Llewellyn's 2025 Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2024 to Mabon 2025

Contents

Introduction

About the Authors

Samhain

Samhain Grave Tending by Irene Glasse

Cosmic Sway by Michael Herkes

Tales and Traditions by Lupa

Feasts and Treats by Dallas Jennifer Cobb

Crafty Crafts by Elizabeth Barrette

Samhain and Osteomancy by Charlie Rainbow Wolf

Samhain Ritual: A Grave Cleaning Ritual by Irene Glasse

Yule

Keep Your Courage by Tomás Prower

Cosmic Sway 1 by Michael Herkes

Tales and Traditions 1 by Lupa

Feasts and Treats 1 by Dallas Jennifer Cobb

Crafty Crafts by Elizabeth Barrette

Yule and Card Divination by Charlie Rainbow Wolf

Yule Ritual: The Fire Inside by Tomás Prower

Imbolc

A Time of New Beginnings by Ariana Serpentine

Cosmic Sway by Michael Herkes

Tales and Traditions by Lupa

Feasts and Treats by Dallas Jennifer Cobb

Crafty Crafts by Elizabeth Barrette

Imbolc and Tasseomancy by Charlie Rainbow Wolf

Litha Ritual: Brighid’s Invitation by Ariana Serpentine

Ostara

Choose the Seeds You Plant by Enfys J. Book

Cosmic Sway by Michael Herkes

Tales and Traditions by Lupa

Feasts and Treats by Dallas Jennifer Cobb

Crafty Crafts by Elizabeth Barrette

Ostara and Oomancy by Charlie Rainbow Wolf

Ostara Ritual: A Seed-Choosing and Planting Ritual by Enfys J. Book

Beltane

Returning Again to the Spring by Dodie Graham McKay

Cosmic Sway by Michael Herkes

Tales and Traditions by Lupa

Feasts and Treats by Dallas Jennifer Cobb

Crafty Crafts by Elizabeth Barrette

Beltane and Scrying by Charlie Rainbow Wolf

Beltane Ritual: Nurturing Reincarnation and Rebirth by Dodie Graham McKay

Litha

Touchstones of Comfort by Sheri Barker

Cosmic Sway by Michael Herkes

Tales and Traditions by Lupa

Feasts and Treats by Dallas Jennifer Cobb

Crafty Crafts by Elizabeth Barrette

Litha and Lithomancy by Charlie Rainbow Wolf

Litha Ritual: Celebrating the Sun by Sheri Barker

Lammas

Assembling the Wondrous Head by Ian Chambers

Cosmic Sway by Michael Herkes

Tales and Traditions by Lupa

Feasts and Treats by Dallas Jennifer Cobb

Crafty Crafts by Elizabeth Barrette

Lammas and Runes by Charlie Rainbow Wolf

Lammas Ritual: A Celebration of Death in Life by Ian Chambers

Mabon

Gathering the Fruits of the Tree of Life by Nathan M. Hall

Cosmic Sway by Michael Herkes

Tales and Traditions by Lupa

Feasts and Treats by Dallas Jennifer Cobb

Crafty Crafts by Elizabeth Barrette

Mabon and Dice by Charlie Rainbow Wolf

Mabon Ritual: Gathering Up the Fruits for the Harvest by Nathan M. Hall

Introduction

Nearly everyone has a favorite sabbat. There are numerous ways to observe any tradition. The 2025 edition of the Sabbats Almanac provides a wealth of lore, celebrations, creative projects, and recipes to enhance your holiday.

For this edition, a mix of writers—Ariana Serpentine, Enfys J. Book, Irene Glasse, Nathan M. Hall, Ian Chambers, and more—share their ideas and wisdom. These include a variety of paths as well as the authors’ personal approaches to each sabbat. Each chapter closes with an extended ritual, which may be adapted for both solitary practitioners and covens.

In addition to these insights and rituals, specialists in astrology, cooking, crafts, and more impart their expertise throughout.

Michael Herkes gives an overview of planetary influences most relevant for each sabbat season and provides details about the New and Full Moons, retrograde motion, planetary positions, and more. (Times and dates follow Eastern Standard Time and Eastern Daylight Time.)

