Samhain: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Halloween

Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials

by Diana Rajchel

Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials series explores the old and new ways of celebrating the seasonal rites that are the cornerstones in the witch's year.

A well-rounded introduction to Samhain, this attractive book features rituals, recipes, lore, and correspondences. It includes hands-on information for modern celebrations, spells and divination, recipes and crafts, invocations and prayers, and more!

Samhain—also known as Halloween—is the final spoke in the wheel of the year. At this time, the harvest has finished and the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. This guide shows you how to practice the serious work of divination and honoring the dead along with the more light-hearted activities of Halloween.

Genres: Witchcraft, Nonfiction, Paganism, Spirituality, Wicca, Occult, Halloween

264 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2015

About the author

Diana Rajchel is the author of Urban Magick, a Guide for the City Witch, Hex Twisting: Counter Magick Spells for the Irritated Witch, and a few other books some magical folk might know.

She specializes in writing about witchcraft from a practical perspective and innovates on spells and folk practices, sometimes including explosives in her formulas.

She has 25 years of experience as a spirit worker, and her views on the paranormal often annoy ghost-hunters. ("The orbs are over there. No, THERE! ..that's not haunted, it's just a 7-11." etc.)

Diana is an avid reader, gardener, herbalist, and ghost-scolder. She also enjoys writing poetry designed to disturb most people at an open-mic event and spending time with her life partner and kids. A dog named Nora also believes that Diana is her very own pet DragonCat.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my final book to read for the Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials, and I'm sad to say it was my least favourite of the set.

Like the Mabon book, I was surprized to see a fair amount of inclusion of Christian references ... included in the lore, rituals, etc. That's not why I pick up a book on Samhain. I tried to brush it off, until in one of the rituals calls on the Archangels of Micheal, Gabriel, Uriel and Rapheal to call to the four directions. Why are Archangels in a Pagan ritual? The book lost me there. I read the rest, but I took everything with a barrel of salt.

It also talked a lot about embracing Halloween as it is now, which again felt like not why I come to *these* books. Given I finished this one earlier in the month, I might have time to find and squeeze in another Samhaim book.

I'm so sad this was my last read of the series, which I started reading last winter solstice with Yule. I am happy that I did complete the series, and my favourites were Beltane & Lughnasadh: by Melanie Marquis and Midsummer by Deborah Blake.

[Diana Rajchel]

well, I wrote it so I suppose my opinion would be *wildly* biased.

[Plateresca · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book just wasn't for me. I've read the previous book in this series by this author, and I already knew she'd be proposing 'fun things' to do with 'kids' etc, and I'm just not this kind of person. 'Cute kids in costumes are always fun' - no, no, not for me. 'If you can clean up your roof easily and you won't anger the landlord or the neighbors, try throwing shoes over your house.' Honestly, I'm not trying to make the book sound stupid, I'm just writing out quotes.

Still, a couple of things here I did like, and they are:
- The idea of addressing 'The Spirit of Samhain'.
- The idea to do a banishing spell for one's debts - a creative twist, I think.
- The recipe for pan de los muertos.

[Lilla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can Wiccans please stop 1) claiming the god/goddess story is ancient (IT’S NOT), and 2) bastardising ancient Gaelic tradition?

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to learn more about Samhain and less about Halloween. I did not need a book to tell me how to trick or treat, decorate pumpkins, or watch scary movies. Be for real.

[Amy (DemonKittie) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book. It is full of information on my favorite time of the year. I love the way it is broken up into ancient lore, new lore and then modern ideas and history. It is very inclusive and hits as many related holidays and festivals as it can. It was easy to read and I loved it. Very informative!

[Thelia Urtica · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Review posted on TheliaTarot.com*

I got to go “witch store hunting” with my cousin a couple of weekends ago and this book was calling me for sure. Samhain was right around the corner so I had to buy it.

And it definitely was worth it!

This book goes into detail of not only how Samhain is practiced now, but also throughout history, how different cultures viewed the holiday, and how it evolved into Halloween. Some of the information I already knew, but there was a lot I didn’t know and was glad to have read this book.

On top of giving the history, this book also looks spells and divinations, rituals, and prayers and invocations. I’m excited to try some of these out and a lot of them are pretty simple. The only downside for me was that I bought this book too late in the month to prepare some spells, but I will know for the next year, and for the next book I want to purchase.

I also love the recipe and crafts in this book. They are fun, simple, and easy to follow. I’m definitely going to try a few soon!

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was not having a prayer for Hades (just Persephone). I wish there was a little more about Hades in it, but it was still enjoyable.

