#graveyard dust

[aspelladay]

Graveyard Dirt/Graveyard Dust

Wherever there are burials, there are cemeteries. Wherever there are cemeteries, graveyard dirt is used in magic spells. (Ashes and dirt from cremation grounds are used too.) Graveyard dirt is among the most crucial, important magical ingredients and a prime component of many, many spells.

The use of dirt dug from cemeteries or graces is fairly standard universal magical practice; where traditions differ is whether this practice is considered entirely malevolent or not. Graveyard dirt, by the very nature of where it comes from, will be used as a tool of curse and hexing spells, however, is the material inherently malicious and toxic? In general, the answer to that question depends upon what role, if any, the dead play toward the living. Cultures who perceive ancestral spirits as being positive and helpful, such as many deriving from Africa and Asia, cultures who aren’t fearful of the dead, in general (as opposed to an individual threatening ghost), often use graveyard dirt for benevolent purposes.

On the other hand, those who perceive the dead as malevolent and threatening will simultaneously perceive the cemetery as a place of toxic, perilous power. For instance, among certain Native American cosmologies, the soul is entirely transformed by the dying process. What remains accessible on Earth has no benevolent purpose and retains no specific memory of past relations with the living. In that case, any contact with a dead body or with cemeteries is potentially contaminating, both spiritually and physically. The power may be harnessed but only for evil: the sorcerer who delves into graves is contaminated and potentially contaminating as well.

What actually is graveyard dust? At its most basic, it’s dirt from a cemetery or from a specific grave. However, graveyard dirt or dust is also a nickname for various botanicals, with no actual relationship to death. Valerian, for instance a strong insomnia aid with a foul smell, is called graveyard dust because it promises that you’ll sleep like the dead. Patchouli is often called graveyard dirt, because of its unique wet earth aroma.

Some practitioners pick up a handful of surface dirt from the cemetery

Some practitioners obtain dirt by digging within a grave. An entire science exists of precisely whose grave suits which magic spells, ranging from that of your mother’s grave to that of a murderer to that of a young child

Some practitioners wouldn’t be caught dead with actual dirt: they use either one or blend of several botanicals: powdered mullein, powdered patchouli, or powdered valerian There aren’t arbitrary choices. In addition to the reasons given above for patchouli and valerian, mullein is under the dominion of both Hecate and Oya, two powerful spirits with strong associations with death and cemeteries

Some practitioners like to combine botanicals with dirt. Sometimes real cemetery dirt is used, while other practitioners feel that the addition of graveyard dirt botanicals transforms any dirt into graveyard dirt

Graveyard dirt must bee seen within the context of all kinds of dirt being used as amulets and spell ingredients. Dirt from shrines and sacred areas was painstakingly preserved and carried. People carried bits of dirt from graves of saints, holy people, and loved ones, perhaps purely as souvenirs and talismans, perhaps for other reasons. For millennia, Jews carried pouches of dirt from Jerusalem, laying it in the grave after death. Romany collected dirt from the legendary seven luck mountains. Dirt from North African shrines is brought home and sprinkled over hand-made fabrics and carpets to imbue them with the power and protection of the saint. Perhaps the most famous modern example is the Shrine of Chimayo in New Mexico, where thousands of pilgrims converge each year to receive a bit of miraculous healing dirt.

Looked at from that perspective, the use of botanicals instead of real Earth seems euphemistic. On the other hand, perhaps dirt itself is a euphemism. What exactly is being collected in the cemetery under the guise of graveyard dirt? If one digs deeply for dirt within an old grave, particularly one conforming to spiritual traditions that bury the body in nothing more than a shroud or a wooden coffin that disintegrate quickly, there is an inherent implication that one is really looking for some part of the body that has returned to Earth. People used to be far less squeamish than they are today nor were they necessarily as concerned about sanitary hygiene. Relics, purportedly pieces of a saint’s actual anatomy, were prized, collected and sold. It wasn’t even necessary to dig in graves for relics. Public executions created a whole other venue: following the execution of Jacques de Molay, last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, spectators gathered up his ashes, as was done with Joan of Arc and countless others. What exactly was done with the ashes?

Methods of graveyard dirt collection vary. Some believe there’s no need to dig; dirt from the Earth’s surface, provided that it’s contained within the cemetery walls, is sufficient to constitute graveyard dirt. Some like the dust clinging to a tombstone. That’s not sufficient for everyone. Some commercial purveyors of graveyard dirt advertise different levels of dirt, taken from varying depths, depending upon the purpose of your spell. According to British magical traditions, graveyard dirt is ideally taken from the top of the coffin, just above where the heart of the deceased would be. According to Hoodoo traditions, three scoops of graveyard dirt should be taken, one from over the head, one from over the heart, and one from below the feet of the deceased.

