CHAPTER 3
WALKING THE BONE ROAD:
NECROMANCY AND THE DEAD
The boundaries which divide Life from Death, are at best shadowy and vague.
Who shall say where one ends, and where the other begins?
–edgar allan poe, the premature burial
While a significant characteristic of the Second Sight is the capacity to perceive the Fae, another equally vital aspect is the ability to see and/or speak to the dead.
Who among us has not had an experience with the dead? Perhaps we have seen a loved one who had passed on or have had an encounter with an actual haunting. It may be easy to assume such encounters are the result of a delusional mind, but the sheer number of reports suggests otherwise. It is culturally taboo to believe in such things, much less talk about them, making them the topic of quiet conversations in hushed tones, even in places where one might think such topics would be par for the course. Along with my partners in coven, I own a brick-and-mortar metaphysical and spiritual supply store in the greater San Francisco Bay Area where I have worked and taught for many years. I have come to think of my time there as “frontline priesting,” a term I first heard in relation to my work there from Faery initiate and teacher Francesca DeGrandis. This accurately describes the practice in which many who work in shops such as these engage: meeting with the public, hearing their stories, honestly assessing their situation, reassuring them that they are not alone, suggesting spiritual/magical or other methods to address their particular needs (taking care not to give medical, financial, psychological, or legal advice), providing them with whatever resources are needed to help, and then likely moving on to do the same for another, usually in fairly quick succession. “Magical triage” might also be a good term in some more extreme cases. Even there—surrounded by all manner of crystals, herbs, candles, books, tarot cards, occult jewelry, and ritual tools—the client or customer will suddenly get quiet and begin describing their personal experience with a spirit, usually beginning with the words “OK … I don’t want you to think I’m crazy, but…”
For those individuals who have any type of relationship with spirits after they have passed from this physical life, we know that there is much more to life than just living. What we think of as “life” is just the visible portion of a fuller existence, and whose reach extends far beyond what our waking consciousness normally allows. Since our current technological understanding of the universe does not allow for the continuation of consciousness after physical death, those of us who are scientifically minded need not reject science, but instead embrace spirituality, poetry, art, and even religion in order to help describe our “extraordinary” experiences. We recognize that these are all just different languages used to help us describe the universe.
Even still, Witchcraft offers no universal claim as to what happens to our consciousness after physical death. Some traditions do have teachings regarding this and as such might promote reincarnation, especially the notion that initiated members will be reborn in the Craft amongst their loved ones once more. Other traditions may suggest any number of shifts in consciousness after physical death, whether that is becoming “one with the Goddess,” becoming a faery being or spirit guide, taking on some new form, or even just outright oblivion. Even among Witches who share the same tradition, there are lively debates about what happens after we die. Death, like the gods with whom we work, is a mystery.
This, of course, doesn’t mean unknowable. While we will likely never learn all his secrets, we can come to know a great many things about our dear friend, Death, even as he remains mysterious. For those that have ever been in the presence of a dead human body, one common observation is the energetic or spiritual sense of emptiness that seems to permeate the once living flesh. This alone implies that this body was once full. We do not necessarily recognize life force because it is all around us and always has been. Only when we attune ourselves toward Death do we begin to see the world through a new set of eyes, and ones that do not filter out the obvious.
The dead have an enormous role to play in the world of Witchcraft, and on this point Faery is no exception. While much of the emphasis in our tradition often focuses on the sexual nature of our Craft (Cora Anderson herself referred to Faery as a “sex cult”),28 we can be said to be just as much one of ancestral reverence as anything else. Our path deals in a two-headed mystery: the knowledge that sex and death are in a sense one … or at least sides of the same coin.
Ancestor work in Faery is twofold. The first level is personal, as is the case with the ancestors of one’s blood. We carry these spirits with us wherever we go. This is not a metaphor. We literally carry our biological ancestors with us in our blood. Just as every herb, every stone, every tree, and every lake has a spirit, so too do the strands of DNA within you. Your ancestors are alive within you right now.
They are invested in helping their lineage to thrive, for it is through our work in life that assists them with theirs. We work to elevate them. We work to heal them. And, in turn, they do the same for us.
We are not limited to working with just the ancestors of our blood, though they do tend to be the “closest” to us, so generally a better choice for a spirit ally than nearly any other. Besides our biological connections, we also have those formed by marriages on the astral, which may or may not coincide with similar unions formally celebrated in the physical.
A true marriage isn’t a physical union or even necessarily a romantic one but instead is a union of spirit. These bonds are formed in many different ways, the most natural and pleasant of which is when two or more beings fall deeply in love. We are spiritually connected to those that we deeply love. Our love for them—and the love they mirror back to us—changes us on a deep and personal level. We become permeable. We exchange a part of ourselves. We carry a little bit of them with us, just as they carry a part of us.
The intensity of the shared emotion creates a type of unification—a marriage—on a soul level for the parties involved. But where there is light there must also be shadow. Bonds can be formed of anger, hatred, and obsession just as readily as with love. In fact, any sufficiently deep or strong emotion has the potential of forming such a bond.
These marriages of spirit can come in the form of adoption, as well. When a child is adopted into a family, there is a spiritual bond that grows that is akin to that of a blood-bond.
The magic of marriage and adoption also applies to initiation. To be initiated into a tradition of Witchcraft is to be made part of the spiritual family, the bonds of which run just as deep as any forged in blood. Every initiate of the Faery Tradition is of the Faery Blood, which is to say that we are literally related to the fae, and to each other.
