Welcome to the Garden! Operated by a married duo of eclectic witches, Bone Garden Tarot & Apothecary offers intuitive tarot readings and witchy goodies to help the spiritually curious dive deeper into their own power and practice. Join our newsletter for a monthly ritual, shop updates, and other musings from the past month!
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ππ»Bone Garden Monthly Newsletter - October 2025π»π
Published 6 months agoΒ β’Β 7 min read
Welcome to the October issue of the Bone Garden monthly newsletter and HAPPY HALLOWEEN! As always, you can scroll straight to the end for shop updates and upcoming events, or read on for some background on Samhain, a ritual for ancestor veneration, herbal protection magic, and a spOoOoOoky Spotify playlist!
A Brief History of Samhain & Halloween
Happy spooky season, witches! I'm sure it comes as a surprise to absolutely no one that Halloween is our favorite holiday here at Bone Garden. I mean, we're gay, we're witchy, and we're theatre people -- we'll take any opportunity to dress up in costume and celebrate. But there's so much more to Halloween than just costumes, candy, and scary movies! The end of October has long been seen in the Western world as the time of year when monsters are afoot, magic peaks in strength, and the dead walk among us. Many of these beliefs can be traced back to an ancient Celtic holiday having a modern resurgence: Samhain!
β As we discussed in our August issue, the ancient Celts in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man followed their own land-based, Celtic polytheism, celebrating quarterly fire festivals between each equinox and solstice. Easily the most enduring and widely known of these festivals was Samhain (the Irish spelling, pronounced sau-wen, also known as Samhainn in Scottish Gaelic or Sauin in Manx). Samhain marked the transition into winter and was seen essentially as the Celtic New Year. It was a liminal festival, the threshold between light and dark, lending to the continued belief that the veil between our mortal world and the world beyond is thinnest at this unsettled and unpredictable time of year. Various texts reference visits from the dead, shapeshifters poisoning crops left unharvested, and fairies stealing humans away to their land under the hills only to return them the following Eve of Samhain (if you're lucky).
β As we explore the evolution of Samhain traditions, it's important to note that the ancient Celts actively chose not to write down their sacred stories and histories. Though Samhain itself is pre-Christian, the actual texts we're referring to were written years later in the context of a Christianized Ireland, though it's entirely possible that these mythologies could have been passed down orally from more ancient times. If nothing else, there are records going back to the Middle Ages of various superstitions and traditions followed to keep the otherworldly at bay, like caroling from door to door in exchange for cakes, disguising children to deter fairies from stealing them, and carving scary faces into turnips to scare away evil spirits. Sound familiar? Yep -- many of our modern Halloween traditions derived from possible ancient practices at Samhain! But to be clear: Samhain did not "become" Halloween. β
Christianity was established in the British Isles in the 5th century. At the time, the Christian holiday All Saints Day, honoring (you guessed it) martyred saints, was celebrated each year on May 13. In the 9th century, Pope Gregory IV officially moved the date of All Saints Day to November 1, to be followed by All Souls Day, a day honoring the dead, on November 2. Officially, this change was due to the dedication of a chapel to all saints by Pope Gregory III in the 8th century, but some posit that this change may have had more to do with easing the pagan conversion to Christianity. In other words, Samhain was so deeply ingrained in Celtic culture that the early Christians opted to move All Saints Day to coincide with Samhain -- if you can't beat 'em, join 'em (this was also the ethos behind placing Christmas in late December on the Julian calendar, but I digress). Regardless of why the date was changed, All Saints Day was also known as Hallows Day, and the night before All Saints Day known as "All Hallows' Eve." This is what evolved into Halloween (hence the name)!
β Over the centuries that followed, as Christianity continued to spread across the continents, it brought All Saints Day and All Souls Day with it, and as Irish and Scottish immigrants came to the US and Canada (where Halloween is most popular today), so too did the remnants of some Samhain traditions, now attached to the Christian All Hallows' Eve that evolved into the secular Halloween. Samhain itself, however, is very much its own thing, and is still practiced today by contemporary pagans, Celtic revivalists, and as part of the modern Wiccan Wheel of the Year.
And whether you celebrate Halloween, All Saints Day, Samhain, or all of the above, there's something to be said for the overarching sentiment that this is a time of year to embrace the darkness, enhance psychic protection, and honor and uplift the dead. Read on for more about contemporary Samhain observance and some divination and ancestor work of your own! The veil is thinning...
xo, Hannah
Samhain Ritual Magick & Divination
Samhain is generally translated to "Summer's End" by Gaelic speakers. It marks the closing of the harvest season and welcomes in the winter months. Many modern witches see this time as the ending of the old year and beginning of the new one. It is said at this time of year the veil is thinnest between our human world and the world of Spirit, thus making it a perfect time for ancestral work, divination, and communing with the dearly departed.
