Allhallowstide and the Celtic Samhain are the mystical precursors to Halloween, which traditionally celebrate the transition from autumn to winter, from October 31st and in the first week of November. This is a special time of year which carries deep messages of renewal and transformation, with an emphasis on aging and maturity, death and endings.
In this article we explore the magical and mystical energies of Samhain - All Hallows, and profile some of the herbs, spices and essential oils that you can use in spellcraft and rituals, to unlock your innate powers and deepen your connection with the divine spirits of the season.
Scenes of Samhain
The leaves are turning yellow and brown, falling fast and carpeting the ground in the burnished colours of autumn. Age and death is everywhere to be seen in Nature, and it's beautiful. Day-by-day, the vibrant vegetation of the year now ending is being stripped away, revealing the grey and silver branches of the trees, which stand like bronchial silhouettes in the bare winter landscape.
The weather, too, is shifting and chill and damp are in the air. The fields are now barren and the days are darkening. The atmosphere takes on an earthy aroma from the fallen, wet leaves, which are turning to mulch underfoot. All Hallows ushers in the first freeze that turns warm breath to mist, and petrifies the fallen leaves with a crunchy silver frost.
Magical and Mystical Energies Abound
The seasonal energies at Samhain are waning, darkening, damp and cold. You can align with these energies through spell and ritual which release aspects of the old you, through shedding, letting go, self acceptance and embracing the darkness within, with a focus on growth, authenticity, completion and wholeness. Whereas Beltane, the arrival of summer, brings youthful and new energy, sparking innate curiosity and inspiration, Samhain, the arrival of winter, is a time for spiritual grounding and introspection. The mood is circumspect and cautious. It is a time to embrace the natural beauty which accompanies wisdom, age and maturity, and to peer into nature as our mirror of self transformation.
Materia Magica: Herbs for Winter's Open
Sage, salvia officianalis
A robust winter herb to use in your cooking, medicine and spellwork. The leaves are rich in antioxidants and compounds with anti-inflammatory properties, which enhance memory, the mind and cognition, as well as strengthen the body's natural defences against age-related sickness and disease.
Burn sage in spells and rituals of healing and protection, to spiritually cleanse the atmosphere of negative energies and spirits.
There are many ways to use sage in herbal medicine, from making herbal oil infusions, ointments and salves, to tinctures and herbal tea. Delve into the healing properties of sage and experiment with sage-infused winter remedies.
Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis
Potent and aromatic rosemary is a symbol of remembrance and protection, making it an ideal herb for remembering and honouring ancestors and loved ones. Rosemary is warming and smells beautiful when used in cooking and herbal remedies. Tie rosemary sprigs and dry them to create an incense wand for your altar. If you have a rosemary bush in your garden, trim the branches back and use the sprigs to make a home protection wreath.
Burn rosemary to purify, cleanse and protection your spaces, and create a magical and mystical atmosphere at Samhain.
Wormwood, Artemisia absinthium
A powerful herb with protective qualities which is strongly associated with the spirit world and psychic work. Wormwood can be used to engage the subconscious mind, as an aid to divination and connecting with the Otherworld realm. Wormwood also has strong banishing and protective energies, making it useful for warding off negative influences.
Bitter wormwood is associated with death and transformation and the unknown, and is thought to provide insight into the hidden aspects of life and death. Often associated with the planet Mars and the element of Fire, it has a reputation for its intense, protective, and sometimes challenging energies. Historically, wormwood was used in European folklore as a protective charm, warding against malicious spirits and harmful energies.
Use wormwood sparingly in incense and smoke cleansing blends. You can burn dried wormwood, particularly during Samhain or other rituals focused on spirit communication or divination. Use the smoke to create a protective barrier when practicing shamanic arts, such as a journeying and communing with the spirit realm, especially if you're working with souls of the dead.
Blend wormwood with rose for a dream pillow to protect your dreams from daemonic entities, and evoke positive psychic dreams. You can also carry a sachet of wormwood or place it by entry points in your home to ward off negative influences. Adding wormwood to spell jars or protective charms can increase their potency.
Bay leaf, Laurus nobilis
Use fragrant bayleaf for protection, strength and insight. You can write wishes on bayleaf and burn them in manifesting spells and rituals. You can make charms by stringing dried bay leaves, also using them in wreaths, and hanging them around your windows. Dried and crushed bayleaf also make a wonderful aromatic component to a loose incense blend for saining and smoke cleansing.
Thyme, Thymus vulgaris
Aromatic and warming thyme is a powerful herb for invoking good health, love and courage. It's traditionally used to connect with the spirit realm, through its association with faeries. Infuse dried thyme flowers and leaf in oil to make an anointing oil for candles. You can place it in charms, and also make warming bath salts for winter health and protection.
