The last of the 3 harvest festivals, and the celebration of the Witch's New Year. Many witches look upon Samhain as the festival to renew the Wheel of the Year. The Celtic pagans believe this is the time with the God of the Witches year dies and is mourned by the Goddess. It is a time when the people are cast into darkness as they await the rebirth of the God at Yule.

Many people call this time the Night of the Dead, which can be a dramatic phrase for the one time during the year when the veil between the living and spiritual world is at it's thinnest. It can bee looked at as the night when past relatives and friends walk the earth and share their knowledge and wisdom with the living. It is a night when much spiritual growth can be achieved and blockages that hold you back can be broken.

For many this is the most important festival of the witches year. It is very sacred and represents the time between October 31st and the Yule Sabbat for a witch to turn their attention inward for growth, knowledge and spiritual advancement. A time to take stock of what you have learned and what you have left to accomplish.

Also known as Hallowmas, Hallows Eve, Samana and Samhuinn.

Colours:
The colors of the festival are black and orange. Black to represent the time of darkness after the death of the God. Orange to represent awaiting the dawn of his rebirth at Yule.

Jack-o-lanterns originated from the custom of lighting candles for the dead to follow as they walk the earth and it's still a wonderful custom today. Treats also originate from an old custom of leaving cookies and other foods out for those relatives to enjoy as they shared this one night of embodiment. Feeding the dead is still widely practiced in Celtic lands.

Traditionally Sabbat festivals begin at sun set on the eve of the Holiday. You can use the daytime hours of this holiday eve to search and harvest that perfect pumpkin, and gathering wood and straw for a bale fire (make it safe and please keep a fire extinguisher handy).

Clean your special ceremonial cauldron and some witches like to create a ceremonial mask. Costumes are a Samhain tradition as well. We like to spend a few days in early October gathering some simple craft supplies and then we spend the 29th making some whimsical masks for the festival night. Clean your robes and layout your festival garments. Of all the festivals of the year, this is one we really like to dress for. Sort of our way to show the serious spiritual side of this festival.
Your altair can be decorated in shades of black and orange. We like to use one black candle for the Ceremonial center piece and four light orange candles for the four quarters. I also like to include a black table cloth covered by an orange lace cloth.

If you like crystals on your altair, try Kyanite (a black stone) which can be an excellent attunement stone, good for meditation and aids in past life regressions. Obsidian (Black snowflake) used to sharpen both the internal and external visions. Teaches one the truth of oneself in relation to their ego. Depicts the contrasts of life and death; day and night, darkness and light, truth and error. And if you can find it, Orange Tourmaline Works as a protective shield. Transforms and consumes negative energy without releasing it into the atmosphere. Has to do with visions and "seeing" with compassion. Good for the eyes, teaches to expand limited concepts of thinking. Relates to aspirations for higher love. This is a very complete stone.

If you notice, all of these stones work for the individual. They are chosen to help a witch go within and look at themselves from a point of compassion and truth. To honestly see the negative patterns that might be creating blocks and to embarrass oneself with love to release the old and to help transform the soul/mind/body to a life of spiritual balance.

Gold or brass serving trays and goblets for ritual offerings are also placed on or around the altair for easy access. Arrangements of early fall flowers and foliage should also be included to recognize the harvest part of the festival.

If your altair is outside or you have space on your interior altair, you might include baskets filled with all the examples of this seasons harvest from the previous two sabbats.

Festival Ritual:
There are several ways of conducting a ritual. Each witch should learn many different methods and then construct your own within the boundaries of the festival. The following is just an example of our Samhain ceremony.
Ritual Preparation
Gather the necessary tools
Select two candles for your altair, one in a shade of orange, the other a shade of a russet.
Select four additional candles for the elemental quarters. You can maintain the color scheme if you wish, or select a color that represents the energy of that quarter. For instance, you might chose a light shade of blue to represent the Water essence of the West quarter and a fiery red to represent the Fire essence of the South quarter. or find a set of dark maroon candles to complete the harvest colors.
Choose your favorite ceremonial broom.
You can find some inexpensive brass or silver serving trays and goblets at a variety of gift stores.
Set aside your ceremonial cakes (pumpkin muffins are a perfect example) and wine on the serving trays. And a special decanter to hold the wine. If you don't partake of wine, use your favorite grape juice or for this harvest festival apple cider is very appropriate.
Select a bell, you might want to add a decorative ribbon or wrap a vine of silk fall colored leaves from your local craft store around the handle to coincide with the colors of the harvest festival.
Choose a gift for honoring the God/Goddess on this harvest day. One of our favorite methods of gift giving on this Fire festival is to burn a few incense. We select a few stalks of the herbs we collected from the Lughnasadh harvest, like sage and lavender.
A decorative pillow or rug to lie or sit on for your meditation.
Prepare ritual space

