Three-Fold: RItual for Samhain

This is a ritual to be enacted quietly and unobserved on the eve of Samhain (31st October). It uses Three-Fold beads which represent the birth, death and rebirth cycles of life. The beads are made from papier-mâché. Each contains a seed at its core and is wrapped in leaf fragments. This ritual is said to weave together the spirit, soul and body; connecting them with both the inner and outer worlds. It is particularly effective at Samhain when the veil between this world and the Otherworld is most fragile and when the great cycle of the year ends and begins again.

Three days before Samhain:
Make nine pea-sized Three-Fold beads from papier maché; placing a seed at the core of each and wrapping it in leaf fragments.

Two days before Samhain:
Take some quiet time and separate your beads into three groups of three. Holding the first group of three beads in your hands, allow your body to sense all that has faded away in the last year. Holding the second group of three beads in your hands, allow your soul to sense all that has faded away in the last year. Holding the third group of three beads in your hands, allow your spirit to sense all that has faded away in the last year. Place all nine beads together again.

On the eve of Samhain:
Take your beads out into the world. If the world is not open to you at the moment, you can move around your flat/house. Hold three of your beads in your hand and listen to them. Find a patch of ground (or a little nook if in your home) to bury the three beads. As you bury them allow your body to feel the seed growing. Hold three of your beads in your hand and listen to them. Find another patch of ground to bury the next three beads. As you bury them allow your soul to feel the seed growing. Hold the last three beads in your hand and listen to them. Find another patch of ground to bury these beads. As you bury them allow your spirit to feel the seed growing. When all your beads are buried imagine their outer shell slowly decaying in the ground and the nine seeds sprouting up, bursting with life.