I'm sure you are feeling the veil between worlds thinning as Samhain approaches. This is the perfect time to work with spirits and travel between realms. This ritual is designed to open the doors between our realm and the realm of our ancestors to communicate with them this Samhain.
What You'll Need
- Pomegranate (sliced open)
- Black Candle
- White Candles
- Obsidian
- Mugwort
- Charcoal
- Hot Plate (for charcoal)
- Lighter/Match
- Notebook/BOS
What to Do
Begin by cleansing your working area with the method of your choice. For this ritual, I chose to use cedar because it works to remove negativity but also invites good spirits. This step is very important this time as you will be inviting spirits into your sacred space and its only proper (and smart) to invite them into a clean home. After you are certain your sacred space is cleansed, feel free to call quarters and cast a magical circle. I encourage you to take the necessary precautions and protect yourself in whatever way you see fit during this ritual.After you are certain your space is clean, charge the obsidian with your intent. Hold it in your hand, close your eyes and say,
"I charge this obsidian to bridge the gap between our realm and those of my ancestors. May it act as a conduit so my ancestors may speak their truth on this night. May it act as a door and a guiding light for those I seek. Aid in my message so they may understand me and that I may understand them in return."
Put the black obsidian directly in front of you or hold it during the ritual. Extract three pomegranate seeds and eat them while saying,
"Fruit of the Underworld and blood of my ancestors, help bridge this realm with the Land of the Dead. May the living and deceased freely communicate this night."
Next, place the black candle on the left of your altar or work surface, the white candle on the right, and the remaining pomegranate halves in between them (black candle, pomegranate, white candle). Light the charcoal and when the coal is hot, place some mugwort on it. Then light the black candle and the white candle. Move the black candle to the right of the white candle while saying,
"On this Samhain night, when the veil is thin and the spirits come forth, I call upon my ancestors. I seek guidance as the Wheel of the Year comes full circle and the Earth rests. I call to thee, the honored and well-intended ancestors of my family line, to join me here and now at my altar to guide me on my path. Accept this offering of fruit along with my love and deepest gratitude. May it please you."
Bow your head and allow them to partake in the offering. Sit quietly and listen for any messages they may have for you. You can do this by closing your eyes or staring into the flame of the black candle. Write down anything you see or hear during this time. Some things may not make sense right now, but write them down anyway.
To close the ritual, thank your ancestors for coming and ask them to leave by saying,
"Thank you, ancestors, who came to commune with me this Samhain night. I offer my sincerest thanks and hope the offering was to your liking. You may depart and return to your resting places. Do not linger. Obsidian, black as night, guide the souls who were called today back home. This Rite is now closed."
Snuff out the candles and leave the offering on your altar overnight. The following morning place the pomegranate outside for the wildlife. They will appreciate your gift. You may feel exhausted after this ritual. Ground and center yourself and eat something before taking a shower. Dead spirits often leave behind a "heaviness" that should be washed away. Cleanse your space with your preferred method then shower to remove anything remaining on your person. After our shower or bath, spend some time analyzing what you wrote down during the ritual.
Why You Did It
Understanding the why's of a ritual are just as important as performing it. It helps you understand the process so you can modify the spell or ritual to suit your needs and helps guide you to write your own.Let's start with the first step, the obsidian. Obsidian is a volcanic glass that has cooled so quickly crystallization is unable to occur. It has a long and rich history throughout a number of cultures around the world, but one thing it has in common is its association with the Underworld. Because of its shiny appearance which reflects the shadows of the objects and people that stand before it, the peoples of ancient Mexico named it ixtli after the god Tezcatlipoca ("smoking mirror"), believing the shadowy reflections were connected to the afterlife and second sight. Furthermore, it originates from magma deep within the Earth, further connecting it to the Underworld. Because of these features, obsidian is the perfect crystal to act as a bridge between our realm and the Land of the Dead, as it is naturally and magically connected to the Underworld. To add to this, obsidian is also associated with protection. Historically, obsidian was used as spearheads and arrowheads as it is relatively brittle and therefore easy to shape. And being black, a color traditionally associated with protection, grounding, and banishment, adds to its use in this ritual as the obsidian is not only used to pull spirits to our realm, but also to banish them back to their's at the end of the ritual. All in all, it is the perfect crystal for the job!
Next, we come to the star of the show from which this ritual is named, the pomegranate. It doesn't play a super big part in this ritual, but it is essential as it helps open you to receive messages. You are probably aware of the story of Persephone and Hades, but if you are not, I encourage you to go read it. To give you a brief summary, Hades steals Persephone away to the Underworld where he finally convinces her to eat some pomegranate seeds. This binds her to the Underworld until Zeus is able to strike a deal between Hades and Demeter, Persephone's mother so that Persephone will spend half the year with her mother and half the year with Hades. As a result, pomegranates are strongly associated with being the fruit of the Underworld, and eating them is said to connect you to that realm and aid in spirit communication. They are also associated with blood and therefore death because the fruit "bleeds" when you cut into it. In general, it makes for an excellent offering to the dead as well.
Mugwort is a traditional herb associated with spirit communication. The smoke is a mild entheogen and helps induce a trance-like state. As such, it's the perfect herbal incense to use during spirit communication and won't cause a traditional "high" that could make communication difficult. Furthermore, smoke is associated with air and communication so that your messages can travel to your ancestors and their messages to you.
The black and white candles represent the Underworld (black) and our world (white). This is a symbolic representation as black is associated with death and white with life. When you move the black candle to the right of the white candle, you are pulling the Land of the Dead to the present realm and bridging that connection.
Looking to break this spell? Unfortunately, this isn't a spell to be broken. There is nothing to break. However, if spirits linger, ask them to leave and cleanse the space again.
Remember to record this ritual on your ritual/spell worksheet and have a wonderful Samhain! How do you plan to celebrate this year?