[Laura Jayne Tricker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy the information in this book and will use some of the recipes and invocations. However it does hyper focus on Halloween celebrations which aren’t really the norm in April in the Southern Hemisphere. I will just try and take the seasonal examples out of this.
I found in one breath the book is advising one to take it as a serious holiday, in another I’m to organise a haunted house or a horror movie marathon? I feel like it didn’t really get to the backbone of the sabbat much and just told me how to celebrate Halloween instead? Which I’ve got coveted thanks.
Please stop saying dumb supper: it’s a harmful archaic term.
And don’t call the cops on Halloween or get them involved if not needed, they kill people okay?
All in all worth it for some tid bits or information of where it began when where it is now, even if it doesn’t dive too deep.

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the lore! the rituals were on point! a fabulous book to refer back to year after year. happy it is in my library!

[BLynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to the pagan holiday Samhain. It contains great information on the history, various traditions, recipes, and crafts for the holiday.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of the Sabbat! Super quick read and I definitely bookmarked several pages for future use. Parts of this were a bit repetitive, but I assume that’s to serve as a reminder about origins and such when you come back to it later. Probably not meant to necessarily sit down and read in one go - but here we are. Lol

[Leithian · Rating 1 out of 5]

miałem dostać książkę o neopogańskim święcie, a dostałem poradnik dla dzieci jak bawić sie w czarownice.
mało faktycznej treści, dużo powtórzeń, lania wody i niekoniecznie poprawnych informacji.
książka raczej o amerykańskim haloween ze wzmiankami o Samhain tylko na marginesie

[Sofia Leão · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this one but overall it was okay.

The book, as all the others in the collection, is divided into different chapters, old ways which tells about the origins of the traditions and tales from the old days, new ways which describes how people celebrate it nowadays and all the different activities based on your approach of Samhain.

I particularly enjoyed the old ways, learning about all the Halloween traditions came to be was a lot of fun and very interesting!

I also enjoyed the recipes and crafts chapter, with all the great crafts suggested and décor ideas for Halloween/Samhain. I also liked the reference to spooky décor! The correspondences at the end of the book were also okay.

What I didn't like about this book where the constant references to Christianity, I get the references in the first chapter as it is historically relevant, but spells with Cristian archangels on a pagan book? Really? I seriously don't get where the author was going with this.

I also didn't like the rituals chapter, as they feel too much for me, but that's my personal preference.

That said, it's a good book if you wanna learn about origins, traditions across the globe, and gather ideas to create your own celebration.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Halloween! I didn't realize Samhain was so solemn. I'm not a fan of the prayers, and gravestone rubbings damage the stones. I was surprised there was a ritual that involved sex (even if it could be symbolic). I'm a little disappointed since I didn't find this book as relevant to me as the others, although this is most definitely my favorite holiday (Halloween is, anyway). I love the cover with the pumpkin and black cat, and the purple flowers. I thought the group ritual was interesting, and it would be fun to experience without knowing what exactly was going on. I experienced interactive art at a cemetery in October where you could leave messages for the dead and that was a nice experience. Part of the group ritual reminded me of that. I don't think I'll be incorporating anything new from this book into what I already do to celebrate.

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of great information in it. I really enjoyed it. I did the solo ritual and felt really good doing it. I've been a Witch for many years and I also added my own things in with the ritual. I would recommend this book for anybody looking to expand their knowledge in the Craft and especially about Samhain. It makes for a great quick reference guide.

[Jenni Schell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect book for Samhain. It gives you a great deal of information about the holiday and rituals. Great job. I will be picking up a hard back copy for myself as soon as it's available.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for beginners and perhaps a refresher for more seasoned witches. I really like this series. They are well laid out and not too overwhelming for us witchlings.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had been meaning to read Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials collection for a while now, and happened to come across the Samhain one a week before the holiday so I picked it up. Overall, what a gorgeous little book! I read it in a couple of days but felt so much information was included, in a very digestible way. First the good things:

- Layout and design: the book is easily laid out into logical sections and the illustrations are beautiful

- Acknowledgement of the Southern Hemisphere: THANK YOU Diana for acknowledging those of us practising under a southern sky! The very first few pages shows the Wheel of the Year in both the southern and northern versions, and explains how seasons differ and how many make their own wheel of the year celebrations depending on the climate they live in. Even at the end of the book, she includes a list of other celebrations happening during Samhain in the Southern Hemisphere, and I was really touched to see ANZAC day included.

- Historical Information: Good to see a thorough reference list and very interesting section on the history of Halloween/Samhain and the different cultures and religions who celebrate this Festival of the Dead. You don't even have to be Pagan to enjoy this section, I think many would be interested in the origins of Jack O Lanterns and dressing up as monsters. Plus, I liked the good Pagan history - the author acknowledges that the Pagan Wheel of the Year was only formalised in the 1940s and 1950s - no inaccurate 'Wicca is a religion that was actually practised for hundreds of years pre-Christianity' myth that was ubiquitous in Pagan texts of the 1980s and 1990s.

