Three Death Witchcraft Spells To Heal The Deceased

I talk a lot about healing the dead in death witchcraft, and today, we’re going to cover some spells that help people do that. These three spells are specifically designed for honoring and emotionally assuaging the dead.

As regular readers know, I tend to pull my magic from ancient sources -- the Greek Magical Papyri, ancient Egyptian Coffin Spells, and first-hand accounts of Irish folklore from the University of Dublin, among others. I take (what we know of) these sources and reconstruct them into a modern spell. Here, I’m going to do the same thing while detailing my process.

For some of these ingredients, I listed potential substitutions. The correspondence list is at the end of the post. If you’re wondering why certain substitutions work, or why I used these ingredients, check the bottom of the post.

Offerings Made From Graveyard Dirt And Honey

The Papyri Graecae Magicae, often shortened to PGM, is a set of Greek magical papyri that dates between 100 and 400 BC. It is one of the most comprehensive lists of spells and rituals that we have from Greco-Roman Egypt, so it’s no wonder why many magicians reference it. 

The PGM is not all death spells, but there are some involving graves, love spells that invoke dead soldiers (yes, there are love spells in necromancy), and one “Pitys the Thessalian's spell for questioning corpses.” I combined many elements from these spells, including common ingredients and offerings, to create a subtle and healing offering for the dead.

When you're done, it should look something like this.

Essentially, you are going to take graveyard dirt and dried herbs and bind them into tiny balls with honey. You can place these offerings in cemeteries or on graves.

Ingredients:

1. Graveyard dirt
2. Honey -- I recommend getting a squeeze bottle; otherwise you’ll pollute your honey jar with dirt.
3. The ash of burnt myrrh incense
4. Bread crumbs
5. Dried lavender, rose, and thyme.
   1. Substitutions: calendula, rosemary, parsley. 

First, grind all of your ingredients with a mortar and pestle. Lay them out on a paper towel, and use the honey to glue them into tiny balls. Your hands will get sticky.

Leave then on a paper towel to dry. I recommend keeping them in a plastic bag with little air so they won’t fall apart. These make convenient, subtle offerings for cemetery spirits.

Spirit Work Oil For Necromancy

Oil blends have been used in magic and funerary practices for centuries. From embalming corpses in ancient Egypt to applying flying ointments in medieval witchcraft, oils have a long list of uses. Many are also used for spirit work.

Here, I took influence from Abramelin Oil. This ceremonial anointing oil has a long magic history, from ancient Judaism to the Golden Dawn to Aleistor Crowley’s Thelema. Since I am not a part of any of those traditions, I changed the recipe to better suit death work. 

I kept the base of olive oil, myrrh, and cinnamon, because all of these ingredients have strong connections to necromancy (see the correspondence list at the end of this post). Instead of cassia and galanga, I compiled some other herbs commonly used in death witchcraft. I also added some graveyard dirt, since I found that it boosts the power of any spirit work oil I make.

Here's what you'll need:

1. Olive oil
2. Myrrh -- I ground up the incense
3. Cinnamon -- I used the essential oil, Crowley style
4. Rosemary 
   1. Substitutions: rose or lavender
5. Wormwood 
   1. Substitution: mugwort
6. Graveyard dirt​

​I ground the dried herbs in a mortar and pestle before adding them to the container. After, I included the graveyard dirt, cinnamon oil, and olive oil. As I made it, I gave a substantial offering to the dead (mainly the soul who offered the dirt) through candle light and burnt herbs.

Above: Grinding the herbs together with a mortar and pestle. Right: the finished spirit work oil on my altar with some candle offerings.

 Then, I placed the oil on Hades’s altar for blessing. I kept it there for three days, giving Him an offering each night. You don’t have to do this, but I found that divine blessing empowers my oils so much more.

This oil can be added to water for scrying, consecrate tools, applied topically for spirit sense (in small doses), or given as an offering. In the next spell, I’m going to use the oil to anoint a candle.

Some have asked whether you need to strain the oil. Since we’re not using this oil for cooking or hygiene products like soap, you don’t need to strain it. However, you should seal it in an airtight container and watch for any mold, just like any other infused oil.

Healing Candle Spell for the Dead

I don’t think that I need to provide any historical reference for this spell. Candles have been used to honor the dead for a millennia. 

Here, think of a specific soul that you want to heal or honor in some way. I recommend getting an item that links to that person, such as their graveyard dirt, a photo, or a belonging. If all else fails, carve their name onto the candle before anointing it. 

