Category: Rituals

A Ritual of Necromancy

A Ritual of Necromancy

Outside the circle, set up an altar with three candles (the original rite calls for red, white, and black) situated around a black and red triangle, with a picture or representation of the person to be called within the triangle. Burn wormwood and horehound as incense.

1. Make your openings/quarter calls as you feel appropriate.

2. Call upon a force which presides over the dead. The original rite calls upon Hecate with a poetic incantation, followed by an ad-lib request for the deity’s help in successfully completing the operation.

3. Call upon the spirit of the deceased. The rite gives the following: “Colpriziana, offina alta nestra, fuaro menut, i name …….. the dead which i seek, …….. thou art the dead that i seek. Spirit of ……, deceased, you may now approach this gate and answer truly to my calling. Berald, Beroald, Balbin, Gab, Gabor, Agaba! Arise, i charge and call thee.” {The magic words are from the Grimoirium Verum, and though i don’t wish to go track the reference down right now, they are clearly corruptions of latin and hebrew words.}

4. Make an X sign, calling the person’s name. When there is some manifestation in the smoke, Say to it: “Allay Fortission Fortissio Allynsen Roa!” which is also a combination of hebrew and latin. The intent of the words seems to be the giving of strength (fortis) and breath (ruach).

5. Do your business with the deceased.

6. When you wish it to depart, say “Go, Go departed shades by Omgroma Epic Sayoc, Satony, Degony, Eparigon, Galiganon, Zogogen, Ferstigon. I License thee to depart unto thy proper place and be there peace between us evermore.”

7. Close shop.

Incidentally, the rite from the Grimoirium Verum is not nearly as explicit, has different components, and was most likely used to *raise* the dead rather than to evoke them. The process is kept alive today in the caribbean with the aid of certain frogs and fish, and it is possible that the french grimoire records an ancestor of the practice. In both the very real carribbean and the hypothetical 17th century french cases, the victim of zombification is only “mostly dead” and thus the rites fall under the domain of psychological manipulations and not of magic.

A RITUAL FOR COMFORT

A RITUAL FOR COMFORT
(FROM THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE)

*NOTE* This ritual will cause strong emotions, that may seem at first to be
overwhelming. However, you can get through it, with just a little persistence.

Cast a circle in the usual way, the way that you are most familiar.

Light a candle of your favorite color to represent you. Next to it, place a
candle of a color that reminds you of your friend, but, do not light it.

Place a circle of candles around these two, on your altar, consisting of a red
candle, saying as you do, “I light this candle to represent the circle of life
and death.”

The next candle should be pink. Say, “This candle represents love. I ask with
candle for the gift of love.”

The next candle should be blue. Light it, saying, “This candle represents peace.
May I have peace in my heart.”

The next candle should be white. Light it as you say, “This candle represents
protection, so that I may get through these hard times.”

Light a purple candle and place it in the last spot, “This candle represents the
power of the spirit.”

Outside the inner circle of candles, place memorabilia of the lost one, or the
one you are about to loose to sickness or illness. This can be pictures, or any
item that reminds you of him/her. Hold the unlit candle representing the loved
one and spend some quiet time re-living the memories, and cherishing the fond
memories you have of the loved one. When finished, light the candle and put it
back in the holder.

Visualize your loved one standing next to you. Watch him as he leaves your side
and travels off to a another place. If the loved one has christian values,
visualize him in heaven, if they believe in reincarnation, visualize them being
born as a baby again. Etc… If unsure of the other’s beliefs and you can’t ask
them, just visualize them leaving. As they leave your side, they should pass
through a big white door.

After the visualization has faded, hold a black candle. Pour all your negative
emotions into this candle. You are allowed to cry. Breathe all you have into the
candle and when finished, light it and place it somewhere outside the colorful
circle of candles.

Address the lord and lady. Ask them for guidance. Ask the lady to hold you as a
mother. Rock back and forth with her once she is holding you in her embrace.
Feel the mother’s warmth.

Once you have reached a feeling of release, extinguish all candles, unless you
are only planning on doing this ritual once, then let the candles burn out
completely. Take the black candle outside immediately and either bury it beside
a tree, or throw it into a large body of water. Ask the spirit of (earth/water)
to purify it, and to give you strength to deal with your situation.

Close the circle and perform any other ritualistic habits that may a part of
your tradition, or that may help you feel better.

An Opening Ritual

An Opening Ritual

As we stand in our circle, let the arms of the Goddess enfold us. Feel her warm
loving touch. In her touch we feel all that is … around us. We can feel the
oneness of all things. We call her to enfold us … to encircle us. In her arms
we fear nothing, for everything is part of us.

We call upon the elements of Air. Spirits of the East. Let our thoughts be as
Air — clear and crisp. Swirling free, with no bounds. Whispering through the
lonely canyons. Rising up to meet the sun.

