BOS - The Standing Stones Samhain Ritual (October 31)

Copyright © 1989 Scott Cunningham

Place upon the altar apples, pomegranates, pumpkins, squashes and other late autumn fruits. Autumn flowers such as marigolds and chrysanthemums are fine too. Write on a piece of paper an aspect of your life which you wish to be free of: anger, a baneful habit, misplaced feelings, disease. The cauldron or some similar tool must be present before the altar as well, on a trivet or some other heat-proof surface (if the legs aren't long enough). A small, flat dish marked with an eight-spoked wheel symbol should also be there (The cauldron, seen as the Goddess).

Prior to the ritual, sit quietly and think of friends and loved ones who have passed away. Do not despair. Know that they have gone on to greater things. Keep firmly in mind that the physical isn't the absolute reality, and that souls never die.

Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle of Stones.

Recite the Blessing Chant.

Invoke the Goddess and God.

Lift one of the pomegranates and, with your freshly-washed white-handled knife, pierce the skin of the fruit. Remove several seeds and place them on the wheel-marked dish.

Raise your wand, face the altar and say:

On this night of Samhain I mark your passing,
O Sun King, through the sunset into the Land of the Young.
I mark also the passing of all who have gone before,
and all who will go after. 0 Gracious Goddess,
Eternal Mother, You who gives birth to the fallen,
teach me to know that in the time of the greatest
darkness there is the greatest light.

Taste the pomegranate seeds; burst them with your teeth and savor their sharp, bittersweet flavor. Lookdown at the eight-spoked (This is just what it sounds like. On a flat plate or dish, paint a large circle. Put a dot in the center of this circle and paint eight spokes radiating out from the dot to the Iarger circle. Thus, you have a wheel symbol-a symbol of the Sabbats, a symbol of timelessness.) symbol on the plate; the wheel of the year, the cycle of the seasons, the end and beginning of all creation.

For some people, this will represent a reversal in the conduct of Cakes and Ale: In many Traditions, the Ale is consecrated and shared first. On top of that, in this ritual, the popcorn is substitute for the more conventional “Cake,” and it’s not formally consecrated. The transformation of the grain from the altar into the popcorn, the demonstration of the God’s immortality by His life’s transformation, is consecration enough for this rite. To interrupt the drama would distract us from it, and that would be unsuitable, so the consecration of the Ale waits. (Besides, grain in it’s preparation is ready to make bread, which the popcorn also symbolizes, before it’s ready to make ale.)

It would, of course, be possible to substitute crackers for popcorn, and this might be appropriate if the Priest is carrying a sheaf of wheat around the Circle. Popcorn, however, is usually more fun, and I think it’s the best choice if children are present, no matter what grains you use to represent the harvest.

How the Priest and Priestess who stand for the God and Goddess are costumed, how and how long the Priest/God dances, how participatory the dance is, what instruments are played to keep time, and the exact words the Priest/God and Priestess/Goddess say are up to the individuals and covens performing the ritual. When the rite is held is also a matter of choice, although dusk is the time of day that corresponds to this Sabbat.

Finally, to thank the Gods, say:

Lady of the Corn, Queen of the Grain,
we found Your strength in harvest’s pain.
Your son was to scythe, Your lover to blade,
and You bereaved had been made.
To us Your arms are open wide:
we shared Your grief: our God has died.
Yet here You came, and we were non forlorn,
and we witnessed together the God reborn!
Hail, Great Goddess, and farewell
Lord of the Corn, King of the Grain,
Your blessing’s received, and harvest made grain.
You were down to scythe; they called You dead,
yet You lived on in ale and bread!
And here You were, in seed and feast,
and to rebirth was our grief released!
Hail, Lord of the Grain, and farewell!

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Earl LeMaster writes as "Gray Seal."

The Standing Stones Samhain Ritual (October 31)

Prior to the ritual, sit quietly and think of friends and loved ones who have passed away.

This and more can be found here:

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham.

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