Decorate the altar with leaves, herbs, photographs of deceased loved ones, and anything else that you consider sacred or has special significance to you.What you need:
- Two black candles (one to represent the Goddess in Her aspect of Crone or Lady of Darkness, and the other to represent the Horned God in His aspect of Lord of Shadows).
- Cauldron
- Cauldron Spirit
- Matches
- Parchment (write down the negative things in your life that you want to ‘sacrifice’ in the sense that you are ending something negative in order for positive growth and changes to occur).
- An apple
- Skull or Ghost-shaped candle to represent Spirits of the Dead
- Bowl of Salt
- Bowl of Water
- A Bell
- Incense Burner with Sage
- Athame
Face North, and say:
“We call to thee
O ancient spirits of the element Earth
and guardians of the northern sphere.
Tonight we seek thy presence here
in this circle and in our hearts that beat as one.
Come, elementals, come. We beseech thee.
Bring forth thy strength,
stability, and magick.
Partake of this sabbat rite
and Blessed Be!”
Turn to the East, and say:
“We call to thee
O ancient spirits of the element Air
and guardians of the eastern sphere.
Tonight we seek thy presence here
in this circle and in our hearts that beat as one.
Come, elementals, come. We beseech thee.
Bring forth thy wisdom,
dreams, and creativity.
Partake of this sabbat rite
and Blessed Be!”
Turn to the South, and say:
“We call to thee
O ancient spirits of the element Fire
and guardians of the southern sphere.
Tonight we seek thy presence here
in this circle and in our hearts that beat as one.
Come, elementals, come. We beseech thee.
Bring forth thy warmth, energy,
and flames of passion.
Partake of this sabbat rite
and Blessed Be!”
Turn to the West, and say:
“We call to thee
O ancient spirits of the element Water
and guardians of the western sphere.
Tonight we seek thy presence here
in this circle and in our hearts that beat as one.
Come, elementals, come. We beseech thee.
Bring forth thy love, intuition,
and power to cleanse.
Partake of this sabbat rite
and Blessed Be!”
Pour the salt into the bowl of water and stir it, using the tip of the athame’s blade. With the athame in your right hand and the bowl of salt water in your left, cast the circle by starting in the north and walking deosil. As you do this, dip the blade into the salt water and sprinkle the boundary of the circle. Say:
“I now conjure and proclaim this to be a circle of power,
and a sacred space between the worlds of the visible and the invisible,
the worlds of light and shadow, the worlds of mortal and spirit immortal.
Sabbat moon of enchantment, guide us well and shine your light
of Hecate’s blessings down upon this pagan right.
Let the wisdom of the Crone Goddess flow through us like blood through veins.
Let Her magick weave us a web of dreams to follow in our hearts.
Let Her strength and stability fill us, nourish us, heal, and sustain us,
and let the divine energies of the Horned God, who reigns tonight as the dark lord,
The Lord of Shadows, strengthen us and bless us with power and balance.
Let His ancient ways dwell within our hearts.”
Return the athame and bowl of salt water to the altar. The circle has now been cast and consecrated, creating a sacred space. Ring the altar bell three times, and say:
“Hail to the four elements, ancient and mystical, powerful and eternal.
Welcome Lord of Shadows and Lady of Darkness to this rite!
With sacred bell and witch’s blade, rising smoke and dancing flame
we honor thee on this night and open our hearts to your magick spell
of earth, moon, sun, and stars.
We are truly blessed by your presence,
by your love and protection, and by your guidance.
We now become as one with our beloved Goddess and God
in perfect love and in perfect trust.
As it is willed, so mote it be!”
Everyone should now raise their palms to the sky, and say:
“So mote it be!”
Light the sage bundle and smudge yourself. Offer it to the person on your left, and as the bundle is being passed around deosil, repeat the following words:
“On this night of shadows,
when the old ones in their darkest aspects reign supreme,
we gather in this circle and open our bodies,
our minds, and our spirits to the witching hour.
The season of the Witch now casts its spell upon us,
drawing us into its shadow-enshrouded mysteries,
its macabre beauty, and its ancient magick
that will forever endure.”
Return the sage bundle to the altar. Light the skull or ghost-shaped candle with a match, raise up your arms in a traditional Witch’s prayer position with the palms of your hands turned up, and say:
“We light this candle of death in honor of those whose physical bodies
have returned to the dark womb of our Sacred Mother Earth.
Tonight from their graves they rise.
