Samhain

Sabbats

Celtic new year beginning in darkness, acknowledging that all life emerges from the void. The veil between worlds thins, allowing communion with ancestors and spirits. The Wild Hunt rides. The Crone reigns. What must die, dies. Third and final harvest—what isn't gathered now is left for the spirits.

Tradition · Wiccan ModernCross Quarter

Correspondences

Elemental Correspondence
Water
Planetary Correspondence
Pluto

Offerings

Offerings
Food for the deadDumb supper silent mealApplesPomegranatesAle or wineCandles for ancestorsPhotos of deceasedFinal harvest foodsBurning petitions to release

Sacred timing

Sacred Timing
Begins
Sunset october 31
Peak
Midnight
Ends
Sunset november 1
Moon phase ideal
Dark moon
Planetary hour
Saturn or pluto

Symbols and forms

Alternate Names
HalloweenAll Hallows EveFeast of the DeadThird HarvestAncestor NightShadowfest
Symbols
Jack o lanternCauldronSkullCrossbonesVeilApplePomegranateAncestor altar

Practice

Invocation Approach
Tone
Reverent acknowledgment of death
Address to
AncestorsBeloved deadCrone goddessDark god
Relationship
Host to returning spirits
Warning
Boundaries essential when veil thin
Resonance
Those comfortable with death and shadow
Modern Practice

Primary sabbat for ancestor work, divination, and death acknowledgment. Set ancestor altars, hold dumb suppers (silent meals with place set for dead), practice divination. Release what must end. Honor that the year begins in darkness, not light. Sovereignty teaching: death is not failure but transformation.

Nature and meaning

Mythology Summary

Celtic new year beginning in darkness, acknowledging that all life emerges from the void. The veil between worlds thins, allowing communion with ancestors and spirits. The Wild Hunt rides. The Crone reigns. What must die, dies. Third and final harvest—what isn't gathered now is left for the spirits.

Deities
HecateThe MorriganHelOsirisAnubisPersephoneCernunnosOdinBaba Yaga

Details

Pronunciation
SOW-in (Irish), SOW-een, SAH-win
Wheel Position
New year
Order
1
Dates
Northern hemisphere
Primary
October 31
Range
October 31 to november 1
Astronomical
Sun at 15 degrees scorpio
Southern hemisphere
Primary
April 30
Range
April 30 to may 1
Themes
DeathAncestorsThe veil thinningEndingsNecromancyDivinationShadow workReleaseNew year beginning in darknessHonoring the dead
Secondary Elements
Earth
Secondary Planets
SaturnMoon
Zodiac Position
Scorpio
Correspondences
Colors
BlackOrangePurpleDark redSilver
Stones
ObsidianJetOnyxSmoky QuartzBloodstone
Herbs
MugwortWormwoodMandrakeBelladonnaApplePumpkinThe Sage
Scents
MyrrhPatchouliSageAppleClove
Woods
YewElderApple
Animals
BatOwlCatRavenSpider
Tarot
DeathThe MoonThe High Priestess
Runes
HagalazEihwazPerthro
Ritual Focus
Primary
Ancestor communionDivinationReleasing the dead year
Workings
NecromancyScryingSpirit contactPast life workShadow integrationDeath meditation
Avoid
New beginningsAttraction magicBinding without consent
Veil work
Thinnest point between worlds
Preceded by
Mabon
Followed by
Yule
Opposite Sabbat
Beltane
Wheel Teaching

The year begins in darkness. We enter the void before the light. Death precedes rebirth. What we do not release, we carry into the new cycle.

One of 3,120 entries in the Grimoire — the whole library, every cross-reference, is free to take. Take the whole thing Is it wrong somewhere?

Referenced by 168

Every entry that names Samhain, grouped by the system it comes from.

☥ Deities 145

🜂 Incense & resins 19

🜔 Elements 3

✷ Rituals 1

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