Sigyn's Seidr

RECIPES I KEEP IN MY KITCHEN WITCH JOURNAL

My Original Content:

Soft Buttery Rolls

Healing Tea

Sweet Cream Buns

Witchy Tomato Basil Soup

Birds Of Prey Inspired Spicy Avocado Breakfast Sandwich on Ciabatta Bread

Witchy Thumbprint Cookies

Magick Chocolate Chip Cookies

Imbolc Rosemary Jerk Baked Chicken

Witchy Pot Roast

Other of my favorite recipes:

French Silk Pie

Rosemary, pepper, lavender skillet bread

Creamy summer vegetable soup

Salted Honey Pie 🍯

Love Thyself Brownies

Orange cake recipe

🌿Lavender Tea Infusion🌿

Fresh Apple Autumn Cake with Honey-Cinnamon Glaze

Pretzel buns

Foodie Friday: Acorn Bread!

Cold Season Soup–Vegetable Soup with White Beans, Cauliflower, and Quinoa

Moon Spell Cookies

Perfect lemon meringues

Chocolate muffins 🌙

Foodie Friday: Tiramisu!

100 year old gingerbread recipe

Strawberry juice 🍓

Witches’ Honey Bread

Warming Autumn Soup

Magickal snickerdoodles ☀️💘

Moon Cookies

ok luvlies here is my Anti-Depression Self Love Candle recipe for all my fellow mentally ill witches on my blog💗

Things you need (all precharged and cleansed where needed)

a white or pink (love) candlestick

blue dripping wax (health and healing)

black dripping wax (protection)

dried eucalyptus leaves (healing)

dried rose petals (self love)

4 cloves (healing and naturally painkilling)

salt (protection and purifying)

coffee grounds (magic amplifying)

rose eo (self love)

eucalyptus eo (healing)

left over herbs and two sprigs of fresh eucalyptus

a small basin to hold the candle

(i know this seems like a lot of ingredients but u can tailor this to what you have and need)

Steps

throw the dried eucalyptus leaves, rose petals, cloves, salt, and coffee in a motar and powder them as fine as you can with a pestle. focus on the intention behind each ingredient as you do this, what will these herbs help you with? (i guess you can also food process these? but since i don’t have a food processor i did this by hand and this step took me a little while lol)

leave your powdered herb mix to the side, if you want to draw sigils on your candlestick, now is the time to do so. i used my ‘i am loving’ sigil on mine.

now annoint your precleansed candle with the eucalyptus and rose essential oils. i used 2 drops of eucalyptus and 4 of rose because the eucalyptus is such a strong scent i didn’t want the rose to be overpowered. you want the candle super oily so your herbs will stick to it’s sides.

over some parchment or newspaper, begin pressing your powders onto your anointed candle. if some falls off that’s ok, you can sprinkle it over the candle when the candles almost finished and your not handling it so much.

melt the wax on the base of your candle using a lighter or match and, working quickly, press the candle to your basin to secure it. doing this now instead of as the last step makes it so much easier to drip the wax over your candles without rubbing off the herbs.

now it’s time to drip the wax over your candle, just do this until you feel satisfied that you can see the colour and it looks cute.

after you’ve finished step 6 the candle itself is finished! just fill the basin with leftover herbs and herb powder. i threw some salt and rose buds on top of mine too.

stick the eucalyptus sprigs in the herb bath and you’re completely done!

to finish i just lit mine and left it near my windowsill to charge under the sunlight with two rose quartz and a tree agate.

i hope you guys are feeling better soon and if you like these posts lmk and i’ll make more!

Shadow work can feel very…vague to talk about. There’s a bad habit of just kind of handwaving things and hoping people figure it out on their own. Part of that is that it’s so intensely personal. It’s so hard to come up with things that will work for everyone. The other part is that I want people to experiment and add to what we know about shadow work so I don’t want to be too prescriptive in how I teach others to do it.

So, for this post I wanted to dig into some of the most basic skills I use in shadow work in the hopes it’ll help people no matter which methods or paths they take.

Describing Events Neutrally

I put this one first because I think it’s the most important and the more difficult. Our emotions cloud how describe events to ourselves and others. For us to look critically at actions or words, we really need to be able to describe them without intent or emotion. Now, I’m not saying to leave that out entirely, I’ll get to that next. But you have to be able to get a clear view of what was done. This is so important when working with anything that might be triggering. We are too used to describing events with the goal of justifying thoughts, feelings, and actions and in shadow work it helps to break that instinct where you can.

When you can describe events neutrally to start with, it’s easier to see whether the feelings where in line or out of line with what happened. Were you way over reactive? Maybe under reactive? It’s easier to judge that when you have a neutral account to work with.

