#death's head: animal skulls in witchcraft & spirit work

[the-witch-of-cedar-and-bone]

Witchy Christmas gifts from my non-believing but supportive partner🖤🦌🌲

[cursecuelebre]

All About Lady Hekate

Her Attributes

Witchcraft

Magic

Crossroads

Death and Life

Liminal spaces

Protection of The Home

Necromancy

Spirits

Childbirth and Midwifery

The sea

The stars/Moon

Symbols:

Torches

Snakes, Dragons, Serpents

Dogs especially black

Corvus birds

Fish

Wands

Daggers

Keys

Cats

Moon

Crossroads (three way road)

The number 3, 6, and 9

Hekate’s Wheel or the Stropholos

Skulls or bones

Ferrets

Pomegranates

Any black animals

The color black

Offerings

Libations of wine

Fish

Cakes, breads, any kind of pastries

Herbs like Mugwort, Rue, Belladonna (poisonous), Garlic, Rosemary, Chives, Black Nightshade (Poisonous), Lavender.

Fruits: Pomegranates, Apples, Lemons

Anything related to dogs

Spiritual or magical tools or items

Creating spells and offerings i.e I created a spirit board for Hekate

Spirit communication

Taking care of Children and supporting mothers and soon to be mothers

Epithets (Greek and a Roman title)

Trivia - A Roman title given to Hekate and Diana relating to the crossroads. It’s also said Trivia could’ve been a Roman Goddess on her own.

Brimo - Angry, Terrible one. It’s a title for a god who is showing their scary aspect Hekate, Demeter, Presphone is known for this also male deities like Dionysus. Hekate in this aspect is usually depicted with three heads of animals like dogs, owls, and a serpent but she can take any form that can be terrifying. Usually invoke during rituals and magic spells. Also very good in curse workings, this aspect infamously shows up in the myth of Jason when she is evoke by Medea who is a witch.

Perseis- Destroyer, child of Perses. Hekate’s Father is a Titian Perses who embodies destruction.

Aidônaia - Of the Underworld - Hekate is considered to be a Psychopomp like Hermes she guides souls to the underworld

Kthonia - Of The Earth - many earth deities have this title it can still relate to the underworld but also the physical world like Demeter a earth goddess.

Phosphorus - Light Bringer - Hekate’s main symbols are torches being a guiding light to those who are lost, also to help guide lost souls. Common depiction is how she guided Persephone out of the underworld and guided her so she won’t be lost.

Kourotrophos - Nurse of the young - She is considered to protector of children like how Hera and Artemis is.

Genetyllis - Protector of Births - Hekate is also a midwife goddess and fertility, evoke during births. One myth says she taught Artemis the ways of Midwifery when Leto was giving to Apollo.

Aeneos - Eternal, everlasting.

Trimorphis - Three formed

Trioditis - The three ways or crossroads

Einodia - The one on the Road - Relating to her and the crossroads.

Nyktipolos - Night wandering

Atalos - Tender, Delicate

Skylakagetis - Leader of Dogs

Anassa Eneroi - Queen of those below

Festivals:

Noumenia- Beginning of the new month which is the New Moon. Hekate along with Artemis and Selene are worshipped during this day.

Feast of Hekate is on August 13th where people would bring offerings like honey cakes on the crossroads. The reason being to make sure she won’t summon storms to kill their crops.

In Rome she was honored monthly on the 29th day of the moon.

Tarot Associations

The Moon

The High Priestess

Hierophant

The Hermit

The Two of Swords

General Information

Hekate’s name means “Far-darting” or “who works from afar”. Hekate is the daughter of Perses Titian of Destruction and Asteria Titan of the Stars. It is also said she is also the daughter of Helios and the Oceanid Perse. She is also linked with Circe as her Mother or sister or regular servant to Hekate. As Helios is the father of Circe and Medea who also evokes Hekate a lot in her spells. Helios and Hekate have common myths together.

Hekate is associated with the Full moon and New Moon, stars, and other Cosmic events. She is associated with the sea but most commonly she is associated with earth and the underworld as being a guide to souls to the after life and those coming out. It’s said lost souls follow her along with her nymphs carrying torches. She has black dogs always beside her, it is said you can hear Hekate approching by the howls of dogs.

Hekate is also the protector of the home, keeping a statue of her at the front door will help keep danger away. Protector of liminal spaces and doorways. She can protect a person from curses but she can also help you cast them but she won’t do it unless there’s a good reason. Hekate is goddess of spirits, she can help guide them as I said earlier but also get rid of evil spirits from the home.

At the crossroads is where most likely you’ll find her especially if you need her help. The crossroads are important when it comes to transitions and change and it’s by your choice and of her guidance. But you can also do magic at the crossroads by summoning a spirit or getting rid of one, you can do a simple ritual of banishing a spirit with the item being buried and then you walk away it’s been advised by experienced witches even historians to not turn around after doing the spell. Necromancy is in the context is this, no you’re not summoning the dead back to life or evil spirits, necromancy is simply spirit communication and workings. Of course you’ll be careful with each spirit first encounter with.

Hekate has been a powerful goddess throughout centuries, her origins in Ancient Turkey who was seen as a mother goddess before she was adopted into the Greek Panetheon. She is quite remarkable in Roman religion and even modern day times she is separated from these ancient practices and still a goddess that people go to for all things in life. She is open to all for those who wish to make her involve in your life. Hekate will not be the same for everyone of course, but similarities are true she is very much like a Mother and very protective of her children.

[starsthewitch]

Star’s guide for Freyja worship 💛🪶

Who is Freyja?

Freyja is the goddess of love, sex, beauty, witchcraft, war, strong women, magic, death, the runes, the Valkyries, love, marriage, fertility, female sexuality, the Disir (female spirits), women, life, plants, joy, happiness, and cats.

Though she is most known for her love influences, being the wife of The All Father, Odin, and her cat and Valkyrie associations.

What are some things she is associated with?

Animals: Falcons, cats, boars, deers

Plants: Practically every plant, flowers, and medicinal herbs

Colors: Yellow, gold, white, green, red, pink, and light blue

Crystals: Amber, rose quartz, rubies, red jasper, jade, malachite, emeralds, tigers eye

Runes: Fehu, but she’s often associated with the runes in general

Incense: Vanilla, cinnamon, frankincense, sandalwood, rose

Her tarot card: The chariot

What can I give to her as offerings?

Gold jewlery

Erotic or romantic poetry

Chocolates

Aphrodisiacs (chocolates especially)

Cannabis

Mead

Wine

Honey

Bread

Pork

Roses

Edible flowers

Amber

Strawberries

Citrus fruits or drinks

Pretty rocks

Skulls or bones (animal only)

Imagery that depicts her

Cat imagery, whiskers, or claws

Falcon feathers or talons

Devotional acts or things you can do in her honor

Wear devotional jewelry

Masterbation (if comfortable)

Sex (if comfortable)

Being kind to cats

Learning the runes

Learning divination methods

Learning witchcraft

Fighting for womens rights

Create or listen to a playlist dedicated to her

Talk to her (tarot cards, dice, pendulum, bones, and other methods work just fine)

Write her letters

Draw imagery of cats and falcons

What is it like working with her?

When it comes to Freyja, she can take on an almost motherly or sisterly role. She often watches from the sidelines, coming to you if you need her or if she would like to say something to you. You can feel her presence as clear as day, it’s warm and comforting, and maybe a little bit heavy and overwhelming.

Praying to her for the first time was quite easy for me because of how comfortable I felt in her presence.

Here are some things I’ve experienced while working with her

I was absolutely terrified one night. There was a meteor shower I completely forgot about that was happening. I have my own room in my basement, and being in the basement meant that you could hear every last one falling. I was afraid because it sounded like someone was breaking in. I closed my eyes and asked Freyja for protection because I had no idea what else to do. And I dreamed that my head was in her lap, her rubbing my head gently and looking down softly at my face.

Seeing cats a lot and them being nice to me!! Often happens with strays

When I would let my cat in my room, she often hopped up on her altar space and sat down, usually not disturbing anything but her crystals. At that time, Aphrodite and Freyja’s altars were right next to each other, and she left Aphrodites alone completely.

She has helped me gain confidence, i’m getting better at speaking out about things

You will often see a lot of her sacred animals. Ladybugs and deers being one of them. I would see them very often, I still do

Back when I needed to get surgery, I told her I wouldn’t be able to work with her much due to my recovery, but to still protect me because this would be my first and major surgery. I was barely in pain, I slept decently well, and there were no complications. I felt safe.

That is it for my beginner Freyja worship guide! I will be doing these for another deity I work with, Apollo.

I do hope these were helpful. If you have any questions or need assistance with anything, my ask box and my dms are always open. So be sure to shoot me a message!

Much love to you. <3

[songsofbloodandwater]

"We generally perceive time as a linear construct—it moves in one direction — forward. Perhaps though, the spirits of the Otherworld, being free of other mortal laws might also find themselves free from the forward movement of time. This means they could, in theory, see past or future events at will."

—Death's Head: Animal Skulls in Witchcraft & Spirit Work (2022) by Blake Malliway

[mdeath99]

Death's Head: Animal Skulls in Witchcraft & Spirit work by Blake Malliway (book review)

Book's Published Summary:

"This book contains a unique blend of folklore and hands-on Witchcraft, all centered around the use of animal skulls. Contained herein are the manifestations of the author's own personal style of Witchcraft as well as methods for magically finding a skull, ways of purifying the skull, and instructions on how to imbue the skull with spirit presence for the purpose of divination, insight, and other acts of magic. Also included are rituals for the physical manifestation of the spirit and instructions for petitioning magical favors by the way of spirit intervention. The Witch seeking a stronger, more intense connection with the spirit world will find good use of the rituals and methods given"-Blake Malliway

My initial thoughts:

traditional witch with reference page/suggested reading which is always a good sign in my book (no references = sus)

96 pages and very small, makes it a quick read and a good reference book for those on the go 3"x5"

First page is "make sure what your doing is legal as local laws vary for this stuff" which is also a good sign as witches should take responsibility for their own actions

11 Chapters plus preface

Review:

This book, unlike other witchcraft books, stands alone by itself. While I have been practicing for a long time and love to do research on multiple fields of witchcraft, outside of hoodoo and voodoo I have rarely seen mentions of using skulls in one's practice. This was extremally disappointing while growing up as I have collected skulls from the nature around me since I was 6 and have always considered them an essential part of my craft as they tie back to the land I work on. In comes Death's Head, a book that solves this problem. Throughout this book Blake Malliway goes over how he weaves skulls into his own practice, which I find similar to my own. With that in mind, I may be a bit biased for that reason, so please keep that in mind while reading this review. If you have a book you'd like me to write another review about/analyze, message me or send something into my ask box. With that, lets get into it.

In the beginning of the book, it's made clear this isn't the only way to work with bones of any kind. That I personally find a very good sign. No one person (or witch) knows everything. If a book you are reading claims this is the only way, I (as a lover of books) would throw it in the dumpster. There is no one way for our practices, but thousands upon thousands formed by witches of yesterday and today. Back to the book though, another thing that is made clear early on is the skull itself is a house for a spirit, so for those looking into spirit work itself but not/are unable to get a skull, it's still a good read.

My one major complaint though is chapter 2/3 of this book: Finding the skull and The purification of the skull. As someone who has collected bones for most of his life I can tell you one thing. Flesh or no flesh: bones smell. This is since while living, bones have grease attached to them. This grease caused a fowl odor as it sinks into the bones during decomposition, even with no flesh. To clean these, I have left some links below which directions. In my personal experience, I look for bones with no flesh or dried up cartilage I can remove. Once the cartilage is gone, I soak the bone(s) in a solution of 50% water and 50% hydrogen peroxide. This will clean any germs and smells, just make sure to leave the lid cracked if you have one. And whatever you do, don't use bleach. While this will whiten the bones, it will also eat them. Along with that though, there also isn't many tips for finding bones outside a ritual. While rituals can help, so can knowing where to look. I would highly recommend researching this, as it varies from landscape. For example, I usually look behind the dunes of a beach or along the highest seaweed line. I have good luck in these spots as the ocean will leave bones here and/or animals will take them to these spots to eat. With that in mind, be careful of the wildlife around you. I live in an area full of coyotes that come out around dusk, so keep stuff like that in mind when hunting (aka research the dangers of the area your in. Also bring a knife, those dried out tendons are no joke).

