SAMHAIN: DEATH MAGIC, SILENT SUPPER, & RITUAL
Originally published on October 31, 2020.
Samhain is known as the Celtic holiday on the Witches Wheel that many people consider to be the start of the new year. Samhain marks the end of the harvest season, initiating the beginning of winter. It is traditionally observed from the evening of October 31st to the evening of November 1st. As this holiday approaches the veil between the earthly realm and the spirit world begins to thin, allowing an easier pathway for spirits to cross over and walk among the living, and vice versa in many ways. The veil is like an ethereal curtain keeping the worlds from colliding intensely all the time. It is on Samhain that the veil is said to be at its thinnest. {Note: Spring is also a huge transitionary time and not only does the veil feel thin here as well, many people cross over during this season}. The ultimate point of all of this, is that connection to spirits and those who have died before us is much easier. It is during this time we might see death magic as being most accessible and normalized. Partaking in spooky events that urge us on to try and see ghosts or spirits is encouraged, talking to ones ancestors, becoming curious about the paranormal and witches through Halloween movie lists, and taking time to notice the change of season, honoring natures death process as well as our own - these are all seen as normal rituals during the month of October. I ask though, why not all year? Is it because more people partake in it that it feels okay to do so for ones own self? Whatever the reason, it is okay and I’d also like to note that how accessible this may all feel during autumn, it is still just as close and within reach during any other time of the year. It is during this time that we get a special glimpse of how nurturing, playful, and normal death work can be. And we are allowed to carry this with us.
Most rituals discussed around Samhain have to do with ancestral magic, which can be a lot of things for people; beautiful, heartbreaking, exciting, painful, hard or out of reach. It is here that we may also acknowledge and honor our grief, memories, and feelings that come with the thinning of the veil. When we engage in ritual around this time we not only honor those we love, but we also honor these other aspects of our experiences. It is okay if you do not know your ancestors. It is okay if you do not want to honor them. Honor yourself instead, for how far you’ve grown, how you’ve built your own root system, and how you show up for yourself as best you can every day.
TAROT SPREAD: GROUND AND CONNECT
For me, I engage in a ritual called the Silent Supper each year on Samhain. My family and I build an altar dedicated to Spirit and loved ones, cook food of our ancestors, and then invite them to dinner. We eat in silence to receive the presence and guidance from these ancestors. It is one of the most beloved and cherished ceremonies I partake in and highly recommend it to anyone interested in trying it. I encourage others to make it their own, to how they see fit. Get creative with it, do as you see fit. Magic and ritual is so personal and in my opinion, it’s opportunity to thrive is fairly rooted in making it ones own. If ancestral connection is triggering, invite Great Spirit to the table or other loved ones who have died before you, someone who inspires you or you look up to who died before you. Hell, invite David Bowie to the table. (But please, ask that he come dressed as the Goblin King for me?) Below I have outlined this yearly ritual and hope that it inspires you as much as it inspires me.
A SAMHAIN RITUAL: SILENT SUPPER
The Silent Supper is a ritual in which you make food of your ancestors and invite those loved ones who have died before you to the table to eat dinner with you. Everyone at the table sits in silence to receive the experience, wisdom, and guidance from the spirits who came.
What you’ll need:
Samhain Altar: What might you need right now? Quiet time? A nourishing meal? A big glass of water? Something sweet? Time to yourself? This offering is meant for you, for you to experience it with compassion in order to bring awareness back to your body and the present moment. Note: If you are creating an altar for the deceased, it is important to only put pictures of those who have died on the altar. Putting living people on these altars can be extremely dangerous.
Offerings: Offerings to Great Spirit, Ancestors, Guides, Deities, etc. This can be just about anything! Things they love or that represent them. If you feel stumped as to what to put out, a glass of water, flowers, some chocolate are simple and wonderful offerings.
Food: You may choose to cook food of your ancestors, meaning dishes that are eaten or would have been eaten from where they came from. If you don’t know or cannot access the items to do so, cook your favorite meal/food.
Before ritual it is important to ground oneself and set sacred, protective space. I find that this particular ritual truly begins as you start to cook the food and set the altar. Ground as you begin your work. I like to make sure that when I am ready to announce and host the dinner that I have everything I need at the table before setting the space once again and casting a protective circle - this includes all food dished up and placed in appropriate places.
Make your food, set the table, set your altar, and put out offerings. Gather candles and any other ritual tools you will be bringing to this ritual dinner.
Dish a plate for each person you are inviting, including a plate for Great Spirit. (For some of us, this can mean a ton of plates, try one plate for each side of the family and individual plates for chosen family/friends/those who feel they need their own plate). You will not eat the food you have dished on the plates for the deceased, so you may want to give smaller portions.
Put out plates on the table/wherever you see fit.
When offerings are out, altar is set, and food is served, it is time to create grounded sacred space once again. Light your candles. Take a couple deep breaths in and let them out slowly. Take another long breath in and feel your lungs expand. As you slowly let your breath out feel your lungs empty and flatten. Feel yourself grounding into your own magic and the magic of your profound lineage. You may use smoke as a cleansing tool by burning incense or sustainable cleansing bundles, using a cleansing spray, or creating a protective barrier such as by creating a literal or metaphorical circle around ones self and area. (If creating a circle, bring everything you need before closing it and do not leave the circle until you break it).
I like to say the names of who I have invited here and welcome them to the table now. If you don’t know names that is okay, you may say “My Great Grandmother” as an example. You may then say or write, "May my most benevolent ancestors, guides, loved ones, and spiritual team join me in this sacred space. May we commune in love, with harm to none."
Take a deep breath and welcome them in. Sit in silence and ask for messages or guidance. Use tarot cards or other divination tools for communication. Eat this gorgeous meal full of love and effort together. Stay in this space for as long as it feels necessary and good.
When it feels complete, thank your ancestors/spiritual team for joining you in this space. Let them know you have left offerings for them and say or write any last words. If you created a circle, close/break it. As you gather the plates of the deceased whom you invited, dispose of this food. Again as a reminder, do not eat food off of these plates, it is not only considered disrespectful but it is dangerous.
I like to write down my experience and any key information I received. If it feels appropriate, I will talk about it will my family members and we will share our experiences of the dinner, any stories we’d like to share of those we invited, remembering and honoring them in this process.
Hope you have a fabulous dinner!
Happy New Year & Blessed Halloween, Samhain, and Dia de los Muertos!
Mourning Light Divination always recommends working with a trained mental health professional, especially during times of transition, change, and turbulence. Mourning Light Divination, LLC only provides tools and is not the outcome.
May you be well and safe.