perjantai 26. heinäkuuta 2019

D for Death Witch

  • Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it. 
  • Haruki Murakami 

It is not length of life, but depth of life. 
Ralph Waldo Emerson

For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one. 
Kahlil Gibran


Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them. 
George Eliot

  • Death/Necromancy - A practice that may combine Bone, Animal, Spirit work, occasionally also Blood. Using spirits to empower one self, hoarding bones, using graveyards, graves, the spirits of them, as well as the dirt (or even plants) that are found in them. May also honor the dead and/or gods who work with the dead.


Similar to:
Spirit Working - A practice in which the person will perform spellwork in conjunction with or with the help of any manner of spirit. This includes Ouija, (sometimes) demon spirits, spiritual contact, etc.
Spirit Worker. - A magick practitioner who works with spirits of all kind in communication and guidance. Spirit working can be defined as working with human spirits, demons, fae, spirit guides and spirit companions. The definition varies from person to person.

Life and death, death in life. I see and talk to spirits pretty often. I have done it since I was very little. Mostly I did it with dead plants but when I grew up I started to notice some new things in the world, human spirits. I have never been afraid of them, but they have tried to hurt me at least one time (that I know). I used to see dreams about my dead friend (which I tell you more about in the Dream Witch post (up coming!) (edit. I talked with this friend via spirit board and she said she really did come to visit my dreams!) and I just today did a smudging in my apartment to get rid of one nasty spirit who has taken my energy past week or so. I have been so heavily tired I have needed to take naps every 3-6 hours. I can sometimes see and hear spirits but mostly I feel them. I feel cold air, I feel pressure from really bad energy, I feel emotions and I feel touching. (edit. I have a spirit in my apartment again, need to do some cleansing)




Clairs: 
Clairvoyance (seeing), 
Clairtangence/psychometry (touching), clairaudience (hearing), 
Clairgustance (tasting), 
Clairsentience (feeling), 
Clairscent/clairodoance (smelling) and clairempathy etc etc to communicate with spirits. While some people have a natural affinity for one to several, they can all be strengthened by anyone with practice.

Death is in my plants that don´t survive (I just can´t do it, sigh, I clearly am not a Green witch), death is in my animals that had past away, death is what feeds me and my family, without dead plants and animals, we wouldn´t be here (what would we eat?). Death is in my ancestors which I don´t know but would like to know. Death is where something in my life ends and new begins. Death is in the changing seasons. Death is in my friends who has passed away but who I don´t forget and they live trough my memories. There is no life without death and other way around. Death is everywhere. Circle of life will continue no matter what. I myself, am a Death Witch.

In Finnish lore we have Tuonela (underworld) and we had Kalman väki (people of the dead) who welcomed new spirits to the spirit realm and they mostly gathered up together. We had Tuonen Tytti (Tytti of the underworld) who came with her boat and sail the dead to Tuonela. A lot has been forgotten  but some of us still remembers and respect the old believes. If this made you feel interested, let me know and I will tell more. Also there is coming my big photographing project, so I will let you know about these kind of stuff later on.

Tips for someone interested in getting started on this path

-Do research on funeral services and the ways different cultures take care of their dead. 

-Study death, how it occurs in humans, animals, plants, etc. 

-Think of your own death and the death of those around you, think of what the word “death” truly means to you. 
-Start a journal and write down your thoughts and how the meaning of that word changes for you over time. 

-Start talking with spirits (but remember that some do lie). 

-Go to graveyards and pay respects to those that are there, especially the older forgotten areas of cemeteries.



Some tools that Death Witch might use: Graveyard Dirt, salt, black Salt, obsidian, hematite, smoky quartz, athame, pendulum, spirit board, tarot cards, bones (obtained ethically),blood (own).

