October, how we love you! Blessed be the season of the Witch. As you likely know, Samhain is a time of honoring the ancestors, of banishing, releasing, divining, and communicating with the Otherworld.

As we begin to decorate our homes for Halloween, we also begin to set the altar. Common autumnal altar decor includes gourds, fallen leaves, pomegranates, veils, bones, and photos of our dearly departed.

Whether ancestral by blood or spirit, the deceased are with us always. This is the best time of the month to make an offering of flowers. Offer roses or whatever feels right, and place them in a vase without water so that they will be dead by Samhain. By the light of a single black candle, declare:

Mighty Ancestors, hear me now; the
veil grows thin, we lift the shroud.
Accept this offering of flowers bright;
you are loved, in darkness and light.

Extinguish the candle.