In 2010, Italian psychologist Giovanni Caputo published his eerie findings in the journal Perception. He called it the “Strange-Face-In-The-Mirror Illusion,” where his setup could guarantee that people observe startling, supernatural imagery. All he needed was a dimly lit room and a mirror.

Within minutes, people looking into the mirror would watch their own faces distort, into deceased love ones, archetypal creatures, or disturbing disfigurements. You can read an article about the study here.

Why does this happen? According to Caputo, our brains are hardwired to perceive faces. It’s the same reason we see shapes in clouds or trees. Because the mind can’t register dark spaces, it fills in the space with information. That causes people to see shapes and figures in the shadows.

This is also why creepy pasta rituals such as The Three Kings have yielded “results.” What people believe to be spirits are actually the brain’s misrepresentation of the darkness.

This begs the question, How can I tell if what I’m seeing is a spirit or a trick of the mind?

That’s what I’m going to talk about here.

Note: I will not discuss sleep paralysis in this post. That’s a different topic altogether.

There seems to be a common misconception about spirit work that sightings are a one-chance deal: you see a spirit once, and it’ll never appear again. That isn’t true in most cases. Sightings and experiences can be repeated, under different circumstances, at different times of the day. Sure, spirits are harder to perceive because they aren’t often tangible. But they can be perceived if you know what to look for.

First, let’s review what needs to occur for the shadow you see to be a trick of the mind. If you’re in a space with dim lighting, your mind will likely trick you. If you’re tired, or just woken up, your mind will likely trick you. If you add a candle to the darkness, you’re at an even higher disadvantage because the movement will alert your mind into fight or flight. Which leads me to the final point: If you’re afraid, your mind will likely trick you.

Spirits don’t only appear under these conditions. If you observe a spirit, you’ll still perceive it if:

• you’re feeling calm.
• it’s in the light.
• no other outside source can create a trick (such as a light on outside).
• you’re fully conscious, and emotionally stable.
• the spirit responds to commands or motions.
• you’re able to contact the spirit again in a different situation.
• the spirit has the same tone, voice, personality and movements as in the first sighting.
• the spirit has mentioned something that you didn’t know, but turns out to be true (such as a future event).

There are many more examples, but those should give you an idea. 

Let’s say, for instance, that you perceive a spirit in the middle of the night, in dim lighting, while feeling afraid and/or tired. This fits all the criteria for a common psychological phenomenon. In that case, doubt your experience. Never be afraid to doubt spirit work or a magical technique.

Let’s say that your experience meets the above criteria, but your gut is telling you that it was more than a trick of the mind. In that case, test it. Try to contact the spirit again other different circumstances. Use divination. Ask others for their opinion. Analyze the situation, and try to encounter the spirit again.
​
I hope this gives you a better insight into spirit work and determining whether or not that spirit is real. Feel free to comment or ask any questions!

his is what I bring to cemeteries when I want to conduct spirit work there. The box is small enough to fit in my purse. Also, I didn’t paint this beautiful box; the lovely @la-la-laurels painted it. I just added the stickers and bows.

Here’s what is contained in all the little bottles and packages:

• Juniper berries. These are easy offerings to carry around because they’re small and dried. I especially like to give them to any tree or plant spirit I interact with in the cemetery.
• Black salt. This is my protection backup while out. I often throw it over my left shoulder if I feel something following or clinging to me. If you’re wondering how I get it that black: I grind salt with charcoal powder.
• Birthday candles: Tiny, portable candles I can leave at gravesites as offerings. I don’t light them, just leave them. My go-to colors are black, grey, white and red.
• Dried Lavender Flowers. Lavender can calm dead souls and aid their transition to the afterlife. I don’t often carry these because they shed, but they can be left at graves or burned (remotely; don’t burn them inside the cemetery).
• Dimes. Coins of any kind are easy portable offerings for the dead. I choose dimes because they once had Hermes depicted in them.
• Dirt-Rolled Offerings. For lack of a better term, that’s what’s in the plastic bag. I won’t give you my recipe, but you can find the original version in the PGM. Basically, it’s graveyard dirt mixed with crushed incense and herbs and molded into a ball with honey. A messy process, but makes powerful offering.

Sorry for the delay in posting this. Hope it was worth the wait, and you can get some more ideas for your own death witch travel altar!

