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Something called me to the bookstore this evening. What do you know of grave dirt-- pertinance(sp?) to us, most of all?

Reading one of the 'stories' in a book my mother recommended-- (after telling her about my trip to Vegas, everyone here, etc), that book being 'Not in Kansas Anymore'-- I read of Zora Neal Hurston grave, takig of its dirt and using it in voodoo/hoodoo ritual. For some reaosn it clicked with me-- and I wonder if anyone has worked with such a dirt, or has heard anything about it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. So far, I've yet to find info on any famous burial grounds in Vegas, but I wonder...

I had a friend who commited suicide some years ago..I have taken dirt from his grave for a variety of reasons in the past(necomancy, cursing..ect). I've found it's use in ritual to be quite effective personally.

- D

Honestly graveyard dirt is a dangerous thing to deal with. If you do not know the consequences of the persons death, then I would not suggest any action as far as it's use. There are many factors that could compremise whatever the person has planned for the dirt's usage. I would suggest reading qualified reference books before even thinking of having anything to do with it.

Any references online, though?

Interesting D, thank you for the reference.

from some things i have read graveyard dirt i think is used by both sides in voodoo

dragon, from what I've heard, you are quite correct.

I myself have never heard of graveyard dirt being nothing other than what its name refers to. I'll have to look up info on that because it sounds interesting nonetheless! :)

Graveyard dirt is used in voodoo/hoodoo root work spells.you can find refrences on www.luckymojo.com it is a voodoo/hoodoo spell site.Good topic,I do have some spells that use graveyard dirt in them I will be glad to look them up for you anytime.Blesings,Voodoo

I'd enjoy that very much, voodoo.

Learning spells and such is good but always remember when you use them to make sure that you know what you are doing things can backfire and because major problems ... my advice would be to do extensive research on any spell before use. even if a good friend gives them to you that friend might know what they are doing better then you do..... So before any misshapen remember research research research....

not too sure bout the dirt...but a wand made from deadfal trees above graves is great for necrmantics....
corpse fed wood and all that

i don't want to sound like an ass, but if you don't know what you are doing with grave dirt or anything involving another living being or spirit, don't mess with it until you do your homework. it's like finding out how a nuke works by hitting it with a hammer

I love that last analogy, but from a practical sense, I don't really see a possible misuse of such dirt. In the crudest view, it's simply dirt..where it comes from just adds to the psychodrama..thus, increasing the potential of the rite.

- D

As far as I know it is used in both vodoo and Necromancy...As has been stated by previous posts...However being one who follows the path of druidism. I tend to steer clear of using any type of ritual that uses powers of the dead...This is something as stated by others you should not even think about until you are well versed in what you wish to do.

Here in Portugal, graveyard dirt is a powerful tool in black magick, also a big no-no because it's calling the dead. It is said that if you don't know what you're doing, the dead might haunt you after you use the dirt of the graveyard, because it's considered disrespectful.
I never used it myself, so I can't tell you more then just this hear-say from the old people in the small villages.

I have dealt with this for others.. and in dealing with graveyard dirt you must understand that if the use is to employ the services of the energy of those past then you must be a powerful being yourself. As I tell many...never dabble.

Sometimes you will hear of things gone bad. Forexample someone gets some dirt from the grave of a murderer and then once the job is done ...well, they experience bad things..the bad luck to put it in lay terms continues.."what happened? what went wrong ..the person they wanted out of the way is gone but their life is worse."

well any being or energy you employ for one..you should respect.number 2 you should know what you are getting into. 3 you should use the right energy for the job.

and you should make a solid contract. Do not leave contracts open. Make sure the called upon energy leaves and goes back from whence it came upon termination of contract.How do you know...use pendulum or other means but be sure it went back..and obeys..you.. For this it must have respect for you. so knowledge of energy and respect for all is necessary.
Have your guardians near..they will advise you.An exchange..what are- you -to give. A year of caring for the grave..pennies perhaps after midnight...etc. Even if you know you are the more powerful one...you still out of respect should exchange. The knowledge of the person who died and who's energy you are using is also very key. A passed on -dead-relative is a good protector or a child. A soldier is good for other things..and if going deeper and darker...know who you are employing every little fact...matters.message me if you need more...already took up much time.