Lupa explores flora and fauna and how these beings and their lives connect to each sabbat.

Dallas Jennifer Cobb conjures up a feast for each festival that features seasonal appetizers, entrées, and desserts.

Elizabeth Barrette offers instructions on DIY crafts that will help you tap into each sabbat’s energy and fill your home with magic and fun.

Charlie Rainbow Wolf provides divination systems to celebrate and utilize the unique forces in each season.

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About the Authors

Sheri Barker has been a solitary practitioner for nearly forty years. Her relationships with magic, elemental energies, spirits, and her ancestors are the foundation of her daily life. They enrich her work as a witch, writer, homesteader, and human being. She is a columnist at The Wild Hunt (https://wildhunt.org) and also publishes perspective essays on her blog at https://www.onthebearpath.com. Sheri lives in an ancient river valley in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, immersed in nature, spirits, and realms beyond this one. Oh, and books … there are always books, words, and creative activities to be explored!

Elizabeth Barrette has been involved with the Pagan community for more than thirty-four years. She served as managing editor of PanGaia for eight years and dean of studies at the Grey School of Wizardry for four years. She has written columns on beginning and intermediate Pagan practice, Pagan culture, and Pagan leadership. Her book Composing Magic: How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessings, Chants, and Prayers explains how to combine writing and spirituality. She lives in central Illinois, where she has done much networking with Pagans in her area, such as coffeehouse meetings and open sabbats. Her other public activities feature Pagan picnics and science fiction conventions. She enjoys magical crafts, historic religions, and gardening for wildlife. Her other writing fields include speculative fiction, gender studies, social and environmental issues. Visit her blog, The Wordsmith’s Forge (https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/), or website PenUltimate Productions (http://penultimateproductions.weebly.com). Her coven site with extensive Pagan materials is Greenhaven Tradition (http://greenhaventradition.weebly.com/).

Enfys J. Book (they/them) is the author of the Gold COVR award-winning Queer Qabala (Llewellyn, 2022) and coauthor (with Ivo Dominguez Jr.) of Sagittarius Witch (Llewellyn, 2024). They are a nonbinary, bisexual clergy member within the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel, and the high priest of the Fellowship of the Ancient White Stag coven near Washington, DC. Enfys has been teaching in-person and online classes on magickal practice since 2015, including presenting at the Sacred Space Conference, Paganicon, the Goddess Conference, ConVocation, and several local events in the Washington, DC area. They are also the creator of Major Arqueerna, a website devoted to queer magickal practice, and they host a podcast called 4 Quick Q’s: Book Talk with Enfys, where they interview Pagan authors using questions determined by a roll of the dice. Visit them at majorarqueerna.com.

Ian Chambers is a long-time practitioner of traditional forms of witchcraft and folk sorcery through the fields of magic, mysticism, philosophy, and history. Ian has studied both solitary and with a few craft groups, taking a broad purview of the subject as a practitioner scholar. A selection of Ian’s writings has appeared in various magazines, including The Cauldron, White Dragon, and The Hedgewytch, as well as more recent essays in The Enquiring Eye and Coire Ansic. Ian’s first book, The Witch Compass: Working with the Winds in Traditional Witchcraft, was published by Llewellyn in 2022.

Dallas Jennifer Cobb lives in a magickal village on Lake Ontario. A Pagan, mother, feminist, outdoorswoman, and animal lover, she enjoys a sustainable lifestyle with a balance of time and money. Widely published, she writes about what she knows: brain injury, magick, herbs, astrology, healing, recovery, and vibrant sustainability. When she isn’t adventuring with her golden retriever, she likes to correspond with like-minded beings. Reach her at [email protected].

Irene Glasse is a Heathen witch based in Western Maryland. She is a longtime teacher of witchcraft, meditation, and magic in the mid-Atlantic. She is the coauthor of Blackfeather Mystery School: The Magpie Training (Dragon Alchemy, 2022), a contributing writer for Gemini Witch: Unlock the Magic of Your Sun Sign and Llewellyn’s 2024 Sabbats Almanac (Llewellyn, 2023), and a blogger and columnist. Irene has performed, taught workshops, and led rituals at many festivals and conferences over the years. She is the main organizer of the Frederick Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (Frederick CUUPS), offering events, rituals, classes, and workshops to a large, vibrant community.

