Of Cedar & Bone

Theo + 32 + Non-binary + Canadian + Earth-Based Skeptical Death Wihk + Vulture Culture Practitioner {interacts from main @earthenremains}

[ofcedarandbone]

Hello🜃♑︎

I'm Theo [they/them]. <- Follows from @earthenremains

A thirty two year-old non-binary pagan.

I've been loosely practicing for roughly eight years.

My path is solitary, born from death and bound to the earth.

My skepticism can make believing in magic a challenge at times, but I also think it keeps me from blindly believing in every bit of information out there.

This blog is part personal pagan journal to keep a log of my magical dabbling and part collective grimoire of witchy posts made by others.

My current areas of interest are:

Death Work - My path started in earnest in 2017 while dealing with the grief accompanying a very sudden and unexpected close familial death. But my interest in death work precedes this, as I have been a member of the Vulture Culture* community for well over ten years, working with animal remains in all their forms.

Tarot/Oracle Cards - Despite owning a handful of decks, I am still learning to read tarot but have always enjoyed the diversity of oracle cards.

Rune Casting - I'm still in the phase of trying to learn the key meanings of the runes, I'd like to eventually learn to cast and read them together.

The Forest - I have been a patron of the trees since I was a child, always content to sit beneath their branches and focus solely on nature. I'm also a forager of localized natural spell ingredients.

The Personalized Path - I've spent far too long trying to follow the 'trending' paths of others. Forcing myself into a mold that has never felt quite right. So I am learning how to carve my own path and do what feels right for me.

Norse Paganism- One path I keep circling back around to is Norse paganism and the history/myths surrounding it.

Dabbling in Deity Work - Though I'm not sure I believe in deities as actual beings, more like concepts, I've been dabbling with deity work in the Norse pantheon {see blog list below for who I'm currently interested in}.

My intentions for this blog are to collect and curate posts I resonate with, and to share some posts of my own to better define my path.

Masterlist//Tags

*Vulture Culture encompasses the collection and processing of animal remains in various forms (bones, roadkill, hides/pelts, wet and dry specimens, taxidermy, insect pinning, etc). For me personally, I am mostly a bone collector/processor working with roadkill or natural deaths of wild animals. However on this blog you will also see a few of the pelts I own and acquired from Indigenous hunters/trappers that I use on my altar. If these things bother you, please consider unfollowing or blocking the tags listed below.

Other blogs, TWs, and DNI under the cut.

Other blogs:

Main/Vulture Culture Blog - @earthenremains

Mundane/Personal Blog - @thicketry

Medieval/Fantasy - @ghastly-heart

Digital Spell Book - @theostherimore

Freyja's Devotional - @offeringstofreyja

Hel's Devotional - @offeringstohel

Höðr's Devotional - @offeringstohodr

Eir's Devotional - @offeringstoeir

Baldr & Nanna's Devotional - @offeringstobaldrxnanna

Other socials:

Witchy Instagram - @ofcedarandbone

Vulture Culture Instagram - @earthenremains

Personal Instagram - @thicketry

Trigger warnings:

#tw: animal bones - Posts containing any semblance of animal bones.

#tw: animal fur - Posts containing any semblance of deceased animal fur.

Do not interact:

Nazis, TERFs, transphobes, homophobes, xenophobes, ableists, bigots, zionists, etc. If you're scum, I don't want you here.

Welcome Header /// Divider /// Stamps

LAST UPDATED: APRIL 2026

[twilightmagick]

Chaos Magic: Asking if Something is "Okay", "Correct", or "Right"

*Disclaimer: This essay contains Unverified Personal Gnosis (UPG) thoughts and practices. What works for me may not work for thee. Any advice perceived should be taken with a grain of salt.

Going through old posts from the start of my journey, I came across one based, seemingly, on a chaos magic concept:

Don't ask yourself if something in witchcraft is "okay" or "correct" or "right". Ask yourself if it will work, what effect it will have, and whether or not it is safe. -- originally posted by a deactivated (windvexer) Tumblr account.

On one side, I can still see the original intent of the post. I can still see why I reposted it way back when.

Looking at it at face value, I can see that it is a reminder that you don't need to follow a set procedure; there are no rules; everyone practices differently. Don't ask yourself if this is how others practice if it works for you. Is it okay to do something different or untested? Is it wrong to do because others aren't doint it? Is it right to do whatever it is you plan?

Nothing should stop you when it comes to trying to do something that will better your predicament. Better lines of thinking before casting a spell would be thinking actively (such as "will happen" statements); plan for various outcomes of the spell; make sure you, others, and your surroundings remain safe during all points of the spell (casting, manifesting, after manifestation).

It's when you look at it deeper that things change; this post takes a darker meaning than originally intended.

It is important to ask if things are "okay", "correct", or "right" on a deeper level.

