Death and Transformation Samhain Cacao Ritual
A Personal Ritual Cacao Ceremony for Death, Transformation & Rebirth
Samhain marks the beginning of winter, and the descent into the darkness, where the old must first die in order for the new to be born. It is the night when the veils between our world, and the world of our ancestors are thinnest. Soit is the perfect time to connect to our ancestors and our loved ones who have passed over.
This year, we honour this time of darkness and silence, with a ritual of death and transformation. With the medicine of Ritual Cacao, we’ll honour what has completed its cycle in our lives, compost what is no longer needed, and plant the seeds of what will rise when the light returns.
What You’ll Need
A quiet space where you can be undisturbed
A candle and matches or lighter
A bowl of water (to represent rebirth)
A small natural item that represents something you’re ready to let die (a leaf, a small stick, a piece of paper with a word on it)
A journal and pen
Your cup of Ritual Cacao, brewed with intention.
Optional: dried herbs (mugwort, hawthorne rosemary, or sage), crystals for transmutation (obsidian, labradorite, or amethyst)
Preparation
Create your altar with your candle in the centre, your bowl of water to one side, and your offering or symbol of release before you. As you arrange your space, imagine you are preparing a sacred cauldron, a place of transformation, magic, and rebirth.
Breathe deeply and call in the energies of Samhain:
“I call upon the spirits of the darkening year.
I honour my ancestors, the keepers of wisdom.
I welcome transformation and trust the mystery of the dark.”
Brewing Your Ritual Cacao
As you prepare your cacao (CLICK HERE for recipes), stir it slowly and mindfully. With each stir, whisper to yourself:
“I release. I transform. I become.”
Let the cacao represent the earth’s alchemy, the transformation of any bitter seeds that have been harvested this year (a relationship breakup, poor health, financial loss etc) into something warm, rich, and life-giving.
Feel gratitude for the cycle of death and rebirth that allows this magic to exist.
Lighting the Candle
As you light your candle, speak aloud:
“This is the fire of transformation.
May it burn away all that no longer serves me,
and illuminate the path through the darkness.”
Cacao Journey & Reflection
Sit before your altar with your cacao. Take your first sip with full awareness, feeling the warmth of the cacao move through your body. Let it awaken your heart and open the gateways between worlds.
With each sip, reflect on these prompts:
What am I ready to let die within me?
What has reached completion, even if I’ve resisted its ending?
What new form wants to emerge from this ending?
Let any emotions that arise be felt fully.
Samhain is a time to embrace what is dying, and understand its sacred purpose for why you chose it in your life.
Take time in this moment to…
Enjoy the stillness
Enjoy the contemplation
Enjoy the peace
Enjoy the quiet
Enjoy the gratitude
Enjoy just being
Ritual of Release
Take your natural object (or piece of paper), the symbol of what you’re releasing. Hold it in your hands and speak to it:
“Thank you for your lessons.
I now release you back to the earth,
to be transformed into new life.”
You can place it gently into the bowl of water (symbolising dissolution and rebirth), or burn it safely in a fireproof dish. As you do, visualise that situation, old pattern, fear, or cycle being released, and its energy transmuted into light.
Ancestor Communion
Close your eyes and call upon your ancestors, and loved ones to surround you. Feel their warmth at your back, their love flowing through your blood, their wisdom whispering in your ear.
You might say:
“Ancestors of my blood and spirit,
I honour you and thank you for your guidance.
Help me carry forward only what is wise,
and release all that keeps me bound.”
If you wish, draw an oracle or tarot card for a message from your lineage or guides.
Integration
When you feel complete, take a final sip of your cacao and reflect on what has shifted within you. Do you feel the subtle sense of spaciousness, lightness, or peace.
In your journal, write:
“What new seed is now ready to grow in the darkness of winter?”
“How can I nurture it until it’s ready to rise with the light?”
Closing
Blow out your candle and say:
“The fire rests, the cauldron cools,
and transformation is complete.
As above, so below. As within, so without.”
Pour the water from your bowl onto the earth, returning your offering to the soil, a symbol of completion and renewal.
Let yourself rest, dream, and journey with your imagination.
Finally, let go all expectations and Surrender, Trust, Allow and Receive all the gifts that the darkness of winter has for you.
If you prefer to be guided along the way, Our Connecting to the Ancestors MP3 Shamanic Journey is perfect to connect to your ancestors and loved ones who have passed on, and hear the messages they have for you.
This powerful guided visualisation was recorded live by Rebekah Shaman
