Sacrifice
The origin of sacrifice is drenched in bloodshed. There’s simply no way to sugarcoat that, and I will not attempt to do so. That being said, I will preface this section of the book by saying that I do not personally perform animal or human sacrifice in my practice.
Sacrifice is perhaps one of the most widely misunderstood and feared of all rituals. Just the word brings to mind barbaric torture, cannibalism, and evil “devil-worshiping” rites. However, the true meaning of sacrifice is none of those things.
Sacrifice has a rich history in almost every society across the globe, throughout the ages and right up to modern-day religion. It bridges cultures completely unconnected with each other, which tells us it’s perhaps instinctive to humans.
To fully understand the nature of sacrifice, it’s important to look back through the past and examine how this practice has been a part of existence and spirituality since before calendar time. Looking at how and why different civilizations went about performing sacrifice helps us understand how it can be applied to our lives and workings today.
So what, exactly, is sacrifice? Sacrifice is to offer a life, act, or object to a deity in worship.
The act of sacrifice is far more complex and ingrained in the human psyche than many people realize. It is ancient. Like everything, the force behind this instinct is cyclical like the seasons and the moon. It’s a give and take. It’s the thinking behind bargaining with higher powers. It’s the idea that we can offer something of value to a more powerful force and get good treatment in return.
Reasons for Sacrifice
When we look back at history, it appears there were several reasons for sacrifice. One was a funerary action, in that it was performed when a leader died and people and animals were killed to accompany them to the afterlife. Another was to gain favor with the gods to ensure survival and ward off natural disasters. The third reason was for divination.
In most modern religions, sacrifice has evolved into the peaceful dedication of food, drink, and libations to a deity without harm. Animal sacrifice today is not very common and is only carried out by practiced spiritual leaders within specific communities. The animals are usually then included in a feast eaten by the group.
The gory roots of sacrifice display how vital it was in times past to show respect to higher forces, something lost on many of us today. Understanding this can add depth and meaning to our own practice when we make symbolic offerings in ritual.
Funerary Sacrifice
The most well-known funerary sacrifice was that of the ancient Egyptians. When a king died, whole communities of people and animals were sacrificed to be buried alongside him. This ensured that the king would have soldiers, laborers, servants, and family members to accompany him to the afterlife.11 Similar mass graves were found in Mesopotamia, presumably with the same end in mind, and in Borneo, when a chief died, his servants were nailed to his coffin to accompany him in his next life.12
Over time, many of these mass sacrifices were eventually replaced with wooden or clay figures instead of real humans.
Sacrifice for Favor
Another kind of sacrifice was to appease or placate gods and goddesses. Natural phenomena such as storms, drought, floods, and earthquakes were believed to be caused by deity. Offering the life of a person or animal to this unpredictable deity (nature) was believed to ensure good crops, a fruitful hunt, or favorable conditions. Giving a sacrifice as thanks falls into this category, as showing gratitude would also presumably gain favor.
Just as in funeral rites, it was usually considered an honor to serve as a sacrifice.
The Aztecs believed offerings of blood and human organs were necessary to keep the sun in the sky. One of the most important traditions was the festival of Tezcatlipoca, the god of creation. A teenage boy was chosen to represent Tezcatlipoca, and for one year prior to the festival, he would live a life of luxury, bedecked with flowers, gold, and jewels while attendants waited on his every whim. On the day of the festival, the young man walked to the temple, where his heart was ripped out and given to the sun.13
A sacrifice being pampered and treated like royalty leading up to their death was common. People wanted to offer the absolute best specimen to the gods they could. The general belief seemed to be that the more “special” the offering, the happier the gods would be and the better experiences they would bestow upon people.
Sacrifice for Divination
The third type of sacrifice was for divination, in which the entrails, blood, and body parts of the human or animal would be interpreted to gain information and guidance.
In ancient Greece, animal sacrifice of this kind was a frequent occurrence. The Greeks sacrificed a bull, sheep, or goats in a place called an “oracle.” A priestess would enter a trance, and divinity would speak through her after appropriate offerings were made. The most well known was the Oracle of Delphi, dedicated to the god Apollo. The Oracle of Delphi was consulted for everything from weddings to wars to building colonies. Animal sacrifice was so commonplace during this time that armies marching to war used to take flocks of sheep and goats with them. For every move the army made, whether crossing into new territory or planning an invasion, an animal was sacrificed in exchange for guidance and portents.14
It is said that the Celts performed human sacrifice for the purpose of divination too. The Celts would stab a human to death and then observe the twitches and death throes of the victim to gain information. Other things that contained the answers they sought were the position of the fallen body and how their blood splattered.15
A common type of divination was haruspicy, the reading of entrails for divinatory purposes. An animal would be sacrificed, and then the way that its organs were placed inside the body or on the ground would be read for omens. Abnormalities such as lumps or lesions all had meaning, as did the shapes and pictures formed by the entrails.16
Vestiges of Bloodshed
All the situations regarding human sacrifice I’ve referenced here took place in ancient history, when people believed they were literally at the mercy of the gods (nature) and would do anything, including kill, to appease them. They believed their very survival depended on this. There have been cases documented by law enforcement of human sacrifice in recent times all around the world, but many of those are left unproven, and it can’t be said for absolute certain if they were indeed religious killings or not.