We call upon the elements of Fire. Spirits of the South. Let our will rise
within us like lava, radiating with energy and power, flowing down to meet the
sea.

We call upon the elements of Water. Spirits of the West. Let our emotions be
fluid as the tide, changing shape and form with its surroundings. Reflective
as deep blue pools … passionate as the crashing waves upon the rocks.

We call upon the elements of Earth. Spirits of the North. Feeling it beneath
our feet, we draw strength. We send our roots down into her soil. Growing solid
and firm. Partaking of her warmth and security.

Thus we are in her embrace, wherein we are not separate beings … but one …
in total trust and total love.

RELEASING THE CIRCLE

RELEASING THE CIRCLE

Once the rite is ended, face North, hold aloft the wand and say:

Farewell, Spirit of the North Stone.
I give thanks for your presence here.
Go in power.

Repeat this same formula to the East, South and West, substituting the proper
direction in the words. Then return to the North and hold the wand aloft for a
few moments.
Lay the wand on the altar. Take up the athame. Standing in the North, pierce
the circle’s wall with the blade at waist level. Move clockwise around the
circle, visualizing it’s power being sucked back into the athame. Literally pull
it back into the blade and handle. Sense the circle dissolving, shrinking; the
outside world slowly regaining its dominance in the area. When you arrive at
the North again, the circle is no more.

Imbolc Ritual

Imbolc Ritual
(Candlemas, February 2nd)

Tools:
In addition to your m’jyk-l tools, you will need:

  • A White Altar Cloth
  • Light Green Taper Goddess Candle
  • Light Yellow Taper God Candle
  • 13 White 4″ Stick Candles
  • Brideo’ga*
  • Small Woven Basket with White Flowers
  • Pentacle Candle Wheel
  • Handful of Acorns
  • Cauldron
  • Snow/Crushed Ice
  • Small White Pillar Candle
  • Potpourri Holder
  • Tea Lite
  • Basil, Bay, Heather Flowers, Cinnamon and Vanilla Potpourri Blend
  • Long Wooden Stick Matches

Preparation:
Sweep area, moving in deosil direction. Outline your circle with white cord Angelica leaves. Place Pentacle Candle Wheel in the center of altar. Place the lt. green taper Goddess candle to the top left of altar and the lt. yellow taper God candle to the top right of altar. Put the white flowers in the basket as bedding for the Bride’s Bed, then place the Brideo’ga atop the flowers. Place the basket in front of the Goddess candle, to the left of the Pentacle Candle Wheel. Place the acorns in front of the God candle, to the right of the Pentacle Wheel. Place the tea lite in the bottom of potpourri holder, and put holder at front center of the alter. Place white pillar candle in the middle of the cauldron, fill cauldron about 1″-2″ with snow or crushed ice, and position on floor in front of altar. Put the container with potpourri where it can be reached easily. Place the rest of your tools and props according to personal preference. Bathe or shower for purification. Ground and center. When ready, put on some soothing music associated with this Sabbat and your ritual.

Cast circle by holding out your right hand and tracing over the cord or leaves in a clockwise direction. As you trace over the outline envision flames of pure white rising up along the perimeter. When the beginning and the end join the circle is complete. Step up to the cauldron and light the white pillar candle, saying:

“Amidst the darkness the Lady is stirring,
Gently awakening from frozen dreams,
All the world has awaited this moment The return of the Maiden,
And Her promise of oncoming Spring.”

Call Quarters. As this is a time to honor Mother Earth as she wakes from her winter’s recovery of giving rebirth to the Sun King at Yule, start with North, the element Earth. Pick up the container of potpourri, step up to the altar and pour some into the holder, saying:

“Powers of Earth, the Maiden awakens!
Come join the circle and share in the light.”

Put the container back where it was. Light the white candle at the North point of the Pentacle Candle Wheel. Continue, by waving your hand over the potpourri as if to create a breeze on which to carry the scent, saying:

“Powers of Air, the Maiden awakens!
Come join the circle and share in the light.”

Light the white candle at the East point of the Pentacle Candle Wheel. Light the tea candle in the bottom of the potpourri holder, saying:

“Powers of Fire, the Maiden awakens!
Come join the circle and share in the light.”

Light the white candle at the South point of the Pentacle Candle Wheel. Pour some water into the holder with the potpourri, saying:

“Powers of Water, the Maiden awakens!
Come join the circle and share in the light.”

Light the white candle at the West point of the Pentacle Candle Wheel. Remove the white candle from the top point of the Pentacle. Since Akasha is the omnipresent, it need not be invoked. Light the candle and invoke the Goddess and the God by lighting the lt. green Goddess candle and the lt. yellow God candle with the white candle. Place the white candle back in the top point of the Pentacle Candle Wheel, saying:

“Be with me now, oh Ancients, eternal,
Hear now my prayers, hopes and dreams.
The Goddess has wakened, once more as the Maiden
By loving caresses from the strengthened Sun King.”