The rituals themselves are stepped in traditional witchcraft from the Cornish region of England, which is where a lot of modern traditional witchcraft comes from. The author acknowledges this and you can also see this in references & suggested reading page. Some I instantly recognized were Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways (Gary.G) and Treading the mill: Workings in traditional witchcraft (Morgan. L). One thing I always like is multiple perspectives, which this book more than delivers on. I sense no bias at all, unlike the lack of bone hunting knowledge.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to any intermediate witch looking to learn more/break into spirit work and bring the nature around them into their practice. A 5/5 in my opinion

Bone cleaning links:

[lailoken]

“Further Protective Rites and Measures

In all rites and operarions against the black witch's curse and the lifting of ill-influence the practitioner may employ salt: this to be cast about the place, person or other to receive the exorcism and protection of the working. Likewise within such operarions, and in the making of charms against evil bewitching, both the practitioner and the client may employ the aid of the 68the Psalm;

‘Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.

As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name Jah, and rejoice before him.

A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.

God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:

The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.

Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.

The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.

Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil.

Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.

When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.

The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan.

Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the Lord will dwell in it for ever.

The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.

Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death.

But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.

The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea:

That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.

They have seen thy goings, O God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.

The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.

Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.

There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.

Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.

Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee.

Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war.

Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.

Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah:

To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.

Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.

O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.’

An old and wise practice, found within the West Country and beyond, to guard the home from the entry of the black witch's influcnce is to cross upon the hearth the iron fire-iools A simple charm; potent in its form, its material and its location. For the same need may a piece of bacon be selected and sruck with many pins This device is then to be hung high within the chimney. Here we may ponder that the evil influence seeking entry into the home via the chimney will encounter this flesh before any other. Thus the bacon may be seen to act as a decoy, and the pins to prick and stab at the originator of the curse.

Another similar and powerful charm for the protection of che home, and its inhabitants and contents from the attentions and influcnces of evil spirits and ill-wishers is the stuck heart. The hearts of horses, or other large animals, stuck with many and countless thorns and pins may be secreted within the chimney, or within the roof space by being hung upon a beam, and there to be left undisturbed by the occupants in order that it’s protective influence may remain.

As well as the Hearth, the doorways into the home are also to be guarded with protective influences. Such signs as the pentagram may be cut into the sill of the door, and horseshoes traditionally fixed to the door itself and to the lintel above it. Such measures ensure that all evil spirits and influences are denied entry into the home.

A good general protective charm for the household, but in particular to bring upon the place protection from fires, is to have the slough of an adder hung, and there to stay, upon a roof-beam of the building.

Protections may be provided against hauntings by hanging up within the place where the apparition makes its appearances the skull of a horse. This, one would imagine, would have the added benefit of also providing a deterrent from the attention of intruders of a more corporeal narure. The lucky holed stone, or ‘hag-stone', provides a more compact charm against spirits when hung within the bedroom.

The silvered backing of mirrors is, it is believed, thought to attract lightening, thus during a storm are all mirrors in the household covered to prevenr lightening damage to the property.

There are protections also for the livestock of the houschold, numerously in the form of plant-charms as we shall see within the ways of the green artes. A charm specifically for the protecrion of animals who have gone missing appears in the simple act of hanging a pair of iron shears upon the main cross beam of the household. The charm brings assurance that the animal will come to no harm whilst missing from its home.”

—

The Black Toad:

West Country Witchcraft and Magic

by Gemma Gary

[thatwitch-achilles]

Moths!

The Moth is of the Lepidoptera family, with 11,000 species here in the United States alone. Moths like bats and owls are a creature of the night, and also a known familiar of the witch.

Insects like animals can also be spirits guides, as the dragonfly teaches us of magick, transformation and mysticism, so the bee shows us community, hard work, and abundance.

The moth is both admired and feared. The moth is viewed as the uglier, hairier cousin of the butterfly, but the moth bears unique qualities the butterfly doesn’t. The most majestic moths are hummingbird moths. These moths are large and flap their wings so fast, they are confused with hummingbirds! They have long tongues that suck nectar out of flowers and they hover just like hummingbirds. One of the hummingbird moths is called the Sphinx moth and is found in the United States, but originally comes from Africa.

I have had visits from the moth as of late, reappearing here and there for a while now. So I took this as a possible omen of sorts, and when I really looked into information about the moth I not only found the reason for it’s visit, but plenty of folklore as well.

To certain Native American tribes, moths were sacred and powerful creatures and there is even talk of moth cocoons being used as rattles in tribes in California. Others view the moth as a symbol of death or a messenger from the dead. We see this in the symbolism of the death-head hawk moth (which is also another type of hummingbird moth). This skull-bearing moth was featured in the horror movie Silence of the Lambs.

Moths in your home can be an indication of quarrels between you and your lover, or that enemies are working against you.

If a moth flies around you at night, it’s an indication you will receive a letter. If it be a maiden, then a letter from her lover she will receive.

If a moth flies into a candle flame, and in doing so puts the flame out, it is an omen that someone in your household will be snuffed out as well.

If you are visited by a brown moth within your home it is often a sign telling you to be a bit more skeptical of who you let into your house and trust. This moth tells you to be rid of excess clutter, negative habits, people, or negative relationships in your life.

Then there is the folklore of the Black Witch, or Black Witch Moth. This spirit guide is more complex, and depending on the location of the folklore, can bring darkness and certain death, to prosperity and riches. One thing is certain, if this moth appears by your door, you will most definitely have an experience with the occult and the magickal realms.

There is also a White Witch Moth. Appalachian legend telling of this spirit guide bringing news of one’s ancestors being amongst them, and giving a sense of safety and protection. To me dreams of these enchanting moths are similar to the vibrational influences of the quartz crystal. Energy of light, higher realms, and magickal possibilities.

————

Howdy!! How’s everyone’s day going? If you couldn’t tell already; I love Bugs!! So much so, that I’m trying to incorporate them into my practice more!! I’ll have another post up shortly on what kind of flowers attract what kind of bugs!! So that’ll be pretty cool, right? Some Botany and Entomology witchcraft? I think it’ll be really cool!!

I hope you have a wonderful day today, stay safe, and blessed be!!

[cardest]