Modern animal sacrifice still occurs nowadays around the world, albeit infrequently. The truth is that many sacrifices made by these groups are done respectfully and consumed in a ceremonial meal afterward. Keep in mind that in America, slaughtering livestock to feed families and communities was traditionally an ordinary part of life and still is in some cases. Most people see nothing wrong with this. It’s only when you add the “ceremonial” aspect of it that people become upset. But if you think about it, is it really that different from saying prayers of gratitude before digging into a Thanksgiving turkey?
Witchcraft and Sacrifice: Misconceptions
Witches have been wrongfully linked to cold-blooded murder for centuries. Just look at classic fairy tales. In “Hansel and Gretel,” the witch lures children into her clutches to fatten them up and eat them. In “Snow White,” the witch commands the huntsman to bring her the bloody heart of her rival. In “Sleeping Beauty,” the witch imposes eternal sleep on her hapless victim. These may not be sacrifice per se, but they certainly put witches alongside the murder of innocent creatures.
The truth is witches didn’t perform sacrifice. Humans performed sacrifice. All over the world, people of all persuasions, races, religions, and so forth can find this act in their history in some way
However, the stories about witches specifically being Satan worshipers who eat babies still haven’t disappeared, casting the witch as a child-killing, bloodthirsty ghoul even now.
Witches have been linked to sacrifice and ritual killing for centuries, probably starting with the burning times.
The Witches’ Sabbath
While the burning times seem long ago, in reality much of what was recorded has stained history and modern perception alike. The witch hunters forced false confessions out of their victims with unthinkable torture, demanding wild stories out of them about what went on at a “Witches’ Sabbath.” Some of the outlandish accusations they made were that witches would fly through the air to a sabbath, where they’d feast on human flesh, have sex with the devil or large goats, participate in orgies, sacrifice babies to Satan, and drink blood. These “confessions” were recorded as fact, and the association between witches and murder was made.
By the nineteenth century, the witch burnings stopped. However, the stories live on and cast shade over the word witchcraft to this day.
Ritualized Murders in the 1960s and ’70s
The fear created during the burning times stuck, and the resulting hysteria has continued to pop up in several ways quite recently. In the 1960s and ’70s, multiple creepy murder sprees took place in the United States, which together incited another round of witch hysteria in the country. Murders committed by the Manson family, the Zodiac Killer, and the Alphabet Murderer all included ritualistic elements that people automatically linked to devil worship and therefore witches. It didn’t help matters that The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey hit the shelves around the same time, so the collective mind couldn’t help but link the ritualized killings to Satan and witches. In fact, it made people feel like cults of baby-killing, devil-worshiping “witches” were hiding under every shadow in every town.
It’s only by coincidence that Anton LaVey’s Satanic Bible came out around this era and got thrown into the fray. LaVey’s Satanism in fact had nothing to do with sacrifice or violence toward children and animals, as the masses would have known had they taken the time to read it. Regardless, these things aligned witchcraft once again with murder.
Satanic Panic
Things hardly had a chance to settle down after the murders in the ’70s before being slammed with what has been dubbed the “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s. Headlines suddenly blared the blood-chilling news that multiple day-care centers in the United States had subjected children to satanic rituals and abuse. Again, mass hysteria swept the country. Satanic cults were in the papers, on your television, and in your own backyard.
Just like the fabricated stories told by the witch hunters in the burning times, many people latched onto the satanic witch trend and ran with it while money poured into the bank. The media blew up with these stories, each headline more disgusting than the one before. The more horrifying the allegations were the more they captivated people. Law enforcement created a special unit dedicated solely to occult crime. Psychologists and therapists got involved, becoming self-proclaimed experts on satanic abuse. Popular memoirs were penned, and later debunked, by alleged survivors of satanic abuse.