To practice, try listing out some events as they happen neutrally. An example might be after a tense interaction with someone, listing out what was said and done. If you can, get someone who was there to look at it and someone who wasn’t there to look at it and see what they say as far as how factual and neutral the account is.

Naming Feelings

Many many people cannot tell you what they’re feeling. There’s a myriad of reasons for this but no matter where it comes from it hurts shadow work. Your mood is like an internal weather system, you need to be able to do shadow work that’s appropriate for the weather. How you dig into things if gonna be different if your reaction to feeling trapped is to give up and binge movies or to lash out in anger. Gotta know what you’re working with.

It’s absolutely vital that you practice naming your emotions in day to day life. I did a week where I had an alarm go off five times a day and I wrote down what I was feeling in a note on my phone. A lot of my entries were “I’m not sure”. The practice showed me how often I have no connection to my feelings at all and prompted me to get to know them better.

Try using a feelings wheel or a feelings chart at least once a day to get used to checking in with yourself and putting a name on it.

Defining What You Want

We live in a society that has a very complicated relationship with wants. People often say we live in a consumerist society but we don’t often talk about what that’s done to us psychologically, to be so consumptive. There’s a lot of morality around them too that we internalize. We identify strongly with what we want. We define ourselves through our ambitions and our goals. But it means what we really want gets lost in the pursuit of shaping our desires to be acceptable or admirable. We ignore our desires that don’t fit with our narratives which is such a block to shadow work. How can you work on what you won’t let yourself be conscious of?

You have to understand that you and your desires are not one in the same. Just because you really want to enact violence on someone for what they’ve done doesn’t make you a bad person or a mean person or what have you. It’s a natural human desire. That doesn’t mean that’s it’s justified just that you are not bad for having those thought or desires. This extends to other things people don’t like admitting they want – finding other people more appealing than their partner, wanting someone who’s wronged them to suffer, wanting more for yourself even if it means someone else goes without – they’re all desires we have from time to time.

Practice writing what you want out on paper. Remind yourself you don’t have to act on it and that it’s better to be aware of it so doesn’t sneak into the driver’s seat. It’s important to break the idea that we’re owed what we want or that we have to act on what we want. Desires, much like feelings, come and go. But they’re important to be aware of while they’re here.

Taking Responsibility

I still am unsure of how to describe how to do this. It’s really distress tolerance at it’s core; learning to be okay with not being okay. Because where I see people going wrong with responsibility in shadow work is that they either explain everything away with context or they go it’s all my fault and it’s so terrible I can’t do anything about it.

Part of taking responsibility is being able to answer the question “What do I owe in this situation?” If your answer is always nothing, you’re wrong. We are social creatures, we’re only here because we evolved the intelligence to work closely and creatively with other members of our species. We do owe each other things in any interaction. It’s important to practice thinking about what those things are. Equally important is thinking through what you don’t owe as well.

Practice sitting with your mistakes when they happen and trying to think what’s owed in this situation. Shadow work depends on our ability to take responsibility for the roles we play in what keeps us stuck.

Pattern Recognition

I don’t know that I have much explicit advice for this category other than it’s incredibly helpful. Seeing your patterns is really key to zeroing in on automatic behaviors or thoughts. Pattern recognition is kind of like playing Minesweeper. It gets you a little closer to what you’re trying to uncover without having to step right in it and maintain yourself to be reflective.

Journaling can be really great for this. If you see yourself writing about the same actions or feelings or thoughts again and again and again. Going back through old conversations where you’re venting might give you some clues.

Whenever you find yourself frustrated you keep doing something, take note. When are you doing these things? What does it offer you? What does it protect you from?

We don’t do things repeatedly if they don’t serve us in some way which can be hard for us to admit.

Compassionate Problem Solving

So you’ve dug up these unpleasant truths about yourself, what’s a shadow worker to do? The only way forward is compassionate problem solving. Which is best summed of for me as working with yourself, not against yourself. I’m reminded of permaculture – the problem is the solution.

An example of this in my own life was ADHD. Once I finally realized what I was dealing with was ADHD, I spent several months ignoring it completely and being shocked when I couldn’t will myself to be “normal”. I felt a lot of shame. It was only when I started accepting where I was at and then going okay what can I do that things started to shift. “Okay, if I know I’m gonna forget my keys what can I do?” I put spare house keys and car keys in my car so when I inevitably forgot them somewhere I could call AAA and I’d be able to drive home. “Okay if I’m gonna forget my papers what can I do?” I made digital backup galore so I could access them and print them off at the last minute on campus. My life got so much better with the approach.

