Obon Samhain

Items needed: pieces of candy, pomegranate, apple, and an ancestor candle for each participant.

Purify and cast Circle

_______________ invoke the Goddess with:

“Dark Mother, ruler of the night, Goddess of death and rebirth, by whatever names we call Thee, _____________, we know that You hear us. We stand before Thee at the ending of the year, asking for Thy blessing and favor. Lift, now, the Veil between the worlds, as this time-out-of-time begins, That we may commune with our ancestors as we celebrate this time of endings and beginnings.”

_______________ invoke the God with:

“Dark Father, Consort of the Crone, Lord of the Underworld by whatever names we call Thee, _____________, we know that You hear us. We stand between Thee and Thy Lady, asking for blessing and favor. As this time-out-of-time approaches, stand ever guard as the mists part, Keep safe our ancestors, and all of our loved ones, as we commune with them during the thinning of the Veil.”

______________ chant:

"This is the ending of the Year, yet it is also the Witches' New Year. Thus we end in the beginning, as we should. This is the night when the Veil between the worlds is thinnest, it is the time of the final harvest, and the fields lie fallow. For tonight the King of the Waning Year delivers Himself under the Crone's sickle, sails over the Sunless Sea, and steps ashore on the Shining Isle to become the seed of His own rebirth. The Gates of Life and Death are opened and to the living is revealed the Mystery: that every beginning must end and every end is a new beginning. We stand in the time out of time, everywhere and nowhere, to greet the Lord of Death who is the Lord of Life and the Triple Goddess who is the divine symbol of rebirth. Tonight we turn the Wheel and usher in the New Year, blessed be."

Recite your mother-line then your father-line.

______________ say:

"We honor our ancestors and give thanks for their legacy. They are an important part of us and our heritage yet we are separate from our families. We are unique, we are ourselves."

Take a moment to reflect on your ancestors.

______________ blow a kiss to the God and say:

"Horned One, son and lover of the Goddess, Father of all wild things, Lord of field and forest, we honor You tonight. You sacrifice Your life for love of the Goddess and for love of the whole world. Teach us the art of joyful sacrifice. Sleep well in the arms of the Goddess and know that our love goes with You."

______________ say:

“Oh Mighty Izanami, Queen of Yomi:
Guardian of the beloved dead
We pour forth love on those you keep
Safely, in your peaceful stead
We bless those who have walked the path
That someday, we as well, shall rove
We offer peace unto their souls
While resting in your arms, below.”

___________________ say:

“Here we stand on this sacred night
The moon is in full glory over our heads
All around us is the endless sea of mystery
During the height of the Spiral Tide
We honor the Mighty Dead.”

Starting with the person in the West, say the name of a loved one who has passed. If anyone has other beloved dead to name they may do so after everyone has said at least one.

__________________ say:

“Blessings be upon thee and blessings from thee, oh wondrous Ancestor Spirits. We humbly thank thee for your presence in our Circle and honor you in celebration this sacred night. We beseech thee, oh Crone, keeper of the sacred dead, embrace once again those souls within your keep and hold tightly to your breast those which have been lost and wandering. Grant them safe passage to the Summerland, where they may rest peacefully in your strength until they are refreshed and reborn again in perfect love. We bid thee all a fond farewell. So mote it be!”

_________________ say:

"On this Samhain night we mark Your passing, O Sun King, as you make way for the cleansing snows. We also mark the passing of all who have gone before and all who shall follow. O gracious Goddess, Terrible Mother, You who gives birth to the Fallen, teach us to know that in the time of greatest darkness there is the greatest light."

______________ say:

"And follow Him -
He is here -
The Comforter and Consoler,
Heart's Ease and Sorrows End.
He is the Guide:
The Gate is open.
He is the Guide:
The way is clear.
He is the Guide:
Death is no barrier -
For He is the Lord of the Dance of Shadows -
King in the Realm of Dreams.
We honor the fallen God tonight
And give thanks for His gifts.

____________ say:

“At this time of our New Year, we evaluate old habits, and old ways, and decide what to bring forth into the coming year and what we need to leave behind. This is our own final harvest for the year. Spend a few moments in deep thought about what you need to leave behind. Since the Crone will be going down to the Underworld now, she will take with her whatever you give her to take and in it’s place She will return to us one thing we will need to grow in the New Year.”

When you are ready, say:

"May this tiny bit of sweetness grow and help us to have a fruitful and prosperous year to come."

Everyone eat their candy.

______________ say:

“Through Her magick the Crone has transformed the negative into positive, as we have said it so it must be."

______________ hold up the split Pomegranate and say:

"Behold, the fruit of life which is death.”

______________ eat three of the seeds, taste their bitterness, then say:

"Taste the seeds of death."

Pass the pomegranate clockwise around the Circle, each person should eat three of
the seeds, the last person places three seeds in the offering dish.

______________ hold up the apple which has been split crosswise and say:

"Behold the fruit of death which is life!”

Notice the pentacle formed by seeds, then say:

"Behold the five-fold star of rebirth!"

______________ take a bite of the apple, savor it's sweetness and say:

"Taste the fruit of rebirth."

Pass the apple around the circle clockwise, each person taking a bite and the final
person place the remainder of the apple in the offering dish.

______________ hold up the chalice then take a sip of it, then say:

"And sip the drink of life!"

Pass the chalice around the Circle, each person taking a sip and the final person pour a small amount into the offering dish.

______________ spread your arms and say:

"Here is the circle of rebirth. Through the God all pass from this life, but through the Goddess all may be born again. Everything passes, changes. Seed becomes fruit, fruit becomes seed. In birth we die; on death we feed. Know the Goddess and be free of fear, for Her womb is the cauldron of rebirth, in Her the Circle is ever turning. Blessed be!"

______________ say:

"On this night of Samhain we mark Your passing,
O Sun King,
through the sunset into the Land of the Young.
We mark also the passing of all who have gone before,
and all who shall follow after.
O Gracious Goddess,
Eternal Mother,
You who gives birth to the fallen,
teach us to know that in the time of the
greatest darkness there is the possibility of greatest light.”

Everyone light an Ancestor Candle to light the way for the dead.

Starting at the West, pass a hug around the Circle; affirming life and its continuation.

____________ bless the chalice:

“Sickle Crone, taker of life, we offer this wine in Your honor. As we drink it fill us with the nectar of Your love.”

_____________ bless the Cakes:

“Fallen God, Lord of the final harvest, we offer these cakes in Your honor. As we eat them fill us with the power of Your spirit.”

Eat the simple feast then open Circle.

Eidolon Moon's Notes:

I really loved this ritual, I know there are probably waaaay too many 'thee' and 'thou's in it... I just love the way that they sound. Part of why I enjoy it so much is the feeling that we really go get to say goodbye to our honoured dead and that we can help guide them on their way.

Yes, I keep the pomegranate and apple part in this one. I really liked the idea of adding a bit of candy (because of Halloween and trick-or-treat) to help sweeten the new year for us. Reading over this ritual again, I guess that I really was moving in a direction that was opening me up for ADF. Plus it just felt right to honor the Ancestors at this time and help reconnect with my roots.