oh andnever buy over the counter dirt....its not the same.
Never ever ever.

finally and very important almost bloody forgot...cleanse yourself after working with these energies...to all ...who work in magic you already know..so..needed to add for others. After even doing a small spell where you raised your energy and sent blocking energy or freezing energyor in this case used graveyard dirt and worked with Serious business...cleanse your chakras/your inner tunnels..do a whole slew of things to cleanse that energy you just employed or sent out..place yourself in bright light -blue or white or silver and cleanse...that is why alot of spells backfire as well..people do them and never "wash their hands"
gotta wash that energy baby...or else ya stink of the dead.
*smiles.

In my beliefs there is no such things as Black and white magick it just depends on the person and how it is used.... But I am glad to see so many people with common sense in here on the use of it first study then when you know you are capable try leave no ties and then banish and cleans

the use of grave yard drit is a lie. drit is used in voodoo and other magics but it is just sacred drit so you can you grave yard drit but it should only be used in dark magic because of it tie to death.

also i agree no black or white magick
for if you employ a murderer to banish from you a person who has raped or done damage to you ..then there isnt any color to be placed on that.
magick to me is magick. and humans are willers of great energy.
bliss to you.

i use it for my spells and posions

Grave Dirt is a spiritual ingredient in my death spells, curses, disease spells so on and i think the gravedirt is most powerfull when you know how the person died like if someone died peacfully, the dirt would be used for good spells such as a good luck spell, but if some died from deisease hen i would use that dirt for the disease spells and someone killed you get the idea so thATS WHAT I THINK OF GRAVE dirt; i think of it as a source of spiritual help from the spirit itself...

Please remember, as all rated stated many times in this thread, please read or research your actions..sometimes they come back to haunt you (no pun intended)

Hm. Good point on using it on how the person died...Didn't even cross my mind.
By Black magick I ment use it to harm someone...sorry, seems like I'm stuck to some stereotypes...But then again, I know very little about it

it has been used in voodoo and the like but it is also used in spells and the like for the emmence power it holds..it can make a spell more potent

you invest it with power by believing that it holds power. if you thought it was just regular dirt, it's power is diminished and it becomes regular dirt. if you believe it to hold great power, its power is strengthened. i.e. its intrinsic power is not enough, you hold the key to how it is used, for good or no.

You can take graveyard dirt yourself from a grave or you can purchase it on Abaxion, it's an occult supply shop and I should perhaps put it in the Vampire Database.

I was once told that the earth from a grave of a murder/accident victim, if kept in a pocket, would ward off the evil spirits that caused the victims death,

It amazes me how I ask for information, and get some jibber-jabber from some, and real information from others.

1. I never plan on using it myself, was just curious if others have in the past.

2. Since it clicked with me, I felt perhaps voodoo was part of a past life I may have had-- again seeking information not to use but perhaps unveil.

Doesn't everyone love to be misconstrude?

This is waaaay over my head...Whew!! I got a lot of reading to do... Very interesting though..

I have gathered together some information on the gathering, preservation and disposal of graveyard dirt. The first part of it is some folklore that I do pay attention to in my own use of graveyard dirt (although I don't follow all of it exactly). The last part is some of what I personally have discovered that works for me over the years in dealing with graveyard dirt (and remember, mileage may vary on this last part. What works for me might not for you. If you wanna find out for yourself what works and what doesn't work for you, get your ass to a graveyard, and start digging! .)

Some graveyard dirt lore (from various sources - if I know the source, I note it)

* When you take dirt, always return something of value to the gravesite. Tobacco is one suggestion, a silver coin is another.