Mugwort, Artemis vulgaris
A renowned spiritual herb, famous throughout the ages for its healing properties, mugwort is used magically for protection, and more recently for enhancing dreams and psychic vision. Burn mugwort as incense, blending it with rose for love, or lavender for peace. You can make dream pillows and charms stuffed with mugwort, and also place it in an offering bowl at your altar, to keep evil spirits at bay. Mugwort can also be used in tea blends and in ritual baths to activate its spiritual and health benefits.
Marigold, Calendula officinalis
Marigold (Calendula) is the sacred flower, cempasúchil, used to honour the dead and to guide them home to their loved ones, with their bright, sunny petals. Use fresh marigolds to decorate your ancestor altar or shrine, or scatter dried marigold petals, to invoke warmth, cheer and positivity on an otherwise gloomy celebration. You can add marigolds to wreaths and garlands, as use them to represent the Sun or fire element in charms. The flowers also make a bright and fragrant addition to teas and loose incense blends!
Cinnamon, Cinnamomum
Sweet, woody and bitter cinnamon is a warming spice to welcome colder weather, and can be used to evoke Crone energy and represent the Earth element. Add cinnamon sticks to simmer pots, teas and incense blends. Crush cinnamon with clove and bay leaf and add these aromatic herbs to offerings and charm pouches. Use cinnamon to increase warmth and depth, and to aid spiritual grounding in your spells and rituals.
Clove, Syzygium aromaticum
Energising, bitter and pungent, cloves add heat, strength and vigour to blends, and should be used in charms, offerings and incenses to welcome the winter spirits, and increase positive energy at your altar. You can use cloves in anti-inflammatory herbal ointments for the joints and muscles. Clove can also be used in love potions, harnessing its warming qualities that arouses, stimulates, and numbs aches and pains with its anti sceptic compounds.
Essential Oils to Welcome Winter
Patchouli
Earthy, masculine, mature, resinous and grounding. Use patchouli to evoke warmth and sensuality, and add depth to fragrance blends.
Cedarwood
Earthy, woodsy, pungent and grounding. Use Cedarwood for spiritual grounding, for meditation, and to connect with the Crone spirit, the Earth element and nature spirits.
Frankincense
Elevating and purifying; commonly used for spiritual cleansing and to invoke mystical energy in churches and at altar spaces. Use frankincense oil in incense blends, and add warmth and strength to fragrance blends.
Myrrh
Deep, resinous and grounding, myrrh is an ancient embalming oil with properties that preserve and protect from decay and degradation. Use myrrh as a warming and protective beauty oil, to promote soft skin. It has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, that adds a deep red colour to anointing oils, and pairs well with frankincense.
Juniper Berry
Cleansing, bitter and pungent, juniper berry is a wonderful herb for evoking winter protection. Juniper oil is fresh and wintery, and should be used in cleansing and purification rituals. It pairs especially well with pine and eucalyptus.
Rosewood
Woody, calming and grounding, rosewood is a mature fragrance with a soft and warming aroma, making it perfect for connecting with the Crone energy, with the Earth elemental. Use rosewood for love, sensuality and emotional healing and balance.
Birch Tar
Black, smoky, earthy, birch tar is an intense aroma reminiscent of Imperial Leather soap bars. Use birch tar to bring grounding and protective energy, and evoke strength, wisdom and maturity through its musky aroma.
Sweet Birch
Clean, clarifying and medicinal, not unlike clove, Sweet Birch has a wintergreen-like scent which is energising, brightening and pungent. Use sweet birch to cleanse and protect from evil spirits and negative energy which are repelled by its anti-bacterial and cleansing properties using the colder months.
Birch oils share symbolic associations with the birch trees, for renewal and new beginnings.
Power and Symbolism of Materia Magica
You can use herbs, spices and essential oils to combine and harness their powerful magical energies, and create incense blends, teas and oils that resonate deeply with your magical intentions and ideals.
Plants used in occult and magical practices have deeply symbolic meanings, and long standing associations with specific rituals and spells, such as rose for love and sage for protection, which have been manifest through the cultures and customs of the ages. You can draw on the deep symbolism of certain herbs and spices, cultivating your own relationship with the materia, through your sensory engagement and experience. Use herbs and spices like a language, building layers of meaning and evermore complex and personal messages into your spellwork, conveying deep and profound mystical ideas.
With herbs, spices and essential oils you can create incense blends, teas, charms and anointing oils to amplify your intentions and raise energy behind your spells. Align your herbs and blends with intentions which resonate with Samhain and winter, such as protection, cleansing, inner strength and endurance, renewal and personal growth and wisdom.
And remember, the materia you work with are more than just ingredients; set your imagination free, and think of the plants as spiritual beings, allies and companions with their own unique energies and messages, which will help you channel your own magical powers and transcend the mundane.
Immerse in the fragrant aromas, colours, forms and textures to take you on a sensory journey into a magical realm of symbols and archetypes. As you discover the unique properties and characteristics of materia magica, you will hone your spell craft and elevate your knowledge and consciousness, triggering deeper self transformation and magical outcomes.