Samhain

Samhain

Activities

Put up wards to keep out unwanted spirits

Put jars of salt by your door to protect your home

Sprinkle some salt in your mouth right before you go to bed to protect your dreams

Light candles to help guide spirits

Tell stories of dead relatives and friends

Write about the dead in your book of shadows

Give offerings to your ancestors

Pray at your altar

Cleanse your space with incense

Drink hot drinks

Bake bread or pies

Add fall recipes to your book of shadows

Paint and decorate pumpkins

Contact spirits through divination

Ask for advice from your ancestors

Be thankful for the food you have

Dust and tidy your altar

Look at pictures of deceased loved ones

Dress in fall colors

Go for a walk in nature, observe the leaves turning. Consider the cycles of life and death that govern our world.

Light a bonfire/small fire (safely!) and burn papers with things that no longer serve you, that you cannot afford to take into winter.

Make an offering to your deities or ancestors

Make food with seasonal ingredients symbolic of the final harvest: squashes, pumpkins, grains, apples, spices. Even wine, if you’re allowed to drink.

Prepare your home and yourself for the coldest part of the year. Redo protection spells, clean out clutter, develop sustaining spells for winter.

Reflect on the past year. What did you lose? What people left your life, what things no longer hold meaning for you? How did you change as a person?

Work with various forms of divination, like runes, pendulums, tea leaves, or tarot.

If you do work with ouija boards you better be SUPER DUPER careful. Do not neglect protections, and if you feel uncomfortable, stop, protection spells and cleanse, cleanse, cleanse.

Give some time or money to a cause you’re passionate about. If your harvest is abundant, give back to those who were not so fortunate.

Colors

Black

Orange

Brown

Gold

Scarlet

Animals

Bat

Boar

Cat

Cow

Dog

Crow

Crystals

Jet

Obsidian

Amber

Carnelian

Fossils

Onyx

Sandstone

Turquoise

Bloodstone

Herbs and Flowers

Acorn

Angelica

Broom

Catnip

Deadly Nightshade

Dittany

Hazel

Heather

Mandrake

Mugwort

Oak leaves

Sage

Straw

Wormwood

Trees

Apple

Beech

Blackthorn

Locust

Pomegranate

Willow

Witch Hazel

Yew

Foods

Soul bread (I recommend putting something on it, it can be bland)

Roast turkey or chicken

Venison

Rice

Cod

Sea Bass

Lamb

Duck

Scallops

Oysters

Mussels

Apples

Pears

Grapes

Citrus

Pomegranate

Eggplant

Tomato

Fig

Brussel Sprouts

Kale

Pumpkin

Squash

Mushroom

Broccoli

Plumbs

Cranberries

Ginger

Peaches

Cabbage

Key limes

Passion Fruit

Radishes

Chestnuts

Beets

Fruit Pies

Fruit Cobblers

Apple Cake

Spice Cakes

Apple Cider

Hard Cider

Pumpkin spice Latte

Hot Cocoa

Apple Juice

Adult Appel Juice (wine)

Mulled Wine

Mulled Cider

Grape Juice

Chai Tea or Latte

Herbal Teas

Deities

Arawn

Belenus

Dagda

Hades

Loki

Odin

Pluto

Badb

Banba

Cailleach

Durga

Hecate

Hel

Inanna

Ishtar

Kali

Morrigan

Rhiannon

Horned God

Spells

Write a list of things you want to release and burn it

Light candles to help guide and honor spirits

Practice Spirit work

Samhain Divination

Family Meals with a place for the dead

Meditate and Reflect

Other names

All Saints Day

All Hallows Eve

Halloween

Incense/EO

Sage

Pumpkin

Patchouli

Myrrh

Straw

Flax

Wheat

Corn

Rosemary

Nutmeg

Allspice

How to Predict Timing with Tarot

When performing the Celtic Cross, there are three positions that can reveal when the event will happen: The Advice, The Ultimate Outcome, and The Underworld. Acknowledge all these possibilities. But your intuition will tell you which is most likely.

