Tag Archives: death witch

“When your time comes to die, be not like those whose hearts
are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray
for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing
your death song, and die like a hero going home.” – Tecumseh

Death walks ever at your side, personified – should you let
it be. Death is the midwife who parted the legs of your mother and drug you
carefully from her womb; was there as you grew older, through every skinned-knee,
celebration, and silent moment of life – waiting for the time in which It might
take you like a captured bride, back into the Night. But do not mistake Death
to be cold or vindictive, for It is naught but patient companion: with arms
like a mother and the heart of a lover. Fear not Death – but embrace It, and it
will watch over you. Death might come in any guise, accept it – for it is
yours, and you: Its.

To Look Death in The Eye

Go to a comfortable place – you needn’t go anywhere marked
by dead energy unless it is where you are most comfortable, for Death walks
with you – and center yourself. I encourage you to find a comfortable place to
sit, be it cross-legged on the floor or in a chair, it doesn’t matter. Just
allow yourself to be comfortable. Death is not (usually) gruesome to look at,
but no less, it’s best to be in a calm and collected place, if only to connect
better. Light a candle, if you so choose, and call to your own Death to present
itself to you. Following, I’ve attached a sort of summons:

Come – Shadow!
My umbral Lord or Lady,
Who walks ever with me:
Before my blind eyes – be seen!
Let me smell the sweet perfume, familiar,
And reveal your fair face unto me,
That I might look upon,
The one who walks,
The one who waits.
O Death, my companion,
Remove the spectral veil,
And let my eyes descry:
My Beloved Shadow.

You needn’t follow word for word, but simply capture the
same spirit. Do what works best for you, as always. I would like to clarify
here, that this ritual calls to your own Death personified, not the
circumstances nor the collective embodiment, deity or metaphor of Death. In
fact, I highly encourage you not to ask – ever
– what those circumstances are. Most will deny the request, but some might
offer the option to test you. If they offer up the information, decline. 

Sit patiently and Death will appear. Usually Death presents as
human: as the opposite gender, or as one which you are attracted to, but this
isn’t always the case. I know some who have told me Death came to them as an
animal – this is also valid. Your Death is unique to you, and isn’t bound to
the same form from session to session. Death can take on the face of perfection,
or your greatest fear. Just roll with it. Get to know one another – or, get to
know Death, as it already knows you better than anyone else.

Why you should connect with your own Death?

Well, death is intrinsic to life, yet often feared in Western society. To familiarize yourself with Death and build a bond between yourself and It can be quite rewarding. Death is also a bridge to the dead, as well as to the past and the future. It can share with you both, but such actions should be done so sparingly and with great caution and skepticism. Death personifications – in mythologies the world over – often have trickster qualities. This isn’t to say they will blatantly lie, but have a predisposition to be misleading, or – rather – the human mind has a tendency to overreach when information is presented. Death is often quite literal, don’t read too far into it.

Death can also act as a sort of familiar spirit that can be tasked with things: willingness permitting. As such, they can also act as guides in both under- and astral worlds. As aforementioned, Death often has a trickster quality, and as such, can lead you into situations that might be difficult to navigate as a means of bettering oneself. In essence, they are there to prepare you for death and what comes after. Where that is, I suppose, only they know. I wouldn’t ask.

Finally, death knows you better than anyone else – including you. If introspection is what you seek, there is no better a place.

Figure I & II: woodcuts – I think they’re woodcuts, anyway – by Jose Guadalupe Posada. 

Gallery

Evocation of the Earth Mother

qedavathegrey:

Call to Her for Rites involving:

Cultivation,
agriculture, health and healing, herbal work – and the secrets of the plants,
the animal teachers, survival, mastery of the wilderness, soul-work, the dead
(necromancy and nigromancy), most chthonic works, opening doors/gates, she is
also particularly suited to guide in astral works (with or without the
accompaniment of entheogens), terrestrial nature (in general) and all its
magics

The Earth Mother can be a harsh teacher – she is stubborn,
aloof and constantly testing those under her tutelage, but as such, they learn
to expert survivalists: those who can adapt readily to any new hardship. She is
the keeper of great secrets, ones that have been eternally connected to the
Craft as we know it – herbal magic, weather manipulation, and work with the
Dead. She is demanding – of respect and commitment – for it is within her Craft
that one wrong move could mean acceptance into her Kingdom. To reap the harvest,
one must first plant the seeds.

