Well, this year will be the first time I'm going to be celebrating Samhain. I've been studying Wicca a bit for the past year. I of course was interested in it during middle school like most teenage girls. I did do a kind of ritual in the forest with some of my friends, but we were just playing around, inspired by the movie The Craft probably.
I got back into it through an interest in the historical aspect ("What were my Irish ancestors into before the Christians came over?") as well as a feeling that a lot of the ritual aspects - lighting candles, incense, focusing one's mind on positive things / manifesting desires / healing etc - were, in a sense, meditative and relaxing. Meditation is something I've always been interested in, but I find it extremely difficult to sit still and quiet my mind. Since I started reading about Wicca and holding my own little ceremonies in what's now become "My Witch Room" (spare bedroom where I've set up my altar, crystals, herbs etc) I've found it easier to settle down after a long or stressful day.
I have done an uncrossing spell when I was convinced I was cursed. I did a bond strengthening spell that totally backfired lol And I've done a couple healing spells (for others, which I hope helped them) as well as a luck ritual that got me a free oz of weed and 4 free tacos haha. Didn't win the megamillions tho :/ haha
Anyway, back to Samhain - This is when the veil between this world and the Otherworld is thinned. During this time, you can communicate or be visited by ancestors, spirits, those who have passed. Pagans both current and past sometimes hold "Dumb Dinners" where a seasonal meal, or a favorite meal of the departed is made and places are set for them.
I am going to also be engaging in a bit of necromancy. Today is the Hunter's Moon - October's full moon (and it's in Taurus, so if you or anyone you know has been extra emotional lately, that could be a reason) , when the veil between dimensions is the thinnest. I am lucky to not have lost any very close family members yet in my 31 years on Earth, but I have lost a number of close pets, one of which ASU and I are SURE is still hanging around (we have both seen him in various spots he loved around the house - usually out of the corner of our eyes, or heard him when there was nothing there to make the noise).
So for the past week I have been preparing my altar with Autumnal items like moss balls, lotus blossoms, acorns, and pine cones. I have pictures of our beloved cat, Hercules, as well as some of his favorite snacks. I added a few candles, moon lamp, and fake skulls, keeping geomancy in mind. Every night at midnight, I've been trying to meditate over Herc's pictures for a few minutes in an attempt to ultimately summon his shade.
Tonight I'll have a sort of trial-run of the rite. Prior to midnight, I will have a ritual bath to cleanse and prepare for the act and then put on my pentacle. Following that, I will cast my circle, call the quarters, light my Profumo di Morte, and make a few incantations. With some luck, if timed correctly, this will all lead up to the stroke of midnight where I will then present my questions / statements to the deceased, with the help of my crystal ball for scrying.
Hopefully, I won't open a portal to Hell and let demons into my life. 🙂
Happy Halloween / Samhain / Day of the Dead everyone. 🙂
