The Turning of the Wheel
As autumn ripens and the last harvests are gathered, a hush descends across the land.
The veil thins. The light wanes.
In the space between October 31 and November 1, the old Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced Sow-in or Sah-win) marks the threshold between the living world and the unseen realms.
It’s the Witch’s New Year, a sacred time of endings, beginnings, remembrance, and rebirth.
Samhain sits opposite Beltane on the Wheel of the Year.
One honors life’s fire, the other the mystery of death.
Together they complete the circle of becoming.
Ancient Roots: From Harvest to Ancestor Night
Let’s take a look back at Samhain through history and across cultures.
Celtic Origins
So, long before Halloween masks and pumpkin lights, the peoples of ancient Ireland, Scotland, and Wales celebrated Samhain as the final harvest and start of the dark half of the year.
As the sun’s light waned and the days shortened, fields lay fallow, temperatures dropped, and nature turned inward toward rest.
Crops were in, herds were brought home, and the veil between worlds was believed to be at its thinnest.
The Celts didn’t see time as linear. It was cyclical. The dark season wasn’t death—it was gestation.
Just as seeds rest beneath the frost, life was believed to retreat into the earth only to be reborn again in the spring.
Fire and Community
Bonfires—bone fires—burned on the hills.
Clans gathered to feast, tell stories, and honor their ancestors.
Ashes from communal fires were used to relight hearths, symbolizing renewal of the life force for the coming year.
These fires were also protective. The smoke was said to ward off wandering spirits that crossed into the mortal world.
The Spirits’ Night
Unlike later fear-based superstitions, the early Celts welcomed the spirits of their kin.
Ancestors were invited to share in the feast.
Places were set at the table. Candles were left in windows to guide them home.
The same open veil that allowed beloved dead to return also released mischievous entities.
This gave rise to the customs of disguise and trickery that eventually became Halloween.
Samhain and the Cycle of Time
The Wheel of the Year
Samhain occupies the northwest point of the wheel, ruled by Scorpio’s depths and the element of Water.
It’s a time of composting, dreaming, and shadow work—both in nature and within ourselves.
The wheel’s opposite, Beltane, celebrates fertility and passion.
Samhain calls us inward to the alchemy of transformation.
Each marks the crossing between worlds—one into life, one into mystery.
The Three-Day Threshold
Ancient accounts suggest Samhain lasted three nights, each devoted to a different mystery:
- The Past — Honoring ancestors and remembering what has ended.
- The Present — Releasing attachments, forgiving, and finding stillness.
- The Future — Divining and dreaming the seeds of the year to come.
These three nights mirror the alchemical process.
That means nigredo (blackening), albedo (whitening), rubedo (reddening)— or, death, purification, and rebirth.
Samhain’s Spiritual Meaning: Death as Sacred Passage
The Descent and the Dark Goddess
In mythic consciousness, Samhain is the Descent into the Underworld.
The Goddess becomes the Crone—wise, veiled, and powerful.
She appears as Morrígan, Hecate, Cerridwen, or Persephone—guides who help us face our own shadows.
This descent isn’t morbid. It’s initiatory.
It reminds you that death is part of the cycle of creation.
By confronting impermanence, you can gain wisdom, depth, and renewal.
Explore more:
Persephone Descends: The Autumnal Myth of Death, Return, and Inner Sovereignty.
Shadow Work and Soul Integration
Metaphysically, Samhain is when the subconscious stirs more than it normally does.
Dreams become more vivid. Memories tend to resurface. The psyche invites integration.
It’s the perfect time to journal, scry, or meditate on what you’re ready to release.
In energetic terms, the root and sacral chakras become focal points, helping ground and transmute emotional residue so spiritual energy can flow cleanly into the new year.
The Witch’s New Year
While the Gregorian calendar begins in January, many witches, pagans, and mystics consider Samhain the true new year.
It’s the rebirth of time itself.
After the harvest, we enter stillness.
Only in that darkness can new seeds—intentions, visions, and callings—begin to gestate.
From Samhain to Halloween
Christian Adaptations
As Christianity spread through Celtic lands, the Church adapted local holy days.
All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day absorbed Samhain’s themes of honoring the dead.
