October brings the crisp breath of autumn, the slow fading of daylight, and the approach of Samhain, the witch’s new year on the 31st of the month.

The veil between the worlds thins, making this a powerful time for ancestral work, divination, protection, and honouring death as part of the great cycle of life. At the same time, the harvest is ending, and witches gather what remains to prepare for the long winter.

Here, we’re sharing 20 different witchcraft tasks, spells, and rituals to consider during October. Some are rooted in Samhain tradition, others are inspired by the particular seasonal energy of this month.

Use them to deepen your practice and connect with the shifting energy of this liminal time.

Some of the witchy tasks suggested here may require a few supplies – we’ve spent some time sourcing them, so you don’t have to. Some of the links here are affiliate, meaning a few pennies come our way when you click, at no extra cost to you.

So here goes! 20 witchy ways to honour October’s mysterious gifts, hone your craft and connect with the ever changing rhythms of the land…

1. Build a Samhain Ancestral Altar

Gather photos, heirlooms, candles, and offerings to create a beautiful, sacred space for honouring your ancestors. You might add food or drink they enjoyed in life, seasonal fruits, or flowers like marigolds and chrysanthemums.

Throughout the month, your altar can become a portal of remembrance and a place to invite guidance from those who came before.

• Prepare a special altar cloth, like THIS gorgeous burnt orange, fringed velvet.
• Use candles in autumnal tones – we LOVE these 100% pure beeswax pillar candles. 
• If you prefer white, THESE beeswax-enriched candles are our pick.
• Scatter dried chrysanthemums across your altar top – this flower corresponds with death, and memories of loved ones.

2. Carve a Pumpkin Lantern

Not just for kids at Halloween!

Jack-o’-lanterns have ancient origins as protective wards, and placing one at your threshold will guard against wandering spirits.

 For added protective power, carve symbols of protection, sigils or runes into the skin.

3. Collect Fallen Leaves for Spellwork

Fallen leaves hold the energy of release, and the transformation and beauty that comes with letting go.

Dry and press your leaves between two heavy books, then:

• Write intentions or things you’re ready to release onto them with a sharpie, then burn or bury them.

• Grind your dried leaves into powder and add to spell jars.

• Place a leaf under your pillow to invite dreams of guidance about change.

• Use leaves in charm bags for seasonal protection or prosperity.

4. Brew a Warming Autumn Elixir

Simmer apple cider (or apple juice) with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and a dash of ginger. All good kitchen witches will likely have a selection of these spices in their cupboard! But if you need to restock, now’s a good time. Try to buy organic.

• Organic whole nutmeg
• Cinnamon sticks 
• Organic whole Sri-Lankan cloves– these are divine!
• THIS organic mulling spice blend can make the process easier if you’re short on time!

Drink mindfully, visualising warmth and magic spreading through your body. Share with friends, and remember to offer a cup to the spirits.

5. Create a Spirit Communication Tool

October is THE month for divination, and nothing makes this practice more personal than crafting (or dedicating) your own tool.

Be sure to think carefully about what you need

•  Are you indecisive and often need a quick “yes” or “no?” In which case, a pendulum may be calling to you.
• Do you long to gaze into the void, and tap into deeper realms? Then a black mirror may be your tool of choice.

Consecrate it with smoke or moonlight, then use it as the veil thins towards the Samhain portal to seek messages from guides, ancestors, or spirits.

Always begin with protective wards, and cleanse your tools regularly.

Read: How to Practice Black Mirror Scrying + Tips for Beginner Witches

We love these pendulums…

Classic gold pendulum

… and these black scrying mirrors

Obsidian stone scrying ball

6. Perform a Cord-Cutting Ritual

The month before Witch’s New Year on October 31st, it’s the perfect time to release ties that no longer serve you.

Cord-cutting rituals are a great way to energetically start the process of letting go, as long as you continue to take action in the real world, to distance yourself from whatever it is you are releasing.

