Grimoires

Preparation
Assemble materials
make a circle of apples
place carved jack-o-lanterns in quarters
Set the altar (working color candle: black)

Introduction
Tonight we celebrate Samhain - a solar festival that honors the height of Autumn, the final harvest, the passing of life, and the end of the pagan year. The ceremony will include the creation of a sacred circle of power and a ritual to commemorate those things I have mentioned. Ancient pagans once believed that this was the time when the Lord of the Dead would gather the souls of those who had died in the previous year to take them to the other world. Before departing, the spirits were allowed to gather with their loved ones. Candles lit through the night guided those spirits first to their homes and then became the light for their next journey. Some believed that evil spirits were also free to roam the earth and would cause havoc on the living. In order to fool those mischievous spirits, people would dress in costumes to look like the dead spirits . This practice later developed into the tradition of dressing up to visit homes and ask for food or money. If nothing was given, a mischievous deed was played upon the miserly householder and this is where we get the term “trick or treat.” With the advent of Christianity, the time to honor the dead became a time to honor the saints on All Saints Day. The evening before this day was deemed a time to pray for those souls trapped in purgatory and was called All Hallow’s Eve or Halloween. To us, this time is a reminder of the natural cycles of death and rebirth that we, as pagans, honor and celebrate. Many also believe that this is a good time to practice divination where messages from the spirits may come to us to help us in our present lives. It is these things that we honor and celebrate tonight. If you wish to take part in this ceremony, please gather around the altar in a circle and come close enough to take hands. Please introduce yourself by offering a blessing to all, stating your title (if you have one,) your public or ritual name, and your place of origin. After each introduction, we will welcome and honor you. For example, I would say: “Bright Blessings to you all. I am [ritual title and name] of [location].” And you would respond: “Greetings [title and name]. We welcome and honor you.”
(Begin introductions, deosil. When done:)

Welcome one and all to this celebration of Samhain. Please now take a large step backwards as I prepare our ritual circle.

State Intention
I will now state our intention and then light the working candle:
We gather here tonight to celebrate the sacred Sabbat of Samhain a time when the Ancients believed that veil between this life and the life beyond was thinnest. We come to honor those who have live and died before us. This is our intent. (light working candle)

Banish and Purify
I will now banish and purify this space.
If any ill intent here be, by these sounds I banish thee
Banish old energy, ring bell at altar quarters, widdershins)
By Air and Fire, sanctify
(Place athame in fire, draw point at circle quarters, deosil)
By Water and Earth, purify
(Place water in chalice, put dipping stone in water and draw circle, deosil)
Through the blessings of the Goddess and the God, we claim this space sacred.
(Place tip of athame into chalice)

Cast the Circle
I will now go around the circle and ask if each of you wish to be part of this rite. If you do not wish to be part of the circle feel free to watch from just outside. You are welcome either way. When asked, how do you come to this circle, the traditional response is , in perfect love and in perfect trust, but you may respond however your heart desires. After responding, please step forward into the circle.
(Go around the circle of people clockwise and ask:)
Do you wish to be part of this circle?
How do you come to this circle? [response]
Welcome to this circle of love and trust. Blessed Be
When done, say:
In this circle now we spin, let the magick rite begin.
May we feel safe and sure for the work we here procure.
I invite you to take this wand and offer your energies and blessings to the circle.
(pass wand around circle)

Ground and Center
We will now ground and center. Take a moment to ground yourself with Mother Earth and Father Sky. Center yourself. Clear your mind and focus your thoughts and energies on this circle. Put away all mundane concerns and allow this time to be a gift to yourself. See your energy reaching deep into the earth. See your energy rising into the starry heavens. If you wish, you may take this time to connect with your personal deities. We will use a soft humming sound to center ourselves. Begin now and continue until you hear the ringing of the bell.

Set the Four Quadrants
We will now create a sacred space within this magickal circle by calling on the four directions and the three deities. Then, we will fill this space with our energy.
(May chant “Welcome Spirits”)

Guardians of the East, element of Air, realm of the mind, direction of the rising sun and new beginnings, let us look forward to the coming year for good blessings. Hail and welcome. Blessed Be!

Guardians of the South, element of Fire, realm of the heart, direction of the noonday sun and fortitude, let us be thankful for the loving relationships we have. Though some may have left us, we find strength and meaning in the relationships of those gathered with us. Hail and welcome. Blessed Be!

Guardians of the West, element of Water, realm of the soul, direction of the setting sun and endings, open the gates between the worlds and let us now commune with those who have gone on before us. Let us bless them and bid them well on their journey. Hail and welcome. Blessed Be!

Guardians of the North, element of Earth, realm of the physical, direction of the dark of night and renewal, we look to you to teach us the meaning of death and regeneration. Help us to see that it is because our time here is short and precious that we must shine as bright as we can while we can and that we must share our light with others and allow all others to shine in their own way. Hail and welcome. Blessed Be!

