Samhain Divination

[Flar's Freyja]

Samhain rituals traditionally include scrying and divination. I found these today in the Halloween Lore section of Wilson's Almanac (http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com)

Two hazel nuts I threw into the flame,
And to each nut I gave a sweet-heart's name:
This with the loudest bounce me sore amaz'd,
That in a flame of brightest colour blaz'd;
As blaz'd the nut, so may thy passion grow,
For t'was thy nut that did so brightly glow!

John Gay, Spell; divinations with nuts, to foretell one's lover,
were common on Halloween



Sad am I
At this time of winter
On Halloween night
And I without eggs.

Divination night, South Uist island; eggs were used to seek a husband

[Mnemosyne]

Yeah, Freyja, I heard about the nut divination. Women would put a hazlenut into the fire as she thought about her man. Then, she would say, "If you love me, pop and fly. If you hate me, burn and die." The poem that you posted is quite nice too.

[Flar's Freyja]

Here are a few more, including a little more on the hazelnut thingie:

Divination on Samhain

If you pare an apple all in one piece on Samhain night and allow it to fall to the ground unaided, it will spell out the initials of your future mate.

Hang an apple from a string with a coin pushed deep inside and try to bite out the coin without using your hands. Succeed, and your pockets will be full throughout the coming year.

If you walk backward into a dark room while looking into a mirror and eating an apple at the same time, you will see your future mate's face in the mirror's reflection

Hazelnuts were tossed into divination patterns by the Druids and then buried to honor the old gods: Draw a small circle about one foot in diameter on the ground in front of you. Take thirteen nuts and shake them around in your cupped hands while concentrating on your question. Gently toss the nuts in front of you. Those that land directly in the circle have the most bearing on you. If more land in the circle than out of it, you have a right to be concerned about the question you asked. Study the nuts for patterns which you can interpret. For example, if the nuts are all pointing in one direction this could be an indication of a direction you need to take your problem. If they appear in the form of a familiar object, use that information to apply to your question. Occasionally they might fall to appear as letters of the alphabet which you can relate to your question.

Scrying is the art of gazing into an object while focusing your mind on one particular question or issue. The objects used usually have reflective surfaces, such as mirrors, water, or crystals. To scry, focus your mind on one issue or question and soften your focus or gaze - but do not stare - into the surface of the object. After some time, visions should form. These may come either as entire scenarios played out with all the detail of a high-tech movie, or they may be only symbols that you will have to interpret for yourself.

Unlike other divinatory devices the Ouija board does not use the collective unconscious as the source for answers, but relies instead on asking unknown spirits to take over the device. Opening such a portal without having any control over who or what comes has its risks, but you will have to decide for yourself if they are worth it or not.

With practice in meditation and sustained concentration, your altered states can become longer and deeper, and at these deeper states (the theta and delta levels) you can do more advanced work, such as astral projection and regression. These are very natural states. The only difference is that you are seeking to gain control of them. The key to these techniques is in learning to concentrate for increasing periods of time on one idea only.


Because the veil between the realms of the living and the dead is at its thinnest on Samhain, it is also a prime time to attempt spirit contact. These contacts are not the creepy affairs portrayed in B-rated horror films, but beautiful and meaningful communications with departed loved ones.

http://www.witchway.net/hallows/samrite.html

[Flar's Freyja]

Another:

A Traditional Samhain Divination:

"Four plates having been set down on a table, water was poured into one, a ring placed on another, some clay in the third, and in the fourth was placed either some straw, salt, or meal. A person would then be blindfolded and led up to he table, and into whichever plate he or she placed their hand, so would their future turn out. The water signified migration, the ring marriage, the clay death, and the fourth plate prosperity. On re-arranging the order of the plates, others would be blindfolded and led up in like manner."

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5567/deathdiv.html

[Mnemosyne]

Wow! You always interesting points, Freyja. You know that I have always been a fan of the apple and hazlenut, so I like these divination practices for Samhain.

I think that I read this divination from you or on some website, but I'll put it here anyway. Well, on Samhain, girls would pare apples, trying to do it one piece. Whatever girl would pare the apple in the longest piece would find love first.

[Flar's Freyja]

:lol: I don't have a lot of knowledge of them, I just get lucky when I search for stuff, I guess! I do like to bump and bring up topics that are appropriate to the Wheel of the Year, though.

Thanks for your contributions! Anyone else?

[jelly.belly]

:) Freyja, you always amaze me! This is so interesting! I'll surely try one of those on Samhain! :)

[Flar's Freyja]

The Apple and the Mirror

Before the stroke of midnight, sit in front of a mirror in a room lit only by one candle or the moon. Go into the silence, and ask a question. Cut the apple into nine pieces. With your back to the mirror, eat eight of the pieces, then throw the ninth over your left shoulder. Turn your head to look over the same shoulder, and you will see and in image or symbol in the mirror that will tell you your answer.

(When you look in the mirror, let your focus go "soft," and allow the patterns made by the moon or candlelight and shadows to suggest forms, symbols and other dreamlike images that speak to your intuition.)

http://www.chalicecenter.com/samhain.htm

Hmmm, possibly you will see an ancestor......

