Long before Halloween’s jack-o’-lanterns and trick-or-treaters, there was Samhain (pronounced SOW-in). It’s one of the most sacred festivals of the ancient Celtic year. Celebrated around October 31st to November 1st, Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. It’s a time when the Celts believed the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead grows thin.
A Festival of Endings and Beginnings
In the Celtic calendar, Samhain wasn’t just another seasonal marker. It was the New Year, the turning of the Wheel of the Year. The light half of the year was ending, and the dark half was beginning. It was a time when boundaries blurred and spirits roamed freely. People honored ancestors for guidance and protection in the cold months ahead.
Fires, Feasts, and Spirits
Communities gathered on hilltops to light great bonfires, symbolizing the sun’s strength and protection through the coming darkness. Farmers offered part of their final harvest to the spirits and deities, ensuring abundance would return in spring.
Families would set an extra place at the table for ancestors or leave food and drink at the doorstep for wandering souls. The customs of honoring the dead and keeping away mischievous spirits would eventually evolve into the Halloween traditions we know today.
From Samhain to Halloween
As Christianity spread across Europe, the church established All Saints’ Day on November 1st and All Souls’ Day on November 2nd, blending ancient pagan traditions with new religious observances. Over time, Samhain’s night of spirit activity became known as All Hallows’ Eve, later shortened to Halloween.
Modern Samhain Magic
Today, Samhain remains one of the eight Sabbats in modern Pagan and Wiccan traditions. It’s a time to honor ancestors, release what no longer serves, and set intentions for renewal as the Wheel turns once more.
Many practitioners work with crystals that resonate with Samhain’s deep, transformative energy:
Black Obsidian – grounding, protection, and scrying
Smoky Quartz – release of stagnant energy and spiritual clarity
Labradorite – awakening intuition and psychic connection
Carnelian – courage, vitality, and the fire of life
• Amethyst – spiritual awareness and ancestral connection
A Samhain Ritual for Release and Renewal
Create sacred space by dimming the lights, lighting a light blue candle, and setting your chosen stones nearby.
Begin with a warm, cleansing soak using my Samhain Bath Salts, a blend of mineral-rich salts, protective herbs, and seasonally aligned essential oils. As you soak, visualize the water dissolving what you’re ready to release—fear, grief, or lingering attachments from the year gone by.
When you emerge, anoint your pulse points with my Samhain Wearable Oil, allowing its earthy, mystical fragrance to anchor you in the present moment. The oil’s energy helps ground and protect while attuning your spirit to the thinning veil—perfect for meditation, reflection, or ancestor work.
Hold your chosen crystal, take a deep breath, and whisper an intention for the new year:
“I release the old and welcome the wisdom that will emerge into the light from this dark time of the year. I would like to bring more _________ into my life.”
As the candle burns low, feel yourself renewed— you are balanced between endings and beginnings, shadow and light.
As the Wheel turns and shadows fall, may peace fill your heart, and love guide your path.
Honor the past, embrace the change, and step into the new year’s magic renewed.