Romanticize 4: Celebrate Samhain
It's the witches' New Year!
People tend to use Samhain (pronounced Sow-en) and Halloween as interchangeable terms, but Samhain—with its Gaelic origins dating back to the 9th century—came first and has far fewer commercial connotations. Yes, it also falls on October 31 and influenced Halloween’s more spirit-centric observances, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end.
Samhain—meaning “summer’s end” in Irish—is the holiest of the sabbats, considered the witches’ New Year, as it begins the Wheel of the Year. October 31 is when the veil between the spirit and living worlds is thinnest, and it’s easier to communicate with our loved ones in the afterlife, our ancestors, and our spirit guides—so it’s an excellent opportunity to receive messages from them via tarot or other divination practices. This is also a good time to perform spells to shed bad habits, break old bonds, and start anew. So in this spirit, let’s dream up a special Samhain romanticize!
The Romanticize
Perform a Samhain ritual.
The Advice
A popular ritual to honor and call home your ancestors is to burn a seven-day candle. Use a tall glass-encased votive (the inexpensive kind you can find at a deli or dollar store) and burn it for a few hours each night for seven days leading up to Samhain (technically, as you read this, it’ll be six days prior—but the energy of any sabbat or moon phase lasts up to two days before and after, so begin tonight!) For added energy, draw or attach runes, sigils, or names on the glass (just never leave it unattended as it burns). You can sprinkle herbs like rosemary (for remembrance) and mugwort (to repel negative spirits and aid in dream divination) into the melting wax, as well.
Speaking of seven days prior to Samhain, yesterday (October 25) was a partial solar eclipse and the new moon, so this is the perfect time to set intentions for release. Journal how you want to let go of bad habits, thought patterns that don’t serve you, resentments, and anger. You can also set intentions for growth and creativity in your life and work, and for increased connection with your intuition and spirit guides.
An easy spell to let go of the things you’re releasing this season is to write a few words on a bay leaf and burn it in a cauldron, fire-proof vessel, or a fire. If your message is too long for the leaf, write it on a piece of paper (you can even pen a letter to an ancestor or a living person) and burn it.
If you’re going the tarot route for divination, here are some of my favorite decks and resources.
The Inspiration
I’m including all of the above in my Samhain rituals. I’ve already begun my seven-day candle (with rosemary added), and I’m planning to journal my intentions in my book of shadows on the evening of October 31. Additionally, that night I’ll be writing a word to describe what I’m releasing on a bay leaf, as well as a few longer phrases on scraps of paper, then burning them all in my cauldron. While all those lovely items (plus various crystals that feel most energetically appropriate) are spread in front of me, I’ll pull some tarot. I’m particularly partial to Joan Bunning’s three-card quick insight spread, though this would be a great night to go with the Celtic Cross since it’s the most popular spread and a large concentration of people will be practicing it on Samhain, which makes for stronger collective energy and more accurate readings. For the three-card spread, I’ll ask a specific question as I shuffle if I feel compelled at the moment, otherwise, I’ll simply ask, “What is it that I need to know right now?”
I’d love to know the results of your romanticize—feel free to share your experience in the comments, or tag me on Instagram. Until next Wednesday, fellow romantics!