A Greater Sabbat and an Earth Cross-Quarter Day

Northern Hemisphere October 31st

Southern Hemisphere April 30th

Seasonal Relevancy        

Summer’s already losing its power and people are preparing for the long winter ahead by making preserves from the harvest like jams and pickles and chutneys. They’re also slaughtering all but the animals which will be used for breeding next season's stock because in the harsher earlier times, many of the weaker animals wouldn’t have survived the chill of winter and there wasn’t usually enough food to keep them all alive anyway. This is the time of the final harvest of the crops, the root and surface vegetables and the last of the fruit. 

Mythological Relevancy

Samhain (pronounced Sow-ayne) is without doubt the most important Sabbat of the Wiccan faith. While some covens might celebrate other festivals on the closest weekend to the date, this Sabbat is usually always celebrated on the actual date even if coveners have to get up for work the next morning!

It’s a sombre festival that celebrates the dead and marks the time when the veil between the world of the mundane and that of the Spirit is at its thinnest. This is the Wiccan New Year and at sunset, when neither the old nor new year exist and thus when time stands still, humans can commune with their ancestors and loved ones who’ve passed over. 

Popular Traditions

While this Sabbat celebrates our relationship with our ancestors and with the dead, it’s not a frightening or sad occasion. It is a time to feast on the last of the harvest foods and to make ready for the cold times ahead. Many Wiccans lay an extra place or two at the feast table so that their departed ancestors and spirits can share in the festivities.

You can carve jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins to honour the Witches and other religious practitioners who’ve been persecuted for their faith over the centuries.  Pay any debts, settle your quarrels and prepare for a few weeks of quiet solitude and meditation. 

A Contemporary Samhain Ritual

Decorate the circle perimeter with flowers and lay seasonal fruits and vegetables on a black cloth on the altar. These traditionally include apples, pomegranates, pumpkins, nuts and seeds. For the cakes and ale have apple cider and gingerbread. Ensure there’s sufficient for those present as well as for absent friends and loved ones who may join us from the spirit world.

Have a piece of paper and a pen available for each person present.

Have a knife available to slice an apple.

Have a bonfire at the centre of the circle or a cauldron with a candle inside it.

Cast the circle as normal if there are no visitors present, otherwise, omit the circle casting.

Have a discussion about Samhain and its meaning with those present. When that’s concluded, begin the ritual by standing before the altar and saying; “Now is the time of change between the passing of the seasons. At this time of year the gates between the worlds are open. We call upon our ancestors and our loved ones, to pass through and join with us at this time. We invite them to delight in celebration with those they love.”

Take an apple from the altar and slice it in half across the middle so that the star of the pips and core is evident. Place the two halves on the pentacle and hold it aloft over the altar saying; “This is the fruit of life, which is also death”.

Slice the apple into pieces, one for each person present plus one for visiting spirits. Go round the circle and offer a piece to each person. Ask them as they eat the apple to think of loved ones including pets who have passed on.

If using a candle in a cauldron instead of the central bonfire, light the candle using a lit taper from the spirit candle. Offer each person a piece of paper and a pen and ask them to think about an aspect of themselves they are uncomfortable with. This might be a bad habit, perhaps they get angry too quickly, upset too easily or spend money unwisely. It might be a behaviour or a thought pattern which does them a disservice and that they would like to eradicate. Ask them to write this on their paper and then fold it closed with a single fold.

In turn, each person offers their unwanted aspect to the flame. Ask them to consider that as the flame burns the paper away, they are offering this unwanted aspect to the Goddess so that it can be changed and removed. This is a way of recognising issues of self detriment and deciding to let that issue leave and be replaced instead with something more productive.

Consecrate and then have the cakes and ale and then close the circle. Have a Samhain feast that includes the traditional foods from the altar. Ensure there’s a fully set place at the feast table for any spirit visitors. When the feast is over, lay a spare plate of food (not leftovers) outside the front door overnight to bring sustenance to any passing spirits. 

Smiles and blessings, Amethyst