Nathan M. Hall is an animist and witch who lives in South Florida. His book, Path of the Moonlit Hedge, is available wherever books are sold. Find him online at moonlithedge.com.

Michael Herkes (aka The Glam Witch) makes magic across the windy city of Chicago as a genderqueer author, astrologer, intuitive stylist, tarot reader, and glamour witch. After practicing privately for two decades, Michael stepped out of the broom closet and into the role of teacher—dedicating their energy to uplifting and mentoring others on using witchcraft for self-empowerment. Since then, they have authored numerous books, written a variety of digital content, and presented workshops across the United States as a speaker on modern witchcraft. Focusing primarily on glamour magic, Michael’s practice centers on magical aesthetics and adornment, using fashion and makeup to cultivate inner and outer makeovers—inspiring others to tap into their personal power and creativity to manifest positive change in their lives and the world around them. For more information visit www.theglamwitch.com.

Lupa is an author, artist, and naturalist in the Pacific Northwest. She is the author of several books on nature-based Paganism, as well as the creator of the Tarot of Bones and Pocket Osteomancy divination sets. More information about Lupa and her works may be found at http://www.thegreenwolf.com.

Dodie Graham McKay is a writer, Green Witch, Gardnerian priestess, and filmmaker. She is inspired to document and share stories that capture the beauty of nature and the visible and invisible realms of magic and witchcraft. She is the author of the books Earth Magic: Elements of Witchcraft (Llewellyn, 2021), A Witch’s Ally: Building a Magical Relationship with Animal Familiars & Companions (Llewellyn, 2024), and her documentary films include The WinniPagans and Starry Nights (featuring Kerr Cuhulain). Dodie spends her spare time walking her dogs and facilitating a busy coven. She lives in Treaty One Territory, Homeland of the Métis Nation, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Visit her at www.dodiegrahammckay.com.

Tomás Prower is the award-winning Latinx author of books on multicultural magic and mysticism, including Queer Magic and Morbid Magic. Fluent in English, French, and Spanish, he previously served as the cultural liaison between France, the United States, and various nations of South America, which allowed him to live and work all over the Western Hemisphere, including Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, Tijuana, Reno, Las Vegas, and the Amazon jungle. Tomás is also a licensed mortuary professional and former External Relations Director of the American Red Cross. He currently lives in the desert oasis of Palm Springs, California. Visit him at TomasPrower.com.

Ariana Serpentine is a multi-traditional witch, polytheist, and animist. She is transgender and queer and has worked in political trans activism, raising awareness for the needs of her community within Pagan and other circles.

Charlie Rainbow Wolf is an old hippie who’s been studying the weird ways of the world for over fifty years. She’s happiest when she’s got her hands in mud, either making pottery in the artbox or tending to things in the yarden (yard + garden = yarden). Astrology, tarot, and herbs are her greatest interests, but she’s dabbled in most metaphysical topics in the last five decades because life always has something new to offer. She enjoys cooking WFPB recipes and knitting traditional cables and patterns, and she makes a wicked batch of fudge. Charlie lives in central Illinois with her very patient husband and her beloved Great Danes.

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Samhain Grave

Tending

Irene Glasse

Modern Western culture encourages a separation from death. Our friends and family, for the most part, transition out of this life in hospitals and hospices, and the post-death tending of their bodies is performed out of sight. The entertainment industry largely depicts the dead as harmful or dangerous in the rare times they are depicted at all. The cacophonous advertising of yet another ghost show promising chills is pervasive across media platforms. Religions whose mythologies include rigid separation from the dead are dominant. This barrier of culture, media, and prevailing belief systems can cut us off from a profound, impactful, and nourishing connection.

Ancestral Veneration

Our ancestors, our beloved dead, can be our best allies. Although many Pagans serve gods of varying persuasions, deities do not have the same understanding of human problems that other humans do. Raising kids, managing annoying coworkers, finding ways to make the household budget work, and other mundane yet vital aspects of our lives fall outside the realm of deity experience. Our ancestors, on the other hand, know these struggles all too well.