Crystals in Death Magick 

Ajoite - overcome sorrow, emotional healing
Amethyst - eases grief and sadness
Andalusite - crossing over into the afterlife
Apophyllite - spirit communication
Bixbite (Red Beryl) - eases grief
Black Tourmaline - eases grief
Bloodstone - to strengthen ties with ancestors or loved ones who have passed on
Blue Lace Agate - connection to the spirit world, eases passage into the afterlife
Calcite - emotional healing, peace
Carnelian - eases sorrow, protection in the afterlife
Celestite - spirit communication
Charoite - eases passage into the afterlife
Cuprite - spirit communication
Halite - dispelling negativity, protection
Hematite - grounding, peace, transforming negativity 
Jade - protection in the afterlife
Jasper - safe passage into the afterlife
Jet - eases grief and mourning
Kunzite - eases heartbreak
Labradorite - spirit communication
Lapis Lazuli - spiritual connection
Obsidian - healing, deflecting negativity, grounding, protection
Onyx - grounding, protection
Pink Tourmaline - emotional healing
Quantum Quattro Silica - eases grief
Quartz - safe passage into the afterlife
Selenite - spirit communication, eases passage into the afterlife
Sunstone - spirit communication
Tanzan Aura Quartz - spirit communication
Tsavorite - connection to the spirit world
Turquoise - spiritual attunement
Violet Flame Opal - spiritual awareness

Death Witch things to do

-Visiting natural history and art museum. Not only for the spirit work (museums are surprisingly rife with spirits) but also the reflection on the objects themselves that are imbued with death energy due to their age.
-Kitchen witchcraft with fermentation. I’m talking both home starters/yeasts and drink based fermenting! The process of encouraging fermentation is literally a controlled necromancy if you think about it! Also your own fermented product will be excellent to use in spellwork!
-Upcycle crafting! The process of reusing items in a new way that you already had or seeking out items to use instead of letting them become trash is also working with death energy!
-Playing death related games or watching movies with friends and family. Death witchcraft tasks and energy work doesn’t have to look witchy! If you have a weekly or monthly hangout where you play tabletops like Betrayal at House on the Hill or even online games. Or watch documentaries or movies with loved ones that related that totally counts! Especially as a lower spoon option.
-Drawing or photographing abandoned buildings/architecture. So often people forgot that the decay of manmade objects and places do hold death energy and weight. Tapping into this side of death witchcraft can be an interesting experience.
-Visiting a 24 hour store or restaurant in the middle of the night. Also walking through a store at 3am is a good time to practice a walking meditation or some simple spirit communication without too much trouble. Just have your headphones in for an excuse!
-Learning to maintain your own compost! The cycle of your kitchen supplies life and decay is such a simple and deep way to access that death energy and maybe even work your way up to having that green thumb! Also using this compost in spellwork will pack a punch!

Rituals

Death witchcraft can be used and interpreted in many different ways. But what one does with it is often very personal, different, and unique. Here are some rituals, spells, etc. that I found useful.

-Scrying with spirits 
-Divining the future with the dead 
-Grief spells and rituals
-Passing spells and rituals - helping spirits pass on, or get “unstuck” when reliving their past is a very rewarding thing. 
-Curses - death does not always mean bringing mortality to a living, breathing thing. It can be used it to smother success, disenchant happiness, etc. 
-Rebirth spells and rituals - Release yourself from the past and start with the clean sheet.
-Communing with the dead - meditation can lead to eye opening encounters with the spirits of those who died before you. They have voices, and they will speak, even if you will not listen.
-Cleaning up, respecting the dead - burying bones or carcasses of animals is one way to respect and honour the dead (if they want you to, that is). So is picking up litter near a cemetery, or helping the grief stricken friends and family of someone you know who has passed. Learn what to say, and what not to, and read up on death, and its overwhelming history.




