What is everyone doing for Samhain?
Any group rituals?
Solitary rituals?
Just let me know please!!!
Need some new ideas for Samhain!!
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Hiii, I hope everything is okay with you. I wasn’t going to do anything too complex, even something as simple as invoking Hecate and trying to connect with my ancestors, but my house is old and it rained.Inside my room and I had to put away the altars and everything, and I don’t have any more space at home to do it (I live with Catholics). Do you have any suggestions for celebrating Samhain?
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You live with Catholics? I am so sorry! lol, I understand not having much space. I live in an apartment. My main altar is quite literally my TV stand. 
Does your family celebrate Halloween? You could sneak in some pagan additions to the festivities! lol
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Hiiiii, yea Unfortunately, here in Portugal we don’t celebrate, we sell things, but it’s more for parties.
I don’t even know how I’m going to be able to celebrate, do you have any suggestions?
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Darn, I was afraid you were going to say that!
Doing something for your ancestors is a perfect - a simple temporary family altar could be a few small pictures of actual passed family members, set up with a candle for each one, and putting out some of their favorite things as offerings. Favorite scents, foods, drinks, colors & fabrics, etc.
Alternatively, if you don’t want to focus on specific passed family, you can instead offer something to respect gods of death & the underworld. Hecate would be good if she has that aspect!
For your general ancestors, Instead of photos of family, use group depictions of your prominent bloodlines and place a candle for each group. I’d speak poetry of accolades to each, that can be as long and involved, or as short as you like.
As an example, for my ancestors I have a nordic teapot depicting sailing vikings, and a beer stein that depicts a group of partying Germans. (Still missing a Welsh object..) I place both at the center of my altar with the candles and symbolic offerings. The most traditional ancestral worship practices were full-on celebrations that would be long and loud, which I’m privileged to be able to be, but you could meditate in silence for a while too and simply enjoy their presence. I leave the candles and the established space open to them until after midnight.
Hope that helps!
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A good witchcraft worship altar is a personal and sacred space, often including a cloth, representations of deities or the elements, and tools like candles, crystals, or a cauldron. A common layout represents the four elements, with a candle for fire, a bowl of water, incense for air, and salt or a plant for earth. The most important aspect is that the items and arrangement are meaningful to the individual and support their unique spiritual practice.
Common components and arrangements
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Altar cloth:
A cloth to cover the surface, which can be a simple shelf, a corner of a dresser, or a dedicated piece of furniture.
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The four elements:
A common practice is to represent the four elements, which can be done in various ways:
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Earth: A bowl of dirt, a plant, or a crystal.
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Air: A feather or a stick of incense.
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Fire: A candle or a piece of charcoal.
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Water: A bowl of water or a glass of water.
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Deities:
If you work with deities, you can include representations such as statues or symbols, and sometimes separate candles for the God and Goddess.
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Tools:
Depending on your practice, you might add tools like an athame, wand, or a Book of Shadows.
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Personal items:
Include items that have personal meaning, such as crystals, sentimental objects, or nature-based items like shells or feathers.
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Seasonal items:
Adjust the altar with seasonal decorations to reflect the time of year or current Sabbats.
Tips for creating your altar
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Start simple:
You don’t need many items to begin. Start with what you have and gradually add what feels right for your practice.
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Make it personal:
The altar should reflect your beliefs and interests. A “forest witch” might have forest findings, while a “kitchen witch” might include herbs and cooking utensils.
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Keep it functional:
Ensure the space is functional for your rituals. This could mean an altar cloth to keep the area clean or a dedicated space to work from.
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Allow it to evolve:
A good altar is not static. It can change and grow as you do, and that is part of the process.
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Thank you very much for the advice, I will try to put it into practice.
Yes, Hecate is a great option because she is a chthonic goddess, but besides her I think I will invoke Hades and maybe Persephone​:amphora:
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Thanks for the suggestions 
And I have a question, despite being eclectic, they are mariAnd I have a question, despite being eclectic they are mostly Hellenistic, so the athame is not mandatory, however I want to mark the candles and for some spells I need one (which also I already bought it, but they told me an athame could be a kitchen knife, which is my case, and that despite everything I’ve read saying that the athame must have a double edge (V-shaped blade) That it wouldn’t be a problem if it was a single edge (which only cuts on one side). Do you have a problem with that?
And another question, my special guide is the goddess Athena and as she is the patron saint of weavers, artisans, embroiderers and handicrafts, I wanted to offer a cross-stitch cloth and a wool knitted scarf. Therefore, I wanted to know if after offering you the scarf I can use it, also as a way of feeling the goddess’s embrace, or if it should just stay on the altar as a simple offering.
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No problem my dear! 
Oh and I know your other questions are for Marnie but I do have one answer. I don’t have an athame either! The basic purpose of an athame is to provide a sharp phallic symbol for rituals that require sexual polarity. When you think about it in that way, many things could be used as an athame. It absolutely doesn’t have to be a double-edged blade.
I use a tool like this for inscribing candles. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1301584623/hand-forged-candle-scribe
And if you want to be ultra subtle, you could use a letter-opener as an athame.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/592339503/personalized-leaf-letter-opener-hand
(Edited to make the links work.)
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No problem, thanks for you anwser
Thanks the gods haha, I’m more relieved.
This was the knife I bought haha.
When I saw her, I immediately fell in love. Simple but with the energy of an Amazon.
