Samhain ~ Gateway Spell
TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE DEAD
Purpose: To speak with our beloved dead.
Background: Samhain is the time of the year when the veil between the realms of the living and the dead are thinnest. This is when we remember and honor our ancestors as well as the recently dead, and in many circles we build a gateway to the west- the quarter of death- through which the dead might come and visit just for that one night.
Giving ourselves this special time to acknowledge our sorrow at being separated through the death from friends or family is a healthy approach. Western society generally discourages too much contact with death, and just as the bodies of our loved ones are tended to away from home by professional funeral directors, so our feelings are filed away so as not to cause embarrassment in public.
At Samhain, we can let ourselves feel sad at departures and acknowledge the importance to us of those who have died. The Samhain circle is a safe space in which to grieve-and remember on our own terms-those we have lost.
How To Cast The Spell
You will need:
2 blue candles, at least 12" (30 cm) in length.
1 white candle at least 12" (30 cm) in length.
On charcoal disk in a fireproof dish.
Matches or a lighter.
2 tsp. of dried Solomon's seal.
Approximately 25 seaside pebbles.
Timing: Cast this spell at Samhain
Casting the Spell:
As part of your Samhain celebrations, and in a properly prepared circle, work as follows:
1. Place the blue candles at the western quarter of the circle and place the white one to your left.
2. Light the charcoal, then the blue candles, and face the "gateway" saying:
Ancestors of blood, ancestors of spirit
You are honored here
I call my beloved dead to this gateway
Only those who wish me well may enter
Sprinkle incense on the charcoal.
3. Name friends or relatives who have died in the last year:
I remember {name} who...
I want to say this to you...
4. For each person, place a pebble near the white candle. Next remember those who have passed away before this year, and then groups of people you wish to commemorate.
5. When you have finished, and the pebbles are heaped around the white candle, light it saying:
All are mourned, remembered, and honored.
6. Say farewell, and close the gateway before the circle is closed. Return the pebbles to the sea.
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