Samhain: The Ancestors, the Shadow and the Turning Wheel
A Deeper Tarot Journey
Explore Samhain with your Tarot deck, discover an ancestral meditation, an advanced nine-card tarot spread, a Samhain spell, using your homemade incense and candle anointing oil, pumpkin soup and a spiced autumn drink.
When the veil grows thin, as the final leaves fall and the nights draw in, Samhain invites us to turn our attention towards the things we cannot always see but may still feel deeply: memory, ancestry, grief, love and the mystery of what lies beyond our understanding.
In Part One of our Samhain journey with Cosmosis Tarot by Fanny Wuyts and Bridge Berne, we explored the final harvest, reflected on the lessons of the year and considered what we wished to release before winter. We made a Samhain candle anointing oil and an incense blend with mindfulness intention.
Why the Cosmosis Tarot Is Perfect for Samhain
The Cosmosis Tarot is a beautiful companion for Samhain, a time of reflection, remembrance and transition as we move from the abundance of the harvest into the quiet darkness of winter. Its rich symbolism and celestial imagery invite us to look beyond the surface, exploring the connection between our inner worlds and the greater cycles of nature.
Samhain offers us an opportunity to honour what has passed, acknowledge the lessons we have gathered throughout the year and gently turn our attention towards the parts of ourselves that may have remained hidden. The Cosmosis Tarot lends itself wonderfully to this introspective journey, encouraging us to explore our shadows, embrace transformation and discover wisdom within life's endings as well as its beginnings.
Whether used for an ancestral remembrance reading, a personal shadow-work spread or quiet meditation by candlelight, Cosmosis encourages us to slow down, listen to our intuition and make space for the mysteries that cannot always be explained. As the veil of the old year draws to a close, the cards become a mirror for our own journey through darkness and light, reminding us that even in the stillness of winter, the seeds of renewal are quietly waiting beneath the surface.
There is something particularly fitting about a deck that draws our attention towards the relationship between the universe around us and the inner universe we carry within ourselves.
At Samhain, we often contemplate the mysteries of existence, our relationship with those who came before us and the ways in which the past continues to shape the present.
Now we venture a little further.
Samhain is traditionally associated with the ancestors and the dearly departed. In many contemporary Pagan and witchcraft traditions, it is regarded as a liminal time when the boundary between the living and the dead is symbolically thin. Some practitioners use this season to honour loved ones who have died, remember those who came before them and reflect upon the ways family stories and inherited traditions continue to shape their lives.
For others, the season offers an opportunity to sit with memories, acknowledge grief or consider the legacy they hope to leave behind.
There is no single way to approach these mysteries. You might hold a spiritual belief that communication with the dead is possible, or you might understand ancestral work as a symbolic and psychological practice.
Both perspectives can make room for remembrance, gratitude and reflection.
For this second part of our journey, we will work with Tarot to explore the threads connecting past and present. We will create an ancestral remembrance space, follow a guided meditation, work with an advanced tarot spread and perform a Samhain spell.
And because no seasonal celebration is complete without a little kitchen witchery, we will finish with a fragrant warming hearty pumpkin soup and a spiced autumn drink.
Let us begin by remembering those whose stories helped shape the world we inhabit today.
The ancestors: Remembering the roots beneath our feet
When we speak of ancestors, it is easy to think only of our immediate family: parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Yet ancestry can be understood more broadly.
Our ancestors include the people whose lives made our own possible, stretching back through generations. They may also include cultural ancestors, spiritual forebears and those whose creativity, courage or teachings have influenced the paths we walk.
Some of us have warm and cherished memories of family members who have died. Others carry complicated histories, painful relationships or gaps in their family knowledge.
Ancestral remembrance does not require us to idealise the past.
We can honour those who nurtured us while acknowledging the harm caused by others. We can appreciate the resilience that allowed previous generations to survive without repeating every belief or behaviour they passed down.
Sometimes the most meaningful ancestral work involves recognising what we wish to preserve and what we choose to change.
Perhaps you want to carry forward a grandmother's love of gardening, a grandfather's storytelling, a family recipe or a tradition of helping neighbours.
Perhaps you wish to end a pattern of silence, shame or emotional distance.
Both acts can be forms of remembrance. We honour the past not by pretending it was perfect, but by meeting it honestly.
