If there’s a dedicated time of year that brings witches to the forefront of everyone’s mind, it’s definitely October.
Along with the aroma of pumpkin spice and all the overabundant cinnamon (which really would have been more useful for driving away ants in the spring), suddenly everyone remembers that Tarot is a thing, mediums are in high demand, and many “out of the broom closet” witches feel like their mundane communities are pointing bright stage spotlights directly into their retinas.
Never mind that our Southern Hemisphere friends and peers are enjoying blissful springtime Beltane celebrations. The northerners take center stage globally with all the Halloween/Samhain decorations, parties, and witch-related lore–and all the capitalistic merchandising opportunities that inevitably come with it. Yes, October could easily be mistaken for “Global Month of the Witch” anywhere in the world.
So while everyone else is hyper-fixating on fancy rituals, popular divination, spirit communication, and all other things deemed unmistakably “witchy”, I want to address the deeper spiritual meaning of this time of year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Pull up a chair, bring a journal, and get comfy.
Thinning Veils, Heightened Intuition
At this point, the concept of the “veils” separating our reality from the more mysterious has been explained to the public exhaustively. There’s some fun science and science-adjacent breakdowns related to the lore, as well as the more religious and spiritual explanations across various paths and cultures the world over.
During both Samhain and Beltane, we see these same metaphorical veils thinning, with the lines blurring between mundane reality as we know it and the more spiritual aspects we might not otherwise notice. Like we see with all things, pop culture has taken the concept and run wild with it. Thinner veils meaning that we can more easily communicate with spirits and ghosts, right? So get out those Ouija boards and pendulums!
Or–and jot this down–you can use this seasonal phenomenon for the deeper work that this time of year is ideal for. Whether you identify as a witch or not, you can take advantage of the thinning of the veils to tap into, identify, and strengthen your intuition and personal psychic senses.
When we talk about these points in the year, we aren’t saying you need to take a course in becoming a medium to channel ghosts. And we aren’t suggesting you perform rituals like Odysseus to seek guidance from the dead or learn what unfinished business needs your attention. Can you? Sure. But that’s not the point we’re aiming at.
As the veils thin leading into Samhain, this is the time to really listen to your intuition. If you aren’t familiar with it, pause. Be aware. Tune into your body. If you’ve been putting off reading that esoteric book sitting on your shelf for ages or finishing that course on psychic development you enrolled in months ago, now is the best time for it.
Turning Divination Inward
Ah, here’s where that pendulum and those Tarot cards come in. Just like with taking advantage of easier connections with your intuition, Samhain season is ideal for divination of all types. Popularly, we use these for everything from seeking communication with ancestors to getting clear guidance on who to look out for as our “destined” future spouse.
But for those of us who are serious about our practice, we know that these things are just part of the possible joys of the season. The deeper work involves turning that divination toward our inner landscapes.
- What are you avoiding?
- What’s been getting in your way?
- Who do you need to make amends to or cut ties with?
- What areas of your being are you ready to heal for real?
For the more devoutly religious, this can center on our spiritual needs and goals.
- What are the areas of your practice that need the most attention right now?
- Which rituals should you prioritize? And which ones aren’t really a part of your path anymore?
- Are you living up to your values? Or are you forgetting to apply personal ethics to all you do?
When there’s an opportunity for clearer divinatory messages, you should 100% take advantage of this energy for empowering your life and the lives of others. Gather up the data of the year that has passed and consider: What worked versus what didn’t. What have you accomplished versus what still needs your time and attention. You’re going to need this information for a better, stronger year ahead.
Rituals for Remembrance and Release
Most Samhain rituals, spells, and events these days seem to hyperfocus on spirit contact. I will always vouch for the importance of ancestral rituals like dumb suppers, meals held in silence to honor the dead. These are vital to our ongoing spiritual health, especially within communal settings.
Yet for the individual, autumn is the best time for investigating the self. Some save these practices for winter, but it’s really the harvest season–when the connections to our ancestors are kicked up into high gear–that we want to focus on gathering self-reflection data. This is when we ask the questions so that we can spend those winter months preparing our metaphorical soil and seeds for spring growth.
Remembering our ancestors at Samhain time
By all means, remember your ancestors. Honor your departed loved ones.
