The festival of Samhain, or Calan Gaeaf, is a time of honouring the dead and the closing of the year. It is also the time when the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest.
Each and every druid celebrates Samhain in his or her own special way, but there is a ritual that tends to be followed by all practicing druids in part, or in its entity.
Ritual Prep
To prepare for the ritual the altar should be set up, and a fire lit. Music can also be played, incense lit and any necessary introductions made.
A circle will must be laid out too, using any natural resources that are at hand. The druid who has been appointed the ritual leader will cast the circle and the ritual begins.
Permission and Call for Peace
The ritual leader will ask for permission from the guardian spirits for the time and place, and will state the intentions and express their respect.
There will then be the call for peace and each quarter must call in directional order.
Casting the circle
The call for casting the circle is made and the devas and dryads come forward to form their circle. The energy tome is then spoken, and each participant pushes his or her energy to the circle to mix and strengthen it.
The circle is then consecrated and incense and water are taken around it. Once this has been done there is a call for the ancestors to join them in spirit in performing the sacred rites.
Prayers and thanks
Prayers and thanks are said now, and they can be said out loud or silently, depending on what is preferred. The ritual leader then asks for blessings and the crone of winter must stand at the northwest point of the circle with the cauldron.
Members of the circle must then come forward and throw off their ties to the old world by putting something flammable in the cauldron and walking away without looking back. The cauldron contents are then added to the fire and a chant begins.
Time to feast
Once the fire has been fuelled by the cauldron and the chant finished everyone is invited to feast, and the rich rewards are as enticing as an online casino has to offer. The feast of food and drink is blessed and every one is asked to come and celebrate.
A portion of the food will be left for the dead who are on their way to summerland, and it must remain in the circle until the following day, when it should be removed and composted.
After the feast anyone who wishes to make music, perform a song or poem or dance is invited to do so.
The closing
The guardian spirit is thanked and the ritual leader bestows blessings on everyone until they meet again.
