Death is a subject that makes many people squeamish in the modern day. Death ain’t pretty… But death isn’t really all that bad, either. Nay, it is integral to life and the natural course. And yet still we try to extend the lives and alter the natural course of ourselves and others in order to prevent it, and shy away from many of the things that involve it or acknowledging it.
I believe that life has the integral need for an understand of death and it’s processes.
A Death Witch is someone who utilizes the symbolism, sounds, and colors of, and the resources and energies from various sources of death to influence, fuel, or otherwise inspire their craft.
Now, I’m not talking about sacrifice- though sacrifice is perfectly valid and there’s several ways to practice it in the modern era without stepping on the toes of the animal rights activists, or the judiciary system (laws). But what I am talking about primarily is spirits, the souls of the deceased, blood magic, the residual energies of a death long ago residing in an artifact, and similar.
A Death Witch seeks to use these for various purposes and to many ends. The first step is figuring out what kind of Death With you wan to be and just howcomfortable with the idea of Death you are in the first place.
Some questions to ask yourself:
- What feelings do you have about death?
- What does death mean to you?
- What are fears you have about death?
- Are you comfortable with spirits?
- Are you comfortable with the idea of sacrifice- both modern and historical?
- Do funerary rites interest you?
- Does blood magic interest you?
- Do bones interest you?
What are some acts that you could incorporate into your practice that involve death, spirits, etc?
- What are symbols, sounds, colors, or items that you associate with death?
For me, I work heavily with the spirit aspect of death based Witchcraft- which may be seen as more along the lines of Spirit Work than anything else. I feed and house the dead, perform funerary rites and rituals to lay the restless dead, perform rituals to call or summon the dead, provide voluntary groundskeeping for cemeteries, and the like. I also practice shadow work as an aspect of Death-based Witchcraft, use some blood magics and even throw bones for divination.
It’s a small scope of what I do, and an even smaller scope of what is possible in this field.
I feel like I should enter a mandatory warning here that Death based Witchcraft can sometimes be very trying and hard. I don’t feel like it’s for the faint of heart, those grossed out easily, or those who are made uncomfortable by bones, blood, and similar things.
That being said, though, I feel like Death-based Witchcraft has very much helped me to overcome my fears and negative ideals surrounding the various aspects of death. For those willing to try, I think it’s a very positive path to take that can lead to some truly life ring experiences.
Resources for these kinds of things can be difficult to find, though. But as always, the community is here to help as well.
Here’s a kit to get you started:
- Perspectives: Blood Sacrifice and Modern Paganisms
- Sacrificing the Modern Animal
- Working With and Handling Dead Animals
- Death Ritual (Pagan Funeral Ideas, Death Celebrations, And My Home ... (VIDEO)
- The Use of Blood in Folklore and Magic
- The Use of Bones in Folklore and Magic
- Blood Christening
- Spirits and Demons and Where to Start
- Graveyard Dirt and Etiquette