As a Wiccan and Hades devotee, I often get asked how Hades fits into my Wiccan worship. This bleeds into a larger question, which is how deities from other pantheons fit into the Wiccan “duotheism” (a term I’m using loosely, and you’ll see why in a bit). Wiccans are not only allowed, but encouraged to adopt other deities into their pantheons. How can this work?

In order to understand, you first need to learn Wicca’s central theology. The Wicca believe that Divinity exists, but it is so large, so far beyond our mere human understanding, that we cannot comprehend. It is not gendered, not named, neither one force nor many.
When facing this Divinity, people broke down the great force into smaller forces: the moon, death, life, earth, ocean, mother, father. All deities, then, are parts of the larger Divinity. We worship Divinity’s aspects in order to grow closer to the whole. This is also why, in Wiccan view, no religions are wrong. All deities can be worshipped, as each one allows us to understand a little more of Divinity. 
In an attempt to worship as much of Divinity as possible, the Wicca created their own deities made up of ancient archetypes. This is why the Wiccan Gods are both old and new at the same time. The names are new, but the archetypes associated with each deity are old, repeated elements we see throughout all of Paganism. However, even the God and the Goddess can’t encapsulate all of Divinity. This is why other deities are often honored by the Wicca.

I understand that this probably sounds off to a lot of you. In explaining this, I’m not asking you to believe it. I’m not even asking you to accept it. I’m just asking you to understand it. This is how Wicca operates as opposed to other Pagan religions.

This being said, how other deities exactly fit into Wicca varies by practitioner and tradition. There’s much debate on how to approach different deities in the Wiccan sphere. I’m going to expand upon some of the more common ways Wiccans adopt other deities in respect to the God and Goddess. Of course, there are some theories I’m missing, but these few should expand your understanding of what exactly Wiccans are doing.

1. Other deities are separate entities from the God and the Goddess. In my practice, this is how I view Hades. I see Hades as an aspect of Divinity that I can’t connect with through only the God and Goddess. However, this doesn’t exclude the possibility that Hades could be connected to the God, or to the Goddess as well. Wicca embraces the theory that all deities are connected in some way, be it through their symbols or through their energy.
2. Other deities are aspects of the God and the Goddess. In this belief system, there’s a hierarchy: The God and Goddess encapsulate Divinity, and other deities are parts of the God and Goddess. This begs the question: which deity is a part of which God? This question has sparked a lot of debate and friction within both the Wiccan and overall Pagan community. Here are some interpretations of the theory:
   1. The deities are divided by gender; hence all male Gods fall under the God and all Goddesses fall under the Goddess. I’m sure I don’t need to explain why this interpretation is heavily contested.
   2. The deities are divided by symbols. As an example, Thoth would more likely correspond to the Goddess, since they share the same symbols such as the moon, bowls, bodies of water, flowers and birds.
3. The God and Goddess are replaced with other deities.Some people align with the core tenants of Wicca, but don’t feel comfortable worshipping deities that aren’t historically based. In this case, they may replace the God and Goddess with other deities, while still adhering to the core values of Wicca. This is often where variations of Wicca, such as Hellenic or Christian Wicca, come into play. If you’ve ever seen a Pagan author encourage you to get “a matron and a patron”, that comes from a misunderstanding of this interpretation of Wicca.

As I mentioned before, there are other interpretations of how other deities fit into Wicca. In my experience, these seem to be some of the more popular ones. 
​
I hope you’ve gained a broader understanding of Wicca. I will politely ask to withhold angry comments from this post. While I am always happy to discuss others’ views, this is an informational post, not an “attack Wicca” post. Feel free to message me if you have any questions, or make your own post. 

I’ve been too strict with myself throughout my witching career. I convinced myself that rituals are most effective with a ton of preparation and picking just the right tools. While magic certainly works this way, it can also work if I perform them spontaneously. This year, I’m focusing more on spontaneous, simple rituals performed with little or no tools, that are still effective in their own right.

To clarify, when I say “no tools”, I’m talking about a situation where you wish to perform a ritual but have none of your witchy supplies on you (divination sets, magical herbs, candles, instructions etc.). In most cases, you may be outside or traveling. Say you went to the beach, or a park, or cemetery, and wish to honor the spirits or cast a spell. How would you do so?
Recently I’ve been brainstorming these methods using outdoor rituals I’ve performed in the past as reference. As a disclaimer, these correspondences (for lack of a better term) are highly personal to me. Since these rituals are usually spontaneous, you’ll have permission to alter the significance of these as you see fit.

