Friday, October 8, 2010

My Typical Samhain Activities


Those who are not Pagan or Wicca may wonder what we do on Samhain ~ Halloween. I though I'd share some common activities that I've participated in over the years and maybe you'll see some of the same things that you enjoy too.
   

  • Go to circle at the beach during the sunset to wish those who will pass through this world good wishes as they find their way to Summerlands. 
  • Join friends to drink apple cider warmed and spiced with cinnamon to honor the dead.
  • Carve scary faces on pumpkins and squash to scare off bad spirits from those who search for Summerlands.
  • Choose a spirit candle and place the light inside the carved out pumpkins and squashes.
  • Bury late harvest fruits like apples, nuts or pomegranate in your garden as food for the spirits who will pass by to be reborn. (Reincarnated)
  • Hold a Dumb Supper where everyone is mute and the spirits you know will visit you.
  • This is the beginning of the New Year from the turning of the wheel. Have a party with friends and bob for apples.
  • Make your New Year resolutions. When you finish writing them on slips of parchment, burn them one by one in the flame of a black candle inside your cauldron on the altar.
  • Get creative and make a mask of your shadow self.
  • Make a witches broom, a besom. You can carve it, paint it or just let it sit in the corner.
  • Create a witches cord that will reflect what you hope to conjure in the coming year.
  • Make, then wear a costumes that signifies/represents your spirit animal, the God or Goddess.    


  • Divinations can be conjured with dark mirrors, a crystal ball, Tarot cards, water or fire scrying. This New Year starts with the masculine God and the Crone energies. Divining your future with the aid of the Crone will garner you wisdom and more.   

Enjoy this time of year, with friends and family.













Gather 'round the bonfire, burning so bright
Watch the shadows dancing, in its flickering light
As the music starts, and we begin to dance
Just maybe, if we're lucky, ahhhhh perchance
We shall see some kindred spirits, as they pass by
On their way to the Summerlands, beneath the Samhain sky.
  ~ Akasha ~










24 comments:

  1. I really love the wealth of information on this whole page. I will definitely be bookmarking this site.

    I would love to do number one. It makes me long for going back to San Diego. I miss the sunsets over the Pacific. They truly are breathtaking.

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  2. Interesting stuff, Cherie. Rebecca Ryals Russell vigorios7@gmail.com yellowhatwriter.com

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  3. Cherie, forgive me, I spelled your name wrong on the comment I left on your Main Author website...Grin.

    I wish I'd known about your site when I was researching for my novel, The Lycan Moon, LOL. I did use 'The Pagen Path' website for moon phases.

    Sara

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  4. Intriguing to learn about how others celebrate Samhain. Will be sharing this with my kids during the upcoming holiday. Thanks.

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  5. Interesting site Cherie,
    Rosalie Skinner http://dragonmuse.webs.com/
    http://rosalieskinner.blogspot.com/
    looking forward to the conference.
    Although I write Sci fi fantasy I love the information you have here. So much to look at.

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  6. I think I got lost somewhere between post a comment and somewhere else. Not sure.. lots happening on this site. Just a little confused.
    ladyrosalieskinner@gmail.com
    Looking forward to understanding all the different aspects of your website during the conference.
    Thanks

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  7. Gorgeous and fascinating site, Cherie. I could get lost just reading all of the information.

    I'm looking forward to learning more about creating marketing works of art like this.

    Eleyne
    eleynepresley.blogspot.com
    eleyne92@hotmail.com

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  8. A few of those would be fun traditions for the kids to do. Now, the Dumb Supper sounds like an awesome idea for the main reason of silence! Not like that would ever happen in my house, but it's nice to dream. :)

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  9. This is a very fun site. So much information and put together in a compelling way.
    I really like a few of your Samhain ideas, and will have to try a few this year.

    Judie Quayle
    http://judiequayle.blogspot.com
    Jaileenq@gmail.com

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  10. Fun website! Hoping to create one as interesting.
    Dianne
    http://diannehartsock.blogspot.com/
    hobbitgeek4ever@yahoo.com

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  11. I recognize a number of activities I've done since childhood. Carving pumpkins and drinking apple cider are among my favorites.

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  12. Love the information on this site. I'll be back often.

    Lynnette Labelle
    www.labelleseditorialservices.com
    www.lynnettelabelle.com
    http://lynnettelabelle.blogspot.com

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  13. J.D. Brown here from the 2010 MUSE Conference. I wasn't sure where to post the comment for the homework so I'm posting it HERE.

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  14. Hello Cherie,

    I'm going to try a few of these. My dad practised Wicca when he was alive and I'd love to find out more about it.

    Cheers,
    Erika

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  15. Lots of great information on this site, Cherie, I could learn so much by reading you posts.

    Nicole
    Nicole.Zoltack@gmail.com
    www.NicoleZoltack.com

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  16. Love the picture from The Wicker Man, Cherie. That's one of my favorite movies!

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  17. One of the things we do for Samhain after the kids Halloween is done is each write down something we want to overcome in the coming year and burn the papers in a cauldron (actually a big pot. Large cauldrons are way expensive} Anyway, I've really enjoyed visiting your site. Billi Wagner
    http://www.atthemercyofmymuse.blogspot.com

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  18. Thanks for the ideas, Cherie! I typically do a small ritual for my goals for the new year, in addition to drinking the warmed cider with cinnamon. :)

    Have a blessed Samhain!

    -L. E. Harvey
    www.leharvey.com
    leharvey77@gmail.com

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  19. On Samhain, our family always makes an altar with things from our deceased loved ones. Things they owned or loved, or pictures of them. And sometimes we wear clothes they used to own, to feel closer to them. We've also been known to set out food for them, as well as the other spirits that roam our realm on that night.

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  20. Hi Cherie,
    Though I have very little experience with Wicca, there are some wonderful community building ceremonies and traditions listed here, indeed.
    Thanks for giving fellow authors this opportunity to view your sites and make connections via those wonderful Google spiders.
    Regards,
    Christine London
    www.christinelondon.com
    londonchristine@hotmail.com

    Smart of you to seperate your spicy romance reads from this very different sub genre ;)

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  21. Great site, Cherie. So glad I had the chance to visit.

    All the best,
    Lori Calabrese
    http://loricalabrese.com
    http://loricalabrese.blogspot.com

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  22. This is opening up a whole new world to me. So interesting.

    J Q Rose
    http://www.jqroseauthor.blogspot.com
    jqrose02@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete

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