Thanks to the Harvesters
(from the Free Folk Tradition)
By Thermal


So once again the wheel has turned to this time. Again We sit at the long table of the Harvest with Death, The Harvesters, to celebrate the work we do.

My friends and my foes, I have opened the eyes of my Spirit wide to be here. I see you, and although my every wit and guile and Magick and Science is turned to battle against you, I honor you and thank you for your help with the
Hunt, and with the Harvest.

Although you sometimes show only one face, and all of my sorrow and loss has been brought by you, and you take from me what I have Loved most, I forgive you, and thank you for what you have given me.

You the Eldest, Time and Space, sitting at the head of the table, Grandmother and Grandfather of all Life, Mother and Father of the Gods, We have named you Death for many millenia, You who swing the Scythe which Reaps All Things and You who are the Cauldron Into Which All Things Must Fall. I see you there within me and about me, and I thank you for the time and place of my living.
For me you raised up Suns, and slew them in mighty explosions, to fuse the dust of shattered atoms which drifted for endless aeons to be gathered here
into this Earth and become my being.

So I thank Death for every atom of my body.

Mother Earth and Father Sun, upon whose Face and in whose Light I dance, I see the Death within You and about You. For You, dying Sun, burning the
substance of Your being, Give the Light which warms the sleeping Earth. And You, sweet Earth, from whose Face I have arisen, and into whose body I will return in decay, Who dance Living in me, have stirred Your fertile soil in the Cauldron of countless dyings.

So I thank Death for my flesh, and the Light of Life which has bidden it to Dance.

Mother and Father of Life, Great Tree who is the Earth's robe and the Growing Change which Shapes it, I see the Death within You and about You. For
You who give Birth to all that Live receive the failed to be reborn, and You who are the Hunter and the Reaper return the weak unto Her, and so have shaped the Face of all that Live.

So I thank Death for my form, and my forming, for my quickness and wit and strength.

Mother of Mothers and Father of Fathers, the Door Into Life and the Key which Unlocks the Door, I see the Death within You and about You. For each new Spirit awakened into the flesh of another Living is a leaf upon the Great Tree, and other leaves must fall to make it its place, and to fuel its growing and doing.

So I thank Death for my Birth, and for the passings which planted the Seed of me.

And my own Mother and Father, who are the truest faces the God and Goddess have shown me, I see the Death whithin you and about you. For you,
Mother, who stood naked and alone, bleeding and crying out in pain before the naked face of Death to be the Door into my Life, and you, Father, who won the long struggle against Death to unlock that Door, are the face of Life which has prevailed against its long Dying.

So I thank Death for the Courage and the Will to stand against it, and although it will have me in the end, for the Love which leads me to Celebrate the battle.

So We sit at the table of the Harvest, and all of the Feast before us has been prepared by Death, and We drink a toast to You in all Your faces and forms.

Beloved friends and deadly foes.
For the Gifts You have given us, We thank you.
For the Sorrow You have given us, We forgive you.
Go as you must, do as you Will,
We will always do you Honor in our hearts.

En Garde!




A Candle Spell for Samhain

Take one black or dark brown candle and one orange or white candle.

The black/brown candle is to draw out and ground all the unwanted influences in your life and send it back to the earth to be neutralized and rendered harmless. This spell is especially good if your luck for the last year seemed to be continually unfavorable or you have been ill or if you have had to end an unhealthy relationship (romantic or otherwise) with someone. All these things can leave behind unwanted energy residue and will help to bring final closure to the matter so you can start fresh.

Hold the candle with the point end away from you and anoint the candle from the bottom toward the tip moving away from you. Be sure to hold the candle firmly and envision it drawing all the unwanted influences out of you and out of your life locking them in the candle. If you like you can even inscribe into the wax of the candle something like "To draw away harmful energy and influences".

You can also write on a piece of paper all the harmful things you want to banish and ground out of your life and place it beneath the candle holder then burn the paper in the candle flame just before it goes out. After you have done this place the candle in the holder and say out loud the intent of your spell then light the candle and let it to burn itself out.

Now, getting back to orange/white candle. The forces of the Universe dislike having a vacuum so if you banish or ground something it's best to have something positive to fill in the space left behind. If you don't take control of this the Universe will decide what to put in it's place instead. While it maybe something good it could also be something not so good so it's best to decide for yourself what sort of influences you want to bring into your life. So the light colored candle will represent all the good things you want to bring into your life whether it's a new healthier love relationship, a new and better job or a healthier body.

Hold this candle as you did the first one with point away from you but this time anoint the candle from the top towards the bottom drawing good energy toward you. Infuse the candle with your thoughts and desires to attract all the helpful energies you want to come into your life. As before you may want to inscribe the candle with a phrase such as "To attract helpful beneficial energies into my life".

Write on piece or paper each influence you want and remember to be very specific about you want. If you simply ask for money then you might end up loosing a relative or family member just to gain the inheritance. If you ask for new lover you may just get another person who is readily available but still not the right kind of person you want and once again you'll end up unhappy. After you've written down what you want, place the paper beneath the candle holder of the light colored candle and leave it there until the candle burns out. After that you may leave it on the altar or seal it in an envelope until your wishes come true. When they do make an offering of thanks and then burn the paper. If you've put all your wishes on one piece of paper then cross off the one that has come true and place it back in the envelope. Ideally you might want to use one piece of paper for each wish and limit your wish making to only 3. No need to be greedy here, right?

If you wish, spend some time meditating on the changes you want to manifest into your life. Keep your thoughts focused and upbeat and remember to keep your intentions in the form of "power with" not "power over". That means not using your power to dominate or force your will over another as well making sure that your will brings about what you want in a way that does not cause harm or ill will to another. Remember, your intentions return to you threefold.

Another Spell for Samhain


It is the beginning of the new year and the end of the harvest season. The time when we, along with our Mother Earth, prepare for the coming winter. We see the trees begin to surrender their leaves, cast off because they are no longer needed. The dry leaves fall to the ground to be consumed by Mother Earth and transformed into nourishment for the trees and plants in the coming spring.

So taking a cue from Mother Earth think about the things in your life that you no longer need, those things that no longer serve you and shed them like the trees shed their leaves.

Write them down on a piece of paper. Bless them and cast them into a fire to be consumed. Cast them from you so that something new and more suited to your needs now, can take their place.