Super Happy Fun Time?: Dionysus

[Sparked by the American Psycho/Beauty song by Fall Out Boy]

So after having one of THE most stressful days this week, I finally get to sit down and browse Tumblr a bit, play Team Fortress 2 and listen to some music. Husband and daughter are asleep, so Mommy has some time to enjoy for herself. Anyway. Upon listening to above mentioned song, and it's fun, happy, upbeat tune, Dionysus hits me like a brick wall.

"Feels good, huh?"
"You need to enjoy the little things or you'll never feel better."
"Even music soothes a worried soul."

At this point, I'm practically bouncing around in bed listening to this song and Dionysus in the background. It hits me; Dionysus really is the 'fun time' deity. Really. He reminds us to take some time to be silly and weird out of our busy, monotone and boring days. Though He may be the God of Madness, He reminds us to take some time to ourselves, else we all go completely bat shit. And not in a good way.

Even a death witch such as myself finds need of Dionysus's company. He's great to work with when you need to learn how to let go and see the good in life, or when you need to let your inner child out. Everyone has an inner maenad, right?

Anyways, this was more of a thought process type article, not really anything significantly witchy or informational based. Sorry! But- that will be my next article; an overview of Dionysus, which I'm stoked for. 

Until next time,

xoxo Sinclaire Veil 

Death Witchery 101

Good news! If you've found your way to this entry, chances are you are one of my students who have been sent here to learn the basics, or you are a curious little witch who stumbled upon my blog him/herself. Here I will be explaining the basics of Death Witchcraft. For example, what Death Witchery IS, what it entails, what is classified as DeathCraft, and more. I'll break it down and organize it to the best of my ability, so that you can refer back to it later if need be.

Death Witchcraft. When you think of Death, what automatically comes to mind? The end, loss, grief, the unknown, possibly depression, anger, confusion. Death to most people in Western Culture is considered negative and taboo, simply because humans are not ready to face their own mortality. No one knows for sure what lies in the Afterlife, no one (usually) has anyway of knowing if they're death will be painful or peaceful. So how can you incorporate such a 'negative' thing into a 'positive' craft?

When you think of Death, you think of the physical end of a person or animal, yes? When questioned on what else comes to mind, not many people can think of anything else but misery and heartache. Death is not just painful, death can be a blessing, when you take into consideration it's second aspect; metaphorical death. Sure, it sounds silly now...but consider this. The Earth Herself dies and is reborn every year through seasons. Parts of you 'die' and are reborn; such as when you kick a bad habit, or when you finally move past that bad time in your life. Death is a crucial part of life. People die to make way for the new; just as aspects, memories, thoughts and habits can die to make way for new, better, reborn aspects of yourself. Death is simply paving the way for a new beginning. This is only one half of what Death Witchery is.

What does it take to practice? First and foremost, you need to have a good understanding of how you feel about death, in both a physical and mental sense. If you are a person who shuns their mortality, who would be uncomfortable speaking about death and dying in general, I'm afraid this practice is not for you. If spirits and cemeteries creep you out: turn back. Death Witchery is not for the feint of heart. Not only will you be working with passed loved ones, ancestors, and passing by spirits, you will be working on bettering yourself, analyzing what doesn't serve you, and asking yourself what is crucial to your growth as a person, physically and spiritually.

You need to accept and be mindful of your mortality and the mortality of others. People pass on, it's a fact of life. Once you are able to accept that fact, you can begin your practice.

What do you do in Death Witchcraft? There are a multitude of 'sections' in this craft. You are not obligated to practice all of them, but each one is useful and helpful in it's own right. Primarily, it is centered around the dead. Spirit work and communication is a biggie. This might be having dumb suppers with spirits of family and ancestors, or helping a passing by spirit find peace. Death Witches are known for their funerary rites and ability to aid most spirits. Embracing death gives you a sort of power over it. 

Now, when you consider the non-physical aspect of deathcraft, things such as banishing and cursing might come into play. Banishing what doesn't serve you, what doesn't serve others, etc, is the greatest form of non-physical death. You are 'killing' an aspect of you that you no longer need, in order to be reborn into something greater or healthier. Cursing is not for everyone, but with some vindictive people, it is a way to 'kill' something of someone else, be that their happiness, their health, whether mental or physical...there are lots of options that I can't even begin to cover in this article. 

