Samhain Ritual for Solo or Group

…I am so directionally challenged, it’s amazing I can cast a circle.

One-shot video. Usually never my best ideas, but it’s what happens when I try to do rituals for videos. And yes, this is my Sally dress. I thought it was appropriate for a ritual to honor the dead.

For this ritual, you will need a black chord/ribbon/string/yarn/etc, a white chord/ribbon/string/yarn/etc, and a red chord/ribbon/string/yarn/etc in a length comfortable for you and your timing for performing the ritual.

If you do not know how to cast a circle, or you are looking for a Sabbat-specific circle cast, the following is something you could do:

North: The North is a place of cold,
And the earth is silent and dark.
Spirits of the Earth, we welcome you,
Knowing you will envelope us in death.

East: The East is a land of new beginnings,
The place where breath begins.
Spirits of air, we call upon you,
Knowing you will be with us as we depart life.

South: The South is a land of sunlight and fire,
And your flames guide us through the cycles of life.
Spirits of fire, we welcome you,
Knowing you will transform us in death.

West: The West is a place of underground rivers,
And the sea is a never-ending, rolling tide.
Spirits of water, we welcome you,
Knowing you will carry us through the ebbs and flows of our life.

I linked the ritual in the first paragraph above. This isn’t my ritual; I chose this one first for a Halloween Party I was asked to “Shepherd” during and decided it was a very appropriate and simple ritual I could do indoors. There are many different rituals and invocations, prayers, etc, that you can do for Samhain. I, personally, shy away from rituals that would require me to have a “spotter” because that just means I have to get mean with entities and firmly enforce my boundaries. Sure, I can channel and communicate with the deceased, that doesn’t mean I want them popping into my body whenever they feel like it. The same goes for deities and such. My body, my rules. You can’t just shove my spirit to the side and take over, yo! This is something that has happened to me in the recent past and I was actually sick for two days from it. So, no thank you and good day.

Anyway! Samhain is also one of the best times for divination work. Whatever method of divination you prefer, cast your circle for added protection, drink your tea, and mediate into your headspace to begin your work. I don’t normally seek out divinations, personally, but this year–since I’m stuck at home–I may try some dousing or maybe even try my hand at scrying or Tarot. We’ll see. I may make a blog post about for my Patreons. If you enjoy these blogs and videos, please consider supporting me over there! There’s some Patron-only content that you may find interesting! Even just $1/mo helps me produce these videos and blog posts. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Discord server and you can play with my Helios cat-bot who can do divinations and such for you!

But, for now, please have a blessed and safe, socially distant Samhain. We’ll be back next week with some more videos and start talking about Yuletide a bit later into November. Blessed be!

Mabon Ritual: Solitary Practitioner

Featuring, my boobs.

During the time of filming this video, Cameramen Ken was out of town. So, I had to do this myself. And it occurred to me that I really don’t have a clue as to what I’m doing. Plus, I’m not comfortable being by myself doing my practice outside. At least not near my neighbors. Who don’t wear masks or use social distancing. I thought everyone was gone, but no! I had neighbor aggro.

Oh, well. I suppose that’s what my focus for the Autumnal Equinox season should be: Being proud of my faith and my practice and not allowing myself to feel less-than simply because others may find it weird or “unnatural.”

So, this ritual came from the Mabon book from Llewellyn’s library. I copied the words into my own grimoire and then did the ritual for you! Sans the sage sticks because I wasn’t comfortable burning sage outside. Not with the ever-encroaching tree. The house is made of wood and it would go up like a tinder box, I suspect. But, I showed you how to do it in the video, sans the actual sage stick. I also don’t have a tray for my items, so you can definitely improvise.

If you want to use a wand, go for it, otherwise you don’t need it. Just make sure you have enough room to walk around (I did not). Give yourself more space than you think you’ll need, if possible. Personally, I would use water for an outdoor ritual since you’re pouring it onto the ground. Cider, beer, and wine could be sticky if allowed to dry and may damage plants or grass. If you do the ritual inside, use whatever you like as you’d be pouring it into bowls.