Gestures 

• Hands on the ground can ground you, stabilize your energy, and focus on your energy mingling with the energy of the earth.
• Raising your hands towards the sky helps you harness and absorb energy from the sky, and celestial powers. You can also just face your palms towards the sky if you want to remain inconspicuous.
• Pointing is a powerful gestures used to direct energy. If you want to charge an object, for instance, you can point at it or tap it. 
• Your palms facing away from your body can act as a protective gesture, cutting you off from outside forces. You can also sweep your hands across areas to isolate them, brushing unwanted energies away from the space.
• Your palm pressed to the ground or an object directs energy into it. Not only can this ground you, but it releases a lot of energy, activating a spell. You can also raise your own energy by pressing your hand to your heart, or even hugging yourself. 
• Grabbing helps you pull in and trap energies.
• In the same vein, opening your hand releases energy.
• Extending your hand, as if to give a handshake, is a welcoming gesture that invites forces to come to you. This signals to spirits that you welcome them, and that you request to work with them.
• Sitting still allows you to listen and meditate. If you want to hear a response or a sign, it is best to remain still.
• Dancing releases energy and raises the vibration of the energies around you. You can collapse to the ground when the energy has reached its peak, and needs to be released.
• Breathing techniques are a staple in magic, but since I’ve already made a post about them, I’ll link that post here.

Music / Sounds

• Certain words and sayings hold great power when stated and chanted. I won’t list any because there are too many to count, but memorizing a hymn or repeating whatever persists in your mind can have great effects.
• Similarly, singing raises the power of these words. It can be used to conjure, harness and build energy, sanctify and invite.
• Clapping, or otherwise banging objects together, creates a lot of energy. This can cleanse ritual spaces, raise power, and release power.
• Whistling and humming helps you resonate with the energies around you. It can also help you attain a meditative state, and attract spirits.
• Silence allows you to listen and inspect.

Handling the Ground (Such as Dirt or Sand)

• Drawing or marking a circlegives you a designated ritual area. Although this isn’t necessary, I find it useful to mark an area that I can raise energies in. You can draw it in the dirt or sand, or mark the area with stones, flowers, leaves or sticks.
• Drawing symbols in the dirt can drastically change the energy of a ritual area. It can be part of a spell or an offering. Hearts, sigils, words and phrases–your options are flexible here.
• Burying objects releases it from your control and your sight. This can be done for offerings, banishings, and letting go spells.
• Sticking objects into the dirt or sand allows the object to absorb the earth’s energy, without being entirely released from your control.

~ Concerning Objects Available to You ~

If you’re performing a ritual outside, chances are you have some natural items available to handle, such as stones, grass, leaves and perhaps water. What you do with these objects depends on the purpose of your ritual. Rituals without tools tend to be spontaneous, meaning that you’ll have to determine the use of each object on the spot. 

If you’re conducting a ritual with no tools, that most likely means that you won’t have a grimoire or correspondence list with you. You’ll have to use what you know about that object, and what you feel is best by speaking to it. In fact, I almost didn’t include this section because unprepared rituals are so uniquely you that I cannot instruct them.

I’ll list some things I’ve done in the past as examples. But remember that your intuition will guide you the most. When it’s your turn, you won’t have this post to guide your actions.

• Stones stabilize energies and provide a focal point. I’ve place stones in the middle of my ritual circle as a centerpiece. I’ve also held them to ground myself and meditate. You can also make noise and music by banging said stones.
• Leaves have multiple uses, but I often use them as energy directors. They can outline a ritual circle, be used to make symbols, and point to objects. They can also be infused with energy, and then crumpled, buried or ripped.
• Sticks direct energy, similar to wands. They can draw symbols, mark circles or outlines, or funnel energy into a specific point.
• Water cleanses, blesses, and invigorates with life. Use on yourself or your makeshift ‘tools’.
• Wind cleanses, releases, and sweeps away energies, whereas celestial bodies such as the sun and moon charge things with energy.

​
I won’t include anymore, because these kinds of rituals rely on your good judgement. But hopefully this gave you some ideas on what you can do if you’re ever out somewhere without your tools. 

Much has been written on trees in magical folklore and Paganism. This post will concern these trees in relation to cemeteries, souls of the dead, and their uses in death witchcraft and necromancy. 