THE MAJOR ARCANA

The Fool – Whenever you are ready

The Magician – It has already begun

The High Priestess – You know exactly when

The Empress – During harvest season

The Emperor – It is almost done

The Hierophant – It is finished

The Lovers – As soon as you make the choice

The Chariot – In just a few moments

Strength – The minute you accept it

The Hermit – Only after you meditate on it

The Wheel of Fortune – During your first or next Saturn Return

Justice – When you least expect it

The Hanged Man – When the circumstances change

Death – Whenever it is ready

Temperance – After the storm

The Devil – It is happening right now

The Tower – Soon, unexpectedly and suddenly

The Star – The more you believe, the sooner it will happen

The Moon – It cannot be determined at the moment

The Sun – In the summer or by sunrise

Judgement – Soon and inevitably

The World – In divine timing

THE MINOR ARCANA

THE SUIT OF WANDS

Ace of Wands – One day

Two of Wands – Two days

Three of Wands – Three days

Four of Wands – Four days

Five of Wands – Five days

Six of Wands – Six days

Seven of Wands – Seven days

Eight of Wands – Eight days

Nine of Wands – Nine days

Ten of Wands – Ten days

Page of Wands – As we speak

Knight of Wands – End of November to most of December

Queen of Wands – End of March to most of April

King of Wands – End of July to most of August

THE SUIT OF CUPS

Ace of Cups – One month

Two of Cups – Two months

Three of Cups – Three months

Four of Cups – Four months

Five of Cups – Five months

Six of Cups – Six months

Seven of Cups – Seven months

Eight of Cups – Eight months

Nine of Cups – Nine months

Ten of Cups – Ten months

Page of Cups – Very soon

Knight of Cups – End of February to most of March

Queen of Cups – End of June to most of July

King of Cups – End of October to most of November

THE SUIT OF SWORDS

Ace of Swords – One week

Two of Swords – Two weeks

Three of Swords – Three weeks

Four of Swords – Four weeks

Five of Swords – Five weeks

Six of Swords – Six weeks

Seven of Swords – Seven weeks

Eight of Swords – Eight weeks

Nine of Swords – Nine weeks

Ten of Swords – Ten weeks

Page of Swords – Now, behind the scenes

Knight of Swords – End of May to most of June

Queen of Swords – End of September to most of October

King of Swords – End of January to most of February

THE SUIT OF PENTACLES

Ace of Pentacles – One year or one season (3 months)

Two of Pentacles – Two years or two seasons (6 months)

Three of Pentacles – Three years or three seasons (9 months)

Four of Pentacles – Four years or four seasons (one year)

Five of Pentacles – Five years or five seasons (15 months)

Six of Pentacles – Six years or six seasons (18 months)

Seven of Pentacles – Seven years or seven seasons (21 months)

Eight of Pentacles – Eight years or eight seasons (2 years)

Nine of Pentacles – Nine years or nine seasons (2 years and 3 months)

Ten of Pentacles – Ten years or ten seasons (2 years and 6 months)

Page of Pentacles – It will take quite a while

Knight of Pentacles – End of August to most of September

Queen of Pentacles – End of December to most of January

King of Pentacles – End of April to most of May

To Help You Remember:

Wands are days, because they are fire, and fire moves fast.

Swords are weeks, because while a sword is quick to cut, it first requires some thinking on the warrior’s part.

Cups are months, because they are water, and water flows with the moon, which completes a cycle in roughly a month.

Pentacles are seasons to years, because they are seeds, and some seeds only require a season to grow while others need a year.

The timings for the Major Arcana and the Pages are related to the cards’ meanings. Once you know the meanings, you know the timings.

The Kings, Queens and Knights are the Zodiac signs’ birthdays:

King of Wands – Leo (Fixed Fire)

Queen of Wands – Aries (Cardinal Fire)

Knight of Wands – Sagittarius (Mutable Fire)

King of Cups – Scorpio (Fixed Water)

Queen of Cups – Cancer (Cardinal Water)

Knight of Cups – Pisces (Mutable Water)

King of Swords – Aquarius (Fixed Air)

Queen of Swords – Libra (Cardinal Air)

Knight of Swords – Gemini (Mutable Air)

King of Pentacles – Taurus (Fixed Earth)

Queen of Pentacles – Capricorn (Cardinal Earth)

Knight of Pentacles – Virgo (Mutable Earth)

10 Easy Protective Habits

Carry Rosemary and salt in your pocket, purse, or keep in a satchel.

A lit white candle in a circle of salt will protect a room.

A lit black candle repels and banishes unwanted energy quite well.

Hang Garlic in your kitchen to ward away mischief and evil.

Add Pine essential oil to cleaners for an added cleansing boost when washing tile/hardwood floors.

Grow Rosemary, Lilac, Lavender or Rose at your doorways to protect them.