Halloween playlist

Halloween playlist By Cardest October is my favorite time of the year! Here is 300 songs or so I put together I think will make your Halloween rock! 001 The Misfits - Scream! 002 Alice Cooper - The Nightmare Returns 003 Acid Witch - I'm Back (Sorcery cover) 004 John Carpenter\Alan Howarth -  Halloween Theme 005 King Diamond -  Halloween 006 Ghost - Mummy Dust 007 Jerry Goldsmith The Omen OST - Ave Satani 008 Fantomas - Der Golem 009 Doyle -  Cemeterysexxx 010 Mastodon -  Halloween  (Instrumental) 011 Cramps -  Human Fly 012 Fright Night Soundtrack - Armies Of The Night 013 Shooting Guns - [Wolfcop Soundtrack - Wulver 014 Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party 015 Type O Negative -  Halloween In Heaven 016 Phantasm  OST - Funeral organ-dwarf in hearse 017 Grave Robber -  Skeletons 018 John Carpenter -  Theme from "The Fog" 019 45 Grave -  Night Of The Demons 020 The Birthday Massacre -  Horror Show 021 Bernard Herrmann - Psycho (theme) 022 The Misfits - Friday the 13th 023 Blood Ceremony -  Coven Tree 024 Goblin - Profondo Rosso 025 October 31 - The House Where Evil Dwells 026 Michael Jackson -  Thriller 027 Bobby 'Boris' Pickett & The Crypt Kickers - Monster Mash 028 Ministry -  Every Day Is Halloween 029 Sleepy Hollow movie Theme 030 The Damned - Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 031 October 31 - The house where evil dwells 032 Rigor Mortis - poltergeist 033 Necrophagia -  Reborn through Black Mass 034 Fantomas - Rosemary's Baby 035 Pseudo Echo - His Eyes (from the Friday the 13th V OST) 036 Misfits -  Dig Up Her Bones 037 Sigh -  Graveward 038 Christian Death - Church of no return 039 The Rocky Horror Picture Show -  Over At The Frankenstein Place 040 With The Dead -  Nephthys 041 David Bowie- Scary Monsters (And super creeps) 042 Early Man - Creature From The Black Lagoon 043 Hellbound Hellraiser 2 Theme 044 Rob Zombie - Dragula 045 Misfits - Night of the Living dead 046 Ramones - Pet Semetary 047 Roky Erickson - I walked with a zombie 048 Blue Oyster Cult -  Don't (fear the reaper) 049 The Munsters TV show theme 050 Slayer -  Necrophobic 051 Type O Negative - Wolf Moon (Including Zoanthropic Paranoia) 052 The 69 Eyes -  Lost Boys 053 The Vision Bleak -  The Night Of The Living Dead 054 The Devil's Blood -  I'll Be Your Ghost 055 Ghost B.C. -  Ghuleh / Zombie Queen 056 Voltaire -  Brains! 057 The Shrine -  Tripping Corpse 058 Zig Zags -  The Fog 059 Doyle -  Land of the Dead 060 Danzig - On A Wicked Night 061 Fantomas - One Step Beyond 062 Siouxsie And The Banshees - Dear Prudence 063 The Misfits -  Nightmare on Elm Street 064 Warren Zevon -  Werewolves Of London 065 The Cramps - Creature From The Black Leather Lagoon 066 King Diamond -  Trick Or Treat 067 Arcturus -  To Thou Who Dwellest in the Night 068 Deicide - Dead But Dreaming 069 Zombie Ghost Train - R.I.P 070 American Horror Story - Theme Song 071 Antonius Rex - Necromancer 072 THE WOLFGANGS - Cannibal Family 073 THE TWILIGHT ZONE THEME 074 Queens Of The Stone Age -  Burn The Witch 075 The Hellfreaks - Boogieman 076 Ghoultown - Drink With The Living Dead 077 Fantomas - Experiment In Terror 078 Coil - Main Title (Unreleased Hellraiser Theme) 079 Autopsy -  Skull Grinder 080 Beastmaker - Eyes Are Watching 081 S.O.D. - Freddy Krueger 082 Christopher Lennertz - And So It Begins Supernatural OST 083 Xandria -Vampire 084 Slayer -  Ghosts Of War085 085 With The Dead -  Living With The Dead 086 Devil Master -  Listen, Sweet Demons... 087 G Tom Mac - Cry LIttle Sister 088 Celtic Frost - The Usurper 089 The Moving Sidewalks - Crimson Witch 090 Electric Wizard - Black Mass 091 Return Of The Living Dead Theme 092 Carcass - The Master Butcher's Apron 093 Cedell Davis - She's Got the Devil in Her 094 Zombi OST  - Zombie Vs Shark 095 Rob Zombie -  House of 1000 Corpses 096 Calabrese - Vampires Don't Exist 097 Dario Argento's LA TERZA MADRE - Main Theme by Claudio Simonetti 098 The Damned - Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde 099 Danzig -  Bodies 100 Slayer - Postmortem 101 Fantomas -  The Omen (Ave Satani) 102 Cannibal Corpse - The Cryptic Stench 103 The Vampires of Dartmoore - Hallo, mister Hitchcock 104 45 Grave -  Party Time 105 Coffins -  Decapitated Crawl 106 The Misfits -  Them 107 Talking Heads - Psycho Killer 108 Denial Of God - The Curse Of The Witch 109 Lucio Fulci's Zombie Theme 110 Anthrax - Bordello Of Blood (Tales From The Crypt) 111 Iron Maiden - Phantom Of The Opera 112 The Exorcist Theme 113 Demented Are Go -  Hotrod Vampires 114 The Creepshow - Zombies Ate Her Brain 115 Tenebre (Main Title) by Goblin 116 Voltaire - Zombie Prostitute 117 HorrorPops - [Bring It On! #09] Walk Like A Zombie 118 Death  - Open Casket 119 Friday The 13th Original Theme Song 120 Wesley Willis - Vampire Bat 121 The Cult - The Witch 122 Dracula (1931) Theme Bela Lugosi 123 Slayer - Live Undead 124 Re-Animator Theme 125 Ray Parker Jnr - Ghostbusters 126 Megadeth - The Conjuring 127 Santana - Black Magic Woman 128 The Who - Boris The Spider 129 Entombed -  Evilyn 130 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds -  Red Right Hand 131 Twisted Sister -  Burn In Hell 132 The Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein 133 Electric Wizard -  Dunwich 134 Danzig - Skin Carver 135 King Diamond - Them 136 Salems Lot Theme 137 Dio -  Dream Evil 138 Tenacious D -  Beelzeboss 139 Dokken -  dream warrior 140 The Doors -  The Ghost Song 141 Saint Vitus - White Magic/Black Magic 142 The Vampires of Dartmoore -  Crime and Horror 143 Fantomas -  Spider Baby 144 Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me 145 Samhain -  Halloween II 146 Blue Oyster Cult - Godzilla 147 The Five Blobs - The Blob 148 Rob Zombie - Superbeast 149 The Cramps - Big Black Witchcraft Rock 150 Phantasm Theme Song 151 The Addams Family TV theme song 152 Slayer - Black Magic 153 Necrophagia -  Rue Morgue Disciple 154 Bastard Priest -  Ghouls Of The Endless Night 155 Ennio Morricone - The Thing (theme) 156 The Vision Bleak - The Wood Hag 157 Soulfly -  Cannibal Holocaust 158 Creepshow 2  - Original Theme Music 159 Dracula theme - Bram Stoker's Dracula theme 160 Monster Magnet -  19 Witches 161 Blood Ceremony -  My Demon Brother 162 Janet Jackson - Black Cat 163 Cramps -  I Was A Teenage Werewolf 164 Nosferatu - A Symphony of Horror 165 The Evil Dead - Pencil It In 166 White Zombie - Cosmic Monsters Inc. 167 Fred Schneider - Monster 168 Men At Work - Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive 169 Cathedral -  Hopkins (The Witchfinder General) 170 Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science 171 A Nightmare on Elm Street - Theme Song 172 The Misfits -  Halloween II 173 The Guess Who - Clap for the Wolfman 174 Inter Arma -  Scarecrow 175 Royal Thunder -  Sleeping Witch 176 Slayer - Spirit in Black 177 Yoga -  Flying Witch 178 Down - Witchtripper 179 Witchcraft -  Ghosts House 180 Serge Gainsbourg -  Docteur Jekyll et monsieur Hyde 181 Danny Elfman - [Sleepy Hollow OST] Into The Woods (The Witch) 182 Deicide - Dead by Dawn 183 Elm Street - Elm St's Children 184 Acid Witch -  Trick or Treat 185 Satyricon -  Black Crow On A Tombstone 186 Possessed - The excorcist 187 Electric Wizard - Satanic Rites Of Dracula 188 Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) 189 Predator Soundtrack - Main Title 190 Kryst The Conqueror - Doctor Phibes Rises Again 191 Ministry -  Every Day is Halloween (remix) 192 Megadeth - Devils Island 193 The Misfits - From Hell They Came 194 Devil Master - Black Flame Candle 195 Soiuxee and the Banshees - Fear (Of The Unknown) 196 Cradle of Filth -  Her Ghost in the Fog 197 Goblin - Witch (Suspiria Soundtrack) 198 Cliff Richard - Devil Woman 199 NIN - Dead Souls (From The Crow Soundtrack) 200 Alice Cooper - Teenage Frankenstein 201 Misfits -  Cold in Hell 202 John Carpenter - Halloween 2019 Theme (Main Title) 203 The Damned - Grimly feindish 204 Slayer -  At Dawn They Sleep 205 Atrium - Doctor Jekyll 206 Serge Gainsbourg - Docteur Jekyll et monsieur Hyde 207 Darkthrone -  Graveyard Slut 208 Faith No More -  Zombie Eaters 209 Candlemass - Demons Gate 210 Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead 211 Rigor Mortis -  Vampire 212 Rob Zombie -  In The Age Of The Consegrated Vampire We All Get High 213 BLOODY HAMMERS -  Witch Of Endor 214 Ghost -  Spirit 215 Autopsy -  Tourniquets, Hacksaws And Graves 216 Alice Cooper - Keepin' Halloween Alive 217 Old Man's Child - Return Of The Night Creatures 218 Black Sabbath -  Black Moon 219 The Misfits - Walk Among Us 220 Early Man -  Frankenstein: I'm Dead Alive 221 Ghoul - Dungeon Bastards 222 Slayer -  Spill The Blood 223 Carcass -  Corporal Jigsore Quandary 224 Over Kill - playing with spiders/ skullcrusher 225 Frankie Stein And His Ghouls - Elbow Twist 226 Mercyful Fate -  Black Masses 227 The Elm Street Group - Do The Freddy 228 Instant Funk - Witch Doctor 229 Cathedral -  Tombs Of The Blind Dead 230 Celtic Frost - Necromantical Screams 231 Grave Digger -  Witch Hunter 232 Basil Kirchin - Dr Phibes' Theme 233 Necrophagia -  Coffins 234 The Misfits -  Monster Mash 235 The Vision Bleak - Witching Hour 236 The Vision Bleak -  A Witch Is Born 237 Megadeth - Last rites/loved to death 238 Overkill -  Frankenstein 239 Dave Edmunds - The Creature from the Black Lagoon 240 Death - Zombie Ritual 241 John Fogerty - Eye Of The Zombie 242 Nunslaughter - Ouija 243 Main Title (Stephen King's IT) 244 Goblin -  Zombi 245 White Zombie -  I, zombie 246 XTC - Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead 247 Misfits -  Green Hell 248 Autopsy - Embalmed 249 Slayer - Haunting The Chapel 250 The Devin Townsend Band -  Vampira 251 The Frantics - Werewolf 252 Black Sabbath OST by Les Baxter - Main theme 253 Slasher Dave - Moldy coffins 254 Morricone Youth's Night of the Living Dead - Driveway to the cemetary 255 Bob McFadden - The Mummy 256 Screaming Jay Hawkins - I put a spell on you 257 Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams 258 Buddy Haydock & The Boppers - The Raven 259 Helloween - Halloween 260 The Ghastly Ones -  Draculon (with intro) 261 Echo & the Bunnymen - People are strange 262 Exhumed - Slaughter maniac 263 Nightmare Before Christmas OST - This is Halloween 264 Cerrone - Supernature 265 The Specials - Ghost town 266 The Cramps - Surfin' dead 267 David Bowie's Labyrinth OST - Magic dance 268 Lalo Schifrin Abominable OST - maine title 269 The Castle Kings - You can get him Frankenstein 270 Ozzy Osbourne - Bark at the moon 271 The Grave Mistakes -  Dig your own grave 272 Demons 2 OST -  Videomix 273 Wolfmen of Mars -  Mouth like Piranha 274 Entrails - The cemetary horrors 275 Obituary - Blood soaked 276 Cannibis Corpse - Mummified in bong water 277 Dawn of the Dead OST -  theme song 278 Exodus - Piranha 279 Danny Elfmann's Nightbreed OST - end credits 280 Rigor Mortis - Wizard of gore 281 Ancient Order of the Droids -  Torus 282 The Damned - Black is the night 283 Angry Birds Seasons Halloween - Haunted Hogs Theme 284 Dunwich Horror OST by Les Baxter - Black mass 285 Chopping Mall OST -  movie theme 286 The Simpsons Tree House of Horror - Halloween Special theme 287 The B-52's  - Devil in my car 288 Cannibal Corpse - Beyond the cemetary 289 Sturgil Simpson - The Dead Don't Die 290 Chained to the Dead - Beheaded by Berrymen 291 Sisters of Mercy - This corrosion 292 Exhumed - Defenders of the grave 293 The Cure - The forest 294 Book of Love - Witchcraft 295 Alice Cooper - Welcome to my Nightmare 296 TSOL - Wash away 297 Death  - Born Dead 298 Scooby Dooby Do  TV Show - theme song 299 Dead Vampires - The Day after Halloween 300 Danny Elfmann's Beetlejuice - main title 666 ACID WITCH -  I Hate Halloween 999 Misfits - Halloween 

[addicted-to-dc]

A Night to Forget (Part 1) - Future Batfam x Vampire!Reader

I thought it would be appropriate to have some spoopy fics posted. Enjoy!

Warning: Arson, mentions of death, witchcraft, torture, and muurrdeerr.

Word Count: 1530

Shaking, you clutched onto your clothes as the screams from your village echoed throughout the forest. Your mother told you to run, to escape a doomed fate as fires continued to erupt through the ground. You had run to your spot, a hollowed tree that you often went to in order to focus on your studies. The books were kept there as well due to the fear of being labeled a witch, but you could not deny your curiosity. Your father had given these books to you before he left to travel the world and gain riches to provide for your family. Unfortunately he did not return, most feared that he was killed, but you could not believe what gossip running amok.

Movement somewhere close made you fall silent, your throat raw from suppressing your cries. Covering your mouth, you threw a blanket over yourself and waited for whatever it was to pass. Closing your eyes, you leaned further into yourself and thought about where you could go. There was a town a few days walk away, but you weren’t sure if you could make it. You only had a small sac of water and a few pieces of bread that you were able to bring here, but that wouldn’t be enough for three days of travel. Not to mention the explanation you would have to provide to the town’s elders, especially since you would most likely be the sole survivor. Stifling a sob, you sighed in relief when you didn’t hear any more noises outside. You slowly removed the blanket from yourself, screaming when you saw a figure staring at you. It reached in, grasping the cloth near your shoulder to pull you out. Clawing at the hand, you kicked and shouted as it dragged you out, a hand quickly clamping over your mouth.

“Child, cease thyself!”

You froze at the sound of your father’s voice, shakily looking up to see his face. He released you, allowing you to push yourself up to hug him. He placed his hands around you, waiting a few moments before kneeling down to your level.

“(Y/N), we are not safe,” he said, gripping onto your shoulders tightly. “We must travel far, will you remain strong?”

You nodded, not trusting your words. A smile smile appeared on his face before handing you his jacket, wrapping you up before guiding you to a horse a few trees away. He picked you up and placed you on the saddle, quickly joining behind you. With one hand around you, the horse began walking East. You frowned, remembering that the other town was North.

“Father, where are we headed?” you asked, shivering at the sudden gust of wind.

“A safe place,” he answered, clutching the reins tighter. “Now rest, we have a long journey.”

You didn’t argue, nodding as you finally succumbed to your exhaustion. The horse’s movements lulled you to sleep, allowing you to succumb to the darkness around you. As fast as it came it disappeared, a sudden noise waking you from your slumber. Rubbing your eyes, you noticed you were on the ground. Your father was digging into the ground with a large pile of dirt behind him, muttering words you could not understand.

“Father?” you asked hesitantly, your heart nearly stops when he ceased digging.

He tossed the shovel away, pushing himself out of the shallow grave as he approached you. There was a look in his eye that you had never seen, something feral as if he were possessed by a dog. Growling, he gripped your arm and dragged you to the grave.

“Father, what did I do?” you screamed, crying as he threw you into the grave.

Sucking in a breath, you pushed yourself up, a scream leaving your mouth once again. A skeleton lay beneath you, its bones digging into your hands and knees as you quickly stood up. Your father pushed you down, making you fall onto the skeleton once again. Sobbing, you felt a jagged piece of the bone cut your hand. A sob escaped from your lips.

“Why, father?” you asked, barely able to form the words as you cried.

“I am not thy father,” he growled, reaching for a bowl placed near the pile of dirt. “He is dead.”

You watched as he waved a hand, your father’s face disappearing as it is replaced by a foreign one, “Witchcraft…”

“Indeed,” he muttered, his voice deeply different than your father’s. “Now, silence thyself.”

You tried to say something, anything, but your voice would not work. He smirked and started saying odd incantations before cracking the bowl, cutting his hands in the process. He released the broken shards above you, making you raise your hands. The pieces of ceramic cut into your flesh, leaving numerous cuts and gashes along your hands and arms. You felt odd, woozy as the world around you spinned. Gagging, you collapsed onto your hands and knees, trying to keep what little food you had in your stomach. Opening your eyes, you could not scream as the skeleton came to life, wrapping itself around you as you felt pure pain. It digged through your skin, melding with your own body as your clothes were torn away. Collapsing, you could only shut your eyes and silently sob as the torture continued. Your body was not your own, contorting itself in odd angles as you finally felt the cold skull against yours. It pressed into you, the pressure too much as it forced itself through your skin. You bit your lip, piercing deep into your flesh as the pain finally dissipated.