We are also the legacy of our ancestors alive in the world. We are living, breathing proof of all they fought for, loved, and survived. Our ancestors have a stake in our success. I sometimes joke that the gods love us the way we love our pets—we adore them, but know their lives are finite and scale our attachment accordingly. Our ancestors love us because we are their family. It’s a very different kind of bond. Even if we do not know their names, our ancestors know ours and want us to succeed.

One question that comes up frequently when I talk about ancestral practice is What if my ancestors were terrible? It’s a great, relevant question. Out of every family line, there were some wonderful people, some horrible people, and a lot of folks who did their best to get by within the confines of their time and culture. If your most recent ancestors were awful to you, go back a few hundred years when seeking an ancestral ally. You have thousands of ancestors. If they were all terrible, you simply wouldn’t be here. The children of the line would not have survived.

We can honor different types of ancestors as well. Ancestors of blood are our direct relatives—those we share DNA with. Ancestors of milk and honey are ancestors who are not blood relatives but are definitely family. These are ancestors who took us or our relatives in as though they were kin. My own line includes an adoption a few generations ago. The line that adopted my great-grandfather is no less my family without a blood bond. Indeed, chosen family can be much stronger than family connected through birth. This category is also where I place dearly loved friends who are no longer with us: the family of my heart.

Ancestors of the order are the dead who are unrelated to us through blood but whose lives follow the same pattern that ours do. Jimi Hendrix is an ancestor of the order for musicians. Marie Curie is an ancestor of the order for scientists. Marie Laveau is an ancestor of the order for magical practitioners. When you are exploring ancestral work, consider the dead who shared your own passions, values, and priorities. This type of ancestor can be connected with through offerings, prayer, and work undertaken in their name.

Ancestral veneration links us to an incredible source of support, empathy, and wisdom. By approaching our ancestral practice with a wider understanding of who our ancestors are, the possibilities for connection are endless.

Graves and Grave Tending

In older times, travel was challenging and time-consuming. As a result, most people spent the better part of their lives in one small region. For our ancestors, the land where they lived was a very real part of them. Our ancestors ate the food that grew close by, built their homes out of materials sourced from the local environment, and when they died, they were buried close to where they lived. A grave is not just a final signature on the document of life: it is a memory of place and a monument to a life lived in a specific environment with all that land’s blessings and challenges.

Graves are the last physical holdings of our ancestors. Tending these sacred places is a beautiful way to connect with and honor our ancestors. Unfortunately, the separation from death and the dead within Western culture means that we do not always know where our dead are buried. Too often, after a family member is interred, the gravesite is left to the graveyard’s caretakers to look after. The good news is that websites like Find A Grave and Ancestry offer us ways to repair this break in family knowledge.

One other option is the use of a symbolic representation or proxy headstone when we do not have access to our ancestors’ graves. By consecrating a stone to act as the headstone for an ancestor, we can still perform grave cleaning as an offering. Memorial gardens often serve to honor our beloved dead when we do not have access to their burial site. Creating a proxy headstone takes the idea behind a memorial garden a little further. Indeed, if you decide to add a memorial garden to your home, it’s a wonderful place for proxy headstones and other statuary or stone remembrances.

Every year, my spouse and I spend two days around Samhain tending graves. We visit the graves of our loved ones, clean and tidy them, make offerings, and spend time in communion with our beloved dead. Although I would not describe two days of mourning and ancestral veneration as easy, I would describe it as deeply nourishing on a spiritual level. It is good to connect to the memory and spirit of those we love. It is good to see their names, tell their stories, and talk to our ancestors about what has been happening in our lives. It is good to open the well of grief and allow the tears to flow. It is good to maintain the final worldly holding of our dead and to show in a real, physical way that they are loved and remembered.

