In the dark of night they gather, lighting the fire that will guide them. Families and neighbors coming together to share what was and give hope for what will be. Stories and songs drift through the air as they feast together. Then they stuff the doll made of reeds with the asks they wish to see. The Daughter of Death blesses it and calls to the womb of the universe to accept it and fulfill the bargains struck, for all magic is an exchange.
Each of us connect to the movement of seasons in our own way. There is one time of year though that has taken on an almost universal feeling of witchery and that is Fall/ Samhain. A cultural resonance that has been built and spans across traditions, religions, and practitioners. Because the living’s attention is drawn to the Unseen/ Spirits so heavily, they become more present in our world. Often the term “the veil thinning” is used, but I personally see that as your internal veil, your openness to those experiences, thus your brain processes the unseen information (Soul senses) more, and because of that you have more experiences.
Whether you see this as a turning of the year or just a movement of a season, here is a ritual you can do either alone or with a group. You can enchant it up for a more witchy/ pagan feel, or leave it loose for friends and family that are not into that.
The Fire and Feast
It begins with a fire and a feast. The fire provides warmth, light, and a vehicle to ignite that which is given to it.
In times of hunting (or for the modern hunters), they would prepare their kill during the day, separating the meat bones, blood, and organs/left overs. Blood would be ringed around where they would build the fire. The bones would be buried beneath the place where the fire would take place – respect and gratitude for the animal and the fire will renew the soil above for new growth. Then the organs would be burnt in the fire later, giving them to the element of fire or their Deity being honored and called upon. The meat itself would be cooked and shared in celebration with the people present.
In a modern world, the majority of people will not do the above. So instead I say cook a roast! A roast is something easily shared with a group and makes a great “picnic style” feel. It can be anything that fits your style and taste-buds though, the biggest idea is the sharing aspect. Even is you do this as a solitary, you can share it with the spirits or Deities you are personally connected to, or want to connect to.
The feasting itself is more about connection, community, and celebration together. It is one reason this can be done with anyone and not just those of the witchy/ pagan persuasion.
Stories and Songs
As the fire is lit, and feasting begins, so do the stories and songs.
As you feast together, it is also a good time to share stories from the past season. Whether you see this as a time to catch-up or just to share some of ourselves with others. Music and dancing are also ways we connect and move with the spirits gathered – and celebration tends to draw the interests of the unseen.
The Doll
Either before or during the feasting, each person present should write down a hope or ask (petition) for the coming season. Something personal and directed towards you/your situation.
The host or lead of the gathering will make a doll out of grasses, corn husks, or some similar natural material, leaving the torso open enough to stuff and carry the written petitions. They will go around and allow each person to stuff theirs inside the body of the doll.
Once everyone has added to it, the host will appeal to the Deities or spirits or transformation, renewal, or fates. Then throw the doll into the fire, offering it up and giving its contents to the element of fire to grow and empower them.
If you are in a coven or witchy community, the “host” for this job would typically be your Death Witch, since they are already aligned and working with those specific energies/ Spirits/ Deities. It can be anyone though who wants to take that role and responsibility though.
Going Further
This type of ritual is more about bringing community – living and spirits – together. You can see it as just the core action and add any other elements or ritual to it to make it feel more special to you. You can wrap around your own traditions to make it feel more personal. Experiment and feel your way through.
Solitary
If you are a solitary practitioner but still want to do this ritual, think spirit family and allies. Who are you connected to? Ancestors, Deities, Unseen spirits. Who do you want to invite into the space and share this ritual with?
If you have built or are building your own Soul Coven, perhaps that will be your guest list.
Eat with them. Some people will see this as making a plate for them, and that’s fine. I personally think they experience through us, the ones we have strong bonds and working relationship with, so I would just be consciously eating and really tasting the flavors of the food.
Tell them your stories, share some music you like with them, or just talk with them. Keep the sharing yourself, community, and hopeful theme going though.
In The End
In the end the overall theme is positive movement, change, and celebrating it together. Remembering the times past and looking forward with Hope.
I know many are struggling with the concept of “Hope” right now because the world feels like it is on fire. Here is my thing though – if we are always in a defense or fighting mode, we start to lose sight of what we were fighting for. If all we do is focus and speak on the things that are wrong, we start to lose the things that were good and right. Sometimes just within ourselves, sometimes we also lose them in life.
Balance in everything. There are a lot of things to be concerned about in our societies right now, real threats, but we also have to make room and space for the positive and uplifting things to empower us and remind us what we are fighting for in the first place. I feel this ritual really focuses the energy in that way.
Additional Resource
If you are new to Spirit work, want to learn more, or connect deeper, you might consider joining my Spirit Walker – Death Emissary Course. Learn to develop and heighten your soul senses, build communication with spirits/ Deities, work with the dead, and more. Learn tools and techniques to get you started, to develop your own practices around it, and have a community to practice and work with. Due to the current economic state and uncertainty I have moved it all to Patreon, and its just $25/ month – when the course is over you can either cancel or move to another tier. Why so cheap? Because I am not pricing for the market or the courses value, I am pricing for what people can bare so more people can access it – because this work is amazing and needed in our world, at least in my opinion. To learn more about the course, go HERE. I will keep registration open until the 19th for this session, so if you are interested, join before then.
Have a wonderfully magical spirit season!
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