These bonds are created through powerful initiatory experiences. They have been empowered not only by the emotions of those who participate in them, but by spirits, rituals, and egregores. These bonds have tremendous momentum behind them; these are the connections that can potentially propel us into new directions, give us access to specific spirit contact or currents of mystical power, offer us magical protection, or even just allow us to draw more wraith force from the universe.
In the case of initiatory lineages, those of us who have received such initiations are now able to work with the ancestors of our traditions in ways that are close and personal. These might be nonhuman spirits that are attached to the particular energetic currents that are passed, or the sprits of previous members who now act as tutelary spirits from the other side. Once we have been initiated, these spirits are able to recognize us as family not just by our use of the proper signs and rites, but also by our energetic signature. This is the mark of the true initiate—one who has passed through the dread door and been changed by the experience, a change that is recognizable in the spiritual realms and which opens the door for a much larger world of spirit travel and connection.
In Faery Tradition we honor those teachers who have gone before us. In our individual lineages and also beyond. For example, the late Gwydion Pendderwen is not in my personal lineage, but I honor him as one of our Mighty Dead, offering inspiration and magic from beyond the veil.
The Mighty Dead is a Craft term that refers to those spirits of Witches who have passed through the veil and are now offering magical assistance from the other side. It is observed that in life, certain people with strong personalities (and especially those empowered by a magical practice) generate an “astral pattern.” This preserves their personality and knowledge and will linger—sometimes for thousands of years—after their physical death. This is not a static, dead recording such as often found in a haunting, but a living, dynamic expression of that person’s life force. The individual’s consciousness will continue its journey of growth and evolution, but this pattern will remain as a spirit with which we may interact to the betterment of our Craft. The lineage of the Mighty Dead includes those Witches we have known in life and stretches back into antiquity, to the very first shamans and Witches of the Neolithic era. Their symbol is the skull and crossbones, and may be represented in our rites as an X with a circle placed in the upper chevron.
The process of calling upon the dead is called necromancy and is done for many purposes, such as divination or lending their power to a rite or other observance. If the Mighty Dead in question was an expert in a certain area of magic, then they might be called upon when living practitioners wish to increase their skill or knowledge of said area. They are also summoned to bear witness to certain rites, such as initiations, the passing of lore, and the like.
Other individuals, besides those on a magical path, may have also generated these astral patterns. Certain historic individuals who have “left their mark” likewise possess these patterns and may be called upon in much the same way. Artists, writers, philosophers, and other great thinkers may generate these astral patterns which—as with their magical counterparts—may or may not bear a resemblance to their actual living personalities.
Some of our Mighty Dead do not require one to be initiated into (or to even practice) our tradition in order to qualify for an astral visitation. Victor Anderson is said to show up to circles—any circles—at the drop of a hat, as long as he is invited, and it has been my personal experience that this is true. He fully lives up to the title of “Mighty Dead” in that he is eagerly offering advice and teaching from beyond the grave. Hail, Victor!
Even without initiatory connections there are practices that anyone can do to honor their ancestors and the Mighty Dead. Establishing an ancestral altar is a great first step. But once this has been done, what can we do to deepen those connections? For starters, we must really begin to confront our own fears of death.
As human beings, we are acutely aware of the eventual finality of our own physical existence. I sit here writing these words and my thoughts turn to the myriad of possible ways in which I will eventually perish. Will I have a heart attack? Will I die in a car accident or in a plane crash? Will I be murdered? Will I trip over my own shoelace and fall headfirst into a pit of vipers? No matter the method, I know that one day I am going to die. As will everyone who is reading these words right now. One day you are going to die. It’s inevitable. It’s basically already happened. No exceptions.
In Witchcraft, we do not attempt to placate ourselves with gentle platitudes in a feeble effort to eradicate our fear of finality. Instead, we face it head-on. To us, Death is a person. The Great Teacher and Final Lover. We seek to study Death, to learn from his dark presence so that we may one day fathom its mysteries. To us, Death is a god.
The Dark God
Strong and silent, robed in black
With head of goat and wings of bat
A flaming torch between his horns
The god of all who’s dead and mourned.
The Dark God manifests in many different forms in our Craft. Most often we call him the Arddu, an Old Welsh word meaning “royal darkness,” but he comes to us with many names and in many guises. He is the darkness beyond what our eyes can see and our minds can conceive. It is he who challenges us to face our fears, that we may be free enough to move unhindered between the worlds. He stands where two roads cross, the red and the black—life and death—and to him we must make our petition if we are to move beyond the realm of the living to commune with the spirits of the dead.
As the Breton Ankou, he is a type of “grim reaper” figure, a collector of souls, and protector of graveyards. In Faery Tradition, he is the primal and lust-filled dark. He is both primal, animal desire, as well as an enlightened intellect.
He is the necromancer, the Old Wizard who knows the deep secrets of nature; he is a master of the secrets of life and death. He is also a sexual god. His primal power rises from below and manifests in the mind-searing bliss of orgasm, the annihilation of the self that, however temporary, mimics that achieved at death. He is the Thanateros; the combined presence of the twin powers of the Eros (Sex) and Thanatos (Death).