Creating an Ancestral Remembrance Space
A Samhain remembrance altar can be as simple or elaborate as you wish.
Gather a few meaningful objects:
- Your beloved Tarot deck.
- A photograph of a departed loved one, if you have one and feel comfortable displaying it.
- A small object that reminds you of them, such as jewellery, a handwritten note or a treasured keepsake.
- Autumn leaves, acorns, apples or seasonal flowers.
- A notebook for memories and reflections.
- Your Samhain incense, charcoal disk, heatproof incense burning dish and candle anointing oil, that you made in Part One, Samhain Tarot: Crossing the Sacred Threshold.
- A candle (anointed with your oil blend).
You may also wish to include the names of ancestors you never knew personally. If you do not know your family history, there is no need to invent it or fill the gaps. You can simply honour the generations who came before you.
Arrange your objects in a way that feels respectful and comfortable.
If you have photographs of people whose relationships with you were difficult, you are under no obligation to display them. Your remembrance space belongs to you and boundaries are part of spiritual care.
You might place a card from your Tarot beside your chosen objects, allowing its imagery to serve as a focus for contemplation.
Take a few quiet moments to remember.
You do not have to experience a sign, a sensation or anything unusual for the time to be meaningful. Sometimes remembrance is simply the act of giving someone a place in your thoughts.
Guided meditation: Meeting your dearly departed and honouring your ancestors
Allow approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
This meditation offers a quiet space to remember a departed loved one or reflect upon your ancestors. It is an imaginative, contemplative practice rather than a promise of contact with the dead.
Choose someone whose memory feels comforting enough to approach today. If grief is especially raw, or if a particular relationship feels painful, you may prefer to focus on an ancestor you feel positively connected to, or simply contemplate the generations before you.
You may keep your eyes open throughout, pause whenever you wish and return your attention to the room if the meditation becomes uncomfortable.
Finding your quiet place
Sit comfortably in your chosen space.
Allow your hands to rest gently and notice the support beneath you.
Take several slow, comfortable breaths. Feel the air entering and leaving your body.
Imagine roots extending from beneath your feet into the earth. You do not need to see them clearly. Simply imagine yourself connected to the ground, supported by the living world.
In your mind's eye, picture an autumn woodland at twilight.
The trees stand tall around you. Fallen leaves cover the path and a gentle breeze moves through the branches.
There is no urgency here.
You have arrived at a place where you can pause and remember.
Walking the ancestral path
Ahead of you, a small path winds between the trees.
Begin walking at a comfortable pace.
As you move, consider the people whose lives have touched yours. Some may be relatives you knew well; others may be figures from stories, photographs or family traditions.
You may also think of those whose names have been forgotten, whose histories were never recorded, or whose lives unfolded long before your own.
Allow yourself to acknowledge them without needing to know everything about them.
Notice the ground beneath your feet. Imagine that every generation has left traces in the soil: memories, skills, hopes, mistakes and acts of love.
You are not required to carry every part of this inheritance. You are simply acknowledging that your life exists within a much longer story.
Remembering a loved one
If you feel comfortable, bring to mind a departed loved one.
Perhaps you remember their voice, their smile, the way they moved through the world or a small habit that made them unmistakably themselves.
Allow memories to emerge.
You might remember a shared meal, a familiar expression, a moment of laughter or a time when their kindness mattered to you.
Sit with the memory without trying to make it more significant than it is.
If you wish, imagine that you are speaking to them in your thoughts. You might express gratitude, share something that has happened in your life, or say the words you did not have the opportunity to say.
You do not need to imagine that an answer arrives.
If a memory or inner image arises, you can receive it as part of your own reflective experience, without needing to decide what it means.
If sadness comes, allow it room. If you feel nothing in particular, that is equally acceptable.
Love and grief do not follow a timetable and remembrance does not have to produce a particular feeling.
Honour what continues
Now turn your attention towards what you carry from this person or from your ancestors.
Perhaps it is a practical skill, a sense of humour, a love of nature, a tradition of hospitality or a determination to keep going when life becomes difficult.
Perhaps you have learned something from their mistakes that you hope not to repeat.
Consider this question:
- What would I like to carry forward?
- What am I ready to change?
Allow the answer to take whatever form it takes.
You might imagine holding a small light in your hands, representing the wisdom, love or understanding you wish to preserve.