I hope you have a blessed Mabon.

Incense for Mabon

I’m very proud of myself.

Mabon is coming up quickly and I’ve been trying to make some little tokens for the sabbat (even though it is not one of the sabbats I, personally, celebrate). I love incense, so it made sense for me to make this wonderful, loose incense for you as a way of demonstrating some of the things you can incorporate into your Autumnal practice.

The book I used for this video is simply called Mabon. There is a good history of the roots of Mabon and how you can celebrate it in the modern age. It also gives recipes, crafts, rituals, correspondence, prayers, etc. One of the recipes in it is for this incense.

You will need dried marigold (calendula), mint, and sage. I used rubbed sage for this because I use that in cooking. Since I do not have the appropriate environment in which to grow sage properly, I tend to use rubbed sage where I can, instead of sage that you’d find in bundles. Once I have a bit of earth and can plant my garden the way I want, I’ll harvest and dry my own sage. Regardless, use whatever sage you’d like in this. It will still smell amazing.

Make sure that when you go to burn this, you have a charcoal round. I did not have any (they’re in storage), and it does not burn well on it’s own. It needs help. But, it still smells really good, so you have that to look forward to!

This incense can be used for Mabon rituals, or around Thanksgiving to help cultivate a sense of thankfulness and gratitude, or any time of year, really. It’s a delicate scent and works well to relax and open your heart to give thanks and show gratitude for what the Universe has blessed you with during the year into this Second Harvest.

I hope you enjoy this incense. Let me know in the comments how yours turned out!

Mabon Bath Salts

Look! I’m actually FANCY!

Mabon is a Sabbat that celebrates the end of summer and the beginning of autumn and the second harvest. This year, it falls on September 22. Mabon, similarly to Lughnasadh, is a time of Thanksgiving and gratitude. What better way to get into the spirit of giving thanks than by thanking yourself for surviving the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that has been 2020 and taking a ritual bath!

Honestly, I just like using bath salts whenever I can. They’re easy to make and it’s so relaxing to use them. This one is a two-parter, so you’ll need two containers to make it work.

You’ll need dried chamomile, sage, and rosemary; sea salt, baking soda, and sandalwood essential oil. How much you want to use is up to you. Standard ratios are as follows: 1:1:1:1 on the dried plants to water (1 T each, 1 cup water) and 1/2c sea salt, 1 T baking soda, and about 5-6 drops sandalwood.

You’re going to put your herbs and water in a pot and simmer them for about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, let them cool.

In the meantime, mix your sea salt and baking soda together, then add your essential oil and mix thoroughly. Put into a shatter-proof container (or live dangerously, like I do, and use a mason jar). I use a 4oz mason jar for these and pack the salt mixture into them. when you use it for your bath, you’ll use approximately half of the jar.

Once the decoction has cooled, strain it using either a cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer. You should be able to fill a 4oz jar with the liquid. When you go to draw your bath, pour in your salt first and dissolve it in the water, then add 2oz of your decoction and blend it into the water as well. Climb into your tub and relax and focus on the many things you have to be thankful for.

You can make it more of a ritual, if you would like–light candles, cast a magic circle, whatever you’d like to do. I tend to keep my baths simple. Spend as much time as you require soaking in the energy of Mabon and the Equinox.

Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again. Blessed be.

Blessed Ostara!

“From water to fire, from earth to air…” (IllWill Press)

Merry meet and blessed be!

I was originally going to host an Ostara Circle, but California is taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously and has enacted bans on groups of 10 or more people, as well as non-essential travel. So, I hosted it virtually!

If you go to the YouTube video, the spell is in the description. Please feel free to use it, as you may need. Feel free to change the words to be more appropriate to you. Most importantly, though, stay safe; stay healthy.