Clean the area, not just energy wise but dust and vacuum your space. If your space is outside, you might clean any fallen branches, weeds or even clear any animal indications that may have been deposited in the area.
The most important part is to clear and cleanse the space.
Prepare body

It's just as important to prepare yourself as it is your space. On the day of your ceremony take a shower or bubble bath. Make sure your ritual cloths (whether a robe or just jeans and a t-shirt) are clean. Take time to have a meditation to align your energies, prepare your energies for the spiritual work ahead and open your chakra centers.

Open Circle
Finding the compass points, directing the ritual and speaking the blessings is usually performed by a High Priest or Priestess within a coven. If you are a solitary witch, then you are the High Priest or Priestess. For our example we will simply refer to the director of ceremonies as the Priest.
The Priest should find compass North.
Where the ritual will begin with calling in the quarters starting with the North. Set your circle according to the directions. If you are conducting the ceremony alone, you might chose to use a rope of natural fibers to outline your ceremonial circle. If you're performing the ceremony in a coven, mark the location of the quarters so everyone will know where to stand when the circle is drawn.
The Priest should guide everyone through the steps for setting up a Door Between the Worlds.
Raising the vibration of the group and/or area. Close your eyes and imagine a divine white light emerging from the solar plexus of each person and then raising up toward a center point over the circle. Many call this establishing a "cone of power". Imagine this light spinning clockwise rising your energies and awareness. If your a solitary witch, you will imagine the light beginning at your solar plexus and then moving out to fully encompass your ritual space.
Each Quarter Master will then be directed to call the Watchtowers or Elemental Quarters.
It's usually the choice of the Priest, but each person should call upon the same force. Some witches call Angels, Spirit Guides, or just the elements. It's up to you or your coven. Just as which direction to start with is up the individuals. Many witches begin with the North, where others begin with the east.
Your prayer to summon the directions can be stated in a variety of ways. From old English to a modern statement. Here's an example of our summons:
Facing North the 1st QuarterMaster states:
To the God & Goddess of the Year, the Watchtowers of the North and the elements of Earth, we call upon your wisdom, summon your energy and love to witness this celebration of this passing year, blessings to Samhain and union of spirit.
Light the Northern candle and ring the bell once.
If you are a solitary, turn to the East, or if in a coven the 2nd QuarterMaster faces East and states:
To the God and Goddess of the Year, the Watchtowers of the East and the elements of Air, we call upon your wisdom and summon your energy for clear communications to spirit and divine knowledge and understanding.
Light the Eastern candle and ring the bell once.
Turn to the South and state:
To the God and Goddess of the Year, the Watchtowers of the South and the elements of Fire, we call upon your wisdom and summon your energy for purification of mind/body/spirit and the harvest. We ask for your divine protection over all things that we bring forth for review, reassessment and resolution.
Light the Southern candle and ring the bell once.
Turn to the West and state:
To the God and Goddess of the Year, the Watchtowers of the West and the elements of Water, we call upon your wisdom and summon your energy for examination of our path and progress. For our personal introspection and our spiritual evolution.
Light the Western candle and ring the bell once.

Invocation to Spirit
The Priest should guide everyone through the steps to:
Call your personal Spirit Guide and solicit their assistance during the ritual.
Your personal guide can assist you to maintain focus and concentration during the ritual as well as, aid in your tasks within the circle. You might call upon them like this:
(State your guides' name), I call upon your guidance and love to assist me during this spiritual celebration. To help me maintain my focus, energy and alignment for divine purpose and work.
Light a candle for your guide and ring the bell twice.

