Gerina Dunwich - Witchs Halloween: A Complete Guide to the Magick, Incantations, Recipes, Spells, and Lore

PRAISE FOR A WITCHS HALLOWEEN

This book should help the world to understand the ways of our Pagan ancestors and bring renewed respect for their traditions and beliefs.

Ellen Evert Hopman, Druidess and author of
People of the Earth: The New Pagans Speak Out

Gerinas delightful book brings you all the things you wished Halloween could be! As filled with magick as the witches cauldron of your imagination!

Rev. Paul Beyerl, author of The Master Book of Herbalism

Well written, enlightening, and lots of fun.

Raymond Buckland, author of Bucklands Complete Book of Witchcraft

Gerina Dunwich has again proven herself to be one of the worlds pre-eminent authorities on Pagan history and lore. This little gem will join her other works as a must have for all serious students of Wicca and Paganism in general.

George Hiram Derby, Master Practitioner, former director of operations, Panpipes Magickal Marketplace

Gerina Dunwich is at the height of her creative powers. The very best book of its kind available anywhere. A classic of its kind!

Lee Prosser, author of Running from the Hunter
and Desert Woman Visions: 100 Poems

ALSO BY GERINA DUNWICH

Candlelight Spells

Circle of Shadows (poetry)

The Concise Lexicon of the Occult

Everyday Wicca

Magick Potions

Wicca A to Z

The Wicca Book of Days

Wicca Candle Magick

Wicca Craft

Wicca Garden

Wicca Love Spells

Wicca Spellbook

Wiccans Guide to Prophecy and Divination

Your Magickal Cat

The Modern Witchs Complete Sourcebook

Exploring Spellcraft

Herbal Magick

The Cauldron of Dreams

A Witchs Guide to Ghosts and the Supernatural

Dunwichs Guide to Gemstone Sorcery

Phantom Felines and Other Ghostly Animals

A WITCHS
HALLOWEEN

A Complete Guide to
the Magick, Incantations,
Recipes, Spells, and Lore

Gerina Dunwich

Copyright 2007 by Gerina Dunwich

All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

The Provenance Press name and logo design are registered trademarks of F+W Publications, Inc.

Published by Adams Media, an F+W Publications Company
57 Littlefield Street
Avon, MA 02322
www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN-10: 1-59869-340-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-59869-340-9
eISBN: 978-1-44051-664-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dunwich, Gerina.
A witchs Halloween / Gerina Dunwich.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-1-59869-340-9 (pbk.)
ISBN-10: 1-59869-340-9 (pbk.)
1. Witchcraft. 2. Halloween. I. Title.
BF1572.H34D86 2007
299.94dc22 2007002931

Printed in the United States of America.
J I H G F E D C B A

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar
Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their product are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.
For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.

Dedication

WITH AN ABUNDANCE OF LOVE AND GRATITUDE I DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO THE MEMORY OF MY MOTHER; TO MY HUSBAND; AND TO ALL MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD WHO STRIVE TO KEEP THE OLD WAYS ALIVE. AND A HEARTFELT merci beaucoup TO STEPHANY EVANS, ANDREA NORVILLE, BARBARA SHELLEY JAMES, LEE PROSSER, AND JAMIE WOOD FOR HELPING TO MAKE THIS BOOK POSSIBLE.

Contents

CHAPTER ONE
THE HALLOWED BEGINNINGS

CHAPTER TWO
RITUAL AND REVELRY

CHAPTER THREE
HALLOWEEN: A PAGAN PERSPECTIVE

CHAPTER FOUR
THE SYMBOLS OF HALLOWEEN

CHAPTER FIVE
HALLOWEEN LEGEND, LORE, AND TRIVIA

CHAPTER SIX
HALLOWEEN HERB LORE

CHAPTER SEVEN
SUPERSTITIONS AND OMENS

CHAPTER EIGHT
DIVINATIONS AND INCANTATIONS

CHAPTER NINE
THE WITCHES SABBAT

CHAPTER TEN
WIZARDRY AND ENCHANTMENTS

CHAPTER ELEVEN
A TRADITIONAL HALLOWEEN COOKERY

O n the last day of October, when the darkness of night drapes the sky like a shroud and the crisp air grows sweet with the aroma of fallen autumn leaves, magick and mystery abound. This is the night when the shadow realm beckons and the veil that separates the world of the living from the world of the dead grows most thin. The Great Wheel of the Year has once again completed its cycle, and the time of endings and beginnings has arrived. This is Halloween.

Known by many namesSamhain, Shadowfest, Old Hallowmas, All Hallows Eve, Festival of the Deadthis special night of the year is the most important of the eight annual Sabbats, which are holy days that revolve around seasonal transitions and agricultural observances celebrated by pagans and witches throughout the world. It is a time when the spirits of deceased loved ones and friends are honored, as well as a time to gaze into the world of things yet to come.

To the average person, the most common images associated with Halloween are monstrous and macabre. But it may surprise you to learn that to many modern-day witches and pagans, this jack-o-lantern-lit night is the most sacred night of the year and a time to momentarily put aside ones troubles and enjoy some good, old-fashioned pagan mirth and merriment.

If there ever were a Season of the Witch, it would have to be Halloween.

In the Middle Ages, Europeans believed that on Halloween witches took to the sky to celebrate their Sabbat until the rising of the sun. Hundreds of years later, modern witches and pagans still gather every October 31 to celebrate the holiday with rituals, chanting, song and dance, sacred bonfires, traditional pagan feasts, and various methods of divinationespecially those of an amatory nature.

For pagans the world over, Halloween is, among other things, a night of ancestors, a harvest festival, a time of magick and mirth, and a New Years Eve celebration. Halloweens roots are undeniably pagan; yet, Halloween and its celebration should not be restricted to witches and others who identify themselves as neo-pagans. Halloween is a festive holiday that can, and should, be enjoyed by all, regardless of age, cultural background, or religious point of view.