Tarot Magick
Divination is more powerful than ever when the veil is at its thinnest. Try the simple three-card spread below to align your tarot practice with the Samhain season!
Card One: What is the veil revealing to you?
Card Two: What is still hidden?
Card Three: Message/guidance from your ancestors
Ritual Magick
Prepare a "dumb supper." This is a feast where chairs and foods are left out for visiting ancestors. The meal is eaten in silence or hushed tones and is eaten backwards (dessert comes first!). Soul cakes are a traditional offering for ancestors, but any dish or drink I imagine would be greatly appreciated!
Gods/Goddesses to work with (to name a few):
β Dagda (Irish) Hades (Greek) Hekate (Greek) the Horned God the Morrighan (Irish) Persephone (Greek) Kali (Hindu) Lilith (Babylonian)
Altar Magick
Flowers: marigolds (symbolic of The Crone, honoring aging, protection) and chrysanthemums (friendship, rest)
Candles: black (represents the death of the year, protection from negative energy), orange (the final harvests, the warmth of the hearth), white (purity, the guiding of sprits, and the rebirthing of the sun)
Photos of ancestors, pets, and loved ones who have passed on
Invocation of the Ancestors
thinning veils and a mischievous night visions so clear, I trust in my sight I call to my ancestors near and far use my candle to guide like the northern star. three times we knock to awaken the dead the feast is prepared, you may come and be fed. your wisdom I seek from the great beyond clear, to the point, like the tip of a wand. tales of the future are not what I seek nor even the news of the upcoming week. but clearness of mind as I move through my day to know you walk with me to guide on my way. I honor you, ancestor, then, now, and next, as we gather tonight to connect and reflect. your mem'ries will live on forever in me and stories passed down through our family tree. on this all hallow's eve enjoy frolics and frights until next we meet, I bid you a good night.β β
xo, Erikaβ
And check out these spooky, themed tarot and oracle decks!
'Tis the season!
October Spotify Playlist
The first half of this playlist is meditative music that you can use during the ritual above.
The second half is just good old-fashioned Halloween fun, baby.
Disclaimer: I only started studying and working with herbs in earnest last year. My goal for this section of the newsletter is not to teach you herbalism but to share what I'm discovering along the way so we can explore plant medicine together! If you're looking for stronger resources to enhance your herbal knowledge, I recommend doing your own research to find a teacher or herb school that speaks to you -- the teachers I've been learning from lately are Katja and Ryn with Commonwealth Holistic Herbalism; Ayelet Hashachar with Doll Herbalism; Brunem Warshaw with Well Deep Remedies; and Khadija Khansia with Ayni Herb Farm
This was (tragically) the last month of my herbal CSA, and as always, I received a whole host of gorgeous medicinal herbs! I'm planning on creating herbal winter care kits for my loved ones as a holiday gift and will go into way more detail on that next month (probably), but one particular herb had me feeling inspired to focus more on its magical and spiritual qualities than its medicinal ones: rue. In many practices, including Jewish folk magic, rue is considered a highly protective herb. You might find it growing or hanging in a doorway to protect the home; tucked into a child's bed; or worn in an amulet as protection against the evil eye. Erika and I have been hit with a series of stressful hurdles lately, specifically related to our home -- appliances breaking, landlords giving us a hard time, surprise construction, issues with taxes -- and this fresh rue could not have come at a better time. I have big plans for my little bundle of rue. Right now, it's hanging to dry in a brown paper bag, but I look forward to incorporating it into a cleansing and protection spell, sewing sprigs into protective pouches for my winter care kits, and hanging whatever is left by the door. What makes it even more special is that it should come to me at this time of year, when we're called to honor our ancestors. For me, engaging with rue in this way calls upon the Jewish diaspora, past and present, and honors the folk traditions my ancestors have been upholding for centuries. To read more about rue and other herbs in Jewish folk magic, check out this amazing article by Zohare Jacobi, creator and owner of Jewitches!
More next month! xo, Hannah
Upcoming Events
10/17 & 10/31
Evil Genius Beer Company
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Philly friends, don't miss your chance to get a FREE tarot reading from Erika while experiencing a sick Halloween pop-up with delicious local beer!
Come find us at Evil Genius Beer Company in Fishtown
7:00-9:00 PM
Friday 10/17
Friday 10/31
10/24 & 11/1
The Final Two Lunar Faires
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ALREADY?! You can catch us at the final two fairs of the season!
Easily our best Halloween costume to date, Rocky Horror 4ever
Bone Garden Tarot & Apothecary
Welcome to the Garden! Operated by a married duo of eclectic witches, Bone Garden Tarot & Apothecary offers intuitive tarot readings and witchy goodies to help the spiritually curious dive deeper into their own power and practice. Join our newsletter for a monthly ritual, shop updates, and other musings from the past month!
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