A common visualization for our Dark God is that of the Baphomet; the half-beast/half-human, half-man/half-woman deity, sometimes called the Goat of Mendes. Here shown in the now famous drawing by occultist Éliphas Lévi in 1854, Baphomet is the paradoxical harmonization of seeming opposites, polarities being overtly expressed through the Latin words on the forearms of the image, which evoke the alchemical maxim: “solve et coagula,” “dissolve and coagulate,” twin powers of destruction and creation.
Figure 6: Baphomet
We find ourselves once again in very nebulous territory; when we approach the Dark God in this way, we begin to see how he is not exactly separate from the Star Goddess. The Baphomet can be thought of as being post-gender and is the extension of the Star Goddess’s presence through the spectrum of manifestation. The unknowable (and pre-gendered) God Herself becomes the Star Goddess when formlessness becomes form, and that form expresses itself as her son/consort, the dualistic or twin powers that the Baphomet expresses as a holism.
To begin or to deepen our work with the Dark God, we must engage in practices that will evoke the presence of archetypal Death. This can prove to be troubling at first, as some people find that working with death energies can produce undesirable side effects, such as mild illness, fatigue, and even depression. This is usually only a temporary condition, as the work that we do leads us through such rough emotional terrains with the goal of reaching the other side. That said, if you have been diagnosed with depression or you feel that you might be depressed, then you may wish to consult a counselor before engaging in the exercises given in this section. Once our consciousness has been appropriately shifted, we will find ourselves better able to work with these energies without taking on the potential negative side effects.
EXERCISE: Drawing in the Darkness
This aims to align one’s consciousness to the death mystery. It should be performed in the middle of the night, in near-total darkness. It is ideal to do this outside in some wild place, but even doing it in your own home with the lights turned off will yield useful results.
Open the Way. With your eyes open, reach out with your awareness and into the surrounding darkness. Even if you are in a familiar place, notice how here in the dark things look less familiar than they do during the day. If you feel any sense of uneasiness, notice where and how in your physical body that is manifesting. Slowly move about your area. Imagine that your gaze is a soft caress upon the objects around you. Imagine that your own energy body is like a thin, billowing veil that gently glides over (and even through) these objects, and you can feel a subtle sensation when it does so. Enjoy these sensations and allow them to deepen your trance state.
Staying aligned with your holy daemon, attune to the death presence by thinking about those people you knew and who have since died. Family members. Friends. Coworkers or schoolmates. Even beloved celebrities. Of those whom you may have loved or admired, recall how you felt when they died, and how those feelings may have changed in the time since. Again, tune in to how your physical body is responding to this. Do all of this, while quietly chanting:
I summon Death from darkness.
Continue to quietly repeat this phrase over and over, finding a rhythm. After some time, imagine that the darkness around you is alive. The actual darkness, a living, sentient presence. You may or may not receive a visual image for this being, but if you do, remember that this is a symbol and that they embody the darkness that is all around you. Everywhere you look, there they are.
This darkness is not only all around you, it is all over you … within you. There is darkness everywhere. It is the rule, not the exception. Darkness is the default. It is the womb; everything comes from the darkness. And it is the tomb; to the darkness all things must return.
Breathe in this darkness. Imagine that your inhale brings this darkness into your consciousness and now you are keenly aware of your own mortality; the processes of your body a seemingly tenuous happenstance of almost unimaginable good luck, because if just one little thing went wrong you could simply be gone. A heart that stops. A brain that suffers an aneurysm. A flawed human body that comes with no guarantees, just … ceases to be alive. Everything that you are attached to … severed. Your likes, your loves, your hates … everything with which you were in a relationship, now … gone. Consider all this … your potential death could come at any moment. And it is stalking you … from within this very darkness.
Darkness calls to darkness. You breathe it in, and this external darkness flows into the darkness within you … down deep … in between your molecules in the dark, empty space. Here it is transformed. Within you … death becomes life. You breathe it out … your offer of life unto the darkness of death. Give and take. Two sides of the same coin.
Spend some time breathing in and out, feeling the connection to Death, and feeling your offering of life force with every exhale. When you are ready, return to normal awareness, turn on the lights, and record your thoughts in your journal.
Once you are familiar with the state encouraged by the above exercise you can “tap into” it simply by recalling the relevant bodily sensation. For many of the remaining exercises in this chapter you will be asked to connect to the death force. You need not do so formally unless you feel it is necessary.
Witchcraft is a path that recognizes the subtle shifts of energy that occur in the natural world; there are certain times and places in which different energies, spirits, powers, and the like can be “tapped into” in order to help us toward our particular goals. When dealing with necromancy, the best times are at Samhain and Beltane. In terms of the natural tides of power, we may be forgiven if we were to celebrate on the fixed days usually labeled as such, but in BlueRose the general practice is to honor the astrological dates, which for these sabbats (in the northern hemisphere) would be the sun at 15° Scorpio (usually Nov 5–8) and 15° Taurus (May 5–8). (Check an ephemeris for exact dates each year.) Other temporal observances appropriate to necromantic work include the last quarter of the waning moon. The time between Samhain and Yule is considered the “dead time” and it is traditional for those Witches of the Bone Wand to leave open the Western Gate the whole time while they tend to the spirits. A dark moon during this period is considered especially potent for this type of work.