This light does not need to represent perfection. It can be a reminder that the past contains many things: tenderness and difficulty, courage and fear, beauty and loss.
You are allowed to choose how you respond to that inheritance.
Returning to the present
When you feel ready, thank the memory of your loved one, or simply acknowledge the generations who came before you.
Begin walking back along the woodland path.
Notice the autumn leaves beneath your feet and the cool air against your skin.
Bring your attention back to the room in which you are sitting. Feel the support beneath you and notice the sounds around you.
Take a comfortable breath and open your eyes if they were closed.
Drink some water, stretch gently and allow yourself a little time before returning to other activities. You might wish to write down in your Ritual Journal a memory, a quality you want to preserve or a family story you would like to learn more about.
Remember that the value of this meditation lies in the space you have created for reflection and remembrance.
A Samhain spell: Honouring the past, choosing the future
This simple candle and paper ritual combines remembrance with intention setting. It can be used to honour a loved one, acknowledge ancestral influence or mark a personal commitment to changing an unhelpful pattern.
You will need:
- Your Tarot deck
- A small candle and heatproof holder
- A piece of paper and a pen.
- A meaningful keepsake or natural object.
Step One: Open the space
Arrange your objects in front of you.
Take a few quiet breaths and say:
"At this turning of the year, I honour the lives and stories that came before me. I remember what has nourished me, acknowledge what has been difficult and choose with care what I carry forward."
If you wish to name a departed loved one, you may do so.
Step Two: Draw two cards
Draw one card while asking:
"What do I wish to honour or preserve?"
Place it beside your keepsake.
Draw a second card while asking:
"What am I ready to change or release?"
Place it a little further away, leaving space between the two.
Spend a few moments reflecting on the difference between what you wish to keep and what you wish to leave behind.
Step Three: Write your intention
On the paper, write a sentence describing the quality or pattern you want to cultivate.
For example:
"I honour the kindness I received and choose to offer kindness without abandoning my own needs."
Or:
"I remember those who came before me, while allowing myself to make choices that belong to my own life."
Read your words aloud if you feel comfortable.
Fold the paper and place it beneath your keepsake.
Step Four: Seal the ritual
Look at the two cards and consider how they might work together.
The past can offer wisdom without determining every future choice. An ending can honour what came before while making space for something new.
Say:
"May remembrance bring wisdom, may wisdom guide my choices and may I walk into the coming season with compassion and courage."
Sit quietly for a few moments.
When you are ready, extinguish the candle safely. Keep your intention in your journal, returning to it whenever you need a reminder.
This ritual is a symbolic practice of reflection and intention.
The Advanced Samhain Tarot spread:
The Nine Gates of Samhain
This nine-card spread explores ancestry, inherited patterns, personal boundaries and the wisdom we may choose to carry into the future.
Shuffle your Tarot deck while reflecting on this question:
"What can I learn from the past that will help me live more consciously in the present?"
Lay nine cards as shown in the photo
The first vertical row: Understanding your roots
Card One, The Roots
What aspects of your family history, upbringing or personal past have helped shape the person you are today?
Consider the values, circumstances and experiences that influenced your early understanding of the world.
Card Two, The Inheritance
What belief, behaviour or pattern may have been passed down through your family or learned from those around you?
This card is an invitation to explore possibilities, not proof that a particular pattern originated with an ancestor.
Card Three, The Gift
What positive quality, tradition or piece of wisdom would you like to preserve?
This might be resilience, creativity, generosity, practical knowledge or a connection to the natural world.
The second vertical row: Meeting the present
Card Four, The Shadow
What might you be reluctant to acknowledge about your relationship with the past?
This could involve an unresolved feeling, an idealised memory, an old expectation or something you have found difficult to name.
Approach this card with compassion.
Shadow work is not about finding fault with yourself; it is about developing greater awareness.
Card Five, The Present
How are the past and its stories influencing you now?
The central card anchors the reading in your current experience. Consider where you have agency, what choices are available and what you already understand.
Card Six, The Release
What are you ready to stop carrying, repeating or accepting?
You might explore an unhelpful belief, a role you have outgrown or a responsibility that does not belong to you.
A card cannot decide this for you, but it can help you consider the question from a fresh perspective.
The third vertical: Choosing what comes next
Card Seven, The Ancestors
What aspect of ancestral remembrance would be meaningful for you to explore?
