The candles are out, the costumes are put away, and there's a pumpkin on your doorstep starting to look a little tired. Now what?
Pumpkins and apples are the two great symbols of the Samhain season, and their magick doesn't end on October 31. November is the perfect time to thank your jack-o'-lantern properly, save the seeds for luck, and turn the last apples of the harvest into simple spells for love, health and wishes. (If you're still planning for next year, our Samhain altar ideas and Samhain recipes have plenty for October itself.)
In this article, we'll cover a short ritual to thank and release your jack-o'-lantern, the safe way to compost it, pumpkin seed magick, the folklore and meaning of the apple, three easy apple spells, and the correspondences for both.
What to Do With Your Pumpkins After Halloween: 5 Steps
- Thank it. Say a few words of thanks for its light and protection.
- Strip it. Take out candles, wax, glitter, paint and decorations.
- Save what you can. Scoop out seeds from uncarved pumpkins to roast or keep as a charm.
- Return it to the earth. Break it up and compost or bury it, or take it to a community pumpkin collection.
- Keep a token. A few dried seeds on your altar carry the blessing into winter.
Why Pumpkins and Apples Are Magickal
Both are fruits of the late harvest, gathered just as the year turns toward winter. That makes them natural symbols of plenty, protection and the thin boundary between seasons.
The pumpkin is a newer arrival in witchcraft than you might think. Pumpkins are native to the Americas. In Ireland and Scotland, people carved lanterns from turnips and other root vegetables at Samhain and Halloween, and when that custom traveled to North America, the bigger, easier-to-carve pumpkin took over. Today it's the best-known symbol of the season.
The apple has a much longer story in European lore. Cut one across its middle and you'll find the seeds arranged in a five-pointed star, which many witches see as a natural pentagram. Medieval writers called the magical island of Avalon the "Isle of Apples," and in Norse myth the goddess Idunn keeps the apples that keep the gods young. Apples were also used in many old Halloween games, from bobbing for them to peeling them for a glimpse of a future love.
Pumpkin and Apple Correspondences
| Pumpkin | Apple | |
|---|---|---|
| Element | Earth | Water |
| Planet | Moon | Venus |
| Day | Monday | Friday |
| Intentions | Protection, abundance, divination | Love, healing, wisdom, abundance |
| Season | Samhain to Thanksgiving | Mabon to Yule |
| Best for | Guarding the home, prosperity, honoring the dead | Self-love, friendship, wishes, the otherworld |
| Read more | Pumpkin in the Witch's Cabinet | Apple in the Witch's Cabinet |
A Ritual to Thank and Release Your Jack-o'-Lantern
Your jack-o'-lantern spent Halloween guarding your door and lighting the way for kindly spirits. Before it goes, give it a proper goodbye. This takes five minutes.
- Carry it outside, or set it on a tray if it's fragile.
- Remove any candles, wax and decorations. Put your hand on it and say: Thank you for your light, your watch and your welcome. Your work is done. Return to the earth with my blessing.
- Break it into pieces with your hands or a spade. This helps it rot down faster.
- Bury the pieces in your garden, or add them to your compost. If you don't have a garden, look for a local "pumpkin smash" or community composting drop-off.
- Sprinkle a pinch of salt or a few dried herbs on the spot if you like, and say: From the earth, to the earth. Blessed be.
Safe disposal notes
- Painted, glittered or waxed pumpkins can't be composted until the decorations are removed.
- Wildlife agencies generally advise against leaving pumpkins out to feed deer and other wild animals, since it can spread disease. Compost or bury them instead.
- Some farms and animal rescues welcome clean, undecorated pumpkins for their pigs or chickens. Ask first.
- Don't eat a carved pumpkin that has sat outside. Cut pumpkins spoil quickly.
Pumpkin Seed Magick
Seeds hold the whole promise of next year's harvest, so they're a classic charm for abundance and new beginnings. Use seeds from a fresh, uncarved pumpkin (or one you carved and scooped on the same day).
Roasted seeds with a blessing
- Rinse the seeds and pat them dry.
- Toss them with a little oil and salt, and stir clockwise while you say: Seed of the harvest, seed of the sun, bring plenty to this home and everyone.
- Roast at 325°F (165°C) for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until golden.
- Share them with your household as a small feast of abundance.
