Drag the jewel-toned glory of the season into your spiritual practice with these clever ways to use fall leaves in witchcraft and magic.

Fall Leaves in Witchcraft

Freely available and vibrating with infinite creative possibilities, fall leaves embody the magic of autumn, reminding us to recognize that even the darkest seasons of life make us fertile for future growth.

Simply put:  they make death beautiful.  And seeing the beauty in natural endings nourishes your future self.

Use fall leaves in witchcraft to symbolize the Veil Between World, to connect with your departed loved ones and to fill your home with the joy of autumn.

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Make a wish.

Select a leaf for its magical properties or in a color with significance to your purpose.

Then write a wish on it.

From a bridge over a body of water, drop the leaf into the water.  Close your eyes and visualize it making its way downstream to fertilize your hopes.

Walk away and don’t look back.

Welcome good spirits with leaf garland.

In most parts of the United States, the leaves fall just as the Veil Between Worlds begins to thin during the period of time between Mabon and Samhain.

This time makes the “window” from this life to the afterlife open a little wider.  Keep the vibes (and the spirits!) positive in your home with this easy craft.

Gather some fall leaves that have some color, but aren’t yet too brittle.

Then spray them with spray adhesive and sprinkle them with biodegradable glitter.

Tie strings to the leave stems and hang them in the window to welcome good spirits.

Be the Fall Queen for Samhain.

Planning a Samhain party?  Find a yellow, orange, red or brown prom dress.  Then decorate a blank costume mask with fall leaves.

Add some loud orange or red lipstick.

Voila!  You’re the Fall Queen.

Rub them into your Book of Shadows.

If you keep a paper Book of Shadows or grimoire, try this technique for rubbing leaves onto paper.

Most of the tutorials are written for kids, so give it a sophisticated, grown-up twist by using subtle colors.  Do some research on the leaves you gathered and add an entry about their magical properties for future reference.

Offer them to your ancestors.

If you honor your ancestors during the Samhain season, fall leaves make a nice gift to the departed.  Their decay symbolizes the cycle of life and the grace of remembering those who passed on with love.

Bury them near a burial site or a place where your loved one once spent some happy times.

Express your love to them silently or out loud, then ask them to look after you during the coming year.

Make hair wreaths for ritual.

One of my favorite ritual “favors” when I host!  Use fall leaves to decorate hair wreaths and then pass them out to your guests to create a seasonal, festive feel.

You can easily adapt this simple tutorial for making seasonal crowns and replace the evergreens with fall leaves.

Weave in acorns, pine cones or other foraged fall items.  Then anoint them with fall-themed essential oils like orange or nutmeg to make them smell amazing!  Creates an awesome vibe for the senses.

Use them according to their color magic.

Take advantage of those brilliant autumn hues and use the deep, rich color of fall leaves in color magic.

(If you’re new to the concept of color magic, start here.)

Include red leaves in fall attraction spells, yellow for study spells, orange for business spells and green for new beginnings.

Decorate your spell candles.

Perfect for spell candles you plan to use during the Harvest Moon (or any fall moon) or ritual candles for Mabon and Samhain!

If you make or decorate your own spell candles, try this tutorial for embedding fall leaves into candles.  So pretty!

Add them to incense blends.

Certain fall leaves dry well and burn beautifully.

Include dried oak leaves in your Samhain hand-made incense.

Or, pine needles in a Yule blend for a traditional, local touch!

Learn the basics of herbalism and get to know which trees produce the best leaves for burning in your area.

Adorn your altar.

Try creating a natural altar for Mabon, Samhain or just the fall season.

Scatter fall leaves over a bright altar cloth or layer them underneath a fall flower arrangement for a lovely touch to your sacred space.