Solitary Samhain Ritual

Tools needed:

3 candles, any color or shape (2 white)
1 bowl of water
List of those things you are thankful for, including the rewards and blessings you have received this year

For the circle casting, stand in the center of the circle, and say:

I cast the Samhain hedge between the worlds
Be thou the halo of the Goddess
And a protection against all negativity.
Positive energy flows in the name of the God
I hallow this place of Spirit.

For the invocation of deity, sit quietly and hum to yourself, making up your own little melody.  Envision a hedge around you, growing and flowering on this autumn eve.  Then stand in the center of the room, and say:

Wise Goddess, veiled Huntress, grant me your power.
Wise God, Father of magick and the Wild Host,
Waken your wisdom within me.
By the Hidden Mother and the Hooded Lord,
Ancestral fire I kindle
Spiritual love I invoke.
(Insert your statement of purpose.)
I come from the Void, and to Her, I shall return.
Ancient wisdom is my teacher
Fill me with your velvet truth
Grant me your special power.
I know that there is great comfort in eternal sleep and the dark hours of death.
Tonight I journey there, to meet the ones I love
To find wisdom from the ancients
And to rebirth myself again.
(Light two white candles.)

Read:

Samhain is the celebration of the final harvest--the cycle of life and death.
I am joyful in the rewards I have cultivated this year.
(List your rewards and blessings.)
I stand at the crossroads of yet another year.  I welcome purification and renewal.
(Pour water over your hands and allow all negativity to leave your body.)
I honor the dark, as the days get shorter and the nights get longer,
and pledge to use this time for introspection and planning for the future.
At Samhain, I know that the veils are the thinnest between the worlds,
and bid my ancestors to visit tonight at my fires and imbue their wisdom to me.

Light a third candle to signify the dead.  For the Samhain Invocation for a Loved One, hold both hands out, palms up.  Say:

By the threads that still connect us
By the silver cord unbroken
By the love that is eternal
Now (person's name or "my family"), I will call you
As the Western Gate stands open
To that land of golden sunsets.
In that peace that is unending
In that life that is eternal.

On this night of ancient wonder
Where our souls can join together
I'll close my eyes and see you smiling
As I slowly reach out to touch you
In that land beyond the dawning
Where your journey never ended
Where the pathway still leads upward
On that circle laid through time.

May the moonlight guide your footsteps
may the starlight be your pathway
As we journey to the center
On this ancient night together
When our souls can be united
When our worlds are now the closest
When the silence choirs our love
When the circle is unbroken.

By the mystery all surrounding
With this breath by which I call you
In the flickering of the firelight
I say your name(s) within my heart
It echoes down through time unending
In the protection of this evening
May your presence wash through me
And together we are one.
You who have passed to another plane
(list friends, relatives, loved ones)
I remember you.

Spend some time meditating, singing, or drumming.  When you feel fulfilled, it is time to end the ritual.  When you have finished, stand in the middle of the room, and say the following "Benediction" by David O. Norris:

It is time to bid farewell
As this Samhain passes from us
Soon the dawning will embrace us
and the sunset portal close.
Until the turning of the year
We must part for just a while
Yet I know there is no ending
And the silver thread spins outward
To that place where you are going
Until I travel there to meet you
Or your return upon the autumn,
On this sacred night of Spirits
When we shall meet again.
Blessed be.

(Closure)

Great Ancestors,
I thank you for joining me this night.
Relatives and loved ones,
I honor you and wish you sleep well.
May you go in peace.
Great Spirit
Stay with me.
Protect and guide me upon this new year.
So mote it be.

Close your eyes and imagine the circle slowly dissipating.  Open your eyes and allow the candles to burn until they are finished.  Bury off your property.

~from "Halloween: Customs, Recipes & Spells,~

 by Silver RavenWolf, pgs 183-186