Solitary Samhain Ritual

 

Ancestor Night, Celtic New Year, October 31st 

Tools: In addition to your magickal tools, you will need: 

· An Orange Altar Cloth

· Cauldron

· 1 Black Taper Goddess Candle

· 1 Black Taper God Candle

· 1 Black Votive Candle

· 1 White Pillar Candle

· 1 Apple

· A Bolline

· Incense

Preparation: 

Sweep area, moving in a deosil manner. Outline your circle with a black cord, fresh turned earth, or salt. Place the black taper Goddess Candle to the top left on altar. Place the black taper God candle to the top right on altar. Place the black votive candle in the cauldron, positioned on floor in front of the altar. Plate of Fruit, should be put in-between Goddess and God candles at top center of altar. Apple and Bolline should be placed in center of altar, on a Pentacle if possible. Arrange the rest of your tools and props according to personal preference. Bathe or shower for purification. If you have magickal jewelry or jewelry passed on to you by departed loved ones, this is the ritual to wear it all. Sit and meditate to ground and center.

Cast the circle and call Quarters...... invoke the Crone aspect of the Goddess by lighting the black taper Goddess candle and saying:

"Goddess of the stars and of the waning moon, Goddess of magick and wisdom, whisper in my ear whatever you may and trust that the knowledge will be wisely used. Lend your power to my spells and rituals and trust that they will result in no harm to any of your creatures, great or small." 

Step back from the altar and concentrate on the Goddess candle's flame. Should it rise and flicker, proceed. If not, silently project your wish to commune with your loved ones that have passed on. When you feel that your wish has been acknowledged, invoke the God by lighting the black taper God candle and saying: 

"On this night when the dead once more walk freely among the living, we pass into darkness and do so willingly, for we know that it is simply the turning of the wheel. We give thanks to the God and the Goddess for the bounty that they have provided us over the summer. On this night , the Lord of the Hunt, the Lord of the Sun passes away from us. We realize, however, that it is simply the cycle of life, and we wait for that time when the Sun will once more be born of the moon. As this candle represents the Lord of the Sun, so does its blowing out represent the passing of the Lord of the Sun." 

Step back from the altar and concentrate on the God candle's flame. If it rises and flickers, proceed. If not, silently project your wishes that your loved ones be kept safe on their journey. When you feel that your request has been acknowledged, step back up to the altar and pick up the apple, saying: 

"Tonight as the barrier between the two realms grows thin,

Spirits walk amongst us, once again.

They be family, friends and foes, 

Pets and wildlife, fishes and crows.

But be we still mindful of the Wee Folke at play,

Elves, fey, brownies, and sidhe." 

Cut the apple crosswise with the Bolline to reveal the symbolic pentagram at the core. Take a bite of one half of the apple and set it back on the Pentacle. (This apple and others will be buried outside later, after the ritual is done) Continue: 

"Some to trick, some to treat,

Some to purposely misguide our feet.

Stay we on the paths we know 

As planting sacred apples we go." 

Now take your wand in your projective hand to bless the "Feast of the Dead". Wave it over the plate of fruit, saying: 

"This Feast I shall leave on my doorstep all night.

In my window one candle shall burn bright,

To help my loved ones find their way

As they travel this eve, and this night, until day.

Bless my offering, both Lady and Lord

Of breads and fruits, greens and gourd." 

Replace the wand on the altar, step back and bow your head. Stay silent for a minute or two as the blessing is given. Proceed by lighting the black votive candle in the cauldron and saying: 

"Dark Mother Your cauldron is a well of death and rebirth, Dark Father Your sword both protects and annihilates. Hear me now as the past year slowly dies, only to be reborn again. Today, the last of the Harvests is complete. This symbolic harvest is of my thought-seeds, Planted and nurtured throughout this past year. May the good come to pass and the bad be cast aside. With Your divine guidance and protection, I step into the New Year, May I have good health, prosperity, and happiness." 

With the flame of the black votive candle light the white pillar candle, saying: 

"As the New Year is born, we are all reborn

With new hopes and dreams.

Guide me in the future as in the past.

Give me strength and courage,

Knowledge and fulfillment,

Assist me as I attempt to achieve my goals." 

Snuff the black votive candle and replace it. Remove the white pillar candle from the cauldron and place it in the center of your altar. Stare in to the flame and think about the goals that you are setting for the upcoming year. When done, say: 

"Every beginning has an ending, And every ending is a new beginning. In Life is Death, and in Death is Life. Watch over me, my loved ones, and all of my Brothers and Sisters, here and departed,

Who, tonight are joined together again for Fellowship and celebration. Bless us all as we light our bonfires, our hearth fires,

And the eternal fires in our hearts. Guide us and protect us, 

Tonight and throughout the coming year. Blessed Be! Blessed Be!" 

As you say "Blessed Be!" stretch out your arms over your altar as if to embrace all of your ancestors, your departed loved ones, and everyone on Earth. As you say "Blessed Be" again, embrace yourself with a reborn love and pride. 

It is now time for meditation, self-reflection, and spellworking. At this time, self-reflection becomes not simply a custom, but a necessity. One cannot (or at least should not) allow the Wheel of the Year to turn without some kind of examination of what has occurred. How have I spent the last year? Did I grow or remain stagnant? Did I live according to the values I claim to embrace? These are questions which must be addressed in solitude and solemnity. 

The Goddess tells us: "And you who seek to know Me, know that your Seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know the Mystery: for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without." 

We must look inside ourselves for self-knowledge and for the spirit that will sustain us in life's trials. Silence is one of the keys to seeking truth, for we cannot hear the answers in the midst of this noisy world in which we walk every day, nor in the noise of holiday celebrations however joyous. Samhain is also said to be the time when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest, allowing us some communication with those who have departed. How befitting this is for such a time of endings and beginnings. Reflections on death can be as instructive as the self-examinations just mentioned. When we think of those who have died, it reminds us of time passing by and of things we could have or should have done. These reminders, coupled with our lists of past and future actions, encourages us to take our New Year's resolutions far more seriously. We know our time is limited, and most of us have much to do in our allotted time. Most of us have to make a living somehow, but death reminds us that we had better spend some of that time in pursuit of our other dreams lest they be lost in the struggle merely to survive.

Associated spellworkings would include those for protection, self-confidence, and dissuading harm. If there is no spellworking, celebrate with Cakes and Ale, then release the Circle. Leave the white pillar candle burning somewhere it won't be disturbed. Some use it as the single candle in their window, but consider leaving it on the altar and using an electric candle in the window to dissuade a fire!