To Call Forth the Dead

This is something I have used for a long time. Especially when I feel I’ve lost connection to the spirits I work with. At its heart it’s a simple prayer, or call, to the dead that surround you. It becomes a spell only because of a few candles and a bowl of water for scrying—and a full ritual still with a few modifications to help you direct your focus and intent.

You will need a bowl of water, three candles, and matches. Spring water from a sacred source is best, but in modern times not always possible. If you boil the water and let it cool it becomes charged—water, placed in earth, treated with fire, and air allowed to steam and bubble is now cleansed by all elements. You can even direct subtle energies into the water through your focus and breathing. This is something I do with my evening tea, but that is an entirely different post.

A Simple Spell

Place the bowl just before you and a candle to the left, right, and just beyond the bowl. This should look like a triangle encompassing the bowl. Shapes are very important to my practice and this triangle will help us with manifesting what we seek. Ground and center yourself with a few deep breaths—or place your left fist over heart ,and cupping it with your right hand, seeing your heart at the center of universe.

In my practice I would chant, lay compass, or build crossroads here. Should your tradition call for it, cast a circle. Or if it doesn’t… then don’t!

(optional invocation or statement)* ** ***

Take a match and light the candle to the left-front of the bowl: “I call you Beloved Dead. Ancestors, blood and found. Guides and Helpers, Spirits of this place that hold protection of me. Be here with me now. Guide me, may I hear your voice and feel your presence around me.”

Call out to your ancestors and familial spirits by name: grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends lost, spirits you work with. Feel them with you and providing protection for your work.

Take a match and ignite it with the first candle. Carry that match over to the second candle and light it: “Hear me Aspirational Dead, become part of my lineage, continue to inspire me, strengthen my resolve and provoke my creativity and joys.”

Call to the dead by name: artist, humanitarians, witches and sorcerers of past.

Just as before, ignite a match on the second candle and carry that flame to the third and furthest candle: “I call to you the Unspoken Dead. You who have been lost to the passage of time just as one day I will be. Now is your time to speak should you wish. Come forth and be known once again.”

Now is the time to be dead silent and allow the body to listen. Trying breathing in through your skin to feel every last bit of subtle energy. When ready, light a match with the third candle and drag it to the first to complete the triangle.

This is an opportunity to scry in your bowl and wait for messages. First notice the light play on the water’s surface. As you start to go deeper into your breath allow your vision to come out of focus. This will take practice and time if you are not that experienced (or like me, super impatient) but it’s worth the effort here. Should this be where you wish to finish, provide a gesture of offering with cupped hands and a great thanks for their messages. A piece of bread and small cup of wine or water would be a great accompaniment—incense for extra credit.

Follow this with a few words of banishment. “Our time of communication has come to an end, go now to your thrones of housing in peace, ready to return again”.

That’s it! A simple spell to communicate with the dead.

Invocations

An invocation just after your circle, compass, crossroads, etc. is an excellent way to get someone who commands the dead on your side. If you have your own, then yes, please use that. As I am a simple and practical witch, mine would go something like this:

* The Old Ones, Witch Father, Witch Mother, The Quick and Between, Spirits of this Place, Land, Sea, and Air. Come forth and stand with me in my power. Let my work be fortified with your presence and intimately known through the worlds.

For a more Hellenistic approach I prefer a prayer to Hekate or Persephone. I have a working relationship with both energies and find calling to them with their epithet of Anassa Eneroi quite effective. Something to the tune of:

** Hail Hekate, Fair Goddess and Potecter; Great and mighty Goddess of the crossroads hear my plea, Chthonia queen of sorcery, grant me sight in this time, You who are followed by the restless spirits, roaming dogs and ghosts of all kinds, please Kleidokhous, keeper of the keys, open these gates in this hour. Great Anassa Eneroi, you the aborter of Bacchanalian rights and commander of the dead, bring forth these spirits I call by name—whether they be dwelling on this Earth or the Underworld below, please grant me this chance to commune Great and Fair Goddess.

*** Hail Persephone, daughter of Zues, Pluton’s honored wife, Hagne, Kore Pure and Beautiful Maiden, Carpophoros, Bringer of Fruits you espouse in Autumn to return to your reign as Anissa Eneroi, Queen of Dead, hear me at this time. Great ruler with Pluton of the Underworld and the dead, I beg of you to bring forth the spirits I ask for by name. Allow me to commune with the lost on Earth as you long for half the year’s time great Goddess of Spring.

This is most effective when paired with a candle, glass of water and/or wine, maybe some roses and pomegranate. When working with the deities I tend to do a separate rite of offering just for them at the invocation. I don’t work with deities as much as many others, so my relationship can be a bit more transactional. If you have a deep personal relationship with them, this may not be necessary.

After the Simple Spell

Once you feel you have received the messages you are after, or again impatient like me, now is the perfect time to time to raise a little energy. Chant, drum, dance, anything that might help you with receiving even more messages from the other side. If chanting is your preferred method, you could write your own. Something like: I have stood on your shoulders, and been carried in your womb, I see your visions when fire smolders, hear your whispers from the tomb. There are many historic options as well. Roger J Horne has compiled an amazing collection of chants and charms in his book “The Witch’s Art of Incantation” like A Chant to Bring Visions or Dreams:

Agla leta yskyros mediator, eleyson panton craton. Agla leta yskyros mediator, eleyson panton craton.

Allow this to take you away into full flight should you like. After you come back to earth, I would continue with a rite of offering before a few short words of banishment. Here you are free to release your circle, compass, or crossroads and give thanks once more.

Saint Cyprian

To work with Saint Cyprian as a Folk practitioner, I would appeal directly to him as the commander of the dead. Having a candle dedicated to him would be best, but a white or black seven day candle would work well too. Before starting the simple ritual, I would recite a few rounds of the Prayer to Saint Cyprian:

In the name of the great and mighty power of the Divine I invoke the sublime influence of St. Cyprian. I ask that you be my mentor and guide by virtue of the grace bestowed upon you by the First Father who was, who is, and who shall ever be.

You learned to control storms on Mt. Olympus, the casting of enchantment and illusion in Argos, the mysteries of the witch’s craft at Tauropolis, necromancy among the graves of Sparta, and incantations in Memphis. Finally, in Antioch, drawn by power, you converted to Christianity.

Holy St. Cyprian, you who equally partakes of the Mass and the Sabbat, bless my efforts to follow you in your path. You, who commingled with angels, devils, and earthly spirits, grant the power to command the spirits as you did, and as Solomon and Manasses did before you.

I thank you, Lord, for the many gifts of nature and grace with which you enriched the spiritual treasure house of your most faithful servant St. Cyprian. I thank you, my protector, for the special favors I have received by your powerful intercession.

Cyprian, Holy Thaumaturge; Saint and Sorcerer, Martyr and Magus, bless me. Take my prayers and spells and make them your own. When the Lord hears them, he will not ignore them, and they will cease to be my words, but yours. Amen.

Should you want to end with a reading, I would recommend Psalms 85. What is this other than reconsiliantion between old friends?

I will listen to what God the Lord says;
    he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—
    but let them not turn to folly.
Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,
    that his glory may dwell in our land.

Love and faithfulness meet together;
    righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
    and righteousness looks down from heaven.
The Lord will indeed give what is good,
    and our land will yield its harvest.
 Righteousness goes before him
    and prepares the way for his steps.

Your friend,