I've lived a very interesting life, one that has watched as the internet age truly took hold; when it started truly becoming accessible in everyday homes and life. I wrote research papers in middle school using only printed sources because the internet wasn't fully reliable yet. I watched as information became more easily shared and available. It became much easier to update the things we learned as others experienced it the same way, or in variations.

As we started to share our experiences with others in real time, it began to be known and understood that not everything was open to everyone. There are many practices that are closed to "outsiders". While some of these practices can still be researched, unless you pass an initiation, are born into a system, or whatever other way to join a group/sect, these practices are not open to be practiced by everyone.

Chaos magic utilizes a lot of... chaos, for lack of better words. It utilizes being able to deconstruct how things are done in order to use the pieces that make it up on their own, not as a whole. It allows you to cast outside of a normalized structure. It allows you to harness the natural chaos of life.

What it doesn't do is allow you to practice or take things that are closed off to you because you deem it okay to do so. It doesn't allow you to perform something because you think it is right or fair to do so, because you have the knowledge and desire to do so.

If you utilize chaos magic in your practice, in your craft, then you know that you can always alter steps or things as a way to do what needs to be done.

Think before planning. Plan before acting. Be mindful; be respectful.

[whispzhi]

Unpopular opinion:

“You don’t have to practice witchcraft to be a witch.”

However, it’s best that you upkeep, tune, and hone your spiritualism. I feel like your workings are connected to you and therefore you need to practice that energy and connection.

It of course depends on everyone’s practice and personal experiences.

Just a thought.

[ofcedarandbone]

For the witchy asks,

10. What tools do you think are the most important in your practice?

11. Are there are stones you favour?

10. What tools do you think are the most important in your practice?

Tangibly: Candles. I can practice without them but I've been using them for so long it just feels like I'm missing a piece.

Intangibly: Intuition.

11. Are there are stones you favour?

Garnet, smoky quartz, and tourmaline are my top three.

{witchy asks}

[creature-wizard]

Do you believe in magic

I think spells and rituals are primarily effective on a psychological level, rather than making use of some heretofore unmeasured mystical force. For example, if you do a spell to attract a new relationships, you give yourself a little confidence boost and prime yourself to be more aware of new relationship opportunities.

Now and then I hear stories of things that can't be explained by current scientific models. But without being there personally, I can't really know whether it really happened exactly as reported or whether the person telling the story misunderstood what happened, whether they're exaggerating or diminishing certain details, or whether they're just straight up lying. (In any case, if you're going to make a big decision about your health, career, etc, it's much better to go on what empirical evidence says than on what you hear anecdotally. Personal anecdotes can feel more true, but they do not necessarily reflect what is actually likely to happen.)

I have known of people to have eerily accurate predictive dreams of things that really could not have been reasonably guessed or were not likely to happen at random. (I'll bite anybody who butts in to tell me that it's just coincidence. I mean, maybe it could be, but when a dream correctly predicts something both really specific and not at all likely to happen at random, that's hmm.)

(But also I've never known of anybody's apocalyptic dream to come true. There's only two kinds of apocalyptic predictions I've seen: failed and pre-failed. Just saying that to reassure anybody who might get worried about that kind of thing.)

[magpiesmagicnest]

Witchy asks

Do you believe in ghosts and spirits? Any experience with them?

What do you believe happens to us after we die?

How would you describe your personal beliefs/path/practice?

Do you think life is guided by fate, free will or a mix of both?

Do you think dreams have meaning? If so, have you had any meaningful ones you can remember?

Do you carry any good luck charms/talismans on you? How did you get them if so?

Do you believe people can feel the energy others have? If so, do you think you're good at doing so?

Are there specific celebrations you observe (eg. Sabbats.)?

What deities do you worship (if any)? Can you talk about how you connected with them?

What tools do you think are the most important in your practice?

Do you have any stones you favor? If so, which ones?

Ignoring birth month associations, is there an element that you most heavily identify with? Why?

Do you prefer doing spells that are cast and then forgotten? Or do you prefer longer lasting ones, like jar spells, that you keep around?

Is there anywhere spiritually significant to you that you'd want to visit someday?

Do you believe in things such as karma, or the threefold rule?

[coven-of-genesis]

Witchy Ways to Protect Your Bedroom Energy ✨🪶

Your bedroom is sacred space~keep it peaceful and safe.

🪶 Hang Bells or Chimes – Soft sounds break up heavy energy and invite gentle spirits.

🕯 Candle Before Sleep – Light one while journaling or reading, whispering, “Only peace may rest here.”

💧 Water Bowl – Place a small bowl of water near your bed to absorb stress as you sleep. Empty it in the morning.

[ofcedarandbone]

🌬️ Open Window/Electric Fan – Moving air = moving energy. Don't let things stagnate.

☀️ Throw Back The Curtains – Let the natural light cleanse all that it touches (doesn't necessarily have to be bright sunlight, diffused light and moonlight work as well).

🍃 Calming Potpourri –Combine dried flowers, herbs, and/or spices you associate with calmness. Place near your bed to promote peaceful sleep.