For this next rite, you will need to embark on a series of preparatory observances for thirteen nights prior to this working. Each night, using some sort of visual link (such as a photo, drawing, piece of jewelry, or some other physical object), consider the particular spirit that you wish to call to you. They can be anyone: a personal ancestor, one of the Mighty Dead of the Craft (such as Doreen Valiente or Dr. Leo Martello), a “Craft martyr” such as those executed for the “crime” of Witchcraft (like Isobel Gowdie or Bridget Bishop), or even an historic figure, perhaps one associated with magic or artistry such as Austin Osman Spare or Oscar Wilde. The process of meditating on the spirit while holding or touching the physical object will gradually attune you, the object, and the spirit toward each other, paving the way for the spirit encounter encouraged by this rite.
This is my reworking of a rite from the coven Korythalia, dated 1984.
The rite, as given here, is a sort of a suggestion that can be embellished with elements to make it more personal to the spirit with which you are working. Writing your own invocation is advised. If you are not working with a specific spirit, but merely wish to open the way for the Mighty Dead, then making them an offering in the west will suffice.
Items needed:
3 black candles
1 red candle
An image of the Hag and the Dark God
An object to use as a link to the spirit
A piece of silk, either white, red, or black, large enough to wrap your visual link object
Small white stones, salt, chalk, tape, or other means to mark on the floor
A skull (human or animal; may also be an image of a skull or skull and crossbones)
An incense burner
Anointing oil
Your blade or wand
A mirror
This should be performed only at night. The original text specifies that the Watchers (i.e., the “fallen” angels or Elder Gods from which the Witch Blood is said to have originated) are not invoked for this rite.
Begin by using the stones, salt, chalk, tape, etc. to mark out a circle in the floor large enough to contain yourself and your altar in the north, with some extra room for a triangle, placed inside the western edge of the circle, with its apex pointing west. We will deal with the magical nature of the triangle more in-depth later on, but for now we will just be using it as a ritual point of focus. Inside this triangle place the skull and on either side of it place a black and a red candle.
Figure 7: Summoning the Dead Circle/Triangle
The altar should have central images of the Hag and Dark God. These can be statues, symbols, drawings, inspirational photos culled from the internet, etc. Use whatever you feel is inspirational. These images are then flanked by two black candles. You may add further embellishments to suit your sense of style.
Take a ritual bath and anoint with an appropriate oil. My personal preferences for this work are blends that contain anise, but follow your own preference and herbal relationships. Returning to the ritual area, light the incense and cast the circle counterclockwise,29 empowering the marked circle on the floor to come to life.
Go to the north. Connect to the death force. Using your blade or your wand, invoke the dead:
Oh, you of the Mighty Dead!
We call you from between the worlds!
Ancient Ones!
Mothers and Fathers of the Craft!
Who watched the stars,
Who read the signs,
Who worked the herbs,
Who made the magic.
I am your child,
Come to me!
As you speak this aloud, with your blade or wand draw a large circle in the air before you with Blue Fire, then make the sign of the X through it. See this image blazing before you. Repeat these steps for west, south, and east before doing it again over the altar in the center.
Return your tools to the altar and extinguish all the candles so that you are in near to total darkness. Take hold of the wand in one hand and the visual link in the other and go to the west. Stand before the triangle. Close your eyes and cross your arms over your chest, left over right. Bow in reverence, and then silently recite the incantation to yourself, imagining that you are hearing it boom in a thunderous voice:
I invoke the Mother of the Stars
Who was and is and ever shall be
Androgynous source of all creation.
All seeing. All knowing. All pervading. All powerful.
Shine in me your holy flame!
By the Hag and by the Dark God,
I call you forth!
With the recitation of the last line, draw a pentacle in the air before you with your wand to invoke all five elements, each line of the star being a different elemental color. See it shine before you and then “pierce” it with your wand and will the pentacle to change into white fire. Focusing through your visual link, call to the spirit by name, three times silently, and then again three times out loud.
Now, just be open to whatever messages you may receive. If you are new to this work this may take some time. Don’t be impatient!
In the case of working with specific spirits long term (such as with ancestors or the Mighty Dead) you may wish to create a permanent link, which will make “dismissing” them at the end of your rite unnecessary. In these cases, the physical object should be placed in the triangle and the spirit invited to inhabit it. To make such an invitation, you may use something along the lines of:
NAME OF SPIRIT (3x)
Life and death, this space between
An open gate through which I call
And offer this by name and sign,
Within this object you may dwell.
To end the rite, simply give them thanks and offerings and wrap their link object in the silk and put away from view, then rekindle the candles. End your circle as you would normally. This object should be used frequently, especially when first establishing the link.
For other spirits, perhaps those only sought for a “one time job,” there is no need to use a physical object and you will want to dismiss them properly when you are done, which is to say perform a cleansing/banishing of the area, after you have given them an offering and rekindled the candles. (For a full Banishing rite see Chapter 6). Remove the triangle and open the circle.
This simple exercise utilizes solitary sex magic and is intended to allow you to experience the duality and unity of the Twins in their forms as the lovers Life and Death, and how they are intimately connected to sex.
Figure 8: Points of Light/Dark
Familiarize yourself with the above images. Be able to recall them in your memory and be able to hold them in your internal vision for the span of at least several breaths without losing focus. Depending on your visualization or meditative skill you may wish to allocate some time to practice the technique before combining it with the rest of the exercise.
Open the Way. Connect to the death force. Feel how it is connected to sex … how sex is life, and life and death are twins. Part of the same thing. Lovers.
Feeling the internal darkness, begin to make love to yourself. As your pleasure rises, you are transforming the darkness of death into the light of life … let it rise within you.