Wherever you’re at there are things you can do to make it better going forward and it’s important to get creative and stay reasonable. Getting triggered frequently? Make sure you have a cool down list of some kind on your phone. Too scared to grab groceries by yourself? Grab a buddy or order them and pick them up. Spending too much time in bed because you’re depressed as shit? Set a 5 minute timer and do one thing to make your life better. Literally all of these are personal examples.

There’s always something you can do. Small wins are still wins. Count them. There’s no need to be cruel to yourself while doing shadow work. Practice coming up with at least three different ways to respond to issues that you face. Even if you know a solution isn’t the one you’re gonna take, get used to putting out more than one “right” answer. In shadow work, there’s always more than one path.

Conclusion

I hope this is helpful. A bit rambling, but I think I could have used a post like this when I was starting out. Shadow work gets very individualized, very quickly, but I’ve yet to talk to anyone who wasn’t using at least a few of these in their personal shadow work journey. Hope these skills and how to practice them help!

A witch’s cabinet 🔮

🃏 Find The Empress in your deck. The card behind her will reveal what you need to do to nurture and care for yourself. 

🃏 When in conflict or competition with someone, look for 5 of Wands. The card behind it will reveal the solution to the problem.

🃏 If you see the same card over and over again in readings, it is a sign and you must pay attention to its message for you.

🃏 For a better understanding of each card, observe it closely and form your own interpretation that follows its themes. It will help you interpret readings better.

🃏 To find out what is making you feel stuck or delayed, look to The Hanged Man. The card underneath him will show what is holding you back. The card in front of him will show you how to overcome it.

🃏 When shuffling your cards, if any card drops out of your grasp, take it as a sign and read the card. 

🃏 You do not need crystals with you to do proper readings, but a good way to cleanse your deck is to place a clear quartz on the top of your deck before each reading. Keep in mind; there’s a variety of ways you can cleanse your deck.

🃏 Often when The High Priestess appears in a reading, she is trying to tell you that you know the answers and that you should listen to your inner voice.

It’s been a while since I’ve made a post. I’m going to address one of the most frequently asked questions I receive: How do I give offerings? For some reason, many beginner books don’t dive into the specifics of this religious practice which many are unfamiliar with. Hopefully this will help.

General Rules:

Offerings are given as thank-yous, as little gifts to say that you appreciate the deity’s existence. They don’t have to be expensive, but they should be special in your eyes. For example, I often offer donuts or wine simply because I don’t buy those two things often.

Offerings should be appropriate for the deity you’re giving them to.

You’re allowed to get creative with offerings–in fact, the Gods even prefer that you do!

How often you give offerings in accordance to your practice is up to you.

You may give apology offerings for any offense you think you may have made.

Prayers, songs, playlists, and there intangible gifts still count as offerings.

You do not need an altar to give offerings. You can give offerings anywhere, at anytime.

Simply saying “This is for you” makes the object an offering.

Food Offerings:

Most food offerings are eaten after being offered. The main exceptions are Greek chthonic deities, and ancestors, in which case you do not eat the offerings. Research your specific pantheon to make sure if eating is appropriate or not.

There is no set amount of time to leave out food offerings. In fact, many worshippers will eat said offerings right after they offer them.

If you do not eat food offerings, you may throw them away, saying something like, “Though I discard these physical offerings, the spiritual offering remains”.

You may also bury the offerings. Make sure that the offerings will not harm the surrounding environment or animals. Do not bury them in a jar or plastic bag.

If you offer herbs, you may either burn them using a charcoal block or cauldron, or you may throw them out/bury them. While burning is certainly traditional in many pantheons, do not feel the need to if you will be bothered by the potent smoke or handling fire.

Liquid Offerings:

Liquid offerings are handled in the same way food offerings are, with the exception of oils.

You do not have to drink oils after offering them. (Drinking straight olive oil is pretty gross, and please DO NOT drink harmful essential oils!) I recommend pouring them into the ground outside, or into the trash can.

You may pour liquid offerings into the offering bowl, or, you may keep the liquid offering in a cup. I have a special teacup that I often use for offerings such as tea, but any regular teacup will do. After all, you are offering the liquid, not the cup.

Incense and Candle Offerings:

According to tradition, these offerings must be left to burn out on their own. I recommend lighting small tea light candles for these offerings, as big candles burn for a long time. However, some modern Pagans may blow, rinse, or snuff them out early to prevent a fire hazard.

Make sure to be present while the offering is lit, and make sure nothing catches on fire.

If you are bothered by incense smoke, using an essential oil diffuser or unscented candle works fine.

Although many Pagans recommend incense as a general offering, you do not have to offer it, or any candles, if they bother you.

Plant Offerings:

If you offer a plucked flower, you may leave it on an altar or table until it withers. Afterwards you may throw it away. Basically, you handle it as any other friend would had you given them a plucked flower.

