What Is a Death Witch and How to Know If You’re One
Written by: Jo Gaddy
When you’re first starting out with witchcraft or are evolving in your practice, you might consider what type of craft you’re interested or what sort of witch you are. With the different types of witches that are talked about, there is one that often gets overlooked: The Death Witch.
What is a Death Witch?
A Death Witch is a practitioner that bases their craft around aspects of death. They know the power of destruction and rebirth and use it to change their reality and others.
They are past chaos, they are creation.
Death Witches tend to grow up around death one way or another. I grew up having loved ones pass around me every year and grew my curiosity and love for the concept of death from that. However, I know some Death Witches that grew up in mortuaries, near graveyards, and with forensic scientists as parents, but any close relation with death might make you a Death Witch.
A Death Witch extracts different factors of death to use in their practice. One might use the stages of grief to manifest, another the concept of rebirth and regeneration with plants magic and finances. Personally, I created a method called The Death Cycle, which is what I use to create my desired reality and help clients do the same.
Death Witch Affirmation
The power I hold has been building for thousands of lifetimes.
Practices of a Death Witch:
There are many things that go into a Death Witch’s practice, but most revolve around preserving, exploring hidden or taboo topics, fascination with decay, and of course honoring and exploring the concept of death and the dead. Death witches may practice:
Ancestor worship
Worship of chthonic deities
Researching symbolism and hidden meanings
Tombstone cleaning
Green witchcraft
Alchemy
Necromancy
Mediumship
Ghost hunting
Exploring abandoned buildings
Creative processes (turning nothing into something)
Taxidermy
Insect preservation
Kitchen witchcraft
Homesteading
Glamour magic
So if you find interest in ANY one of these, it’s looking like death witchcraft is a part of your your path. Embrace and explore it!
Death Witch Affirmation
I am existence. Therefore, I am creation.
Interests of a Death Witch
Everyone has things that they are interested in, and that means Death Witches too! Here is a list I’ve gathered of common interests of Death Witches that you might align with:
Canning and other methods of preserving food
gardening
Journaling
Hiking
Cave exploration
Geology
Biology
Chemistry
Philosophy
Studying taboo subjects (religion, sex, secret societies, death itself)
Hypnosis and subliminals
Mind altering substances
Jewlery/ shopping
Collecting art
Environmental science
Beekeeping
Bird watching
Foraging
Writing
Horror/ suspense films and literature
Fantasy films and literature
Hunting
Fishing
Edgar allen poe
Albert Camus
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Franz Kafka
Florence + the Machine
Hozier
The Last Shadow Puppets
Snow Aalegra
Lewis Del Mar
Death Witch Affirmation
I am in a perpetual state of rebirth. I reach my goals effortlessly.
Beginner Spells of a Death Witch
If you’ve made it this far, you’re obviously looking to get started on this path. Here are some simple spells that you can do to help you get started. Note: all spells will be given in a way so that you can personalize them when you try them out. These are a variation of my personal spells and not my specific ones.
Basic Protection Oil
This is an oil that you can use during spell work or just to give yourself some extra protection throughout the day.
What you need:
Protection sigil
Bottle
Rosemary sprig - dried
cleansing, protection, warding
Olive oil
protection
Jojoba oil (because duh)
strength
Mint leaf - dried
protection, luck, and strength
Juniper berries- dried
protection, removing evil spirts or energies
What to do:
Set up your space and place the bottle on your sigil
Do basic grounding, protection, and charging before you start
Place ingredients in the bottle with oils going last.
Bless the oil with an incantation, verses, or just your own words and seal it up.
End with words of power
Ancestor/ Chthonic Deity Worship Ritual
This is a ritual you can do to worship your ancestors or deities. Do this with friends or by yourself. It is preferred that you do this outside.
What you need:
Shovel or digging tool
Fire pit/ candle
Fire safe bowl
Offerings
I like to do chocolates, cured meats, cheese, and wines. Sometimes I will do some fruits too depending on the season.
Paper and pen
Water
Picnic food
A seed (optional)
What to do:
Do basic grounding, protection, and charging before you start.
Dig a hole in front of where your fire will be. If you’re doing this indoors, you can just use a box or an altar.
Light the fire and initiate the ritual by welcoming your ancestors or deities to the location. Appoint one person to direct the rest of the ritual.
Have everyone tell the circle what they are grateful for and what accomplishments they have recently made. They can share family stories or folklore as well.
Once this is done, have everyone write a letter to their deities or ancestors about their successes (they could be nonexistent for manifestation purposes too) and their gratitude. The point of this letter is to express appreciation and recognize their efforts and impact on their life.
Once done, set the letters on fire and have them burn into ash.
Ask everyone to present their offering(s) and put them in the pit you’ve created after the ash. Liquids go first, then solids. Cover the hole up after everyone has finished. Make sure to declare them as offerings.
Cover the pit with dirt. If you have a seed, enchant it to give everyone more blessings by letting it pass through everyone’s hands with intention. Plant the seed on top of the pit and tend to it later on.
Keep the vibes up by dancing, mingling, and enjoying food.
End it by thanking everyone for their participation and with final thanks for ancestors and deities.
Connection Death Spell
This spell is a release spell that stops your connection with a person, thing, or idea from holding power over your life. You will release the concern and take your power back.
What you need:
String/ chain
Candle
Representative crystals
One to identify you and one for the other
What to do:
Do basic grounding, protection, and charging before you start.
Light the candle
Place the crystals in each hand and the string/ chain as well so that your hands are connected.
Meditate on the feeling that this thing gives you and why you want it gone. How is it impacting your life and those around you?
Visualize how your world would look like with out it. Evoke more emotion by imagining your power, your will coming back to you. Once all your power is back, break the connection by breaking the string/ chain in a way you see fit.
Use the good half of the string to make a bookmark, bracelet, or something else. Discard the other half. You can cleanse the crystals and use them again or you can bury the “bad” one with the other half of the string.
End with words of power.
Death Witch Affirmation
Because I know death, I am timeless.
Music Recommendations for Death Witches
Of course, we have to have a little fun. Music is an amazing way get yourself into a specific mood, raise your vibrations, and boost your confidence. It’s also a good tool to use during spellwork. Artists a Death Witch might like are:
Hozier
Florence + the Machine
The Last Shadow Puppets
Snow Aalegra
Lewis Del Mar
Stevie Nicks (obviously)
I made a playlist for you so you can discover the vibe of the Death Witch.
I hope that this helped you narrow down where you should be on you path, or at least entertained you. If you did discover that you’re a death witch, I highly encourage you to connect with me! You can check out some of my services and freebies, or just message me on social media. I’m always open to answer questions or discuss topics further.
Thanks so much for exploring this topic with me.
xoxo,
Jo