| A Ritual for Samhain By Diana Haronis Pluto (God of the Underworld) has reached the end of its 12-year transit through Scorpio (death and regeneration), entering Sagittarius shortly after last Samhain. This year we can contemplate the rewards and challenges of the past 12 years, face our fears and clear out any remaining dark areas in preparation for rebirth. Going through this process symbolically, through ritual, helps us to integrate the archetypal energies at work here, making our own transformational process that much easier. In the Tarot, Pluto is connected with Judgment. The angel blows his horn, causing the dead to awaken and rise from their coffins. It is a symbol of death and rebirth, like the phoenix that rises from its own ashes. Scorpio is associated with Death, usually interpreted as a major transformation. The combination of these energies takes us deep into the Underworld where we confront our Shadow Self and are challenged to die, symbolically, to our old way of being. Those aspects of our personality that are not a part of our true nature are stripped away, leaving us, for a time, feeling vulnerable and afraid. As Pluto moves into further Sagittarius (the Temperance Angel in the Tarot) we will have the opportunity to integrate our higher and lower natures. Sagittarius lifts our vision above the purely personal and mundane aspects of our existence to encompass the spiritual and transpersonal. The following ritual is similar to many Wiccan initiation ceremonies and could easily be adapted for that purpose. However, this is a time of initiation for all of us in one way or another. This ritual entails a passage into the Underworld where all your fears and insecurities are striped away. It is only then that you can retrieve your inner treasure: that precious and valuable part of yourself that has been locked away beneath fears and false ideas. Before the ritual, each participant swaps names with someone else in the group. For the person whose name you choose, find something that will represent their inner treasure. This can be any little trinket that would be symbolic, such as crystal, a piece of jewelry, etc. A good way to do this is to take the person's spirit guide shopping with you. Simply tune into the person's energy and mentally call their guide to you. As you go through the store, remain open to anything that seems to stand out and remind you strongly of that person. You will find that you feel drawn to the object that is just right for them. (By the way, this is a very helpful technique when you have to select a gift for someone you don't know very well, or when you aren't sure what they would like.) Before the ritual begins, three people must be selected to play Pluto, the Guide to the Underworld and the Goddess. These parts can be traded off so that everyone can participate. Dressing for the parts adds to the psychological effects of the ritual. Decorate the altar with purple flowers and purple, black and white candles. Pomegranates may be placed on the altar, representing the fruit of the Underworld. Invoke the God and Goddess, and open the circle. The High Priest or Priestess then recites the following: Tonight the gates of the Underworld lie open. The Lord of Shadows beacons us to follow Him into the abyss. As we descend into the Land of Death, we are stripped of all our defenses. Standing naked and vulnerable before the Lord of the Darkness, He challenges us, What will you sacrifice in exchange for your life? We tremble and resist; holding tightly to that which is familiar to us. We fear change. To die is to be reborn, He tells us. But still we cling to our suffering, until we can resist no more. Weakened by the struggle, we surrender. And then, to our surprise, when all has been released and there is nothing left to give, it is not death we find, but freedom and release. When all the masks are torn away, we do not loose ourselves, but gain our greatest treasure. Then, one at a time, each convener goes through the following: The covener is blindfolded and his hands bound behind his back. The Guardian of the Underworld leads him around the circle until he comes before the powerful god Pluto. He is then forced kneel before Pluto who holds a knife to his chest and demands: What will you sacrifice in exchange for your life? The person answers with whatever he feels he needs to let go of (for example he might say, fear). Pluto keeps questioning the covener kneeling before Him until He is satisfied that the person has sacrificed all that he needs to. Pluto then helps him to rise. The Guardian removes the covener's blindfold and unties his hands. Then Pluto gives the person the gift that is symbolic of his inner treasure. (No one is to see the gift that has been chosen for them before this point.) The guardian leads him back around the circle, pausing at each quarter to ask that blessings be bestowed upon the newly reborn covener. For example: Hail, Guardians of the East, here is [Covina] newly reborn. We ask that your blessings and power be with him. Once around the circle he now stands before the Goddess, who blesses and anoints him. Touching his forehead with salt water (or specially prepared oil) She says: Blessed Be your thoughts, that they may be guided by Divine Inspiration. Touching his heart She says:
Blessed Be your heart, that it may be filled with love and compassion. Touching his hands She says:
Blessed Be these hands that do the work of the Divine. Touching his feet She says:
Blessed Be these feet that lead you on your spiritual path. Touching his lips She says:
Blessed Be these lips that speak the words of the Divine. Then She says:
To your other gifts, I now add my own. The gift of [love, joy, etc.] The person playing the Goddess chooses the word for the person that she feels is appropriate. Once every member has gone through this process, the ritual can be ended with dancing, music and the sharing of wine and foods traditional for the season. | 