If you offer a growing or potted plant, tend to it as you would your other plants. If it dies, that’s okay. Simply discard it as you would normally. The Gods understand that plants die, and They appreciate the beauty of plants while they last.

Other Offerings:

For objects such as stones, shells, or family heirlooms, keep them on the altar or somewhere else special. Ideally, you will not need to throw these away. If they get damaged somehow, and if you cannot repair them, you may throw them out, but give an apology offering and try to replace them.

For artworks or crafts, place them on the altar or hang them somewhere. Don’t sell your offerings; they are gifts you gave to the Gods and not yours to sell.

For songs, play or sing them anytime you’d like to connect or give something to your deity.

For writings, you may keep them, or some people might burn them to “send” to their Gods. Whichever way is up to you.

For e-shrines or other technological offerings, keep them saved in their own folder, keep them nice and up-to-date.

For magical tools, such as grimoires or wands that you dedicate, feel free to use them as normal. Just take care of them, and remember to thank the deity you devoted them to once in a while.

For daily or private actions, such as cleaning, giving to others, etc., simply think “This is for you” or send your energy to the God, and finish the action.

You may say prayers out loud, write them down, or simply think them in your mind. All are perfectly legitimate.

The sabbats are holidays celebrated throughout the year on solstices, equinoxes, and the midpoints between them. These sabbats form the Wheel of the year.

There is a controversy surrounding the dates of these holidays, as people celebrate them all over the earth, not only in the northen hemisphere but in the southern too. 

One viewpoint is that the Sabbats should be celebrated as they were originally created to be… in other words, Samhain is October 31st, regardless of where you live. In the Southern Hemisphere, even though you are just gearing up to summer on October 31st, this perspective says that you celebrate the cleansing and releasing, the honouring of the dead just as you would if you lived in the Northern Hemisphere. The other viewpoint (the one I personally agree with) is that you should celebrate when you feel like the season corresponds with the holiday, in other words, your craft, your rules. So if you live in the southern hemisphere, you have the choice.

I’ll be writing the dates for each holiday starting with the northen hemisphere and then the dates that many people celebrate them in the southern hemisphere

🌲𝐘𝐔𝐋𝐄

{December 21st//June 21st}

Yule focuses on rebirth and renewal as the sun makes its way back to the earth. It’s all about new beginnings, reflection and embracing warmth. Much like Christmas, many celebrate with a feast, gift giving, being cosy and appreciating the good.

↟Nature: cedar, frankincense, myrrh, mistletoe, pine, birch, ivy.

↟Foods//flavours: ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, wintergreen, apple, dried fruit.

↟Stones: citrine, ruby, garnet, alexandrite, green tourmaline.

↟Activities: decorate your altar with incense associated with Yule, burn ash wood for prosperity, bake using Yule flavours like ginger or cinnamon, make wreathes to hang around the house, spend time with loved ones.

🕯️𝐈𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐋𝐂

{February 1st//August 1st}

Imbolc focuses on celebrating the nature that is preparing to grow and renewal, also known as “candlemas” and the “Feast of Pan”.

↟Nature: basil, blackberry, heather, celandine, iris, wisteria, vanilla, bay, yellow and white flowers.

↟Foods//flavours: pumpkin and sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, peppers, onions, spices, and herbal teas.

↟Stones: amethyst, bloodstone, garnet, ruby, onyx.

↟Activities: decorate with candles and sun decorations, go hiking, have a bonfire, bake foods with poppy seeds, and burn any leftover winter herbs.

🌼𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐀

{March 21st//September 21st}

Ostara focuses on manifesting creativity and love. As the days become longer, energy becomes stronger.

↟Nature: ash, alder, daffodil, honeysuckle, narcissus, primrose, violet, jasmine.

↟Foods//flavours: olives, maple syrup, honey, edible flowers, chocolate, pine nuts, nettle or lavender tea, local fruits and vegetables.

↟Stones: amethyst, rose quartz, moonstone.

↟Activities: gardening and planting seeds, bake breads with olives or honey for example, start new projects, talk to plants, do some painting, decorate with wildflowers.

🌰𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐄

{May 1st//November 1st}

Beltane focuses on fertility, love and abundance. Also known as “may day”, on this sabbat many celebrate with dancing, bonfires and many high energy activities, including enjoying themselves sexually with a partner or even conceiving children.

↟Nature: frankincense, lilac, ivy, marigold, woods, rose, thyme, mint, yarrow.

↟Foods//flavours: oats, leafy greens, fruits, breads, honey.

↟Stones: malachite, amber, fire opal, red jasper.

↟Activities: dance, decorate with florals and symbols of the sea, go to the beach, go hiking, have a bonfire, feast on fruits, vegetables and grains, laugh and let your hair down. And if you’re trying to conceive or simply would like to have sex, Beltane is a wonderful time to do so.