Many of these trees are used for wands and talismans in death magic. A branch can be picked up from the ground of a cemetery and polished into a powerful tool. If you understand the associations, you may grind their bark for protection powders, give their dried leaves as offerings, and include them in talismans.

These particular trees are common in North America where I live, though you can find many more online. Along with their mythological symbolism, many of these trees are planted in cemeteries because they require little upkeep to survive. However, this only highlights their association with endurance, hardiness, immortality and rebirth. 
Note that these trees have many more associations and folklore attached to them. I am focusing on what I can find that connects to death, resurrection, and the afterlife.
​

• Acacia - The ancient Egyptians made coffins from acacia due to its association with Osiris. In some versions, after Seth killed Osiris, Osiris’ coffer washed up in Byblos, where an acacia grew around it. Because some Egyptian Gods were also born under the acacia, the tree shelters the Gods who decide upon life and death. Hence, the acacia was put to much use honoring the dead: Egyptians would use its gum to coat mummies and burn wreaths for the dead; and Hebrews planted these trees near graves.
• Cedar - A common tree in American cemeteries, the cedar has roots in Chinese folklore. According to one story, a king jailed an innocent man to pursue his wife. The man died in jail, and his wife committed suicide. Even though their graves were buried far apart, cedars grew upon the graves, and eventually their branches touched. Cedar is also a symbol of Hades Lord of the Dead, and its oil was used in Egyptian mummification.
• Cypress - With strong connections to the Furies, Fates and several chthonic deities, cypress has a long history in Greek and Roman funeral rites. According to myth, Apollo gave a man Cyparissus a white stag, which was accidentally killed. Cyparissus asked the Gods to let him mourn forever, and, eventually tired of his weeping, the Gods turned him into a cypress tree. Mourners would carry cypress branches, and eventually lay the corpse down on a bed of cypress leaves before burial. Cypresses were planted by graves, or by a home to warn that the plot was occupied by a corpse. This period, a nine day period after being buried or cremated, was considered to have corrupted energy that the cypress (along with yew) guarded others from. 
• Holly - Holly is sacred to Thor, and its use was said to protect one from lightning strikes. It is planted in cemeteries to protect the dead and mourners. The tree is used in celebrations around the winter solstice, being a symbol of the popularized NeoPagan Holly King, who ruled the year from summer to the winter solstice. 
• Mulberry - Throughout the Middle East, India, Europe and Asia, mulberry leaf was traded and sold for its medicinal benefits. The mulberry quickly became associated with life and restoration, and the weeping mulberry is planted in cemeteries to represent healing grief and eternal life after life. 
• Myrtle - When Venus washed up on the Isle of Cytheraea, it is said that she hid her nakedness behind a myrtle tree. She then labeled the tree as Hers, and it became associated with eternal love. It is planted in cemeteries for this same purpose. 
• Oak - Often planted within military and children’s cemeteries, oak signifies strength, authority and protection. Its associations with thunder deities such as Thor and Zeus come from its remarkable hardiness in withstanding destructive weather. Oaks are also sprinkled throughout the Bible, with some naming it as the wood used for Jesus’s cross, although some sources say it was yew. The oak is planted to protect the souls of the dead, protect headstones from rough weather, and protect mourners from sun rays.  
• Olive - A recognized symbol of Athena, the olive tree highlights deep symbolism of hope, peace, and protection. According to one story, King Xerxes once set Acropolis ablaze, which contained rows of olive trees. But the trees re-sprouted the same day that the fire went one. This and other stories make the olive a powerful symbol of rebirth. 
• Palm - In Christianity, palm trees represent martyrs who triumph with soul over body. In Islam, the palms symbolize Paradise, giving this tree strong links to a spiritual afterlife. Although natives of Malaysia and India referred to the palm as “The Tree of Life” due its medicinal properties and resilience, it is said that Portuguese explorers found the coconut similar to a ghost in their folklore called the coco. 
• Pine - As an evergreen tree slow to decay, the pine symbolizes immortality and the eternal life after death. Ancient Egyptians would sometimes bury carvings of Osiris out of pine with the deceased. In the Scottish Highlands, pine marked the graves of honored warriors and chieftains. Druids burned pine on the winter solstice to mark the end of long nights and coming of divine light. In Roman mythology, the consort of the earth Goddess Cybele, Attis, was transformed into a pine tree after being killed by a boar. The pine protects mourners from some of the darkest moments of their life, and connects the dead to the Gods.
• Weeping Willow - This tree is a picturesque analogy for human mourning–hunched, drooping, dragging–that it’s no wonder the ancient Greeks called it “the mourning tree”. It is a symbol of Hecate, a chthonic deity. Orpheus carried willow branches on his journey to the underworld. In China, the willow depicts rebirth and immortality, due to its ability to quickly regrow after being damaged or chopped. To no one’s surprise, by the nineteenth century, willows were commonly seen on gravestones and mourning cards in Britain and America. The willow highlights more of the mourner’s struggle than the deceased’s, and it is a reminder that we too enter the graves of those we’re mourning for. 
• Yew - One of the oldest trees recorded, yew stands as a reincarnation symbol for the Druids, a symbol of immortality for Christians, and a reminder of the otherworld for Irish Pagans. In Irish folklore, the yew is one of five sacred trees brought up from the otherworld to divide the land. A sister of birch, the tree of eternal life, yew is the opposite as the tree of eternal death. Its reputation stems from how it grows down to form new stems which looks like freshly sprouted trunks. Yew governs both death and rebirth, and is a perfect symbol for the afterlife. Early Christians buried corpses with yew shoots. The ancient Romans used yew to warn onlookers of the nine day libation period mentioned before. 

