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DISCLAIMER: Please read first.  With Part 1 I am going to give the general steps I took and with Part 2 I will cover the specific activities I did. When people ask me for beginner tips on death witchery, I often tell them to start with confronting any fears of death they may have…but I don’t ever tell them how to go about doing that. The reason being is because everyone is different and everyone has different fears relating to death. Some fear it will be painful, some fear the unknown. How you go about confronting and dealing with the fear of death is an extremely personal experience. No one can tell you the right or wrong way to go about it as everyone is different, you must find your own way that works for you.

Set up a support system. I had struggled with fears of death my entire life and starting to confront those fears was a big thing for me. If it is something you really struggle with, I would recommend that you not try to go it alone. There were times when I was terrified, panicked, my anxiety was through the roof from the exposure. If I had tried to do this alone it would not have been good for me. When I began to expose myself to my fears, I had a spiritual protector and a deity with me through almost every process I underwent. They held my hand through the beginning steps, assuring me and helping me to maintain balance. I also had my fiance and friends I could hang out with when I needed to step away from it for a while, they would bring me back up. 

Write down your fears This is an important step as you must know what you are confronting. It’s almost impossible to face something when you can’t even define what it is. I went through and wrote down each of my fears and the nuances behind them. Once I had them all pointed out, I could begin to face them. 

Obtain a guide. If you have a lot of anxiety about death, so much so that it interferes with everyday life, I would recommend seeing a licensed therapist to help you confront these fears. I saw a therapist as a child and throughout my teenage years to learn ways to deal with fears. It wasn’t until years of therapy and learning coping mechanisms that I felt I could begin to go about it somewhat on my own. Once I reached that state, I went through and wrote down my fears, but I wasn’t really sure how to go about confronting them further. My deity and entity helped guide me through what steps and activities to do to help me through the process. They would tell me when to do things, as they could judge my energy and let me know when I should take a break and when I should continue on. Having them guide me through this process was a tremendous help. They also only gave me activities where I would not be harmed in the process, looking out for my safety and well-being at all times. If you decide to contact an entity or deity for help, be absolutely sure that they are trustworthy and they have your best interests at heart. It would be best to speak with one you already know. If you don’t have one you already know, I would suggest getting to know a spirit for a long time before working with them on something like this.

Self Care Facing your fears can be a very emotionally draining and taxing experience. You are going to have to learn your limits and to take breaks when you need them. It is very easy to be overwhelmed during this process and you want to avoid that. Facing fears is about pushing yourself, but you can push yourself too hard. I made sure that after doing some heavy death work that I would treat myself to something nice and light. I’d bake some cookies and watch a funny movie, take my dog on a walk, spend time with my fiance, focus on the good things life has to offer. I would highly recommend setting up some time after facing your fears in order to pamper and treat yourself a bit. This step was very important to me. 

This is a tarot spread that was inspired by Dr. Cathy Collautt’s five steps to getting your subconscious on board. (Here’s the video where she talked to Marie Forleo about it.) This spread is designed to help you find out what’s really keeping you from reaching your goals, and how you can turn your fears into a non-issue and start manifesting your desires. 

What do I want?

What fear is blocking me?

Why do I have this fear?

What value is this fear protecting? (In other words, what is this fear trying to keep me from losing or compromising on?)

How can I honor my values?

How can my values guide me towards my desires?

How can I manifest my desires without sacrificing my values?

Who or what exemplifies my path?

How can I solidify and affirm my path?

Be sure that when you use this spread, you really look into the alternative and deeper meanings of the cards that you draw. When I did my own reading, I pulled Justice as my desire. It took getting help from a friend and fellow tarot reader to understand what that actually meant for me and what I want to manifest. (Thanks, Nicole!)

after some nine days of an altered mind state and excruciating pain hope to find the secret of semiotics in the form of glowy ass runes, boy DO I HAVE the soundtrack for you:

He is everywhere

In the flights of crows do I find him, and in the braying of beasts beyond the streetlights

He walks in the stormwinds and the thunderheads that blow salt air in from the sea. His music is the creaking and groaning of the trees in the wind.

His voice is the burbling, gibbering speech from deep in the swamp at night, carried on the night wind. He is the tap on the window, the figure behind the trees, the shadow on the edge of sight.

And I find him in a lover’s kiss. In a lover’s embrace, in clothes tearing away, bodies entangling, the fires of passion, the sharp snap of leather, pleasure and pain, he is there.

In my blood I find him; when blood rises hot in my breast and I ween passion and fury, inspiration, be inspiration an uncapped pen and a new notebook or be it a clenched fist, an unsheathead knife, he is there, and his hand is my hand.

Or when that blood turns cold and all is dark, sorrow without end, grief without hope, he is there, and he ever listens as we keen into the void.

Mad God, Old God, the Grey, the Hanged, the Terrible; Allfather, Warfather, lord of change, lord of war, lord of song

Of old was an age when first he walked