Dirt Used in Spells

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loona wynd
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Dirt Used in Spells

Post by loona wynd »

One thing I have come across in my studies of Hoodoo is the various uses of and working with actual dirt in a magical context. One of the most common dirt types worked with is grave yard dirt. Other dirt I've heard talked about being used includes dirt from foot prints (of enemies or animals) and dirt from cross roads. One book I have read talked about using dirt from police stations, court houses, school rooms, etc for different magical purposes. What is your experience of this? How do you gather this sort of dirt?
Holdasown
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Re: Dirt Used in Spells

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Dirt is pretty powerful stuff. I used some from my yard for my money jar and it worked great. Tried grave dirt once and it bit me in the butt. If you are more familiar with the practice or person your using the dirt from it's again powerful stuff. I like it to tie to energy just keep in mind to be very, very respectful.
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Re: Dirt Used in Spells

Post by loona wynd »

Holdasown wrote:Dirt is pretty powerful stuff.
I have never really seen it before now but I think it could be powerful.
Holdasown wrote:I used some from my yard for my money jar and it worked great.
Would you be willing to expand a bit on how you used dirt in your money jar? The concept of working with dirt is really very new to me. It's not something I have ever encountered outside of Hoodoo.
Holdasown wrote:Tried grave dirt once and it bit me in the butt. If you are more familiar with the practice or person your using the dirt from it's again powerful stuff. I like it to tie to energy just keep in mind to be very, very respectful.
One of the books I have read basically says you shouldn't use Graveyard dirt from anyone you don't personally know. If you don't know them how do you know if their spirit is going to work with you? I have thought about gathering some graveyard dirt from my grandmothers grave and from the grave of my foster father.
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Re: Dirt Used in Spells

Post by -Dark-Moon- »

Ask the spirit if it wants to work with you if you're using dirt from a specific grave.

Don't forget to leave something in return - they don't always work for free.

Go home a different way than how you came.

You can work with 'generic' graveyard dirt, it doesn't have to be from someone you knew.

All depends on what type of magic you're casting, what tradition or system you're using etc.

You can dig up the footsteps of a target to use if the fancy takes you.

In all things underworld/afterlife, think about the relevant psychopomp.

When in doubt, make an offering.

The best way to understand magic, is to practice it. You will learn faster. For guidance, ask a spirit you trust.
I am that which is attained at the end of desire
loona wynd
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Re: Dirt Used in Spells

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-Dark-Moon- wrote:Ask the spirit if it wants to work with you if you're using dirt from a specific grave.
I already know this person is one of my guides and guardians so I know that one of them will work with me. The other I don't know so much about.
-Dark-Moon- wrote:Don't forget to leave something in return - they don't always work for free.
I was planning on using flowers as payment as well as conversation and interaction with the spirit while there.
-Dark-Moon- wrote:Go home a different way than how you came.
I don't know if that is always possible. With one of the cemeteries I'd be visiting there is only one way in or out and basically only one way home. The other one I do have a few options on getting there and back.
-Dark-Moon- wrote:You can work with 'generic' graveyard dirt, it doesn't have to be from someone you knew.
I personally don't think I would be comfortable working with graveyard dirt from someone I didn't know. Why should some one I don't know or that is not one of my ancestors work with me? They have no reasons or ties to me from their life why would they in death? I also find that ancestor work in all levels ties into my basic beliefs about the land. So that is one of my reasons for working with the graveyard dirt from my ancestors graves.
-Dark-Moon- wrote:All depends on what type of magic you're casting, what tradition or system you're using etc.
The Hoodoo it looks like I'm going to be inspired by is a combination of animistic beliefs, ancestral veneration, and angelic spirit work. In which case I'd probably be working with ancestral veneration and angelic forces when gathering the dirt from my grandmothers grave because she was a catholic and part of my ancestral work is learning about the saints in Catholicism and working with them.
-Dark-Moon- wrote:You can dig up the footsteps of a target to use if the fancy takes you.
Like in Hot Foot and Foot tracking spells?
-Dark-Moon- wrote:In all things underworld/afterlife, think about the relevant psychopomp.
psuchopomp?
-Dark-Moon- wrote:When in doubt, make an offering.
I think that is a good idea for working with basically any spirit. Its been my experience that offerings help strengthen the relationship between spirits and the person working with them. Each spirit has its own specific likes and desires for offerings so learning what those are is important. Sometimes lore can be useful here but most of the time UPG (personal experience) is what you can go by.
-Dark-Moon- wrote:The best way to understand magic, is to practice it. You will learn faster. For guidance, ask a spirit you trust.
I never disputed that factor. I do however prefer to take an informed leap rather than just a blind leap when it comes to trying out a magical practice or concept. With Hoodoo especially some of the spells ad rituals are so powerful that if you use them improperly or without proper knowledge you can really screw up your own life or some one elses life (and this can simply happen by folding paper the wrong way or moving candles in one direction when they are meant to be used in a different direction).