Light the inner cross points of the Pentacle Candle Wheel, starting with the cross point to the right of the North point. Light all 5 cross points in succession, saying:

“The Earth now grows warmer, as the Wheel again turns
And as each passing day adds strength, To the Sun King’s rays
The Maiden, of his gift of life, now silently does yearn.”

Take a couple of the acorns from in front of the God candle and place them in the Bride’s Bed with the Brideo’ga. Light the three aspects of the Goddess candles. All aspects are white because She is the Triple Goddess appearing as the Maiden, pure, and renewed. Step back from the altar and contemplate the light that is brought about by the re-union of the God and the Goddess saying:

“Behold the God and Goddess,
Lord of the Forest and his Bride,
Once again the Earth is blessed
With life anew inside.
Seeds shall soon begin to sprout
And creatures shall young bear
For this is the Promise, the Cycle of Life
That is born of the love They share.”

Now is the time for meditation and any spellworkings. Spellworkings associated with Imbolc include those for fertility, defining and focusing on goals for the future, organization, health, and protection. Next, celebrate with Cakes and Ale (Poppyseed Cakes* and Spiced Tea*) Ceremony, saving some for the wee Folkes, outside. Thank the God and Goddess for Their presence snuff their candles. Thank and release the Quarters, saying:

“Though you leave this circle, tonight,
Water, Fire, Air, and Earth
Your symbols shall linger on a while
Blessing my home and hearth.
The herbs that scent this room tonight,
Were chosen with loving care,
To bless me, my family and my friends,
And my sisters and brothers everywhere.”

Snuff each of the white candles at the directional points of the Pentacle Candle Wheel, starting with the candle at the top point first, then the West point and working in a widdershins direction. Snuff the inner cross point candles also in a widdershins direction. Finally snuff the three aspects of the Goddess candles. Step back from the altar and face the cauldron with the white pillar candle still burning brightly saying:

“I honor Thee, Maiden, most blessed Bride
As your candle burns through this night
And thank you for the renewed life you offer us all
As you emerge from the dark to the light.”

Release the circle. Clean up, place the cauldron from the floor onto the middle of the alter. Let the candle burn out by itself. Place the potpourri in a spot where its scent and blessings fill the house. You are done.

INVOCATION OF THE CHARMS

INVOCATION OF THE CHARMS

I bathe thy palms
In showers of wine,
In the lustral fire,
In the five elements,
In the juice of the rasps,
In the milk of honey,
And I place the nine pure charms
In thy fair fond face,
The charm of form,
The charm of voice,
The charm of fortune,
The charm of goodness,
The charm of wisdom,
The charm of generosity,
The charm of choice maidenliness,
The charm of beauty,
The charm of fair speech.

Dark is yonder city,
Dark are those therein,
Thou art the brown swan,
Going in among them.
Their hearts are under thy control,
Their tongues are beneath thy sole,
Nor will they ever utter a word
To give thee offence.

A shade art thou in the heat,
A shelter art thou in the cold,
Eyes art thou to the blind,
A staff art thou to the pilgrim,
An island art thou at sea,
A fortress art thou on land,
A well art thou in the desert,
Health art thou to the ailing.

Thine is the skill of the Fairy Women,
Thine is the virtue of Bridget the calm,
Thine is the faith of Danu the mild,
Thine is the tact of the women of Kildare,
Thine is the beauty of Emir the fair,
Thine is the tenderness of Darthula delightful,
Thine is the courage of Maebh the strong,
Thine is the charm of Binne-bheul.

Thou art the joy of all joyous things,
Thou art the light of the beam of the moon,
Thou art the door of hospitality,
Thou art the surpassing star of guidance,
Thou art the step of the deer on the hill,
Thou art the step of the steed on the plain,
Thou art the grace of the swan swimming,
Thou art the loveliness of all lovely desires.

The lovely likeness of the Lady
Is in thy fair face,
The loveliest likeness that
Ever was in the Three Worlds.

The best hour of the day be thine,
The best day of the week be thine,
The best week of the year be thine,
The best year of a lifetime be thine.

Ogma has come and Midir has come,
Lir has come and Manannan has come,
Morigan and Tailtiu have come,
The Dagda, all-beneficent has come,
Angus the beauteousness of the young has come,
Amergin the seer of the Tuatha has come,
Lugh the prince of the valiant has come,
And Nuada the chief of the hosts has come,
And the Goddess of all has come,
And her spirit of guidance has come,
And her consort, the Horned One, has come,
To bestow on thee their affection and their love,
To bestow on thee their affection and their love.

How To Design a Nature Ritual

How To Design a Nature Ritual

Adapted from Connecting with Nature, by John R. Stowe (Findhorn Press, 2003).These four guidelines can help you to design simple, personal rituals that honor your own connection with the living world of nature.