The simplest cord-cutting ritual looks like using a piece of string to represent the bond, charging it with the situation, and then cutting it with intention (use your athame, or a pair of consecrated scissors). Burn or bury the remains, freeing yourself for the new year ahead.

For more detail, see this guide: How to Perform Your Perfect Cord Cutting Ritual

7. Start a Shadow Work Journal

As darkness deepens, turn inward.

Dedicate a notebook to shadow work, to help you explore fears, patterns, and repressed emotions. Journal prompts, tarot spreads, or guided meditations can help you explore what lies beneath the surface and reclaim your power.

New to shadow work? THIS WORKBOOK is exactly what you need!

8. Host a Dumb Supper

This traditional Samhain rite honours the dead with a silent meal. It’s a profound and meaningful ritual to do with other witchy friends, or  family.

Lay a place at your table for the ancestors, serve food, and eat in reverent silence.

Afterward, leave offerings outside or on your altar as a gift for those in spirit.

9. Create a Witch’s Protection Bottle

Combine nails, broken glass, salt, herbs like rosemary or rue, and vinegar in a jar. Seal and bury it at your threshold to ward off malice or unwanted energies.

This folk practice is powerful for maintaining spiritual and physical protection.

Use a screwtop bottle, or top with a cork and seal with black wax: These are ideal:

• Black sealing wax (comes with 2 spoons)
• Wax sealing kit with 24 colours
• Black taper candles
• Set of 20 spell candles (assorted colours)

10. Host a Tarot or Oracle Divination Night

Gather friends (or work alone with your cards) under the first autumn moon.

October is an ideal time for divination, as the veil is thin and messages flow freely.

Ask specific questions about the year ahead, or cast a wheel of the year – pull a card for each of the 8 upcoming sabbats, using its energy to guide the season.

Take a photo of your spread, or make a drawing. Share these with your friends, and compare the journey ahead.

11. Bake Soul Cakes or Ancestor Bread

This old tradition involves baking small cakes or loaves and offering them to the dead.

You can place them on your altar, give them to neighbours, or enjoy them with family while remembering those who have passed.

Infuse them with prayers for blessing and peace.

12. Make a Samhain Wreath

Wreaths aren’t just for Yule!

… And they’re not just for decoration.

Crafting a wreath from foraged autumn finds – ivy, hawthorn, blackberry brambles – and decorating it with any dried flowers, hips or herbs you have, will create a beautiful and protective autumn amulet.

Decorate with added charms, and hang it on your door as a symbol of death and rebirth, and to ward off any negative or unwanted energies.

Supplies you’ll need:

• A wreath base, like this 10-inch circular wire base
• … or this very large grapevine base (makes a stunning wreath)
• … or try this Moon-shaped wreath base
• Dried flowers (chrysanthemum, nigella)
• Herbs or greens (ivy, hawthorn, holly)
• Floral wire or twine
• Scissors or garden shears
• Mixed pentacle and star charms – these are ideal for added protection
• Antique bronze Halloween-themed charms
• 2-inch black velvet ribbon
• … or THIS frayed-edge black velvet ribbon is absolutely stunning!

13. Perform a Protection Sweep of Your Home

Use a broom to sweep outward from each room, clearing away stagnant energy.

Sprinkle salt across thresholds and windowsills, or anoint doors with protective oil.

Regularly performing this kind of ritual cleansing ensures your home is safe and spiritually shielded through the dark months.

14. Create an Ancestral Lineage Map

Research your family tree and sketch it out.

Speak to your elders, ask them questions, look at their old photographs and letters, and track who is connected to who. 

Even if your lineage map is rough and has gaps, it will be full of meaning.

Place it on your altar as a living reminder of the roots that anchor you. Honouring your lineage like this connects you with ancestral wisdom, whether or not you knew those who came before.

15. Work with Bones 

Bones, feathers, or antlers found in nature can become powerful magickal allies when treated with reverence.

They carry the deep mysteries of transformation, mortality, and the cycles of life.

Before working with them, cleanse gently with smoke or salt water, then consecrate under the moon or with prayer. Always be mindful of sourcing — work only with remains that are ethically gathered and never from harm.

