Carving Jack-O’-Lanterns– Samhain wouldn’t be the same without the carving of pumpkins into scary jack-o’-lanterns. Glowing menacingly from porches, Jacks have a rich history and a spiritual heritage. The original term for a jack-o’lantern was a will-o’-the-wisp, an old British term. The will-o’-the-wisp was a small bundle of sticks used as a flame or torch. The term “Jack o Lantern” comes from the story of a restless soul named Jack, a mean, drunken old man who beat his wife and played tricks on the Devil. Too mad to let him into Hell, the devil gave him an ember which Jack put into a half eaten turnip to use for a lantern to look for a final resting place.
The Celts, the Irish, and those living in the Scottish Highlands all carved winter vegetables like parsnips, carrots, or beets. Turnips were hollowed out and carved to look like protective spirits, for this was a night of magic and chaos.
The custom originates from Middle Ages on the belief that these scary looking lanterns would ward off ghosts and evil spirits. You could protect your home from these negative energies. Nothing beats the original Irish Jack O’ Lanterns in creepiness. Pumpkins were not used until Halloween became popular in America because they were so easy to grow. Pumpkins were not indigenous to Europe, hence other root vegetables being used. This time of the year was when the Fae and goblins would roam wild so the lanterns were intended to be both scary (scaring off the undesirable) and to light the way in the dark.
Samhain is the Witches New year. Write a goal or wish on a piece of paper and place it inside your carved pumpkin. Light a candle, color in accordance to your goal on top of the paper. Replace the candle as need be. If you can, plant the pumpkin after Samhain in your garden to help you wish come true.
Decorate with Marigolds: The marigold opens the door between the worlds and facilitates a sense of connection between the living and the dead. As such, this flower is quite appropriate at this time of year. It’s associated with death and rebirth in both India and South America, and is frequently featured on altars to deceased loved ones in Dios de los Muertos celebrations.
Divination: Samhain is the best night to practice divination on because the veil between the physical and spiritual world is at its thinnest. It is the perfect time for divination, prophecy, and communication with the spirit realm. There are many different types of divination to choose from so pick one you’re are comfortable with. You can try tarot, tea leaf reading, rune casting, pendulum dowsing, scrying, palmistry, and spirit boards just to name a few. Love divination was especially popular over the centuries.
Divination rituals such as the one depicted in this early 20th century Halloween greeting card, where a woman stares into a mirror in a darkened room to catch a glimpse of the face of her future husband, while a witch lurks in the shadows, may be one origin of the Bloody Mary legend.
Keep a sprig of rosemary and a sixpence under your pillow on Samhain night, and you’ll dream of your future spouse
In parts of England, it was believed that if a maiden carried a lantern to a well on Samhain night, and held the light above the water, she would see the reflection of her future husband.
Scrying– Scrying is the divination technique of seeing unconscious images or images from the divine or supernatural appear upon or within a surface. People scry into a crystal ball, a black mirror, water, even the surface of ice. It is a very ancient technique and one traditionally enacted on Samhain because it is a prime night for any type of spirit contact rituals; divination, portents, prophecy, and communication with the spirit realm. It is an opportunity to communicate with the dead, and honor ancestors.
First, you should make sure that you have a quiet room in which to relax and meditate in order to get your mind into a sufficiently dream like state. Once you have achieved a completely relaxed state, you can attempt scrying. Fill a glass bowl with pure water and, with a soft gaze, peer over the surface of the water. Let your eyes go out of focus, and then see what you can see in your mind’s eye, as well as with your physical eyes. The longer you focus on the water, the deeper your mind will slip into a trance. Eventually, you will be able to let your conscious awareness go and allow yourself to be immersed in a purely intuitive, dream like state. You may find images will appear but scrying isn’t easy and it can take a lot of practice before you can do this properly. However, scrying will especially be likely to yield powerful results on this night.
When scrying in a mirror, it is said on Samhain if you look in the glass, your future husband’s face will pass.
Tarot Reading: The thin veil lends itself to a more easy and natural communication with the other side. It is the perfect night for a good, thorough tarot reading. Just be sure you are courageous enough to gaze into the darkest and most hidden parts of your psyche.
Celebrate the season with a new tarot/ oracle deck like the one above. I actually own this one and it is just as beautiful as it looks! It is high quality and very unique as each card is a circle instead of the typical rectangular cards. They are also all hand painted with beautiful designs on each one following the phases of the moon and the seasons.
Witch’s Tea: Have a tea party with friends or on your own and read your tea leaves. Divine what is in the coming year. The cup above is called The Cup of Destiny and can be found on Amazon complete with an accompanying book on Tasseography or the art of reading tea leaves. I own it and it is just as beautiful in person! It is one of my favorites any time I use loose tea.
How are you going to celebrate the holidays?
From our altar to yours, with love from the sea,