In 1992, the Department of Justice rejected the myth of the satanic sex abuse cults once and for all. However, it was too late. The media had fueled a public wave of fear that took entire groups of rational, thinking adults to the same dark collective place that caused the witch hunts so long ago, and it was compounded once again in the general public’s psyche that witches and blood sacrifice go hand in hand.
Modern Sacrifice
Despite human and most animal sacrifices going out of fashion in modern days, the act of sacrifice is still alive and well. It’s also much less bloody. In many modern religions and spiritual paths, sacrifices are performed as fasts and giving up an action or thing. People offer flowers, fruit, food, and wine to their deities regularly in thanks, to gain favor and blessings, and to worship. During the season of Samhain, Pagan people build ancestral altars and place objects upon them as offerings to their ancestors.
In many Pagan festivities, wine, drinks, cakes, and breads are offered to deity and shared by the participants. Food, flowers, libations, and actions have taken the place of human and animal sacrifice when it comes to gaining favor with gods or giving thanks.
In the past, the sacrifice of an animal was usually followed by feasting, which included eating said animal. In a community where farming was part of life, slaughtering livestock doesn’t seem as strange as it may to modern city dwellers. When used in sacrifice, the livestock was especially honored before it was eaten. Nowadays, preparing food in such a way is not considered a sacrifice or offering but a show of respect for a higher power. In some religions, animals must be prepared and blessed a very specific way prior to slaughter by an appointed person. Much like saying a prayer before a meal, this is more a dedication than a sacrifice, a way of ritualizing the act of eating and making it sacred, which, when you think about it, it should be.
These are a few examples of how sacrifice is practiced today:
Cakes and Ale: In modern Paganism, food and feasting feature highly in our holidays. The ritual of cakes and ale, the bread celebrations of Lammas/Lughnasadh, and even leaving food offerings of milk, honey, and bread for fae are common among us. Consuming cakes and ale after offering them to the gods and goddesses are a way of taking them into us, offering thanks, and communing with them.
Communion: Some Christians practice communion, which is the symbolic ingestion of Christ. His body is represented by bread and his blood by wine, and both are ritually consumed in a church ceremony. Partaking in communion signifies that the participants remember, respect, and recognize what their god Jesus has done for them by dying upon the cross for them and how he sacrificed his own life for their good.
Lent: A popular modern sacrifice is the Christian practice of Lent, which takes place for roughly forty days prior to Easter celebrations in spring. Christians will give up certain vices, habits, foods, or activities for that time in order to focus on their relationship with their god. Sometimes they volunteer their time to charitable causes as a way of giving something of themselves to the greater good.
Puja: Puja is a Hindu practice in which incense is lit and offerings of food are made to a deity in thanks. Puja is an offering of light to the Divine and can be done in the home or in a temple.
Ramadan: In Islamic culture, Ramadan is the month of fasting, abstaining from pleasures, spending time with loved ones, and praying. It’s a joyous time that unites Muslim people and strengthens their connection with the Divine.
Yom Kippur: Yom Kippur is known as the Day of Atonement in the Jewish faith. It’s a day for cleansing of mistakes, seeking forgiveness and new beginnings. On this day it’s common for people to fast from food and drink, washing, and marital relations in order to focus on divinity.
While these are only a few examples of modern-day sacrifice, when we look at them all together, we can see a common thread: food is being dedicated to the greater good, given in thanks, or otherwise connected with divine favor. We can see that the practice of sacrifice has not left our lives but has merely changed over time.
Fasting as a Sacrifice
Fasting is one of the most common rites of sacrifice. It’s the simple act of abstaining from food, indulgences, technology, sex, or inebriants for a specified length of time. Fasting from a pleasure or luxury is like giving it as a gift to spirit. It can be an act of gratitude, a means of receiving spiritual guidance, or a way of removing one thing in order to make room for another. Some people may include fasting prior to spells or rituals as a means of purifying themselves, while others do it to ensure receipt of something they need or want, almost like an exchange.
Before You Begin
When giving up food, activities, or items in exchange for something of spiritual value, it is important to set your intent when you commence the fast. This may take some thought and time to decide on. Fasting is usually performed in exchange for intangible things. It can purify your body and spirit after a rough time, welcome a new fresh start, or show dedication to deity in exchange for information in the form of omens or visions.