This might be learning a family story, preserving a tradition, researching your genealogy or honouring the influence of people who shaped your life.
If you approach ancestors spiritually, you might also use this position to contemplate the values or wisdom you associate with them, without treating the card as a guaranteed message from the dead.
Card Eight, The Healing
What practical step could help you develop a healthier relationship with your past?
The answer may involve conversation, journaling, boundaries, forgiveness, grief support or simply allowing yourself to feel what has been difficult.
Forgiveness is not obligatory and reconciliation is not always safe or appropriate.
Card Nine, The Future
What do you wish to carry forward into the next season of your life?
This final card helps you turn reflection into intention. Consider how you might embody the qualities you value while leaving less helpful patterns behind.
Reading the spread as a whole
Begin by interpreting the cards individually, then look for connections.
- Do similar symbols or suits appear repeatedly?
- Are several cards concerned with endings, communication, boundaries or new beginnings?
Compare Cards Two and Six: is there a pattern you have inherited or learned that you now wish to change?
Look at Cards Three and Nine: how might a quality you value become part of the legacy you create yourself?
Finally, consider the centre card alongside the entire spread. What does it suggest about the choices available to you now?
Journaling with the Samhain spread
After completing this reading, spend a little time considering the following questions:
- What have I inherited that I wish to preserve?
- What have I learned that I no longer need to repeat?
- Which burdens belong to me?
- Which might I be carrying out of habit or expectation?
- What does healing mean to me at this point in my life?
- How would I like my own legacy to be remembered?
You do not need to answer every question at once. Allow the cards to be companions in your reflection rather than demanding immediate answers from them.
You might discover that a particular card speaks to you differently when you return to the spread a few days later. That, too, is part of the process.
Write a short summary in your journal, ending with one small, practical action.
For example, you might decide to ask a relative about a family tradition, write down a memory of someone you miss, or establish a boundary that supports your wellbeing.
Do not feel obliged to uncover painful family history or interpret every card as a revelation. The most useful reading is one that leaves you with greater understanding and a compassionate sense of choice.
A Worked Example: Reading The Nine Gates of Samhain
To help you understand how the Nine Gates of Samhain spread works in practice, I would like to share an example reading using nine cards.
For this exercise, I have laid the cards out in the positions shown in the accompanying photograph. For a beginner-friendly Tarot reading all the cards are read in their upright positions.
The cards drawn for this example were:
1, Eight of Swords, The Roots
2, Eight of Pentacles, The Inheritance
3, Six of Pentacles, The Gift
4, Ten of Wands, The Shadow
5, Three of Swords, The Present
6, Six of Swords, The Release
7, Temperance, The Ancestors
8, The Hermit, The Healing
9, Queen of Cups, The Future
What I find particularly interesting about this reading is the way the cards seem to tell a continuous story. We begin with restriction and inherited patterns, move through responsibility and emotional pain and gradually arrive at integration, introspection and compassion.
Let us look at each position in turn.
The first three cards: Roots, inheritance and gifts
Card One, The Roots: Eight of Swords
The Eight of Swords asks us to consider the beliefs, circumstances and experiences that may have shaped our understanding of the world.
In an ancestral reading, I would use this card to explore the possibility of inherited limitations. Previous generations may have lived within social expectations, financial restrictions or family structures that left little room for individual choice. Sometimes the beliefs formed in those circumstances continue long after the original restrictions have disappeared.
This card encourages us to consider which assumptions we have accepted without questioning them.
Are there things we believe we cannot do because we have always been told they were impossible? Have we inherited expectations about how we should behave, what we should achieve or which emotions we are permitted to express?
The Eight of Swords reminds us that awareness can be the first step towards recognising where greater freedom might be possible.
Card Two, The Inheritance: Eight of Pentacles
The Eight of Pentacles shifts our attention towards the habits, skills and values we learn through repetition.
Our inheritance is not limited to material possessions or family names. It can include practical knowledge, work ethic, craftsmanship, perseverance and the ways we learn to contribute to our communities.
Perhaps previous generations taught us the value of hard work, the importance of developing a skill or the satisfaction of creating something with our hands.
However, the Eight of Pentacles also invites us to consider whether we have inherited an expectation that we must always be productive to be worthy.
There is a difference between taking pride in our work and believing that we must continually prove ourselves through it.
This card encourages us to preserve the skills and dedication that enrich our lives while questioning any habits that have become restrictive.