The benefits of intentional connection are threefold. First, it helps to antidote the alienation that comes from believing in separation. Second, by focusing your attention–and your creative energy–on your positive relationships with the living world, you make them stronger. Finally, through your practice, you feed the living world around you. If your practice fills you with gratitude, appreciation, respect, and beauty, you and all of life are so much richer.

Find out how to create your own satisfying rituals of connection with nature:

1. Set your intention. To begin, choose a simple action to indicate that you intend o focus your full attention on whatever follows. It could be a short prayer–especially if you follow a religious tradition–or annunciation to the energies of Spirit to join you. It might be a simple gesture like reaching down to touch the Earth, turning to each of the four cardinal directions, or taking three slow, deep breaths. You could light a candle, sing, ring a small bell, touch your heart, or whatever else feels right to you.

Setting your intention establishes the tone for the whole ritual. It reminds you that you’re creating a space that is special, outside the flow of normal activity. You’ll find that the more you repeat a certain opening gesture, the more comforting and familiar it becomes. In time, just repeating it will help you calm your mind and focus your attention quickly and easily.

2. Communicate. When you’ve opened your ritual, how you proceed depends on your intention. What are you here to honor? What would you like to express? The possibilities are endless–and entirely up to you. Some people make a ritual to honor the sunset, or the full moon. Others may want to honor a specific natural event (the first snowfall, thunderstorms, moonrise) or a particular animal.

Give your imagination free rein. Ask yourself what you’d like your ritual to communicate, which connection with the living world you’d like to honor, which of your companions you’d like to thank. Then, ask yourself how to make a statement as simply and eloquently as possible. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to come up with simple, enjoyable rituals. Start simply, focus on one thing at a time, and let your experience lead you onward.

3. Completion. Just as you opened the ritual with a gesture, mark its closing in the same way. These two gestures–even if they’re as simple as a focused breath–reinforce your intention that everything between them be special. Your closing gesture could be a repeat of the opening one or something different–whatever feels appropriate. Choose one that helps you to honor your intention and then let yourself return to normal awareness.

4. Action. Using the outline you just created, find a time to perform your ritual. Choose an appropriate setting. Take your time. Proceed with intention and as much clarity as you can. When you complete your ritual of intentional connection, take a few moments to notice how you feel. What was your experience? What have you learned? If you were to perform this practice again, is there anything you’d change? How else might you like to observe your connections with Nature?

Ritual for Healing a Relationship

Ritual for Healing a Relationship

Adapted from The Essence of Incense, by Diana Rosen (Storey Books, 2001).Life is as fleeting as a rainbow. A flash of lightning, a star at dawn. Knowing this, how can you quarrel?
–Buddha

Healing a rift with someone close to you often requires an initial period of reflection on what has disturbed the relationship and what will bring about reconciliation. How can we open our hearts? What will ease our minds and soothe our bodies?

Here is a simple but powerful two-part ritual to help you begin the process of healing your relationship, and begin anew.

Lighting incense, particularly one with a fragrance connected with comfort, such as sandalwood, can help create a soothing atmosphere for such reflection. Choose a quiet place, perhaps where the disagreement took place. Or you might sit in front of your home altar with symbols before you of the relationship that needs healing. These symbols can be letters, photos, pages from your journal, anything that speaks of the person or persons involved.

Light the incense. Breathe in its therapeutic scent. Lift up your shoulders and roll them three times forward and three times backward until they are fully relaxed. Allow the incense to burn out completely.

Sometimes we don’t know why or how division has pushed us away from the people or places we care about. Separation sometimes just happens. Other times we remember harsh words, misunderstandings, and exclusions from the fold. It all hurts, but the pain does not have to last forever.

A phone call, a letter, even an email, can be the beginning of erasing the line of separation. As long as the goal is pure, coming together again can happen.

Choose an incense fragrance that is completely new to you. Try one that is pleasant and light to reflect your cleansing, perhaps a citrus scent, which is associated with fresh energy. You might enjoy one of the delightful fragrance sticks imbued with a fruity aroma, such as mango, strawberry, melon, berry, or pear. By opening yourself up to something as simple as a different fragrance, you begin the path to other changes. In your own way, ask for the strength and clarity to bring about change in your life and your relationships.

