Blood Substitutes

Sometimes in necromancy and other forms of magic there is the need for blood in a spell or ceremony. Not everybody is thrilled with the idea of drawing blood in one form or another. Therefore there need to be available options for the squeamish and faint-hearted. So, what else can one use in place of one's own blood? There are at least 7 possible stand-ins that I am personally aware of through my research. These are: Bloodroot, Red Wine, Apple Cider, Beets, Pomegranate, and Red Ochre.

Apple Cider- Highly valued by the Ancient Celts, this substance represents Otherworldly life-force. Consuming the fruit or the juice was thought to be able to transport the imbiber to otherworldly realms. Hard cider works just as well as the non-alcoholic drink.

Beet- The juice from this is used, but be careful it can stain.

Bloodroot- Symbolizes the ties of blood. Use only if you are not planning to consume it or rub it on your body because it has caustic properties. To use it, simply pound the root into a fine powder and mix with water until it reaches the desired consistency.

Dragon's Blood- In older times it was believed that this resin was collected from slain dragons. It is a coagulant and can so be used to stop bleeding. In other words it acts like the platelets in human blood.

Pomegranate- This was mentioned in at least one document, however I imagine that it would be rather hard to use. The only parts that are usable are the seeds, but the amount of juice that can be gathered from these in one fruit is minimal at best.

Red Wine- The symbolism of this liquid is obvious due to its use in Christian religious ritual.
Remember that this kind of wine is capable of staining many things.

Red Ochre- Symbolizes blood as life-force, a connection to the ancestors, and a element of rebirth.

I suggest keeping a supply of most of these substances on hand (excepting the beets and pomegranate) as blood can be used in several forms of magic. These include bindings, hexes/curses, protections, contracts, reddening runes or bones, ritual sacrifice/workings, writing charms/talismans/seals, magical inks, etc.

That's all for now, until next time.

Thoughts on Bone Dust

Since human bones are extremely hard to acquire in Canada by legal means (and I have no interest in becoming a criminal) I have been doing some thinking. Would other varieties of easily accessible bones have useful properties? After doing some research involving animal symbolism and mythology, I came to a definite conclusion. The bones of some animals could actually be more useful than those of humans! These were three varieties easily obtained at the grocery store with the purchase of meat, namely: chicken, pig, and cow. Below I shall list the associations of each animal.

Chicken - This creature is associated with the qualities of: Injury, Sacrifice, Fertility, Cowardliness and Initiation.

Pig- This creature is associated with the qualities of: Destruction, Sloth/Greed, Ignorance, Abundance, and Fertility.

Cow- It is associated with the following qualities: Slaughter, Taboo, Grief, Purification, and Wealth.

Considering that the main connotations of bones themselves are Death and Mortality, the positive qualities attached to the animals become reversed. Fertility becomes Sterility. Abundance becomes Scarcity. Wealth becomes Poverty. The Purification quality attached to the cow does not become reversed like the other positives. This is due to the fact that cow ashes were used in a Jewish ritual to purify one who had touched a dead body.

So as can be seen while human bones in the form of dust can only be used in magics of Death and Mortality, the others can be used to cause a variety of conditions. Now consider the situation in which these animals died and their remains were treated and apply animistic beliefs. From that we can conclude that the spirits of these animals were angered by their treatment and at no point was any ritual performed to ease their spirits. This makes powders made from their bones perfect for cursing and hexing one's enemies.

I suggest being careful when handling the bones and the resulting powder. You should wear a disposable dusk mask in order to prevent inhaling the powder. I realize that fish bones are also easily acquired but fish have no negative qualities associated with them. In regards to the chicken's association with Initiation, I believe it could have various ceremonial/religious uses.

Until next time!

Coffin Nails: Not Just for Malice

A necromantic tool derived from the system of hoodoo, the coffin nail is now an extremely rare item. This is due to the fact that it is no longer needed for making coffins in the American South. The coffin nail is easily identifiable by its square head and its iron content. Since not all of us are lucky enough to know an actual blacksmith (Score one for me), a substitute is available. Simply use old rusted nails, but make sure your tetanus shot is up to date (or just wear gloves).

So what is a coffin nail used for in necromancy? The answer to put it simply is a lot. The nails can be used to carve sigils/symbols/words/etc. into candles. Their most obvious use is in sympathetic magic, where they are used to pierce or prick a poppet. Other uses include talismanic creation, protection spells, hexing, spirit attraction, contract magic, War Water, and warding houses (ie: "nailing down the house"). The coffin nail is associated with graveyards, the dead, and burial and thus can be used in any related magic. They can also be combined with other things such as herbs, graveyard dirt, etc. in order to increase the potency of a necromantic spell. Lastly they can also be used in thanatic magic if they were exposed to death or a dying individual.