🦋𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐀

{June 21st//December 21st}

Litha focuses on growth and celebrating the longest day of the year and the sun, before the shorter days begin.

↟Nature: fern, yarrow, sage, rose, oak, mugwort, lavender, chamomile, myrrh, pine.

↟Foods//flavours: herbed bread, honey, sunflower seeds, iced herbal tea, lemon, vanilla.

↟Stones: lapis lazuli, amethyst, malachite, tiger’s eye.

↟Activities: make or buy a sun catcher, surround yourself with warm tones, watch the sunrise and sunset, make sun water, spend time outdoors, make use of herbs.

🌾𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐒//𝐋𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐍𝐀𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐇

{August 2nd//February 2nd}

Lammas, or lughnasadh focuses on celebrating the first of the three harvesting sabbats and taking time to really feel the positivity in different aspects of life.

↟Nature: cornstalks, heather, acacia flowers, hollyhock, oak leaves, wheat, myrtle, spices.

↟Food//flavours: grainy bread, corn, potatoes, nuts, blackberries, wine.

↟Stones: amber, agate, citrine, clear quartz, obsidian, tiger’s eye.

↟Activities: bake bread, make corn dolls, visit a sunflower field, spend time in nature, acknowledged what you are grateful for, journal.

🍁𝐌𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐍

{September 21st//March 21st}

Mabon focuses on honouring the change of the seasons, balance and peace.

↟Nature: sage, pine, marigold, thistle, acorns, milkweed, oak leaves, myrrh.

↟Food//flavours: cinnamon, nuts, beans, dark fruits, pies, soup, butterscotch.

↟Stones: citrine, carnelian, clear quartz, sapphire, yellow agate.

↟Activities: collect pine cones, donate food and old clothes, meditate, dry herbs, spend time with loved ones, speak to the nature around you.

🎃𝐒𝐀𝐌𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐍

{October 31st-November 1st//April 30th-May 1st}

Samhain focuses on celebrating life, and honouring those who are no longer with us.

↟Nature: heather, sage, pumpkins, straw, flax, patchouli, myrrh.

↟Foods//flavours: apples, cider, pumpkin, pies, soups, stews, potatoes, ginger.

↟Stones: amber, black obsidian, fossils, onyx, sandstone, bloodstones.

↟Activities: honour the deceased, spend time with family, make a hearty comforting meal, make or buy a scarecrow, spend time practicing divination.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐚𝐭

↟Do a tarot reading relevant to that sabbat.

↟Spend time in the moonlight, charging your crystals and tarot cards, as well as meditating.

↟Bake something using at least one traditional food of that sabbat to share with others.

↟Sage cleanse your living space and any of your magickal items.

Selenite: Clarity of the Mind, Anti-Anxiety, Soothing, Concentration, Protection, Cleansing, Protection, Dispelling Negative Energy.

Onyx: Protection, Absorbs and Transforms Negative Energy, Focus, Knowledge.

Tigers Eye: Confidence, Strength, Courage, and Good Luck + Fortune.

Hematite: Energy, Vitality, Manifestation, Organisation, Channeling and Balancing Higher Vibrations.

Clear Quartz: Forgiveness, Peace, Compassion, Creativity, Soothing, Clearing, Empathy.

Jade: Emotional Balance, Peace, Purity, Inner Peace, Abundance, Connection with Nature.

Pyrite: Protection, Shields from Negative Energy, Clarity, Confidence, Determination, Focus.

Aquamarine: Closure to Unresolved Situations, Calming, Purity of the Mind, Peace of Mind, Protection.

Moonstone: New Beginnings, Intuition, Enhancement of Psychic Abilities, Self-Expression, Emotional Understanding.

Clear Quartz: Clarity in Thinking, Improved Awareness and Memory, Cleansing, Transformation, Protection, Enhancing.

Amethyst: Calming, Intuition, Clarity, Wisdom, Focus, Insight, Anxiety Relief.

Have a dedicated shawl, scarf, or headcover.

This allows you to block out light and easier activate your inner sight and induces trance quicker. Especially if you have a hard time focusing.

Can also act as a form of protection from new or nasty spirits. It's a bonus as it can disguise your energy from negative spirits if you enchant it so. (Mine was a gift from a client who is now dead, I call upon her memory, and my ancestors to aid me in my work.)

Smoke it up if you can!

Using herbal bundles, not only white sage, can help with protection your aura, opening your senses up, getting into trance, and support your energetic work. Some can be wonderful for banishing nasty spirits too!

