Samhain Divinations

Clean Divination Ritual

The season of Halloween is a special time of year. The veil between the worlds is thin now, and divination possibilities are strongest. Now is the time to bring out the tarot cards or the runes so you can see what the future holds for you. Place a piece of soapstone in the bag that holds your cards or runes, and gently shake the bag to cleanse them. Then enchant your cards or runes by saying:

"Cards (or runes) of fortune, this is what I ask of you—a glimpse of what will come to me, a hint of how my life may be."

If you read for others, be sure to cleanse the cards or runes with the soapstone between readings.
--------------------------

Samhain was a significant time for divination, perhaps even more so than May or Midsummer's Eve, because this was the chief of the three Spirit Nights. Divination customs and games frequently featured apples and nuts from the recent harvest, and candles played an important part in adding atmosphere to the mysteries. In Scotland, a child born at Samhain was said to be gifted with an d shealladh, "The Two Sights" commonly known as "second sight," or clairvoyance.


Apple Magic


At the heart of the Celtic Otherworld grows an apple tree whose fruit has magical properties. Old sagas tell of heroes crossing the western sea to find this wondrous country, known in Ireland as Emhain Abhlach, (Evan Avlach) and in Britain, Avalon. At Samhain, the apple harvest is in, and old hearthside games, such as apple-bobbing, called apple-dookin' in Scotland, reflect the journey across water to obtain the magic apple.


Dookin' for Apples


Place a large tub, preferably wooden, on the floor, and half fill it with water. Tumble in plenty of apples, and have one person stir them around vigorously with a long wooden spoon or rod of hazel, ash or any other sacred tree.

Each player takes their turn kneeling on the floor, trying to capture the apples with their teeth as they go bobbing around. Each gets three tries before the next person has a go. Best to wear old clothes for this one, and have a roaring fire nearby so you can dry off while eating your prize!

If you do manage to capture an apple, you might want to keep it for a divination ritual, such as this one:


The Apple and the Mirror


Before the stroke of midnight, sit in front of a mirror in a room lit only by one candle or the moon. Go into the silence, and ask a question. Cut the apple into nine pieces. With your back to the mirror, eat eight of the pieces, then throw the ninth over your left shoulder. Turn your head to look over the same shoulder, and you will see and in image or symbol in the mirror that will tell you your answer.

(When you look in the mirror, let your focus go "soft," and allow the patterns made by the moon or candlelight and shadows to suggest forms, symbols and other dreamlike images that speak to your intuition.)


Dreaming Stones

Go to a boundary stream and with closed eyes, take from the water three stones between middle finger and thumb, saying these words as each is gathered:


I will lift the stone

As Mary lifted it for her Son,

For substance, virtue, and strength;

May this stone be in my hand

Till I reach my journey's end.


(Scots Gaelic)

Togaidh mise chlach,

Mar a thog Moire da Mac,

Air bhr?gh, air bhuaidh, `s air neart;

Gun robh a chlachsa am dh?rn,

Gus an ruig mi mo cheann uidhe.


Carry them home carefully and place them under your pillow. That night, ask for a dream that will give you guidance or a solution to a problem, and the stones will bring it for you.

****
Samhain Activities
-author unknown

-Make a jac-o-lantern! This has been a custom for over
thousands of years. They were designed to frighten away
evil spirits who were following decesed loved ones and
blocking the way back to the land of the living.

-Drink warmed apple cider spiced with cinnamon to honor
the dead.

-Since this is also the Pagan New Year, this is a day to
make New Year Resolutions. Write them down on paper
and burn them. The smoke will take them up to the Gods.

-Bury apples in your yard for the spirits passing by on their
way to be reborn.

-Do divinations for the year to come.

-Make a spirit candle to burn. Anoint a white candle with
patchouli oil.

Say: With this candle and by its light, I welcome you spirits
this Samhain night." Place the candle inside your jack-o-lantern.
If you don't have one, leave it on a table near your entry way or
in the center of your dining room table.
--------------------------------
another Divination:
A Powerful Time For Divination

New Worlds Issue: NW065

By: Lisa Finander, Acquisitions Editor: Astrology, Tarot, Divination & Shamanism

Excerpt is from Crystal Balls and Crystal Bowls by Ted Andrews

Halloween, All-hallow-even, All Hallow’s Eve, Samhain and All Saints’ Eve are just a few of the names given to celebrations occurring on October 31st. Although they all share similarities in their festivities, I am going to focus on some of the Celtic customs related to Samhain.

Samhain begins at dusk on October 31st and is the Celtic New Year’s Eve. The God of summer is defeated and the God of winter and death now presides over mother earth. This is a special day, the time of year when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is the thinnest, and a time when the communication between these worlds is the strongest. This has its good and bad points, depending on if the visiting spirits are welcome or not!

