With that being said ... I'm sort of inspired by the Double Double Toil & Trouble, October Magic Mail Theme.
Where does a person start with so much damn potential... Well
Your altar, Your crafts, Your new beginnings spell.
Ladies and Gentlemen and Witches. THE NEW YEAR IS UPON US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, enough of my sillyness, On with the links and the crafts and the celebrating! On with the APPLES and the PUMPKINS and the LEAVES and the SMELL OF THE CRISP AIR.
In the references there are links to all things in the crafts and etc to give credit to where I found the idea, and also so you can check out what other really cool shit they have going on.
Crafts
Grave Rubbings ooo spooky.
All you need for this activity is some lightweight paper, tape and a crayon. Make sure that you wipe off any offending dirt or dust that's on the tombstone first before you begin your rubbing.
After you've dusted the grave off, simply place the paper onto the tombstone and tape it up as best you can. Next, use the long side of your crayon to rub back and forth onto the paper, and you will begin to see the words on the tombstone appear on your paper. Take this home with you and use it along with your other Samhain decorations!
Recipes
Warm Drinks for Cold Samhain Nights
What better way to celebrate Samhain than with some hot apple cider?
For apple cider, take a large pot and combine 1 1/2 gallons of apple cider, 2 cinnamon sticks, 5 cloves, 1 large orange sliced thin and with the peel left on it, half of a lemon sliced thin with the peel left on it, and half a cup of sugar. Heat it until it reaches the temperature that you prefer and enjoy!
If you happen to like apple cider but don't feel up to making it yourself, you could always buy Trader Joe's spiced apple cider and use that instead. It's a delicious alternative to homemade apple cider.
For adults, homemade mulled wine is a traditional favorite. In a large pot, pour in one bottle of your favorite red wine (Merlot or Cabernet for me), one peeled and sliced orange, one peeled and sliced lemon, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 5 whole cloves, 3 cinnamon sticks, 1/2 cup of sugar, 2/3 cup brandy or cognac, and 1/2 cup of water.
Warm these ingredients for 25 minutes, but be sure to avoid accidentally boiling the mixture. Once the mulled wine is warm enough and the sugar has dissolved completely, it is ready to serve.
Don't forget to serve up some pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread and muffins with your drinks!
Celebrate By
Set Up an Ancestor Shrine
In many Pagan traditions, the ancestors are honored, especially at Samhain. This Sabbat, after all, is the night when the veil between our world and the spirit world is at its most fragile. By setting up an ancestor shrine or altar, you can honor the people of your bloodline -- your kinfolk and clansmen who have helped to shape the person you are. This altar or shrine can be set up just for the Samhain season, or you can leave it up all year long for meditation and rituals.
If you've got the room, it's nice to use an entire table for this shrine, but if space is an issue, you can create it in a corner of your dresser top, on a shelf, or on the mantle over your fireplace. Regardless, put it in a place where it can be left undisturbed, so that the spirits of your ancestors may gather there, and you can take time to meditate and honor them without having to move stuff around every time someone needs to use the table.
Also, bear in mind that you can honor anyone you like in this shrine. Someone doesn't have to be a blood relative to be part of our spiritual ancestry.
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