[ofcedarandbone]

This past week I was busy with work so I didn't keep track of which days I did what on, so for this week's updates here's a list in no particular order:

Despite sleeping poorly almost every night this week (thanks insomnia), I still got up and spent time in the morning sun before having to leave for work.

Made frozen yogurt for the first time (who knew it was so simple!)

Interviewed all but one of my tarot/oracle decks (perhaps I will do my runes too??)

Bought a new cyclamen to add to my plant collection (it's an adorable little baby, but don't worry it will get repotted into something bigger).

Restarted reading 'Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature, and Spirit' by Lyanda Lynn Haupt and I'm thoroughly enjoying it (purchased it in 2021 but wasn't in the right headspace for it at the time).

[livelovelaugh-777]

[ofcedarandbone]

I didn't have the time or energy over the weekend to do anything during the blue moon, and only just cleaned my altar this morning~

[ofcedarandbone]

[ofcedarandbone]

Witch tip: Another way to use scraps is to dry your used teabags:

Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Carefully open the bag (some tea brands will just unfold, others will need to be cut).

Evenly spread the contents out, either on the bag itself or on a plate.

Then let them dry in a sunny dry place (you may need to agitate them once or twice to ensure even drying).

Once dry, store them for later use in spells.

Bonus tip: You can also save the dried bags and reuse them as a small biodegradable spell packet or as quick burning petition papers.

*Please make sure the bags are biodegradable and not plastic (thanks @scrap-weaver for pointing this out in the tags).

[ashinthesky]

I started doing this but struggled really hard on what to associate my tea leaves with. For context: I drink mostly looseleaf and I steep my teas for as many repeats as I can reasonably get flavor from since the taste changes from steep to steep.

And then it hit me: since these leaves are so used, so loved... the ground and dried version of them should invoke the memory of good things past- reflection, gratefulness, etc.

[ofcedarandbone]

Oh I really love that <3

[arden-et-al]

A trick for myself, I'm finding, to a successful spell, is to accept whatever feelings you have about it after the fact.

I tend to worry. Especially when my OCD gets more severe, the thoughts just don't stop. Casting a spell is difficult when my mental health gets bad, because all I can think of is how I'll mess it up, or how it won't work, or how I'm doing it wrong, it won't help...

And the worst part is! I'll then beat myself up for having doubts in the first place. Then I'll feel bad about having beaten myself up. And then, and then, and then, down the hypothetical rabbit hole we go, over-intellectualizing my own feelings.

When you can't stop a worry, you can accept the worry. Embrace it. I know, deep down, that my brain is trying to help me but is going too far in the pursuit of saving myself. I thank my brain for trying, and tell it that I understand where it's coming from. I sit with the worry instead of worrying about the worry. I sit with the doubt.

I've been working on a good thing to say to finish spells. I will always have a weakness for "so mote it be," if I'm being honest (or maybe that's because my beloved has finally gotten me to play Hades 2, despite me not having played the first game, and I quite enjoy the way that Hecate says the phrase).

But I think my favorite is becoming- It is done. Simple. A clear, defined end point that my mind can understand. It's as though a line is drawn between the working magic and my overactive mind. Whether I worry or not, it doesn't matter. It is done!

[ofcedarandbone]

Tell me about yourself, The Wild Unknown Tarot

1. What is your most important characteristic?

Temperance - Self-restraint and moderation.

2. What are your strengths as a deck?

The Tower - Delivering news of major upheaval and change.

3. What are your limits as a deck?

The Lovers - Struggling to choose between opposing things.

4. What are you here to teach me?

Ace of Pentacles - Prosperous beginnings are abound.

5. How can I best learn and collaborate with you?

Seven of Pentacles - Through a period of contemplation, working through your uncertainties.

6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?

The Hierophant - Seeking knowledge through mentorship.

{Tarot Deck Interview Spread}

[rosecoloredtarot]

Witchy pet peeve of mine: there is no universal substitute. Roses are not a stand-in for any flower. White is not a replacement for any color candle. Rosemary can't replace any herb, and tobacco isn't the catch all poison.

If it works in your practice, you do you, I'm not the witch police. But at the end of the day it's UPG and a lot of folk don't act like it.

[ofcedarandbone]

Tell me about yourself, Botanical Inspirations Oracle

1. What is your most important characteristic?

Snapdragon - Gracious kindness.

2. What are your strengths as a deck?

Tuberose - Reminding you to experience life, not just live it.

3. What are your limits as a deck?

Lily - Actions speak louder than words.

4. What are you here to teach me?

Gerbera Daisy - When you spread your joy, you will find you have more than you started with.

5. How can I best learn and collaborate with you?

Gladiola - Things may not always be easy, but if you summon your strength, we will get through anything.

6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?

Sacred Lotus - Spiritual growth and detachment from the things that no longer serve you.

{Tarot Deck Interview Spread}

[dandelioneyed]

at the end of the day the most powerful talisman of all is an extremely well-loved teddy bear