Offerings, including but not limited to:

Most any plants – but particularly
those with strong magical connotations (even more particularly, poisons – belladonna, mandrake, wolf’s bane: always use caution), soil, seeds, wheat,
poppies, fruits – specifically apples and plums, blood, feathers, pelts/skins,
bones, stones, iron tools, traditional witch tools – such as the cauldron,
wands, staves, etc., eggs, braided reeds/grasses, teas are also suitable.

Ideal locations for workings:

Nature. Really, that’s
about it. The more remote, secluded and forested the better – swamps, deserts,
subterranean caves, cliffs, forests, etc. For urban witches, parks or places
abandoned and repossessed by nature will suffice.

To Call Her

Gather a collection of offerings, a square of black or green
cloth and – in white chalk, pemba or cascarilla – mark her seal (above). Upon
this, the offerings will be presented. Go forth to a place you have chosen for
the working. Night or day makes no difference, though traditionally work with
the Dead should be done at twilight or in the night. Arrange your offerings
upon the cloth – she is particularly fond of foods such as cakes/breads made
with wheat, wines and meat (cooked or not). When you are aptly prepared, ask
her to come: trust your intuition and delve into recesses of the mind. Present
a desire, ask for her presence and her help. For those with Sight, she can
appear in a number of guises, from the stereotypical hag, to a beautiful
bare-footed woman. Her personality can be a bit harsh and abrasive at first
(snappy, she’s snappy), but once she warms up to you, she will be much more
pleasant. Despite her stern nature, she has a good sense of humor – just make
sure you do if you try to appeal to
it.

Once the connection has been made, you might make a plea to
her. What that will be is entirely dependent on what you need. She is ruled by
the mind, not the heart – do your best to present your case in a clear and
methodical manner. She may challenge you to cut through the emotion and see
with clarity your true desire – which could be a blessing or a curse. Unlike
the Queen of Heaven, however, who may be more tolerant of your innate desires,
the Earth Mother will demand you correct your flawed thought process before she
will continue with you. Be genuine, be humble and be patient – she will lead
you in the right direction.

When you are through, leave the offerings for her – you may
leave them in the wilderness/place of working, but you might find it more
beneficial (especially for spirit work) to bury the offerings in the
traditionally chthonic manner.

It is recommended that upon the completion of your request
that you leave another offering to her as a gift of thanks – food. She loves
food. Leave her food or give her a gift proving her instruction hasn’t fallen
on deaf ears.

Black Mother || Red Queen || Lady of the Depths || Queen of
Heaven || Earth Mother

Standard

qedavathegrey:

Earth Mother Seal

It is She who lives beneath – who breathes the seasons – the
nubile green of spring, the hardy summer foliage, the flaming boughs of autumn
and the naked winter branches. But life is not her only task, for it is she who
plants the seedling corpses and rules underfoot as Chthonic Queen. She is the
Herbalist, the Woodland Witch and the Keeper of the Dead – it is from her flesh
that comes the new, and where it must inevitably return; it is she who guards
the Gates between these worlds. It is she who blends the tonic and the poison –
the Healer and the Executioner, and both: mixed with love.

Image

qedavathegrey:

As the Dead Season approaches, it is time to both honor and
remember the Dead – ancestral, historical and formative – but also, it is the
time to honor Death and its many incarnations. Honoring the God/Goddess/Spirit
of Death within your own pantheon can be very personal, especially to those of
us who are Death’s Attendants – and while I do love to honor them as the
incarnations of Death, I also like to remember death in its faceless reality. And
while Death’s many mysteries command an innate, unprecedented respect it’s
important that we not forget the liberation, humor and fascination it breeds.
Those are the facets this ritual are meant to encompass – the joys that death
may bring.

“Ingredients”

This is simply a list
of possible options and by no means is it comprehensive, I urge you to
repurpose this however you see fit with any ingredients you’re personally drawn
to. This is merely foundation upon which to build and personalize.

  • Artifacts of Death/Curios – assorted skulls, bones, and fetishes
    from the cemetery, snake sheds, assorted dead bugs (flies do the trick well, as
    do spiders)
  • A Table – dressed in a plain black or white cloth
  • Black Beans, dried
  • Pemba/Cascarilla/Chalk Dust/Salt
  • Chile Ristras
  • Peppered Rum
  • Unfermented Juices
  • Bowls of Graveyard Dirt
  • Earthenware Vessels of your choosing

Instructions

Foremost, the idea behind this is to basically host a party
in Death’s honor – in much an Alice in Wonderland fashion. It is meant to be
light, not this great foreboding thing. Do not allow yourself to be overwhelmed
with it, when it is but an inevitable actuality. As such, it’s best to keep on
Death’s good side. Why not throw him/her/it a party?