- Ideas for celebrating Samhain - there is just SO much here. So many ideas for foods, crafts, rituals and celebrations, suitable for all levels and whether you are celebrating solitary, in a couple of a group. There's a whole section of additional reading as well.

For the negatives.... honestly, I can't think of many! The only improvement I would make in the book, is to include a section on Gods & Goddesses for Samhain. There is a prayer section that offers a number of prayers and songs to various deities, but I didn't know why some were included - I don't know Egyptian mythology well enough to understand why Anubis would be considered suitable for Samhain for example. I would have included one more section that listed these gods and goddesses, plus included a short paragraph about who they are and their mythology/how that myth relates to Samhain.

However, that really is a small negative in what is overall a lovely and well-thought out book! I look forward to reading the other books in the series.

[Cari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been working on reading and collecting all eight editions of Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials in order to more fully appreciate each season within the wheel of the year and utilize themes from each sabbat in order to achieve spiritual and personal growth.

Samhain: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Halloween has been the book I've most looked forward to in this collection as it is the time of year when the veil is most thin and thereby the time when Spirit is most readily available. I also knew that there would be a lot of interesting lore and colorful history of Samhain: how it was celebrated by the pagans of old and how it has been adapted throughout the centuries into what we now know as Halloween, All Souls Day, and All Saints Day. As far as the pagan deities, I was interested in the fact that the goddesses discussed were largely of the crone identity of the triple goddess, stemming from many different pantheons and ancient cultures: Hecate, the Morrigan, Lillith, Kali... as well as gods associated with the Underworld.

I'm cutting myself off here, as I could probably rattle on forever about the significance of Samhain and all the cool little things I learned from Diana Rajchel while reading this. 🎃

[Justyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Samhain: Rituals, Recipes & Lore is another cool nonfiction book to get you more connected to the historical and spiritual side of Halloween. Whether or not you're a practicing witch, interested in witchcraft, or simply want to know more about Halloween, this book is a fascinating read.

Diana Rajchel presents an introduction to Samhain (aka Halloween) as the final sabbat of the year where the veil between the worlds is thinnest. From the spiritual side of honoring the dead to the lighter Halloween celebrations, Rajchel presents rituals and spells as well as recipes and crafts.

Having read a few similar books before, Samhain wasn't particularly new with the content and ideas. However, it was a good overview of the holiday. I liked how the Old Ways gave a brief overview of Samhain's history and how a some of those traditions and rituals have evolved into what we know as Halloween. The section on New Ways covers various cultures and practices in the modern day. Spells and divination covers Samhain's overlap with fortune telling and predicting the future. Recipes and crafts present a fun selection of food and things to make for the occasion. Prayers and invocations as well as the final section on rituals go into the more spiritual side of the holiday. Ultimately, Rajchel's ideas give you a starting point, but how one celebrates Samhain depends on the person. Overall, Samhain: Rituals, Recipes & Lore is a book I'll reference again during the spooky season.

[Em · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book recently because one of our baby witches was discussing doing grave rubbings she said she read it in the Samhain Rituals book. I decided to pick up the book as Grave rubbings are illegal and/or banned in many states. Grave rubbings are vandalism.

Over all the recipes and most of the crafts are great. Some I have been doing for years. For most basics this is a good book.

However, I am not just a witch but I do volunteer work at cemeteries and genealogy. While Grave rubbings were big during the 1980's and 1990's it was discovered that the rubbings actually severely damage headstones. Especially the older headstones. Many states if you do a headstone rubbing you will get arrested. Some cemeteries will kick you out and ban you which could be bad if you have relatives buried in that cemetery. Basically regardless of if you use a crayon as recommended in the book or charcoal or chalk. What happens is the pressure from rubbing actually damages the stone around the words. It basically breaks away the fragile lettering around the name and words. Obviously Diana Rajchel was not aware. I do hope that there is a way to make sure that people get educated that rubbings should not be done on headstones.

[Bravebook · Rating 5 out of 5]

W tym okresie wielu pogan i czarownic obchodzi swoje ważne święto 😍
Jego nazwa, podobnie jak tytuł książeczki z serii sabaty, brzmi "Samhain"!

Wiąże się z nim wiele legend i ludowych tradycji, bowiem ludzie oddają cześć swoim zmarłym od tysięcy lat. Autorka tej książeczki przybliża czytelnikom pogańskie korzenie tego święta w wielu kulturach. Obrzędy, symbolika, legendy, czczeni w tym czasie bogowie i bóstwa - wiele z tego zostało tu wspomniane.

Jednak nie tylko, znajdziemy tu również przykłady współczesnych obchodów Samhain w różnych zakątkach świata oraz ugrupowaniach. To solidna pigułka wiedzy dla wszystkich, którzy dopiero rozpoczynają poszukiwania w tym temacie.

