THEMES OF SAMHAIN
· Divination
· Death, culling, ending
· Feast of the Dead
· Descent into winter.
· The tomb/mound is raised over the seed
· The dark part of the year
· The Otherworld is close,
· The time of chaos begins
· Summer's end
· The dark sidhe
· Transformation through death.
· Entry to the Otherworld
· Communion with the ancestors
· The Wild Hunt
· Samhain fires
· The God of Death
· Hag Goddess/ Cailleach
· What is ending in you?
· What do you have inside that it is time to let go of?
SAMHAIN RITUAL
Cast the Circle.
East
Blessings be upon thee, realm of the east and air,
The whispering voice of soul and memory.
South
Blessings be upon thee, realm of the south and fire
Realm of Wayland’s forge, where the soul is destroyed and remade.
West:
Blessings be upon thee, realm of the west and water
Realm of Avalon, the Isle of Apples, Land of the Dead
North
Blessings be upon thee, realms of the north and earth
The realm of winter, barrenness and cold
Priestess:
Mother of that lives, harvester of all that dies,
Spinner of stars, weaver of worlds,
Great Goddess, we call upon you.
This is the festival of Samhain,
When barren winter approaches,
When death stalks the land,
When many are called back to your womb
To await another birth.
Be with us tonight, Dark Mother, Death Mother,
And give us sight of these.
Each person lights a candle and calls upon the name of a departed person they wish to commune with once more. This chant is sung to call back the dead:
Harken now, ye souls who wander,
Heed our call and come to the light.
Each person then offers a soul cake to the spirits. A meditation follows, during which we may communicate with the dead.
Priestess:
Ancestors; bone of our bone, seed of our seed,
We are here because you walked before us,
We are here because of your wisdom and courage,
We honour their memory on this Samhain Eve,
Our ancestors, bone of our bone, seed of our seed,
We honour you!
All: We honour you.
Priest:
The circle spins, the year turns from light to dark
Our Lord is the Lord of the Underworld,
Ruler of all the Mighty Dead who have gathered here tonight.
Let each of those spirits go now upon their way, harming not this world,
Travelling along the soul road towards rebirth,
Knowing we shall meet again some other Samhain Eve.
We honour them.
All: We honour them.
Priestess:
Dark Mother, keeper of the Cauldron of Wisdom,
We trust in the mystery of the wheel of life,
We know that the dark tomb is but your Earth womb
And we shall know rebirth and the light of another dawn.
Priestess: (takes up the cup of wine) Blessings be upon this wine, blood of the Goddess pressed smooth, sweet and intoxicating as is her wisdom. (It is shared.)
Priest: (Takes up the bread) Blessings be upon this bread, body of the God, the food that nourishes us, the mystery that sustains us. (It is shared.)
East
Realm of the east and air,
The whispering voice of soul and memory
Blessings and farewell.
South
Realm of the south and fire
Realm of Wayland’s forge, where the soul is destroyed and remade.
Blessings and farewell.
West:
Realm of the west and water
Realm of Avalon, the Isle of Apples, Land of the Dead
Blessings and farewell.
North
Realms of the north and earth
The cold realm of winter, barrenness and death
The womb of rebirth.
Blessings and farewell.
Priestess: The rite is ended, blessed be.
All: Blessed Be.
Break the circle.