Samhain is the night the old year ends and the new one begins, and for as long as people have marked it, they have used it to take a peek at what the next year might bring.
Long before tarot decks were sold in every bookshop, people in Scotland and Ireland were peeling apples, throwing nuts into the fire and baking little charms into bread on Halloween night, all to find out who they would marry, whether money was coming, or what kind of year lay ahead. Many witches today keep that spirit alive with their own Samhain divination.
In this article, we'll look at why Samhain is such a natural time for divination, how to prepare, seven ways to try it this year (some very old, some modern), and how to make sense of what you see.
Why Samhain Is a Time for Divination
For many Wiccans, Samhain is the witch's new year. The harvest is in, the days are getting short, and the Wheel turns into its dark half. New beginnings have always invited questions about the future, and Samhain is the biggest new beginning of the year.
It's also the night when the veil between the worlds is said to be at its thinnest. Whether you take that literally or as a beautiful way of describing the season, it sets the mood: quiet, inward and open to messages. If you're new to the festival itself, our guide to Samhain and its history is a good place to start.
Folk tradition backs this up. Robert Burns's poem Halloween, published in 1786, describes a whole evening of fortune-telling games in rural Scotland: nuts burned in the fire, kail stalks pulled from the garden in the dark, and an apple eaten in front of a mirror. Most of those games were about love, but the idea behind them was the same one we use today. On this one night, the future is a little easier to see.
Before You Begin
Divination works best when you're calm and your space feels settled. A little preparation goes a long way:
- Clear your space. Open a window, sweep, or burn a little incense. Our guide to spiritual cleansing has more ideas.
- Work by candlelight. Low light helps your eyes relax and your mind slow down, which matters for scrying especially.
- Ask clear questions. "What do I need to know about my work this year?" will give you more to work with than "Will everything be okay?"
- Have a notebook ready. Write down everything you notice, even the things that don't make sense yet.
- Set your boundaries. Some people like to cast a circle or simply say, "Only loving and helpful messages are welcome here." If you've already protected your home with one of our protection spells, so much the better.
7 Ways to Practice Samhain Divination
You don't need to try all seven. Pick one or two that call to you and give them your full attention.
1. A Samhain Tarot Spread
If you read tarot, Samhain is the perfect night for a year-ahead spread. Shuffle while you think about the year that's ending, then lay out five cards:
- What I'm releasing: what the old year is taking with it.
- What I'm carrying forward: the strength or lesson worth keeping.
- A message from my ancestors: guidance from those who came before you.
- The lesson of the dark half: what the coming winter months are asking you to learn.
- The seed for the new year: what to plant now so it can grow in spring.
Read each card on its own first, then look at the spread as a whole. Are there lots of cups? Lots of reversals? A repeated number? Patterns often say more than any single card. Give your deck a fresh start first with our guide on how to cleanse a tarot deck.
2. Black Mirror Scrying
Scrying means gazing into a reflective surface until images, colors or impressions come to you. A black mirror is a classic choice, but a bowl of water with a few drops of black ink or a dark stone works too.
- Sit in a dark room with one candle placed so its flame isn't directly reflected in the mirror.
- Take a few slow breaths and hold your question in mind.
- Let your eyes soften and gaze into the mirror without trying to see anything in particular.
- After ten to fifteen minutes, close your eyes, then write down what came up: shapes, colors, faces, words or just feelings.
Don't worry if nothing happens the first time. Scrying is a skill, and most people need a few tries before anything appears. Even a strong feeling counts as an answer.
3. Apple Peel Divination
Apples are everywhere at Samhain, and they have a long history in Halloween fortune-telling. In one old custom from Britain and Ireland, you peel an apple in one long unbroken strip, then throw the peel over your left shoulder. The shape it lands in is said to show the first letter of your future love's name.