MIND/HEART/SPIRIT HEALING RITUAL

MIND/HEART/SPIRIT HEALING RITUAL


To quiet a troubled mind, mend a broken heart, or heal a wounded spirit, you will
need the following items:
1 DOVE FEATHER (preferably one that crosses your path by chance, but definitely
one which has NOT been plucked, but has fallen naturally.)
2 BLUE CANDLES (for healing, tranquillity, peace and forgiveness)
LAVENDER BATH SALTS OR OIL (for love, peace, happiness, purification and protection)
1 CINNAMON STICK (OR CHIPS) (for spirituality, success, healing, power, love and protection)
ALTAR BELL
On the night of a NEW moon, gather the items and place them on your altar
(or, if you have the privacy, outside on a tree stump or other earth area).
Take one blue candle and the lavender bath salts or oil and bathe in the lavender
by the light of the blue candle, concentrating on that which requires healing.(If you
cease bathing before the candle is completely burned out, do NOT extinguish the
flame by blowing it out, but do extinguish it.) Once at your altar (or earth place), light
the blue candle and recite the following:
It is time to awaken to the cry of the dove,
Hearken to the chimes of the bells of love,
Spirit rise and soul take flight,
Into the halls of endless night
Where shadows ceases to fall upon
The brilliant light of endless dawn.
The fire, cold, burns radiant
Consuming all in sweet content.
The joy a pain, the peace a wound,
The pain a peace, the joy a boon.
Next, light the cinnamon stick or chips (the stick works best) with the candle flame.
Pass the dove feather through the flame (quickly, so as not to set it afire) then the
cinnamon smoke, in that order, three times. While still holding the feather, ring your
altar bell three times. Leave the cinnamon burning in your censure ’til it goes out on
its own, and leave the candle burning ’til it does the same. Take the feather outside
and place it under a tree (elder, preferably, but any will do) — place it under a different
tree if you are performing this spell near a tree outside. This will set it free, freeing you
as well. DO NOT touch the feather again, let it leave on its own!

Ritual for Letting Go and Taking Stock

Ritual for Letting Go and Taking Stock  
By Cait Johnson, author of Earth, Water, Fire, and Air (SkyLight Paths, 2003).Early autumn is the traditional time for taking stock: what do we need to release so we won’t feel burdened in the months ahead? What do we keep in our spiritual larders to sustain us? We can take a gentle lesson from nature as we witness the trees and their graceful letting-go, and the busyness of squirrels as they gather the stores of food that will ensure a secure winter.Here is a simple ritual designed to help you free yourself from the burdens of the past, and to help you identify the skills, strengths, and gifts that will be your wise companions this winter. Read it here:

1. Take a little time where you will not be disturbed. Sit comfortably with a small pad of paper and a pen or pencil and close your eyes. Take a moment to feel how gravity keeps you firmly here on this planet. Take comfort in your weight. Now take note of all the places where your body is touching something solid: the chair, the floor. Feel how you are cradled by these places. Take a moment to feel grateful for your life.

2. Now gently bring into your awareness anything you carry that makes you feel weighed-down, heavy, sad, or angry. Perhaps a relationship issue or a negative pattern of thinking. Perhaps worries about not having enough of something. With compassion for yourself, write these things down on your paper.

3. Now, still keeping your eyes closed, turn over a new leaf in your pad. Give yourself a few moments to think of any important lessons you learned from these burdens–any skills you gained from having carried them. (For example, if a relationship did not work out as you had wished, you may have learned to be more self-reliant and independent.) If you release the sadness or anger associated with each burden, what are the gifts that remain? Write these gifts down on the fresh piece of paper.

4. Now give some thought to your personal talents, skills, and qualities of character. These are things that nothing can take away; they are part of the great gift to the world that you are. Write down as many as you can think of on the same piece of paper.

5. When you are ready, open your eyes. Take the list of burdens and, without looking at it, tear it into small pieces. These may be burned, buried, or released into the air or water. (One friend took a chair outdoors, stood on it, and released her paper bits like autumn leaves, enjoying the sight of their gentle drifting-down.) Now read the list of gifts. Fold the paper and put it in a safe place. Whenever you need a reminder, take it out and reread it.

WISH RITUAL

WISH RITUAL

 

What You Will Need:

A large bowl A wooden spoon A sifter or colander
As many of the following herbs as you can find: Cinnamon, basil, clover, ginger, marjoram, tea, catnip, jasmine, ginseng, lavender, pine, sage, cloves.
This is inherently a simple spell but you can make it into an all-out ritual.
Best if done when the moon is waxing, unless you are wishing to get rid of a problem.
Place all the ingredients into the bowl. Stir and grind them with the spoon.
Continue to grind and blend until everything is mixed into a coarse substance –
there should be no large pieces. It should be grainy and almost powder-like.
Dump the substance into the colander or sifter and gently shake it back and forth over another bowl.
The finest powder will get through the sifter but the large pieces will not.
What you should have when you are finished is at least a handful of herbal wish powder.
Make sure you go out on a nice day to perform the spell.
Find a nice clearing and take your wish powder with you in a pouch.
Take a handful and say a chant – it’s best that you write your own so you can state the specific need of the wish. Make sure you are very clear about what you wish for and how you want to get it.
Throw your powder to the wind and let it carry your wish away to come true!