​
In the best case scenario, a magician will learn to recognize these trees on sight. Otherwise, they may recognize some of these trees in a cemetery, and gain a better understanding of the conditions of the souls beneath the canopy. They can also use these trees for their own magical purposes. 

For more information on plants and trees common in North American cemeteries, you can visit this document from the Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, April 2016.

I want to correct a statement I made on my blog earlier. I don’t remember when I made it, but I’m positive that I did. I said that skulls work simply as other bones and connecting to death energy in death witchcraft and necromancy, which is blatantly not true. I’m sorry about that. Please allow me to correct this by sharing what I’ve learned about some uses of skulls in death magic:

• A skull may house a conjured ghost, and allow that spirit to speak through the body of the skull. Some sources will offer incense upon the skull to help this take effect.
• Related to the first point, a sealing spell may be cast upon the skull to prevent it from lying or deceiving. This spell involves sealing the mouth with graveyard dirt and drawing an engraving on it with iron. 
• Skulls may be used to dispel or scare off ghosts. A libation poured from the skull of a black dog is used in one such banishing ritual. 
• Many rituals include using a skull to prevent one from grinding their teeth during sleep. Some believed that this happened because a dead family member tried to communicate through their relative in sleep. The sufferer may either kiss it seven and seven times, or kiss it seven times and lick it seven times, over the span of four nights.
• Skulls are used as summoning ingredients and basis for the conjurer’s power. Sometimes, an incantation will be spoken over a skull. Other times, a libation or conjuring oil will be spilt over the skull.

The vague “skull” is used in most of these spells, implying that any skull may work. Few specify which skull is needed.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk

On this Samhain, I want to talk about one of the more taboo, yet prominent aspects of necromancy which is animal sacrifice. You might expect an “is it right or wrong” discussion, but I won’t be debating morality here. Your moral decisions on the subject are entirely your own. I also will not be talking about a religious standpoint, as in, animal sacrifice as an offering. Instead, I’ll talk about it from a secular, modern standpoint: how to navigate animal sacrifice as an ingredient in spells, to still produce successful results
.
This’ll be a long post, so tuck yourselves in. 

So you come across a necromancy spell that seems feasible, but requires animal sacrifice. What do you do? Well for one, this isn’t exactly exceptional. Ritual sacrifice is pretty common in necromancy, and most magical traditions from ancient folklore to classical ceremonialism. Most animals were farm animals who would be eaten and resources afterwards, but that wasn’t always the case. Although it used to be more common back in the BC days, it is still practiced today.

Legal-wise, animal sacrifice varies by country and state. To hammer in the point, this may not be legal where you live. Always check your local laws before acting. Obviously, this subject is highly debated in the moral and legal realm, but we won’t talk about that in this post.

Understandably, a lot of people don’t want to perform animal sacrifice, but still want to perform successful necromancy. Most people who approach me for help on the subject are looking for a way to navigate this. Can we perform this spell without the ritual sacrifice? Can we substitute it? Did people actually do this? (Yes, they did.) Can we be successful necromancers while avoiding this?