You can adapt it for any question. Peel the apple while you think about the year ahead, toss the peel, and see what shape or letter you notice. Then eat the apple, or leave it on your altar as an offering. (Cut one crosswise afterward and you'll find a five-pointed star of seeds hidden inside.)
4. Two Nuts in the Fire
This is the custom Burns wrote about, and in some parts of Britain Halloween was even called "Nutcrack Night." Two nuts, usually hazelnuts, are placed side by side near the fire, one named for you and one for a partner. If they burn quietly together, the relationship will be steady. If one jumps or cracks away from the other, trouble is ahead.
You can use the same idea for a choice you're facing: name one nut for each option and see which burns calmly. Only do this in a fireplace, fire pit or a sturdy fireproof dish, keep your face back, and never leave the fire unattended. Nuts can pop.
5. The Barmbrack Charms
In Ireland, Halloween means barmbrack, a fruity tea bread with small objects baked inside. Whatever turns up in your slice tells your fortune for the year: a ring means marriage, a coin means good luck with money, a pea means no wedding this year, a stick means arguments, and a scrap of cloth means hard times.
It makes a lovely family tradition, and you'll find a barmbrack recipe in our Samhain recipes and foods. If you add charms, wrap each one in a little baking paper and tell everyone before they take a bite. Small charms can be a choking hazard, so skip them if young children will be eating.
6. Egg White in Water
Reading the shapes egg white makes in water is called oomancy, and it was a popular fortune-telling game in the past. Fill a clear glass with water, crack an egg, and let only the white slide into the glass. Wait a minute or two and watch the shapes it forms.
There are no fixed meanings here. Trust your first impression. A ship might mean travel, a ring might mean a commitment, and a tree might mean growth or family. Write it down, then pour it away outside and give thanks.
7. A Pendulum and Your Ancestors
Samhain is a night for remembering the people we have lost, and many witches use it to ask their ancestors for guidance. A pendulum is a simple way to do that with clear yes or no answers.
Sit at your ancestor altar if you have one (our Samhain altar ideas can help you set one up). Light a candle, say the names of those you're remembering, and ask your pendulum to show you "yes" and "no" before you begin. Keep your questions simple and kind, and finish by thanking them. If pendulums are new to you, start with our guide on how to use a pendulum.
Making Sense of What You See
Divination rarely hands you a neat answer. More often you get a feeling, an image or a word that only makes sense later. That's normal, and it's why writing everything down matters so much.
Keep your Samhain readings together in your Book of Shadows or journal, with the date and the moon phase (our Moon and Magick Calendar makes that easy). Next Samhain, read them again. You may be surprised how much made sense once the year had played out.
Remember that divination shows possibilities, not fixed fate. If something worries you, take it as advice about what to pay attention to, not as a sentence you have to live with. You always have a say in what comes next.
Safety Notes
- Never leave candles or fires unattended, and keep long hair and loose sleeves away from flames.
- Wrap any charms baked into food and warn everyone first. Leave them out for small children.
- Wash your hands after handling raw egg, and pour the water away outside or down the drain.
- If a reading leaves you anxious, step away, ground yourself with something warm to eat or drink, and come back another day.
Final Thoughts
Samhain divination is less about predicting every detail of the year and more about pausing at the turning of the Wheel to listen. Whether you lay out a tarot spread, peel an apple by candlelight or simply sit quietly with your ancestors, you're taking part in something people have done on this night for centuries.
Which method will you try this Samhain? Tell us in the comments!
Sources
Burns, Robert. "Halloween." Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect. Kilmarnock, 1786.
Cunningham, Scott. Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. Llewellyn Publications, 1988.
Hutton, Ronald. The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain. Oxford University Press, 1996.
Clemson Cooperative Extension. "Irish Barmbrack: A Traditional Halloween Bread." Home & Garden Information Center.
Check out our other articles:
Wiccan Holidays: Samhain
Exploring Popular Divination Methods
Samhain Altar Ideas
The Colors of Samhain
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