What Is The Difference Between A Spell and A Ritual

What Is The Difference Between A Spell and A Ritual

 
 
In practice the terms “spell” and “ritual” are used interchangeably in magick and throughout used as a umbrella term for magickal working.
 
A spell tends to be a less formal kind of magick, usually cast for a specific purpose or need, for example to protect a named traveller (maybe yourself or a family member) on a particular journey or trip for a specified length of time. The energies are raised and then released so they will bounce back to activate the purpose of the spell which has been represented by a symbol of that journey. This physical focus of the spell might in natural magick be a feather or some chopped fennel herbs to symbolize travel.
 
In contrast a ritual is based on a more general or long-lasting focus. A ritual may be carried out at specified times, for example the first day of spring or to celebrate the birth of a baby. A ritual, even in natural magick, follows a more structured format.
 
What is more, whereas a spell builds up to a climax and release of energy, the ritual may release energy more evenly throughout the weeks and months ahead.

How To Honor the Harvest’s End – A Samhain Ritual for Wiccans and Pagans

How To Honor the Harvest’s End – A Samhain Ritual for Wiccans and Pagans

By Patti Wigington

Samhain represents, among other things, the end of the harvest season. If you haven’t picked it by Samhain, you probably won’t be eating it! The gardens have died off by now, and where we once saw lush green plants, there is nothing left but dry and dead stalks. The perennials have shut down for the season too, going dormant so that they may return to us in the spring. Animals are brought in from the fields for the winter — and if you’ve ever had a spider come wandering into your living room one chilly October night, you know that even the insects are trying to find a place to stay warm.

Difficulty: Average
Time Required: Varied
Here’s How:

If we had lived a few hundreds of years ago, we would not only have brought our cows and sheep in from the pastures. Most likely we’d slaughter a few of them, as well as some pigs and goats, smoking the meat so it would last through the cold months. Our grain that we picked back at Lughnasadh has been baked into bread, and all of our herbs have been gathered, and hang from the rafters in the kitchen. The harvest is over, and now it’s time to settle in for winter with the coziness of a warm fireplace, heavy blankets, and big pots of comfort food on the stovetop.

If you want to celebrate Samhain as the time of harvest’s end, you can do so as a single ritual, or as the first of three days of ceremony. If you don’t have a permanent altar in place, set up a table to leave in place for the three days prior to Samhain. This will act as a your family’s temporary altar for the Sabbat. Decorate the altar with symbols of late fall, such as:

  • Skulls, skeletons, grave rubbings, ghosts
  • Harvest food such as pumpkins, squash, root vegetables
  • Nuts and berries, dark breads
  • Dried leaves and acorns
  • A cornucopia filled with an abundance of fruit and veggies
  • Mulled cider, wine, or mead

 

To begin your ceremony, prepare a meal for the family — and this is something that everyone can get involved in. Put emphasis on fruits and vegetables, and wild game meat if available. Also make sure you have a loaf of a dark bread like rye or pumpernickel and a cup of apple cider or wine. Set the dinner table with candles and a fall centerpiece, and put all the food on the table at once. Consider the dinner table a sacred space.

Gather everyone around the table, and say:

 

Tonight is the first of three nights,
on which we celebrate Samhain.
It is the end of the harvest, the last days of summer,
and the cold nights wait on the other side for us.
The bounty of our labor, the abundance of the harvest,
the success of the hunt, all lies before us.
We thank the earth for all it has given us this season,
and yet we look forward to winter,
a time of sacred darkness.

Take the cup of cider or wine, and lead everyone outside. Make this a ceremonial and formal occasion. If you have a vegetable garden, great! Go there now — otherwise, just find a nice grassy spot in your yard. Each person in the family takes the cup in turn and sprinkles a little bit of cider onto the earth, saying:

Summer is gone, winter is coming.
We have planted and
we have watched the garden grow,
we have weeded,
and we have gathered the harvest.
Now it is at its end.

 

If you have any late-fall plants still waiting to be picked, gather them up now. Collect a bundle of dead plants and use them to make a straw man or woman. If you follow a more masculine path, he may be your King of Winter, and rule your home until spring returns. If you follow the Goddess in her many forms, make a female figure to represent the Goddess as hag or crone in winter.

Once that is done, go back inside and bring your King of Winter into your home with much pomp and circumstance. Place him on your table and prop him up with a plate of his own, and when you sit down to eat, serve him first.

Begin your meal with the breaking of the dark bread, and make sure you toss a few crumbs outside for the birds afterwards. Keep the King of Winter in a place of honor all season long — you can put him back outside in your garden on a pole to watch over next spring’s seedlings, and eventually burn him at your Beltane celebration.

When you are finished with your meal, put the leftovers out in the garden. Wrap up the evening by playing games, such as bobbing for apples or telling spooky stories before a bonfire.