Communication with Ghosts 

A baseline experience in warding/protection and spirit communication is necessary first. Also have an energy source other than your own ready for boosting the communication (offerings, crystals, charged items or water, energy jars, etc.) is helpful and polite as well.
Find a place that works for you: cemeteries, old buildings, museums, crossroads, bodies of water, old growth forests, liminal spaces, personal ancestor shrines, old houses, etc.
Start with a communication method you’re familiar with: Tarot, pendulum, shufflemancy, trancing, channeling, automatic writing, empathy/clair senses
Let your mind unfocus- it doesn’t have to be true “clearing mind” that meditation methodology sometimes talks about. Letting your mind just wander is good too. Gently allow thoughts to appear but don’t dwell on them. Try identifying thoughts that wouldn’t be your own. Practice discernment.
Record the feelings and experience. If you’re comfortable with it, push for more specific interaction with your communication method: “who are you?”, “where are you from?” “what do you need me to know about?” “what do you enjoy talking about”. It’s okay to just keep things organic and loose for the first couple times and not ask specific questions, just allow impressions.
Be firm about safety and your boundaries. Don’t let the spirit take advantage of any discomfort you may experience. It’s always okay to disconnect the communication and come back later.
Keep a journal regarding these experiences. Refer back to it to build relationships with repeat spirits and learn methods that work the most successfully for you. Feel free to use it to research background on deceased spirits when you aren’t communicating directly.
Be respectful about privacy. It’s okay to share experiences in a general sense but you may include a question about whether you may share specifics about any spirits you interact with. However, be wary of any spirits that tell you not to talk about communing at all, that level of secrecy is suspect. Personal privacy (names, history, ages, personal stories, etc) are of course common courtesy to protect but your own success in methodology and emotions regarding the experiences should be your own choosing on whether to share, not theirs.

Skulls

A skull may house a conjured ghost, and allow that spirit to speak through the body of the skull. Some sources will offer incense upon the skull to help this take effect.
Related to the first point, a sealing spell may be cast upon the skull to prevent it from lying or deceiving. This spell involves sealing the mouth with graveyard dirt and drawing an engraving on it with iron. 
Skulls may be used to dispel or scare off ghosts. A libation poured from the skull of a black dog is used in one such banishing ritual. 
Many rituals include using a skull to prevent one from grinding their teeth during sleep. Some believed that this happened because a dead family member tried to communicate through their relative in sleep. The sufferer may either kiss it seven and seven times, or kiss it seven times and lick it seven times, over the span of four nights.
Skulls are used as summoning ingredients and basis for the conjurer’s power. Sometimes, an incantation will be spoken over a skull. Other times, a libation or conjuring oil will be spilt over the skull.




Simple Spirit Work

-Write messages and notes for deceased loved ones on autumn leaves and let the wind carry them where they need to go.
-Carve sigils and symbols to promote spirit work into pumpkins and place on altars or around your property.
-Collect pinecones and pine boughs and tie in bundles to be placed around a room you want to discourage spirits from visiting during the thinning veil time (i.e. your bedroom, bathroom, etc.).
-Read a favorite book or book passage in a graveyard to the local spirits and ghosts. You may also playi or sing a favorite song.
-Enchant candles you place in your jack o’ lanterns to greet and guide spirits peacefully and with love.
-Erect an ancestor altar; include pictures, items, food that were favorites of deceased loved ones (including pets!!).
-Pour an additional drink or fill a small plate with part of your meal as a tribute to household spirits or ghosts.
-Do your divination outside during dawn or dusk times.
-Invite spirits and ghosts to join you in watching your favorite holiday movies (”Nightmare Before Christmas”, “Halloween”, “Hocus Pocus”, etc.).
-Leave birdseed or bird/animal safe homemade crackers outside for your local messengers of the dead.
-Bury offerings for the Underworld and Kerberos (again, assuming they’re critter-safe).
-Make crockpot soups and stews enchanted with prosperity, healing, love, and warmth
-Paint sigils in water/sugar under or on top of baked goods before popping into oven for charging.
-Pick up debris in a local graveyard while talking pleasantly to the spirit occupants.

Good Offerings In Death Work

Whenever you visit a graveyard, to honor someone or otherwise, it is only appropriate to leave an offering behind. Below I will list common offerings for the dead.

Herbs
Mugwort, Apple, Bay. Frankincense, Myrrh, Rosemary, Pomegranates, Wormwood, Banana, Honey

Flowers
Roses, Lilies, Orchids, Daisies, Dandelions, Mullein, Eucalyptus Leaves, Juniper Berries

Liquids
Water, Wine, Pomegranate Juice, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Vinegar, Whiskey

Others
Coins (Very Common), Brown Bread, Candles (Typically White or Black), Musical Elements, Birthday Candles, Rice

Crystals
Bloodstone, Amethyst, Obsidian, Blue Kyanite, Danburite, Tektite

Coins
Most of these herbs, flowers, and crystals are used for protection or guiding spirits. So you may be asking, why do we commonly leave coins are an offering? Well, most speculate this is due to the Charon. In Greek and Latin literary, the Charon is the ferryman who guides souls into the afterlife from the land of the living. The coins are offerings to him to help guide the spirit.




