Mabon has passed and next in line marking the end and beginning of the Wheel of the Year is Samhain. At time to honor the animals and our ancestors, Samhain is widely known for being the "most popular" wiccan holiday. It certainly is my favorite, next to Yule, for reasons even I don't fully understand. Something about that change in the air, I'm sure a few of you know what I mean- the essence of october (hmm..I think I'll make an incense called that, actually!), the added energy, the way you can almost sense- physically, spiritually, and mentally,- the thinness of the veil.
I won't be calling on my ancestors, except for my grandfather. I am English, 50% Italian, and Israeli. Regarding my English family, we've been in the country since at least the 1600s. They we're all statesmen/government officials. My last name is actually on the constitution, it was signed by my great uncle. We have a town named after us. My point is, they don't strike me as the kind of people that would've been okay with witchcraft. My understanding is that some of them would have even had the authority to burn witches. So even if they're okay with it now in the afterlife, I don't want to bring them back and have them feel any shame or embarrassment, if that makes sense. I think the best way for me to honor them is to simply let them rest in peace.
That said, onto what you're here for!
Samhain Prayer for End of Harvest
Corn has been shucked,
grain has been threshed,
herbs have been hung to dry.
Grapes have been pressed,
potatoes have been dug,
beans have been shelled and canned.
It is the harvest season,
and food is ready for winter.
We will eat, and we will live,
and we will be grateful.
Prayer to the Deities of Death
The harvest has ended, and the fields are bare.
The earth has grown cold, and the land is empty.
The gods of the death are lingering over us,
keeping a watchful eye upon the living.
They wait, patiently, for eternity is theirs.
Hail to you, Anubis! O jackal headed one,
guardian of the realm of the dead.
When my time comes, I hope
you may deem me worthy.
Hail to you, Demeter! O mother of darkness,
May your grief be abated
when your daughter returns once more.
Hail to you, Hecate! O keeper of the gate,
between this world and the underworld.
I ask that when I cross over,
you may guide me with wisdom.
Hail to you, Freya! O mistress of Folkvangr,
guardian of those who fall in battle.
Keep the souls of my ancestors with you.
Hail to you, O gods and goddesses,
those of you who guard the underworld
and guide the dead on their final journey.
At this time of cold and dark,
I honor you, and ask that you watch over me,
and protect me when the day arrives
that I take my final journey.
A Prayer to the Ancestors
This is the night when the gateway between
our world and the spirit world is thinnest.
Tonight is a night to call out those who came before.
Tonight I honor my ancestors.
Spirits of my fathers and mothers, I call to you,
and welcome you to join me for this night.
You watch over me always,
protecting and guiding me,
and tonight I thank you.
Your blood runs in my veins,
your spirit is in my heart,
your memories are in my soul.
[If you wish, you may want to recite your genealogy here. This can include both your blood family, and your spiritual one.]
With the gift of remembrance.
I remember all of you.
You are dead but never forgotten,
and you live on within me,
and within those who are yet to come.
Samhain Chant
Lyrics by: Doreen Valiente
Fire red, summer's dead
Yet it shall return.
Clear and bright, in the night,
Burn, fire, burn!
Chorus:
Dance the ring, luck to bring,
When the year's a-turning.
Chant the rhyme at Hallows-time,
When the fire's burning.
Fire glow, vision show
Of the heart's desire,
When the spell's chanted well
Of the witching fire.
Fire spark, when nights are dark
Makes our winter's mirth.
Red leaves fall, earth takes all,
Brings them to rebirth.
Fire fair, earth and air,
And the heaven's rain,
All blessed be, and so may we,
at Hallows-tide again.
When the year's a-turning.
Chant the rhyme at Hallows-time,
When the fire's burning.
Fire glow, vision show
Of the heart's desire,
When the spell's chanted well
Of the witching fire.
Fire spark, when nights are dark
Makes our winter's mirth.
Red leaves fall, earth takes all,
Brings them to rebirth.
Fire fair, earth and air,
And the heaven's rain,
All blessed be, and so may we,
at Hallows-tide again.
Untitled - AnonymousFrom far beyond this mortal plane
Mothers and fathers of old
We bid that you return again
Mothers and fathers of old
To share with us the mysteries and secrets long untold
Of the ancient ways we seek to regain
Mothers and fathers of old.
Samhain Chant for the Deadby Wesley Lowe
Spirits of mystical north,
O’ guardian of earth, heed our prayers
Throughout this rite, come forth.
As the stars crown your brow,
This song of wicca ye hear,
Open the gates that our loved ones may pass
And our words draw them near.