Darkness and Light, merging and separating and then merging again. Life and Death are making love within you. You see the point of light in the darkness, like a single star in the cold and lonely void … overlaid with the point of darkness—absolute—in an exuberant sea of bright celestial light. Complete and total opposites. Each struggling for supremacy. They shift back and forth … darkness in light … light in darkness … Which vision remains? In your mind, they are brought together as one. Flash on this image before and/or immediately after your orgasm. La petite mort. Let the little death overtake you. Let your mind be blank. Let light and dark be as one.
Record your experiences.
This exercise is based on a model conceived by my husband Chas Bogan. This pentacle, like the others more commonly used in the Faery Tradition, offers us a means to map out our relationships to certain key concepts, in this case with those that are specifically in tune with those that are aligned to working with the death force. Having an emotional connection to each concept, being able to discern the emotional and physical sensations brought on by each, and then bringing all five of those energies together as one, the Bone Pentacle will allow us to concentrate our magical awareness so that we can tap into the death force, and better utilize this awareness in our own work with the spirits of the dead.
Figure 9: Bone Pentacle
Items needed:
A piece of paper
A pen or pencil
A cell phone or timer (optional)
Begin by Opening the Way. Draw a pentacle with a single point upward at the top of the paper. Above the top point write the word “Death.” Attune your thoughts to the dead. Call up a mournful sense of loss. Underneath the pentacle, begin writing whatever comes to mind about death. Any images, memories, emotions, weird half-sentences, whatever comes to mind. Check in with your body: when you think of death how does your body respond? How does your back feel? Your stomach? Your chest? Do this for two minutes.
Now, on the bottom right point of the pentacle, write the word “Honor.” Bring yourself into a space of reverence for the dead. They are no longer bound to the physical and so are closer to the mystery. Underneath your previous writings, begin to write whatever now comes to mind as you contemplate Honor.
Next, on the upper left point, write the word “Memory.” Call up a memory of the particular dead with which you wish to work and make a pledge to keep their memory alive. Now down below, write what comes up for you. It need not be “pleasant” or even “fair,” only genuine. What memories about this dead do you have? Be honest.
When you are finished with Memory, focus on the upper right point and next to it write, “Release.” This is especially important for those with an emotional connection to the particular dead: Let. Them. Go. You must grieve, but not wallow in grief. We must feel ourselves letting them go, as if letting go of a balloon; effortless, painless, calm. Write down all the things that connected you to them, but now view those connections as being severed. They no longer connect you to the person. That person—at least in that form—is gone. As you write, tell that person goodbye.
Finally, near the bottom left point of the pentacle, write the word “Repose.” Call up a state of calm, peaceful, reverential memoriam. While contemplating this state, finish your journaling project by recording what comes to you.
Once you are familiar with these points and the presences they carry you will likely wish to abandon the formal journaling aspect of this exercise in favor of a more free-form contemplative meditational style as a means to more regularly engage this pentacle as a whole. Once an energetic momentum has been established, the Bone Pentacle will become a tool to be used in certain rites or workings that involve communing with the dead.
To shift our conscious toward the dead we must attune to those environments in which they are present, or which cause our own thoughts to turn toward them. The easiest among these environments (and usually most potent) are cemeteries. These places are steeped in the death force in that they not only house the remains of the dead, but also—due to the many living who visit them—the veil between the worlds begins to thin to the point that historical graveyards often present particularly potent portals into the world beyond.
For this next lesson, written by my husband Chas Bogan and borrowing from his work in Conjure and Hoodoo (a magical influencer of our own Faery Tradition), you will be required to physically go to a graveyard to collect some dirt as a physical link with a spirit with whom you may work.
Going to the Graveyard
by Chas Bogan
The person who takes something from a cemetery
will return more than he took.
Folk-lore From Adams County Illinois; #10358
—harry m. hyatt
Various traditions acknowledge various spirits who govern graveyards, and when doing cemetery work practitioners will respectively acknowledge, avoid, or appease such spirit. For our work, we will petition Black Ana and the Arddu, asking them to favor our journey into the cemetery and to assure that whatever other spirits may have dominion in this graveyard will in turn be appeased.
To be respectful and safeguard against trouble, we will be working with our Queen of Death, Black Ana, and the Arddu, who serves as a psychopomp between the living and the dead. It’s the same as if you are entering an apartment complex, best to be invited by someone who lives there, someone who is expecting you and who knows how to deal with the strange and cantankerous neighbors.
Traditionally offerings for the spirit(s) of the graveyard are left at the front gate before entering; however, it is often the case that you must first travel through the gates in order to park. When this is the case you can simply pick the start of any path, just be sure to make your petition prior to stepping among the graves. Rather than play favorites, we will be giving both deities the same offering of Spirit Water, the recipe for which is as follows…
Spirit water is made of equal parts water and Anisette. To make Anisette you need:
1 cup of vodka
8 drops of essential anise or star anise
1 tablespoon of Simple syrup; made from 3 parts sugar dissolved into 1 part boiling water
Now you will either set two bottles of the Spirit water on the ground or pour the Spirit Water into a pair of shot glasses, baby food jars, or what have you.