Let’s start by discussing the most common question I receive on the subject. Can animal sacrifice be substituted in spells? Sacrificing a life is an impressive feat, which produces impressive, almost reality-bending results. I know someone who once redirected a hurricane from its predicted route with a sacrifice spell. That’s why people do it–for the results. But because the spell has a high results, it also has a higher risk factor if things go wrong. Because there’s a high danger factor, you don’t want to make the stakes even higher by implementing a wrong substitute, or (worse) ignoring the sacrifice entirely. If you’re going to substitute, you want to substitute something of equal value.

This is where the complications of substitution come in. At the risk of sounding like Fullmetal Alchemist, what equals the value of an animal soul? We can’t really equate that to anything else. I have seen people categorize blood magic and ritual sacrifice in the same vein, but to me there is no equivalence between the two. Using blood in a spell is a small sacrifice compared to giving a life. I’ve also seen some recommend killing plants instead; I do not believe plant life and animal life are equal on this scale. We use dead plants everyday in our tea, after all. How is that an equivalent sacrifice? In my opinion, an animal sacrifice can only effectively be substituted with a different animal.

To make things even more complicated, the animal chosen for sacrifice does have a symbolic significance in this spell. A black lamb is chosen for its symbolic connection to the Underworld–will the spell work the same with a fish? Theoretically, it might have a different effect, or it might not, depending on the spell and entity involved. Options listed in the spell may not be available to us, depending on where we live. This is a practical issue that must always be taken into account in spell work. 

Most people I know who have performed these spells are either living or have lived on a farm / rural area, where animals are available and scheduled to be slaughtered anyway. If you live in an apartment in the city, you’ll have more obstacles in terms of accessibility and law enforcement. Morality aside, ritual sacrifice might not be possible for many aspiring necromancers. 

To answer the initial question: What do I do if I cannot perform this ritual sacrifice, either for moral or legal reasons? My biggest recommendation is to search for another spell that doesn’t include the sacrifice. Don’t edit out the sacrifice or turn a blind eye to it; the spell is too powerful for you to afford that risk. There are other spells and other methods to achieve similar results, but you will have to look for them. You might need dig deeper into a different tradition, or test out more modern methods. I promise plenty of effective spells are out there.

I get it. I just spent forever making the simple point of “look for something else”. But I want to explain to people why substitution and erasure wouldn’t work. In the past, I’ve seen some necromancers respond a little harshly to people wanting to avoid animal sacrifice. “Do something else” is technically right, but can also be taken the wrong way. I do not believe that people “can’t be a necromancer” if they’re unwilling to do it. You can. Respecting life does not make you any less of a successful magician. At the same time, I don’t believe in shunning the practice or the practitioners for including ritual sacrifice. This is a reality of necromancy and witchcraft, so why ignore the subject? 

I do encourage discussion on this post because I think the topic is often swept under the rug. But please be respectful of everyone’s views. We’re here to learn, not criticize.
​
If you’ve made it this far, here’s a big hug (っ´▽｀)っ

Those who dive into death magic know how strongly death is connected with the earth. Bodies are buried and decomposed within the earth. Ancient Sumerians believed that the soul could not travel to the Netherworld until the body was buried underground. The ancient Greeks recorded passages to the Underworld which included deep caves. Earth is the most prominent element in death magic; but another element that is equally prominent is water.

Just as earth connects to the Underworld in ancient mythology, so does water. You’ve probably heard of the river Styx carrying souls into the Greek Underworld, along with the five other rivers that make up its geology. Entrance into the ancient Egyptian afterlife was granted upon a passage downriver on Ra’s boat. In Mesopotamian mythos, we see a contradiction where some sources depict a soul traveling to the afterlife by road, whereas others travel by river. There are more examples, but to keep the post short I’ll paraphrase: Where there was a land of the afterlife, there was water.

Because of this, one of the most well-documented methods of Roman necromancy is scrying with water. The water was placed into a brass (or sometimes black) bowl, usually with a drop of oil. Green olive oil was most common, although some magicians may have included alcohol or blood instead. The source of the water, too, was very specific. Some sources claim that spring water is most effective to contact the dead, while others claimed river water worked best.

Some records of Underworld travel and hedgecrossing require the magician to either float down a river, or cross a river to enter the afterlife. Cleansing before rituals usually involved spring water for both full body cleaning and fasting. Some forms of spiritual travel require the magician to be submerged as well. 
​
If this topic interests you, I highly recommend researching mythos of the underworld, necromancy and funeral processions from the craft you pull inspiration from.