Magic of Samhain dreams,
Spirits of mystical east,
O’ guardian of air, heed our prayers
At behest of wiccan priest.
As on wings of warding ye soar
This song of wicca ye hear,
Open the gates that our loved ones may pass
And our words draw them near.
Magic of Samhain dreams,
Spirits of mystical south,
O’ guardian of flame, heed our prayers
And spare us lengths of drouth.
As your touch warms our souls
This song of wicca ye hear,
Open the gates that our loved ones may pass
And our words draw them near.
Magic of Samhain dreams,
Spirits of mystical west,
O’ guardian of water, heed our prayers
And deem we sisters blessed.
As your rushing rivers flow
This song of wicca ye hear
Open the gates that our loved ones may pass
And our words draw them near.
Chant for Samhain
A year of beauty. A year of plenty. A year of planting. A year of harvest.
A year of forests. A year of healing. A year of vision. A year of passion.
A year of rebirth. A year of rebirth. This year may we renew the earth.
Let it begin with each step we take. Let it begin with each change we make.
Let it begin with each chain we break. And let it begin every time we awake.
A year of forests. A year of healing. A year of vision. A year of passion.
A year of rebirth. A year of rebirth. This year may we renew the earth.
Let it begin with each step we take. Let it begin with each change we make.
Let it begin with each chain we break. And let it begin every time we awake.
Morning Prayer
Lady,
Lady of the Harvest, now is the time
to feast and frolic, for we meet
on the edge of Winter's shadow.
All the seed that was sown in
Springtime past has long
been reaped;
the fields stand barren, empty
and the spirit shall soon turn inward.
The world's fabric grows thin and
souls of the dead pass by on their
way to the Summerland.
Bless their passing, for though to some it
seems an ending,
this exodus of spirit foreshadows new beginnings.
Thus do we celebrate the dawn of the New Year.
Blessed Be.
Lady of the Harvest, now is the time
to feast and frolic, for we meet
on the edge of Winter's shadow.
All the seed that was sown in
Springtime past has long
been reaped;
the fields stand barren, empty
and the spirit shall soon turn inward.
The world's fabric grows thin and
souls of the dead pass by on their
way to the Summerland.
Bless their passing, for though to some it
seems an ending,
this exodus of spirit foreshadows new beginnings.
Thus do we celebrate the dawn of the New Year.
Blessed Be.
Afternoon Prayer
Lord,
The solitary motion of
the heart
can be found on the edge of
Winter's shadow.
The Great God sleeps.
The Mother's womb grows
every sort of possibility
and holds the kernel of returning light.
The absence of the God
provides opportunities for
inner seeing;
visions unfold like the
unveiling of the Sun
from morning mist.
I seek the God in
hidden landscapes of my
silent soul as
He sleeps and dreams
me into being.
The Dark Night cloaks
revelation in the God's enigmatic heart.
Evening Prayer
Lady,
You are Prophetess and Queen.
The Final Harvest has been met;
the land lies sleeping, expectant.
In Winter's stillness You will
conceive tomorrow's hope.
Receptive and quiescent Your
dreams unfold as a counterpoint
to the Dark Night that will
enshroud us all.
Life and Death are balanced.
Endings and beginnings wrought.
Your blessing weaves all into
a holy tapestry,
complete and irrevocable.
You are Prophetess and Queen.
The Final Harvest has been met;
the land lies sleeping, expectant.
In Winter's stillness You will
conceive tomorrow's hope.
Receptive and quiescent Your
dreams unfold as a counterpoint
to the Dark Night that will
enshroud us all.
Life and Death are balanced.
Endings and beginnings wrought.
Your blessing weaves all into
a holy tapestry,
complete and irrevocable.
Night Prayer
Lady,
You offer me a lambent grail
of softly glowing moonlight,
as between one heartbeat and the next
souls flit from life to life
with death a well-worn pathway
of the Wise -
a place of respite and release.
Deeply I drink -
a willing sacrifice to eternal motion -
a moment of spirit upon the wind
and another life experience to embrace.
You offer me a lambent grail
of softly glowing moonlight,
as between one heartbeat and the next
souls flit from life to life
with death a well-worn pathway
of the Wise -
a place of respite and release.
Deeply I drink -
a willing sacrifice to eternal motion -
a moment of spirit upon the wind
and another life experience to embrace.
My Prayer
O Great Goddess, I call your many names.
O Great God, I call your many names.
O Great Spirits of the Summerlands, I call your many names.
Come join me as I honor the apex of this season.
Be with me, in this day of Samhain.
I honor you all in this time of endings and death.
I honor those of you who came before me.
It the time to end, it is the time to begin.
The Wheel of the Year has turned. Blessed Be.
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