Use knot magick when tying shoe laces, bows, headbands, etc for added protection.

Draw protective sigils or wards onto your skin with make up or lotion/moisturizer before blending.

Hang protective charms off your pet’s collar.

Sprinkle a combination of Salt, Lavender, Rosemary and/or Rose onto a hard surface and sweep/vacuum the next morning for a cleansing sweep.

Small Bottle Charm for Stability on your spiritual path

Short Description

This bottle charm is for all of you who sometimes struggle on your spiritual path, who sometimes feel lost, who are having trouble with finding their own believes or simply for those who already have found their spiritual path but they are afraid that they might get lost again at some point in the future.

Ingredients

Salt

3 Mistletoe berries

Mistletoe leaves

Oak leaves

Lavender

Rosemary

Green candle (for sealing the bottle - you can use any colour that you associate with your spiritual path)

Note

When it comes to the preparation, you can check out my previous "Small Bottle Charm for Protection" post. The meditation will be different of course, but you should create your own for this spell, since my path is not same as yours and my meditation probably is not appropriate for your spiritual path.

Good luck!

I just want to touch on the topic of grounding really quick.

There's a ton of posts out there for tips and tricks on how to ground yourself, and to that I say yes! Keep it up! A lot of new and experienced witches alike sometimes struggle to find new ways to achieve that sense, and reading posts like that can often install new ideas and habits.

I also want to point out, however, that there's no "correct" way to ground yourself. Grounding yourself means that you're here, right now, and you're focusing on it. You're present. All the way here, feet on the X, goal in mind and calmly engaged. You get the idea. Sometimes you'll find that you gotta do what you gotta do! Especially if you're neurodivergent (like yours truly), sometimes the meditation, counting, or breathing just doesn't work. We gotta keep our hands busy.

So if you find that you struggle to ground yourself with the traditional calming methods, there's absolutely nothing stopping you from doing it your own way. I found that folding paper into stupid shapes gets my brain to quiet down. I also find that meditation maybe be a great way to be calm but it certainly doesn't ground me. Go kick a little rock around. Stick your hands in the mud. Climb a tree and hang upside down on a branch like a possum. Swatch your lipstick/eyeshadow. Just do things that make you present. There's no right or wrong way, just find a way to be there and do it when you need to. Once you find your way, you're golden, ponyboy.

Tips and Commissions: Ko-Fi

Today's herb of the week is Violet!

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus

Element: Water

Known as:

Blue violet, common blue violet, wild violet, dog violet or sweet violet

Magickal uses:

•Place in a dream pillow to draw in prophetic dreams and visions •Carry the leaves in a green satchet to aid in healing •Mix with lavender for a powerful love stimulant or carry with you to ease your heart from unrequited love. 

•The leaves are good for protection against all evil forces when carried

•Gift violets to a newly married couple or new mother to bring luck

•Carry with you to stimulate creativity, peace and tranquility

•Put the petals under your pillow to reveal your true love or what you truly desire

•Place on your altar or sacred space with amethyst to enhance divine energy

• Plant in your garden or near the front of your house for protection

•Bathe in an infusion of violet for nine days to ease the pain of heartbreak

•Infuse your face oils or water to wash your face is said to bless you with beauty

•Use to make tea to increase your spiritual awareness

•Add to healing baths to increase potency

•Gather fresh violet during the spring to make your wish come true

•Place the petals in your shoe for seven days to attract love

Good for: abundance, wishes, youth, happiness, protection, prosperity, faerie, love, heartbeak, longevity, fertility, repelling negativity, joy, devotion, luck, passion, beauty, fortune, hex breaking, reconciliation and transformation workings

Other uses:

• Sweet violet is used for nervous strain, hysteria, physical and mental exhaustion, symptoms of menopause (hot flashes), depression, and irritability

•It is also used for digestive tract complaints such as abdominal pain, swelling (inflammation) of the stomach and intestines and the tissues that line them, digestion problems caused by improper diet, gas, heartburn, gallbladder disorders, and loss of appetite

•Some people use sweet violet for respiratory tract conditions, particularly dry or sore throat, stuffy nose, coughs, hoarseness, and bronchitis

•Other uses include treating pain in the minor joints, fever, skin diseases, headache, trouble sleeping, and tuberculosis

Deities:

Venus, Attis, Io, Zeus, Cupid, Faeries, Aphrodite, Demeter, Jupiter, Mithras and Cybele