You’ll need:

1. A candle in a healing color; I chose a light lavender
2. The spirit work oil from the previous spell
3. Dried healing herbs; I chose lavender, calendula, and rosemary
4. An object linking to the soul; I used graveyard dirt

Grind the dried herbs with a mortar and pestle, and lay them out on a paper towel. Anoint your candle with the oil; I used a Q-tip for this. After the candle is covered in oil, roll it on the dried herbs. They should stick to the candle. Place the candle near the soul’s object and light it.

As with any candle spell, watch the flame! This spell tends to create a very high flame (which is good; that means it’s effective). If the dried herbs catch fire, it might grow too big to blow out. Keep some water around just in case. 

That pink container holds graveyard dirt for a soul whom I've often worked with.

Why I Chose These Ingredients

• Bread Crumbs - Bread is one of the most universal offerings for the deceased, from ceremonial necromancy to the funerary rites written in the ancient Egyptian Coffin Spells. Many talk about bread loaves, but crumbs have appeared in necromancy as well. In the PGM, a love spell required the practitioner to throw bread crumbs onto the graves of those who died violently. 
• Calendula - Since the Victorian Era, calendulas have been common funerary flowers. It is also a prominent healing herb; it was often used to alleviate skin wounds from ancient Egypt to the American Civil War. 

• Cinnamon - Cinnamon has a long history of spirit work and consecration, especially in Judeo-Christian circles, since Moses anointed the Tabernacle with a cinnamon-infused oil. It was also a common embalming perfume; Emperor Nero bought as much cinnamon as he could to include it in his wife’s funeral pyre.

• Honey - This ingredient appears quite frequently in the PGM and funerary rites for the ancient Greeks. Some would mix honey with milk as an offering or place a jar of honey next to the deceased. In Celtic lore, bees could pass through spiritual realms; some witches allegedly had bees as familiars, according to the Witchcraft Museum in Boscastle.
• Lavender - Lavender is another popular funeral herb. The Ancient Greeks and Romans used it to heal wounds, illness, back aches, and insomnia. In Christian magic, lavender can protect against spirits. People would toss it on the church floor or make a cross out of lavender.
• Mugwort - Although mugwort is commonly used for spirit work nowadays, I cannot find many historical sources backing this. Most use it for spirit work because of its hallucinogenic effects. That said, folklore promotes it as a healing herb. In medieval Europe, people wore wreaths of mugwort to dispel evil spirits.
• Myrrh* - Myrrh is perhaps the most common incense in both ancient and traditional necromancy. Ash from myrrh incense was used to make magic circles or reused for other rites. The ancient Egyptians associated myrrh with Isis’s role as the Goddess of death and mourning, so they made magical inks and embalming oils with it. 
• Olive Oil - This oil is one of the most common consecration and divination oils out there, especially in ancient Rome, where people would scry with water and olive oil or rub the oil on their deity statues. 
• Parsley - In ancient Greece, people associated parsley with remembering the dead. Athletes would wear crowns of parsley to honor the recently deceased, and the ancient Romans put parsley on graves.
• Rose - Another popular funeral flower, roses were often dedicated to deities in ancient Greece and Rome. In Egyptian tombs from the 5th century BC, paintings of roses hang on the walls. Today, many associated roses with love (as the Greeks related roses to Aphrodite) and the purifying rosewater.
• Rosemary - Rosemary is commonly associated with memory, especially remembrance of the dead. You’ll find it in funerary rites from Rome, ancient Egypt, and medieval England.
• Thyme - Thyme is another herb that the Egyptians used for embalming. The ancient Greeks put thyme into baths, believing that it would raise their courage. Hence, the herb commonly appeared in funerals, often associated with the courage and the strength of the mourners. According to the English Cottage Garden Nursery, people used to put thyme on coffins to assure passage into the afterlife.
• Wormwood* - Wormwood is similar to mugwort in that most people relate its spirit work properties to its hallucinogenic effect. However, wormwood has a bit more folklore related to spirit work. The Ancient Greeks hung to guard against malicious spirits, and people carried wormwood for protection in Slavic folk dances and rituals. 

** These herbs can be toxic in large amounts. Do not use while pregnant or if you have seizures.

These Related Posts That Might Help

• About Ancestors: the Beloved Dead
• Ideas for a Death Witchcraft Altar
• Magical Uses for Graveyard Dirt
  
• Some Uncommon Tools in Death Witchcraft
• What to Do (Magic-Wise) When a Loved One Dies

Do you have spells to heal the deceased? Would you have used a different ingredient or method? Let me know in the comments below.