Not only do you work with death, but after so long, (like me,) you begin to appreciate the beauty of death. Stumbling accross skulls or bones in the wild is an awesome feeling, because we really want to focus on humane practices when collecting bones. Bones are the ultimate tools of death, simply because their is nothing more 'in your face' about death than seeing the bones or skull of something dead. I find them beautiful; natural pieces of art from something once living. ANYWHO! If you're not too into diving head first into heavy practice, small things to start that would be great would be something like going to the cemetery, appreciating the headstones, cleaning off old, worn graves, saying a small prayer over fresh graves, or even volunteering with your local cemetery to clean up litter and decorations (when called for- yes, cemeteries clean up grave decorations usually once or twice a year to minimalize debris). Not only would you be showing respect for the dead, but you would be helping out the living community by upkeeping the cemetery and keeping it a nice, clean place for families to visit. (I suggest places like the Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as it's a historic landmark, or the cities of the dead in New Orleans, as they find a lot of their tombs vandalized or worn/destroyed by weather. For New Orleans, please visit SaveOurCemeteries.org; you can donate to NOLA to help with upkeep if you aren't in their area!)

What tools might I need?

The tools of a death witch vary by personal taste. Most often, things such as white sage, sea or black salt, stones like obsidian, labradorite, hematite, smoky quartz, tarot cards, pendulums or spirit boards, bones, blood, and grave dirt are key tools in practice. Each one has it's own unique use depending on the situation at hand.

Deities of Death?

I am a Hellenic Pagan, so most deities I work with are Chthonic Greek Deities. Chthonic is just a fancy word that means that specific deity dwells in the Underworld. In Hellenism, most deities involving death reside in the Underworld, or have direct roots to the Underworld.

A few, for example:

Thanatos: The God of Death

Hypnos: The God of Sleep, and twin to Thanatos. They are most often found working together.

Persephone: Queen of the Underworld and wife to Hades. She is great to contact when looking for a specific spirit, or needing to put a spirit to rest.

Hades: God of the Underworld. He has all sorts of dealings with death, and also wealth.

Melinoe: Daughter of Hades & Persephone, she is the Goddess of offerings to the dead and sometimes nightmares. Good to call upon when making offerings to the dead, to make sure they are received.

Hecate: Goddess of Ghosts and Witchcraft. Generally good for spirit communication.

Charon: Ferryman of souls by the river Styx and Acheron in the Underworld. He would be good to contact if perhaps there is a missing person you wish to know about, or if you would like to check on a recently laid-to-rest spirit. 

The Fates: Sisters of Fate who create, check and end the life span of each living being.

Hermes: Not so much a death deity, but he does classify as a 'pscyhopomp' or someone who typically guides souls to the afterlife. Psychopomps do not engineer the death, they simply take the dead where they need to go.

Well, hopefully I've covered everything, and there is minimal confusion. Any further questions and you can of course contact me on my Tumblr at underworldoracle.tumblr.com.

Happy Deathcrafting!

-Sinclaire Veil

Goddess Melinoe

The Greek Goddess Melinoe is one who is relatively unknown amongst the Pagan community. She rules over the offerings to the dead, and walks amongst the Earth at night with a parade of spirits and ghosts, bringing nightmares and terrors to the sleeping mortals. It is said that when you hear dogs barking or howling at nothing during the night, it was because of Melinoe.

Melinoe is described as a more-so Chthonic deity, being the daughter of Hades and Persephone. Her skin was thought to be half-black and half-white, similar to the Norse Goddess Hel, the Underworld daughter of Loki. This was a representation of Her nature as both as Chthonic diety by Her father, and Uranic one by Her mother. In a second version of her story, Melinoe was thought to be conceived by Persephone and Zeus; Zeus being disguised as Hades. Once Hades became aware of Zeus's betrayal, He distorted Melinoe's skin.

In Paganism, Melinoe is a great Goddess to call upon when seeking answers to any nightmares or unpleasant dreams, when facing and overcoming fears, and for things such as 'Shadow Magick'; coming face to face with your shadow, or dark side. She is best called upon at night, and can be invoked when setting up offerings for past loved ones or ancestors. 

SYMBOLISM

Fitting symbols for Melinoe would be common symbols used in Death Magick; skulls, bones, graveyards, ghosts, ravens/crows and snakes. Others might include offering plates or cups, black/white dual colored objects, and whatever else feels right when invoking her.

CORRESPONDENCES

Lunar Phase: Dark Moon or Full Moon

Day: Monday or Friday

Colors: Black, white

Incense: Black Blossom, Patchoulli, Mhyrr

Herbs: Cypress, poppies, birch

Sabbats: Samhain

Practices: Death witchery, Shadow magick

OFFERINGS

Cypress, poppies, birch, black or white candles, honey, moon water, milk, soul cookies, wine, pomegranates.

Thanatos [Death] Playlist

These have become quite popular on Tumblr, I see! Playlists for the Gods & Goddesses of modern day songs. I figured I'd compile my own few, starting with Thanatos.

