Betty Noire!

Mean Girls 💚

Thinking about how my mom tried to “seduce” my dad when they were in college together by sneaking oranges into his backpack, because she grew up food insecure and feeding someone/sharing food was a big deal with her upbringing with a lot of emotional meaning–

and meanwhile my poor dad is just convinced that he’s been haunted by some citrus poltergeist because why the fuck are there always oranges in his bag he swears he did not put there???

As a death witch I come across the ingredient Graveyard Dirt (also called Goofer's Dust) quite a lot in spells! There are, of course, respectful and ethical ways to procure graveyard dirt, and there's loads of guides out there for that! But I wanna talk about alternatives and substitutions to graveyard dirt, because let's be honest. Some of us just don't want to disturb the grave of a loved one no matter how ethical and respectful we try to be.

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Dirt from a dead/dying potted plant:

This one is a pretty obvious alternative and I see it suggested fairly often! It's especially useful for those of us who have plants but just can't seem to keep them alive, giving our poor attempt at horticulture a new purpose. Graveyard dirt is powerful because of the energies from spirits that it embodies, and if you believe all living things have spirits like I do, then dirt from a dead plant works just as well.

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Valerian Root:

Like many herbs, valerian has many magical properties and uses! It is often used as a substitute for graveyard dirt, particularly in hoodoo practices. This may be because of the foul odor valerian root (also known as vandal root) gives off, though many people compare the smell of this herb to stinky cheese or even feet rather than having an odor of death.

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Patchouli leaf:

Dried, ground patchouli is generally considered the most traditional substitute for graveyard dirt. Most of the graveyard dirt on the market is actually just powdered mullein or patchouli leaf (or just brown tempera paint and nothing else) and these work well enough! Patchouli is usually what I'd suggest using during Samhain rituals in place of graveyard dirt.

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Coffee grounds:

Coffee is actually a wonderfully versatile ingredient and I have seen it used in many different spells. I'm more of a tea drinker, but I keep a container of coffee grounds sitting with the rest of my herbs for its many properties.

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Cinnamon powder:

Another popular alternative to graveyard dirt, depending on what exactly you need it for! I always use cinnamon as a substitute in protection spells that call for graveyard dirt.

Do not steal or repost.

Jinx: caffeine no longer keeps me awake while i work, so instead i have y/n periodically send me texts saying "we need to talk", it gives me the right amount of adrenaline and fear i need to keep going.

Silco:

Silco: i worry about you sometimes

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