After you decide on the intent of your fast, you must choose a time frame. It is best to fast during a peaceful time when you are not under extreme pressure from work, physical demands, or other stress. This allows you to focus on your inner experience. You must also determine the length of your fast. This can be anywhere from one day to up to a full lunar cycle or longer (with the exception of water fasting). When it comes to something like water fasting, which has a dramatic and potentially dangerous physical impact on your health, the length of your fast doesn’t determine the outcome; just because you fast longer doesn’t mean you’ll be more noticeable to deity. Putting your health at risk will not bring you any closer to your spiritual goals, so stick with what is healthy for you. As for fasting from inebriants or other vices, you may do so for as long as you wish.
Water Fasting
Water fasting is the act of abstaining from all food and drink except for water. Should you choose to include water fasting in your spiritual practice, there are some very important factors to consider. Do not fast if you have health issues or are on medication without first asking your doctor. Even going one day without eating can cause dizziness in some people, and this can be worsened or dangerous for those whose health is already compromised. Some other symptoms are nausea, fatigue, lack of concentration, and moodiness.
Theories abound regarding the health benefits of water fasting; however, I can’t say whether or not these claims are true. I’ll leave that up to medical professionals. The fasting I’m speaking of in this book is for spiritual ends.
Choose your time to water fast on a day or days when you know you will be able to have plenty of rest. It’s unwise to undertake a water fast during a hectic time when you must perform a lot of physical or even mental tasks. It should be a time of repose, looking inward, meditation, and deep thought.
Consume nothing but water during your fast. For most people, this means no morning coffee, tea, juice, or other drinks, and more importantly, no food. However, some people do include carefully chosen herbal teas throughout the day, drunk without sweeteners or dairy. It’s important to remember to drink much more water than normal while fasting. At least eight cups are required, but even more is better. It helps stave off hunger pangs, cleanses your system, and prevents dehydration. You are more susceptible to dehydration during a fast, so please do not neglect this step.
The longest water fast I’ve ever completed was fourteen days. I have read about people who can make it as long as twenty-eight days, but you must use common sense and pay attention to how you are feeling. I had to reluctantly end my fast because I felt like I was floating on the edge of reality, so deeply inside myself that I was not fully aware of the world around me, which made it dangerous to drive a car. That gives you some insight into how water fasting can make you feel. Removing myself from the needs of my physical body, aside from some initial discomfort, was incredibly transformative. Removing those needs opened the floodgates for other sensory, emotional, and spiritual energy to take up space instead. During a water fast, you may find your meditation experience is heightened and your divination abilities are enhanced.
Water fasting can be physically and mentally uncomfortable, especially for beginners. Some common effects are irritability, fatigue, hunger pangs, cravings, mood swings, weakness, and dizziness. These are just some of the reasons that quiet, rest, and solitude are important during your fast. Spend as much time as possible resting, meditating, and allowing spirit to send you messages. Go on calm walks in nature or take a cleansing bath. Pay close attention to your dreams, images that present themselves in meditation, and any omens you see.
If you’re new to water fasting, I suggest a short one to begin, no longer than three days for a healthy adult.
There are modifications that can be made to soften the harsh experience of water fasting and make it a little more comfortable, such as cutting out only food but still drinking healthy liquids, such as fruit and vegetable juice, or consuming a small amount of plain rice each day. You have to do what is right for you and your physicality.
When it comes time to break a water fast, be sure to ease yourself gently back into normal eating habits. Consuming a large, heavy meal to break a fast can result in stomach pain and intestinal discomfort. It’s best to eat small portions of fruits and vegetables at first, and slowly add more food groups over the course of a few days or weeks, depending on the length of your fast.
Technology Fasting
This is just what it sounds like: abstaining from all technology for a set period of time. Why? Well, our minds, our energy fields, and our very beings are constantly inundated with images, data, electronic frequencies, and constant diversion. We live in a state of unrelenting distraction. Just look around you in any public place and you’ll see that people cannot tear themselves away from their devices for even a moment. It is an addiction, and it takes up every empty space in our brain until we are almost never sitting quietly and thinking to ourselves, about ourselves or the world around us. In fact, I think a technology fast would be more difficult than a water fast for many people!
A technology fast requires cutting yourself off from others to a certain degree. You will not use a phone, tablet, computer, or even a television during this time. If it has a screen and connects to Wi-Fi, it counts as technology. Ideally, this type of fast could be paired with camping for a weekend in nature or some other natural situation that’s not conducive to your usual habit of checking your phone every few minutes. I think every single person could benefit from a technology fast. The purpose of it is to clear up all that noise and distraction and leave your senses open to what nature, spirit, and life force are trying to tell you. This can be cleansing and can open your inner eye to truths you have not been able to see in everyday life. A technology fast can be great when you’re seeking clarity of mind, making a hard decision, or asking for divine direction.