Card Three, The Gift: Six of Pentacles
The Six of Pentacles offers a lovely counterbalance to the first two cards.
Here we find generosity, assistance, sharing and the importance of giving and receiving in a balanced way.
The gifts passed down through generations are not always tangible. Sometimes the most valuable inheritance is a tradition of helping others, sharing what we have or offering practical support when someone is struggling.
Perhaps we remember relatives who cared for their neighbours, welcomed people into their homes or quietly helped others through difficult times.
The Six of Pentacles encourages us to recognise these gifts and consider how we might carry them forward.
It also reminds us that generosity should not require us to neglect our own needs. We can offer kindness while allowing ourselves to receive it in return.
Together, these first three cards invite us to examine our roots honestly, recognise the habits we have inherited and appreciate the qualities we wish to preserve.
The next three cards: Shadow, present and release
Card Four, The Shadow: Ten of Wands
The Ten of Wands represents burdens, responsibilities and the exhaustion that can arise when we carry too much for too long.
In this position, I would consider the roles we may have adopted within our families and relationships.
Were we expected to be the strong one, the responsible one, the peacemaker or the person who held everything together?
Sometimes these roles begin as acts of love or necessity. Over time, however, they can become so familiar that we forget we have a choice.
The shadow may not be the responsibility itself, but the belief that we must carry everything alone, or that putting something down would somehow mean we had failed.
This card asks us to consider which responsibilities genuinely belong to us and which we may have accepted out of habit, guilt or expectation.
Card Five, The Present: Three of Swords
At the very centre of the spread sits the Three of Swords, a card associated with grief, sorrow, disappointment and painful truths.
Its position is significant because it brings our attention to what is emotionally present now, rather than allowing us to remain entirely focused on the past or rush too quickly towards the future.
Within a Samhain reading, this card may invite reflection on bereavement, family estrangement, unresolved hurt or the sadness that accompanies recognising difficult truths about those we love.
We may love someone who has hurt us. We may miss someone while acknowledging that the relationship was complicated. We may grieve not only a person, but also the relationship we wished we could have had.
The Three of Swords reminds us that remembrance does not require us to pretend everything was perfect.
Sometimes the most compassionate thing we can do is acknowledge our feelings honestly, without judging ourselves for having them.
Card Six, The Release: Six of Swords
The Six of Swords offers a quieter energy after the emotional intensity of the Three of Swords.
It represents transition, moving away from troubled waters and carrying the lessons of an experience into a new phase of life.
Importantly, this is not a card of forgetting. The swords are still in the boat. What has happened remains part of our story, but we may begin to relate to it differently.
In the context of ancestral work, this might mean releasing an inherited expectation, accepting what cannot be changed or learning to remember a loved one without allowing grief to define every part of our present.
We do not have to resolve everything before moving forward. Sometimes the first step is simply recognising that we are ready for a different relationship with the past.
The Six of Swords invites us to ask what we wish to carry forward as wisdom and what we might gradually begin to leave behind.
Taken together, these three cards tell a powerful story: the recognition of a burden, the acknowledgement of the feelings beneath it and the possibility of moving towards calmer waters.
The final three cards: Ancestors, healing and the future
Card Seven, The Ancestors: Temperance
Temperance is a particularly fitting card for this position.
It represents balance, integration, patience and the careful blending of different elements to create something harmonious.
In ancestral work, we might understand this as the process of discerning what we wish to preserve from our heritage while recognising what needs to change.
We do not have to reject the past in order to grow beyond it. Equally, we do not have to repeat every tradition simply because it has been passed down.
Temperance invites us to become thoughtful stewards of what we have inherited, bringing together the wisdom of previous generations with our own developing understanding.
It reminds us that we can honour our roots while making choices that reflect who we are today.
Card Eight, The Healing: The Hermit
The Hermit offers us the quiet wisdom of introspection.
After the emotional journey of the preceding cards, this figure invites us to step away from outside expectations and listen to our own inner voice.
Samhain is a season of longer nights, stillness and turning inward. The Hermit reflects that atmosphere beautifully, reminding us that meaningful understanding often arrives not through more activity, but through allowing ourselves time to reflect.
The Hermit also speaks to the importance of finding our own answers. Family traditions, spiritual teachings and the wisdom of others can guide us, but they cannot replace our own discernment.