When inviting loved ones home that usually reside in the Otherworld, it is customary to either set an empty place at the table with food and drink for deceased relatives or leave it outside for any traveling souls returning to the places they once lived. The belief is that the souls nourish themselves on the soul of the food provided. Bonfires (from the English bone-fires) were lit, allowing the dead a place to warm themselves by. Doors, windows and gates were unlocked to make sure their long-awaited guests knew they were welcome. Jack-o’-lanterns (originally carved turnips) were prominently displayed to protect the living and scare away evil spirits. The carvings depicted protective guardians living in the spirit world.

Samhain is also a time when the ordinary rules of society don’t pertain, challenging the established order and introducing chaos. People dress up in costumes switching conventional gender roles, wear masks that emulate spirits or departed ancestors, and both worlds celebrate together.

During this transformational period between light and dark, and life and death, there is an opening — a pause in time when magic is believed to be at its strongest, making it a perfect time for divination and seeing what the next year holds. It’s a great time to expand your intuitive skills. You could plan your own divination party and give yourself a “New Year’s” reading to boot. Llewellyn has a variety of books and products on the different forms of divination.

A great tarot deck to add to your collection and especially appropriate for Halloween (with more skeletons than you can count) is Tarot of the Dead by Monica Knighton. This Otherworld-friendly deck uses Pens for Wands, Coffins for Cups, Pistols for Swords and Reels for Pentacles.

At the beginning of November, Mexico celebrates “Day of the Dead,” or Dia de Los Muertos. While the specific dates and observances vary depending on the region, the core of the holiday is the same — to honor family and friends who have died. Cemeteries and homes are decorated with flowers, and offering tables are laid out with gifts of food, clothing and anything the loved one enjoyed in life. Some believe this is a time set aside for remembrance, while others believe that the dead literally return in spirit for a visit, communing with the family and enjoying the essence of the offerings left for them.

However you choose to spend this day, make it a celebration and remembrance of past, present and future love. Take time to stop and honor the sacredness of all your relationships, with special focus on those we can no longer touch. May all your readings be good ones.

Another great way to stay connected to the tarot community is to subscribe to Tarot Update, Llewellyn’s online newsletter. The latest issue will offer prizes for those who complete our online tarot survey.

Diversity of Divination

In actuality, divination can involve any method by which events are interpreted and/or explained. Divination is more than foretelling the future. It does involve prediction, but it can also involve divining some truth or interpreting omens and signs as part of its practice. Divination often incorporates methods by which events are interpreted and explained. The most commonly recognized tools and methods in our modern society are runes, tarot, astrology, dreams and I Ching. Many strange and unusual methods of divination have been employed, from the reading of entrails to the study of cloud formations.


Aeromancy — the casting of dirt or sand into the wind to determine answers by the direction the wind takes it.

Apantomancy — observing objects that appear haphazardly.

Belomancy — divination by the flight of arrows.

Bibliomancy — consulting a passage or line in a book at random.

Catoptromancy — divination through a lens or a magic mirror.

Ceromancy — dropping melted wax into water and observing results.

Chiromancy — divination by the lines of the hand.

Crystalomancy — divination by clear globe, pool of water, mirror or transparent object.

Geloscopy — interpretation of a person’s laughter.

Gyromancy — spinning and falling to the ground, leading to oracles

Hepatoscopy — observation of a sheep’s liver.

Myomancy — divination by studying the entrails or the movements of rodents.

Oenisticy — divination by studying the flight of birds.

Onomancy — divination by rearranging the letters in a name.

Ooscopy — using an egg to determine the sex of an unborn child.

Phrenology — studying the bumps and contours of the head.

Physiognomy — the study of human facial features.

Pyromancy — divination by smoke and fire.

Tasseography — the reading of tea leaves and their shapes.

Xylomancy — observation of the position of twigs on the ground.
------------------------
Communicating With The Spirits Of The Departed

While it is true that Samhain is the time when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest, you can converse with spirits of the departed at any time of the year. Prepare your altar as you normally do, but place several fresh apples upon it to represent the other-world. Also, use juniper and wormwood as your incense. Speak the name of the person you are trying to contact. State what you need to tell them or that you need to ask. Don’t expect a physical manifestation, but you will very soon find your response in your dreams.

✻✿ ✻*LIKE ✻✿ ✻* SHARE✻✿ ✻*

Please don't forget to LIKE our posts and SHARE our page to keep us in your feed, thanks for being here with us in our Circle of Harmony ~Blessed Be Did you know we also have a Witch Group open to all Paths?

Join Our Witches Path Workshop Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/483960543308636

Join our Tarot Readings Classes Divination Learning

Readings and all types of divinations shared

The Crafty Kitchen Witch Tarot Group 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/741335405974557/

Reiki Attunement Class

 become attuned Join this Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/reikiattunement/

Our Facebook Page for all Witches

https://www.facebook.com/witchespath4u

┊　　┊　　┊　　┊☽✪☾

┊　　┊　　┊　　★

┊　　┊　　☆☽✪☾

┊　　★

☆ ✻✿ ✻*LIKE ✻✿ ✻* SHARE✻✿ ✻*