For this I have two bottles filled with Spirit Water, each of which also includes three pieces of Pyrite. Pyrite is often used in mojo bags to draw money and good fortune. Some may use coins as a form of payment, as we will do to pay for our dirt later. Although symbolically meaningful, the dead don’t really need coins, and pennies and dimes, though traditional, really can’t buy much in today’s economy anyway. Keep in mind though that by burying coins you are returning treasure to the land below, the underworld, from which it was originally mined. Part of the idea here is to give back. Seen in this context Pyrite is appropriate, or if they reject the offering you will learn of it soon enough when they strike you dead.
We will place the bottle of Spirit Water on the ground to our left and invoke Black Ana with this chant by Storm:
Ancient Queen of Death’s Repose,
Sharp your scythe and true your sight,
Revealing secrets no one else knows
Grandmother! Queen of Night!
Now, place the other bottle on the ground at your right, far enough apart so that you can step between them eventually. We will invoke the Arddu with this chant, again from Storm:
Primal Lord of Darkened land,
Sex and Death at your command
Scent of musk and sight of bone,
Guards the gate to the Unknown.
Sense now how Black Ana and the Arddu stand before you now on opposite sides, and we bid them now by saying:
Walk with us,
Guide us,
Protect us,
As we journey into the breathless realms.
Get to it. Step between the two bottles and begin your journey to find a grave from which to collect some dirt.
You may choose the grave according to:
• Personal Relationship
– Grave of relative/friend/coworker
– Grave of pet/familiar
• The Mighty Dead, Sinners, and the Weak Willed
– Mighty Dead: Royalty, Soldiers, Healers, etc.
Individuals of great accomplishment and power in life are often able to provide assistance from “the other side.” Working healing magic? Look to the grave of a doctor. Looking for protection? A police officer or priest might fit the bill.
– “Sinners”: Murderers, Thieves, Gamblers, Prostitutes, etc. People who went against the rules of a society or indulged heavily in earthly pleasures. The spirit of a thief might help to get a stolen item back, while that of a gambler might assist with one’s own gambling luck. The grave of a prostitute might yield an ingredient for a lust spell.
– “Weak Willed”: Unbaptized Babies, Addicts, Suicides, etc. Thought of as suited for any work, as reportedly they submit more easily to the stronger will of the practitioner. These are generally considered “lower level” spirits and are mostly creatures of deep emotion and not much else. Some might even be what we would consider to be “feral.” Individually they might not be much of a boost to the practitioner’s own power, but in numbers they can prove to be very potent; provided they are properly fed and maintained, of course.
• Auspicious Location
– Direction
° East for knowledge and conception
° South for sex and vengeance
° West for love and peace
° North for wealth and healing
– Divination
° Numerology: Numbers can be determined by need (such as lucky seven or thirteen for gambling luck), or chosen by lot. Site is then determined based on numbers on gravestone; or steps or graves counted from gate or monument
° Throw a coin such as a silver dollar into the graveyard and dig at the site it lands, leaving the coin as payment
– Spirit Led
° Follow a moving animal or insect, leaf, or request written on paper or onion skin
° Let the spirit call to you and guide you
Paying for the Dirt
There are many ways of leaving coins for payment of dirt, many of which utilize an odd number of coins left in positions above the body. My method is to place three coins, dimes, or silver dollars in a triangle and dig dirt from the center. You
can place them above certain areas of the body that correspond with your need, such as above the head for knowledge or strategy, the heart of love or emotional healing, the sex for vigor, the feet for success in new endeavors.
Other offerings may include alcohol and tobacco, although it is wise to know the relationship the deceased had with such substances, they may have struggled to overcome alcoholism, or they may have quit smoking for health reasons that
they no longer need to care about. Flowers also make a nice offering. According to Greek mythology, the dead much prefer offerings of blood. Allegedly Victor Anderson spoke against blood offerings, saying that they drew the presence of unwanted entities, and it has been suggested that red ink be used in place of blood, such as can easily be made by dissolving Dragon’s Blood resin in alcohol. Blood, or its surrogate, is rarely left as a ‘thank you’ gift to spirits of the dead, however it can be utilized to create a strong connection between the deceased and the living, such as can strengthen bonds of mediumship.
The Bone Pentacle
Facing the grave, place five dimes over the deceased’s head, hands, and feet. We then draw an invoking pentacle connecting the five dimes, declaring the energy of each point.
Death
Honor
Memory
Release
Repose
This is done five times to awaken the spirit within the grave; then, from the center of the pentacle we remove the graveyard dirt.
For this lesson, we will simply take home some of this dirt to place on our ancestor altar to strengthen and honor this spirit.
Though Faery Tradition does not have a singular theory or teaching for what happens to us after we die, there are a few commonalities. It is generally believed that the consciousness of the deceased will remain in some form around the body and/or the home for a period of three days after physical death. There is also the general belief that initiated Witches will have some level of controlled reincarnation, and so will find themselves among their loved ones once more, in another life. Cora Anderson spoke of souls returning to the cauldron of the Goddess and remaining there for a period of eighty years before coming back to the earth plane. Other initiates adhere to the Tibetan concept of the “Bardo state,” which is an intermediary plane in between life and death.
One interesting bit of Faery lore concerning death concerns the Doctrine of the Three Souls.30 Each soul has its own journey after death, though nothing is written in stone. Generally, it is said that a fetch returns to the earth, enriching the planetary consciousness that we might call the Earth Mother. Here the fetch either stays and is recycled or, due to some events in life, is nurtured and given some additional stretch to their evolutionary journey. It is believed that a fetch can eventually evolve (some say by merging together) into a talker, and a talker into a daemon. This last revelation also explains one way in which our ancestors are with us; multiple talkers in our bloodline—over many lifetimes—have formed together and become your holy daemon. It/they are a part of you. This is reminiscent of the Huna idea of the aumakua, which is a type of family god, or an ancestor who has risen to the level of divinity.
