Every October the same search climbs and climbs: Halloween spells. Some of what you find is fun, some of it is frightening, and some of it is frankly unkind. I would like to offer you something else: five small rituals for the thinnest night of the year that are gentle, old and entirely on your side.
In 2026 Halloween falls on Saturday 31 October. It grew out of Samhain, the old Gaelic end of the year, when the door between what was and what will be was said to stand open for one night. I wrote about it in full on my Samhain page.
Why Halloween is a night for spells
For a very long time, the last night of October was the night to remember, to protect and to look ahead. A place was laid at the table for the ones who had died that year. Hearths were lit again from one shared fire. Apples and nuts were used to ask what the coming year would bring. And across the ocean, in Mexico, the days that follow, Día de los Muertos on 1 and 2 November, still welcome the dead home with marigolds, candles and their favourite food. None of it was about harming anyone. It was about love, memory and a safe home for the winter.
Five kind Halloween spells
1. A candle for the ones who came before. Light a candle, put a photo or a small object beside it, and say their names aloud. Tell each of them one thing you did this year that they would have been proud of. Let the candle burn while you sit with them, and blow it out yourself. If you would like to hear what comes through from someone you have lost, my Loved One in Spirit Reading is written with the greatest care.
2. Salt at the door. Sweep your home from the back towards the front door, and out. Then lay a thin line of salt along the threshold and say: What is mine stays with me. What is not stays outside. It is one of the oldest protection spells there is, and it asks nothing of anyone else. Everything I do for protection is on my protection spell page.
3. An apple for the year ahead. Halloween was once called Snap-Apple Night in parts of Ireland and Britain, and apples were peeled in one long ribbon to see what the year would bring. Cut an apple across the middle and find the star of seeds inside. Make one wish for the dark months for each point of the star, and eat the apple slowly.
4. Put something down. Write on a piece of paper what this year made heavy, in one or two lines, and fold it under a glass of water overnight. In the morning, tear it up and throw it away. If you would like me to hold the putting down for you, the Full Moon Release Ritual is held at my table on the day of every full moon; the next one is Tuesday 24 November.
5. A wish for the dark half of the year. Samhain was the start of the dark half of the year, the season when seeds rest under the ground. Write one wish for the winter in the present tense, as if it is already true, and keep it somewhere dark and safe, a drawer or a box, until the first spring day. What you hold in your mind with feeling, you draw towards you.
One practical note: never leave a candle burning unattended, and keep flames away from costumes, curtains and little hands.
What I will not do at Halloween, or any night
No hexes, no curses, nothing sent to frighten or bind another person. Halloween does not make those any kinder. If someone online offers you a "Halloween curse removal" after telling you that you are cursed, please read my letter Am I cursed? What I usually find first.
What comes back to my table
"Ivy described three Spirit Guides, no names or identities limiting their channel. She described their individual roles, messages, and ways of communicating."
joyce, September 2026
"Ivy's gentle words and guidance has helped me through an emotionally turbulent time in my life. It has meant a lot to receive her messages! Highly recommend :)"
Pam, August 2026
Questions people ask me about Halloween spells
What spells are good for Halloween?
Gentle ones: a candle for loved ones who have died, a protection spell with salt at the door, an apple wish for the year ahead, a ritual to put down what this year made heavy, and a wish for the winter. All of them are on this page.
Is Halloween a good night for spells?
Many traditions treat it as one of the most powerful nights of the year, because the old year ends and the veil is said to be thin. It is best used for remembering, protecting and looking ahead.
What is the difference between Halloween and Samhain?
Samhain is the old Gaelic festival from sunset on 31 October to sunset on 1 November, marking the end of the harvest year. Halloween grew out of it, together with the Christian All Hallows' Eve.
Can I contact a loved one on Halloween?
Many people feel closer to those they have lost on this night. Lighting a candle and saying their names is a lovely way to begin. If you would like a reading of what comes through, my Loved One in Spirit Reading is there for that, and if grief feels very heavy, please also let someone close to you, or a counsellor, carry some of it with you.
When is Halloween in 2026?
On Saturday 31 October 2026. Samhain runs from sunset that evening to sunset on Sunday 1 November, and the last full moon before it is on Monday 26 October.
Light a candle, say their names, and keep your home warm. That is all the magic the night has ever needed.
Ivy