If you can't light incense or herbal bundles, perfumes and cleansing herbal sprays can work similarly. Just be careful with essential oils please! They are the volatile organic chemical compounds that the plant creates to protect itself, they are not all safe to use externally or internally or sometimes at all. And can have very REAL effects on your body. Anything from chemical burns to literal miscarriage! Please fucking be safe with essential oils, don't be a fucking idiot!

Trust your guides, guardian spirits, angels, higher self, etc.

If they are asking or telling you to do something it's almost always for your benefit. Learn from my mistakes and work with them, not against them. You'll get farther, quicker, when you cooperate with the Spirit World.

Realize it's not all happening to you

Things might get rough, Spirit work can bring up a lot of self work and shadow work that needs to be released. Once you allow things to open, things happen. Remember that things are happening through you, not to you. Once you claim and step into your power, nothing can shake you. Things might try to knock you down, but you always come back stronger. The experience is just as important as the outcome.

You will never know everything

In all honesty, you know almost nothing. You won't know or encounter everything else everyone else has, so be discerning but open and understanding. You will never know everything so deal with it.

If someone's experience doesn't line up with your beliefs or what you think is happening to them, do not discount them or what they are going through. We all experience things differently anyway.

A little goes a long way

Don't over do things. If you are feeling drained and tired honor that and take a break. Rest for a while. You can not and should not expect to be able to channel or heal or etc, forever nonstop without break or back to back to back. Allow yourself your limits.

Health: caraway seeds, eucalyptus leaves, ginger, juniper, berries, pine needles, rose hips, sunflower petals or seeds, thyme.

Happiness: baby’s breath, cedar chips or shavings, fir needles, marigold petals, marjoram, orange peel, oregano, savory.

Love: cardamom pods or ground cardamom,carnation petals, cinnamon chips or ground cinnamon, coriander seeds, hibiscus flowers, linden flowers, mint, rose petals, willow leaves or bark.

Prosperity: acorns, allspice, almonds, banana chips, cloves, oak leave, oats, poppy seeds, rice, saffron threads, sage.

Peace: basil,catnip, lavender, lemongrass, olive branches or olive leaves, rosemary, violets.

Protection: angelica, black beans, cactus needles,garlic powder, or garlic salt, nettles, ground black pepper or black peppercorns, thistles, thorns.

Good Fortune: ash leaves, bay leaves, cumin seeds or powdered cumin, dill seeds or leaves, whole or ground nutmeg, vanilla beans.

I realize that others have written up posts on death witchcraft, but I decided to write one as resources on this craft are scarce and I know many are curious. Note that every witch practices the craft differently, and for different reasons; these are just my personal experiences based on myself and the death witches I’ve spoken to.

What is death witchcraft?

I personally define death witchcraft as using death to empower you rather than dishearten you. I reflect a lot upon the concept of death, come to terms with my own death, and work through spiritual “deaths” in my life, such as the death of friends or jobs of an aspect of my personality. Death witches work with and honor spirits of the dead (ghosts, ancestors) as well as the power of death itself (endings, resurrections). I embrace death as a new beginning, and a pivotal point in the cycle of life.

Does this answer sound familiar? Because I’ve said it before, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. I get this question a lot, you see, which is why I’m making a post about it. (⌒_⌒)

Why do you do it?

As with many paths, every witch does it for different reasons. For some, it’s a fear, or similar fascination, with death and its inevitability. Some practice it to find peace with death, and the dead. Some combine it with chthonic worship. And some just think it’s cool shit. No matter the reason, death witchcraft is one of the more emotionally tolling and obscure crafts out there. So if you’re interested, be prepared to commit.

What do you do in the craft?

A lot of spirit work, mainly caring for the dead. Ways I do this include tending to graveyards, giving offerings to the dead, helping the dead pass on, and helping people through mourning. I do a lot of shadow work, where I face my fears about death and the “deaths” in my life, and come to terms with accepting it. I also honor ancestors, honor different cultures’ funeral rites, and necromancy.

Other witches combine the craft with vulture culture, or becoming a mortician or funerary holder. I personally do not.

What is necromancy?

Necromancy is divination through the dead. Basically–talking to the dead to receive insights into the present or future. Necromancy can be performed in many different ways, including but not limited to summonings, bone throwing, pendulum readings, and other rituals. No, there’s no reanimating of the dead; many necromancers are strictly against that, if it is at all possible.

Some necromancers are death witches; some are not. I know many death witches who incorporate divination into their path, but would not call it necromancy. The lines seem to be blurred here. But because I receive so many questions on it, I figured I’d include it in the FAQ.

Is death witchcraft religious?

Well, uh … yes and no. Considering how much work death witches do with the spirits of a dead, a general belief in the afterlife is common among death witches. However, I do know some death witches who engage in past life work as an aspect of their craft instead of working with ghosts. Death witchcraft has the capability of neatly fitting into most kinds of religious belief, if necessary.