Gasping for air, you could not move as the man jumped into the grave. He examined you, tracing over your skin as you recovered. When the pain finally subsided, you felt nothing but anger and hunger towards the man. Shakily pushing yourself up, you dug your fingers into the dirt and flung it into his eyes. He yelled, his arms moving up to his eyes. You tore one away and bit into his neck, your teeth piercing through his flesh as he screamed. Your eyes rolled back as you felt your hunger satiated, drinking every last drop of blood in his body. He fell to the ground once you were done, his body as motionless as the skeleton once was. You quickly removed his clothing and made it your own, frowning when it provided no protection from the cold. Sighing, you quickly climbed out of the grave and looked around, trying to figure out where you were exactly. You turned to see the sunset in the West, guessing you were a weeks worth of traveling from the nearest town. You wiped your mouth, noticing that the man’s blood was still on you. Licking it, you felt sharp fangs drag along your skin.

“I’m a monster,” you stated, using your sleeve to scrub the blood from your face.

“You are far from it, (Y/N).”

You turned around, staring at a woman in red, “What do you want?”

“I only want to protect you, child,” she replied, removing her hood. “This should not have happened, (Y/N), you had such a pleasant life ahead of you.”

She slowly approached you, making you back away from her. She stopped once you did this, holding out a hand to you.

“Come, drink,” she said, using a blade to slice a line on her forearm,

Before you could refuse you sped over to her, sinking your teeth into her arm as she ran her fingers through your hair. Your grip on her arm tightened, but her gentle touch removed you from it. She wiped the blood from your mouth, smiling as she cupped your cheek. Her kindness was odd, but you had a feeling that there was no ill intent.

“You are a child of darkness now,” she sighed, a sad look appearing on her features. “What that warlock has done to you cannot be broken, however, it is a luxurious life that not many get to live.”

“What is luxurious about being an animal?” you asked, staring at your blood stained hands.

“It allows us to be close to the world around us,” she explained, gesturing to the forest. “It is connected to us as well as we are to it. We are above our past selves, both in spirit and body, but that also means we must disconnect ourselves.”

“Disconnect ourselves how?” you questioned her, watching as she points to the grave.

“Emotionally,” she responded. “If we don’t, then humans like him will take advantage of that. Never trust humans, they will use you for their gain. They are mere cattle used for our survival, do not let them think we are equals.”

That teaching stuck with you for centuries, well, up until now. Once again your home was in flames, everyone you grew to care for reduced to nothing but ash. The building was meant to withstand any attack, especially fire. You could only stare as it was consumed by the flames, swearing that you would kill whoever did this. It must have been one of your own, but who could betray the family like that?

[flyingthehedge]

Bone Magic Series: Bones and Skulls: How to Use Them in Magic

So I decided to break this post up into 3 different ones because it was so damn long. I wanted to make it as comprehensive as possible, including what the animal remain is from a scientific point of view and what the remain has been historically used for by magical practitioners around the world. In this post I am going to simply cover the use of skulls and bones in witchcraft. The next two posts will cover furs and pelts, followed by feathers, fangs, and claws (along with shells and blood). It is important to note that animal remains do not preserve well overall. That means for ancient cultures, much of what we have is either interpreted from historical texts or noted in myths and legends passed down between generations. Our knowledge is rather limited, but still available. Much of what we know about animal remain use comes from indigenous cultures, especially those of North America and Africa, so please keep this in mind.

Skulls and Bones

This is the one witches tend to be the most interested in, and for a good reason. Skulls in particular not only look really cool, but they are the protectors of the consciousness, making them excellent tools for spirit work and divination. Scientifically speaking the skull is the boney structure that forms the head in vertebrate organisms. It not only protects the brain but also provides attachment sites for the facial muscles and cartilage. Other bones provide protection and attachment sites for muscle and tendons, allowing movement and stature. For example, the ribs aid in protecting the lungs and heart, while the femur is specifically used in movement. In general, skulls and bones tend to preserve pretty well, especially in comparison to soft tissue, making them an easy magical tool for a witch that wishes to use them in their magical practice.

In witchcraft, skulls and bones have been used in a variety of ways. I mentioned some of these uses in my previous post on A History of Animal Remains in Witchcraft, but felt the need to expand on this topic. Historically, bones have been used in folk-medicine, divination, and spirit work. This includes using everything from the astragalus of a hare to whale ear bones. You name it, there is likely use for it. One of the most famous uses of a bone is the wish-bone from a turkey or other domestic fowl. Either side of the bone is held by a person and pulled until it breaks. The individual with the largest piece will have their wish granted. Other times, the wish-bone is hung above a door to bring love, likely due to its shape (source).

The earliest use of bones was likely as amulets and fetishes. Archeological finds have uncovered thigh-bones of mammoths that were carried by nomadic cave dwellers from Belgium. The smaller bones, such as the carpus and tarsus, were perforated and worn as charms as seen in the Museum of Natural History in Brussels and Sommerville's collection at the University of Pennsylvania (source). Other early uses include bone-fires, known today as bonfires, where the bones of animals were ritually burned to appease a deity (source).

Other early uses of bones include for divination, as mentioned previously in A History of Animal Remains in Witchcraft. The blade-bone of different animals, including sheep, deer, bear, and ox were used for divination since antiquity, and are still used by certain groups worldwide today. The blade bone was placed into a fire until it cracked in various directions. Once the bone cooled, the splits and cracks were carefully analyzed. One method of reading suggests a long split lengthwise signified the "way of life," while good and bad fortune were read from the lateral cracks (source). In Scotland, the scapula was stripped of flesh and inspected for any semi-transparent parts of the bone. Dark spots were believed to symbolize misfortune, while black spots foretold death. The Irish used a similar practice, except darker spots indicated that someone will be burned out of the house (source). In Japan, scapulimancy dated back to the protohistoric period with the favored bone being from a stag, which is outlined in Kojiki written in A.D. 712. The scorched bones were used to divine luck (source). These Japanese practices were very similar to those found in China, where oracle bones were used. To read about other cultures that also used scapulimancy please refer to my last post A History of Animal Remains in Witchcraft. While not complete, it discusses scapulimancy as well. I do not wish to repeat myself all over again, instead wishing to present you with new information. I also strongly encourage you to read Naskapi: The Savage Hunters of the Labrador Peninsula to learn more about bone use in North American indigenous cultures. This is by no means the only source, but it is pretty comprehensive and free.

Apart of divination, bones have also historically been used for protection. Across Europe, horse skulls have been found buried under churches, home hearths, in walls, chimneys, and even under threshing barn floors. Historians believe some of these skulls were placed for acoustic purposes, but many believe this explanation evolved later in history to explain away the skulls as many of the skulls found across Europe have no acoustical function. Much of the folklore associated with horses is concerned with luck (think horseshoe), and it is possible our ancestors placed the skulls in the home to bring luck as well as for protection (source). Cats were also commonly placed in the walls of buildings in across Europe, especially in England, Wales, and southern Scotland. It is believed the dried cats were placed in walls for two reasons: to protect the home from vermin and as a sacrifice to the home as the protector from pestilence (source). More commonly, however, animal bones were used in fetishes, an object believed to have magical properties or to be inhabited by a spirit. I could devote an entire post to fetishes alone, and likely will in the future, but for the sake of this article, be aware that fetishes include a variety objects, including the famed rabbit's foot. There is a great article on the rabbit's foot as a fetish you can read here.

Bones have also commonly been used in folk medicine. The astragalus of a hare could be carried in the pocket as a charm against rheumatism while in powdered form it was drunk with water for its diuretic properties. Stag heart bone, a white irregular bone that is sometimes found in the heart of a stag or ox, was used to remedy heart troubles and prevent abortion. Dried pike jaw-bones were dried and powdered to cure leucorrhoea (not sure why they would be trying to cure this, but whatever) as well as to facilitate easy childbirth. Lamprey and lizard spines were given to children to strengthen their bones while powdered human bones mixed with red wine were believed to cure dysentery. You can read more about these uses in The Hand of Destiny.

Today, skulls and bones are used for a variety of purposes. Skulls and bones can be used as a holding vessel during spirit work, whether by the spirit of the animal who originally inhabited the body, by other animals of the same species, or by other spirits entirely. Summoning or invoking a spirit to the vessel can aid you in your communion or spellwork by allowing you to draw from their qualities, especially those of animals. In ancestor work, the animal spirits inhabiting the bones can act as mediators, messengers, and even guardians or protectors during ancestral work or spellwork. As mentioned above, skulls can be used for divination by gazing into the eye sockets or even into the base of the skull. Being the seat of consciousness, any images or messages received are thought to be from the spirit inhabiting the skull. You may want to check your results with other divinatory methods to confirm the results. Furthermore, bones can be used as ritual adornments, ritual tools, in sachets or witch balls, as altar decorations, bone tarot, and other forms of spellwork that require the characteristics of the animal whose bones you are using. I tend to keep deer antlers around when hedge riding because deer are believed to be able to cross easily between realms. Recently, I invoked the spirit of the coyote by using a coyote skull during my deep house cleansing ritual.

In the end, there is a myriad of uses for bones in your craft, from spells to rituals to spirit communication. Have you used bones recently in your practice? I'd love to hear how you use animal bones to enhance your craft!

Interest in the rest of the series? Here's what's to come!

Bone Magic Series

Introduction

A Brief History of Animal Remains in Magic

Bones and Skulls: How to Use Them in Magic

Furs and Pelts: How to Use Them In Magic

Feathers, Fangs, and Claws: How to Use Them in Magic

How to Ethically Acquire Animal Remains

Cleaning and Preserving Animal Remains

Working With the Spirits of Animal Remains: Crossing Over & Contracting

Feeding Your Bones

Throwing the Bones + Build Your Own Bone Tarot

[tipsycad147]

The Ten Most Legendary Witches

Faye Sakellaridis

If you look at some of the most legendary witches in history, from the enchantresses of ancient mythic lore to real witches that walked the earth, a pattern emerges: the invocation of the primal. They preside over the the darkness, the moon, death, and rebirth. They collude with the earth through plants and herbs, sometimes to heal and sometimes, yes, to bewitch towards a fatal path. Their dominion is the unknown, the enigmatic, the realms beyond reason and logic. And their sexuality – unbridled and unapologetic – is perhaps their most intimidating quality, one that’s long been institutionally vilified.

Despite centuries of repression, the witch has survived and thrived brilliantly in a myriad of forms. Here are ten badass witchy women, both mythical and real, throughout time.

Hecate, Mother of Darkness

Hecate is the Greek goddess of witchcraft and magic. She rules over the darkness, the moon, and the spirit realm. A guardian of thresholds and liminal spaces, it was she who guided Persephone to and from the underworld. In ancient times, she was believed to protect people from roaming evil spirits, and perform necromancy. She also has a deep knowledge of herbology. Poisons and hallucinogens, such as belladonna, hemlock, mandrake, aconite, and opium poppy, are associated with her. These plants are dangerous and mind-altering, and, like Hecate, are dark and mysterious, bringing the user’s consciousness closer to the spirit world.

Lilith, the First Feminist Goddess

According to Jewish mythology, Lilith was the first woman created by God, before Eve. She was also much maligned as a baby-stealing demon of the night whose dangerously liberated sexuality led men astray. Like Hecate, Lilith is associated with the darkness, the moon, and spirituality. Her refusal to be subservient to Adam got her kicked out of Paradise and forced to have 100 demon babies for each day she didn’t agree to return (she never did). Because of this fierce independence and unapologetic sexuality, Lilith is considered the first feminist goddess.

Morgan le Fay, Legendary Fairy Queen

This legendary fairy queen is a charming and beautiful sorceress that’s featured prominently in the legends of King Arthur. She is connected to the Irish goddess Morrigan, who is associated with war, death, and fertility. Early works featuring Morgan le Fay, such as those by 12th century French poet Chreiten de Troye, portray her as a benign witch and a powerful healer to King Arthur. It’s in the 13th century that her character expands to that of an anti-heroine. She is sent to a coven where she becomes Merlin’s apprentice and lover. She was believed to have extraordinary shapeshifting abilities, transforming into a variety of monstrous and beautiful forms like queen, fairy, crone, and mermaid. Her narrative shift into a devious and manipulative witch is likely fuelled by the Christian prejudice towards a non-religious woman healer with great powers.

Rhiannon, Goddess of Fortitude

In the Welsh myth collection Mabinogi, this beautiful, silver-haired witch riding a white horse symbolises inner fortitude and patience. In Slavic countries, Rhiannon is the goddess of death and rebirth. She is accompanied by the Adar Rhiannon, “Birds of Rhiannon.” These three birds possess magical powers, whose song is said to “wake the dead and lull the living to sleep.” Both her and her birds have an illusory power over their position in time and space. She rides her horse Epona slowly, remaining elusively out of reach, while her birds appear far closer to the eye than they really are.