Call your deity and solicit their assistance aligning yourself with the deity.
In most covens the High Priest/Priestess will summon the deity. In other covens each person will call upon their chosen deity and align their energies (this is the method we prefer most. It empowers each individual instead of setting one persona above the rest). Which ever you prefer light a candle for each deity you summon upon the altair and ring the bell three times for each deity.
I believe in the spiritual existence of myself as a perfect image of (deitys' name). In this reflection that is my physical embodiment, I align myself and my faith in the supreme guidance of my soul with the ancient powers and wisdom of (state the deitys' name once more).

State Your Purpose
The Priest should state the intent of the gathering.
For a Sabbat you'll state your purpose of honoring the harvest and the year, as well as, the God and Goddess. You'll continue by blessing the cakes and wine for the ceremony. You might say something like:
I/we have come to honor the nature kingdom, the abundance of the harvest and nurturing of the giving mother earth. We/I honor the prosperity given by the Father God and the many blessings of provided through our harvest of plenty and season of spiritual growth and wisdom.

Honor The God/Goddess
The Priest should preside over the steps to Honor and Dedicate the items for the festival.
Perform manual and visionary tasks by pulling in images of Samhain and the Goddess of renewal. You should state your honor and gratitude as well, something like this:
To the Lord Samhain we offer our thanks and gratitude for this year;
To the Lady of Samhain we give homage to your love and continual light.
For the year of the harvest we honor the opportunities, the beauty and the lessons you have provided. We honor the Lord & Lady, we honor our relatives in spirit, and we honor ourselves on this, your night of Samhain.
Light the candle you chose to represent the harvest festival and ring the bell seven times.
Dedicate offerings. Whether you're conducting a ritual of honor or for work, you should present an offering that is commiserate with the event. We like to make an offering of energy through a fragrant bouquet. We light the smudge stick we prepared and allow the sage and lavender to blaze for a few moments. We say part of our prayer, then blow out the flames and allow the incense to continue to smolder. Then we complete the prayer and place the incense in a special holder, we like to use a brass bowl shaped in the fashion of a miniature cauldron. Finally, because this festival is one of a harvest and new beginnings, we like to add a bowl or several bowls of seeds that we will use to plant in the spring. We say something like this: (Hold the smudge stick in your left hand and light it with the right. Then hold up the burning stick to the God Samhain with both hands.)
We offer this gift as a symbol of our love and thanks to the Lord as he passes into the Otherworld. We honor the Lord and his rays of light that brought forth the harvest of land and soul.
(Lower the smudge and blow out the flames, allow the stick to smolder. Again with both hands hold the stick up to the Goddess)

We share the fragrance of this offering with the Goddess. We honor the lessons laid across our path and mourn with the lady those opportunities lost and unrealized.

Set the smudge in the bowl and retrieve a bowl of seed, holding it up to the God/Goddess;

We give thanks for the abundance of our life; and we share in the blessings of the seeds for gardens yet to come.

Replace the seeds on the altair and ring the bell nine times. {We try to allow at least 2-3 of our plants go to seed before the harvest just for this purpose.}

{For Honoring}
Partake of cakes and wine that you have set upon a platter. Some covens like to serve the cakes upon small dishes, while others prefer to hold the cakes in their hand. Which ever you chose, the cakes should start on a platter for the dedication. The wine starts in a special decanter and is poured into ceremonial goblets. Once again different covens have different rituals. Some provide individual cups, much like silver shot glasses, while others insist each witch bring their own goblet. To dedicate your cakes and wine, you might say something like: Hold the plate of cakes up using both hands and say:

On this eve of Samhain we come to honor and share in our bounty.
We offer these cakes made of pumpkin {or whatever} and this wine made of apple {again whatever wine you've chosen}.
Ring the festival bell three times, then walk up to each person in the circle and allow them to take a cake from the tray with the right hand. Make sure there's one or two cakes left for the God/Goddess.
When everyone has received a cake, hold it in both hands and raise it up to the God; then say:

With the partaking of this cake I take into my body the essence of Samhain. I align my spirit and soul with the physical well being of my body and mind; As Samhain is the teacher and bridge builder between the earthly and divine worlds.
Each person eats their cake.
With your right hand grasp the neck of the decanter. With your left hand hold your chalice and pour the wine. When everyone has their share of wine, each person raises their goblet to the Goddess and says:

With the partaking of this wine I take into my body the essence of the Goddess, I align my soul with the balance and rejoining of our spiritual family.
Each person drinks half their wine, then holds the goblet up again.
We ask the Lord & Lady to accept this wine as our offering of honor and thanksgiving on this the festival of Samhain.

Some people like to pour the remaining wine from the goblets into a large cauldron. As a symbolistic gesture that we are all one and all part of the divine. Some covens go a step farther and light the wine allowing it evaporate into the ethers through the flames. And others add to the ceremony and pour the wine onto the ground, making a circle and pentagram with the liquid.

Meditation
The Priest should guide everyone through a brief meditation. No matter what your ceremony is for, we believe you should add a moment of meditation to the event. In this altaired state a witch can contact the God/Goddess and engage them in a private ritual. You can use this time to thank them for the gifts they brought you, the enjoyment you had tending the garden, sharing the harvests with your family and so on. In our view, the Sabbat ceremonies are not the time to ask for something for yourself. This is a time of honoring what the God/Goddess has already given you. You might ask for clarity of vision or better understanding of the messages they provided you with the growth of the garden and the tasks you were given to maintain and enjoy it. Conclude your meditation by closing your chakra centers.

Thank the Deities & Spirits
The Priest should guide everyone through a statement of thanks.
This is one of the more important steps to any ritual.
You spent a good deal of time asking for their assistance, calling the quarters, your personal spirit guide and the deities, so be polite and spend time thanking them as well. Here's a simple example:
Stand facing the altair, hold your hands together as if you are praying, only open the top slightly at the thumbs as if you're making a bowl with your hands. Then state:
I, (state your magik name), thank the God, Goddess, Divine Spirits and the Watchtowers of the Four Corners for watching over this ceremony of Samhain. By the light and love of All that Is, we honor the blessings we have received on this day. Many blessings to each and all as we walk along the path of enlightenment forever.

Close the Circle
The Priest should guide everyone through a process of closing the circle.
Mentally and verbally close the circle. You don't want to leave the gateway between worlds open for several reasons. You could be inviting forces you don't necessarily want around you. You can also be maintaining a state of heightened perception. While this is great for ceremonies and ritual work, it isn't necessarily good for daily activities. If you find yourself saying "I feel out of it today", then you need to close your senses and get grounded. This is another reason for closing the circle.
Imagine the "cone of power" you established at the beginning of the ritual, slowly coming down and dissipating back within the solar plexus of each person. Move to the center of the circle, holding a ceremonial sword or knife. Starting in the North, turn counter-clockwise and state:
We give thanks to the God and Goddess once more. We honor each other in this state of divine experiences. And we close this circle that binds us to spirit, and can never be broken.
Snuff out the candles (don't blow them out). We like to leave the two ritual candles burning during the night until they burn out by themselves. If they last, we will also use these two on the next day of the festival as we continue our honor of Samhain. We prepare a special fall meal and invite family or friends to join us. These two candles are placed as the center-piece of the table. If the original candles have extinguished before the meal, we will light another candle from the flame of the original; allowing all candles to burn as long as they can.
Physically close the circle by exiting over the broom. Pick up the broom and sweep away any energy that may have been left over.
Clean your working area and prepare your offerings, gifts and candles for burial. If there are any cakes left over from the ritual, set them outside for the animals and spirit folk. Pour out any left over wine on the ground. Once again some people like to pour out the drink in the shape of a pentacle. Wash all dishes and clean all tools.

Ritual Is Concluded
Finally, some people like to share their experiences during the ritual. Some even carry the festival on and hold a party to share in some of the fruits, vegetables and breads they labored over. For the solitary, now is a good time to record the events and make notes about what you felt, what you did and didn't do that you might like to do next time.

Source: The Pagan Path
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