Beforehand, tell people that you will be unavailable via text or social media. Your phone should only be used for actual emergencies. I have been alive long enough to remember a time very clearly when we didn’t have anything but a landline and one television station. I survived, so it is possible!
After a week of technology fasting, you may be surprised by what you uncover about yourself and how you feel about other people and situations. Spend time reading books (the old-fashioned way, not on a screen), meditating, journaling, walking in nature, and just being with yourself. It will allow you to look inward and really see how you feel about something deep inside, without social media and other influences impacting your thoughts. A technology fast allows you to step back and get grounded, reconnecting with the earth and with the self. It can even be good for relationships when done with a partner.
Inebriant Fasting
Inebriant fasting means to stop intake of drugs, alcohol, caffeine, or nicotine. Depending on your lifestyle, this can be very simple or downright torturous. For those who do not imbibe very often, it’s easy to abstain, but for those who are moderate-to-heavy drinkers or recreational drug users, it’s a whole different story. Just like the other types of fasts, inebriant fasting forces your mind to work a little differently than normal, opening it up to unexplored energies and ideas. It will allow you to have a very clear and unedited view of your situation and your needs without the filter of alcohol or drugs. That on its own is a valuable clarifying experience, but in a broader view, combined with meditation and rest, it can open your mind to ideas and realizations you would have not had otherwise.
Fasting from alcohol or drugs tends to open up time you didn’t have before, leaving an opportunity to try something new. Sometimes people discover that they’d rather exchange getting drunk for a hobby and give it up permanently.
If you suffer from what you suspect is an addiction to alcohol or drugs, please seek help from a counselor or doctor.
Other Options for Fasting
When deciding what, exactly, to sacrifice for a period of time, it’s important to choose something that will make an actual difference in your daily experience. Offering a fast of junk food to deity when you only eat it once a month is not much of a sacrifice. It has to be something meaningful, but also something that will change or altar your perspective. Below are some other options to consider. These are all things that can create a shift in consciousness and general experience, making room for new ideas, perception, and insight.
Makeup: This may sound strange, but many people feel protected by wearing makeup. Removing it and facing the world can be cathartic but also scary and help you learn a lot about yourself. This could be integrated into a self-love type of working.
Meat and Animal Products in Your Diet: Some people associate consuming meat, eggs, and other animal products with having death energy in their body. Eating only fresh raw plants for several days may create changes in your body and mind that are beneficial.
Sex or Orgasm: In Chinese medicine, it is believed that keeping semen inside the body will feed the mind and soul in more productive ways than expelling it would.
Sugar: If your favorite thing in the world is sugary treats and you want to fast but not go completely hungry, offering up this one indulgence can make a big difference.
Dark Moon Fasting Ceremony
This is a simple ceremony to perform at the beginning and end of your fast in order to let spirit know what you are doing and what you hope to achieve.
This example is a short fast, done over the three days that the new or dark moon rules the sky. It is to be performed in exchange for clarity during a difficult time or when you need guidance in your life. The idea is that you’re giving your sacrifice of food, technology, or inebriants to the dark moon or Crone in exchange for direction. Personally, I feel fasting from technology for this purpose is best, but do what feels right.
materials
Dark moon bath items (see page 47)
Candle specifically dedicated to your chosen deity or to the dark moon, anointed with dark moon water (see page 43)
Symbol of the thing you’re sacrificing. If you’re water fasting, a bit of bread or fruit. For technology fasting, your favorite device. For smoking, a cigarette. For drinking, a glass of alcohol.
Black offering plate. This flat black circle represents the dark moon.
Your fast begins as soon as you wake up in the morning of the day prior to the dark moon. Make sure you’ve done all your indulging the night before, as it is now off limits. If you’re water fasting, this means no morning coffee or other food. For technology, no checking your phone. This ritual begins as soon as you open your eyes, no exceptions.
Have a dark moon bath as described on page 47 to page 48, and then go to your altar and cast a circle. Enter a meditative state. Light the candle and welcome your deity or the dark moon phase. In your own words, explain to spirit what you are sacrificing and why. For example:
Dark of the moon,
Black void in the sky,
For the next three days I will sacrifice my ______ to you.
Receive my offering
And fill the space with your knowledge and direction.
Guide me as I find the answer to my problem:
(State your problem in your own words).
Place your symbol as an offering on the black plate. Feel it being received by the dark moon energy.
Receive my respect and accept this sacrifice
That I leave to you with love and trust.
I welcome now your wisdom.
Release the circle.
Leave your offering on the black plate for 3 days.