Also, let them be. If your ancestors are like mine, then the message you get most often is along the lines of “it’s your life”, “do your work”, or the not-quite-so-helpful “find your own way.”
Those who are no longer incarnate have their own things to do as part of their soul journeys, and you aren’t the only one playing spiritual phone tag with them. We can still remember and honor spirits without sending psychic calls every time.
Other ways to honor our ancestors are creating/cleaning ancestral altars, saying prayers, lighting a candle in their name, or visiting their graves with an offering. (Note: Always follow cemetery rules when leaving any grave gifts.) I find the best way to honor those who’ve gone before is to simply keep their memory alive by sharing their stories. This can be done through poetry, essays/biographies, or even just telling someone about a favorite memory you have about your loved one.
Whether you’re performing a ritual or sharing a memory, it doesn’t have to be elaborate. Just remember and honor with love and non-judgement.
Autumn harvest rituals for release
Samhain is traditionally viewed as the time of the third harvest. A set of three, these predominantly Western European-based agricultural dates–as celebrated today–begin at Lughnasadh/Lammas on August 1st, reach the middle by the autumn equinox in late September, and end with Samhain on October 31st.
The first harvest served as a celebration of the work that started last winter, bearing fruits of the labor, but with a reminder that still more work was needed. Then, the second harvest came with a warning that winter would soon approach; celebrate and share with your community, but don’t delay preparing for the cold and lonely seasons ahead. Finally, we reach the last harvest of the year: When we reflect on all that has come and gone between this time last year and now.
This is why modern witches often refer to Samhain as our Witches’ New Year. The cycle that began with November of the previous calendar year has now ended. The Wheel of the Year has completed a full 360° turn, and it will continue spinning–whether we want it to or not.
Visual depiction of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year
Here’s where we get to the most personally beneficial magickal use of Samhain energy. Intuition is high. Thinned veils allow deeper connection with and insight into both our recent past and the pasts of our ancestors. Inward-facing divinatory practices bring to the surface the most important focal areas for our well-being moving forward. Basically, you’ve got a mountain’s worth of self-reflection data you can now act on.
Where the physical work of the last harvest of the season is collecting and storing the bounty of the land, our spiritual work is one of releasing what no longer serves us so that we can conserve energy through winter and grow stronger in the spring.
As with remembrance, release rituals need not be elaborate. Here are a few easy ideas:
#1 - Write a painful memory, bad habit, or other thing you wish to be done with on a piece of paper, then (safely!) burn it as a common way to symbolically let go. If fire’s not your thing, similar practices can involve writing in sand, using dissolvable paper, or releasing a feather or leaf during a period of the stronger-than-usual winds of the season.
#2 - Carve a word or symbol representing what you wish to release into a candle and then light it. As the candle burns, it’s symbolically releasing the thing you’re letting go of. When the candle is no more, so too is the thing. Let the candle’s completion mark your commitment to releasing it: It’s no longer yours to carry.
#3 - Use guided meditations or pathworkings to meet with a spirit guide or mental representation to help you navigate your internal landscape. Within that space, gather up that which you intend to release. (Depending on the specifics from your self-reflection work, you may have to get creative in crafting a symbolic version of the thing.) If necessary, send healing energy to it. Then, take whatever action you feel called or directed to take within that space to let it go. Be done with it. If the meditative journey revealed action steps to take in waking consciousness, jot them down and do them.
Real Work, Real Magick, Real Empowerment
When we get past the noise of what’s popular during this super witchy season, we find that Samhain involves real, deep, and lasting work. It’s not about who or what we invite in, but about what we have gathered, what we need to keep, and what we need to let go of.
Just as with an agricultural harvest, you don’t need to hold onto and store every single thing that has led to where you are right now. Your spiritual health relies on flowing with the cycles of time to rest, repair, and start again. During Samhain season, do the real work that’ll help you grow into your empowered future self throughout the year to come.
Unsure of where to begin? Need some help crafting a personalized ritual or meditation to safely navigate the changes in your life? Book a free 15-minute consultation call to assess what your real work for this Samhain season is. I’ll point you toward the right service for you, whether with me, someone else, or on your own.
In Light & Love, Evylyn
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