Samhainist Rites: A Guide

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The Church of Samhain has decided to make rituals available to anyone interested in Samhainism by including them here on our website. After all, almost every religion has rituals to accompany their beliefs, and we as Samhainists are no different! 

NOTE:

One does not have to perform rituals, of any kind, to be a Samhainist. These are simply tools to engage in the same sort of fantasy that Halloween already provides. However, if a Samhainist decides to take it a step further by having a regular ritual practice, they are certainly free to do so.

Rituals don’t have to be some scary thing involving spirits and demons and all that. However, if a Samhainist finds that utilizing that sort of imagery works for them, they are absolutely free to do so! But as a whole, Samhain Sorcery is applied not as a devotional practice, but as an alternative method of getting things done. Read below for more information! 

Imagine, for a moment, that it’s a dark and stormy evening. There’s something going on in your life that you want to change; maybe it’s a situation to do with employment or maybe a struggle in a relationship. It can really be anything, so long as it carries weight to you. You want to incite a change in this situation, but there’s no way possible for you to do so for the moment, at least not without witnesses. So, you go to a secluded area. Maybe it’s in your basement, your attic, or even your bedroom. Or you could venture out into a cemetery or a a dark forest (just make sure you’re not trespassing)! Once you’re in your secluded area of choice, you begin to focus your mind on your goals. You allow fantasy, fueled by your aesthetics and magical tools, to carry you on a journey of self-empowerment and symbolic realization! The experience proves relieving to your distress, and you’re able to continue going about your life, free of the burden that you had carried before. Congratulations! You’ve just performed a ritual! Hypothetically, of course. 

We call this Samhain Sorcery. In other words, this is the intersection where Samhainist philosophy meets magic and ritual. Ritual is a tool that Samhainists can use when life situations prove to be difficult to change through just ordinary means. The Samhainist can gather together some artifacts of such situation, some basic ritual tools, and go about manifesting their desires! 

The Church of Samhain has made the decision to not take a stance on exactly how magic and sorcery works. Instead, we believe that the mystery can help provide the fantasy element needed for successful rituals. So, the only thing a Samhainist must know to perform their ritual is why they’re doing it.

For Samhain Sorcery, there are two types of rituals: Hallowing and Unhallowing. Hallowing is a type of magic that covers anything generative or positive. This can include blessings, empowerment workings, rituals for focus, and healing. On the other skeletal hand, Unhallowing refers to any magic that is destructive or negative in the desired outcome. Curses, hexes, banishments, and anything that uses negative emotions. 

The indulging of fantasy through ritual has proven to be very effective for many people. Some have found that it can be quite liberating and therapeutic. In the context of Samhainism, ritual is an act of bending your perception. Spiritualism, superstitions, and theism need not be present for one to have a fulfilling ritualistic experience. Instead, one may approach ritual through the idea of getting in touch with their subconscious through symbolic acts of ritual. This act is key to having a fulfilling experience. Rather than just doing empty motions, one has to be present and completely in the moment. This can be achieved through trance, focus, or a combination!

More often than not, Samhainist rituals are symbolic gestures to aid the Samhainist in emotional healing, acknowledgment of their own potential, grieving, letting go of harmful situations, and moving forward in the journey of spooky empowerment. Key word: symbolic.

Samhainists really put a spin on rituals that vexes the more orthodox masses in that it doesn’t involve supernaturalism or mysticism. This can be really confusing to people that can’t separate religion from superstition. 

The Samhainist ritual is most often a work of passion for the Samhainist performing it, in that it will often have profound meaning for the individual. With that said, let’s look into why and how a ritual could be performed. For this example, we’re going to look at a simple Unhallowing ritual.

Let’s say that you (the Samhainist), have just gone through a horrible breakup. You’re hurting, you feel alone, and you’re also more than likely feeling or are going to feel anger. One way of relieving these feelings to perform a ritual. 

So after preparing everything and yourself for the rite, you’ll want to slip into a different state of mind. Many Samhainists consider the ritual space to be a spooky sort of sacred space, in that it is a space where you can let fantasy take control and be immersed in the ritual itself. Some ways to do this are by doing breathing exercises, chanting, drumming, and whatever might work for you to achieve an altered state of mind. 

After that, you’d give your monologue. A very important aspect of this is how you read it. You don’t necessarily want to just read it off of the page. Make it real. Read it as though you’re feeling every bit of the situation again. 

Next, take up the item and give some kind of declaration such as:

“By destroying this (object), I renounce and destroy what was between us. I destroy the ties that once bound me and I set myself free!”

Then destroy the object in a way that is aesthetically pleasing to you. Whether that’s ripping it up, smashing it, burning it, whatever. If you’re burning it, just make sure you stay safe, and maybe consider doing it outside if conditions allow for a fire. After that, you’d simply blow out the candles and be done, unless you wanted to do more. 

An Unhalloweing ritual doesn’t have to always be very fancy or elaborate. Sometimes it’s as simple as burning a picture of an ex, or throwing away old love letters, or crushing a symbol of a bully or someone you hate. It’s up to you.