For the duration of the 3 days of sacrifice, meditate often and spend time in nature as discussed earlier. Be open to seeing signs and learning lessons. Remain as open as you can. Don’t socialize more than you absolutely must, for the answers are likely to come from within, not without. Write down any important things you see, think, feel, or experience. During this time, light the candle whenever you wish until by the end of the third day, it is burned out completely.
At the end of the third day after the sun has set, return to your altar. Thank the dark moon for the lessons you have received. A magic circle isn’t necessary at this time.
This concludes the sacrifice.
If you had food or drink as a sacrifice, dispose of them. If you left your device on the offering plate, you can now use it again.
Plant Sacrifice
Plants are living, breathing things with life force that can be offered up in much the same way you imagine an animal would. You may feel a desire to offer a living thing as a sacrifice to deity, and a cruelty-free means of doing this is to use a plant. Here are some tips for choosing the right plant for your sacrifice:
• Choose a plant that you have personally tended and grown just for this purpose. The plant should be special to you and one you have spent a significant amount of time personally tending. A sacrificial offering should always be something that is treasured and special. Sacrificial animals and people were always pampered and treated with reverence prior to sacrifice, and a plant sacrifice is no different.
• Select a plant that matches the intention of your spell. For sacrifices to gods and goddesses of love, consider orchids, roses, or other highly scented and beautiful flowers. For money, choose a fruitful, abundant plant, perhaps with berries. For a curse, consider a thorny, poisonous plant. You could also look up the magickal associations of herbs and grow them accordingly from seed in pots specifically to be used as a sacrifice to the deities who rule over your desire.
• Always use a living plant when you perform the sacrifice. Purchase or grow one in a pot or find one growing outdoors. Cut flowers or clippings, while they may still be fresh, will not include the act of severing the life cord that is integral to a “live” sacrifice. Cut flowers are fine as offerings, but making an offering and a sacrifice are two different things.
• Consider the life of the plant as a gift to your deity. You want to give them the nicest gift you can, especially when requesting something in return or showing devotion. You may wish to decorate the pot it is in, tie ribbons or bells on it, and paint symbols or the deity’s name on the leaves.
You can add a plant sacrifice to any spell or ritual at the time that you would invoke deity.
materials
Items representing your chosen deity
Plant of your choice
Cloth on which to cut the plant in half. Make sure it is big enough to hold the plant remains after they’ve been cut. Choose a color that corresponds with your intentions.
Knife or scissors sharp enough to cut through the stem of the plant. If you used a woody plant, you may need a small hatchet. If this seems daunting, choose a plant that is easily severed from its roots without needing an axe.
After invoking deity as outlined in Chapter 2, place the plant on the altar along with the items that represent the deity.
Visualize the aura of the plant. See how full of life it is, the living, breathing energy that is inside and all around it. Imagine the water in the veins of the plant, much like what an animal or person has, only filled with blood. The plant is plump and juicy with live energy.
Say:
(Name of deity), I offer this life to you.
I acknowledge your power
And feel your presence.
In gratitude, I offer you this gift.
See me. Hear me. Know me.
If you are asking the deity for assistance with a specific task, now is the time to simply state your request in one sentence, such as “Please protect me from those who wish me harm” or “Please help me get money I need.”
Lay the plant on its side on the cloth. Slice through the stem, completely severing the root from the blooms. Cut it completely in half. Imagine the life force streaming out of the severed stem and flowing into the heart center of your deity.
Note how the plant is now void of life energy and is just a husk. Wrap it in the cloth and set it aside until you’ve done your working. Afterward, put the plant in the compost or leave its remains outdoors to decompose naturally. Keep the cloth for another use.
Spells with Sacrifice
The following are sacrifice-style spells that anyone can do. One is to ask for healing, one involves divination, and one is a funerary sacrifice to accompany a dying loved one to the afterlife.
A Healing Sacrifice
Sometimes a sacrifice is given for healing. A ritually killed animal would be offered to the gods in exchange for the health of the ailing person. First, the illness would be transferred from the person into the animal. Then the animal would be killed, along with the disease. The idea is that the gods would be appeased by the death of the animal, therefore choosing not to take the life of the ill person. While killing an animal is not typically an option, you can perform a similar healing sacrifice using a plant instead.
I recommend selecting a juicy plant that will release a lot of moisture when cut, to symbolize blood. Aloe vera and other thick, fat succulents are good if this is what speaks to you. Plants with a woody stem, like yucca, also work well, as severing the wooden stem is similar to cutting open the veins (even though there will not be as much moisture in plants as to mimic bloodshed, the idea is there).
