Samhain Ritual

You may have noticed that I call on Goddesses from several different cultures in each ritual. There are reasons for this. For one thing, I believe that Goddess is Goddess. She is one. She has many names, because we speak different languages. But she is the One of the ten thousand names. Secondly, I believe that we spend too much time separating ourselves by race, by gender, by ethnicity, by nationality. We all live on a single planet. And we can worship the divinity of every culture, knowing that there are many ways to understand her power.

Samhain is the time when the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest, and it's the time when I like to ritualize the connection between those of us who walk this plane and those who walk the other. Therefore, I always settle in with my favorite people and animals who have gone before. It's best to do this ritual for five nights: two nights before Samhain, Samhain night, and two nights after.

When I wrote this particular ritual we were a coven of three, each living in a different state. So, while we each did our rituals alone, we did them simultaneously so we were together in spirit. One of our coven sisters is gone now, killed in an auto accident. I wanted to share this ritual with you all, in part to honor Phoenix. Blessed be Phoenix!

Needs: purple altar cloth, a piece of bread (preferably whole-wheat), a cup or goblet of your loved one's favorite nonalcoholic drink, photo of your loved one (or loved ones), sweet grass, tobacco, dandelion, censer, flashlight, compass, charcoal block, matches, 1 purple candle, 1 white candle, 1 red candle, 1 black candle, 4 candlesticks, statue or image of the Crone (a Halloween card or a picture of a Halloween witch is okay), bell

Cleanse space by ringing the bell.
Cleanse aura by ringing the bell.
Light charcoal and allow to heat.
Set up the altar:
Place the photo(s) at air (east), the flashlight at fire (south), the drink at water (west), the bread at earth (north), the compass at spirit. Place the white, red, and black candles in the middle of the altar. Place the purple candle in front of them. Place the censor at fire. Place the Crone at spirit. Place the bell wherever it's convenient for easy ringing

Close the circle
Mnasa, Mycenaean goddess of wisdom and memory helps us this night to re-member our loved one(s)[or use the name], for in memory we are all immortal. (Kiss the photo of your loved one. If you'd like, say something as well.)

Cally Berry, hag of Ireland, you who guard the lakes, you who protect the animals, you guard our travel into the watery unknown, and protect us as we journey into the land of spirit. (Take a sip of the drink you have poured for your loved one)

Weis Frauen, Goddess worshiping witches of Germany, you whose name means wise women, you who help lost travelers in the forest, there are three of you and three of us. This night each of you guides one of us that each of us might find our loved one in spirit. (Hold the compass in your hand, knowing that it and Goddess will guide you)

Sing Maiden, Mother, Crone in Me -- All Three in Harmony.

Charge of the Crone
Hear the words of the Dark Goddess who stands within the crossroads, whose torch illuminates the Unknown:
I am the Queen of Transformation and the Dark of the Moon, hidden in the deepest night. I am the mystery of the Otherworld and the wisdom that coils about your heart in the time of your trials.
I am the soul of nature that gives form to the universe; it is I who await you at the end of the Spiral Dance. Most ancient among Goddesses, let my worship be within the heart that has truly tasted life, for behold all acts of craft and art are my pleasure and my greatest ritual is love itself. Therefore let there be beauty in your strength, compassion in your wrath, power in your tolerance, and discipline balanced through mirth and reverence.
You who seek to see me and seek to behold my true face shall know that all your searching and efforts will one day come to an end. For the mystery shall be unveiled. Look no further than within yourself in order to look into my eyes.
Behold! I have been with you from the very beginning, the comforting hand that nurtured you in the dawn of life, and the loving embrace that awaits you at the end of each life, for I am that which is attained at the end of the dance, and I am the womb of new beginnings. At the end of the spiral you shall cease to imagine and come to know.

Place some sweet grass on the charcoal.

Spirits(s) [or name(s) of the person or persons you're calling], I call you with sweet grass, Dear(s). Come to me now! Come visit me here!
Place some tobacco on the charcoal
Tobacco I burn to call you this night. Come, dear spirit(s), speak with me tonight.
Place some dandelion on the charcoal.
With dandelion I call the spirit(s) of you, for dandelion makes my wishes come true.

Bless the purple candle with olive oil rubbing top to middle, from bottom to middle in one direction at a time.

Candle, candle, blessed me. Bring [name of the person you're calling] unto me.

Face the east and very loudly call the spirit you're looking for. Ring the bell once, letting the sound decay on its own.
Face the south and do the same.
Face west and do the same.
Face north and do the same.
Face spirit and do the same three times.

Meditate on the person you want to contact. Go somewhere that the person used to like. Sit down and find yourself at peace, knowing that your loved one will come. Give your loved one a gift, something sweet, something s/he'll love. Receive the gift s/he has for you. Have a quiet talk, a pleasant visit. Dance if you want. Sing if you want. Go swimming or horseback riding. Make jokes. Enjoy your visit. When it's time to come back thank your spirit and return.

Ground now and let the excess energy flow into the earth to nourish your loved one(s). Open the circle, thanking the Goddesses in reverse order, beginning with Weis Frauen, and ending with Mnasa. Allow the candles to burn out on their own. Put the bread and the drink outside for the spirits and, after the censer has cooled, throw the ashes to the air so the wind can carry your love to all the spirits around you