by Stormie 

Place upon the altar apples, pomegranetes, pumpkins, squashes 
and other late autumn fruits. 
Autumn flowers such as marigolds and chrysanthemums are fine too. Write on 
a piece of paper an aspect of your life which you wish to be free of: anger, 
a baneful habit, misplaced feelings, disease. The cauldron or some similar tool must be present before the 
altar as well, on a trivet or some other heat proof surface if the legs are 
not long enough. A small, flat dish marked with an eight spoked wheel 
symbol should also be there. [This is just what it sounds like. On a flat 
plate or dish, paint a large circle. Put a dot in the center of this circle 
and paint eight spokes radiating out from the dot to the larger circle. Thus 
you have a wheel symbol - a symbol of the Sabbats, a symbol of timelessness] 
Prior to the ritual, sit quietly and think of friends and 
loved ones who have passed away. do not despair. Know that they have gone on to greater things. Keep firmly in 
mind that the physical isn't the absolute reality, and that souls never die. 
Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the circle. Recite the blessing chant 

    Invoke the Goddess and God 

Lift one of the pomegranates and with your freshly washed 
white handles knife, pierce the skin of the fruit. remove several seeds and place them on the wheel marked dish. 
Raise your wand, face the altar and say: 

    On this the night of Samhain I mark your passing, 
    O Sun King, through the sunset into the Land of the Young. 
    I mark also the passing of all who have gone before, 
    and all who will go after. O Gracious Goddess, 
    Eternal Mother, You who gives birth to the fallen, 
    teach me to know that in the time of the greatest 
    darkness there is the greatest light. 

    Taste the pomegranate seeds:burst them with your teeth and 
savor their sharp, bittersweet flavor. Look down at the eight spoked 
symbol on the plate; the wheel of the year, the cycle of the seasons, the 
end and the beginning of all creation. 

Light a fire within the cauldron . Sit before it, holding the 
piece of paper, gazing at the flames. Say: 

    Wise One of the Waning Moon, 
    Goddess of the starry night, 
    I create this fire within your cauldron 
    to transform that which is plaguing me. 
    May the energies be reversed: 
    >From darkness, light! 
    >From bane, Good! 
    >From death, Birth! 

Light the paper in the cauldon's flames and drop inside. As it burns know 
that your ill diminishes, lessens and finally leave you as it is consumed within the universal fires. 
If you wish you may attempt scrying or some other form of 
divination, for this is the perfect time to look into the past or the future. 
Try to recall past lives too, if you will. But leave the dead in peace. Honor them with 
your memories but do not call them to you. [ Many Wiccans do attempt to communicate with their deceased ancestors and friends at this 
time, but if you accept the doctrine of reincarnation, this is a rather strange practice. 
     
If the soul is currently incarnate in another body, communication would be difficult to say the least! It seems best to remember them 
with peace and love - but to not call them up] Release any pain and sense of loss you pay feel into the cauldron's flames. 

Works of magic, if necessary, may follow. 
Celebrate the simple feast. 
The circle is released. 
Samhain Ritual 10