* Because Haints or sprits might attach themselves to you while you are gathering dirt, you must do something to keep them from following you home, unless of course you want a pet ghostie. If you "pay" when you take a little dirt, this will not happen. A dime is fine, that breaks any links. Plus, you should turn around three times before entering the home after visiting a graveyard, it confuses the spirits. An infusion of bistort root sprinkled around the house will also chase any spirits out of the home. Slamming the front and back doors of the house rapidly in succession several times is said to trap any ghosts in between the door and frame, making it too uncomfortable for them to wish to stay.

* If you need dirt to send somebody away (not kill them), dig your dirt at the head of an old grave. The oldest one in a cemetery works the best.

* Graveyard dirt is best when taken from an open grave.

* Some love spells require dirt that you have gotten from the grave of a loved one. The loved one does not have to be human, but can even be a pet that you loved.

* A good time to get graveyard dirt and remain inconspicuous is to go each spring to the graves of your loved ones, and plant flowers there. While planting the flowers, you can then sneakily take dirt from the grave sites.

* A variation on the above theme, is to instead bring potted plants to the gravesite. While placing the pots of flowers on the graves, dig up some grave dirt (act as if you are worried that the posts do not have enough dirt in them) and add it to the pots. Then leave the flower pots on the graves until fall. When fall comes around, go to the cemetery and retrieve the pots - then once the pots are at your house, you can take the dirt out of the pots. )

* When you gather graveyard dirt (time and moon phase) depends on what type of spell you wish to do. OR Midnight on the dark of the Moon is the best time to gather graveyard dirt. Or Midnight on a full Moon is the best time to gather graveyard dirt. (Now you see why you need to figure out what works best for YOU? LOLOL!)

* Dirt dug from the graves of people who were hung, is the most powerful for hexing and revenge magick.

* Now then, if you are too chicken to go dig up your own dirt, you can always order it...... a good source is

* If graveyard dirt or Goofer dust is used in a spell, and especially if the intention of the spell is seriously, irreparably harmful (like causing another person grave illness), you should dispose of the material in a graveyard after your spell is done. The wax and other remnants of the spell, (including graveyard dirt) should be placed in a miniature coffin, buried, and marked by a miniature headstone with the enemy's name on it. When setting such a spell to rest, many mages also sprinkle a mixture of sulfur powder and salt around the grave, then walk home and they don't look back.

Okies, now then, this is how I, a practical Witch, do the graveyard dirt thing.

I walk into the secluded cemetery, ask the blessings of all the spirits there. I tell the spirits what I want to do with the dirt and I ask that they leave me to gather my dirt in peace.

I gather grave yard dirt at night - either during the dark of the moon, the waning moon or the full moon.

I do not take artificial light with me into the cemetery - so therefore I park the car outside the cemetery and use either a kerosene lantern or candles for light.

I choose what specific graves to dig from by 'whim' or by 'feel', or sometimes by reading grave stones. I sometimes feel partial to grave yard dust from children's graves; but I usually end up at very old graves. I get a 'vibe' I think, that tells me which is the 'right' grave. I usually aim to dig at the head of the grave plot, but am aware that in many old cemeteries - like the one that I often gather dirt from - the coffins are often not exactly where you would think that they are. I also have never gathered from an open grave (ewwwwwwwww).

I only take a few handfuls of dirt from each grave. I dig the dirt with my hands and athame only, as I have never needed to dig such a big hole that I needed a shovel. To take more than a handful of dirt would be silly since I don't use it that much in spellwork.

I put the dirt in a special pouch thingy once I have dug it up. I also try to sift through the dug dirt to make sure that I don't end up with any earth worms in my dirt. If I get some by accident, I release them where I found them.

Once I have the dirt I need from a grave, I leave silver dimes in the holes as offerings


I leave the cemetery (and **force** myself to walk slowly no matter what (LOL)) once I am done collecting dirt. At the cemetery gates, I say thank you to all the spirits. Once out of the cemetery I spin around in circles three times, get in the car and leave. I usually spin before I enter the house too, and make sure that I enter by the door where I have the protection jar filled with a gazillion small pebbles and a bunch of sea salt mixed with sand. (Evil spirits are said to compulsively count things, therefore they will get distracted by the jar and stop to count all the pebbles and grains of sand and salt in the jar....)

