22 Samhain Quotes to Inspire You This Halloween

Spark your inspiration with these 22 quotes about Samhain: the Witches’ New Year

Blessed Samhain and Happy Halloween!

Although this time of year is plenty inspiring all on its own, here are 22 quotes to bring even more magic to your day.

1. “Samhain translates prosaically as “summer’s end.” It marks the end of the light half of the Celtic year and the beginning of the dark half. The border between years is distinguished by the border between worlds.”

~ Judika Illes in The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

2. “It is traditional 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.”

~ Scott Cunningham in Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner

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3. “Practically, a besom [broom] is used at Samhain to sweep away the last of the autumn leaves; but its also used to ritually sweep out old energy and create space for the new.”

~ Lisa Lister in Witch: Unleashed. Untamed. Unapologetic.

4. “At Samhain, the circle of the year has come to its final spoke in the Wheel. At this time, the harvest has finished, the dying god interred, and the goddess has descended to the underworld to be with her beloved. Above, her people prepare for the veil between the worlds to thin; dead ancestors will be visiting, and with the harvest tools put away. there’s a new year to think about, resources to manage, goodbyes to say, and plans to make. Meanwhile, the now barren land gives way to the rulership of the Crone.”

~ Diana Rajchel in Samhain: Rituals, Recipes, and Lore for Halloween

5. “Because of the veil being thin and spirits wandering, ghosts and graves are woven into the culture and celebration of this sabbat. According to Druidic traditions, prayers, food, and offerings of burning candles to the dead and the Good People (the fae, or Sidhe) were left on doorsteps and on altars at Samhain. These offerings were also left at places thought to be Sidhe mounds, as the mounds were open and the Sidhe were out and wandering. They could be disguised as masked revelers or as ordinary people traveling about.”

~ Ellen Dugan in Seasons of Witchery: Celebrating the Sabbats with the Garden Witch

6. “If there’s one day you can really let your inner freaky witch out, it’s on Samhain. Also known as the witch’s New Year, Samhain celebrates all we’ve accomplished and allows us to do so alongside those who have made it happen: our ancestors. The veil that separates us from them is like a curtain, and we’re able to peek behind it much more easily now than at any other time of year.”

~ Gabriela Herstik in Inner Witch: A Modern Guide to the Ancient Craft

7. “Witches traditionally associate the feast of Samhain with two specific aspects of deity: the crone (or the hag) and the Lord of Death, who is also the Lord of the Underworld. Each of these aspects of deity signifies the process of human aging, cessation of life and death itself. The crone and the Lord of Death represent the wisdom that comes with age and the mysteries of passage through to the Summerland, the Witches’ mythic place of rest and regeneration after death.”

~ Timothy Roderick in Wicca: A Year and a Day: 366 Days of Spiritual Practice in the Craft of the Wise

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8. “Wiccans believe that the Goddess is in her crone or wise woman phase at Samhain. The energy of this sabbat is turned inward, and during this time Wiccans enter a more reflective part of the year where they rest and wait for the rebirth of the God at Yule and later the spark of life at Imbolc.”

~ Thea Sabin in Wicca for Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy & Practice

9. “Stories of the dead walking the earth [at Samhain] were the origin of our Halloween ghosts and goblins running wild. Originally, ancestors were revered on this day, as they still are by many people across the world. On Samhain, the god was in the underworld, regenerating from his summer death, and, in many myths, the goddess descends into the underworld, as marked by the slumber of the earth, to join him.”

~ Christopher Penczak in City Magick: Spells, Rituals, and Symbols for the Urban Witch

10. “The pagan Samhain is not, and never was, associated with evil or negativity. It has always been a time to reaffirm our belief in the oneness of all spirits, and in our firm resolution that physical death is not the final act of existence. Though death is very much a part of Samhain’s symbolism, this sabbat also celebrates the triumph of life over death.”

~ Edain McCoy in The Sabbats: A Witch’s Approach to Living the Old Ways

11. “The hazelnut is associated with Samhain because it is one of the last things to be harvested. The hazel tree itself was revered by the Celtic peoples as a symbol of wisdom and divination. It is customary to string nine hazelnuts together (hazel is the ninth month in the Celtic tree calendar), tie the ends together, and consecrate it in the smoke of the Samhain fire. The hazelnut ring is then hung in the house as a protective amulet for the coming year.”

~ Sandra Kynes in A Year of Ritual: Sabbats and Esbats for Solitaries and Covens

12. “The winter quarter of Samhain brings restoration and renewal, as the cold weather closes in, so the soul is led to more reflective depths. It is traditionally associated with the remembrance of the ancestors, with the coming of death and the conception of new life. In the human growth cycle, Samhain corresponds to the period of old age when wisdom, freedom of spirit and clarity are experienced. Samhain is a good time to celebrate the lives of all wise elders, all those whose actions and ideas have brought resolution and peace, all holy ones whose sacrifice have brought new life and opened spiritual thresholds to all.” 

