Last year at a town fair I bought the two cutest little Witch salt and pepper shakers. I can't bring myself to use them though, I sit them on top of my stereo where they bring cheer into my day. I have called them Ismelda and Griselda!
My Samhain Altar
It is nearly April 30th, time to celebrate Samhain. When putting together my altar, I realized this is my first time celebrating this Sabbat so I tried to keep things simple. To start with I added a pumpkin candle – I got them last year at Halloween because I thought they were really neat. I added a red, black and orange candle to the arrangement, as well as dried oak leaves, an owl and bat – 2 totem animals of Samhain, tarot cards and a pendulum to represent the veil between worlds, honouring divination as an aspect of this holiday.
I also added Obsidian, Onyx and Carnelian, gemstones for protection, clearing negativity and strength. Lastly I added a figurine of Bast, cats are another totem animal of Samhain, mostly because of the imagery given of a Witch and her cat, I think it is nice to honour that and celebrate the stereotype in a positive and personal way.
Below is the Family Altar. Even though my parents are not Pagan, they appreciate and respect my beliefs. Each Sabbat I cook a three course meal for my entire family, and this year my Stepfather read the Samhain invocation before we ate, it was really nice and meant a lot.
I decorated it with a white pillar candle, smaller red and black candles, a pumpkin candle (I love the symbolism of it), there was also my besom, a cat in a Witches Hat (again, another ode to the history of this holiday), there were Oak leaves, Myrrh incense, my Cauldron and a Crystal Ball. All in all I think it looks great and has a really natural symbolic feel to it.
Samhain Ritual
Samhain Ritual
This is designed for solitaries, but could be adapted for a group
Tools:
cauldron (if inside, make sure it's on a heat-proof surface)
paper/pen
black and orange candles
incense and charcoal in censer
veil
rune stones or Tarot
apples or pumpkin bread, wine
Cast the circle
Invocation to the God and Goddess
Great Goddess
Dark Mother
I invite you to my circle
to assist and protect me in my Samhain rite
Great God
God of the universal cycle of birth, death and rebirth
I invite you to my circle
to assist and protect me in my Samhain rite
Statement of intent:
On this night of Samhain
I mark your passing O Sun King
into the Land of the Young
I mark the passing of all who have gone before
and all who will go after
Gracious Goddess, Mother of us all
Teach me to know that in the time of the greatest darkness
there is greatest light
Scatter incense on the burning charcoal
Facing West, say:
Lord of Shadow
God of Life, and the Giver of Life
Open wide, I pray thee, the Gates
through which all must pass.
Let our dear ones who have gone before
Return this night to make merry with us.
And when our time comes, as it must,
O thou the Comforter, the Consoler, the Giver of Peace and Rest
We will enter thy realms gladly and unafraid;
For we know that when rested and refreshed among our dear ones
We will be reborn again by thy grace,
and the grace of the Great Mother.
Let it be in the same place and the same time as our beloved ones
And may we meet, and know, and remember and love them again.
Pull the veil over your face
Still facing west, say
Behold, the West is the Land of the Dead, to which many of my loved ones have
gone for rest and renewal.
On this night, I hold communion with them.
Spirits of the dead, you are welcome here tonight.
Begin spiraling widdershins to the center, taking three or four circuits to do
so. Those who come are truly welcome to my Festival. May they remain with me in
peace.
Time of communion with the dead
(set the veil aside when done)
On a small piece of paper, write some of the things you did since last Samhain
that you regret. Fold the paper, light it and set it to burning in the cauldron.
Say:
Wise Ones
Great Goddess, Powerful God
I create this fire to let go of the past
As the smoke rises, thus do my misfortunes and regrets of the past rise from
this place and disappear as the smoke disappears.
May the energies be reversed
From darkness, light!
From bane, good!
From death, birth!
So mote it be!
Meditate on the smoke until the paper is completely burned away.
Then light the black or orange candles, while thinking of those things you've
done in the past year that have brought you happiness.
Say:
These are the lights of my successes and happiness
May they shine on
and bring joy and hope to all my loved ones
May these lights guide spirits to the Summerlands
Where they will rest before being reborn.
Rune casting or tarot to scry into the coming year.
Wine and cakes
Close the circle
When finished, leave the candles in the windows and set any remaining food
outside for the spirits.
With thanks to http://www.ladyoftheearth.com/sabbats/sabbats.html
All Hallow's Eve Blessing
To those whose feet are stilled
And those who laugh with us no more
To you we say, our love was with you here
And goes with you hence
To that place where you rest and revel.
May the dark Lord and sweet Lady
Guide your feet along the rocky paths
To the place where all is fresh and green
And lover, friends and ancestors wait
With open arms to greet you.
Go in peace, and with our blessing
Be rested and return when the Lady deems it fit
With the countless turns of the Great Wheel
We shall miss you
We shall meet you again in the green places of Her domain.
With thanks to http://www.ladyoftheearth.com/sabbats/sabbats.html
Samhain Lore
It is traditional on Samhain night to leave a plate of food outside the home for the souls of the dead. A candle placed in the window guides them to the Lands of Eternal Summer, and burying apples in the hard-packed earth "feeds" the passed ones on their journey.
For food, beets, turnips, apples, corn, nuts, gingerbread, cider, mulled wines and pumpkin dishes are appropriate, as are meat dishes.
