Today many of us are celebrating Samhain. In order to understand this holiday let me tell you about it's origins and then go through ways that you can celebrate this great holiday too.
Samhain is a Gaelic festival that is celebrated from October 31 to November 1. This time of year it is believed that the veil between the living and the dead is very thin. This holiday marks the start of the darker part of the year. This is when, in ancient times they would prepare for the long winter ahead by making sure they have enough food to make it through the winter. Many celebrate this day by summoning their ancestors and inviting them to share in a feast with them.
This time of year is a great time to go around and do your cleansing and protection rituals along with setting up an ancestor alter.
An easy cleansing ritual that can be done is to smudge your home and or work space with sage or any other herb that has cleansing properties. If this isn't an option where you are at, you can make a simple tea with the herb and place in a spray bottle after straining and spray all around, be careful of fabrics because it may stain. Salt water also works well. If neither of these appeal to you, you can always meditate and visualize the negative energy leaving the place you wish it to leave. Use what ever means you have available to you. As far as protection goes, there are so many ways this can be done. Making a witches jar is an easy way of creating a protection spell for you and your household. There are many ways of creating a protection jar. You can create one out of a mix of protection herbs or any number of other ways. Once a year, I like to make a protection jar with rusty nails, rusty razor blades, broken mirror, cactus thorns and any other thorns I can find. I fill the jar with these things. Then I will pee in it and fill it the rest of the way with 4 Thieves. Right before I seal it I will put finger nails, hair and even a drop of blood in it in order to connect it to me and my household. It is really easy and really fun to make, if not a little bit gross. After the jar is sealed with a lid and wax, I will then bury it. It is a good idea to bury it by you front porch or any where you will not risk digging it up. This jar is one of the older ways of creating a witches jar. An easier way of creating a witches jar is with a clear Christmas tree bulb, which thanks to the stores having these out before this time of year even gets here they are easy to find right now. Get some silver paint, red ribbon and some protection oil. Take the top off of the bulb and pour some of the paint on the inside of the bulb. Then get the paint to spread all around the inside of it. Let dry. After the paint has dried, place a couple of drops of protection oil and the ribbon inside it and then put the top back on. Now you have a witches bottle of protection that is ready to be decorated however you wish. Then hang in your home and enjoy.
After you have done both of those things, now is to have some fun. What ancestor of yours do you wish was still around. Is there a family member that you miss who is no longer in the land of the living. Then this is the time to create an alter that honors the memory of those who are no longer a part of your life. Create a space just for them. Put a picture of them in this space. If they had a favorite food, fix it and leave it as an offering to them to show that you still remember them. This is the night to cook all of their favorites and set a place at the table for them to join you. Their are so many ways to honor those who are no longer living. They will love the offering and or the spot at your table that you create just for them. While everyone eats, take out time to remember the good memories that you have of them.
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