What You Need:
  • A table to use as your Samhain altar
  • Decorations that represent the late autumn season
  • A meal with lots of veggies, fruit, and bread
  • A cup of wine or cider

Charging a Smudge Stick or Herbs

Whether you make your own smudge stick, use a prepared one or are planning to burn herbs in a bowl, you can endow them with power.

If you are using a smudge stick, hold it between your hands. If you are using a bowl, place your herbs in the bowl and hold this during the ritual.

In this ritual, we will use the six directions recognized by the Native North Americans:  the four main compass points, then downwards and finally upwards. Begin in the East, important to Native North Americans as the direction of dawn. Indeed a number of western practitioners start traditional magickal rituals by facing the East and opening the watchtowers here. Start with the North for security. If indoors, ventilate the room well.

  • Stand so that there is space round you.
  • Light a circle of red or natural beeswax candles in deep holders, one at each main direction and one in the center to ignite the smudge. If this is part of a ritual outdoors, you can visualize a ring of fire and omit the candles except for the one used to light the smudge. If you do light directional candles, light the central candle and then the candle of the East, South and so on. During the ritual you can move and stand by each, facing outwards in the appropriate direction of you wish.
  • Light the smudge from the central candle. Standing in the center of your fire wheel, face first the East, the direction of Dawn and Spring. Raise your stick or bowl and say:

“I greet the freshness of Dawn and brightness of the new morning. Fill, I ask, tee my sacred herbs with new life and swiftness of purpose.”

  • Turn next to the South, direction of Moon and Summer. Lite your smudge stick or bowl upwards and say:

“I greet the brilliance of noon and its radiant fire. Fill, I ask, these my sacred herbs with inspiration, integrity and courage.”

  • Face the West, direction of Dusk and Autumn and once more raise your smudge tools, saying:

“I greet the deepening skies and the first star of evening. Fill, I ask, thee my sacred herbs with love and healing.”

  • Face the North, direction of Midnight and Winter. Life your stick or bowl, saying:

“I welcome the darkness and the time of quiet repose.. Fill these sacred herbs with acceptance of what cannot be changed and with the wisdom of the ancestors.”

  • Standing still in the center of your actual or visualized fire circle, next to the central candle, lower the smudge towards the Earth and say:

“Kind Mother Earth, bless your own sacred herbs and absorb all that is not worthy of beauty in this wand of herbs and in my intentions.”

  • Finally, lift your stick or bowl high in the air, saying:

“Father Sky, bless these sacred herbs that my wishes and prayers may rise and be transformed into whatever is right and of worth.”

  • Some practitioners end with Mother Earth, or you can vary it according to the nature of the ritual.
  • As well as charging your herbs with power, you can create a complete ritual by facing and invoking the six directions with your smudge and then smudging yourself as a means of empowerment or protection. Alternatively, you can empower a symbol by carrying it to each of the four directions in turn and smudging it while declaring the purpose of the ritual.
  • You can end by lowering it to the Earth and smudging it there, and finally raising it upwards and releasing the energies in the smudge skywards.

 

Lighting Smudge

  • Use long matches or a candle but do not get wax on the smudge.
  • Light the tip of the smudge.
  • Let the flame die down and then blow the stick until the end glows red and smoke begins to curl upwards. Take time to get it really smoking well, especially outdoors on damp days.
  • If you are using candles at the quarters of a circle in ritual, you can briefly hold the smudge into each flame in turn as you address the quarters.
  • Keep a fire source like a candle in a safe holder near where you are smudging. If the stick goes out, you can relight it any time during the ritual, adding a blessing at the same time.

Equipment You Will Need for Smudging

A Smudging Fan

The purpose of a fan is to spread and direct the smoke from a smudge stick or bowl of herbs around the person, object or place to be cleansed. If you prefer, you can use your hand or a leaf brush made, for example, of pine needles. Use your hand only if you are writing in smoke with your stick.

Feathers and wing fans are traditional and are believed to assist in cleansing the human aura or psychic energy field as well as adding the qualities of the particular bird to the magick.

You can buy feather fans or use a single large feather you have bought or found.

Bowls

For burning pre-dried herbs without charcoal you need a heatproof dish as the heat is very fierce. It should be flat enough to allow the air to circulate. You can put a layer of sand or dry soil in the bottom as insulation. In the Native North American Indian tradition as abalone shell is used. This has natural perforations to let out the heat and ensure that the air is distributed evenly all around to give a regular streams of smoke. Shells are symbolic of the Mother Goddess.

A popular smudging bowl to use is ceramic, broad and flat with a shallow rim and wide lip that remains cool even when herbs are heated and broad feet so that it can be placed on a table or on the floor without the risk of scorching. You could make your own bowl, thus endowing it with your personal energies.

You also need a deep bowl for sand or earth in which you can extinguish smudge sticks when you want to end a ritual and they have not gone out naturally. You can also catch the ash or any sparks from your smudge stick in the bowl. Some people extinguish a smudge stick by tapping it on the edge of the bowl. Water is not used, except in an emergency.

