Bringing olden ways to modern days,
For Wiccans,
Witches,
Pagans,
And all who honor a nature-based path.
This is Desert Magic with Crow Moon.
Merry meet and welcome once again to another episode of Desert Magic.
Coming to you from the beautiful and magical desert of southern Arizona,
My name is Crow Moon and I'm your host.
In many celebrations of Samhain is included what is known as a dumb supper.
This is a meal in which complete silence is observed for its duration in order to honor departed loved ones.
This tradition is enjoyed by many,
But I'm just not one of them.
I have no criticism of this practice whatsoever,
But even as an advocate of stillness and mindfulness,
I find it to be just a bit dour.
For me,
Anyway.
What I do instead is have an extra place setting on the table,
Including a plate with an offering of food for those I wish to remember and commemorate.
In both cases,
The intention is the same.
Samhain is a time when the veil between the physical and spiritual realms is thin,
Allowing us to more easily communicate and possibly interact with those who have crossed over from this realm.
Any sort of offering of food or drink placed out by us for them is not only a gesture of kindness and paying tribute,
But it also provides them with something to consume on their journeys.
Many,
Outside of Wicca and paganism,
Are skeptical of this practice because the food never appears to be eaten.
This is because those of the spirit realm consume these offerings energetically.
So by all accounts,
Our participation in this practice on any level requires us to think beyond that which is known to us.
Even in secular observances of Halloween,
There seems to be a general understanding or acceptance of the fact that the veil is indeed thin at this time of year.
The practice of making jack-o'-lanterns began with the idea that they would serve as somewhat of a deterrent,
Keeping wandering spirits away from us on Halloween night with the underlying assumption that they were roaming around with the primary purpose of inflicting harm.
Dumb suppers and ancestor offerings are quite the opposite in that we are inviting certain spirits into our homes.
We want to be visited by them.
We want to interact with them.
There are,
However,
Spirits we might wish to altogether avoid.
For those of us who practice witchcraft,
This is a year-round concept.
We will enchant spell jars and such to provide a barrier of energetic protection for us and,
For the most part,
To guard against any negative and baneful energies.
If such is part of your practice,
You will want to be mindful as you are programming these items,
Being very specific about who or what you are wishing to send away from you.
If you don't do so,
This will become especially apparent during Samhain if you are attempting to invite some spirits into your home.
In our realm,
We understand that a welcome mat does not give permission for just anyone,
Especially strangers,
To enter into a residence.
Conversely,
We also understand that a no-trespassing sign has basically no meaning in the event of a life-or-death emergency situation.
Spirits might or might not take the time to factor in any underlying meanings or exceptions.
More often than not,
They will follow whatever sign,
So to speak,
We have posted to the letter.
So,
If you have any protective workings in place,
Be sure that your intention and your wishes were stated very accurately at the time you set them up.
And,
Should you wish to invite guests from the spirit realm to join you at your dinner table,
You should be just as specific with that intention as well.
I'll share with you something that I do each year,
In the event that you might find it to be helpful.
On the first day of October,
I have a small table set up in front of and beneath my altar.
At the time of Samhain,
This becomes my ancestor table.
I place upon it photos of the departed loved ones I wish to honor,
And I welcome them by name to join me at any time of their liking during that month.
By doing such,
I have never had an issue with them feeling unwelcome,
And I've also never experienced those I haven't specifically mentioned trying to follow behind them.
That was Autumn Dew,
By Yours Truly.
So,
What,
Then,
Should you have on your Samhain supper table?
The short answer is anything you want.
Plan the meal according to whatever foods make you happy,
And that you would look forward to.
Much the same applies to whatever type of offering you wish to leave out for spirits.
If you are specifically commemorating a particular person or persons,
It's nice to leave out something that would be especially meaningful to them,
If you know what that is.
But this is not absolutely necessary.
Any type of gift placed out with a sense of welcoming will be appreciated.
A very common food offering would be apples,
As apples are associated with good health and long life.
I will typically set out an apple and a small pumpkin on my ancestor table.
And at my dinner table,
I put out an extra plate of whatever Mrs.
Crow and I are enjoying for dinner that evening,
Just as I would for any guest joining us.
That plate stays after our dishes have been washed and put away.
It remains there all night,
And it is my tradition to sit up with it until the early hours of the following morning.
Beside this plate,
I keep a black pillar candle burning throughout the night.
On the sides of this candle,
I will etch the names or initials of the departed loved ones I choose to honor and welcome.
And around the candle,
I arrange sprigs of fresh rosemary,
Which is an herb of remembrance.
And while I don't remain at the table for hours into the night,
I am near it at all times as I go about my evening.
So if you are planning to invite guests from the spirit realm into your home at Samhain this year,
The only cautionary advice I would give you is to not set your expectations based upon what you see in movies.
Spirits will,
In one way or another,
Make their presence known.
This is often subtle.
Sometimes it can be more than subtle.
But if you leave the room and later return to find that your furniture has not been inexplicably rearranged,
This does not mean that your invitation wasn't accepted.
It is likely that there will be very few,
If any,
Theatrics.
But if you are practicing awareness,
You will know without needing any sort of validation.
Lastly,
You need not be fearful of most spirit encounters.
Such interactions have become so distorted through fictional portrayals over time that they don't even come close to mirroring reality.
I have been in the presence of malevolent spirits many times,
And not once was I afraid.
In fact,
I found those experiences to be far less disturbing than similar encounters with those of the physical realm.
Spirits,
At least,
Seem to have somewhat of a code of ethics.
Halloween is viewed as somewhat of a dark time by many,
But Samhain is a yearly reminder to us that life never ends.
If you choose to honor departed loved ones at this time,
Know that whatever you do will not go unnoticed by them,
And it will be appreciated.
But as there is a certain emphasis on the other world at this time of year,
Let us not forget about those who are in this realm with us.
Honor them also.
Honor all forms of life.
I wish you a happy Halloween and a blessed Samhain.
Until next time,
The crow flies from me to thee,
To send the message,
Blessed Be.