Yet beneath the new names, the old rhythms persisted.
People continued to light candles for ancestors and practice divination games—peeling apples, gazing into mirrors, or tossing nuts into fire to foretell love and luck.
From Turnip to Pumpkin: How Samhain’s Light Crossed the Sea
When Irish immigrants carried Samhain’s old customs to America in the 19th century, they brought with them the eerie charm of the carved turnip lantern.
In rural Ireland and Scotland, people once hollowed out large turnips or mangel-wurzels, carving grotesque faces into them to ward off wandering spirits and honor ancestral lights.
A small coal ember or candle was placed inside, its flickering glow symbolizing both protection and remembrance.
When these traditions crossed the Atlantic, turnips were hard to come by—but pumpkins were plentiful, larger, and far easier to carve.
The Jack-o’-lantern evolved naturally, blending the Celtic spirit-light folklore with New World abundance.
What began as a humble carved root to scare off ghosts became the bright orange guardian of the modern Halloween doorstep.
Magical Practices for Samhain
1. Honoring the Ancestors
If you don’t have one, try creating an ancestor altar with photos, heirlooms, and offerings of bread, milk, whiskey, or apples.
Light a candle and speak their names aloud. Gratitude anchors the bridge between realms.
(If you don’t know them, just call to them as your “beloved ancestors” or something like that. They will know who you are, even if you don’t know them.)
You might also write letters to departed loved ones, burn them in the Samhain fire, and watch the smoke rise as a message across the veil.
Learn more about connecting with your ancestors:
Your Guide to Creating An Ancestral Altar
2. Divination and Dreamwork
Samhain has always been a time of prophecy.
Try tarot, scrying in water or flame, or setting an intention before sleep to receive guidance in dreams.
Keep a journal by your bed. Messages may arrive softly in the early hours of the morning.
3. Fire and Candle Rituals
Fire represents the spirit that never dies.
Try using black candles for banishing, orange for vitality, white for remembrance.
As each burns, envision what you’re releasing and what you wish to carry forward.
Learn more about
Candle Magic for Spirit Communication, Shadow Work, and Meaningful Rituals
4. Feasting with the Dead
If you’ve never done it before, try preparing a Dumb Supper.
A Dumb Supper (“dumb” as in, no speaking at all) is a silent meal shared with ancestors.
Eat in stillness, leaving a portion of food and drink for them.
Listen inwardly. They may whisper across the veil.
5. Protection and Cleansing
Try burning mugwort, juniper, or frankincense to purify your space.
Sweep your threshold widdershins (counterclockwise) to clear residual energies.
Sprinkle saltwater or use sacred sound (bell, drum, song) to seal the circle in light.
Learn more about Working with Sacred Smoke: Mugwort, Myrrh, Tobacco, and Frankincense for Protection and Vision
Walking Between Worlds
In shamanic traditions, Samhain aligns with the West Gate, where the sun sets and souls journey home.
It’s a time for psychopomp work.
That means guiding energies that are lost, honoring the spirits of land and lineage, and tending the ancestral field.
The Land Spirits
The thinning veil affects more than human ancestors.
Spirits of animals, plants, and place also stir.
Offer cornmeal or milk to the earth, speak gratitude to trees, or meditate outdoors at dusk.
Listening helps restore reciprocity between human and more-than-human worlds.
Soul Retrieval
Samhain is powerful for calling back lost parts of the self.
In shamanic healing, fragmentation can occur through trauma or disconnection.
Journey inward (or work with a trusted practitioner) to retrieve what’s been left behind in past cycles, integrating it with compassion.
Alchemical Meaning: Transformation Through Darkness
Alchemy teaches that the black phase—nigredo—is essential for rebirth.
Metals must melt before they purify…souls must descend before they awaken.
Samhain mirrors this process on a cosmic scale:
- Nigredo (Blackening): Decay, dissolution, surrender.
- Albedo (Whitening): Cleansing, insight, purification.
- Rubedo (Reddening): Rebirth, integration, illumination.
When you allow old patterns to die, you help free the inner gold.
In this way, Samhain is a sort of alchemical crucible…fire and shadow mingling until wisdom emerges.