According to legend, Rhiannon went against her parents wishes and turned away a fairy suitor in favour of a mortal man. After her spurned suitor steals her infant son, she is framed by her nurses for killing her own child. As punishment, she is forced to wear a horse collar and cary visitors on he back to and from the castle. Rhiannon serves her punishment with quiet grace until she is redeemed 4 years later. Her story calls to our own inner reservoirs of endurance and strength, and reminds us to trust in the balance of the universe.

Marie Laveau, the New Orleans Queen of Voodoo

In 19th century Louisiana, Marie Laveau was known as the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. Her skills with voodoo, magic, and medicinal herbs were highly revered and sought after by white and black clients alike, all desperate to be granted their specific wishes. After her first husband, a Haitian immigrant named Jacques Paris, passed away under mysterious circumstances, she became a hairdresser with a wealthy white clientele. They say her network of informants planted in those households granted her the illusion of omniscience, cementing the perception of her as a magical, all-knowing witch. She was also said to have a snake, named Zombi after an African god, that she would wrap around her and dance with. People still visit her grave today to pray and leave gifts in the hope that she’ll aid them from the afterlife.

Circe, the Herbal Sorceress

This powerful Greek sorceress was said to be a master specialist of magical herbs and potions, and is often depicted with a magic wand or staff. She has a penchant for turning men into animals, most infamously portrayed in Homer’s epic tale The Odyssey, where she invited Odysseus’s companions to a feast, laced their meal and turned them into pigs. Only through the help of Hermes could Odysseus evade her snares, get into her good graces, and turn his shipmates back into human form. She even has a plant named after her — Circaea, also known as the Enchanter’s nightshade — which botanists in the 16th century believe Circe used to charm and lure in her victims.

Dion Fortune, Pioneer of Modern Magic

Dion Fortune is one of the most influential figures in the birth of modern witchcraft, and a pioneer of modern magic. She was a British occultist, Christian Qabalist, theosophist, ceremonial magician, and co-founder of the mystery school Fraternity of Inner Light. She discovered occultism while working as a Freudian analyst, and joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. After becoming disillusioned with it, she went on to establish her own esoteric order. In her lifetime, Fortune completed seven occult and fantasy-themed novels which initiated readers into the occult by communicating with their subconscious. These novels, particularly “The Sea Priestess” and “Moon Magic” influenced groups like Wicca, a contemporary Pagan new religious movement.

Jezebel, the Ultimate Bible Bad Girl

Jezebel is the ultimate bad girl of the bible. Her name is synonymous with cunning, idolatry, and evil. She was born to Ethbaal of Tyre, king of the Phoenicians, who were said to worship many multiple gods and goddesses, particularly to the nature god Baal. When Jezebel became queen of Israel after marrying King Ahab, her polytheistic upbringing and rejection of Yahweh earned her many enemies. She is portrayed as a cruel and evil blaspheming woman that persecuted the followers of Yahweh. Most infamously, she condemned the commoner Naboth to death for not giving land to King Ahab, which he refused on the basis of Jewish law. After King Ahab died, the new king of Israel, Jehu, ordered Jezebel’s servants to throw her from a window. Her body was then trampled by Jehu’s horse and fed to stray dogs. Despite her gruesome demise, she made it a point to go out in style. Anticipating her execution, Jezebel got all dolled up, dressing in her best finery and painting her face.

Baba Yaga, the Crone of the Woods

This formidably hideous witch of Slavic folklore is a wild crone that turns the grandmother archetype on its head. She rides around on a mortar wielding a pestle, and lives deep in the forest within a hut fenced by skulls and made mobile by large spindly chicken legs. This witch is unabashedly horrifying – her frenzied, wind-rattled movement is accompanied by bloodcurdling shrieks and the howling of spirits. Despite all this, her morality is ambiguous. She’s been known to aid the valorous hero on his quest, and cook and devour a less fortunate soul.

Salem Witches, America’s Most Infamous Witch Hunt

In 1692, the daughter of Reverend Samuel Parris and two other girls began having “fits” – screaming, throwing things, contortions, and uttering strange sounds. They blamed these episodes on three women who were outcasts of society: a slave, a beggar, and a poor elderly woman. Tituba, the slave, confessed to dealings with the Devil. Mass hysteria took over — more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts over the next year, and 20 were executed (14 were women). Many of the accused were women who threatened traditional Puritanical values in some way, whether they could control it or not. They included women who were outspoken or argumentative, had sex out of wedlock, were deemed too fertile (or too little), or broke any rule in the Bible. They also included the very old or very young, the very rich or very poor, unnatural physical markings on the skin, and midwives. While the colony eventually admitted the trial was a mistake, the incident has become synonymous with paranoid and unjust accusations.

Honouring our Legendary Witches

This range of incredible women resonates with historian Laurel Thatcher Urach’s keen observation that “well-behaved women seldom make history.” From the shape-shifting seductress to the pioneer of modern magic, these extraordinary ladies made their indelible mark by stepping out of the status quo. And many were, unfortunately, punished harshly for their refusal to conform to a restrictive and oppressive paradigm. Nonetheless, the witch persists throughout these cultural trials, and the witch is on the rise as women today are claiming the archetype as a symbol of empowerment more passionately than ever.

https://wisdom.thealchemistskitchen.com/the-ten-most-legendary-witches/

[thewasteland-rp]

BELL WITCH - Bell Witches are said to be the restless spirits of witches killed violently. Named after the first known haunting of John Bell Sr., these spirits usually target individuals they deem worthy of curse. The reasons vary, spanning from criminals to sinners to simply someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. They are spirits and can manifest however they want to be seen. They can appear in more than one place at a time and their hauntings usually start out with whispered insults and curses being thrown at their targeted victim, but escalate into pushing, scratching, and then more violent and brutal attacks until the individual they attach themselves to has perished.

Abilities: Intangibility, manifestation, telekinesis, mimicry, speech How to Kill: Usually kept in the mortal plane by an unceremoniously buried corpse or an item stained with their blood, the Bell Witch can be cleansed by destroying the corpse or item, usually with fire, or exorcised back to a spiritual plane by witchcraft or divine means.

BLADENBORO BEAST - While thought to be extinct for years, it wasn’t until the 1950′s that these beasts started to show signs of repopulation, the most famous being in Bladenboro, North Carolina when a string of mysterious animal killings occurred. Similar to panthers in size and muscular build, they have masses of fur and a rounded face like a bear. Strong jaws can crush bones with devastating force and when they feed, they will often drink blood until the body is dried up or pinpoint certain vital organs like the liver or kidney. While capable of deep, thunderous roars, their hunting noises can mimic the sounds of crying human babies and have often led to disastrous human encounters, luring good samaritans into a deadly, predatory hunting ground.

Abilities: Apex predator strength and agility, jaw strength that can be bone crushing, luring capabilities due to unfortunate sounding hunting calls How to Kill: Can be killed like any other predatory animal (gunshots to vital organs or head will do the trick), though the gun should be high caliber to break through the muscle and tough skin. Note: Shotgun blasts only make it angry.

Bogeyman - Withered and skeletal in stature, bogeymen were once people looking for immortality. They are soul eaters, usually preying on children or unfortunate people lured into their lairs. Through ritual and magic, they can consume the soul of a person to sustain their immortality, leaving shriveled husks in their wake. While bogeyman have different killing patterns, most are bloody and violent, drawing out the process in an effort to fulfill a sadistic desire that cannot be quenched.

Abilities: Soul consumption, heightened strength, human speech (usually ancient languages), fond of blades and ritualistic killing styles How to Kill: Decapitation or destruction of the brain are the only known methods

Boo Hag - Drawing sustenance from the breath of humans, a Boo Hag can instill paralysis in a person by meeting their gaze. They will often hunt sleeping individuals, climbing onto their chests and waking them to meet their gaze. They will suck the breath from someone’s lungs, often times killing the person through suffocation once it has had its fill. Skinless creatures, Boo Hags are red in color and only stand around three feet tall and may leave bloody footprints in its wake. Because of this, they will often steal the skin of their victims to wear for themselves, cutting it from their flesh while they are still alive.

Abilities: Gaze paralysis, breath draining, heightened agility, advanced cunning and trickery, human speech. How to Kill: Traditional weapons do not work. Can be killed when it meets its own gaze, mirrors or other reflective objects will do.

GOATMAN - Legend has it the Goatman used to be a scientist, until experimentation on a goat backfired and mutated him into a monster. With the head, neck, and hooves of a goat, and his body half covered by thick brown fur. Known for wielding a heavy axe, stalking back roads and attacking cars and hitch-hikers without fear. Prefers attacking couples but draws no distinction between prey when threatened.

Abilities: Heightened strength and senses How to Kill: Can be killed like any other predatory animal (gunshots to vital organs or head will do the trick)

JERSEY DEVIL -  A legend that originated in Southern New Jersey, though how it came to be varies depending on rumor. Some say it was a 13th child, cursed by its witch mother after it’s birth as the devil. It then took on the form of one, growing hooves, bat wings, a goat’s head, and a forked tail. Known for livestock killings, it’s stalked southern jersey for years, often mistaken as a dragon. Gunshots have little to no effect on it.

Abilities: Heightened strength, speed, and senses, capable of emitting a deafening and blood curdling scream. How to Kill: While typical weapons may slow it down, it can only be killed through removal of the heart itself.

MOTHMAN - Standing as tall as a person, with giant, moth-like wings that span double it’s height and course brown hair that covers its body, Mothman is said to appear shortly before natural disasters or mass-scale tragedies. It’s unknown whether the creature is the cause of these disasters or simply comes to prophesize them, but their nightmare inducing iridescent red eyes and sharp, razor like talons have made them a worthy foe for hunters who have tried to dispatch of them.

Abilities: Flight, Vocal mimicry, heightened speed and reflexes How to Kill: Can be killed like any other predatory animal (gunshots to vital organs or head will do the trick)

SHADOW PEOPLE - Somewhere between a tormented soul and a full blown demon, there are Shadow People. Shades of the underworld, they sometimes slip into our world to torment the living, jealous of the breath we still draw. Manifesting as shadows in the shape of human silhouettes, they can sometimes be seen with horns, wings, talons or other ghastly features. Their usual modus operandi is to attack while people are sleeping, climbing on their chests and holding them down, sometimes going so far as to choke or suffocate a person. In their more aggressive states, they will attempt to choke or tear a person apart. 

Abilities: Movement through shadow, invisibility, shadow manipulation, intangibility How to Kill: While otherwise intangible, shadow people will form a solid mass when exposed to bright light and may be killed by usual means once solidified.

SKINWALKER - Of Navajo origin, the skinwalkers were once revered as healers amongst those who believed in them. It was only in recent years the Skinwalkers became agitated and aggressive, soon seen as monsters and predators. Believed to be born witches who are consumed by their powers, skinwalkers can change their shape to take on the forms of animals, people, or any combination thereof. The more powerful skinwalkers who are consumed completely by their magic may walk around as deformed, mutilated creatures whose skin hangs loosely on distorted, warped skeletons.

Abilities: Shapeshifting, healing capabilities, heightened strength and senses How to Kill: With healing capabilities, the only known way to kill is by decapitation or destruction of the brain

TALL MAN -  Also known as Slender Man or Walking Sam, the Tall Man is often mistaken for one of the Shadow People, occupying the same in-between space between our world and the underworld. It’s unknown what draws them to their victim, but once fixated on them they prefer to drive them to madness, inspiring fear and paranoia until forcing their victim into taking their own life. However, if aggravated, they will attack brutally, impaling or otherwise butchering their victim and removing their organs.

Abilities: Shadow manipulation, voice mimicry, teleportation How to Kill: While fast and incredibly hard to hit, the Tall Man can be destroyed by destruction of the brain. They are capable of resembling themselves from decapitation or other removal of limbs or organs.

WENDIGO -  An Algonquian legend, Wendigo were once witches who were overtaken by a lust for greed and murder, and began to crave human flesh. Now monstrous cannibals, they feed and feed without ever satiating their hunger. They care only for feeding, and will hunt their prey mercilessly until they’re killed and devoured. They appear emaciated, bony and skeletal with graying skin, and the stench of death hanging over them. Their eyes are entirely black, sunken into the pits of their skull.