~ Caitlin Matthews in Celtic Devotional: Daily Prayers and Blessings

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13. “Samhain. All Hallows. All Hallow’s Eve. Hallow E’en. Halloween. The most magical night of the year. Exactly opposite Beltane on the wheel of the year, Halloween is Beltane’s dark twin. A night of glowing jack-o’-lanterns, bobbing for apples, tricks or treats, and dressing in costume. A night of ghost stories and seances, tarot card readings and scrying with mirrors. A night of power, when the veil that separates our world from the Otherworld is at its thinnest. A ‘spirit night,’ as they say in Wales.”

~ Mike Nichols in The Witches’ Sabbats 

14. “At Samhain, the sun’s passage through Scorpio marks the true significance of the holiday. Scorpio is fixated by the dark mysteries of life and death – and it’s ruled by Pluto, the lord of the dead.” 

~ Corrine Kenner, “Cosmic Sway” in Llewellyn’s 2018 Sabbats Almanac

15. “Samhain is a holiday infused with positive energy and filled with hope for our planet’s future. With the icy, cold months of Winter about to begin, it is fitting that on every Samhain eve the Morrighan, one of a triplicity of Celtic Goddesses with the power to give birth to a new land, celebrates Her ritual union with the Dagda, the ‘Good God,’ one of the highest, most illustrious of the Celtic Gods. The Morrighan is a Goddess of gigantic proportions, Who is straddling the two sides of a river when She encounters the Dagda eating from a cauldron along the river’s edge. Although She possesses a complexity of abilities both good and bad, the Morrighan’s role on this night is to reaffirm life in the face of Winter’s impending hardships and struggles.”

~ Laurie Cabot in Celebrate the Earth: A Year of Holidays in the Pagan Tradition

16. “Southwestern witches sometimes combine features from the Mexican Day of the Dead with Celtic Pagan customs on Samhain. People decorate their altars to mark the sabbat, often displaying photos of deceased loved ones. During the week before Samhain, they go house to house, visiting the altars of friends and relatives, saying prayers and paying respects. You, too, might wish to honor the memories of your deceased loved ones by placing photos, mementos, and offerings on your altar during Samhain.”

~ Skye Alexander in The Modern Guide to Witchcraft: Your Complete Guide to Witches, Covens, and Spells

17. “The magic of Samhain is that of endless possibility. Since we return to the beginning, we can begin anew in any way we wish.”

~ Michael Furie in Supermarket Sabbats: A Magical Year Using Everyday Ingredients

18. “Samhain is considered by some to be the most important sabbat. This is because it represents the core experiences of the Craft: of traveling between the worlds, of experiencing death and rebirth, and of ultimately transcending both in the process; of not being afraid to face the darkness, or to think about that which we have lost; of not being afraid of the changes in our lives; of turning negative experiences into opportunities for learning.”

~ Jennifer Hunter in 21st Century Wicca: A Young Witch’s Guide to Living the Magical Life

19. “Samhain marks the end of the Celtic year and, after a three-day observance, the beginning of the next agricultural cycle. Just as a seed begins its existence in the dark of the soil, so does the new year begin in the dark of winter, which is the time to rest, take stock of the past year’s accomplishments, and dream of future goals.”

~ Ellen Evert Hopman in The Sacred Herbs of Samhain: Plants to Contact the Spirits of the Dead

20. “The identification of Samhain with the beginning of the New Year comes from the Celtic tradition of each day beginning at sundown. Just as each sabbat festival begins on the eve of the celebrated day, so, too, does the year begin with the advent of winter.” 

~ Judy Ann Nock in The Modern Witchcraft Guide to the Wheel of the Year: From Samhain to Yule, Your Guide to the Wiccan Holidays

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21. “Every Samhain, a deity known as the Lord of the Dead was said to gather together the souls of all men, women, and children who had died during the previous year…[T]hey would be set free to begin their journey to the Celtic underworld of Tirna-n’Og, whose open gates awaited them.”

~ Gerina Dunwich in Witch’s Halloween: A Complete Guide to the Magick, Incantations, Recipes, Spells, and Lore

22. “The fires of all the households were extinguished before the main [Samhain] celebration fire was lit. This bonfire, also known as a needfire, contained wood from nine sacred trees and was lit by friction; later, a branch or embers from the Samhain needfire would be brought back to the homes to reignite each hearth, bringing the homes of the community together with the flame of the communal fire.”

~ Mickie Mueller in Llewellyn’s Little Book of Halloween

How will you be observing Samhain this year? Or how have you celebrated in previous years?

Please share in the comments below.

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