There are discreet methods of collecting graveyard dirt in broad daylight:

If you only required a handful, gather it and carry it home in your pocket or in a talisman bag

If you need more substantial quantities, rather than cut flowers, bring potted plants to transplant onto the grave. Dig a hole for each new plant, reserving the dirt. Carry the graveyard dirt home in the plant’s emptied container, creating a dirt transfer if you will

In some traditions, gifts of coins or libations are made to appease the spirit of the dead whom you may have disturbed, particularly if one is doing some serious digging. Remember to drop the gift in the hole.

Graveyard dirt is used for both benevolent and malevolent purposes. Some examples are offered here in order to give a sense of nature, power, and scope of the material, however graveyard dirt spells will be found amongst ever possible magical category.

(from The Element Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells by Judika Illes)

[filthyguts]

orb action

[dollymess]

[pinkdeath6]

Angel

[dinoisdizzy]

Teen au kist.........

Please read vvvvvvvvvv

First off I just wanna say now that there are no canon ships in the teen au, do with that what you will!

Alt versions of the second pic vvvv

That's all, have a lovely day, and take care of yourself, you deserve it!!!! Mwah mwah /p

[bl00dfroma-fairy]

[smallcowplant]

the graham legacy 🐻💖🍯

definitely my favorite family I've ever played with! taking a (seemingly endless) hiatus from simming meant uninstalling ts4/deleting everything off my computer, which means I lost these dorks in the purge lmao. whomp whomp! kinda bummed that I didn't grab their tray files before I skedaddled, but eh, c'est la vie! anyways! here's a compilation of the last few shots I'd edited/saved to my drafts before I disappeared into the void. consider this post a corny lil sendoff to this save!! 💞

[minaxian]

Hey guys, it's been a while since i've posted. Sorry if I made you guys feel hurt. I made some drawings last week. I hope you like it

👆 the drawings I liked the most

[seud-luachmhor]

[book--brackets]

Hello, can I submit some suggestions for best childhood books? So far I've got:

The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M Boston

Switchers (trilogy) by Kate Thompson

Troy by Adele Geras

Book of the Crow (series) by Catherine Fisher

Children of the Dust by Louise Lawrence

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Deptford Mice (series) by Robin Jarvis

(also The Whitby Witches and Tales From the Wyrd Museum series by Robin Jarvis)

Gideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer

Bunnicula (series) by Deborah and James Howe

Thanks for running this! And I hope I did this right. ❤️

Added them all! You did it all right, and Book of the Crow is actually under The Clockwork Crow, which is how it's listed on Goodreads

[aspelladay]

Malevolent Uses of Graveyard Dust

Many malevolent uses of graveyard dirt may be observed among this book’s Hexing Spells. Perhaps the simplest hex involves throwing a handful of graveyard dirt at someone’s back as they walk away from you. How does this differ from the benevolent Romany spell where dirt is tossed over your beloved child? Your intent. Your desire, energy, and personal power are the unnamed component of every spell you cast. Your personal energy transformed a loving spell into a spell of hatred. Merely tossing the dirt isn’t enough to hex anyone: what turns the trick is the suppressed rage and anger that precipitates the action.

In Java, graveyard dirt is used in spells to induce deep sleep, where for the purposes of robbery or for a romantic rendezvous---where it’s used to prevent parents or spouses from awakening.

Frequently graveyard dirt is transformed into a destructive force by the addition of other ingredients, as in Goofer Dust.

(from The Element Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells by Judika Illes)

[hozaloza]

Cabo by Ricky Montgomery is so RosePunch core (alternatively Aidlyn core for the normal fans 😒)

[dnangelic]

what kind of emotion(s) do u guys write from

[beancat]

Quincy, MA

[satoshi-mochida]

Some indie game recommendations from ones I’ve played or know enough about them to suggest them to others(mostly in no particular order), Part 6.

Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9

Esperia ~ Uprising of the Scarlet Witch ~

Meg’s Monster

Graveyard Girls

Analogue: A Hate Story/Hate Plus

Bistro Days

Dust to Dusk

Kind Words

Legends of Ethernal

Love Choice

Lucid9

Synergia

Vestaria Saga series

Please Be Happy

Journey

Neon White

Hindsight

Florence

If Found...

Don’t Escape series

Deep Sleep Series

The Spirit and the Mouse

The Messenger

Return of the Obra Dinn

Rakuen

Serment - Contract with a Devil

The Letter - Horror Visual Novel

Virgo Versus The Zodiac

ConnecTank

The Sekimeiya: Spun Glass

SPOOKWARE

Knock-knock

Wolfstride

This Way Madness Lies

Deluge: Threnody of Crashing Waves

Cooking Companions

Helltaker

Young Souls

Ghostrunner

Long Live The Queen

SeaBed

Astalon: Tears of the Earth