When I apply this to the witches pyramid I see knowledge in witchcraft and magic in general to be two fold. First there is academic or book/research based knowledge. This is where you read as much material as possible. Here today we can add in listening to podcasts, discussions on forums, you tube, and much more to the list. This is the stage I am at with Hoodoo. I am starting to build a knowledge base of research that I can use to start practice from. I'm already inspired to do a few of the spells I have found. One of them in particular is about making a broom of sorts to use in uncrossing and cleansing spells. I just want to do a little more research and reread those articles a bit more before I jump into it.

The other knowledge in the witches practical application. This is experience. I have some experience with some spell styles and magical styles. I've gone back and forth between periods of intense study and periods of practical use. Now I am working on establishing a balance between the two. Do some reading about a style of working and the philosophy associated with it and then give some of the provided workings a try.

Right now I am taking a step back after exploring and applying just the base concept of sprinkling powdered herbs as a spell in your home or workspace or what ever. I used what I thought was a good idea and jumped in. I figured that if the herbal recipes could be used in an incense then they could work just as well sprinkled or dusted around the place as a part of spell work. They have been effective both for myself and for others which is a good thing. My instinct on the matter proved to be right. Though they are not Hoodoo powders they are still magical powders.

I started the powders thread to see if other people have used them effectively. With dirt because I have heard and been warned about how powerful dirt like Graveyard dirt can be in spells and rituals I wanted to learn a bit more about working with dirt in general. The concept of dirt work is completely new while working with herbs in powdered form for tinctures or incenses was a familiar concept. Do you see the difference here?
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Re: Dirt Used in Spells

Post by Kassandra »

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As far as "payment," money works well too. A few coins thoughtfully left there will do the trick, and speak a thank you, of course. I leave gifts for plants when I harvest from them, like I did with some sage I picked recently to make some smudge bundles, for example. Really, it's just a symbolic gesture saying to Nature (or God/Goddess, or the Universe, whatever) that you respect life and realize one must give as well as receive, that you "pay" for what you take, shows Spiritual integrity.

Same with going home a different way --it's symbolic. There are lots of cultures where when you walk in a straight line, it's believed that you open yourself up to spiritual darks and arrows. So, you break up how you walk, like take a different return route, or take a turn you don't really need to take then get back on the path, etc. In this case, I think DM's suggestion was symbolic of not letting anything unwanted "latch onto you" when you leave the cemetery, what firebirdflys calls "hitchhikers." If you don't have an alternate route home, just clean yourself when you get home, same as you would do before an important ritual or something (sage smudge, a shower, or whatever your chosen method is). It's symbolic to let the spirit world know you are not a patsy and any spiritual leeches are not welcomed in your life. Sometimes negative things hang out at cemeteries.

As far as graveyard dirt, yes, it's a common practice to use it in hoodoo spells. It carries the vibrations of life, of souls once living in this density. It's more personalized when you incorporate ancestor dirt in your spells. It's a way to connect to them, to have them work with you as allies. If you can't use ancestor dirt, you could personalize general grave yard dirt in a number of ways. Sit in meditation and ask your ancestor how you might do that. They will give you suggestions. After all, they are the ones you are trying to connect with. So, if a person is not close to the cemetery of his ancestors, yet he wanted to employ graveyard dirt in a spell, he would just "purchase' it from a nearby cemetery, then "dress" it (add things to it to energetically alter it) accordingly.

Cat Yronwode suggested personalizing graveyard dirt this way: hold the container with the dirt and think real hard about something highly emotional to you until it makes you cry. Allow your tears to drop onto the dirt in the container. Do this daily for 30 days straight. Your ancestors will be moved by this emotion, and the dirt will be charged with their presence. There was a hoodoo healing spell I saw once where it was suggested to take a picture of a family member that's having a health or other major problem, put it on your altar, and sprinkle a line of ancestor graveyard dirt around it. Symbolically, it was a way of asking the ancestors to "wrap their arms around" this person and help them heal.