Call the Deities
We will now honor the deities through the following litanies. If you wish to join in , please respond by saying “come to us” after each line:

O great Goddess, {come to us.}
Mother of us all, {come to us.}
Blessed Mother of the Earth, {come to us.}
She, whose face shines in the silver moon, {come to us.}
She, who wraps us in her arms of love, {come to us.}
Like a flower that opens its petals to the air, {come to us.}
Like the water that flows through deep forests, {come to us.}
Join us now, O sweet Lady, {come to us.}
O Goddess of the Moon, great feminine one,
bless this sacred circle and all work within it done. [light candle]

O Great God, {come to us.}
Father of us all, {come to us.}
Blessed Father of the sky, {come to us.}
He, whose face shines in the golden sun, {come to us.}
He, who fills us with sacred light, {come to us.}
Like the warm breeze that fills us, {come to us.}
Like the fire that warms and protects us, {come to us.}
Join us now, O great Lord, {come to us.}
O God of the Sun, great masculine one,
bless this sacred circle and all work within it done. [light candle]

For the next litany, please respond with the words “Let us be present.”
O sacred Child, {let us be present.}
Mystery of all, {let us be present.}
Great miracle of creation, {let us be present.}
You, whose face shines in the starlit heavens, {let us be present.}
You, who gives us the strength of life, {let us be present.}
Like the silence that stills us, {let us be present.}
Like the center of the wheel, {let us be present.}
With you, O great force of the universe, {let us be present.}
O Child of the Stars, great mysterious one,
bless this sacred circle and all work within it done. [light candle.]

Raise Energy
We will now fill this circle with our energies of sharing and caring. To raise energy, I will ask that you take hands, close your eyes and begin to chant softly. Allow this chanting to stir the energy deep within you. Bring that loving energy to the circle. Let your inner self be free and open for you are safe here. We will end at the sound of the bell. Let us begin. (Begin Chant)

Close the Circle
And now we all this circle enclose. Within its bonds let no troubles dispose.
With love and trust shall we hold fast. For now, at last, the circle is cast.” [ring bell]
(May sing “We Are A Circle”)

Ritual
To celebrate, honor, and commemorate the memories of those that have passed from us to the next reality, take this time to draw up the memories of those who have died. Write that person’s name on the piece of paper and concentrate on calling their spirit. When everyone is through, I will read the names of each one, then set the paper on fire. Concentrate on the flames of the fire as it burns. Look for shapes and images in the fire that might reveal messages. Afterwards, let your mind be still and silent so that the voices of those we honor might speak and be heard.
(People write names down on papers. The papers are collected. The name of each person is read aloud and then the paper is burned and placed in the cauldron.)

Sharing
Before we close this ritual, we will take a few moments to let you share your thoughts and feelings about this ritual or about anything you wish to express.
[allow participants to openly speak and share their experiences or other concerns.]

Completion
Now we will end this ritual:
Now this circle we undo, for the magick rite is through
Let this sacred work befall for the good of one and all

Release Deities
O Child of the Stars, great mysterious one, with you our work here has now been done.
If you have come to bless this rite, we thank you now for your bright light.

O God of the Sun, great masculine one, with you our work here has now been done.
If you have come to bless this rite, we thank you now for your bright light.

O Goddess of the Moon, great feminine one, with you our work here has now been done.
If you have come to bless this rite, we thank you now for your bright light.

Release Quadrants
Guardians of the West depart, to your watery realm impart.
Bless all here gathered in true mind and heart. Hail and Farewell. Blessed Be!

Guardians of the South depart, to your fiery realm impart.
Bless all here gathered in true mind and heart. Hail and Farewell. Blessed Be!

Guardians of the East depart, to your airy realm impart.
Bless all here gathered in true mind and heart. Hail and Farewell. Blessed Be!

Guardians of the North depart, to your earthly realm impart.
Bless all here gathered in true mind and heart. Hail and Farewell. Blessed Be!

Ground
Before we bring this ritual to a close, I invite each of you to take a moment to ground your energy. You may do this by silently concentrating on returning your energy to the earth. One of the best ways to do this, however, is to give warm hugs to all who have participated here after the circle is open. (Ground.)

Open the Circle
Let these blessings we bestow like a seed, take root and grow.
For the circle now is open but let these bonds remain unbroken.
So Mote It Be (ring bell)
Bow [place hands together]
From Mind [touch forehead] and Heart [touch center of chest]
and Body [cross hands across chest] and Soul [drop hands open in front of you],
let is now in love and peace grow.
And from the Spirit from which we all came, [bow]
Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet again! Blessed Be!
Cakes and Ale

NEEDS:
black working candle
altar
altar cloth
altar tools
deity candles
quadrant candles
“cakes and ale”
bag of apples
four carved jack-o-lanterns
paper cut into small squares
pencils
iron cauldron
altar and cloth
lights and decorations

top

return to list of rituals