For food, beets, turnips, apples, corn, nuts, gingerbread, cider, mulled wines and pumpkin dishes are appropriate, as are meat dishes.
With thanks to: http://www.ladyoftheearth.com/sabbats/sabbats.html
My Altar
Above is a picture of my altar, as you can see I haven’t really paid any mind to the rules of setting up an altar. I do have the candles representing feminine and masculine in the right spot but otherwise I placed things where they suited me. Like my athame being in the south, I like it there, as well as my cauldron being in the North and my crystal ball right beside it. My little Dragon also sits to the North which I guess is proper, but my censer is in the centre, my bell is south west, I don’t have my chalice on there, nor my BOS, but I pretty much placed all the other stuff there. My besom lies beside my altar but as yet I haven’t decided where to put it. I don’t have an altar cloth, the Celtic Pentagram tile that everything is sitting on was a gift from my parents, handcrafted by my stepdad, so this makes it extra special.My altar isn’t book perfect but I have to say it is a representation of me and my practices.
Creating An Altar
Creating An Altar
One of the most important tools you will have as a practicing Witch will be your altar. Setting one up can be confusing, especially if you don’t know what to put on one. The problem is, you could research until the cows come home and every site/book/person will have a different way of doing things. So let’ start with the basics.
An Altar Cloth – this is the base of your altar so to speak, the foundation on which everything else will sit. However it is not mandatory to have an altar cloth, it could be a lovely piece of wood, a flat surface that suits you – my altar has a handcrafted Celtic tile, this was made by my parents as a gift so it is very special to me. I do however have a black altar cloth on the wall above my altar, it has the cardinal points and glows in the dark.
Left Side for the Goddess:
White or Silver candle to represent the Goddess
A Statue of a Goddess if you intend to represent her that way
Your Chalice
Bowl of Water
Cauldron
Pentacle
Bell
Now I don’t think a person needs all of this on their left side. I am a Witch not Wiccan so I don’t represent the Goddess with a statue, but I do have a silver candle, this is to simply represent the feminine energy, likewise I have a gold candle to represent masculine energy.
Right Side for the God
Candle either Gold or Yellow
God Statue if you wish to represent him that way
Wand
Censor
Bowl of Salt
Athame
Boline
To represent the elements you could have:
Earth: Pentacle, Bowl of Salt, Stones, Plants, Flowers, Green Candle
Water: Bowl of Water, Seashell, Chalice with Wine, Blue Candle, Cauldron
Fire: Red Candle, Athame, Boline, Candle Snuffer
Air: Incense, Feather, Bell, Wand, Yellow Candle
Again, I don’t think you need every single thing to represent the Elements, I would suggest picking one item that suits you. Also make sure you have them in the right spot. North and South Hemisphere are opposite so Fire in NH is South but in the SH it is North.
In the centre you could also have your statues or Book of Shadows. My BOS lies underneath my altar on a shelf, there just isn’t that much room to put it since it is a three ring binder.
The best advice I can give for building an altar is have the basics to represent elements and so forth, but always personalize it. After all it will be a reflection of you and your own spiritual practices, you will be working with it and that is the most important thing – it has to be right for you.
One of the most important tools you will have as a practicing Witch will be your altar. Setting one up can be confusing, especially if you don’t know what to put on one. The problem is, you could research until the cows come home and every site/book/person will have a different way of doing things. So let’ start with the basics.
An Altar Cloth – this is the base of your altar so to speak, the foundation on which everything else will sit. However it is not mandatory to have an altar cloth, it could be a lovely piece of wood, a flat surface that suits you – my altar has a handcrafted Celtic tile, this was made by my parents as a gift so it is very special to me. I do however have a black altar cloth on the wall above my altar, it has the cardinal points and glows in the dark.
Left Side for the Goddess:
White or Silver candle to represent the Goddess
A Statue of a Goddess if you intend to represent her that way
Your Chalice
Bowl of Water
Cauldron
Pentacle
Bell
Now I don’t think a person needs all of this on their left side. I am a Witch not Wiccan so I don’t represent the Goddess with a statue, but I do have a silver candle, this is to simply represent the feminine energy, likewise I have a gold candle to represent masculine energy.
Right Side for the God
Candle either Gold or Yellow
God Statue if you wish to represent him that way
Wand
Censor
Bowl of Salt
Athame
Boline
To represent the elements you could have:
Earth: Pentacle, Bowl of Salt, Stones, Plants, Flowers, Green Candle
Water: Bowl of Water, Seashell, Chalice with Wine, Blue Candle, Cauldron
Fire: Red Candle, Athame, Boline, Candle Snuffer
Air: Incense, Feather, Bell, Wand, Yellow Candle
Again, I don’t think you need every single thing to represent the Elements, I would suggest picking one item that suits you. Also make sure you have them in the right spot. North and South Hemisphere are opposite so Fire in NH is South but in the SH it is North.
In the centre you could also have your statues or Book of Shadows. My BOS lies underneath my altar on a shelf, there just isn’t that much room to put it since it is a three ring binder.
The best advice I can give for building an altar is have the basics to represent elements and so forth, but always personalize it. After all it will be a reflection of you and your own spiritual practices, you will be working with it and that is the most important thing – it has to be right for you.
