Bonework And The Wrathful.

Various Familiar vessels and Figurines by Scylla. "Ladyfrog" figure by Erin Nightwalker.

This entry has been languishing in my "Drafts" for a long time now. A long, long, time. Re-reading this entry in repeated attempts to finish it I broke down crying quite often. I would shelve it for a few weeks, then a few months, and now... ah... it's been a while. Because it involves stories of spirits who deeply impacted me, and who set the tone for the way I deal with the Animal Dead as well as the Human Dead.

This is also about animals in general, and expands on HTTAS: Permissions - About the need for a working relationship and consent when engaging with others in that relationship.

TW: Animal Death, descriptions thereof. Bone work, bloody bits, witchcraft, emotions.

This post is a letter of love and fondness to Wrathful (especially), and to all of the spirits I have known. It has been my privilege to serve as their psychopomp and friend.

This is not a how-to post, this is another example of why I tell people that my blog is a travelogue and journal rather than an instructional guide.

Re:Blogging Familiar altar.

Familiar Altar - Originally posted on Tumblr on 3/11/2014

The old setup of my familiar altar.  This is how it was for a few years, on the lower portion of my gigantic oak altar.

The urns are hand sculpted and painted by me using a combination of native clay slip and commercial under-glazes with lots of scraping.

However, the toadfrog lady smiling benignly at you (and her tiny green bottle) is by Erin Nightwalker, and was inspired by the toadfroglady spirit in the urn between her and the deer skull.

Since this photo was taken the altar was completely redone, and Ladyfrog acquired several more trinkets and statues.

Posting photos of ritual regalia and familiar Things always takes a lot of arguing with myself and struggling in order to finally manage it. Because, to me, it feels rather like posting photos of one's friend or lover in the nude and possibly in a compromising position.

But over time my familiars have explicitly stated that they desire to be photographed and posted, so I do. Yes, I airbrush out names and sigils, but at least viewers can still get a feel for things.

The Vessels and Their Contents.

I turn the small clay pots in my hands. They are weighty, hand-sculpted (rather than thrown), and still bear the marks of fingerprints. I worked the clay hard, and it speaks softly. Spirit is woven into each press and smoothing. I shape the bodies, the physical houses, for the spirits I will care for. I handle them as gently as I would handle paper-thin glass. I whisper words into their hollow, and stroke power into the surface.

"I bathe you in the sacred smoke, and nourish you with the breath of my mouth. I re-awaken you. This is the cradle of your skull, and the hollow of your chest - your heart rests here."

This all started a long time ago, and sometimes I do my absolute best to forget about the whole mess for a while, just so that the room doesn't slowly fill with greedy raccoons making grabbyhands, or hissing opossum with cataract-white eyes.

Bone Flutes.

Over the years I've made a few bone flutes and whistles. And even more out of random things like hollow reeds, bamboo sections, rolled up pieces of paper and whatever else is on hand. Here, then, is a short tutorial for those interested in how to construct flutes and whistles... likely for ritual purposes.

ATTENTION: This tutorial assumes you know how to do a few artsyfartsycraftsythings. I will not walk through bake times for clay, the ups and downs of de-fleshing bones... etc.  This entry was written after a flicker comment with Ms. Graveyard Dirt.

Additional Note: If you're going to whinge about my blog's content, I'm gonna delete it. If you don't like what's here, clearly it's not intended for you. Find another place that better suits your fancy.

The Waters of The Moon.

I was up to my elbows in the muck. It was black as coal, made of decomposing leaves and rotten meat, and the roots of water lilies. Something softer than leaves, and cooler than the black water, brushed my arm. I twisted, and gripped, and out it came - it's back was black as the shadowy moon, it's belly as bright as the full.

It was all empty inside, water flowing from the nose and mouth. And into this emptiness I called to something, and it became full. With thorns I pinned it down on a hill, crucified, and covered from prying eyes. And then I waited for the Little Ones in the Hill to take away the flesh.

And then came secret things, and dealings here unfit.

Tips and Tricks: Preserving Things

I pointedly don't talk about the work I do with bodies, bones and other remains. The reason I do not talk about it is because there are other people already doing a better job of it, and because I really don't like anyone to be up in my private business.  And rest assured - that business is private. That said:

For something that was once alive and ambulatory, such as rabbits feet, bird's wings and gator-feet, I strongly suggest this handy mixture:
Equal parts Baking Soda and Salt  to 1/2 that of Cornstarch/Cornmeal and Diatomaceous Earth.

Baking Soda and Salt pretty much compose Natron, once used by the Egyptians to assist in Mummification. The addition of Cornstarch (or, I suppose cornmeal) and Diatomaceous Earth helps to wick away even more moisture. Party-bonus, Diatomaceous earth is a wickedly potent critter for killing insects. It's the porous, glass-like fossilized remains of diatom algae. It's sharp enough to slice up insects, especially soft-bodied ones, and wick away their moisture, dehydrating and killing them.