Some ways to use them in your practice:

• Place bones on your altar as symbols of ancestors, death, and rebirth.

• Use a small bone or feather as a wand for directing energy in ritual.

• Add antlers or skulls to seasonal altars for protection and liminal power.

• Carry a tiny bone charm (wrapped in cloth or pouch) for grounding and ancestral connection.

• Use bones in divination by casting them and reading their positions (bone throwing).

• Incorporate into protective talismans, either displayed in your home or buried at thresholds.

16. Prepare Herbal Remedies for Winter

October is a great month for making syrups or tinctures with elderberry, thyme, sage, or honey.

Making your own remedies (as opposed to buying from a store) means you can be sure of the provenance of ingredients.

You can also infuse them with intention and love as you make them (YES, this will impact on their efficacy when you come to use them!)

Store them for winter wellness as the seasons get colder.

We love these tincture-making guides:

The Complete Encyclopedia of Tinctures

17. Celebrate the October Hunter’s Moon

The Hunter’s Moon follows the full Harvest Moon, and it rises large and bright in the crisp October sky. Traditionally, it guided hunters preparing for winter, and its energy is linked to sustenance, survival, and focus.

Spiritually, it’s a powerful time for gathering resources – both physical and magickal – and sharpening intentions for the months ahead.

Ways to honour the Hunter’s Moon:

• Perform a prosperity spell to call in the resources you’ll need for the colder season.

• Charge tools, weapons, or ritual blades under the moonlight for protection and clarity.

• Work a banishing ritual to shed distractions and hone your focus.

• “Hunt” your shadows… ask for the full Moon to illuminate your shadows, so you can see and integrate your golden darkness.

18. Collect Rainwater for Samhain Rituals

We often start to see some of the more dramatic autumn weather by the time October arrives. Collect this rainwater for use in your Sahmain spellwork. 

For more on rain magick, read: Cast These 3 Potent Rain Spells to Harness the Power of the Storm!

19. Honour a Deity of Death or Transformation

By now, you know that October is the season when the veil between worlds thins. This makes it a potent time to connect with deities linked to death, the underworld, and transformation.

Figures such as Hecate, The Morrigan, Anubis, or Hel embody mystery, endings, and rebirth. To honour them, begin by learning their stories – read mythology, explore devotional texts, or meditate on their archetypes.

Create a small, devotional altar space with colours, herbs, and symbols sacred to them (like keys for Hecate, ravens for The Morrigan, or black candles for Hel) and leave offerings throughout the month.

Ways to work with these deities:

• Light a candle and recite a prayer, chant, or words of respect in their honour.

• Make a symbolic offering – wine, bread, pomegranate seeds, or incense

• Dedicate a piece of jewelry or ritual tool to their guidance.

• Journal on the theme of transformation, asking: What needs to die away so that I may be reborn?

• If you feel called, commit to ongoing study or ritual work with one of these deities.

We recommend these resources:

Persephone’s Pathway: Wisdom, Magick & Growth

20. Cast a Threashold Spell

Your doorway is a natural liminal space – a boundary between the safety of your home and the outside world. During October (the Season of the witch), it’s especially important to protect this threshold while still inviting in blessings.

To cast this spell, sprinkle salt and protective herbs (like rosemary, sage, or mugwort) along your doorway. You may also anoint the frame with protective oils.

As you work, speak an invocation such as:

“By candle flame and autumn air,
By leaf and shadow, I declare:
Through this door none dark shall tread,
Only spirits of love are led.”

Reapply herbs or repeat the words each week until Samhain to keep your boundary strong and your home energetically safe.

October is a month absolutely swirling in magick, mystery, and memory.

This list of tips and tasks is a suggestion, not another demand on your precious time. So whether you feel called to honour your ancestors, protect your home charms, or revel n the glow of the Hunter’s Moon, choose as many of as few as you like, and use them to root you deeply into the season, and yourself.

May this sacred time of Samhain guide you toward release, transformation, and renewal as you step confidently into the dark half of the year.