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In keeping with my resolution to deal with ritual theory rather than merely creating a handful of ritual scripts, I have varied the elements of ritual in this and subsequent sections. Our first two rituals, the New and Full Moon Esbats, both used formal Correllian openings. Now we will introduce you to other ideas. In this ritual instead of using the elements to prepare the ritual space, we will be using smudging. Here we will cast the Circle "hand to hand." The Quarter calls and toast will also be different from the formal casting. This will be true in each subsequent section, where we will introduce differing ideas, and mix and match them. In this way you can get a feel for the many different ways in which these things can be done. Never feel that you must do everything only one way -variety is an important ingredient in effective ritual.
SAMHAIN
Samhain is the festival of the Spirits. It is common to decorate the ritual space in a way which reflects that. Often the color black is predominant, and Hallowe'en images of skulls, skeletons or ghosts are sometimes used. Some people really get into the Hallowe'en aspect of the holiday, and their ritual space can become rather grand guignol before they're done. Others represent the holiday in different ways -for example using photos of loved ones now in the spirit world, and items which bring them to mind. Still others consider Samhain's position as the final harvest festival, and decorate with late Fall crops like pumpkins, squash, and corn. Because Samhain is also the Wiccan Liturgical New Year, some people emphasize that by using "Happy New Year" decorations.
In decorating your Samhain ritual space you should of course do what feels right to you. Again, variety is a virtue and you should never feel that you have to do what someone else has done. Make the space your own and decorate it in a manner that will have meaning to you and the others present.
Samhain is considered an especially good time for divination, and it is not uncommon to include divination in the ritual or after the ritual. Assuming you have a feast after your ritual, you might want to set a place for the spirits at the table. Or you might want to hold a Silent Supper: this is an old ritual to honor the Ancestors in which the supper is eaten in complete silence -sometimes the dishes are served in reverse order, and people enter and leave the room walking backwards, to emphasize in a highly literal way that they are communing with the Other side. There are so many possible things to do for Samhain that we could not begin to describe them all, but independent research on the subject will give you many good ideas. Just remember that in putting together a ritual the only people you need to think about pleasing are the people there.