Abilities: Heightened, strength, speed and senses, with sharpened teeth. Too long in a wendigo’s presence may start to turn a victim into one. How to Kill: Typical weapons have little affect on them. They can only be destroyed by fire.

[thedreadfulmystic-blog]

Sacrifice in the Craft

This morning I had a very interesting conversation with two of my favorite witches. Basically it started out about books and transcended into a conversation about using animals in witchcraft. You know, like any other conversation..it mutated and wound around to something else entirely. That conversation sparked my mind into thinking about sacrifice. Sacrifice to Deity, to Spirits, to fuel spell work. There are a million ways we sacrifice of ourselves in our daily interactions with people, so shouldn’t we be thinking of how and what we sacrifice to our craft and in our craft (that craft being witchcraft, of course)? What exactly IS sacrifice and do we even really comprehend how much of it we are doing to live, to obtain favors, to cast a spell? Most witches know and preform the giving of food and drink during ritual which is a sacrifice of it’s own. We give to the Gods or Goddesses in thanks, as a boon to be received in return for something else, or in honor. This is done with little thought because it is literally in every single Wiccan, New Age, and  Witchcraft book there is from the ones steeped in tradition and history to the most watered down versions of the craft there are. I often wonder if people who preform this act even realize that it is a form of sacrifice. You are exchanging one bit of energy, life for something else and denying yourself that bit of food and drink. Especially after working up a good ritual, not eating what is in front of you can be a test of wills. This isn’t the only form of sacrifice there is but it is still a pretty big and commonly used sacrifice.  Some of us, grow, harvest, and preserve herbs for use in spell craft. Again there is sacrifice of our time, of the plant’s energy, and then use of the plant in it’s dried form. More of the plant sacrificing than from us so do you prepare the plant for it’s use and ask it for the gift of it’s life? Wouldn’t that be the proper way considering it is life in it’s own right? Some may, some may not, but it is worth thinking about. Personally, it comes naturally to me to talk to my herbs and vegetables and prepare them for their purpose as I grow them. Nothing in my garden won’t be eaten or used in some form or fashion and part of this exchange for me is not only giving the plants excellent care but saving their seeds for future use which again involves sacrificing the last harvest to not be consumed but to let it go to seed. Simple concepts that have great meaning when looked at from this perspective. Every single herb we use in a spell is a form of sacrifice. It has exchanged it’s energy to power our spell or fill our bodies with energy we need in order to live.  But what about animals? Ahh, now we are getting into a very complex area of ideals. Not to mention certain laws set into place to protect animals. Is animal sacrifice even still a thing? Well, in some forms of folk magic it is. Even then, it’s not a daily thing  or even a monthly thing (despite what certain famous people think). Mostly, animal sacrifices are done with the utmost respect and usually when the animal is about to be eaten by that person, family, or even community. Those trained in butchering and humanely killing animals do the actual deed and then every part that can be used will be after the spirits have had their fill. Some of you may be thinking that with the modern luxury of grabbing a steak from the local grocery store that there isn’t much point in killing an animal raised for your meat but if you knew how industrialized meat processing really worked, you might change your mind.And really isn’t that grocery store steak also a sacrifice to you and giving you life? Personally, I raise chickens. I can tell you how to humanely kill a chicken, how to pluck it, skin it (if you want the low fat version), and chop it into an 8 piece chicken dinner.  Mostly our chickens have no fear of winding up in a stock pot because we value their eggs too much. On the occasion that we have a chicken that is a poor layer, well we happen to like chicken dinners and I happen to be a witch. So that chicken will serve multiple purposes and no I don’t feel bad about it at all. Still, this isn’t done with a simple flick of my wrist and pull of a chicken’s head, it involves thanking that chicken for it’s life, and respectfully using that energy not only to sustain my own energy in the form of food but also giving of it’s blood and energy to sustain a certain spell, spirit, or deity. Any time you use a feather, obtain a animal skull, buy an animal part to use in magic you are in all actuality using an animal sacrifice. Not all sacrifices mean death to the one giving and if it is an exchange of energy for something else well...what else would you call a sacrifice?   Now if you have no clue how to kill an animal and you don’t raise animals and you basically are ignorant of the whole process in how you get that juicy, delicious hamburger you enjoy from time to time, I strongly advise for you not to look for a nice cow or chicken to kill in order to sacrifice it to whatever God you think may grant you some huge favor. For one thing, if that animal suffers for no reason other than your ignorance I am thinking that your deity is gonna get pissed. I know I’d be pissed. Knowledge is important and really most deities aren’t that into blood sacrifice. So, know your shit before you go chopping any animal heads off (not to mention knowing the laws about such things). There is a whole ritualistic process involved in raising an animal for consumption and sacrifice of any kind. This isn’t like fucking up a simple protection spell, this is tangible, recognized life that you are playing with so the best thing is to not play at all. Honestly, that should be said of any form of sacrifice whether plant, animal, or grain. If you don’t understand what you are doing, you probably shouldn’t do it.  Then there is the giving of your own blood as a sacrifice. Honestly, I could write an entire article on this alone. First, not all deities, spirits, or magical beings should be given blood. Some take it as an invitation to feed from you anytime for any reason. You really don’t want that. Second, the type of blood really does matter. Menstrual blood has a specific energy, that relates to it’s purpose in the physical. It sustains new life (and only new and growing life), it represents a once fertile space, it is involved in sex, so given that information your death goddess or war god isn’t really gonna want that kind of blood offering. The blood from your veins however represents life as a whole, and even death as without that blood we would surely die so if your deity wants that then definitely, by all means, give away (within reason). Thirdly, not all deities, spirits, or magical beings even want that kind of sacrifice. So before slicing open your finger (which hurts, a lot, by the way) make damn sure that it is wanted.  With every interaction we have with people, magic, Deity, other living beings, or spirits, we make some sort of sacrifice. We sacrifice our time, our hearts, our thoughts, our selves in one form or another. So, when you take the time to take plants, animal parts, animals, or bits of yourself to use for a spell or in honor of something or someone, or as a gift, do so with conscious thought and deliberation. Make sure you know what and who your giving to and if they or it even want it.  Understand that all exchanges of energy involves a sacrifice of some kind. Mundanely, it doesn’t matter if you are eating a salad or a hamburger for lunch something that once held life is now sustaining your own. Magically, it is much the same. No matter if you are burning a smudge stick made up of dried herbs to protect your home or if you are killing a chicken to protect your land, something that once held life is now giving it so you can be protected. Make sure you recognize this and understand exactly what it means. Don’t under appreciate the sacrifices that are given and made in our craft. It is  a special event that should always have our utmost respect.

[tipsycad147]

Psychic Curses and Spells that Work

Article about removing curses by Craig Hamilton-Parker.

Since earliest times, people have used ritual and magic to influence the world. The bison drawings from the prehistoric Altamira cave paintings in Spain, dating from 15,000 BC, may have been used in ritual magic to make sure a successful hunt. The principle is that similar things create similar effects–like produces like, or an effect resembles its cause. For example, in black magic, a human being could be cursed to death by spearing a skull with a metal point bearing the name of the intended victim.

This imitation of effects to influence events is called sympathetic magic. Magic also holds that things that have once been in contact with each other continue to act on each other at a distance after the physical contact has been severed. Many magic love spells, for example, require that the magician procure samples of the intended’s hair or fingernails to be used in the ritual or potion. The former principle is called the Law of Similarity, while the latter is the Law of Contagion or Contact.

Burning Effigies

I am writing this particular chapter on November 5, when we in the UK celebrate the ending of the first terrorist attack. Guy Fawkes was a co-conspirator in the “Gunpowder Plot” of 1605 in England. He and his cohorts decided to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London and succeeded in smuggling several barrels of gunpowder into the basement. The plot was thwarted and to this day we celebrate the occasion by setting off fireworks and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes.

This is, in fact, a form of sympathetic magic. Burning an effigy helps people to vent their hatred for their enemies in public, but the magician’s “law of similarity” also believes that burning the effigy will bring harm to the person whose image is being burnt. (A few years ago, my sister insisted that we burn an effigy of her ex-partner in place of the “Guy”)

The ritual of effigy-burning has been found in many ancient cultures including that of India, Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The Ojibway of the American West would fashion little wooden images of an enemy and burn them while chanting magic spells. Called “the burning of the soul,” this ritual was believed to bring about the enemy’s death.

Then, of course, we have all heard of the voodoo doll, into which pins would be inserted to cause an enemy harm. Voodoo is still largely practised in Haiti; while in New Orleans, rooted in its large slave population mixed with Catholicism, you will find altars set up to protect against hoodoo magic (like voodoo a primarily healing-based practice based on sympathetic magic).

Sympathetic Magic

Sympathetic magic is still with us today in our superstitions and beliefs. How often do we see the American flag or effigies of Uncle Sam being burnt in protests? Burning an effigy is pure sympathetic magic: just as the image suffers, so does the man or nation.

“Holy Trinity, punish him who has done this evil and take him from us by thy great justice, that the sorcerer/sorceress may be anathema and we may be safe. Amen.” Popular Hoodoo Spell to remove a curse (To be spoken while throwing angelica in a southern direction)

Sympathetic magic is not necessarily evil in its intent. For example, voodoo (or more properly “Vodu”) is a religion that is characterised by ceremony, music, dance, and sacrifice, through which participants commune with their ancestors in trance and possession. It has a pantheon of spirits, called ‘Iwa’ that protect areas of life including love, family health, and wealth. Similarly, throughout Europe and America, there is a growing interest in the old religion of Paganism which is trying to cast off the negative witchcraft image given it by Christianity.

The truth is that many ancient magical beliefs may be used for good or ill. For example, returning to the effigy theme, puppet healing is the reverse of effigy burning. Instead of desiring to kill or injure the person whom the puppet represents, the practitioner wishes to help them. Healing given to the puppet is transmitted to the person represented.

Protective Spells

Protective healing spells are cast on the night of a full moon by voodoo sorcerers. In particular, they will make a Paket Kongo to summon the healing spirits. This is an onion-shaped, bright coloured, a cloth-bound package filled with herbs and the powdered flesh of a sacrificed rooster. It is tied around with string seven times and has large feathers sticking out of its top. Similarly, a Catholic may pray in Church with a rosary or a colour healer may “charge” water or a photograph with coloured light (Graphichromotherapy). Clearly, it is the intention of the practitioner that determines whether the results of magic are good or evil.

Voodoo and hoodoo have some interesting methods to protect the soul from harm. For example, if a person believes that they are under a psychic attack, there are a number of remedies that they can use to negate the harm. They may have a feeling that something “out there” is after them or that someone has bad intentions towards them. Similarly, they may feel that this energy has become an “entity” that is causing bad luck or illness. Wiccans generally believe that once you are aware of the curse or negative energy sent towards you, it no longer has power, where followers of voodoo and hoodoo believe that a curse, spell, or “crossing” can only be lifted using specific rituals and techniques.

The Psychology of Spell Casting

Naturally, psychology plays an important part in making a spell work. Just as we can talk ourselves into being ill, we can frighten ourselves into believing that bad luck and illness will befall us. If we believe we are unlucky, we may inevitably attract bad luck into our lives and curses may only succeed because the victim believes in their power.

Most people find out that they are jinxed through word of mouth or when a “friend” tells them that a spell has been put upon them. Let’s face it, people love to gossip and soon the belief in the jinx is reinforced by the community at large. Inevitably, as soon as something untoward happens to the victim, the jinx is to blame. They may lose their keys or a credit card and immediately they remember what the friend told them. And so the cycle of fear begins.

Worse still, a hideous token, gris-gris, amulet, or charm may be posted to them or hung on their door to warn them that magic has been cast. A hoodoo sorcerer may nail a gruesome chicken bone amulet on your front door and cover your steps in blood-red powder. In some countries, it is traditional to spit or blow powder in the victims face while speaking the words of the curse. This shock technique reinforces the power of the curse, taking the victim, as it does, off guard and naturally causes a severe upset.

Curses and a Jinx

REMOVING A CURSE | REMOVING A HEX |

“Protection comes to me this day . This crossed condition goes away. Returning negativity To the one who has crossed me.” –Hoodoo Candle Spell

There are as many ways to remove a curse or spell as there are ways to cast them, and these vary according to the cultural tradition. Remaining with the hoodoo theme, the belief is that curses should be “sent back” to the perpetrator. A popular way of doing this is to scatter Angelica in the direction of the curse, or to the South if the sorcerer is known. Similarly, Five Finger Grass (Cinquefoil) can be stuffed into a drained egg which is then sealed with wax. It is believed in New Orléans that a home with this magical egg in it will be free of jinx and curses.