[Flaire-FireStar]

Originally posted by Freyja
Another:

A Traditional Samhain Divination:

"Four plates having been set down on a table, water was poured into one, a ring placed on another, some clay in the third, and in the fourth was placed either some straw, salt, or meal. A person would then be blindfolded and led up to he table, and into whichever plate he or she placed their hand, so would their future turn out. The water signified migration, the ring marriage, the clay death, and the fourth plate prosperity. On re-arranging the order of the plates, others would be blindfolded and led up in like manner."

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5567/deathdiv.html

:lol: I like this one..... Now if I could get someone to do that for me.... ;)

[Flar's Freyja]

Samhain is also the time to be working with the Crone goddesses:

Here is a guided meditation used during our virtual ritual here at About.com. Find a quiet space where you can be undisturbed before you begin.

From a virtual ritual conducted Oct. 24, 1999

I want to leave you with a meditation that you can perform at home, in a quiet space. If you have a an altar, I suggest you do it there

First, relax your body. Do this by first concentrating on your breath, and then on a line of relaxation that moves up your body and spills over, until you are completely relaxed.

Go back to your breath. Go inside your breathing. Inside, you will find a dark wood, with most of the leaves already fallen from the trees. It is a dark, moonless night. You can hardly see. It is cold, and you do not have a coat. You move through the trees shivering, frightened of the dark, until you come to a clearing.

In it is a cheery house, and a garden that has just been cleared of the last fruits of the summer. You knock on the door, and a woman answers. She is not ancient, but her face has begun to sag.

She brightens when she sees you, and invites you in.

She is the Crone, and she has something to tell you, something about the year that has passed and the year that is before you. Listen to her.

What does she say to you?

http://paganwiccan.about.com/library/weekly/aa102999.htm

[Mnemosyne]

Originally posted by Freyja
The Apple and the Mirror

Before the stroke of midnight, sit in front of a mirror in a room lit only by one candle or the moon.

The apple and the mirror things sounds interesting. I am a little superstitious though. I heard that it is bad luck to look into a moon while it is lit by a single candlelight on Samhain. Has anyone else believe this?

[Flar's Freyja]

I've never heard that and I use my scrying mirror lit by a single candle sometimes. My house windows aren't very conducive to my using moonlight for anything.

I did a search to see if maybe it might be in the superstitions thread but nothing came up.

[Mnemosyne]

Yes, when you scry, it's good to have the mirror lit by a single candle. Freyja, a friend told me the superstition ages ago. It kind of stuck with me over the years.

I did find this site on Samhain superstitions. It suggests that it is bad luck to look at your own reflection in the mirror when the room is lit by candle light or moonlight.

http://www.angelfire.com/nb/appalachianpagan/Wheelof%20the%20Year/samhain_05.html

[Flar's Freyja]

Thanks, that makes sense based on the standard superstitions about mirrors. Quite a few of my friends heed them. It's not one that I pay much attention to because I love mirrors and have them all over the place. I also don't believe in evil spirits.

You should post that in the superstitions thread also! I think I bumped it recently, can't remember which forum it's in. That site has a lot of good info!

Editing to add: I just had a thought, though. On Samhain, we are actually inviting spirits from the other side due to the thinning of the veil and this might be the reasoning behind doing this in this particular ritual.

[Flar's Freyja]

Bump

[Flar's Freyja]

This site belongs to my co-mod on the illness support list that we founded together. She is a formally trained witch and writes a great deal of her own stuff. This is a ritual for Samhain that also involves divination:

http://www.geocities.com/m_summerwind/samhain.html

[Flar's Freyja]

Bumpin' for a Blessed Samhain to All!

May the year bring you all the blessings your hearts and hands can hold.

Blessed Be!

[Mnemosyne]

I was just reading about Samhain and apple divination, so I thought of this thread.

Wow! There are so many dream questions in this forum these days. Dreams have been on my mind, since I have been having some vivid ones. Does anyone know of a connection between vivid dreams and Samhain? I was just wondering if people generally have meaninful dreams before Samhain. Guess I'll have to pay attention this year.

[Sekhemet]

wicked I was just thinking of this the other day, I have a couple of these written down somewhere I wanted to find ...
AH HA!!!!
got it ...
Ancient Samhain Rituals ..
BONFIRES & TORCHES = Festival Of Lost Souls
Torch parade through town to collect & guide lost souls
Run torches through fields to spreasd fertility and singe any witches hovering ... (lol)
At the end of the night everyone takes a white stone - marks it and throws it in the embers ... rocks which are missing or moved = the owner will not see next Samhain (this is cool)
Make an effigy & burn it to honor the good of the past year and prevent the evil from casrrying over (fresh slate)

LEAVE FOOD OUT FOR THE GNOMES AND FAERIES!!!!! (don't forget!!)

[Sekhemet]

Samhain and love rituals
Look in a mirror in a dark room - at the stroke of midnight - and you will see your love behind you

Peel an apple in one piece, no breaks and toss the peel over your shoulder - if you are destined to meet your love in the next year the peel will write the name or initials

IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE ALREADY MET
Put 2 nuts in a fire and watch for results (pop or burn?)

If you have to chose between two men toss 2 nuts into the fire - name each nut for one of the men and watch for results (pop or burn)