OK, one last thing...to the Earth Employment Spell you posted yesterday, I would suggest using dirt from the intended place of employment if it is close enough to get to. I think that would really amp up the spell. If there is no dirt on the location, I would try to break off a small piece of brick if possible. When you get home, pulverize the brick a little (wrap it in a bandana and hit it with a hammer), then put the pieces in a mortar and pestle and grind it to a fine grit. Again, if you can't get to the location (it's out of state, say), then get some "generic" dirt from a building that has a similar purpose (for example, use the dirt from a nearby post office to "stand in" for the out-of-state post office). To energetically personalize it, go on the company website and print an image of the building (and/or the company logo, etc.). Burn this paper with these images in your cauldron. Then, add these ashes to the dirt.

Whenever you go to gather dirt, remember to take a jar with you! Once I didn't have one with me, and had to shove a hand full of sand into my pocket, lol. Also, let the dirt dry first before working with it, otherwise it gets pretty stinky.





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Re: Dirt Used in Spells

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loona wynd wrote:Would you be willing to expand a bit on how you used dirt in your money jar? The concept of working with dirt is really very new to me. It's not something I have ever encountered outside of Hoodoo.
I went and got dirt from the flower bed. Let it dry and sifted it. I put a list of my debt on paper in the bottle then buried it with the dirt. Planted a silver quarter, fertilized the dirt with pumpkin pie spice since they are all money drawing and sealed the jar with green wax and marked the cork lid with a money rune. I don't spirit communicate well so I would not just go get dirt and my family who were Christian wouldn't want me too theirs. So I resolved to use dirt from places not people. Like river dirt compared to dirt from a tree. Offerings of pennies, alcohol, tobacco or incense are good for use when taking dirt from anywhere. I offer to my wights daily so I never worry about taking dirt from my own yard.
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Re: Dirt Used in Spells

Post by loona wynd »

I probably wont be actually looking at doing any spells that use dirt in them for a few months yet. Its all snowy up here. So for that reason its not really practical to get any sort of dirt to work with or even a spell where burying an item in the backyard would be appropriate. This does give me time to find places in the area to look for dirt to use. It also gives me time to study the various spells I have that they are used in.
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Re: Dirt Used in Spells

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Kassandra wrote: As far as "payment," money works well too. A few coins thoughtfully left there will do the trick, and speak a thank you, of course. I leave gifts for plants when I harvest from them, like I did with some sage I picked recently to make some smudge bundles, for example. Really, it's just a symbolic gesture saying to Nature (or God/Goddess, or the Universe, whatever) that you respect life and realize one must give as well as receive, that you "pay" for what you take, shows Spiritual integrity.
In traditional witchcraft there is often the concept of paying the coin for using the place for ritual. Often times blessed coins are places in tress or places of significance in the ritual area that was used in order to give thanks for using that space. Its a symbol of thanks and a gesture of respect to the spirits of the land who are the real owners of the land.

In regards to taking the dirt from the graves of my ancestors I think part of that payment is in tending to the graves. For me this is also a bit of working with my ancestors and honoring my ancestors. I also give flowers as a token of love and remembrance. This is of course just at my ancestors grave. I haven't actually given any sort of token to the guardian spirits of that cemetery yet. I may do so next time I am out there. I have some silver dollar coins that have significance to me I think would make good offerings to spirits.
Kassandra wrote:Same with going home a different way --it's symbolic. There are lots of cultures where when you walk in a straight line, it's believed that you open yourself up to spiritual shenanigans. So, you break up how you walk, like take a different return route, or take a turn you don't really need to take then get back on the path, etc. In this case, I think DM's suggestion was symbolic of not letting anything unwanted "latch onto you" when you leave the cemetery, what firebirdflys calls "hitchhikers." If you don't have an alternate route home, just clean yourself when you get home, same as you would do before an important ritual or something (sage, a shower, or whatever your chosen method is). It's symbolic to let the spirit world know you are not a patsy and any spiritual leeches are not welcomed in your life. Sometimes negative things hang out at cemeteries.
There may be only one path in or out of the cemetery but I can probably walk a different route from the grave to the car. I'd also do a cleansing any way just in case I upset any of the other spirits in the cemetery taking dirt from my ancestors graves.
Kassandra wrote:As far as graveyard dirt, yes, it's a common practice to use it in hoodoo spells. It carries the vibrations of life, of souls once living in this density. It's more personalized when you incorporate ancestor dirt in your spells. It's a way to connect to them, to have them work with you as allies. If you can't use ancestor dirt, you could personalize general grave yard dirt in a number of ways. Sit in meditation and ask your ancestor how you might do that. They will give you suggestions. After all, they are the ones you are trying to connect with. So, if a person is not close to the cemetery of his ancestors, yet he wanted to employ graveyard dirt in a spell, he would just "purchase' it from a nearby cemetery, then "dress" it (add things to it to energetically alter it) accordingly.
There are several cemeteries in walking distance from my home. There is a feeling of awe when I drive by them (I have to pass them to get basically anywhere in town or out of town). In this case I have a feeling that for me working with those cemetery dirt would be more akin to working with the spirits of the local land or the Genus Loci. This may actually be a good thing for me to explore though.
Kassandra wrote:Cat Yronwode suggested personalizing graveyard dirt this way: hold the container with the dirt and think real hard about something highly emotional to you until it makes you cry. Allow your tears to drop onto the dirt in the container. Do this daily for 30 days straight. Your ancestors will be moved by your emotions, and the dirt will be charged with their presence.
I guess I dont feel a need to do that sort of work. I can get access to two of my ancestors graves and maybe three. I don't know where my grandmother on my father's side is buried. So I can gather that dirt and work with it in that fashion. I actually have the perfect small containers for it..they are shaped in skulls (sample sizes of the Crystal skull vodka).