Followers of hoodoo also like to take special herbal baths made with Dragon’s Blood, Five Finger Grass, Ginger, or Pine and Hyssop to protect them from sorcery. Herbs and special powders are also used by the secret “red sects” from Haiti to induce illness and fear in their victims. One pinch of these secret recipes is said to bring bad luck or illness. Similarly, this tradition holds that herbal baths may be used to combat an evil hex and also to bring luck in love and money.

Bath-time food offerings are made to the spirits of Ezili Freda (love) or Ibo Lele (money) and may include everything from popcorn to the blood of sacrificed animals. (I would try this technique myself, but am concerned that my wife would be a little alarmed to see chicken heads among the talc and soaps.)

REMOVING CURSES

Haitian voodoo has an armoury of amulets, totems, and tools to protect the soul. Malicious spirits are countered using an ason rattle made from a gourd and containing snake vertebrae. Music and dances are used to counterspells, and many of these ceremonies involve Catholic saints in the rituals. Most Haitian altars, in particular, include a mixture of both voodoo and Catholic imagery, with icons of saints placed next to tribal gods. Altars also include magical drawings of “verve” designs, which are made during ceremonies as an aid to draw the protective spirits from their divine homeland to the mortal world.

They look very similar to western protective talismans. But perhaps some of the odd tools of voodoo priests are dolls heads that they squash into bottles to ward off evil spirits and sequined bottles decorated with a skull motif of the Gede spirits (the guardians of the dead and masters of the libido). One strange protective totem, created by Franz Barra, featured a Barbie doll squeezed into a miniature, red-sequined coffin.

The Evil Eye

Voodoo and hoodoo are, of course, not alone in giving strange surreal remedies to protect the soul from curses and spells. Many believe that the soul can be harmed by a jealous stare or envious glance. The eyes are considered “the gateway to the soul” and, in many cultures, the “evil eye” is believed to harm the soul. It is one of the oldest and most culturally prevalent magical beliefs in the world.

The evil eye is believed to cause miscarriage, illness, business failure, marriage breakdown, bad luck, and a great many misfortunes. In addition, anyone, including those who have no special powers, can give the evil eye. Since it happens involuntarily, no one can be certain who or where the evil came from, making this one of the most feared of all magical powers.

People with different colored eyes or eyes set close together or deep in their head were often suspected of having the Evil Eye and were often persecuted as witches from the sixteenth to eighteenth century. In the 1930s, a man from New York earned his living by renting his evil eye to prize-fight managers. He would sit ringside and stare at opposing fighter.

Averting the Evil Eye

There are hundreds of ways to avert the Evil Eye. One of the most immediate techniques, and not recommended for dinner parties, is to spit three times in the eye of the onlooker. Another is to step aside, if someone is staring at you, so letting the negativity pass you by. The Italians wear special amulets of hands making sexually symbolic gestures for protection from the evil eye: called the mano fico (‘fig hand) or the mano corunto (horned hand).

In most cultures, the cure involves a complex series of rituals, which vary around the world. Water, oil, and melted wax often play a part, or the ritual may center on an eye-shaped and liquid-filled natural object such as an egg. Animals that were supposedly affected by the Evil Eye were burned, whereupon the person who had made the curse would suffer the same agony. Similarly, a clay manikin, or witch puppet, made in the likeness of the suspect person with the Evil Eye would be stuck with pins to lift the spell.

Naturally, I have always believed these things to be hocus-pocus; that is, until my Israeli friend brought us a present from his homeland. He knew we had had trouble with a neighbor so gave us an ornate hand in the “stop” gesture with an eye in the palm. “This will avert the evil eye of the bad woman,” he said. “It’s good. Hang it up in the front of your house and you will have no more trouble.” Within three months, the bad neighbor had moved.

Profits of the Prophets

“Praying is like a rocking chair–it’ll give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere.” — GYPSY ROSE LEE (Rose Louise Hovick, American stripper)

Many claim that sympathetic magic is “mumbo jumbo,” that results can be explained away. This is no doubt true in some instances, but there are also times when such magic appears to have worked. Yes, belief alone may be enough to cure some people or fulfill a spell’s curse. But there are cases on record that contradict that scenario–where people appear to falter even though they are unaware a curse has been placed on them. Nonetheless, common sense is the primary ingredient in spiritual ventures, particularly in relation to magic and the healing arts.

Magic Snake Stone

Some people believe that snake bite calls for treatment by “magic snake stone,” which is, in reality, no more than benzine or a gallstone, having no effect on the venomous bite. Clearly, if a snake-bitten person were to rely on such magic in this instance, consequences could be fatal.

Sadly, charlatans still exist today to take advantage of those who are gullible and superstitious. Often this is the case with those who are upset about the break-up of a relationship: they will do, or pay, anything to get their partner back! A common scam is promising to change your luck by lifting a curse or a jinx or removing “negativity from your aura.”

Through my columns and website, I have received many letters from people frightened by threats of a curse that they are told can only be removed if they pay money. These “psychics” often target people who are already fearful, having met “bad luck” in their lives. The fraud psychic have good observational skills and is able to give the sitter with enough apparent information to convince them that what they say is true. They are alert to facial reactions and bodily gestures, and incorporate feedback information likely mentioned earlier in the sitting or consultation or hinted at in a response.

Once the sitter is hooked with this “cold reading,” the charlatan may offer to change the person’s luck for a price. I know of someone who was quoted $3,000 to have bad luck lifted from their lives. For this fee, the “psychic” would burn a magic candle to clear the misfortune. However, she warned that, as the case was particularly bad, it might be necessary to burn more candles. Of course, this would cause added costs, for the magic candles and her services.

Negative Energy Curses

A real curse is a set of words or a ritual that has been imbued with the negative energy of a thought-form. A curse cannot harm us unless we allow it to, by giving the negative energy an entry point. Certainly, paying money to someone else will not remove negative energy, nor will having rituals performed on your behalf. The key to protection from real curses come from your own refusal to give in to superstition and unfounded fear. Just as money can’t buy you, love, giving money to such people cannot change your luck or make you well again. People often incur such problems when they do not generally take personal responsibility for their lives.

They tend to go to a fortune-teller because they want someone else to make the hard choices for them. It is much easier to blame things outside of ourselves for our troubles. We accuse others, instead of owning up to our own faults. We blame circumstances and people for troubles that are of our own making. And, of course, many of us blame our bad luck on fate. How much better it is to take charge of our own lives! Personal responsibility gives a person self-confidence and a realistic view of circumstances.

The role of the true psychic is to give insight and inspire, not to make decisions for you. A psychic can encourage you, and even empower you to take charge of your destiny. To do something about it! So, take my advice: If you are ever asked for money to remove a curse or a spell, to regain health, to bring back a lover, or to change your luck, leave immediately and don’t look back!

psychics.co.uk/blog/curses-and-spells-that-work/

[tipsycad147]

The Forfar Witches

Illustration of witches, perhaps being tortured before James VI, from his Daemonologie

by Amanda Moffet

The Royal burgh of Forfar, a small faming and market town nestled in the Strathmore valley in the east of Scotland, is a respectable and quiet community. The burgh lies only five miles from Glamis Castle, family seat of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorn, childhood home of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and the setting for Shakespeare’s play Macbeth.

The Forfar tollbooth doesn’t exist anymore – the dilapidated medieval tolbooth.was replaced with the Town and Country Hall.  The Market Cross which stood outside the Tollbooth  has been moved to Castle Hill.  This historic landmark gives no clue to the religious hysteria, suffering and cruelty for which it was the setting almost 400 years ago when this unassuming burgh was the backdrop to the most widespread witch hunt that Scotland ever had. Between 1661 and 1663, 42 suspected witches were imprisoned in the tollbooth, and so offensive were these prisoners to the good people of Forfar that the windows were boarded up to stop the accused witches from shouting down to the public.  The individual characters involved in the accusations, trials and resulting executions make a fascinating tale of misfits, persecution, torture and religious hysteria.

The Town and County Hall on the right was erected in 1787 – 1788. It replaced the dilapidated medieval tolbooth.

The Market Cross was originally situated in front of the old tolbooth and was the centre of burgh life.

The story starts when King James VI, son of the executed Mary Queen of Scots, married the young Princess Anne of Denmark in 1589. James has been described as “the most learned man who ever occupied a British throne” and his achievements were many. It was James who foresaw the benefit of a political union between the kingdoms of Scotland and England. He spoke passionately of tolerance in an age of great persecution, he wrote eloquently in English, French and Latin and strongly criticised a new practice that was becoming extremely popular with the ruling classes with publication of his work A Counterblast to Tobacco.

However, when King James’ new bride Anne, whom he had married by proxy, was sailing from Scandinavia to join her husband, she was almost killed during a fierce storm. The ship was forced to take shelter to await calmer weather, so James decided to sail to Norway to escort his bride home. They were formally married in Oslo and after a honeymoon, set sail for Scotland again. When yet another raging storm befell the ship, the captain and the king became convinced that dark forces of evil were working against them.

On his return to Scotland, James led an investigation to find those responsible for the acts of “malefice” and uncovered more than 100 “wyches” in North Berwick. It was clear to the king that these witches had deliberately raised the tempest by swinging cats around their heads and throwing them into the sea. The witches were tried and several were executed in a very high-profile and public trial. The king developed an obsession with these evil-doers who sought to destroy him, and in 1597 published his work Daemonologie, a study of witchcraft and devil worship, with clear instructions on how to identify a witch.

This royal endorsement led to Scottish witch hunts which resulted in the trial of many thousands of accused, mainly women, and the execution of more than 1,000 of these unfortunates.

Most accusations of witchcraft resulted from petty disputes between neighbours or when something disastrous happened inexplicably, like the failure of harvest, the inability of a cow to produce milk or a calf, or a sudden death. People were superstitious and fearful and looked for an explanation – for someone to blame. Very often, they did not have to look far.

In the burgh of Forfar, one local woman, Helen Guthrie, was a well known drunkard and troublemaker – a “verrie drunkensome woman.” She had frequent disputes with her neighbours and liked to frighten people with her claims of supernatural powers. Helen told tales of how she had murdered her own infant sister, Margaret, and was by all accounts a loud and disagreeable individual. Helen was accused – along with her coven – of wrecking a ship in Carnoustie harbour and destroying an important bridge at Cortachy by raising supernatural forces and consorting with the devil himself.

While imprisoned in the Forfar tollbooth, Helen claimed she knew of other witches in the town. She pointed her finger at one Jean Thornton, whom Helen claimed was also in league with the devil. Jean had already drawn attention to herself during a dispute with her own son. He had bought a cow from his mother, but Jean was adamant that the animal still belonged to her because he had not paid for it. A family feud developed which Jean decided to resolve in her own memorable way. She ran to her son’s small farm with a noisy group of women and reclaimed the cow from it’s pen. Jean then rode triumphantly home on the back of the poor beast for all to see.

Such a rowdy behaviour was completely unacceptable at a time when the church had a powerful hold over the daily lives of parishioners. The kirk ministers preached the values of respectability, piety, Godliness and modesty, so outlandish behaviour was seen as scandalous and an affront to public morality.

Other local women were accused, tried and executed after confessing to such outrageous acts as dancing with the devil, flying on broomsticks (which was treated with the flesh of dead infants) and causing the deaths of local worthies by the use of spells and incantations. These confessions were of course, extracted under torture and deprivation of sleep, food and light. The inquisitors in Forfar used the branks – an iron band fastened to the cell wall and around the head of the prisoner with a long barb into their mouth preventing the prisoner from eating, drinking, sleeping or resting, and causing constant agony.

The Branks

Helen Guthrie, however seemed to delight in feeding her accusers with outlandish tales of her adventures with the devil himself, and was eager to provide names of locals who were also witches. Of the 40 “Forfar witches,” 30 were personally accused by Helen Guthrie. She told of midnight gatherings in the Forfar churchyard or by the loch where she and her fellow coven members would dance with the devil and plot acts of evil.