It is said that under certain circumstances, such as a violent death, these souls can split apart causing certain types of paranormal phenomena. When a fetch has been disconnected from its soul structure, it may remain on the physical plane but have no talker to give it the ability to communicate. As a result, this creature of primal consciousness, sensation, and memory may lash out at the living. If the person in life suffered from severe mental illness or addiction, then the disconnected fetch can continue that aetheric pattern, potentially affecting the living in that area. In extreme cases, this can account for most of what has been labeled “demonic activity”; in that the disconnected, frightened, angry (and possibly feral) fetch is lashing out like a wounded animal.
In these cases, we may wish to assist this fetch in finding peace, much as we might help a trapped animal or child. Likewise, in the cases where a talker has been displaced and is earthbound, we may find ourselves in the position of needing to assist these souls to move onward, to whatever the next phase of their personal mystery may be.
EXERCISE: Journey through the Western Gate 31
This trance exercise will allow us the means to travel into the intermediary state between life and death so as to assist those souls who may be trapped there. It is presented here in a simple form, but may be expanded with other ritual elements if desired. This exercise should be repeated periodically, especially around Samhain or whenever you are personally called to do this work.
Ground and center. Open the Western Gate. Imagine moving through this gate and into an “in-between space” in the form of a beautiful and serene grassy meadow. The time of day appears to be twilight, but you can see neither the sun nor the moon in the sky. As you walk farther out toward the horizon, you come to the edge of a great river. There is no way to get across this river that you can immediately see. On “this” side of the river are those souls who have not yet fully “passed over.” The other side is the great mystery that lies beyond. Some souls may still be on this side because they have unfinished business on earth, or they may be lost and confused and unable to get across. Remember your three souls in alignment and reach out with your awareness. Imagine that you either find or create a bridge that connects this side of the river with the other. We will stay on this side, but now pay attention to any of the beings that you may perceive here. You may show them this bridge and even suggest that they cross over, but never force them. They must choose to cross of their own free will. Imagine assisting these spirits over the bridge and just allow your trance to unfold naturally. After several minutes come back to normal awareness and record your experiences in your journal.
The Dark Goddess
Wind shriek howl and raspy whispers
Ink black madness, three dark sisters
Bone thin hand, which grasps the night
Ancient Queen of death and fright.
The Dark Goddess has many faces to the Faery Witch. She is a goddess of ancient wisdom and, in particular, the “forbidden mysteries” of Witchcraft. She is a poisoner, a healer, a priestess, and an oracle; she is the very archetype of a Witch. It is she who holds the threads of fate, and who uses her silver scythe to cut those threads when their time has come.
She is the thrice-formed Hecate, titan-goddess of Witchcraft and the crossroads. She is the Morrigan, battle goddess and sovereign queen. She is Baba Yaga … she is Lilith … she is the Cailleach. The Faery Witch knows that she is all of these goddesses and so much more. She is the mystery; the ever-changing Star Goddess, and as Ana, we see that in the iconography that is handed down for her, where she is crowned with nine stars, making this connection as clear as a cloudless night sky.
Ana is related to that figure known as Black Annis, a sort of bogeyman figure from English folklore. She was widely known to eat human flesh, tearing it off of her victims with her iron claws. In this we see her shadow aspect. Ana can be the matronly grandmother, telling stories and tending wounds. Or she can be the horrific stark terror of the Cailleach, the unforgiving winter land that slowly drains life and hope away into the white void.
EXERCISE: Journey to Her Cauldron
Here we will journey to meet with the Dark Goddess, seeking her powers of transformation. This trance should be performed in actual at least three to four times before moving on to the next work.
Ground and center. Imagine an opening in the earth that leads into a cavernous place below. Imagine yourself climbing down into this cavern, feeling the air grow cool and damp, and hearing the echoing drips of water in the distance. Down deep, you explore this cavern noticing that the stalactites and stalagmites form a series of columns that seem to draw your attention deeper into the heart of the cavern. Follow, and you come to a large clearing. The only source of light seems to come from a large fire in the center, on top of which is placed an enormous black iron cauldron. There is a wooden ladder that leads up the side of the cauldron, and you are compelled to climb up and to peer over its edge.
Looking inside you see your face reflected in the dark liquid. As the fire continues to heat this brew, you begin to see bubbles form, and begin to swirl, obscuring your reflection so that something new arises. What do you see? Let go…
Suddenly you are pushed over the edge and you fall into the cauldron. The hot liquid washes over you and you accidentally take it into your lungs. Your body fights against it, but your limbs soon become heavy and you surrender to your fate.
Just relax and allow yourself to float. Notice what thoughts begin to arise and how your body feels in this state. Imagine your body melting away … becoming part of the boiling brew. You swirl and churn within the cauldron … float and sway … in the peaceful blackness … amongst the stars … the stars of her crown. She is standing over you … her starry crown illuminates you. She shows you the curved edge of black space … it is a mirror. What do you see?
After some time allow yourself to come back into normal awareness. Reaffirm the alignment of your three souls. You may wish to also perform a grounding exercise and the Waters of Purity.
