The Season of the Witch
We often think of Halloween/Samhain as the season of the witch, but did you know it’s an actual timeframe passed down from our ancestors? The Season of the Witch starts on the Fall Equinox and extends to the “Wild Hunt,” a Norse tradition that occurs around Yule. During the Season of the Witch, the veil between the worlds is especially thin, allowing us to connect with our ancestors and the spirit world.
Best Types of Magick for the Season of the Witch
With the veil at one of its thinnest points in the year between Mabon and Yule, this season is perfect for shadow work, gratitude magick, and nourishing your inner witch. Even our secular holiday of Thanksgiving focuses on gratitude and nourishment.
It’s also a great time to try some of these practices:
- Divination – Tarot, oracle readings, lithomancy, scrying, and more.
- Kitchen witchcraft – Especially baking and nourishing foods like soups and stews.
- Releasing rituals – This is great before the Witches’ New Year of Samhain!
- Protection spells – With the thinner veil, casting these spells is always a good idea.
- Gratitude magick – For the harvests of the year.
- Shadow work – To heal your witch wound and nurture your inner child.
- Cleansing and banishing – Use the heightened spiritual presence to clear your space of negativity.
Some more specific practices for the season of the witch include the Dumb Supper and setting up an ancestor altar.
Dumb Supper
A dumb supper is a pagan tradition held during the Season of the Witch, especially near Samhain. It is a beautiful way to honor loved ones who have passed over. To perform a simple dumb supper:
- Cleanse the area to prepare for the ritual. Have everyone write a message to their loved one on a piece of paper and keep it to themselves.
- Set a place for each passed loved one or a place at the head of the table to honor all passed loved ones. Place a candle in front of the spot(s) and light it at the beginning of the dinner.
- A dumb supper is silent for all participants, so be sure to have everything ready before the supper begins (salt, pepper, drinks, etc.).
- Serve all spots, including the one(s) for all the deceased. No one is to begin eating until all places are served.
- When everyone has finished eating, approach the spirit’s chair and burn your message to them in their candle flame. Express your gratitude and exit.
Correspondences for the Season of the Witch
The same herbs, incense, and gemstones for Mabon, Samhain, and Yule are appropriate for the season of the witch. Here are some of our favorites:
Herbs & Incense
- Bay – Protection, psychic powers, clairvoyance
- Chrysanthemum – Truth, protection, strength
- Frankincense – Awareness, astral realm, purification
- Galangal – Banishment, consecration, support
- Hazel – Wisdom, the Underworld, divination
- Rosemary – Afterlife, endings, dreamwork
- Sandalwood – Awakening, visions, life
- Solomon’s Seal – Decisions, banishing, purification
- Thistle – Hex-breaking, empowerment, trust
- Wormwood – Binding, guidance, divination
Oils
- Angelica – Peace, hex-breaking, divination
- Cedar – Community, longevity, introspection
- Chamomile – Calm, sensitivity, insights
- Coriander – Protection, healing, blessings
- Cyprus – Rebirth, renewal, the Underworld
- Myrrh – Change, honor, death
- Myrtle – The afterlife, life cycles, release
- Peppermint – Consciousness, cleansing, prosperity
- Vervain – Optimism, dreamwork, prophecy
Gems and Minerals
- Bloodstone – Consecration, rebirth, faith
- Brass – Prosperity, wealth, reversal
- Carnelian – Astral realm, focus, protection
- Jet – Afterlife, sleep, grief, clairvoyance
- Obsidian – Clarity, messages, divination
- Onyx – Transformation, dreamwork, visions
- Ruby – Connections, protection, wisdom
- Silver – Awareness, dreamwork, psychic abilities, breaking hexes
- Smoky Quartz – Consciousness, purification, prophecy
So, with nearly three months in OUR season, how will you celebrate the Season of the Witch?
Stay magickal,
Megan W.