My Lucumi/Santeria outdoor shrine to honour the collective dead around my house.
Some of the types of dead that this shrine is for are : Any “Earthbound Souls” that are around, spirits of the dead that have just crossed over, any spirits of the dead that just happen to be around on any given day. Indigenous spirits that used to own the land that all houses are built on or lost their lives at the hands of the early European settlers to my country, Australia.
It is also for a friend who had similar spiritual interest as me, that past away a few years back now.
When getting involved in this type of Necromancy (communication and divination with the dead) you need to be very dedicated and serious, and have great respect for all the spirit world. It’s not for every body and does have its trials and tribulations, as well as some dangers.
If you are working with the spirit world on a daily basis, as I myself are. You will start to attract a lot of the spirits of the dead to you. This may and can give you trouble in and around your home. This is why it is so important to keep these spirits happy and in check. For if this is taken care of, then there is a more likely chance of harmony and balance. Not only this but if you have an indoor shrine dedicated to family and ancestors that have past, as I do. Other spirits of the dead that you do not know can come into your house and feed off the offerings that you left for your ancestors and loved ones on the otherside, you don’t want that happening.
So it is important to have two shrines for the dead, the outdoor one for all spirits and the indoor shine for close family and ancestors. The indoor shrine for family and ancestors is called a “Boveda”, I will talk about this in another blog.
A lot of people have said to me over the years “With all the work I do with the spirits, how come you never have much trouble”. This is part of the reason why that I am now sharing with you in this blog. I also have “Gatekeeper” Deities, I call “Agents” that work with me along side the dead, I will explain this also in another blog.
I can’t stress enough, that once you start making offerings of food and drink to the collective dead, it is very important that you continue with this practice. It is never, ever a good idea to stop doing this. In doing this, you run the risk of lots of trouble coming your way. These spirits that are being feed on a regular basis, will want to be continued to be feed, as you have been doing. If they are unable to get fed as they had been before. Then they could easily turn on you as a way of being feed once more, which may make you, your loved ones, pets and even in some cases, friends very sick, even death. Even if they do not live at your house, they can and will find your friends and effect their lives as well. They will feed off the energies of all those around you in your life as well as yourself, much like a spirit attachment does.
When we feed the spirits of the dead and Deities also, however Deities are more fussy and may demand certain offerings and sacrifices, and rightly so as they are Divinities. It is not the physical substance that they are after, but the energies they get from it. Don’t feed them and they will drain the energies right out of the living. On feeding the dead, this makes them more stronger to perform jobs or tasks for you, under the guidelines of your Patron Deities. If they are performing a major task for you, then give them a bigger offering and once they have carried out the task and you see the results, thank them with a special offering.
Someone might ask me, why don’t I help them to cross over probably? This I do with many spirits of the dead however, not all spirits of the dead wish to cross over. Some wish to stay here as helpers, especially indigenous spirits of the land, those that were for example, Shamans.
Some just want to hold on to this physical realm and wish to feel the life force again and so they are happy to work for me in return for a few drops of Animal blood. A word of warning in regards to using blood, if you use your own blood, this can and will build a link between you and the spirit, and you may not wish to have such a close bond as this with the spirit of the dead in question
The symbolism of the chalk markings are : The circle on the wall is the sun rising in our world and the circle on the ground with the 9 rays, is the sun setting in the underworld (land of the dead). The shrine needs to be at ground level as it is closer to the Earth and therefore the underworld.
It is always good to have a white candle lit, it’s like leaving a light on for those that have crossed over as an invitation to enjoy the offerings you have given them. When removing the food, wait until the food has gone off, as this is part of the death process and the spirits taking from it the energy. Always put a glass of fresh water down daily, first thing in the morning. I often leave coffee, rum, fruit, nuts, rice, bread with honey. Sometimes the spirits tell me what they like, my friend who passed liked beer and cigarettes and so I light a cigarette for him and blow the smoke into the circle a few times, then let the rest burn away. I also light incense and sometimes spay perfume, I give them a plant to be near as well.
I use different prayers to the dead from different tomes or Grimoires and some I wrote myself. I also have a staff that I made which has coloured ribbons on it with bells on the end, in the Santeria tradition, in which I tap on the ground 3 times to get their attention before talking to the dead.
Any questions please feel free to ask thanks.
💀🎩🦴
©️Orion Silverstar 191 - 2019.
