9 Uses for Pumpkins in Magick

Witches and non-witches alike already know that the jack o' lantern is carved and lit on the night of October 31st in order to ward off evil spirits. But there are many other magickal things you can do with pumpkins both during autumn and even during the pumpkin's off-season. Pumpkins correspond to wish fulfillment, abundance, prosperity, gratitude, fertility, and creativity. Use one or more of these suggestions below to manifest any or all of these correspondences into your life. (Then after you're done reading this article, be sure to check out my Witches' New Year Pumpkin Ritual!)

Get Cookin'

Make a pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bisque, pumpkin milkshake, pumpkin seeds, or try my Stuffed Pumpkin for Abundance recipe! Really, any recipe that calls for pumpkin. And while you're preparing the main ingredient, add your intentions to the mix whether you wish to split the dish between yourself and your significant other for fertility purposes (which worked for me last year) or share it with your writing group for creative inspiration. Whatever intention you're charging your dish with, you can keep it for yourself or share it with others.

Dry Out Some Seeds

When you're carving your jack o' lantern this year, set aside the seeds and dry them for future use. You might be planning to eat most of them, but plan ahead to leave a handful unsalted to use in jar spells and charm bags.

Set Your Intention in Motion

Or with either a fresh or dried seed (unsalted), whisper your intention to it and then toss it into a moving body of water.

Candle Magick

If you want to incorporate the energy of pumpkins into a candle spell, take a mini pumpkin and carve out the center to the circumference of the base of your candle. Using the pumpkin as a candle holder is a great passive way of including it in your magick.

A Different Type of Jack o' Lantern

Get creative with your pumpkin carving (or painting, if you prefer) and try something other than a face. Possibly a protection symbol, a pentagram, the Helm of Awe, or your own handmade protection sigil.

Save the Stem

The day after Samhain, when your pumpkin is no longer needed, cut off the stem and save it. Just like the dried seeds, this will allow you to keep tapping into pumpkin energy all year around. When you need it for a spell, shave off a bit, grind it in a mortar and pestle if you need it finer, and incorporate it into your spell the same way you would other herbs.

Mini Pumpkin Stash

Mini pumpkins are great for ongoing use because they tend to last longer than a regular pumpkin. Draw a symbol of what you hope to manifest on it and place it where that energy is needed. For instance, draw a symbol of your creative pursuit and place it wherever you do your craft or artistry, a symbol for fertility and place it by your bed, or a dollar sign and keep it at your place of business.

Let Nothing Go to Waste

If you already plan on decorating with pumpkins anyway, you may as well put their remains to good use when they inevitably begin to decay. On a slip of paper, write down a wish you want to come true before the next Samhain. Bury both of them together in your yard and plant something new atop that, using the pumpkin for compost. Be sure your plant of choice is either meant to be planted in autumn or is a bulb of some sort that will sleep during the winter and sprout in the spring.

Honor the Four Elements

On the night of Samhain, before you light your jack o' lantern, sprinkle a bit of water inside the pumpkin first. That way you are using the pumpkin to represent earth, the candle for fire, the wind passing through and feeding the flame for air, and now the water. In this way, you honor the elements on the night of this sacred sabbat.

If you have other ways of using pumpkins in your craft, leave a comment below and tell me all about it!