Thank you for at least explaining to me how you can work with non ancestral graveyard dirt. My sources have still said basically to only work with spirits you know if you can. So that is my goal. Plus working with my ancestors is important to me. Its important in Hoodoo and in Traditional witchcraft.

One of the reasons for working with people you know rather than those you don't know is that well a person's spirit is reflection of who they really are. Just because a person who was abusive died doesn't mean that personality has changed in the afterlife. So if you don't know the person whose grave you are taking the dirt from you could be getting unwanted and unneeded energy. Granted the same concept of personality traits applies to people you know as well, but the risk I think is greater with the unknown factor.

I think that a lot depends on the emotions in the tears. If they are emotions of joy and love from happy and pleasant memories than I think it would add a positive charge. If it was about something depressing or upsetting than it would be a downer. There can be beautiful and lovely tears of pure love, joy, and happiness. I think depending on what you are using the graveyard dirt for would depend on what sort of tears you would want to evoke.

I do agree that the concept of using emotional tears related to your ancestors to charge graveyard dirt seems like a lovely concept. You are adding a charge to already spiritually charged dirt. Now it will have your emotions and memories of your ancestor. I think in that way it does become your ancestors graveyard dirt if only energetically. You have charged it with memories and thus it holds part of their essence.
Kassandra wrote: There was a hoodoo healing spell I saw once where it was suggested to take a picture of a family member that's having a health or other major problem, put it on your altar, and sprinkle a line of ancestor graveyard dirt around it. Symbolically, it was a way of asking the ancestors to "wrap their arms around" this person and help them heal.
I can see how that would also work for a spell. Ancestors are very powerful allies in many different ways. I have a feeling I have some ancestors around me helping me that I don't know. That is one reason I actually want to go to the shire of Boynton in England. Thats my biological or blood ancestry and if I can bring some of that dirt home and add it to the other bits of graveyard dirt I'd have a very powerful ancestral dirt for rituals and spells.
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Re: Dirt Used in Spells

Post by loona wynd »

Kassandra wrote:
OK, one last thing...to the Earth Employment Spell you posted yesterday, I would suggest using dirt from the intended place of employment if it is close enough to get to. I think that would really amp up the spell.
When I wrote that spell I had never thought about using the properties of dirt to empower a spell. In this manner I would never consider using dirt from locations. Today if I were to rewrite the spell or maybe even do it again I would probably gather dirt if possible and use it in spells.
Kassandra wrote: If there is no dirt on the location, I would try to break off a small piece of brick if possible. When you get home, pulverize the brick a little (wrap it in a bandana and hit it with a hammer), then put the pieces in a mortar and pestle and grind it to a fine grit.
A good thing is that even if there is no dirt most side walks and walks ways to stores have bits and pieces of pavement or walkway breaking off them. This is in part due to the nature of the weather and the seasons in Maine with the thaws and the freezes.
Kassandra wrote: Again, if you can't get to the location (it's out of state, say), then get some "generic" dirt from a building that has a similar purpose (for example, use the dirt from a nearby post office to "stand in" for the out-of-state post office). To energetically personalize it, go on the company website and print an image of the building (and/or the company logo, etc.). Burn this paper with these images in your cauldron. Then, add these ashes to the dirt, and go from there.
That seems like a good idea for even being with the location for extra umph. To me the logo and image of the place even when you have the dirt would give even more energetic connections to the place.
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Re: Dirt Used in Spells