Jak zwykle w tej serii, w tym tomie również nie mogło zabraknąć przepisów kulinarnych oraz propozycji na wykonanie jakiegoś rękodzieło. Znajdzie się również szereg przykładowych zaklęć lub rytuałów dla początkujących czarownic 😁

Samhain jako sabat wyjątkowo mnie urzekł w tym roku, mocniej poczułam jego atmosferę, a i lektura tej książeczki bardzo podkręciła we mnie tę atmosferę 😃

Bardzo lubię tę serię i myślę, że wielu miłośników różnorakich tradycji, zwłaszcza tych pogańskich, znajdzie w niej wiele cennych informacji i ciekawostek 😃

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I read from the new Llewellyn Sabbat Essentials series. With a few repetitions throughout the book, it was still an interesting read. Unfortunately I always find the activities in these kind of books not so easily doable here in Germany as they probably would be in the US. But I did enjoy the more serious or solemn approach to celebrate Samhain. I especially liked the ritual idea for couples and might try that if my partner agrees to it (not Pagan, but agnostic). I am looking forward to the next few books in the series already ordered since those are my favorite sabbats. The history part in the beginning was especially fascinating and I hope this will continue throughout the series. I also like the Prayers section although I did not care much for the ones in this particular book. A quick read to get you in the mood for the sabbat and a good inspiration for things you can do.

[Danna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just started this series and have found it to be an interesting, accessible introduction to the basic principles (historic and modern) of how various communities have and do celebrate the quarter and cross-quarter days. It’s a nice blend of new ideas and reminders of things known. I’ve long been fascinated by the intersections of science, folk customs, mythology, religion, and the general human need to mark time and celebrate milestones with customs and rituals. I love tuning in to the quarter and cross-quarter days because science is cool, and because these are cycles within which all living beings exist. It feels needful, somehow, to acknowledge and honor the passing seasons in some way, to maintain a connection to the natural world from which much of modern society separates us.

[Aurah Gqunefere Whitethorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. The main selling point for me when I purchased it was the sizable bibliography - about 9 pages long. The first half of the book was wonderful, beautifully researched and clearly informed. The second half got into the more spiritual stuff, and, as no two pagans are alike, I really didn't connect with this part. But, that has nothing to do with it being 'bad' and more to do with it not being my cup of tea - anything based in the beliefs/works of Aleister Crowley really isn't my thing.

Overall, I really did enjoy this book as an informative piece in understanding history and practices for Samhain, and will likely purchase others in the series to further educate myself and make choices for my practice!

[Christine Whittington · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read other books in the Llewellyn's Sabbat Essentials series and enjoyed several, especially Yule. This was not my favorite, despite the many possibilities that Samhain presents. As another reviewer mentioned, there was a lot of "fun things to do with kids" that will be nothing new to most people who have grown up carving jack-o-lanterns and trick-or-treating. There is a sections of prayers that I suspect the author devised herself, because they have no historical citation. A fair number of intriguing recipes are included, but not the author does not always tell why they are relevent to this time of year. Rajchel has a dry sense of humor that I enjoyed. The series is excellent; this book not so much.

[Virginie M · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, this book in the series of Sabaths is really well made, with lots of details on the history and traditions of various groups. This is the part I enjoy the most in these books, along with the great recipes and ritual suggestions. The only part I liked less was the obvious descriptions of modern Halloween: too much time is spent on these descriptions and everyone already know them. I think it would have been interesting to spend more time detailing Dia de los muertos or other celebrations around the world instead. Other than that, a good and easy book to read in October for your preparations!

[Heidi’s Zee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Het historische begin sprak mij het meest aan met een verscheidenheid van onderwerpen die behandeld werden en de konijnenhollen die je ermee in kon gaan.

Door het geheel te lezen en verschillende oude culturele tradities te vergelijken heb ik naar mijn gevoel een goed gevoel gekregen van de essentie van het feest. Zelf zal ik nog veel werk doen hoé ik het zal vieren maar het boek was een goede inspiratie. Dan zal ik er ook wat recepten en incantaties bijpakken, al heb ik er minder aan omdat het niet Nederlands is.

[gaymoonreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that was super enlightening! I think it has a lot of great info for just about anything you can be doing during and prior to Samhain as well as the history of the holiday and any holidays inspired by Samhain. It has spells and rituals and crafts and decorations and recipes and it is just super helpful for anyone wanting to celebrate Samhain and I definitely recommend this one to any newbie Witch or Wiccan!

[eb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know why I haven't been able to connect very easily with this series from Llewellyn. I think it's the heavy reliance on the more "religious" aspects of the Sabbats. I don't connect with the goddesses and gods or the rituals that have lots of rhymey chants, and that seems prevalent in this installment in particular and this series in general.

There's some interesting history here which I enjoyed reading about. But I actually found much more practice and useful info searching online!