Sometimes healing begins when we stop trying to fulfil everyone else's expectations and allow ourselves to discover what we genuinely need.
This card encourages us to make room for quiet contemplation, journaling and the gradual development of self-understanding.
Card Nine, The Future: Queen of Cups
What a beautiful card with which to finish this reading.
The Queen of Cups embodies emotional sensitivity, compassion, intuition and the ability to sit with feelings without immediately trying to fix them.
Following the sorrow of the Three of Swords and the reflective solitude of the Hermit, she suggests a future in which we might develop a gentler relationship with ourselves and our emotional experiences.
She does not ask us to forget the past or deny our grief. Instead, she invites us to hold our experiences with greater tenderness.
We may learn to recognise our feelings without being overwhelmed by them, offer compassion without sacrificing our boundaries and honour the people we have loved while continuing to live our own lives.
The Queen of Cups also reminds us that the legacy we create is shaped by the compassion we offer to others and ourselves.
Perhaps the most meaningful inheritance we can pass on is the wisdom we have gained, the kindness we practise and the freedom we allow others to become themselves.
Bringing the nine cards together
When we step back and look at the entire spread, a broader story begins to emerge.
The Eight of Swords and Eight of Pentacles invite us to consider the beliefs, habits and expectations that have shaped us. The Six of Pentacles reminds us that our inheritance can also contain generosity, kindness and practical support.
The middle of the spread becomes more emotionally challenging. The Ten of Wands suggests burdens we may be carrying, while the Three of Swords asks us to acknowledge the sorrow or difficult truths beneath them. The Six of Swords then offers the possibility of transition, reminding us that we can carry our experiences forward without remaining trapped in them.
Finally, Temperance, The Hermit and the Queen of Cups guide us towards integration, reflection and compassion.
What I find most meaningful is that the reading does not end with the Three of Swords. It ends with the Queen of Cups.
The story moves from restriction and burdens towards the possibility of emotional wisdom.
This does not mean that every difficulty will disappear or that every family wound can be healed. Rather, it suggests that we can develop a different relationship with our experiences, one that allows us to remember, learn and continue growing.
Kitchen Witchery: Making Your Samhain Pumpkin Soup
As the nights grow colder, a warming bowl of soup is a lovely way to bring the harvest into your kitchen. Pumpkin, onion and earthy herbs make a comforting seasonal combination.
Serves 4 · Preparation: 15 minutes · Cooking: 35 to 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 medium pumpkin, approximately 1 to 1.2 kg whole, or 800 g prepared pumpkin flesh.
- 1 cup of dried lentils
- 1 medium onion, chopped.
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed.
- 1 medium carrot, chopped.
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- 2 vegetable stock cubes in 750 ml of water.
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme.
- A pinch of ground nutmeg.
- Salt and black pepper, to taste.
- 100 ml double cream or unsweetened plant-based cream, optional.
Method:
- Prepare the pumpkin.
Remove the seeds and skin, then cut the flesh into cubes. If using a pumpkin that is difficult to peel, cut it into manageable wedges and roast until the flesh softens before removing the skin.
- Soften the vegetables.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and carrot and cook gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until beginning to soften.
- Add the garlic and herbs.
Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for another minute, taking care not to burn the garlic.
- Simmer the soup.
Add the pumpkin, vegetable stock, nutmeg then the dried lentils. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the lentils are soft. Add a little more water if needed.
- Remove the pan from the heat and blend carefully until the soup reaches your preferred consistency. If using a countertop blender, follow its instructions for hot liquids and blend in batches if necessary.
- Finish and season.
Stir in the cream (if using) and warm gently without boiling. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
To serve, ladle into warm bowls and serve with some warm bread.
A little Samhain kitchen ritual
Before serving, take a moment to appreciate the harvest that made the meal possible: the earth, the growers, the people who prepared the ingredients and the generations who passed down the knowledge of cooking.
If you are sharing the meal with family or friends, you might invite everyone to share one thing they are grateful for from the year.
Food has a wonderful ability to bring memories to the surface. A familiar flavour can remind us of a grandparent's kitchen, a childhood autumn or a meal shared with someone we miss.
If you have a family recipe, this might be the perfect occasion to prepare it and record its story for future generations.