Is death witchcraft a “dark” path?

No. In my opinion, at least, no. The only thing “dark” about death witchcraft is that it involves, well, death, an idea which many people are uncomfortable with. And it can be a hard and draining path. But, dark? Or unethical? Not at all.

Are there any rules to death witchcraft?

The only rule I can think of that I would ever even think to enforce is to respect both the dead and the living. The dead are not your slaves, they’re not there to give you power; they’re just as valuable as we are. Respect them, and they’ll respect you.

I’m interested! How can I get started?

Check out these posts ~

Tools for the death witch

Magical uses of graveyard dirt

Graveyards in Witchcraft by @witches-of-ouroboros

The Proper Collection of Graveyard Dirt by @raven-conspiracy

Offerings for the dead 

Altar ideas

My protection techniques (there are many others, but these work for me)

If you’re interested in necromancy

Guide to worship for chthonic deities (if applicable)

List of chthonic deities (if applicable)

Emotional death spells

Death witches to follow

Crystals in death magic by @cosmic-witch​

Spirit communication with animal bones

Seeing past lives (if applicable)

Substitutes for your own blood (if applicable)

Substitutes for graveyard dirt (if applicable)

More on what death witches do by @snake-scale​

I have more questions!

Is it one of these? ~

How can I conquer my fear of death? ~ Part Two ~

Does long-time exposure death energy affect you?

How do you know you are making a difference?

Being a death witch vs. being a spirit worker

Death walker vs. spirit worker

Are certain necromantic rites necessary? (imo)

Do you need to be a necromancer to be a death witch?

I’m a secret witch! What should I do?

I’m freaked out of spirits. Any tips?

On the death of a familiar

Do I have to use real bones?

What does it mean to “pay the gatekeeper”?

Praying for roadkill

How can I contact a dead relative?

Do I have to use a ouija board?

When speaking to the dead, are language barriers an issue?

Using ashes of the dead

On ghosts of separated bodies

Letting go of a lost relationship

There’s a spirit in my house??

What’s with this ‘raising the dead’ stuff in necromancy?

What are death energy exercises?

Combining death and glamor magic

I’m a secular witch. Can I still practice?

On miscarriages

On suicidal tendencies 

Uncommon tools in death witchcraft

Do ghosts only hang out by their bodies?

Can souls feel pain after death?

Can I worship the concept of death?

I have a stranger’s graveyard dirt. Now what?

What do I say to the dead?

For the beginning Wiccan and death witch/necromancer

Springtime for the death witch

Recommended Reading

Death Witchcraft: Volume 1 (mine)

A whole list of recommended reading

My ‘death witch’ tag

If not, feel free to shoot me an ask! As you can see I love answering questions  (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ 

OP’s Note: You may notice that a lot of these answers are mine. That’s because this post reflects my views on the craft, explicitly. I will also be updating it as I receive more asks and make more posts in the future.

A spread for figuring out the positive, negative and harmful aspects of your inner most self, plus some advice on how to overcome. Feel free to use this spread for non- commercial purposes, I would love to know how helpful it was!

Alright friends! Let’s get deeper into shadow work and pick up some of the various methods to use for shadow work. That will be the main topic of this week’s prompts.

Monday: Defining Introspection

Research - Define introspection. What is it? What does it mean? How do you do it already! What are some ways to be more or less introspective? 

Power/ deity study -  Look up a deity or source of power you work with. What are some ways to show devotion to that deity/ thanks to the power source? What offerings do they prefer? How and where are they generally worshiped? What are this deity’s associations?

Tuesday: Divination

Research - What kinds of divination can you use for shadow work? How do those methods of divination aid in shadow work? What kids of things do you, can you, and should you look for with shadow work divination?

Divination prompt -  Perform some divination! A tarot or rune draw, a scrying, anything! Find a tarot spread here or elsewhere, or just do a single card draw. Once you’ve begun, journal the entire process. From the question you ask, to the card/ rune/ etc that you pull or see in your scrying, and the result of it all. That includes your feelings and thoughts on what the reading reveals.

Wednesday: Meditation

Research - What kinds of things can meditation help us with in shadow work? What kinds of questions/ parts of ourselves can we focus on during meditation? What can we hope to learn from these shadow work meditations? 

Gem study -  Again, make a new page or a new note about a specific gemstone. What is it used for in magic? What is it used for in non magical applications? Is it associated with any myths, legends, or deities? Where on earth is it found? What are its other associations? What element and zodiac relations does it have?

Thursday: Journaling

Research - When we journal we look inward, by outwardly expressing ourselves with written words. This helps us get things out of our heads and hearts and sometimes makes it easier for us to see, feel, and understand things that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to if we kept them inside. What kinds of things do you want to get out of your head and heart right now? 