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Merry Meet,
That is a good-looking blade. There seems to be a lot of confusion these days about Wicca, witches, and witchcraft. One does not need to be in Wicca to practice witchcraft, regardless of all the bullshit information online. Gerald Gardner is almost exclusively credited by virtually every reliable source as having created Wicca, circa 1949. Wicca did not exist prior to 1950. It is a religion, with specific formatted rituals, rules, and guidelines. Witchcraft and magick was practiced for countless centuries prior to today’s supposed requirements for being a proper witch. For example, one book on magic in my library was written by Agrippa in 1533. The only thing mandatory is “Harm none!”, and even that is seen as more of a guideline than a rule by many practitioners. While it is often helpful to have suggestions and guidelines to help you find your way, the bottom line is that it is in fact your way. Do what feels right to you in every situation and be willing to change if and when you find a better way - better for you, that is. Sorry if I got off on a bit of a rant, but I am frustrated by how many people new to the Craft are led to believe certain tools are required and that they have to meet some imaginary specifications that are simply not based on anything close to reality. Here is what you need": A clear mind and heart and an absolute belief in yourself and your ability to manipulate the fields of energy around you to accomplish your intended goals. Everything else is fluff. Much of that fluff is extremely helpful, but never mandatory. (Of course, in five minutes I’ll probably want to add to that 
). Brightest Blessings!
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Thanks you very much for your advises. You have more?
You’re right, seeing these “rules” always made me very insecure, because despite having a strong intuition, I thought I was wrong. Nowadays, I follow my heart more (But always with a little reliable research)
For me, this knife would be more a symbol of strength and creativity than a phallic element.
I love it! Simplicity is a beauty all of its own. 
Also Marcus as always brings a good point. The Wiccan perspective is just one of many. I don’t follow the wiccan way - that’s why I don’t have an athame. I approach things from a reconstructionist pagan/theosophist perspective because that’s what feels most organic to me, having been largely raised on them. I briefly tried wicca, but it was a fling that didn’t last LOL.
The athame can symbolise whatever feels organic to you - strength is perfect!
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Yeea, After all, I’m a devotee of Athena (among the other gods), but I feel more connected to her, and since she’s a warrior goddess, a knife would symbolize that. Furthermore, the Amazon spirit that It lives within me that this symbolism deserved to be integrated. Hence, for me, it symbolizes strength (and control, as this is necessary for setting candles). And besides, it would be symbolically A form of protection from both evil spirits, evil and mental vulnerability (I have chronic depression) and Athena always protected me, always took care of me, even when I didn’t know her. That’s why I put the “athame” - the knife, would be my resistance (both in what I mentioned before and in the fact that I am pagan and unfortunately we are still frowned upon by the Abrahamic religions).
Sorry for the testament, I’m too philosophical​:rofl:
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I sometimes say that the biggest reason I call myself a witch is because it saves a lot of time explaining, or attempting to explain, my spiritual path. Brightest Blessings!
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I am glad you find strength in your connection with your athame - your blade of power. You got me thinking - what would I keep if I could only have one tool? Surprisingly, at least in this moment, I would keep my favorite ritual robe. My reasoning is this: when I don the robe, I instantly feel a connection to the Otherworld, and I feel shrouded from all the negativity of the mundane world.
Connecting with others on sites like this will likely be your best resource for learning more about the Craft. Here you will find people from all walks of life, willing to share their thoughts and ideas, what works for them and what may not. Finding someone you trust and feel safe with to provide personal one-on-one training may be helpful. BTW, when I say, “do you”, that’s assuming you aren’t a serial killer. 
Brightest Blessings!
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Hahahahha, no. Your funny,
And thank you for your kind words, that’s why I joined this coven. I learned about it through the website and felt compelled to join. And it seems that once again my intuition was right, I’ve met some very kind and wise people here. Even though it’s an online coven, you can feel the warmth, and that makes me happy.
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I 100% can relate.
Man, I wish I had a nice ritual robe!
Now you’ve got me thinking about that too. For me it’s my ritual drinking horn. It’s an indescribable feeling when I use it. Aside from its ritual significance, perhaps it’s because it’s a 100% natural material, made with little interference from human hands. That’s how I tend to like my tools - raw, fairly unformed, and in a very old style.
Always a pleasure talking with you both. I’ve been surprised at how nice it’s been here too. 
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I like your connection with your horn, especially that it is natural. With minimal sewing skills, even by hand, you can get a couple of yards of your favorite material and have a ritual robe in less than an hour. 
I have a green one that I bought; it’s okay but I prefer to make my own and imbue it with magick as I sew. One is black and purple (I was feeling creative), and one solid black, with the stereotypical witchy long pointy sleeves (that double as pockets during rituals) and a long-pointed hood - my favorite. I generally keep using my robes until I start looking like a witchy beggar, then have a ritual goodbye for it.
Talking about this, I think about how protective I am of my practice, especially my altar and consecrated tools. I rarely share even the slightest bit of info about them. I grew up in a culture of secrecy (about the Craft), and I deeply respect the importance of that silence. It’s nice to finally once again find people I can share with. Brightest Blessings!
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In all fairness, the material of the black night robe I use is quite nice (a very smooth organic cotton) but I will certainly be tempted if I find a fabric I like! It does sound quite special to have a dedicated robe like that.
Again, I know what you mean. There was such an incredible cultural pressure to keep things hidden in the old days.
Cheers.
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