Tonight their spirits shall roam unchained through
this world of flesh and blood until the rising of the newborn sun.
Thin grows the veil that separates the worlds of the living and the dead.
Tonight the doors to the ghostly realms beyond stand open.
Behold the spirits, phantoms, ghosts,
and page specters that go drifting by upon the wind.
We call to thee now, o spirit(s) of (name/s).
Our circle is open to you should you choose to come.
We invite you to join us as we celebrate this sacred rite,
and we welcome you with perfect love and perfect trust,
free of fear, sorrow or hesitation.
Come, loved ones, come, and be with us here and now.”
Everyone should now devote a few minutes to thinking fond thoughts about their deceased loved one(s). If personal prayers are desired, let them now be spoken.
Note: Spirits are always “invited” and never summoned. If spirits do return to the world of the living at Samhain to partake of the loving energies and celebration of the Sabbat, it should be of their own free will.
Take up the athame in your right hand and the apple in the other. With the tip of the blade, draw the sacred symbol of the pentagram in the air above the apple, and say:
“We call upon thee, Lord of Shadows and Lady of Darkness
to bless this apple to be the food for the dead.
Let any and all visitors from the otherworld of spirit
find sustenance in this fruit as they pass from this world to the next.
So mote it be!”
Everyone should now say in unison:
“So mote it be!”
Return the apple and athame to the altar, and say:
“And just as life itself is a never-ending cycle of birth, death, and rebirth,
the wheel of the year has once again turned,
bringing us an ending and a new beginning.
The time has come for us to honor the memory of those
who have crossed over to the other side.
And at this final phase of the eight-fold solar cycle,
we must ready ourselves to release the past and
to look beyond this dimension of time and space
to gain insight of the things yet to be.”
It is now time to light the cauldron of endings and new beginnings. Pour some of the Cauldron Splash into the cauldron and light it by carefully dropping in a lit match.
Take the slips of parchment upon which are written the ‘sacrifices’ and cast them into the cauldron’s fire. As this is being done everyone should repeat the following incantation in unison:
“Air and fire, water and earth, cauldron of death that brings rebirth,
into thy flames we cast our tokens to attain our goals unspoken.
Help our faults and weaknesses vanish, let our negative traits be banished!
Burn and blaze! Burn and blaze!
Magickal power we do raise;
ancient ways and Gods we praise;
into the future now we gaze.”
Everyone should now join hands to form a human circle around the flaming cauldron, and then gaze silently into the dancing flames, inviting clairvoyant visions to appear in the mind’s eye. Continue the divination until the flames have burned out. If desired, more Cauldron Splash with a lit match may be added to lengthen the time for divination. Visions or feelings perceived may be shared by all after the close of the ritual if so desired.
Closing the Ritual
“O Lady of Darkness and Lord of Shadows,
we offer thee our love and thanks
for attending this Sabbat rite and for empowering our magick.
O ancient ones, we bid thee farewell.
Blessed Be, and so mote it be!”
Everyone should now say in unison:
“Blessed Be, and so mote it be!”
Take up the athame, face west, and say:
“With love do we now give thanks and bid farewell
to the guardians of the west whose magick is the element of water.
Return now in peace, harming none, to thy place in nature.
Blessed Be!”
Everyone should now say in unison:
“Blessed Be!”
Face south, and say:
“With love do we now give thanks and bid farewell
to the guardians of the south whose magick is the element of fire.
Return now in peace, harming none, to thy place in nature.
Blessed Be!”
Everyone should now say in unison:
“Blessed Be!”
Face east, and say:
“With love do we now give thanks and bid farewell
to the guardians of the east whose magick is the element of air.
Return now in peace, harming none, to thy place in nature.
Blessed Be!”
Everyone should now say in unison:
“Blessed Be!”
Face north, and say:
“With love do we now give thanks and bid farewell
to the guardians of the north whose magick is the element of earth.
Return now in peace, harming none, to thy place in nature.
Blessed Be!”
Everyone should now say in unison:
“Blessed Be!”
Take down the circle walking widdershins, and say:
“This circle is now uncast and this pagan right concluded.
Merry we meet, merry we part, and merry shall we meet again.
A happy Halloween and a joyous New Year to one and all!
And as it is willed, so mote it be!”
Everyone should now say in unison:
“So mote it be!”
It is traditional at this time to warmly embrace one another and exchange blessings.
Extinguish the candles. Remove the apple and bury it in the soil of Mother Earth to nourish the souls of the dead on this very special night of the year.
Cakes and Ale!
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