An abundance seed jar
Dry a handful of raw seeds on a plate for a few days. Put them in a small jar with a cinnamon stick and a bay leaf, tie it with orange or green ribbon and keep it on your kitchen shelf or altar through the winter. In spring, plant a few seeds (or scatter them in the compost) and refresh the charm. If you love this kind of spell, our guide to jar spells has many more recipes.
A pumpkin lantern for gratitude
Keep one small, uncarved pumpkin for Thanksgiving. Cut a little hollow in the top, set a battery tea light inside and place it on the table as a lantern of thanks. When the meal is done, return it to the earth with the ritual above. Our Thanksgiving table blessings and gratitude spells pair well with it.
Three Simple Apple Spells
1. The apple star wish
A wish spell you can do in ten minutes, and a lovely way to use the last apples from the bowl.
- Cut an apple across its middle, so you can see the star of seeds.
- Write a short wish on a small slip of paper and lay it on one half, over the star.
- Drizzle a little honey on top, put the halves back together and tie them with red or green string.
- Hold it and say: Star of the apple, seed of the tree, grow my wish and bring it to me.
- Bury it in the garden or a large pot of soil, and let the earth do the rest.
2. A self-love apple
Apples belong to Venus, the planet of love. On a Friday, cut an apple into slices and eat them slowly, one by one. With each slice, name something you like about yourself. Save the core and seeds as an offering to the earth. For more gentle love magick, see our love spells for beginners.
3. An apple peel simmer pot for a warm home
Don't throw out your peels and cores from baking. Simmer them in a pot of water with a cinnamon stick and a few cloves for a sweet, welcoming scent that fills the house. Stir clockwise and ask for health and kindness at home. Our guide to simmer pots has more recipes. Never leave a simmer pot unattended.
If you'd like to try apple divination instead, the classic apple peel method is in our article on Samhain divination, and our Mabon recipes include baked apples and spiced apple butter.
Apples Through Yule
Apple magick carries right on into winter. Apples are a traditional part of the Yule season, from apples studded with cloves to the old English custom of wassailing apple trees, singing to them and pouring cider at their roots to bless next year's crop. You can read more about the season in our Yule guide. If you'd like to learn how every sabbat links to the foods and plants of its season, our Wiccan Holidays course walks you through the whole year.
Final Thoughts
There's something lovely about ending the pumpkin season with a thank-you instead of a trash bag. Give your jack-o'-lantern a proper goodbye, keep a few seeds for luck, and use the last apples of autumn for a wish. It's a small, earthy way to close the harvest and step into winter.
What do you do with your pumpkins after Halloween? Tell us in the comments!
Sources
Scott Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (Llewellyn, 1985).
Ronald Hutton, The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain (Oxford University Press, 1996).
Snorri Sturluson, The Prose Edda, trans. Jesse Byock (Penguin Classics, 2005).
Lesley Pratt Bannatyne, Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History (Pelican, 1998).
Check out our other articles:
Samhain Divination: 7 Ways to Glimpse the Year Ahead
Samhain Altar Ideas
Jar Spells Made Simple
Love Spells for Beginners
See All Articles
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Pumpkin and Apple Magick FAQs
What should witches do with pumpkins after Halloween?
Thank the pumpkin for its protection and light, remove candles and decorations, then break it up and compost or bury it. Keep a few dried seeds from an uncarved pumpkin as an abundance charm.
Can I leave my pumpkin out for wildlife?
Wildlife agencies generally advise against it because it can spread disease among deer and other animals. Composting or burying the pumpkin is a safer way to return it to the earth.
What does a pumpkin mean in witchcraft?
Pumpkins are linked with protection, abundance and divination. They are associated with the element of earth and the moon, and carved jack-o-lanterns are said to guard the home and light the way for kindly spirits.
Why is the apple sacred in witchcraft?
When you cut an apple across its middle, the seeds form a five-pointed star. Apples are linked with Venus, love, healing and the otherworld, with Avalon called the Isle of Apples and the Norse goddess Idunn keeping the apples of youth.
What is a simple apple spell?
Cut an apple crosswise, place a written wish over the star of seeds, drizzle it with honey, tie the halves back together and bury it in the earth while stating your wish.
Can I eat my carved pumpkin?
No. A carved pumpkin that has sat outside spoils quickly and is not safe to eat. Use fresh, uncarved pumpkins for cooking and for roasting seeds.