They desecrated the grave of an unbaptised infant, cooking the remains in a pie. Present at this gathering, claimed Helen, was Isobel Shyrie. The local baillie had recently paid an official visit to Isobel’s home to remove property in place of debt she owed. Soon afterward, he dropped dead, casting suspicion on Isobel. Helen’s affirmation that Isobel had indeed caused the death of this good man led to the latter’s imprisonment in the Forfar tollbooth. There, under toture, she confessed to poisoning the deceased with a potion of “two toad’s heads, a man’s skull and dead man’s flesh which had been perfumed by the Devil.”

In September 1661, she was tried in the tollbooth which was her prison, her jury consisting of five local landowners. They found her guilty of the “abominable cryme of witchcraft,” and the expert services of Donald the executioner from nearby Montrose were employed for the princely sum of 1 pound and 4 shillings to carry out her penalty. Donald strangled Isobel with a rope which had cost 12 shillings and 6 pennies, then she was burned in a barrel which was purchased for the occasion for 16 shillings.

Elspeth Alexander and Janet Stout were two other local women named by Isobel as members of the coven, with both making their confessions to witchcraft the very day after Isobel. They admitted to being part of the group that had destroyed Cortachy bridge and sunk ships by supernatural means. They told of renouncing their Christian baptisms and entering a pact with the devil, all sure signs of being a witch according to King James’ Daemonologie.

Elspeth Alexander was strangled and burned in January 1662 and we assume the same fate for Janet.

John Tailyour was one of the few men accused of witchcraft; he, too, was named by Helen Guthrie. He confessed to the heinous crime of transforming himself into a pig and running amok through his neighbour’s neat cornstalks, causing much damage and havoc. During a meeting with the devil, John had taken the name of Beelzebub as his own.

Helen made many accusations of witches causing harm to the good people of Forfar by using malevolent powers. Those named and tried include Katherine Porter, James Pearson and George Sullie. She prolonged her imprisonment – and her life – by continuing to make her own confessions which included a failed attempt by the devil when he heroically tried to free Helen from the tollbooth, and also by her long list of fellow witches and their crimes.

A serious contender to Helen’s self-claimed title of preeminent witch of Forfar was Isobel Smith who was brought to the attention of the authorities by Helen. Isobel was an admitted adulteress when this was a serious sin against the church and an affront to public decency. Isobel described how she had sold her soul to the devil for the price of 3 half pence per annum. Unlike the coven members who met with their diabolic leader in a group, Isobel met with him one-to-one when he revealed himself to her on a hillside when she was gathering heather.

Isobel and Helen were kindred spirits; they both seemed to attract disagreement and become involved in disputes and feuds. When a farmer’s wife refused to give Isobel milk, she went straight to the cow and helped herself, then took the calf home with her (although she said the animal had followed her). She claimed to have killed another protagonist simply by touching him and putting a hex on yet another enemy, one Janet Mitchell, by holding an image of her. Furthermore, she had caused a fine horse to die after she cursed it when it ate her corn. In those days of hand-to-mouth subsistence, these allegations were very serious because a productive cow or a strong horse was often the only barrier between the family fed or falling into ruin.

During her trial, Helen stated that she could identify another witch simply by looking at her. She was presented with Elspeth Bruce and confirmed that Elspeth was indeed a witch who had caused the death of Lady Isobel Ogilvy. This was obvious, claimed Helen, because Elspeth had been seen dancing around a fire on the night the noblewoman had died. Elspeth was also accused of enjoying a roast goose, a great delicacy, on the very night Cortachy bridge had been destroyed supernaturally by the Forfar Coven. Elspeth was the only one to deny all accusations against her, although she did admit to adultery. In July 1662, Elspeth was tried but no record remains of her fate.

By the end of that year, Helen, was still imprisoned in the tollbooth, eking out a miserable existence by continuing her role as chief witness for the prosecution. By then Helen had become quite a cause célèbre and she was so important a witch that a commissioner traveled from Edinburgh to oversea the proceedings at her trial.  On November 14, 1662, the day after her trial, Helen Guthrie was executed and “burnt to ashes.”  In addition to the usual fees for the executioner, rope and barrel, an additional 15 shillings was spent on ale for those attending the public burning.

Helen Guthrie was the last witch to be executed in Forfar.  After her death several women imprisoned in the tollbooth were released because nobody could be found to speak against them.  One of these was Janet, the young daughter of Helen, who was seen as a witch by association.  If the mother was a witch, then so was the daughter.  Janet was banished from the burgh of Forfar with an exclusion zone of eight miles.  Unworthy of marriage, Janet would spend a miserable life as an outcast and a vagrant.

By the time Elizabeth Bruce was released and banished in 1664, public opinion was changing and those in the positions of authority became concerned that due process of law was not being carried out.  Many accusations seemed to be personal, petty and vindictive.  Fear, superstition and religious intrench began to lessen their hold as new thinking in science, medicine and education shed their light on the population of Scotland.

The witch hunts were over and the burgh of Forfar returned to its business.

Old photograph of houses and shops on the High Street in Forfar, Scotland.

he memorial stone is simply dedicated to the “Forfar Witches”, and features 22 dots that represent each of the women who were killed for the “abominable cryme of witchcraft.” At the bottom, the legend reads, “Just people”.

https://www.scotclans.com/the-forfar-witches/

[tipsycad147]

Voodoo In The Modern World: A Gris-Gris Love Story

SL Bear

I got my gris-gris bag during a rough time in my life. Even though I was applying to jobs all over town, no one was calling back and my bills were bearing down on me like a freight train. Being low on funds was nothing new, but I’d always been able to find a job before. As my desperation kicked in and I started googling how much kidneys were going for these days, my sister suggested we go downtown to the witch shop. Now, of course, you don’t know my sister but she’s not the kind of person to suggest such a thing. I was intrigued, to say the least.

We pulled up in front of a teeny tiny shop that used to be a teeny tiny house. It seemed to be just big enough for one person to live very cosily with their cat, so pretty much perfect as far as witch shop locations go. Jars filled with dark liquids hung in the window and runes and odd symbols decorated the door and window ledge. Inside, though it was noon and hotter than hell outside, the store was dark and cool. Most of the light came from candles or strings of Christmas lights. Glass jars filled with herbs lined an entire wall. Pendulums hung from the skull of some horned animal and the musty smell of patchouli was everywhere. A hundred different kinds of incense and oils sat near the register, which itself was covered in more symbols and lined with little stones. In the back of the store, a massive altar sat where customers could leave offerings. Cigarettes, little figurines, and even hair were set out on the altar and before it, witches worked silently at a round wooden table: Grinding herbs with a mortar and pestle, mixing things in large ceramic bowls, tying cords around bundles of sage…  

In the front of the shop, under the shop’s only window, was a table filled with small baskets of different stones. This is where I headed first. The stones were warm from sitting in the sun and picked up the light like little jewels. Though I didn’t know any correspondences at the time, certain stones drew me in more than others and as I read their carefully handwritten descriptions, I realised I had gathered stones possessing qualities important to me, and stones that seemed designed to help me in my current hopeless state. Jasper for luck, aventurine and pyrite for money… It was so exciting in a way I can’t describe.

Everything about the shop just felt like home, and while other customers came in and gasped at the skull or absently picked up tarot decks and giggled with their friends, nothing about this place felt like a tourist pit stop to me. That’s when I noticed there were other things on the table with the stones: Many small, neatly tied bags.

A piece of decorative paper next to the bags told me they were gris-gris bags, and each one had a specific purpose. They were scented like sachets of potpourri, tied with different coloured strings and seemed to hold sand or very fine powder. There was something else in the bag I held, something solid, and I figured I’d open it up and find out what it was when I got home. A little mystery!

When I was ready to check out, I handed my stones to the owner of the shop and she inspected each one, commented on their colours and patterns, then she looked up and asked me if I was having money troubles.

“Yeah, maybe because I spend it on rocks instead of food,” I said. She didn’t think this was very funny, but any awkwardness evaporated when I handed her the gris-gris bag I’d chosen.

“Hmm,” she said, “do you know how to take care of a gris-gris?”

“You mean you don’t just pop it on the shelf?”

She shook her head quickly and explained that gris-gris bags are like spirits, like friends, and they have to be well taken care of to work for you. You should do things like play your gris-gris music, carry it with you in your pocket, and most importantly, once a week, light some incense as an offering for your gris-gris. She said this with such sincerity, I didn’t even make a stupid joke. In fact, I was almost instantly absorbed by this new information — it played to my nature perfectly. She showed me some incense and I added that to my purchases, and when she bagged my items, she was careful to hand me the gris-gris. Already, this little bag was extra special. It didn’t go in a paper bag; I was to carry it.

I was vigilant about taking care of my gris-gris. I lit the incense exactly as the witch had described. I played music for the gris-gris every Thursday. Eventually, things started to turn around for me and when I began getting calls for interviews, I upped the ante. I added a candle to the weekly ritual and put the stones I’d purchased around the gris-gris. When I got a job, the gris-gris got two or three figurines — like the ones I’d seen on the altar at the witch shop.

Over time, this weekly ritual grew, totally by accident, into my first altar. I’d already read all about gris-gris bags online, but I started reading about sigils, too, and correspondences and then everything else in this wonderful, secret world of witchcraft. As you can imagine, my gris-gris is very precious to me (after all these years, I still have my first and only one!) and without it, this world might have stayed closed to me forever. Not to mention, the gris-gris worked like a charm!

Voodoo Charm

The gris-gris bag traces its origins to West Africa. Born of the influences of Muslim scholars, healers, and mystics, the gris-gris bag was absorbed into African cultures, which shaped and transformed the talisman according to local beliefs and customs. Originally, a gris-gris may have consisted of a folded piece of paper with an inscription from the Quran, written in special ink, with meaningful numbers, words, and symbols in a grid. This piece of paper was folded and tied with string and placed in a leather pouch to be worn on the body or affixed to a meaningful location. Where the gris-gris was worn (neck, waist, or limbs) or placed usually related to the gris-gris’ purpose; protection, health, wealth, and social harmony all required different placement. If, for instance, you wished for someone to fall in love with you, you might wrap your gris-gris in meat and feed it to a female dog.

When slaves were brought from West Africa to the United States, many of their customs were imbued with Christian and West Indian influences as well, particularly with voodoo practitioners in Louisiana. Slaves living in unspeakably cruel bondage turned to voodoo and hoodoo for help in matters of protection, healing, and cursing their masters. Through the years, the gris-gris bags’ contents became more complex, while still adhering to important religious protocol — such as maintaining only a certain number of objects and including objects with specific symbolism (bones, powders, roots, etc), all depending on the gris-gris bag’s intended purpose.  

Voodoo blossomed in Louisiana (today hailed as the voodoo capital of America), and New Orleans in particular, and gris-gris bags were (and are still) an important part of the religious practice. A few voodoo practitioners, such as Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, became renowned for their skill and were sought out by a racially diverse clientele. Laveau made a living working hoodoo for clients, including making and selling gris-gris bags as part of her love, luck, and protection spells. Gamblers hedged their bets with gris-gris bags filled with good-luck tokens such as shark’s teeth and dove’s blood.

Those wishing to ‘put a gris-gris bag’ on someone for revenge, or to banish them, were regular visitors. Their bags’ ingredients were thrown at the person or left at their home. Imagine stepping outside and catching a gris-gris bag in the face! You would know the spirits were aligning against you and it was possibly time to make a trip to Madame Laveau’s yourself. If a person really wanted to harm another, Madame Laveau would make a gris-gris bag from a death shroud and fill it with things like one-eyed toads, a rooster’s heart, and a suicide victim’s pinky finger.

How To Make A Gris-Gris: Whoops!

Because I am not an initiated practitioner, I don’t have the knowledge required to pass instructions onto you. It’s not simply a matter of putting corresponding things into a bag, not by a long shot. Many gris-gris tutorials online and gris-gris bags for sale these days are actually mojo bags, which is a similar practice but not, in fact, the same as a traditional gris-gris. When crafting a gris-gris, many things are specifically considered, and practitioners who have this knowledge are also masters in studies like history, cosmology, astrology, numerology, colour symbolism, etc. — all of which is crucial in the assembly of a true gris-gris.

Everything is specially chosen with a reason in mind (even the paper and ink) and those reasons have deep Islamic and African roots. This is knowledge that must be preserved and passed on, but not information most people should take from a random online tutorial. So, it’s important to remember that not just anyone can make a gris-gris, and the history and culture that this tradition belongs to should be shown respect.

https://thetravelingwitch.com/blog/voodoo-in-the-modern-world-a-gris-gris-love-story