Samhain Natural Botanical Candle

Samhain Natural Botanical Candle

Hand-poured into apothecary jars in our studio in the Heart of Scotland.

Capture the spirit of Samhain with our sumptuous, spiced pumpkin natural candle. 

Top notes: nutmeg, orange, lemon, fruity

Heart notes: ginger, clove

Base notes: caramel, tonka, vanilla

Sizes and burn time:

Small 120g. Burn time: up to 25 hours

Medium: 180g. Burn time 35-40 hours

For an even burn pool, allow the candle to burn for 2-3 hours at a time.  After use, your amber glass jar can be re-used. If you look after your candle then you will notice the difference…a little love goes a long way.

Ingredients: Our blend is vegan friendly using rapeseed and coconut wax, infused with high quality fragrance oils and cotton wicks.

This candle will burn clean down the edges, with no wax or fragrance to spare. Providing you with at least 20 hours of room filling aromas.

All our products are vegan, cruelty-free, phthalate & paraben free - always!

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Samhain

All Souls Night, Feast of the Dead, Festival of Remembrance, Feast of Apples, New Year...

Samhain is one of the major festivals of the Wheel of the Year, for many Pagans the most important festival of all.

 

It is the third and final harvest festival of nuts and berries and a fire festival. All the harvest is in, all is complete, it is the end of the cycle of birth and growth, it is the point of death. The seeds of the harvest have fallen deep into the dark earth, they are unseen, dormant, and thus apparently lifeless.

The God, as Sun King is sacrificed back to the land with the seed until the Winter Solstice, and the Goddess, now as Crone, mourns Him until His rebirth at Yule. He travels the Underworld learning its wisdom. This is the time of the descent into darkness, of pre-conception, out of which new life, new ideas, will eventually emerge.

Traditionally the veils between the worlds are at their thinnest now. Boundaries dissolve and all is laid bare. It is time to honour and offer hospitality to, our ancestors.

At Samhain the dark half of the year commences. It is a truly magical time. Death is always followed by rebirth and while this is the end of the old year, it is the beginning of the new year. For the Celts the day did not begin at dawn, it began at sunset, it began with darkness. Light is always born out of darkness, they are inseparable, interdependent, and necessary. Darkness is fertile with 'all potential'. With the beginning of this dark phase comes the opportunity to rest and reflect on the past and to dream of new beginnings. The seed now hidden in the earth will germinate in its season. Look for the seeds in yourself!

Honouring The Ancestors

Honouring your ancestors is a very special thing to do at this time and can be done in many simple ways.

Think about all those departed souls from your life, both family and friends, children may wish to remember pets even - place photographs of them on your altar. Offer them your hospitality, welcome their presence into your home.

At your Samhain feast, consider laying an extra place for them to join you at the table - cook and eat their favourite dishes, talk about them - re-member them, bring them closer.

You and your children can make an offering for departed pets by leaving some dog food outside on Halloween night, many night creatures appreciate this offering. Be careful what you put outside - we used to put out bread and milk but are dismayed to find that this is fatal to hedgehogs - and we love hedgehogs!

Candle Ceremony for The Ancestors

This is a wonderfully simple ritual which can be shared with both friends and family, or worked alone. You can include children in it - it begins in darkness and ends full of light.

It's a great balance to trick or treating!

You will need a supply of small candles, either black or white, or a supply of night lights.

You need a heat proof container or tray of sand or earth to put them in. Place one in the centre of the container from which all the others will be lit.

Switch off all the lights and sit gently in the darkness. Allow the darkness to enfold you.

Ask for the presence of your ancestors to come to you. When you are ready, light the central candle saying

"We welcome our departed loved ones into this home and honour your presence amongst us".

Allow each person in the circle to spontaneously remember someone who has passed to the Summerlands and remember something about them and light a candle for each person from the central candle: 'I remember Great Aunt Sheila and her generosity of heart....'.

Allow this to continue for as long as it takes to complete the re-membering. You will end with a tray full of radiant candles. When all is complete, give thanks, and allow the candles to burn to completion.

Seed Scattering Charm for the Ancestors

This simple charm is designed to honour the Spirit of those who have passed onto the Summerland. The seeds you scatter will grow in memory, a gift of remembrance to the Earth.

You will need:

A packet of seeds of your choice

A small dish

A small white candle in a suitable holder

A pouch or bag for your seeds

The night before your Seed Scattering Charm, pop the seeds into the dish and light the candle. Think about the person or people you wish to honour and remember, and as you do so say 'gone from sight but not from the heart. Merry Meet Merry Part.' Or you can use your own words. Leave the seeds in the dish overnight and let the candle burn down completely - always taking safety precautions. When you are ready place the seeds in your pouch and hold the pouch in your right hand on the way to a place of your choosing. On arrival take the seeds and scatter them, saying 'You are remembered and held in my heart'. Repeat three times.

Where to do this? You can go to a favourite special place of your choice, a place that holds fond memories of the people you are honouring, or even your own garden - the idea of watching the seeds germinating and growing in honour of people you love is very special. The charm works just as well if you plant the seeds in a small pot.

This charm works very well as an offering of thanks to Spirit of Place. The instructions are exactly the same, except that when you prepare the seeds the night before the words are ' I give thanks for your beauty, it warms my heart. Merry Meet Merry Part.'

Charm donated with generous heart by the Counter Enchantress.

Credit: Goddess and Green Man.