Samhain Traditions and Tarot Spread 2023 Witch New Year

When you think back to your Halloween celebrations when you were a child, you likely thought about how it was fun to dress up in whatever costume you wanted to dress up in, as well as eating so much candy to the point of having an upset stomach. You did not know or care about how Halloween originated. You only wanted to have fun; even as an adult, you likely have fond memories of attending or hosting Halloween parties. Like all fun, celebratory days, there is a reason behind it. So, let’s discuss Halloween or Samhain.

What Is Samhain and What Is Its Significance?

Samhain is the Witch’s New Year, and it takes place on October 31st, as it is the midpoint between Mabon, the Autumn Equinox, and Yule, the Winter Solstice. It is known as Halloween or Hallowmas, a holiday in North America for respecting the ancestors and welcoming winter’s darkness. It is also when the veil between the spiritual and physical is the thinnest, allowing you to mingle with your ancestors and spirits. Samhain is a Sabbat that pagans and Wiccans celebrate, but you will notice that others from different cultures and religions celebrate this time of year.

For example, Christians celebrate this time, and their holiday is known as All Souls Day. Those in the Jewish faith celebrate this time as it is the harvest, known as Sukkoth, and it is the Russian time to celebrate the harvest, known as the Goddess Festival Baba Yaga.

However, Samhain originated from an ancient Celtic spiritual tradition, as the name of this celebration is a Gaelic word as the ancient Celts marked Samhain as the most essential fire festival. After completing the harvest, Druid priests would take the wheel, representing the sun, to create friction and spark flames to light a community fire.

When it was the Middle Ages, the celebrations of Samhain continued, and those who celebrated it began to carve turnips and attach them to sticks and strings, embedding them with coal, as they were the Jack-o-lanterns, as it stems from the Irish legend of Stingy Jack who tricked the Devil and was condemned to stay earthbound forever. Therefore, Jack had to keep a carved-out turnip with a candle inside so he could see his way. In Ireland, eventually, pumpkins replaced turnips for the Jack-o-lanterns.

Therefore, the purpose of the carved pumpkin is to celebrate the memory of the lost souls and keep Stingy Jack’s memory alive—now you know a little bit about Samhain’s history and significance. Now, let’s review the Samhain rituals.

Common Pagan Samhain Rituals

There are plenty of Samhain rituals that pagans and Wiccans involve themselves with during this essential Sabbat, and they often build altars and add pumpkins, squash, turnips, apples, and other fall crops to mark the end of the harvest. They also place nuts, acorns, dried leaves, and berries. They will also place skeletons and skulls on the altar; yes, they can be fake to represent the spirits of the dead. They will also put pictures of deceased family members and their ancestors to honor them on the altar.

Sometimes, pagans will bake a special dark bread to add to the altar to feed the visiting spirits. Some will cast a circle to honor and share stories about their deceased loved ones. Others will see the cemetery of their loved ones to keep them if they are physically able to do so.

Many pagan families will hold Samhain ceremonies, which include a feast involving dark rye or pumpernickel bread, wild game meat, root vegetables, and fall fruits. The dinner table will have candles as they set the food on the table and apple cider drinks. After the ceremonial dinner, everyone places the leftovers in the garden to offer a part of their celebration to the dead.

Some will hold seances on the evening of Halloween to connect with the deceased. However, many will reflect on that evening over their lives during the year and review photos, blogs, journals, and meditate. It is also a time to do a Samhain tarot reading to gain extra insight, and I will do a collective one now.

2023 Samhain Tarot Reading

When you plan to do a tarot reading for Samhain, you must find a sacred place and meditate before you do. However, I want to share a collective tarot reading with you, and this five-card Samhain tarot spread is from Moody Moons, known as Veil Between the Worlds. You are communicating with the Other Side with this spread.

The first card, which you will place on the left, represents the spirit attempting to connect with you from the Other Side. The card you pull will depict the characteristics of the spirit trying to communicate with you. It does not matter if it is a card from the Major Arcana, a Minor Arcana card, or a court card.

The second card, which you will place on the top center, represents your understanding of the Other Side. It allows you to reflect on your fears and feelings about what is beyond the physical life. If you feel it will be a better place than the physical and where you will reap the…