spiderwoman, Nephthys, and countless other names.
You who are the keeper of the Akashic Records,
And possess the knowledge of the ages,
You who are more ancient than the bounds of time,
And guard the secrets herb and stone,
You who stir the Cauldron of Rebirth,
Into which we all pass in death to be cleansed and begin life anew,
You who are the epitome of Karmic Justice,
And wise in the ways of Reincarnation,
You who are the embodiment of the fullness of power,
Though your ways may seem cruel and chaotic to some,
Without your guidance and cleansing all would perish,
Many faces you have that strike fear into the hearts of your children, Dark Mother,
Yet I come to you with my fears and doubts laid bare,
And see you without their blinds for what you truly are,
Beautiful Grandmother!
I welcome you with an open mind and an open heart!

Invocation to the Lord of Death & Rebirth:
I invoke the Lord of Death and Rebirth with an open mind and an open heart!
You who are known as Osiris, Jesus, Anubis, Dionysus, and countless other names.
You who are the essence of our very souls,
Who live, die, and are reborn again in all your glory,
You whose counsel is wise and just,
For you teach that our souls are immortal,
You who are the Lord of the Harvest,
Who sacrifices himself so that we may live,
You who drive the Wheel of the Year,
From darkness to light, from barrenness to abundance,
You who are the Hunter and the Hunted,
The heartbeat of field and forest, the waxing and waning of the Sun,
By your drumbeat move the cycles of nature,
Many faces you have that strike fear into the hearts of your children, Lord of the Dead,
Yet through you we learn not to fear death,
For it is your gentle hand and loving embrace that guides us to the Summerland!
I welcome you with an open mind and an open heart!

Invocation to the Ancestors:
This is the night when the veil between the worlds is thinnest,
The powers of Faery abound,
The dead walk among the living.
Join in the ceremony, blessed ancestors to whom we owe our existence,
For it is thanks to your trials that we walk this Earth.
Join us this Samhain night and share with us your wisdom!

Spend time with ancestors.

The God rides the skies, leading the Wild Hunt in its course over the lands, gathering the recent dead, the traumatized, and the lost to your side,
Take them to the Field of Reeds, to the Summerland, Tir na Nog, Isles of the Blessed, the Eleusinian Fields, Paradise and to the vaults of Heaven,
May their souls be at peace,
May they be washed clean of trauma and may they be cleansed in the Cauldron of the Goddess and be reborn in Her womb (if they so choose),
May they reflect on their experiences, learn from them, be purified of destructive patterns and attachments and move on to the next step in their development, fresh and renewed.

Blessed Lord of the Dead, as you ride the skies, also gather all the vicious hatred, anxiety, hysteria, restlessness, panic, and strife,
And take them with you in your journey to the Land of the Dead so that they may be purified in the Underworld,
May these destructive energy patterns be laid to rest in the bowels of the Earth, where they would be transformed into healing for the hearts and minds of the living (if it is the will of the universe).

Write what you wish to banish from your life on a piece of paper, light it on fire and throw it into the cauldron.

Wise One of the Waning Moon,
Goddess of the starry night,
I create this fire within your cauldron
To transform that which is plaguing me.
May the energies be reversed:
From darkness, light!
From bane, good!
From death, birth!

Feel your problem being transformed in the cauldron of rebirth as the past year changes into the new year. Know that it holds no power over you now.

Sing:
We all come from the Goddess,
And to Her we all return,
Like a drop of rain,
Flows into the ocean;
Hoof and horn, hoof and horn,
All that dies shall be reborn;
Corn and grain, corn and grain,
All that falls shall rise again!

Thank all who you have invited for coming by saying something to the effect of:

Thank you for coming blessed _____ (North/South/East/West/God/Goddess/etc)! Come and go in peace!

Grounding:
All energy not used to further this ritual, I ground to heal the Earth and all who dwell upon it!

Releasing the Circle:
Visualize the circle you formed dissipating and say:

The Circle is open but never broken! Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again.

(Some of the text is from authors besides myself, for full reference click on the numbered links here)
(The Samhain Ritual I do myself is a little different than this one, involving pomegranates, remembering those that died the past year, remembering loved ones who have passed on, mythological meditation/play, divination, and other fun stuff… but this is the basic framework for it :P)

[opalescent]

Thank you for posting this, Neiru… I particularly appreciate your additions. My father, who left this life 11 years ago, visits me loud and clear during this time of year. The thread love weaves is strong.

Rock on.

[Author]

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