Dress your table in your chosen cloth – black or white is
preferred, but something painfully festive would also be acceptable – and
decorate it to your liking. Toss the beans and chiles around, draw with chalk or pemba any skulls, bones, etc. to really enhance the mood (hence why black is recommended), pour some libations, put on
some “sweet jams.” The beautiful thing about this “ritual” is that you can
invite as many people (or spirits) as you’d like and ask them to bring their own symbols of
death. 

Set the table accordingly, with places set for those in attendance (living or otherwise) and make sure to set a place for your own pantheon’s Death Diet(y/ies) or all the ones with which you work. Depending on your tradition, serve them customarily – for instance, many Death Gods/Spirits receive Cthonic offerings, feel free to serve them things other than food and then leave the in a traditional pit // if your tradition allows food to be shared with the Dead, by all means do so!

When the time is right – and even if you’re alone, no one will judge you
– it is then you begin the danse. Take your
favorite curios and dance about the room (I feel as though I should recommend
some Screamin’ Jay or perhaps some Harry Belafonte for those Beetlejuice fans out there) shamelessly. Ask your guests to do the same.

You dance in time with death now – and as such, Death is
honored. And quite the dancer. Continue until you run out of steam (or drinks).

A particularly good celebration for the Winter Solstice.

Source: qedavathegrey
Image

As the Dead Season approaches, it is time to both honor and
remember the Dead – ancestral, historical and formative – but also, it is the
time to honor Death and its many incarnations. Honoring the God/Goddess/Spirit
of Death within your own pantheon can be very personal, especially to those of
us who are Death’s Attendants – and while I do love to honor them as the
incarnations of Death, I also like to remember death in its faceless reality. And
while Death’s many mysteries command an innate, unprecedented respect it’s
important that we not forget the liberation, humor and fascination it breeds.
Those are the facets this ritual are meant to encompass – the joys that death
may bring.

“Ingredients”

This is simply a list
of possible options and by no means is it comprehensive, I urge you to
repurpose this however you see fit with any ingredients you’re personally drawn
to. This is merely foundation upon which to build and personalize.

  • Artifacts of Death/Curios – assorted skulls, bones, and fetishes
    from the cemetery, snake sheds, assorted dead bugs (flies do the trick well, as
    do spiders)
  • A Table – dressed in a plain black or white cloth
  • Black Beans, dried
  • Pemba/Cascarilla/Chalk Dust/Salt
  • Chile Ristras
  • Peppered Rum
  • Unfermented Juices
  • Bowls of Graveyard Dirt
  • Earthenware Vessels of your choosing

Instructions

Foremost, the idea behind this is to basically host a party
in Death’s honor – in much an Alice in Wonderland fashion. It is meant to be
light, not this great foreboding thing. Do not allow yourself to be overwhelmed
with it, when it is but an inevitable actuality. As such, it’s best to keep on
Death’s good side. Why not throw him/her/it a party?

Dress your table in your chosen cloth – black or white is
preferred, but something painfully festive would also be acceptable – and
decorate it to your liking. Toss the beans and chiles around, draw with chalk or pemba any skulls, bones, etc. to really enhance the mood (hence why black is recommended), pour some libations, put on
some “sweet jams.” The beautiful thing about this “ritual” is that you can
invite as many people (or spirits) as you’d like and ask them to bring their own symbols of
death. 

Set the table accordingly, with places set for those in attendance (living or otherwise) and make sure to set a place for your own pantheon’s Death Diet(y/ies) or all the ones with which you work. Depending on your tradition, serve them customarily – for instance, many Death Gods/Spirits receive Cthonic offerings, feel free to serve them things other than food and then leave the in a traditional pit // if your tradition allows food to be shared with the Dead, by all means do so!

When the time is right – and even if you’re alone, no one will judge you
– it is then you begin the danse. Take your
favorite curios and dance about the room (I feel as though I should recommend
some Screamin’ Jay or perhaps some Harry Belafonte for those Beetlejuice fans out there) shamelessly. Ask your guests to do the same.

You dance in time with death now – and as such, Death is
honored. And quite the dancer. Continue until you run out of steam (or drinks).

A particularly good celebration for the Winter Solstice.

Image