Post by loona wynd »

Holdasown wrote: I went and got dirt from the flower bed. Let it dry and sifted it. I put a list of my debt on paper in the bottle then buried it with the dirt. Planted a silver quarter, fertilized the dirt with pumpkin pie spice since they are all money drawing and sealed the jar with green wax and marked the cork lid with a money rune.
Sounds like an effective combination for drawing money.
Holdasown wrote:I don't spirit communicate well so I would not just go get dirt and my family who were Christian wouldn't want me too theirs. So I resolved to use dirt from places not people.
I can respect that. My spirit communication goes back and forth. Sometimes its strong and clear and other times there is like nothing I can sense or see. In regards to taking dirt from one of my ancestors graves this particular ancestor has made themselves known to me and many readers as one of my personal spirit guides. So when I even thought about taking dirt to be closer to her and to work more effectively with her I felt a sudden "well duh I'm here to work and help in any way".

One of the concepts I am hoping to get into as this thread continues is dirt from locations. Its actually one of the recent correspondences I have added to my BOS. I think working with dirt from specific locations is also sort of like working with the spirit of those locations. At least it is in a manner to me.
Holdasown wrote: Like river dirt compared to dirt from a tree.
Have you found different energetic properties of dirt in different locations like taking from a river rather than from a tree? What other locations and place types of dirt have you worked with?
Holdasown wrote:Offerings of pennies, alcohol, tobacco or incense are good for use when taking dirt from anywhere.
I've always heard of water being a good all purpose offering to basically any and all spirits. Water is a force that is essential for all life. In this way I believe that even spirits "need" water to an extent. I almost always have some sort of loose change on me so I can always offer that sort of change.
Holdasown wrote: I offer to my wights daily so I never worry about taking dirt from my own yard.
I used to offer regularly hair from my hairbrush, coins, and drink to the land wight where I used to live. They made their house and their home presence known fairly strongly there. So I had a specific location and place where I knew I could hold rituals and they would help and give them offerings and they would enjoy them. I'm not exactly sure where the spot for the wights are here in my new home (well we've been here 4 months now). However now that spring is here and I can actually see the land and work with the land I may be able to find their home here.

I was actually thinking of gathering some dirt from my yard and placing it on the altar for the spirits of my hearth and home (which include the land wights). This is one altar that has not been remade since I moved and the spirits have been not to pleased that other altars had been erected but not their altar. I now have a space for that altar though and plan on making it soon.

I thought that by giving an offering when I gathered the dirt would be a welcome to them as well as a gift. Gathering the dirt would also i think give them an actual place on my altar to receive offerings during rituals directly. I also thought that by having that dirt on the altar if I needed or felt the need to use that dirt in any working it would already be charged both by the location and from the altar.
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Re: Dirt Used in Spells

Post by loona wynd »

Kassandra wrote:.Whenever you go to gather dirt, remember to take a jar with you!
I have a lot of jars. When I started to build my business selling incense, herbs, and tinctures I bought a lot of mason jars. I store the crafted incenses and tinctures in mason jars until they are ready to be bottled or bagged for sale. So I have more than I need in this respect.

If I was going out to gather dirt or water from a location I would make sure that I had some sort of container to bring it home with me in. Otherwise the trip to gather the item really was worthless. Granted you still get to experience the spirits of those locations but you aren't bringing it home with you.
Kassandra wrote: Once I didn't have one with me, and had to shove a hand full of sand into my pocket, lol.
Actually I've heard that gathering dirt from the soles of your shoes or pockets and the like is a valid way to gather dirt for spells and storage. I mean we constantly track dirt in our shoes and on the soles of our shoes. So if you were just going to one location theoretically you could scrape dirt off your shoes and bottle that for use.

I recently found out that a type of spell I have been doing instinctively is a form of spell in southern conjure: paper packet spells. While the way I have worked them and the way my source performs the spells are different for me its just evidence that my ancestors do want me to learn those practices. I may already even know and do some of them.

Still need to get a knife to shed the bark on my staff for the creation of my conjure stick but I can work on that.
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