In the same vein as the Greek Moirai or the Fates, the Dark Goddess is She Who Cuts the Thread—that precious cord of life that weaves into the Pattern. In addition to the lives of individuals, these cords are also the wraith threads that connect us to other people, places, and situations to which we are bound emotionally. Energy and consciousness can travel along these threads and there are times in which we may wish to sever them, as in the case with negative relationships or traumatic events in our past that we find we cannot move beyond. Using this modality we can use our magic to help us sever those threads and break the chains that bind us.
Cutting the cord is breaking a connection to a person or to a power that has some level of negative control over you and your life.
This is best performed outside in a place not where you live. Alternatively, you can perform the majority of the rite at home and then travel to a new location to complete the spell.
Items needed:
Two small beads: one white, the other black
A length of black thread roughly 13 inches
A pair of sharp scissors
Begin by Opening the Way. In your Enchanted state, name and empower each bead by holding them close and saying:
I am the bead of white,
I keep this charm to guide my sight.
[NAME OF PERSON OR NEGATIVE POWER] is the bead of black
I keep my power and send them back.
Thread the beads in such a way so that one bead is tied at one end while the other bead is tied at the opposite end. Inwardly focusing on the connections you have with the person or power while outwardly focusing on the black thread, begin to rhythmically chant, building to a frenzy:
This is the cord that binds me to you.
This is the cord that binds me to you.
This is the cord that binds me to you.
I cut the cord, I break the chain.
When you reach the peak of power, use the scissors and cut the thread. Imagine the energetic and spiritual ties connecting the two of you have now been severed.
To complete the spell, recite the following, or similar:
Bead of black,
[NAME OF PERSON OR NEGATIVE POWER]
Our connection has been severed.
And far away from me you fly!
Using all of your strength, throw the black bead as far away from you as you can, imagining this person or power as moving far, far away. Return home and take a cleansing bath. Perform the Waters of Purity rite.32 Keep the white bead as a charm to keep your power.
EXERCISE: Drawing Down the Dark Moon
This is a variation on the “Drawing Down the Moon” exercise normally given earlier on in Faery Witchcraft training. It utilizes some imagery from the poetry of Victor Anderson and combines an oral teaching from him that indicated that “drawing down the moon” was in fact drawing down one’s own God Soul, i.e., the holy daemon. It should be performed on the night of the dark moon.
Items needed:
A black altar cloth
A black candle
A silver or earthenware bowl, filled with water
Nine blue stones
Incense that you associate with the Dark Goddess, such as those containing anise or black copal
An incense burner
Charcoal
An offering of food, whiskey, etc.
Go outside, preferably a place that is not overly polluted with artificial light. (You can, of course, do this in your own home with the lights turned off, but in this case, it would be good to at least open a window so that you can breathe the night air.) Arrange your altar space to your liking by placing all of your items on your black cloth. Light the charcoal.
Open the Way. Feel the night air. Imagine yourself tuning in to the darkness around you, but this time not as Death … but as Mystery … Affirm your soul alignment and place some of the incense on the charcoal. Imagine reaching out through your daemon and into the darkness all around you. Imagine that this darkness is part of the presence of the moon … hidden … but present … lurking unseen in the sky. The land is cast in shadow.
Light the black candle, and drop the nine blue stones into the water—one by one—as you make your prayer:
To the darkness of the moon
I send my voice and now call down
Three times three, the stars of blue
That brightly gild her starry crown.
Take a deep breath and open yourself to the darkness. Feel this potent darkness … the dark womb, pregnant with possibility. Now is the time to delve into the Dark. Feel the darkness permeating the stone-filled water. Take a deep breath and breathe wraith force into the water, imagining the nine blue stones beginning to shine with celestial light. Do this for eight more breaths, seeing the stones glow brighter with each successive breath. On the ninth breath imagine the stones igniting into star-fire, radiating into the water with an invisible light. Take a sip of the water and feel this invisible light flowing into you. Open yourself to the dark moon. Open yourself to the mystery. What comes to you? Express it! Let it move through you! Sing, or dance, or laugh, or cry … sway to and fro … let your body move … fast or slow … loud or silent. What comes to you?
Imagine the nine blue stars upon your own head as a crown. Imagine their light shining through the veil and into the realm of the dead. What spirits come to you? Who do you call? Let the ancestors speak to you.
Make your offering.
After some time return to normal awareness and write down your experiences in your journal.
No matter what we believe happens to us after we die, the fact remains that we just don’t know. Death is the final mystery. And as practitioners of the Witches’ Craft, our job is to dive headfirst into the unknown. We are the edge-riders, the mysterious freaks who go against the grain of societally sanctioned practices and beliefs, and we revel in it. We might be drawn to the dark because we hear the calling of our own power and knowledge from deep within the pit of that darkness. We are called to face our inner darkness, and perhaps even to help others face their own.
28. Oral tradition, from a private conversation with Cora before her passing.
29. For the northern hemisphere. Southern practitioners will want to cast clockwise.
30. A basic exercise for experiencing and aligning the Three Souls can be found in Appendix I.
31. To perform this exercise, you should already be familiar with the Western Gate as a portal between the worlds of the living and the dead. If you are not yet proficient at opening this energetic gate, you will need to practice with that before attempting this and I have given a simple method for doing so in Appendix I. For a more in-depth look at this concept, see my book Betwixt and Between.
32. See Appendix I