Drying The Smudge Sticks

  • Hang your smudge bundles upside down using a knot in the twine so that the air can circulate. Ensure the are you keep them is warm and not damp, and not exposed to direct sunlight.
  • Leave the smudge sticks to dry for about two weeks. They are ready when they are dry but not completely moisture free. Watch out for mold.

Making A Smudge Stick – An Alternative Method

  • For this you will need much taller herbs, about three times the length of the finished smudge stick you want to make. You will also need fewer herbs since you are folding them over to three times the original thickness. You will need very pliant herbs that will not snap. Aim for a 6 – 7 inch finished smudge stick.
  • Again work on a flat surface. You will need a large piece of newspaper, fabric or soft leather for this method. Hold the herbs tightly together and turn the top third of the herbs over the middle third, so the herbs are now double over the top part of the stick. Do this carefully so they don’t break. Secure with twine and a firm knot.
  • Now bend the bottom third up so the stick is three times its original thickness, and tie again with a knot to include all three levels. The stick should now be a third of the original height, but very chubby like a cigar.
  • With slightly smaller herbs you can bend the herbs just once.
  • Before binding the stick, roll the newspaper, fabric or soft leather around it at an angle as tightly as possible. Tie the paper very securely and leave for about 8 hours, with the top and bottom of the newspaper just open to let in air.
  • Now unbind the newspaper and tie the compressed herbs tightly with twine. Starting from the stem end, bind them in a criss-cross pattern as before, tying them again very tightly about every 1/2 inch along. Leave the herbs to dry for two or three weeks.

Making A Smudge Stick

With a little practice, making a smudge stick is remarkably easy, though you may prefer to buy them ready-made. The secret is to pack and entwine your herbs really tightly so that they will not fall apart when you light them. There are many different methods and the following is just a series of the most useful:

  • You can use sprigs of fresh herbs from your garden or garden center for taller smudge sticks or use packs from a supermarket (either ready cut or still growing in a pot) for smaller smudge sticks.
  • Before making your bundle of herbs, test the twine you intend to use by burning a little in your flat dish. Does it flare up or smell foul? Try cotton without any synthetic additions, as synthetic fibers will break. Experiment with undyed natural twines or those where vegetable coloring has been used, you will find one that works well for you. Horsetail is the best, but is not easy to obtain.
  • Use thick sprigs (about seven or eight in total) of the fresh herbs with plenty of greenery no more than 12 inches long. The ideal length for your finished smudge stick is 7 – 9 inches so use the longer herbs in order that you can trim the bottoms and tops off to give a smooth finish.
  • Use a very sturdy herb to act as anchor at the center of the smudge stick. Some people use a dry stick as a base around which to twine the stems to give the bundle substance. Taper the stick at one end so that the woody part you hold is slightly narrower. Broader smudge sticks tend to work better than narrow ones.
  • Lay the herbs flat on a surface on smooth fabric, leather or newspaper. First wrap the thread around the bottom of the herb wand four or five times.
  • Then, with the separate ends either side of the herbs, begin to criss-cross from the bottom at about 1 inch intervals. Leave the top third to a quarter unbound. You can if you wish knot every other cross. Tie very tightly, pressing and weaving the herbs together as you work.
  • Turn the stick over and from the top, repeat crossing or knotting again at about 1/2 inch intervals so the whole stick is now tied at 1/2 inch intervals
  • When you get back to the bottom, make two or three wraps, tie the ends together and cut off the excess.
  • Trim the bottom of the bunch below the tie.
  • You may also trim any straggly herbs and trim the top.
  • Trim the bottom or top off after binding.

 

Herbs for Smudging

You can make a smudge stick by combining any tall, firm, full-leafed herbs. Some burn better than others. The following list of herbs are traditionally made into Native North American smudge sticks and others used for both commercial and personally prepared smudge sticks. Smudge sticks are made with fresh herbs and the whole bundle is dried together after formation.

Smudge herbs do tend to be single or dual herbs rather than a mix as in incense and are, on the whole, characterized less by sweetness than earthiness.

If you need to use charcoal, drop just one or two drops of lavender or rose essential oil onto the hot charcoal to add fragrance before you begin to burn the herbs. This is effective, especially if you are smudging indoors.

For homemade smudge, try to choose herbs that grow in your region. Look on the internet for dried varieties to burn in a bowl or ready-prepared less common smudge sticks. Also try to choose organically produced herbs.

  • Bay/Laurel
  • Bergamot
  • Cedar
  • Copal
  • Fennel
  • Juniper
  • Lavender
  • Mugwort
  • Orris root
  • Pine, Fir and Spruce
  • Rosemary
  • Sagebrush/Sage
  • Sweetgrass
  • Wormwort (Tansy)
  • Thyme
  • Yarrow
  • Yerba Santa