Samhain Ritual for Departed Animals
Suzanne Ress
Although it is customary to remember and honor the spirits of dead human beings at Samhain, there is no reason why the spirits of our departed animal friends should be neglected. Our animal companions, so beloved whilst alive, rarely enjoy such long lifespans as we do, so, if you have or have had a pet, you will probably experience his or her death.
Honoring the spirits of our dead animal friends at Samhain, when the veil between this world and the afterworld thins and even opens up, is a way for us to accept death, even of those we love, as a natural, always recurring, part of the wheel of life.
Dumb suppers are a traditional way to celebrate Samhain, but this one has a new twist: it’s a dumb supper for departed pets.
On the evening of October 31, members of the coven (and their guests, if desired) shall meet once the sun has set and the sky grown dark, at the abode of one of the members. This ceremony is to be centered on a full evening meal. Participants are invited to bring a sweet or savory dish of some sort to share with all, but only nine—no more and no less—dishes may be placed upon the table and served, so if there are to be more than nine participants, some may bring wine or mulled cider instead, and if there are to be fewer than nine, some participants will have to bring two or more dishes each. The number of dishes includes dessert, as well as any appetizer or tidbit, such as olives, nuts, and whatnot. The host, who is in charge of planning, must make certain that there are exactly nine dishes of food for the table.
Whilst preparing a dish for this ritual supper, you should remain in complete silence, from the moment you enter your kitchen until the dish, however simple or elaborate it is, is made. It may be more challenging to accomplish this if you choose something that has a long baking time—au gratin potatoes, for instance, which may need two hours in the oven—so choose carefully what and also when you will prepare your dumb supper contribution.
The host’s table shall be laid with a black, indigo, or purple cloth, and thirteen white candles. The number of chairs around the table shall be the same as the number of participants times two.
Before beginning the supper, the dining area should be sanctified, either by drawing down the quarters and forming a sacred circle around the table and chairs, or by thoroughly censing the area with bay and rosemary incense.
Make sure that all cellular phones are switched off and left well outside the dining area.
In addition to the food, each participant is asked to bring a memento of his or her departed pet. This could be a photograph of the pet in life, a toy, a cushion or blanket the pet once drew comfort from, or some bits of the pet’s fur or other shed matter kept in a silken bag or a decorated box. It could also be some article worn by the pet—a collar or sweater—or even the scrap of such an article. What is most important is that the memento embodies the spirit of the lost pet. These mementos will be placed like name cards on the chair to the left of each pet owner’s place.
In case there are participants present who have never lost a pet, these people shall remember another now dead animal they have seen or known of, whether it be a wild bird flown against a glass window in a storm or a great buck struck down by a hunter’s bullet.
Participants shall arrive at the host’s home dressed entirely in black, wearing also black head coverings. The only jewelry permitted shall be of black iron and jet.
The doors and windows of the abode should be left unlocked and unlatched, and if the outside air temperature is not too cold, windows and doors should be left ajar, making it easier for animal spirits to enter. If the windows and doors are left open, take care to provide the candles with hurricane lamps.
The nine dishes are to be arranged on the table, the thirteen white candles lit, and all other lighting extinguished. Participants will all be seated around the table, each with an empty chair and place setting to his left.
The host shall be the last person to sit down at the table, and once she is seated, the ritual has begun. From this moment on there shall be complete silence.
In silence, the dishes shall be passed around the table widdershins, from person to person. Each participant shall first serve their own pet, placing some of each of the nine foodstuffs on the plate to their left, and then serve themselves and pass the dish onward to their right.
When every plate at the table has some of each of the nine foods upon it, the host shall raise a silent toast to the spirits of all the departed pets. Make sure that each pet’s glass is full, too. After a sip of libation, the host may commence eating, and all present shall enjoy their dinners in silence.
Suggested dishes are special occasion foods that your departed pet may have enjoyed in life, or else foods that would have enticed your pet to the table, such as herring in cream sauce for a lost cat, roast pork ribs for a lost dog, a carrot salad with raisins for a departed horse, seeded rolls or crackers for a bird, etc. Since the human participants will be eating the same dishes, some modification may have to be made in the case of departed pet reptiles or amphibians.
Like a séance for departed spirits, the goal of the dumb supper is to attract and entice specific spirits that may be lingering near on this night when the afterworld is open to the living world.
As you eat, try to feel the presence of your departed friend beside you, by looking at and touching the memento if it helps. Meditate on the feeling of your pet’s presence, as you remember it from your daily life. In some cases, such as a very old and decrepit animal who was euthanized out of kindness, or a pet that died very long ago, the pet’s spirit may have wholly integrated into the afterworld, and will be impossible to contact. In such cases it is best to leave the spirit in peace and spend the time at the dumb supper silently reminiscing on his or her life and feeling thankful for the time you had together. In other cases, especially pertaining to violent, premature, or unexpected deaths, the animal’s spirit may be lingering nearby, and, if enticed, will gladly make her presence known beside you at the table.
If your pet does show up, don’t expect her to consume any of the food on her plate. This is a symbolic offering only.
When all participants have finished eating, the candles should be extinguished and the group will remain in silence and darkness for as long as the host deems necessary to allow for the arrival of any animal spirits who, perhaps frightened by the light, might now arrive in complete darkness.
When the host deems that a sufficient amount of time has passed—it may be ten minutes or it may be thirty—they shall carefully rise from the table, and, moving slowly, find the nearest light switch, preferably not a very bright light, and turn it on.
It is at this moment that attentive participants might see small, brisk shadows moving toward and out the windows and doors. Silence must be maintained for a little longer, however. If a sacred circle has been drawn, it must now be undrawn.
Finally, the host may break the silence, offering some words to the departed pets, along the lines of these:
“We offered to you, our dear animal companions, a place in our lives while you were living, and this evening we have welcomed you back again. Know that your presence was treasured by us, each one of you, and know that you will never be forgotten. May your spirits find peace and joy over the next few days as you wander. Feel free to visit with us again if you so desire.”
The mementos, now having been made sacred, should be kept in a safe place by each one’s owner. These can be used in future ceremonies over the course of the year, as talismans of the afterworld, adding power to spellcasting.
The food remaining on the departed animals’ plates shall be disposed of sacredly, presenting it as an offering to the god of death, the Horned God, the Grim Reaper, what you will. It can be left outdoors for stray and wild animals, or given to living pets, or certain items can be composted to return to the earth from which they came.