This ritual is meant to heal spiritual ailments, such as emotional pain, overcoming inner turmoil, or healing inside from a traumatic experience. It is also for when someone feels they are being plagued by evil energy or beings.
This ritual can be performed from a distance on someone who needs healing, although it makes it more complicated. It’s important that they participate in the meditation part of the ritual at the same time that you’re performing the spell, so synchronizing the timing is important. Also, you will have to omit the bloodletting step if they’re not present.
Perform this outdoors during the dark moon.
materials
1 cup witch’s salt (see page 49)
6 black candles (preferably hurricane candles or candles placed in glass jars to prevent being blown out by wind)
Potted plant
1 cup clean water in a bowl
Blanket to lie or sit on
Sterile lancet (optional)
Sharp knife for cutting or an axe if using a woody plant
Trowel or shovel for digging
Cast your circle. Sprinkle a physical ring of witch’s salt all around yourself and the person you’re healing, large enough for them to lie down in if they wish, with you sitting next to them. If the person cannot be present, a photograph of them and a personal belonging such as a piece of their clothing can be used instead.
Inside the circle, place the 6 black candles in a smaller circle, the right size to put the plant inside. If you’re sacrificing to a specific deity, place some of their sacred items here. If you’re working with the dark moon or Crone, see the circle as a reflection or double of the dark moon in the sky, like a portal between the physical and astral plane.
First, it’s important to thank and honor the plant for its use in your ritual. This is what the small bowl of water is for. Hold the bowl of water toward the sky and say:
With this water,
We give our thanks
To the spirit of the earth,
Which gave us this plant for healing.
Pour the water over the plant, and imagine it is spreading healing light all over the leaves, stem, and roots.
Now the visualization between the recipient and the plant must occur. While you will use your own visualization to help the transfer along, they must participate in order for it to work. This ritual may require that you guide the recipient through their visualization if they’re unfamiliar with spells. Below is an outline of what you can say while talking them through transferring their energy into the plant.
Have them lie down or sit inside the salt circle, holding the plant near their body in such a way that they can touch its leaves and stem. Do some relaxing breathing exercises before you begin. Read this passage to them or make up your own.
As you hold your hand against the plant, breathe in deeply. Imagine yourself surrounded with soft white light. Imagine the plant is also surrounded with this same light. As you place your hand on the plant, your energy merges together into one, as you both are filled with the same life force. Feel this life force going back and forth between your fingers and the leaves, like a vibration. It surrounds you both like a cocoon.
You and the plant are one and the same. Your body is composed of capillaries and veins like tiny rivers. Inside the plant, there are the same veins and rivers that keep it alive. Your veins are filled with blood. The plant’s veins hold life-giving water. Your bones hold your body upright. The plant has wood and strong stems to keep it standing. You and the plant are of the earth; you are made of the same energy as the rest of the cosmos. As you take your next few breaths, visualize all these ways you and the plant are one.
At this point, prick their finger with the lancet and place the drops of blood onto the plant if they wish to include blood in the ritual. This blood bonds them to the plant so the plant may act as the vessel for them (saliva can be substituted).
Now, pay attention to your body and energy field. Where is your pain? Emotional and spiritual pain will show up on your energy body. Imagine this as a brownish gray cloud sitting where your heart is. Inside this stormy ball is gathered all the sickness that plagues you. It may appear to be spinning and filled with sharp debris, causing pain where it touches. As it spins, it gathers up all the loose bits of the negative energy from your body. See this dark shadowy ball spinning in front of your chest, filled with all your pain and sickness.
Pause to allow time for their visualization to clear out their energy body.
Now see the cloud moving out of you. It shifts into your arms and through your elbows. It rolls down your forearms and into your wrists. Feel it enter your hands, and then push through your hands into the plant. Feel it leave your hands and fingers and enter the plant. Now see the plant filled with the cloud and yourself glowing stronger with light. See the sickness all around the plant’s aura. Remove your hands and shake them off, severing the tie between you.
Now that they have transferred their pain into the plant, have them rest while you complete the ritual.
Place the plant on its side in the circle of candles. Hold your knife or axe in your hands and say:
Deities of darkness,
Dark of the moon,
Pit of transformation,
Receive this illness.
Remove it from (name) forever.
We release this illness back into the earth,
Where it will become neutralized,
Inert, and grounded.
So mote it be.
Cut the plant in half. Either chop the stem in two, severing the roots from the leaves, or if it has many stems, cut them all with the knife. As you cut, see its life force snuff out and disappear, including the cloud of illness. What is left is only a skeleton of a plant, with no glow.
Bury the remains within the circle of candles.
