When I first practiced spirit work around 13 years ago, I ran into quite a few malicious spirits. I was naive, arrogant, and lacked supervision, so I fell for a lot of their tricks. Now, I know how to detect when spirits might have an ulterior motive. Based on my experiences, plus the experiences that other practitioners have shared with me, I’ve put together a list of red flags.

1. It sounds too good to be true. Some spirits approach magicians with claims of grandeur. They might say that you are their queen/king, that you are gifted, or that you are the “chosen one” or “only one who can help them.” This is especially common with new spirit workers. Take it from a crone: If it sounds too good to be true, it is. We all love to be complimented, and spirits who go out of their way to flatter you are probably manipulating you.
   
2. They’re being purposefully vague. “I need you to help me.” With what? “Something bad will happen.” What will happen? “Your ancestor wants to talk to you.” Which ancestor? Many new spirit workers mistake vagueness for their inability to understand spirits. This is another way that an evil spirit can manipulate you. If a spirit genuinely needs your help or wants to give you information, they will find a way to tell you clearly. I guarantee it. 
   
3. They guilt-trip you. One of the most common manipulation tactics that spirits use is to claim that they need help, and that you’re the only person who can do it. Predators use this to get victims, too. When I aid the dead, they are usually very grateful. But if the spirit does not act grateful and continues to push, beware. 
   
4. They’re giving you different answers each time. This is a huge red flag, especially for people who contact spirits through divination. When you first start working with a spirit, write down questions to ask them. When the spirit answers, jot down the answers. The next day, ask them the same questions. If the answers are different, then either the spirit is lying to you or you need to work on your divination skills. 
   
5. You feel awful after working with them. If you want to work with ancestors, heed this tip! You are never required to work with spirits who make you feel awful, even if they’re family. Sure, the spirit might not be intentionally making you feel bad. But at the risk of sounding New-Agey, why waste your time on that negative energy?
   

Your gut is screaming, “wait!” Just as you should follow your intuition around creepy people, you should do the same for spirits. ​

Witchcraft generally divides ancestors into two broad categories: the Beloved Dead and the Mighty Dead. For this post, we're going to focus on the Beloved Dead, which are familial ancestors.

Who are the Beloved Dead?

The Beloved Dead are what most people think of when they hear "ancestors": family members who have long since passed. Although the Beloved Dead are often called the "ancestors of blood," they don't require blood relations. Familial dead also include adoptive families and in-laws. After all, family is family.

Some people divide the Beloved Dead into subcategories, such as the Ancestors of Milk and Honey (in-laws). For this post, I'll refer to all of them as your familial ancestors.

What if I don't know my ancestors?

If you don't know your ancestral line, don't fret. In my experience within the community, most witches ask ancestors to come to them. You don't need to have met your ancestors, or even know their name, to work with them.

Ancestors can be contacted in two ways: communicating with specific souls, or calling out whoever wishes to respond. I'll cover both of these methods later.

On Abusive Ancestors.

When discussing ancestor work, one of the main topics that pops up is abusive family members. In fact, this is one reason why people contact the Beloved Dead: to achieve clarity and healing for previous trauma.

If you're going to contact abusive ancestors, keep two things in mind: (1) the dead may carry their attitude with them, BUT can also receive clarity in death; (2) you don't HAVE to contact them. Communicating with rude or uncooperative spirits is emotionally taxing. Don't risk your health or happiness over it.

Sometimes, an ancestor may turn out to be rude, manipulative, or stubborn. Don't feel the need to continue with this soul. You are never obligated to heal or put up with taxing spirits. If a relationship turns too sour, don't hesitate to contact a different ancestor.

What if my ancestors have a different religion?

This is one of the most common questions I receive about ancestor work, and it's a valid concern. Most new spirit workers worry that their ancestors won't cooperate due to religious differences. While this is sometimes the case, I've learned that many souls--even hardcore Christian souls in life--are surprisingly lenient in death.

When I first worked with my grandfather, a devout Catholic, he was more than happy lend me graveyard dirt for my magic. To him, it was like giving me a sweater when he was alive. He felt happy to give his granddaughter presents again.

As you can probably tell, my ancestral line is Irish Catholic. While some of them refuse to partake in witchcraft, others gladly participate once they learn that it's for my own protection, healing, profit, etc. My main piece of advise is this: Don't decide whether or not they'll participate before they do.

How to contact the Beloved Dead

You have a closer link to the Beloved Dead than any other ancestor. As such, they're fairly easy to contact (in comparison to other spirits).

Much of spirit work requires a physical link to the soul, and ancestor magic is no different. One option is to use your ancestor's graveyard dirt (sometimes called ancestor powder). If you have your ancestor's ashes, these work similarly. Another option is to use family heirlooms. Old photographs, books, tea sets, clothes, furniture--any heirloom should do the trick. You'll have an easier time signaling the Beloved Dead if you have a direct link to their soul.

If you own some of these, harness their energy before communicating with the Beloved Dead. For instance, focus on the energy while calling your ancestors to you. I highly recommend using these objects during divination. If you know your ancestor's name, call it out, and clarify "of the ___ family" (to prevent souls of the same name from arriving). If you don't know their names, ask for an ancestor of the ____ family to come. Evoke the Beloved Dead through a ritual with offerings and, of course, adequate spiritual protection.

