Consecration is making something—a tool, spirit vessel, etc—sacred and imbue it power so that it can better serve the witch. This ritual is specific to working with animal bones and the departed spirits of those bones, especially skulls.
• Animal skull (other bones might work)
• Something to cleanse the bones spiritually
• Honey, chamomile, + poppy seeds (optional)
• Representations of the elements e.g. incense, water, dirt, candle
1) Cleanse— First cleanse the bones physically, whether that means maceration, degreasing, whitening, or simply giving them a quick wipe-down or dusting. Then, cleanse them spiritually with whatever method you prefer. I use a cleansing incense.
2) Passing On— Death is probably disorienting, and I’ve worked with animals who’ve been shot by hunters or struck by cars so oftentimes I try to appease them or give them a sense of rest before trying to work with them. I was inspired by @shroud-of-roses’s Sweet Passing Potions recently and combined chamomile, honey, and poppy seeds to create an offering to subdue angsty spirits and sweeten their dispositions. The ‘passing’ part also ties into the next step.
3) Death—Shroud the skull and place it away, or preferably bury it in the Earth. Leave overnight. In life, we experience plenty of deaths. These enable us to leave something old behind and embrace the new. For our bones, this creates a clean slate and allows you to refocus them to your new purpose.
4) Rebirth— Smile as you sprinkle a holy water or holy oil onto the bones and welcome them to their new life.
5) Invitation— Ask the departed spirit to bind itself willingly to the bones, so that you may work with it and have it as an ally. Use whatever methods of communication you need, and anything to invoke the spirit. If the specific spirit doesn’t want to work with you, let it go. Invite another of it’s species in its place.
6) Blessing— Bless the bones with the four elements, and then imbue it with new life by blowing air and emptying your lungs three times, visualizing your energy going into the bones.
Make sure to give your spirits regular offerings and cleanse their vessels! It’s very important that you take care of them for, well, the rest of your life unless you deconsecrate them. I find that they can make great allies for divination, spell-working, or protection. Consecration isn’t something to take lightly, you have a responsibility to the beings you’re working with. But that being said this is an awesome way to get into spirit work.
**I learned this process from Sarah Anne Lawless’s blog and have adapted it for my own practice.**
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