In modern witchcraft, fall symbolizes a time for reflection, connection with your ancestors and the dead, a celebration of the harvest and a focus on family and the home.

With the cooler months on the way, it’s time to start planning autumn spells, rituals and Sabbat festival celebrations.   Get in the spirit of the season with these 9 ideas to make your fall magical!

Stock up on fall spices.

Get your magical (and culinary!) cabinet ready by stocking up on classic fall spices.

Nutmeg, cinnamon, star anise and cloves all planning a starring role in autumn ritual incense blends, kitchen spells and spirit bags.

So make gathering the items a special experience in of itself.  Go to a specialty spice shop in the antique district and spend some time smelling the samples.  Or, ask a friend with gourmet skills in the kitchen to recommend her favorite source for spices.

Scout out some pick-your-own farms.

For a seasonal, Wheel-of-the-Year oriented practitioner, picking your own harvest vegetables at least once is a must. 

Especially if you don’t have the time or space to grown your own.  It’s a fantastic way to stay connected to the seasons, eat fresher and support your local farmers.

Save time and do a little research to find the best pick-your-own farms near you.

Even if you think you know, the one you went to last year may have changed crops or they may have had a blight this season.

Pick-your-own produce goes fast in the harvest season, and the best time to pick varies from year-to-year.

Schedule a magical weekend.

After the chaos of kids going back to school, autumn demands at least one weekend getaway.

Try a small town with a funky autumn festival.

Do a house cleansing.

The early fall weather is your last chance to open up all the windows and let your home “breathe.”

It’s also a great time to smudge out the staleness from any fall candles, blankets, sweaters or whatever else you plan to break out of storage.

Give your home a deep clean, open the windows and smudge the crap out of it.

Start collecting altar ideas.

I keep a basket next to my altar for altar items that I plan to use in coming season.  I love curating pieces for my autumn altar

When you go through your fall decorations, or something spectacularly witchy catches your eye at a thrift store, place it in a designated area and you won’t have to go looking for it when it’s time to set up your Mabon or Samhain altar.

Speaking of which, decide what to do about Samhain.

If you celebrate Samhain, you know it’s the singularly biggest holiday of the year for many modern witches and pagans.

So go big and start planning now.

Sew up some epic trick-or-treating costumes for the kids, book a room in a haunted bed-and-breakfast, or go a little nuts decorating your front yard.  Make it special and it will be special.

Switch out your ritual bath items.

A monthly ritual bath during the fullest days of the moon help to rejuvenate the soul and cleanse any stored up energy from the previous moon cycle.

There are lots of ways to make an ordinary bath experience magical.

Use seasonal, homemade, natural bath products that compliment the Wheel of the year.

While summer calls for salt scrubs and citrus baths, autumn’s cooler weather means no more ants!

So change out your salt scrub for a brown sugar scrub, and scent your homemade soap, shampoo, or deodorant with essential oils associated with the season (be careful—cinnamon oil can really burn if it’s not diluted!!).

Forage for autumn ritual items.

Go on regular nature walks and collect pine cones, fall leaves, acorns, crow feathers or anything else to use in your autumn rituals and spells.

Keep your tradition and your skill set in mind.

I start saving chicken bones from my husband’s buffalo wings to scrub and cure for bone reading!

Touch base with your coven—or yourself.

If you practice with a coven, get connected and on the same page before the chaos hits.

Especially if some of you are professional tarot readers, own pagan shops or participate in paranormal investigations, it’s always nuts by October.

With the frenzy of activity during the weeks leading up to Mabon and Samhain, covens often drift at this time of year when they need each other the most!

And if you’re a solitary, check in with your to-do list.  Make sure you make time for the magical and the mundane.

Blessed be.