Journal/ Meditation - After you’ve done the work, open your journal, and as always, record the information from the work. Your feelings before and after, time and date, phase of the moon, what you did, if it worked or how to go about making sure it does work, everything!

Friday: Digging Deep, Being Critical

Introspection - Now that we’ve gotten a list of methods, let’s take some time to dig really deep. Is there an issue you’re facing right now? A feeling that is bothering you? A person, thing, or whatever else on the edge of your mind causing you stress of any kind? Dig deep to the source of whatever it is that’s bothering you, good or bad, and be critical of yourself. Even with the smaller things, it is important to understand where our feelings stem from and why we feel about and react to them the way that we do. 

Alright folks, there’s another week down! The year is drawing ever closer to its end, and I’ve been so happy to share all of these prompts with you! I’m hoping you have a wonderful winter season!

I’ve realized recently how key knowing what to say to yourself is to shadow work. I hadn’t really thought about the phrases I’d collected before as being to key to how I do shadow work but a recent conversation made me realize they might be so I wanted to share them here.

“This is where I’m at”

The number one thing I’ve seen people do that will sabotage their efforts from the start is not being able to take inventory of what’s in their shadows. Shame is painful and your brain will do anything to protect you from that – justify your actions, ignore red flags, forget information that contradicts our narrative – and it’ll do it’s darnedest to keep you from looking at things frankly. You need a phrase like to begin to catalog what’s going on, before you can even begin to work on them. It needs to be neutral, clinical even. It’s very important you don’t justify things to yourself or reduce them to a single thing or catastrophize them to the point of no return. The longer I do this work, the more convinced I am that the best skill you can cultivate is to have a steady emotional hand.

“I want to do the work”

Another common mistake I see is being too focused on the result. And the result can be a lot of things; feeling better or happier, being the sort of person they want to be, more efficient magical flow. Being focused on it will absolutely trip you up in shadow work because it sets up a paradigm and unpleasant information that doesn’t mesh with that paradigm will be missed or justified and information that agrees with it will jump out first, often without helpful context. For instance if you see shadow work as a way to get through depression and your goal is to be happier, you’re at a high risk for screening out the ways in which you further your depression or ways your depression has influenced harmful actions toward others. Try to focus on your desire to do the work. The work is more important than the result will ever be. I promise you.

“This is my responsibility”

If you go into shadow work and find yourself point the finger at other people constantly, you’re probably not doing shadow work. It’s important to be aware of the influence of others but a foundation of how I do shadow work at least is that I am responsible for my actions. If others make it more difficult and I don’t like that – my actions are still on me and it’s up to me to evaluate how and why I spend time with the people who make it difficult to act the way I’d like to act. Taking responsibility for your actions, thoughts, and feelings is vitally important to shadow work.

“This isn’t my responsibility”

The flip side is that if you’re constantly pointing the finger at yourself, you might be codependent. Fear might be driving you to believe in the illusion of control but you cannot be responsible for everything. You cannot control how other people act, think, and feel. Your influence may have unintended effects and it’s up to you to figure out how much of that is on you and how much of it isn’t. I order for “This is my responsibility” to mean anything of weight and value, you have to know where it ends. So this phrase is vital to drawing the line.

“Just because I feel bad doesn’t mean I am bad”

Two parts of shadow work that get overlooked are being able to name your emotions and not believing the lies they tell us. Emotions tell us truths and lies. Feeling bad may tell us the truth of “this is painful” but it may tell us the lie “I am this feeling” or “I am a bad person”. So always always name your feelings and take the time to realize that doesn’t make you one in the same. Being afraid doesn’t make you a fearful person. Being angry doesn’t make you an angry person.

“Everyone has their shit they’ve gotta work on, this is mine.”

Something that will make your shadow work infinitely harder is judging others harshly.  Time after time when I’ve been working through stuck points or really getting nowhere with some problem, at the root of it I find some way I’ve judged others and I am trying to make sure I apply the same judgement to myself so I won’t be hypocritical or struggling to define why my circumstance is different. It’s much easier to release those judgements and find firmer ground. People are where they are and they make the best choices they know how to make.

I also include this phrase because shadow work can make us feel isolated and honestly can turn into navel gazing if you’re not careful. Reminding yourself that everyone has shadows is important in this way because it’s a buffer against thinking our pain is special or unique. It’s a trap to get too precious about the ways in which you’ve been hurt and hurt others. Defining yourself by your pain gives you no incentive to work through it and release it.

I hope these phrases helped someone out today. They’ve really been helping me get back on track. I’m obviously not a mental health expert and I don’t play one on the internet. These are just takeaways from my own spiritual work and the work I’ve seen in others.