Blessings are listed first. Below "Blessings" is a section for Calling in the Directions. Any title in blue is a link to the full text.
|
Samhain Blessing
As the acorn sleeps in the earth, awaiting the touch of spring May the Crone keep you close to her heart during this time of darkness. By: Ellen |
|
Samhain Blessing
Goddess of the darkest night, Send our troubles all to flight, Burn them in thy sacred fires And replace them with our heart's desires! |
Invocation
Green is extinguished in a blaze of yellow, red, orange, and brown
Thought loses its power, drawn to the earth where the Queen of Darkness reigns
We offer ourselves up to her, asking for rest, for release, for freedom from the daily, the ordinary
To wander in our dark wildness until the sun returns.
By Ellen
Green is extinguished in a blaze of yellow, red, orange, and brown
Thought loses its power, drawn to the earth where the Queen of Darkness reigns
We offer ourselves up to her, asking for rest, for release, for freedom from the daily, the ordinary
To wander in our dark wildness until the sun returns.
By Ellen
Blessing-before entering the circle-(from 2005 Samhain ritual outline) It takes 4 women-Anointing with oil, sage, then giving an apple. Beautiful words are said at each stopping point as women move toward the circle.
"Welcome (name)...to the rituals of Samhain....it is a season of change, a time to name and honor those attributes within you that are of the Crone, a time of going inside to nurture seeds of your changing within as the earth holds the seeds in the ground....it's a time for remembering and connecting with those we love who have passed over....As you proceed, hold this thought: "What is remembered in your mind, your voice and your heart, Lives." (Anoints the forehead, throat and heart)..."
"Welcome (name)...to the rituals of Samhain....it is a season of change, a time to name and honor those attributes within you that are of the Crone, a time of going inside to nurture seeds of your changing within as the earth holds the seeds in the ground....it's a time for remembering and connecting with those we love who have passed over....As you proceed, hold this thought: "What is remembered in your mind, your voice and your heart, Lives." (Anoints the forehead, throat and heart)..."
|
Calling in the Crones: Invocation-Opening the Circle (Earth, Air, Fire and Water)
|
|
Banishing Poem
Goddesses of the darkest night, Send our troubles all to flight, Burn them in thy sacred fires, And replace them with our heart's desires. |
About Samhain
Air moving to earth
Thought moving to body
Window to the unknown, unclouded
A time of completion and winding down in the world of matter
The last of the harvest is gathered
A time to create a haven against winter's storms
A time to honor the past and hope for the future but to remain timelessly suspended between them
A time to descend to the place within, for renewal, for new growth, as we seek to touch that place of Oneness within, as we seek to embody the goddess in all her power, beauty, strength, and wisdom.
By Ellen Galena
Air moving to earth
Thought moving to body
Window to the unknown, unclouded
A time of completion and winding down in the world of matter
The last of the harvest is gathered
A time to create a haven against winter's storms
A time to honor the past and hope for the future but to remain timelessly suspended between them
A time to descend to the place within, for renewal, for new growth, as we seek to touch that place of Oneness within, as we seek to embody the goddess in all her power, beauty, strength, and wisdom.
By Ellen Galena
“We meet within these blessed bounds to celebrate Samhain, the time of passing from one season to the next, passing from the old year to the new, passing from life to death to life. The pumpkins are ripe in the fields as the North wind chills the air. The Earth is dark and cold and brown-the Earth that was so fair. The Wheel has turned full cycle, from birth to death at last; and we look back for knowledge from the life that now has passed--the knowledge that is the seed of all we will be and feel—the knowledge that comes from living the turning of the Wheel.”
Summoning of the Crones (click on the link to see the complete text)
"Now is the time of mystery upon us
Now come the Crones of ancient times
(All) Welcome!
Spirit Crones with their power to dream
(All) Welcome..."
"Now is the time of mystery upon us
Now come the Crones of ancient times
(All) Welcome!
Spirit Crones with their power to dream
(All) Welcome..."
Samhain Antiphonal Chant (click on this link to go to a printable document for this chant)
What is this night?
--It is the night of Samhain.
What is the meaning of this night?
--It is the feast of the dead.
What do we honor on this night?
--We honor those who have gone before us into the dark, and who left us the legacies of their existence...
What is this night?
--It is the night of Samhain.
What is the meaning of this night?
--It is the feast of the dead.
What do we honor on this night?
--We honor those who have gone before us into the dark, and who left us the legacies of their existence...
(From: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usfl&c=holidays&id=2203)
"And so it is, we gather again,
The feast of our dead to begin.
Our Ancients, our Ancestors we invite, Come!
And follow the setting of the sun..."
"And so it is, we gather again,
The feast of our dead to begin.
Our Ancients, our Ancestors we invite, Come!
And follow the setting of the sun..."
Upon the rekindling of the fire in the morning, this blessing was often said:
We Call Upon The Sacred Three:
To Save... To Shield... To Surround
The Hearth... The House... The Household
This Night, Each Night, Every Night.!
We Call Upon The Sacred Three:
To Save... To Shield... To Surround
The Hearth... The House... The Household
This Night, Each Night, Every Night.!
Calling in of the Directions
Opening and Closing of the Circle |
|
So, is there a correct sequence for opening the circle and calling in the Directions? I've looked at many sites that have varied the order (as have we over the years). As with everything you do in ritual, your intention should guide you. Anything you use on this site, can be changed to meet your needs. However, I did find the following guidelines if you choose to use them:
"Note that the South is the starting point of the Q’ero Wheel, (South, West, North, East), whereas in the Native American tradition the East is the beginning of the cycle (East, North, West, South)" (https://www.gaia.com/article/four-directions-ceremony)
We've added the following to opening and closing our rituals:
"Note that the South is the starting point of the Q’ero Wheel, (South, West, North, East), whereas in the Native American tradition the East is the beginning of the cycle (East, North, West, South)" (https://www.gaia.com/article/four-directions-ceremony)
We've added the following to opening and closing our rituals:
We begin by acknowledging that our celebration takes place on the ancestral and unceded land of the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of the Maidu People. We pay our respects to elders both past and present, and to their stewarding of the land throughout the generations. We pledge ourselves to respect and honor the earth, our Mother, through our celebration.
|
(To open the circle:)
By the Earth that is her body, By the air that is her sweet breath, By the fire of her bright spirit, And the water of her living womb, Our circle is cast, and we are between the worlds. And what happens between the worlds changes the world. |
Calling in the Directions by Wendy (2017): It begins with:
"Black Elk speaks: While I stood there, I saw more than I can tell, and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being."
North
Beloved Mt. Shasta
Big Dipper in the night sky
Shade and springs flow forth...
Beloved Mt. Shasta
Big Dipper in the night sky
Shade and springs flow forth...
Calling in the Directions-Samhain 2016 Ceremony (adapted from: http://elkinvanaeon.net/Rituals/Samhain_Ritual.html)
We Summon You and Call you forth / O’ Ancient Ones of Thought and Sound! /Rising, moving in concentration, / This season’s night in clear still air, /Vibrations felt, clear, resounding, / In the sound of drums pounding,... (also used in 2006)
We Summon You and Call you forth / O’ Ancient Ones of Thought and Sound! /Rising, moving in concentration, / This season’s night in clear still air, /Vibrations felt, clear, resounding, / In the sound of drums pounding,... (also used in 2006)
