Episode 7: The Spirit of Samhain: Origins & Traditions

Witching Out Loud

Episode 07: The Spirit of Samhain: Origins & Traditions
Summary: In this episode, Kristal and Kate chat about Samhain (summer’s end), sometimes called the Witches’ New Year.
Show Notes
Intro & Invocation (0:00-3:03)
Samhain marks the end of the harvest season, the transition into winter, and an honoring of the ancestors. The veil between the physical world and the spiritual world is thin at this time, so it’s easier to connect with the spirits. It’s a time of introspection. This time of the year echoes the lunar cycle and dark moon, hence the Witches’ New Year. (3:04-9:29)
Kristal and Kate share their personal traditions for this holiday. Kate leans into the association of marigolds and lights an ancestor candle, and she observes Halloween and All Saints Day separately. Kristal decorates her altars with symbols of her ancestors and honors Hecate. As a spirit worker, this is a good time of year for her to do deep work. (9:30-15:10)
It’s only in modern times that Halloween has become a playful party time. Today’s Halloween is a morphing of paganism and superstition into Christian light magic. (15:11-16:47)
Samhain is a good time of year for shadow work, taking inventory and reflecting on what to release and what will grow in the coming year. Releasing is an important part of this time of year. It’d also a good time to invite ancestral support of your upcoming endeavors. (16:48-19:55)
Kate and Kristal make an important distinction between all ancestors and healed ancestors. Not every ancestor’s spirit is equipped to support you and not every ancestor is benevolent. Only invite healed, beloved dead or well ancestors who are aligned with your work. (19:56-25:55)
Kristal leans into the pumpkin themes of the season and loves all the spooky decorations. It’s a good time to stock up on typical witchy decor and herbs. It’s a time of year that witches can be a little more visible and organize parties and celebrations and do fun witchy shit. (25:56-31:09)
Final thoughts and call-to-action:
Preview of next week's episode: Shadow Work
Outro (31:10-31:50)
Resources mentioned during the episode
The Solitary Witch by Silver Ravenwolf
Links to all our social media
@witchingoutloud
@theunveiledspirit
@priestessforhire
@starsandmoontarot
Transform Your Life with Mindset Coaching (theunveiledspirit.com)
Editor & Associate Producer:
Ash Black at Blackheart Media LLC
@blackheartmediallc on FaceBook
Audio Attribution
Wind Sound
klankbeeld
Room-tone wind 6 bft 180103_1251.wav by klankbeeld -- https://freesound.org/s/415667/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
Chime
sgossner
chimes_c#4_f_1.wav by sgossner -- https://freesound.org/s/192615/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
River at Night
distant river at night.wav
distant river at night.wav by inchadney -- https://freesound.org/s/132362/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
Heartbeats 61.wav by patobottos -- https://freesound.org/s/369017/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
Mystical Bell Atmosphere by Kinoton -- https://freesound.org/s/670069/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
mantra.aif by kaiodeleis -- https://freesound.org/s/66583/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Κεφάλαια

1. Episode 7: The Spirit of Samhain: Origins & Traditions (00:00:00)

2. Invocation: Invocation of the Witch written by Silver Ravenwolf (00:01:47)

3. What is Samhain? (00:03:04)

4. Our Personal Traditions (00:09:30)

5. Paganism & Superstition (00:15:11)

6. Shadow Work & Reflection (00:16:48)

7. Working with Ancestors (00:19:56)

8. Pumpkin Spice & Other Witchy Shit (00:25:56)