A Samhain Inspired Drink: Spiced Apple and Orange Warmer
This fragrant, non-alcoholic drink brings together apple, orange and warming spices. It is lovely served in mugs after an evening tarot reading or alongside your pumpkin soup.
Serves 4 · Preparation: 5 minutes · Cooking: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 litre cloudy apple juice.
- 250 ml water.
- 1 orange, sliced.
- 1 cinnamon stick.
- 3 whole cloves.
- 1 star anise, optional.
- 2 thin slices of fresh ginger, optional.
- 1 or 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup, optional.
Method:
- Pour the apple juice and water into a saucepan.
- Add the orange slices, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and ginger, if using.
- Warm gently over a low heat for 15 minutes. Avoid a vigorous boil, which can make the flavours less delicate.
- Taste and add a little honey or maple syrup if desired.
- Strain into heatproof mugs and garnish with a fresh orange slice or cinnamon stick.
Serve the drink warm while reflecting on the changing season.
You could make it part of a quiet evening ritual, pouring a little into a favourite mug before beginning your tarot reading.
If you are preparing the drink for guests, you might invite them to share a happy memory of someone they miss or a tradition they hope to carry forward.
There is no need to make remembrance solemn at every moment. Laughter, stories, favourite foods and affectionate memories are all ways of keeping connections meaningful.
Closing: The Stories We Carry Into Winter
Samhain asks us to stand between what has been and what is yet to come.
The harvest is gathered, the leaves have fallen and the earth begins its long winter rest. We are reminded that life is made of cycles and that every ending creates a space in which something else may eventually grow.
Through Tarot, we have explored the roots that shape us, the patterns we may wish to change and the qualities we hope to carry forward. Through meditation and ritual, we have made room for remembrance.
Through cooking and scent, we have brought the season into our everyday lives.
You may feel spiritually connected to your ancestors, or you may understand this work as a way of honouring memory and family history. You may find comfort in the belief that love continues beyond death, or simply in recognising that the influence of those we have loved remains woven into our lives.
There is room for tenderness in all these approaches.
As you enter the darker half of the year, consider keeping a Samhain journal. Record family stories, preserve treasured recipes, write down memories of people you miss, or explore the cards that have accompanied you through this seasonal journey.
Perhaps the most important question is not what the past demands of us, but what we choose to do with what it has given us.
- What will you preserve?
- What will you change?
- What kind of legacy will you create through the way you live today?
May this Samhain bring you time for quiet reflection, warmth in the gathering darkness and the wisdom to recognise which parts of your harvest you wish to carry into the seasons ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions About Samhain Tarot
What is Samhain and why is it associated with tarot?
Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Celebrated by many Pagans around 31 October, it is a time for remembrance, reflection and honouring ancestors. Tarot can help us explore the year's lessons, acknowledge what we wish to release and consider our intentions for the months ahead.
How do I use the nine-card Samhain tarot spread?
Shuffle your tarot deck while reflecting on your intention, then lay nine cards in the positions provided. Interpret each card in relation to its position before considering how the cards connect to form a wider story. Journaling can help you explore the themes and insights that emerge.
Can tarot help me connect with deceased loved ones or ancestors?
Some spiritual traditions use tarot as part of ancestral remembrance practices. It can provide a meaningful way to reflect on loved ones, explore memories and consider the qualities or traditions you wish to carry forward.
What is shadow work and how can tarot help?
Shadow work involves exploring aspects of ourselves that we may overlook, suppress or find difficult to acknowledge. Tarot can encourage reflection on limiting beliefs, emotional patterns and inherited expectations, helping us develop greater self-awareness and make more conscious choices.
What rituals can I include in a Samhain tarot practice?
You might create a seasonal altar, light a candle safely, practise a guided meditation, complete a tarot spread or journal about the year that has passed. You could also prepare seasonal incense, cook a harvest-inspired meal or set aside time to remember loved ones.
Can I practise Samhain tarot if I do not follow a Pagan tradition?
Absolutely. You can approach Samhain through spiritual practice, seasonal symbolism or personal reflection. You do not need to follow a particular tradition or believe in communication with spirits to benefit from tarot journaling, meditation and remembrance. Adapt the practices to suit your own beliefs and comfort level.
Blessed Samhain from all of us at The Guilded Veil.
•♡• May your path be illuminated, your intuition trusted and your cards always reveal the wisdom you seek. Until next time... welcome to The Guilded Veil •♡•