Samhain (October 31)

Place upon the altar apples, pomegranates, pumpkins, squashes, and other
Late autumn fruits Autumn flowers such as marigolds and chrysanthemums are
Fine too. Write on a piece of paper an aspect of your like which you wish to
Be free of. The cauldron or some other similar tool must be present before
The altar as well, on a rivet or some other heat-proofed surface. A small,
Flat dish marked with an eight spoked wheel symbol should also be there.
(This is exactly what it sounds like. Paint a large circle. Put a dot in the
Center of the circle and paint eight spokes coming from the dot to the edge
Of the circle. Voila! You have a wheel symbol, a symbol of the Sabbats, a
Symbol of timelessness. )

Prior to the ritual, sit quietly and think of the friends and loved ones who
Have passed away. Do not despair. Know that they have gone on to greater
Things. Keep firmly in mind that the physical isn't the absolute reality,
And that souls never die.

Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer and cast a circle, if you do
This.
Lift one of the pomegranates and with your freshly washed white handled
Knife, pierce the skin of the fruit. Remove the several seeds and place them
On the wheel.

Raise your wand, face the altar and say:

"On this night of Samhain I mark your passing,
O Sun King, thorough the sunset into the Land of the Young,
O mark also the passing of all who have gone before,
And all who will go after. O Gracious Goddess,
Eternal Mother, You who gives birth to the fallen,
Teach me to know that in the time of the greatest
Darkness there is the greatest light."

Taste the seeds. Look down at the wheel.
Light a fire within the Cauldron (a candle is fine). Sit before it, holding
The piece of paper, gazing at its flames. Say:

"Wise One of the Waning Moon'
Goddess of the starry night,
I create this fire within Your cauldron,
To transform that which is plaguing me.
My the energies be reversed:
From darkness, light!
From bane, good!
From death, birth!"

Light the paper in the cauldron's flames and drop it inside. As it burns,
Know that your ill diminishes, lessens and finally leaves you as it is
Consumed within the universal fires.(The cauldron, seen as the Goddess)

If you wish, try some scrying and this is a good time to recall past lives
But leave the dead in peace. Honor them with your memories but do not call
Them to you. Release any pain and sense of loss you may feel into the
Cauldron's' flames.

Samhain Lore:

It is a tradition on Samhain night to leave a plate of food outside the home
For the souls of the dead. A candle placed in the window guides them to the
Lands of eternal summer, and burying apples in the hard-packed earth "feeds"
The passed ones on their journey.

Parts taken from Scott Cunningham-Wicca A Guide for the Solitary
Practitioner