I store my graveyard dirt in pottery jars, and label them as to what Moon Phase they were gathered at. I have a special jar for the dirt that comes from the gravesite of Mikado (the horse that we celebrate Dead Horse Day for).

I use Mikado's grave dirt for the occasional love spell and also for our Dead Horse Day ritual. I use the regular graveyard dirt for hexing and cursing spells.

***A note from VAmperellia who does not follow the Rede: Hexing IS part of the long and colorful history of Witchcraft, and can be part of spellwork done by the most ethical of modern Witches.... HOWEVER, if you are unwilling to accept the consequences of spellwork, you have no business hexing anyone. In fact, you probably have no business doing any kind of spellwork, but that's a longer rant than I have time for here .

heh...you know how it goes asking a question in a full room Nara...
lots of bullshit comes up....with a few gems of truth.....and then you need to fish through it to find the gems....
of course any questions of a religious or magical nature will bring the same

never heard before of using grave dirt, will definately look into it

i've never been informed or told anything about using grave dirt, but i think i will have to look into it and read a few books, sounds kind of interesting.

What a worth of info! That's wonderful. :)

sry i dont kno, ive never had to work with it

I have to say that I was also curious about this topic and am glad to see all the responces to it. Thanks for the info and most importantly, thanks for asking the question in the first place.

Voodoo magic is not openly dicussed so you will have a hard time finding exactly what to do with graveyard dirt as with anything else related to it.
Graveyard dirt ( and there is other names for it) is one ingred. to lesser and greater of the Darker spells. One spell you may use is a revenge and another being a spell reversal.
Chances are you will not use it for anything else. I have seen prices from $4- 20! The higher prices do sometimes include herbs.

You're welcome, Sb. I seek out knowledge fiercly when I have the time. Just a nasty ear causing me some problems, still.

I have heard of the use of graveyard dirt but I choose not to practice such a ritual It would be disrespectful to the dead. I feel.

If I didn't provide any helpful information Narakyndryn I appoligize...I was only trying to help. And so if you find a whole ton of usless info and insist on being rude...then I suggest the next time you go to the library, a book store or recheck the internet. Look it up.

Hmm, Interesting stuff.
I have managed to pull off the "dirt from 7 cemetaries" (which has it's own ritual to protect yourself while doing so). I have only used it twice, to protect myself from others.

One thing I noticed is a lot of hesitancy to deal with anything dealing with death or the dead. Perhaps it's attachment to other paths that teach that death is bad, evil, ect. Death is just another part of life, it's all part of the wheel. Given, one must respect and not abuse the dead. In other words, don't call them up just for kicks. I'd avoid doing it at all, but sometimes you can't get around that. All I can say is be careful and respect all that you work with.

o.o

AcaciaMalandra-- It's amazing how you think I singled you out somehow-- when the few people that know me -much- better than that know -exactly- to whom I was referring.

There's not need to be an ass about it to me with a 'poor me, I'm no help' attitude-- if you don't like what I have to say/do/pose as my stance on a subject, don't bother to add your reply.

It just shows your own lack of maturity on the subject.

ANYWAYS, Voodoo has been talking with me back and forth about the subject-- and about the voodoo/hoodoo stance itself. If anyone has any questions or curiousities about the subject they seem to be a decent source-- for those of us that don't pout in the corner and actually go outward to find the information they seek through dialogue.

We've a shop close by to where I live, but it keeps the strangest hours where unless I take a day off from work or school, it's very hard to get to. I'm more of a candle Magick person myself, but do enjoy a good talisman from time to time.

If only I could find that Tiger's Eye Asp pendant of mine...

It is also use in some parts of wicca magic for spells and such.

Not quite like that, D. A bit more stylized.

Plus the pendant is about 6 inches long all together.