Day 2 - On the second day of Samhain my Coven gave to me...A Dumb Supper
This is a lovely way to honour the dead, I am not sure how old the tradition is but it is fun to work with.
The first thing to do is decide on which room you are going to hold your dumb supper in and make it a sacred space by casting a circle or smudging the area. Make sure there are not electrical items turned on in the room such as televisions or telephones.
The main theme of a dumb supper is silence. It is not a miserable, solemn silence but one of respect.
When you invite your guests ask each one to bring along a note to the dinner, don’t ask what is in the note, this is private for them, but should contain what they wish to say to any friends or relatives that have passed over.
Set a place at your dining table for each guest but keep the head of the table empty, this is for the Spirits. Place a small candle, tea lights work well at the place setting for Spirit, one candle for each deceased person you wish to honour. The chair at this place setting can also be covered with a white or black cloth.
No one is permitted to speak as they enter the dining room and not at any time during the entire supper. As each guest enters the room they take a moment and stop at the Spirit chair, this is when they can take a moment to honour the dead.
Once each person has taken their place at the table, everyone joins hands and all offer a silent blessing to the deceased.
No one should start eating until everyone has been served and that includes a serving for Spirit.
When the meal is finished, each guest may then bring out their personal notes to the dead. In turn each person goes to the place setting of Spirit, they focus on the message they have written then they catch the edge of the note in the flame of one of the candles and burn it – also a good idea to have a small cauldron or fire proof dish at this place setting too! When everyone has taken their turn they all join hands once again in a further blessing.
Once this is all done everyone may leave the room, still in silence, stopping at the chair of Spirit to give a final blessing.
Excerpt from Grimoire of a Kitchen Witch by Rachel Patterson
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