Our last stop each year is Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) near Washington, DC. ANC is one of the oldest national cemeteries in the United States and comprises some 639 acres. It is the final resting place of over 400,000 veterans of the United States military. My grandparents, who both served in the navy, are buried in Arlington, and we always start with their graves. However, one tradition that we began many years ago expands our visit: I keep a file of all graves marked with pentacles (for those of Pagan belief) and Thor’s hammers (for those of Heathen belief). We visit each Pagan and Heathen grave and make offerings to the veterans interred there as well. As a Pagan veteran, I keenly feel how much of a minority we are in the faith path. These dead are my family as well—my siblings in arms through military service. I am proud and grateful to visit them at Samhain every year.

How to Safely Clean a Grave

Although grave offerings and light tidying (clearing up leaves, twigs, and spent flowers) can be performed for the dead we do not know, please remember that full grave cleaning should only be performed for members of your family. There have been cases in the United States of well-intentioned people cleaning graves they are not connected to through bloodline and causing distress to the family (or damage to the grave).

For most grave cleaning, you will need:

3–5 gallons of water. If you are lucky enough to be able to run a hose to the gravesite, that’s the best option. Otherwise, plan to bring a good deal of water with you.

A spray bottle of water

1–2 buckets

Scissors if you live in a region where grass is a common groundcover in cemeteries.

Waterproof cleaning gloves. I prefer the kind that cover my forearms as well as my hands.

One natural sponge like a sea sponge. Avoid sponges that have been dyed—the color can transfer to headstones.

Brushes and scrapers. Lichen can be carefully removed with a wooden scraper like a craft stick or spatula. You will need at least 1 toothbrush and 1 larger soft-bristled brush.

An abundance of old towels and rags or a few rolls of paper towels.

A trash bag

Do not bring or use:

Metal or hard plastic brushes and scrapers

Soap, detergent, or spray cleaners of any kind

Scouring sponges or steel wool pads

Additional supplies:

Tissues. Cleaning a grave can bring up a lot of emotions.

Your divinatory tool of choice

Offerings. Biodegradable offerings like fresh flowers, herbs, baked goods like soul cakes or bread, beverages, and fruit are all good options. Avoid anything that includes a plastic wrapper. If you are leaving a type of candy your loved one adored, unwrap it and take the wrapper with you. Some traditions encourage the use of coins (Mercury head dimes are particularly potent in ancestral work), seashells, or small stones, but be aware that nonbiodegradable offerings will have to be disposed of at some point. One type of popular nonperishable item permitted at some cemeteries are solar-powered lights that glow after the sun sets. If you bring incense, stay until it has fully burned down and extinguished itself or snuff it out yourself. Never leave a burning offering unattended. Be sure to look up the policies of the cemetery before you select your offerings. Some cemeteries prohibit food or nonperishable offerings but welcome flowers.

Before setting off to clean a grave, make note of the temperature. Avoid days that are very hot and sunny as well as days that are very cold. Both of those weather conditions can compromise a headstone through surface temperature issues.

When you arrive at the grave, begin by greeting your loved one and talking for a while. Explain to them what you are going to do so they understand what’s happening to their grave. If you are concerned about whether your loved one would welcome grave cleaning, use your divinatory tool to find out. A simple, Aunt Agatha, may I clean your grave? followed by a single card, rune, or sigil draw is generally enough to get a good yes or no answer.

Begin grave cleaning by evaluating the headstone and grave. If the headstone is chipped, cracked, or flaking, do not clean it (or at least do not clean those parts of the headstone). The act of cleaning can further damage an already-compromised headstone.

Start by removing twigs, leaves, spent offerings, and any other debris that has gathered on or near the grave. If grass or other plants immediately around the headstone are tall, use scissors to trim the greenery back. If the grave you are tending has a damaged headstone, this is where you stop. If the headstone is still in good shape, you can safely continue cleaning.

Using your natural sponge, or by pouring water from your container, thoroughly soak the surface of the headstone. The entire time you clean, the surface should be wet—if it dries out, add more water. This is where the spray bottle of water can come in handy.

Starting at the bottom of the headstone, use your natural sponge to wipe the stone using circular motions. Rinse the headstone frequently as accumulated dirt releases from it. Slowly and reverently work your way up the headstone. I often talk to my loved one while I’m cleaning their headstone.

After your first pass with the natural sponge, thoroughly rinse the headstone. Notice if