Graveyard Magic and Etiquette

Halloween and Samhain are right around the corner and the veil is getting thinner every day!
This means more of us will be spending time in graveyards and cemeteries to perform rituals, say prayers, and connect to the dead who reside there. Graveyards are set apart from the hustle and bustle of everyday life—they remain quiet and sad while the world grows up around them. There is a stillness and a timelessness in graveyards. They often hold strong emotional energy, which can be potent for us to call on. They are a symbolic boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead. While working in and with graveyards can be a magical, spiritual, powerful, and fun thing to do let’s not forget to have proper graveyard etiquette. Come learn about different types of graveyard magic and proper graveyard etiquette in this blogpost today and be prepared for when you go to dance among the graves.

Why work with graveyards?

Graveyards are amazing places for magical and spiritual work for several reasons: Cemeteries are a shared spiritual space that doesn’t belong to any one religion or group. After all, death is the thing that we all have in common. No matter what words are said over the casket, we all return back to the ground, in the end. We all will decay, decompose, and fertilize the soil in the hole that is our eternal home. For Witches and Pagans, graveyards can function as a neutral religious space, or even a temple when none is available. Not only that graveyards create a very liminal space for us to be able to reflect, contemplate, and dance among the shadows.

Mundane Graveyard Etiquette

Before we talk about some magical graveyard etiquette we must first talk about the more mundane etiquette we must always remember when we walk through the gates. First, make sure you look up the hours the graveyard is open to visitors. Which, yes will most likely mean you can’t enter them after sundown. I know as witches’ we love to work under the illuminating moonlight but, this is one rule you really should be mindful of. Mainly because you don’t want the police to show up and put a damper on your magical night or worse to happen because of it. Caretakers may not be able to tell the difference between a well meaning Witch or a vandal (or may not care).So, most Cemetery owners, caretakers, and neighbors will call the police if they catch you there at night.

Some other things to keep in mind, make sure you don’t litter. Take everything with you that you brought with. Don’t bury any spell remnants or ingredients to dispose of them either. Instead leave the sacred grounds and go somewhere near by to bury them instead. Be kind to each and every headstone and grave marker you pass by. This means not doing damage to them in anyway like destroying parts of them, marking them with graffiti or knocking over any of the offerings of remembrance left by loved ones. Lastly, if you happen to choose a time to go and there is a funeral service or mourners present try to come back at another time. If that isn’t possible for spell timing, make sure you don’t interrupt them and give them some respectful space by choosing a grave to work at that is far away from them.

Magical Graveyard Etiquette

First we must remember, every graveyard has a spirit known as a Gatekeeper. That acts as a protector and watches over the other spirits buried there. This is typically the first spirit buried in that graveyard. In my experience, this has been true without exception. I have even come across many stories of communities attempting to get past this binding by burying a dead animal or pet in the first plot in place of a human. From what I’ve found it’s never worked. The gatekeeper has many roles from guiding spirits, to protecting them from harm, and granting permission to each soul that crosses over the threshold. They are largely responsible for setting the energetic tone of the site. So, before you enter make sure to honor their role and the protection they provide to all the spirits who rest there. Ask for their permission to enter and use the energy within. Than with reverence and gratitude offer them a gift. It’s most common to leave some change like a dime to pay for your passage. But, you can also leave flowers, baked goods, and wine or mead.

Second, take the time to honor and clean off any graves you see that may need a little extra love as you walk by. Even if you don’t use their specific grave site you will still be pulling on their energy. Third, don’t take anything without permission from the spirits first! There’s a common phrase, “If you take from a graveyard, you’ll leave with more than you took.” It’s very ominous but it’s a good rule of thumb. Many witches will want graveyard dirt or similar items from a graveyard, but it’s always important to ask spirits before you take from their resting place. Good methods of asking spirits simple questions are pendulums or other forms of divination like throwing bones and meditation. Fourth, if you get permission to take anything leave a second offering. If the spirits grant you their permission to take from their home make sure to leave a second offering as a gift of thanks.

Fifth, try to pick grave sites that are over a 100 years old or a retired graveyard. This is a rule to honor and respect the family of the deceased one’s spirit and resting place you are working with. Choosing a graveyard that is retired and no longer accepting burials or a grave site that is 100 years old; lessens the chance you are picking a grave site that has family that comes to visit them. Which means you are less likely to interfere with their energy as well. Lastly, don’t bring things with as offerings or tools that have banishing or cleansing properties. You are coming to work with the spirits of the dead in their resting place, their final home. To bring items in to banish them from it, is just honestly disrespectful and rude.

Other magical rules I could find across the community are below but, remember the number one rule and thing to remember is reverence and respect when working with the spirits of the dead who call the graveyard their home.