Different Ways to Use These Offerings

-Burn the herbs and/or flowers around the grave either alone or with a written message to the spirit.
-Pour the liquids over the grave, or leave them in an offering bowl.
-Leave above the grave the flowers, coins, crystals or other offering objects.

Some Activities That Can Be Used As Offerings

-Reading a story out loud or to yourself.
-Tell the spirit a story of your life.
-Play some music for the spirit.

Memento Mori Journal

One way to honor the dead is to keep a Memento Mori Journal. This is a journal that the living write headstone information in to remember the dead. It’s also advised that you search up the person once you get home and write some facts about them in your journals. Among the community, they are quite popular.

Self Care for Death Witches

-Take a cleansing bath. Sometimes working with death energy can take a toll on your energy levels, as well as potentially attract death into your life (especially if it is surrounding you on a daily basis). Every two weeks or so, it’s a good idea to clean up your aura and spirit using a ritual shower or bath. For a bath, toss in 1 cup of epsom salt, and ½ cup of baking soda, and then use any safe essential oils to add a little magical boost. This combination will cleanse you physically of any toxins, and also spiritually. Do not soak for longer than 20 minutes, and it is generally said that every 2 weeks is the best timeframe between this ritual. I use lavender oil and mint leaves to really clean and protect myself. Be sure to research the affects of herbs, especially in regards to your physical state and taking into account medications you consume. For a shower, let the water run over your whole body. Then, soak a loofa or hand towel in a mixture of epsom salt, baking soda, and essential oils or herbs (again, do this safely). Softly scrub your body, and rinse yourself off again.
-Take naps. This is a very important tip, especially for those of you who work primarily at night. Find a good time for you, and try to consistently get enough sleep. It’s important to stay well rested to keep your energy up and your physical body healthy.
-Spend time doing what you love. Don’t neglect things you enjoy to focus your whole being on death witchcraft. If you like to sew, paint, write, solve equations, cook, or whatever else, make time for it. Doing something mundane is very essential to keeping you from getting burnt out on your practice.
-Eat. I mean it. I find myself forgetting to eat an awful lot when I immerse myself in death witchcraft and necromancy. I don’t know if it’s just because I am super busy or because I am focusing too much on spiritual needs instead of physical ones, but it isn’t good for you. Eat at least 3 meals, and drink lots of water!
-Listen to your body. If it’s telling you it’s tired, hungry, thirsty, or in pain, you shouldn’t ignore it. This is something I really need to remember. Sometimes I think practicing death witchcraft is more important than focusing on my physical needs, but it isn’t black and white like that. Both are important, and I should really realize that if I don’t take care of myself now, I won’t be able to practice later.
-Relax. Take a moment and meditate, or just sit with crystals, candles, water, or whatever calms you. Recharge your batteries. This is really vital for those of you who use a lot of your own energy for spells, spirit communication, and more. I like to listen to music that makes me feel like a death witch (playlist is on its way to a blog near you).
-Spend time in places you find fulfilling. I like graveyards, I like hospitals. I like places where death is prevalent because it helps me get acquainted with the thought of death. If this is you, too, then go to those places.



Did you know?
In certain traditions, the gatekeeper is said to be the first spirit who was buried in that cemetery. The gate keeper is a guardian of the dead, of sorts, who help other spirits and keep the graveyard powerful and contained. Sometimes they reside in a vessel, and sometimes they roam around. For spirit workers such as death walkers, they may help lead you to troubled spirits or spirits they’d like you to help.

Death Witch Tip
Offering for the dead: lemon poppy seed baked goods.
Poppy seeds = Sleep and peace, to give them rest.
Lemon = Healing and purification, to bring them peace and allow to leave gently without being followed.


Blessed be!

1 kommentti:

Anonyymi kirjoitti...

Tietämättä ko.nimitystä olen ilmeisesti ollut tämmöinen jo kauan, kuulosti nimittäin pitkälti omalta.🖤