1. O Death by Jen Titus
2. Twin Skeletons by Fall Out Boy
3. Pheonix by Fall Out Boy
4. Evil Angel by Breaking Benjamin
5. Don't Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult
6. The Grim Reaper by Nox Arcana
7. Angel of Dead by Epica
8. Human Race by Three Days Grace
9. The Vengeful One by Disturbed
10. Inside the Fire by Disturbed

These songs really put me in the death witch mindset! Hope this helps for any potential Thanatos devotees...

-Sinclaire Veil

Introduction to Cosmic/Space Witchery

Space Witchery. What on Earth is it, and how do I practice it? 

Space Witchery can be a multitude of things; from even the smallest spells or correspondences, to the large scale devotion and everyday use!

What IS Space Witchery?

Space Witchery is a form of magic in which a witch will generally base his/her practice around things such as the lunar phase, stars visible that night, the moon being in so and so sign...it can be twisted and molded depending upon the witch's needs- so in reality, it can go much further than just lunar phases and what is happening in the solar system that night. A Space Witch might be a secular witch (i.e. a witch who does not devote themselves/believe in deities), instead devoting him/herself to the Universe, the planets, stars and galaxies. S/he might prefer to connect to a particular star or planet during visualized meditations or groundings, instead of the dirt. Just the same, s/he might enjoy working with solar/lunar deities, such as Selene, Apollo, Artemis, Ra or Horus. S/he might prefer broader deities with ties directly to the night, or sky, such as Nyx or Zeus. His/her 'blessed/holy water' might be as simple as some spring water charged under a full moon, or even a meteor shower. Their comfort most often would be during night, under the moon and stars. Space is magic to us, there is so much unseen energy in the Universe that we can harness!

Q: Who do you worship when practicing Space Witchery? What deities are appropriate?

A: It really depends on preference. Nyx is a good one; She is the primordial Goddess/personification of the Night. She is MY favorite when working with space witchcraft. Here's a small list, to help.

• Nyx (Greek): Primordial Goddess/Personification of Night. She was thought to ride her chariot drawn by horses through the sky at the start of Dusk, passing her daughter, the Day, while spreading her night time cloak over the sky. She was almost always accompanied by her twin sons, Hypnos [Sleep] and Thanatos [Death].
• Nut/Mut (Egyptian): Egyptian version of Nyx; her outstretched body was arched over the Earth, creating the night sky. Her skin was a royal blue or black and was littered with stars. Her arms and legs were considered the four pillars of the Earth.
• Selene (Greek): The personification of the Moon. Some confuse Her with Artemis, but Selene holds the 'official' title of the Moon.
• Artemis (Greek): Goddess of the wild, the hunt, and in some cases, the moon. Her twin brother is Apollo, who has ties with the sun.
• Urania (Greek): Technically, Urania is the muse of astronomy, but is obviously one you could work with in your practice.
• Asteria (Greek): Titaness goddess of oracles, prophetic dreams, astrology, falling stars and necromancy.

A small list, yes, but these are ones I primarily work with. You can obviously look up different pantheons and their according deities!

The tools of a Space Witch!

So every witch has his/her own tools for their practice; from candles, to crystals, to art and books! But what exactly might you find in a space witch's repitoire?

Tools of the Space Witch

[I'll break it down into sections, for candles, crystals, etc. just to make it a bit easier to go through and look up later again.]

Candles: Candles used by Space Witches might generally be black, blues, purples and silvers. These are the colors associated with space witchery. But- as I said, space witchery is moldable, and a space witch might be found with a rainbow of candles, for representing different planets in spells, for instance!

Crystals: Crystals typically used might be Blue Goldstone, which replicates the night sky; Star Diopside, Selenite, Moonstones, Citrine, Amethyst, and Obsidian.

Books: You might find some magazines or books based around the Cosmos, books based on astrology/astronomy or even numerology.

Divination: A lot of witches I know prefer to divine through the stars, visualizing images being drawn by the stars and planets in the night sky. Though pendulums, tarot, scrying, etc are all still viable options. No space witch is mandated to keep his/her practice SOLEY cosmic based.

Art: Of course, most art a space witch would have in his/her arsenal would be depictions of galaxies, stars, planets, moons, suns and black holes. S/he might choose constellations, or God/desses centered around the Moon or Sun.

Water: Moon/Star water! Of course! This is garunteed to be in almost EVERY space witch's belongings. Sometimes, we might have a little TOO much.

So, this would be the first of the Space Witch series; just giving a bit of insight into what this is all about. Of course, I will delve deeper with some deities, spells, rituals and practices so that you can really immerse yourself into Cosmic Witchery!

Have fun!

-Sinclaire Veil

Thanatos in Paganism

THANATOS [DEATH]


Thanatos in Greek Mythology is known as the God of Death. Generally, the Greeks depicted Thanatos as ‘peaceful death’ while his sisters, the Keres, were daimons (spirits) of violent deaths.