Samhain Astrological and Elemental Correspondences
As always, use your intuition. Here are some traditional correspondences to get you started.
| Aspect | Correspondence |
|---|---|
| Element | Water — Depth, emotion, intuition, ancestral flow |
| Direction | West — Sunset, descent, endings |
| Planetary Influence | Pluto / Mars — Transformation, courage, release |
| Zodiacal Gate | Scorpio — Mystery, passion, rebirth |
| Colors | Black, orange, crimson, gold |
| Herbs | Mugwort, rosemary, sage, wormwood, yew, apple blossom |
| Crystals | Obsidian, jet, onyx, smoky quartz, garnet |
| Deities | Morrígan, Hecate, Cerridwen, Persephone, Odin, Anubis |
Each correspondence acts as a symbolic key.
Think of them as tools for tuning into Samhain’s resonance through ritual, altar work, or meditation.
Modern Samhain: Reclaiming the Sacred
Today, witches, pagans, and spiritual seekers around the world celebrate Samhain as a blend of remembrance, magic, and mindfulness.
It’s not about reenacting the past but reviving relationship…with nature, ancestors, and the unseen energies that move through all life.
Eco-Spiritual Renewal
Composting leaves, planting bulbs, or walking in twilight can become sacred acts.
By aligning with nature’s descent, you can remember that rest is part of creation.
The darkness is fertile. Silence can be medicine.
Digital Rituals and Global Altars
In our interconnected era, Samhain gatherings may happen online or across continents.
Shared meditations, livestream rituals, and ancestor-honoring posts create a digital circle that sort of transcends geography—modern magic echoing the ancient hearth.
Psychological Integration
Even outside witchcraft, many feel Samhain’s pull toward introspection.
Therapists, healers, and artists alike sense the archetypal descent.
It’s a time when the unconscious seeks its voice.
The simple act of lighting a candle for one’s own former selves can be an act of profound healing.
Simple Samhain Ritual: Releasing and Renewal
- Prepare Your Space.
Cleanse with sacred smoke or sound. Dim the lights. Place a bowl of water and a candle before you. - Name the Year’s Deaths.
Speak aloud what has ended. This can include habits, fears, relationships, versions of yourself, etc. - Offer to the Fire.
Write each one on paper and burn it safely in a cauldron or fireproof dish, saying something like:
“I honor what has been. I release it so that I may transform.” - Gaze into the Water.
Ask: What wants to be born?
Let images, sensations, or words arise. Write them down. - Seal the Circle.
Close with gratitude. Pour the cooled ashes into the earth, returning what’s finished to the soil of becoming.
Samhain and the Collective Soul
The magic of Samhain extends beyond individual practice.
It invites cultural remembrance and ancestral healing.
When you light candles for those who came before, you rekindle collective memory.
That means helping to restore wisdom lineages that were disrupted by colonization, migration, or modern amnesia.
Ancestral Healing
Many energy workers describe an ancestral web connecting all generations.
Healing ripples backward and forward through time.
By tending that web at Samhain, you can help dissolve inherited fear, shame, or grief…and make space for strength and blessing.
Community and Continuity
Hosting a small Samhain circle—sharing stories, food, or songs—helps create community resilience.
In remembering that death and life dance together, you can recover reverence for both.
The Witch’s New Year in You
At its core, Samhain is an invitation to begin again.
The harvest is over, the fields rest. You must do the same.
In that sacred pause, you can meet the mystery of transformation.
The witch, the mystic, the seeker—all understand that the end is never the end.
It’s the fertile dark before dawn.
Closing Blessing
Between the worlds, I stand in peace.
Between the veils, I breathe release.
May what is meant endure,
May what is finished fade,
And may the light return, reborn through the shade.
Disclaimer
This article is for educational and spiritual purposes only and does not constitute or replace medical, psychological, or professional advice. Use care and discernment in all ritual or energetic work. Always practice fire safety with candles and incense, and consult an appropriate healthcare professional about any herbs or oils before use—especially if pregnant, nursing, sensitive, or sharing space with animals. Spirit communication, ancestor work, and shadow work can stir strong emotions. Please seek professional support if needed.