• Don’t point at graves or photograph them.
• Say “sorry” when stepping over a gravesite.
• It is bad luck to wear anything new to a cemetery, especially shoes.
• Don’t whistle in a graveyard, or you tempt Death.
• Leaving coins on a grave is a token of respect.
• Don’t yawn near a grave, or ghosts could get inside your body.
• Smelling roses when there are none around is a sign that a benevolent spirit is nearby.

Graveyard dirt what is and ways to use it?

Everything in nature has magical properties including the soil/ dirt we can find all around. I personally don’t think I ever don’t have a jar or bowl of dirt on my own altar. Dirt is part of the Earth element. It can and has been used in spells and rituals to physically represent Earth, fertility, the ancestors, and prosperity for centuries across different practices. When you collect dirt from a symbolic location that dirt aligns with it’s energy. We than can use that dirt to represent our intentions and the type of spell we are casting. Graveyard dirt can be used to hex or curse, speak with the dead, or aid in a variety of spells. It really is up to for how you want to use it.

Don’t forget these tips and rules when collecting your magical graveyard dirt as well. First, remember the rule above and ask for permission from the grave you choose to dig into. If you get a yes make sure to leave an offering for them in gratitude as well! The next thing will require a little bit of prep work before you go. Try and find any information you can about those who reside there. That way you have an idea of the essence of the energy that your graveyard dirt will reflect. For example if you want to use your dirt to create a prosperity spell maybe look at finding someone who was a banker or had lots of wealth. On the other hand your research will also tell you want graves to avoid like those who did things you disagree with or were an unwell soul. There is also a common belief that graveyard dirt from a criminal will hold extra power in your protection spells like hexes, curses, bindings, and banishing. Below you will find a list of SOME of the ways you can you use that graveyard dirt you collect.

Ways to use your graveyard dirt

• Add it to your altar to connect to your passed loved ones and ancestors from your generational line
• Add to floor washes and sweeps to cleanse, ward, and protect the home
• Use it in spells and rituals connecting to gods and goddesses of the dead and the afterlife
• Add to protective powders that you spread around your property and over thresholds
• Add it to spell bags for things like love, protection, and prosperity and carry them on your person
• Use it instead of salt to line your magical circles for rituals and gatherings
• Add to floor washes and sweeps to cleanse, ward, and protect the home
• Use it as an ingredient in spell jars
• Add it to your sacred container as an anchor when doing shadow work
• Add a small amount of it to your ritual baths for certain purposes like cleansings, protection, love, and prosperity
• Add to the inside of stuffed lemons, potatoes, apples, pumpkins, and other items used in burial spellwork
• Use it in your spell work to represent the element of earth and the essence of transition
• Have a bowl of it near you when doing divination work
• Add it to your Samhain altar as an offering
• Mix it in with your oils and anoint your candles with it
• add as an ingredient to spell packets for spells like prosperity, transition, divination, connecting to the dead, past life work, protection
• Use it in spells focused on the cycle of life and death and dealing with grief

Graveyard magic enhanced when the veil is thinned

Many witches will get interested in graveyard magic during October and in the fall because our access to the spirits residing there will be much more welcome and enhanced when the veil is thinned. So, what does it mean when the veil is thinned? The Thinning of the Veil refers to the belief that during certain times of the year; especially in late October and early November; the division between the physical world and the spiritual realm weakens. This allows spirits, ancestors, and other supernatural energies to come closer, offering an opportunity for reflection, communication, and connection. This concept aligns with the seasonal transition from autumn to winter. The veil’s thinning is a powerful symbol for many people, representing a time to pause and honor the cycles of life and death. It’s believed that during this period, it’s easier to communicate with ancestors and receive messages from the spirit world across many cultures and practices. which is graveyard magic is so much more powerful and welcome when the veil is thinned.

Ways to practice Graveyard magic

Graveyard magic is a type of witchcraft that is considered to be one of the oldest forms of the practice. Not only that, graveyard magic is very versatile with so many uses for it across cultures and practices. While many witches go to graveyards to do spell work with the deceased ones who call it home like divination, seances, and calling on the spirits of the dead, you don’t have to do that. You can use this magical and spiritual place for so much more than that. The energy of this space can be used in spells like love, prosperity, transition, grief, community, and protection. Just listen to what the graveyard whispers to you and has to say. That will help you to pick which type of spell work will work best for that resting place. Because, remember each and every cemetery will have it’s own atmosphere and energy depending on the souls who reside there, specifically the gatekeeper or guardian. Graveyards are kind of temple for Pagans who connect with gods of Death or the Underworld as well. (such as Hades, Morrigan, and Hecate). So, you can simply just go there to contemplate mortality, ask them to guide you behind the veil, or be there to connect to them as well.

If you want to learn more about graveyard magic and etiquette and go in depth on the topics in this post head on over to my patreon community; modgepodgemystic mysteries and become a member today! When you become a member you get access to my exclusive prerecorded workshop there.