Thanatos is thought to be cold hearted towards mortal men and deathless gods alike, earning the fear of mortals as a heartless deity who would show know pity towards those whose times, allotted by the Fates, were up.

He is the son of Nyx and sometimes Erebus, the twin to Hypnos [Sleep] and the sibling to many other spirits who primarily represent negative aspects of life; Strife, Doom, Fate, Violence, etc. He is thought to live in the Underworld, making him a Chthonic deity.

Now, He is very rarely worshipped in modern witchcraft/paganism and Hellenic Polytheism, as He was widely viewed as a negative deity who shouldn’t be trifled with.

I myself am one of few who work beside Thanatos, considering Him my patron who watches over me and teaches me a wide variety of spiritual lessons.

Because Thanatos is not popular among modern witches, a new devotee looking for more spiritual information on Him might feel a bit lost. Fear not little witch, Sinclaire Veil is here to save the day!

Now that we’ve gotten past His mythological aspects, let’s get into the other useful information, starting with His symbolism.

SYMBOLISM:

Being a death deity, and also Chthonic in nature, things such as skulls and bones would be basic, obvious symbolism. You could go further with images of scythes or swords (if you choose to embrace the peaceful death aspect, and not the GENERAL death, the sword should be sheathed/covered). Inverted torches, poppy flowers, butterflies and snakes are all personal to Thanatos. More related to death, animals such as ravens and crows will also work; gravestones, grave dirt, etc. You might also consider personal preferences, such as maybe a rosewood thorny branch, symbolizing the beauty and harshness of death. Make it your own.




Now for offerings, which is everyone’s favorite part!

OFFERINGS:

Cypress, poppies or poppy seeds, grave rubbings, graveyard dirt, snake skins, butterflies, black stones such as obsidian or onyx, grim reaper symbolism, skulls or bones collected humanely, black, purple or red candles, bitter wines (I found Apothic Dark to be His favorite), cigars, black coffee/tea, dark chocolate (think bitter things when offering food…no sugar or honey!); arts, I.e. drawings, paintings, poetry, music…

CORRESPONDENCES:

Colors: black, purple, red

Lunar Phase: Dark Moon

Day: Friday/Saturday

Incense: Opium, Wisteria, Musk, Myhrr, Black Blossom

Herbs/Flowers: cypress, poppies, willow, pomegranate, birch, mandrake, mugwort, african violets

Animals: Ravens/crows, snakes, butterflies

Sabbats: Mabon & Samhain

Practices: Death Witchery, Ancestor Worship/Honor, Spirit Communication, Shadow Magick




So there you have it, the basics of working on a spiritual level with Thanatos. Thanatos is best known for his dark sense of humor, his strict father like nature and his unending wisdom. If you wish to learn of death as a physical aspect or as a concept of death = rebirth, then He might just be for you. He will teach you to look back on your thoughts, words and routines to “kill” the negative aspects that do not serve you as a person. If you make an unnecessary comment, He will be the first to ask, “Was that truly necessary? Did it make you feel better?”. Give Him a chance.




Image Source: Pernastudios.Deviantart.com/ Writing Source: UnderworldOracle aka Sinclaire Veil

Pop Culture & Thanatos [Death]

I've noticed a great increase in 'pop culture' witches; witches who use pop culture, music, TV shows/movies to influence their magic (i.e. using Harry Potter spells, using lyrics as invocations, etc.).

Being the music fanatic that I am, I realized there are quite a few songs that would best suit some of the deities I am devoted to, mainly Thanatos. One in particular- que the 'Supernatural' fandom- would be 'O Death' by Jen Titus. A song used as a basis for Death's introduction on the Supernatural TV series, I resonated with it quite well because it wasn't too out there or crazy.

Now, this being said, this song is one I listen to when practicing Death Magick or working with Thanatos Himself. I think He quite enjoys the song too. For those who are looking for ritual music for Death that isn't too crazy, this might just be the perfect fit for you! It would also be great to recite as a form of poetry or an invocation, depending upon your tastes and/or needs.

The Lyrics:

O Death, O Death, O Death,

Won't you spare me over til another year?

But what is this, that I cant see?

With ice cold hands taking hold of me...

When God is gone and the Devil takes hold,

Who will have mercy on your soul?

O Death, O Death, O Death,

(O Death)

No wealth, no ruin, no silver, no gold.

Nothing satisfies me but your soul.

O Death,

Well I am Death, none can excel,

I'll open the door to heaven or hell.

O Death, O Death,

My name is Death and the end is here...

It is a more serious toned song, and is rather short, so it is suitable for those who aren't too into pop culture magick. But, I wanted to introduce a small idea for death witches who might work with Thanatos.