Samhain Rituals

HOW TO HONOUR SAMHAIN THE CELTIC HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL

This time of year holds many festivals honouring the harvest, the end of the year and our ancestors who have passed… Halloween leads in the commercial world and has already happened on the 31st October.

I feel more in tune with Samhain, pronounced SAU wen, which is roughly translated as summers end. Samhain hails from Ireland and this year falls on the 7th November, but its not just a day. Its a period of time, so if you want to celebrate or honor this time, you just need to tune into how you feel not worry about a specific date.

I am not traditionally religious and was brought up in an atheist home, although my Irish and Scottish ancestors would have been both catholic and christian, but i have found that ritual and ceremony give my life roots and meaning. Honouring the seasons seems like the most natural way to do this, since we are cyclical beings and the draw of festivals before Christianity and Catholicism interfered with them are much more appealing.

So this time of year, i naturally enjoy slowing down. I want to be quiet and still… It is said that the veil between the worlds is thinner allowing our ancestors to come through or make connections. I like to meditate more frequently and pay particular attention to my dreams and the messages they hold.

I create an alter in my home.. which i have all year round as a place to centre my meditations on. At different times in the year i dress it with different objects associated with the season. I burn incense and leave offerings.

I spend time there whilst i journal and try to create a calm loving space.

Understanding the seasons and cycles, keeps us rooted to the earth.. and being rooted to the earth, keeps us making better decisions for the planet when it comes to our everyday life.

Pagan festivals have zero to do with over consumption and capitalism, which is so refreshing and has a much cleaner energy around them.

If you want to create an altar for Samhain its really simple to do.

Find a space on a sideboard or its own table. Cover with a cloth or scarf. Add candles, crystals and any natural objects that appeal to you whilst you’re in nature. Acorns, pine cones, beautiful leaves, stones. Then add in pictures or objects from loved ones who have passed. You can add offerings in the form of food, sweets, seeds, apples. You can also do this outside your house to welcome ancestors in. Sage and incense is a traditional way to cleanse energy.

Then, simply spend time there. It is a good opportunity to talk with the people you live with about your loved ones.

You cant get it wrong really.

So Samhain blessings to you.