If you don't have your ancestor's heirlooms or graveyard dirt, you can achieve this without them. A piece of yourself--such as a hair clipping or finger nail--can go a long way. Remember, you're blood-related to the Beloved Dead.

Offerings For The Beloved Dead

Offerings vary depending on ethnicity and culture. Some general offerings include dark bread, cakes, wine, tobacco, milk, water, candles, stones, flowers, artwork, letters, or items that represent their religious faith. Well-fed ancestors are more likely to repay you, whether that be through protecting their offspring, increasing your luck, advising your craft, or pouring their power into your spells. If you can, maintain regular offerings for your ancestors.

But why should I do this?

First and foremost, contacting the Beloved Dead unites you with your family line and traditions. If you feel disconnected from your culture or ethnicity, you may want to work with the Beloved Dead. In America, many descendants of immigrations feel stripped of their ancestral roots. The Beloved Dead teach you how to reconnect with them (as well as the Mighty Dead).

Second, ancestors are more likely to help you than other spirits. Powerful, well-known spirits have a lot of people knocking on their door, but few practitioners are summoning your great-grandmother. Your familial ties guarantee that you already have something in common. The Beloved Dead can become valuable allies and guides for your craft.

Third, the Beloved Dead are easier to contact than other deceased souls. There's a higher chance that they'll respond and get along with you. Finding physical links, offerings, and tools is relatively simply compared to most of death witchcraft. If you're a beginner spirit worker, consider working with the Beloved Dead.

Consider this post to be a primer, one that will kickstart your work with the Beloved Dead. To learn more, research more ancestor sources and your culture's funerary traditions.

In the death work community, most people emphasize gathering graveyard dirt and bones. Yes, these tools are significant: they connect us with the deceased when we're outside of a cemetery. But in my practice, I rarely collect graveyard dirt when I visit the dead's resting place. Instead, I practice other forms of devotion, spirit communication, and magic.

I don't recommend packing up grave dirt during your first trip to the cemetery for a couple of reasons:

1. you don't know the cemetery yet;
2. you need to be absolutely sure that you want to work with a certain spirit, because once you collect the dirt, you're responsible for dealing with that spirit afterward.

On my tumblr, I've received a lot of questions about how to contact the dead in a cemetery without using a divination vessel. Like any method of spirit work, this connection with the deceased develops through practice. The best way that I can answer this question is to respond with what I, personally, do in graveyards. Every death witch practices differently. Hence, this post is just here to give you ideas about how to advance your death witchcraft.

When I enter a new cemetery, here's what I'll do.

• I explore. I can already hear the chorus of "duh" echoing from across the computer screen, but allow to explain what I'm looking for. Most cemeteries have sections that may or may not be clearly labeled. Older headstones tend to huddle together; babies and young children often get buried in one area. Depending on your path, you may want to focus on one specific section.
• I am silent. I listen. If you're familiar with energy work, this is the time where you want to focus on your own energy and senses. Sometimes, a particular soul or plot will jump out at you, or even call you towards it. To catch these signals, you must concentrate. This is not the time to chat or take pictures (although I understand how tempting picture-taking is).
• I may meditate within the cemetery. If you have a hard time connecting to the graveyard's energy, you'll want to practice a meditation technique. I usually do this under a tree, because these spirits understand their graveyard well, and may inform me on where to go. In my experience, the best technique is to enter a meditative state, and connect your energy to the earth. Once you have a feel for the earth, sense the wind. Both elements are strongly tied to ghosts and will link you to the graveyard.
• I donate offerings and tidy the area. Because we can't take every grave's dirt home, we need to communicate with the dead in other ways. This is a great way to communication with the deceased. For offerings, I usually give coins, small candles, and herbs. But you can also offer flowers and stones as well. Personally, I like granting offerings to effaced or destroyed grave sites: the Forgotten Dead. I also throw away trash and brush off dusty or mud-covered headstones (WITHOUT moving any offerings already present). The deceased usually appreciate the sacrifice and inform me about their lives.
• I may sit with one grave for a long time. Once you explore the cemetery exhaustively, you'll likely locate a grave or two that peaks your interest. I usually remain by these graves for the bulk of my cemetery time--listening, cleaning, gifting, honoring. 
• Even if I don't bring home graveyard dirt, I may perform magic for the spirit once I get home. Depending on my interaction, I may give the spirit further offerings, or perform more magic to help the soul heal or move on. Later on, I'll return the cemetery to confirm whether my spell worked.

While we're talking about cemetery trips, here are some etiquette/safety tips to keep in mind:

• DO NOT sit on top of headstones. It's rude and unsafe.
• If you see a fallen headstone, DO NOT try to upright it yourself. These stones are incredibly heavy and require several people to repair. Instead, contact the cemetery's staff members.
• DO NOT throw away offerings that are already on graves, including dead flowers. Leave that to the cemetery caretakers. However, you may upright a flower pot if it has fallen over.
• If a staff member asks you to move or leave, do as they say.
• DO NOT burn candles or incense inside the cemetery. It may start a fire.
• DO NOT interrupt other peoples' mourning time.

I hope this post inspires you to view cemetery visits as more than a way to gather tools. These visits allow us to communicate with the dead, advance our abilities, and build a reliable reputation with the spirits. I wish you best of luck in your path.

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.
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• 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. 

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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
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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.
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If you’ve made it this far, here’s a big hug (っ´▽｀)っ