Release the circle.
Sacrifice for Divination
This is a very simple sacrifice ritual based on haruspicy, or reading entrails. A similar plant-based practice can be performed using a very ripe pumpkin, gourd, pomegranate, tomato, or any fruit or vegetable that has lots of seeds and a somewhat firm shell. This is going to be messy, so doing it outdoors is definitely preferable. However, it must be on your own property so as not to be misunderstood as vandalism.
materials
Fruit or vegetable of choice, very ripe
Several drops dark moon water (see page 43)
Black or purple candle
Chalk for drawing on a hard floor or stick for drawing in dirt
Lighter or matches
Place your chosen vegetable or fruit on your altar and anoint it with dark moon water. As you rub water over its skin, charge it with psychic energy.
Light the black or purple candle. Hold it sideways and drip wax onto the skin or rind. Imagine the hot wax is imbuing the vegetable with psychic energy, marking it as ceremonial. Leave it overnight.
Draw or trace a circle on the ground after dark. Stand in front of it with the fruit or vegetable in your hands. Invoke the dark moon or your deity. Ask your question and drop your vegetable onto the circle. It’s important that it is very ripe so it breaks open easily. If the vegetable you choose is too hard, it will not break open.
Now, sit down and scry the remains that are in the circle. Take note of shapes and patterns and any forms that look like pictures. Write down all your impressions and consider how they apply to your question.
When you’re finished, be sure to clean up.
Dark Moon Blood Sacrifice
If you don’t wish to fast or give up anything for three days, you can instead sacrifice your blood to the dark moon in exchange for knowledge, wisdom, or aid in your general working.
materials
Round black bowl of water
Sterile lancet
Cast your circle and gaze into the black bowl of water. It’s absent of light like the dark moon. However, it is full of the shifting, moving power of water, filled with death and life at the same time. Water can kill and it can give life, as can the dark moon.
Contemplating this, prick your finger with the lancet and drop your blood into the water.
Say:
Dark moon, I offer my life energy to you
In acknowledgment of your deep power.
Let us be joined for this night
Through blood and water and darkness.
Grant me ______ in exchange for my blood
So mote it be.
Pour the water outside under the dark moon. Close the circle.
For the duration of the dark moon, remain receptive and meditate often. Be open to signs and symbols and pay attention to your dreams. If you’ve asked for guidance in your cursing, be mindful of the extra power being lent to you during this time.
Guide for the Deceased
Egyptian tombs contained evidence that when a leader died, their whole kingdom, including their family, servants, workers, and even animals, were killed and buried with them so they could accompany them to the afterlife. This practice was eventually replaced by the use of a Shabti, or funeral doll, instead of actual people. A Shabti was a small carved figure that was meant to perform a certain job in the afterlife, usually that of laborer or servant to their leader. Many Shabti were buried at a time, each with a very specific job to perform in the afterlife. The Shabti was carved from limestone or clay and engraved with a name and a purpose prior to burial.17
Many people are terrified of death and what comes after. If you have lost someone and want their spirit to experience a peaceful transition from this life to the next, you can create a modern version of a Shabti to act as a guide and bringer of peace. Create a figure that houses your feelings of comfort and well wishes for someone you care for and place it near them after they pass or during their transition. You should ask permission beforehand if you think they or their loved ones might be against the idea.
Shabti were usually human forms, but you can use the shape of a beloved or protective animal if you want. You can sculpt or carve the image out of clay, sew it yourself, or purchase a figure and paint it.
On the figure, carve or paint what you wish the figure to do. You may want them to protect someone, guide them, hold their hand, and lend them strength during their transition between lives. Spend a moment telling the figure its purpose while you paint or carve it. When it feels right, place the figure near the person who is dying to guide them from this life and the next.
Your funeral doll can also be placed near the grave or urn of someone who has already passed who you want to send peace and love to. If placing the figure near them is inappropriate or impossible, just keep it hidden in your own space somewhere, knowing that its spirit is accompanying your loved one to the afterlife. This may sound morbid. No one wants to even think about their loved ones dying. However, if this would bring you, and them, comfort, there’s nothing wrong with following through with it.
11. Lewis, Ritual Sacrifice, 41.
12. Lewis, Ritual Sacrifice, 149.
13. Lewis, Ritual Sacrifice, 86.
14. Lewis, Ritual Sacrifice, 55.
15. Lewis, Ritual Sacrifice, 69.
16. Lewis, Ritual Sacrifice, 59.
17. Richard P. Taylor, Death and the Afterlife: A Cultural Encyclopedia (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2000), 320.