Necromancy

Necromancy is the magical art of engaging with the dead, whether to seek knowledge, guidance, or influence. It may take the form of communion with ancestors, dialogue with wandering spirits, or the ritual evocation of the departed. At its heart lies the recognition that death is not an end but a transformation, and that the dead remain participants in the living world.

Across history, necromancy has worn many faces. In the ancient Mediterranean, the shades of heroes were called upon for wisdom at graves and temples. In medieval Europe, it was cast as forbidden sorcery, accused of raising corpses or compelling unwilling spirits to speak. Yet it also lived, in shadowed corners, within a Christian world that was deeply concerned with death and the afterlife. Some necromancers borrowed the trappings of Christian ritual—prayers, psalms, invocations of saints—not in worship, but as magical tools. They sought to bend the language of the sacred into a channel for dangerous arts, turning ritual into technique. To orthodox eyes, this was a corruption, and to the necromancers themselves it was often a shortcut: a way to reach into mysteries not by long discipline or devotion, but by command.

This very reliance on shortcuts made necromancy precarious. Unlike the more grounded arts of witchcraft, which drew upon cycles of nature, or the devotional piety of monastic life, necromantic operations were notorious for collapse. The circles drawn might falter, the spirits summoned might lie or rebel, and the promises of power often dissolved into fear. Necromancers were not treated exactly like witches: where witches were vilified for maleficium—harmful magic—necromancers were seen as reckless scholars, dabblers who courted disaster by meddling with the dead. Their art was feared not only for its blasphemy, but for its instability.

In practice, necromancy sits at the crossroads of many other magical arts. It overlaps with Mediumship, sharing the act of spirit-communication, but differs in its ritual framing and magical intent. It requires the support of Banishing and Binding to keep the space secure. Divination and Scrying often serve as its tools for receiving messages, while Psychopompic rites may be needed to release a restless soul. Necromancy even brushes against Shadow Magic, where encounters with grief, fear, and illusion must be discerned with care. Rather than standing apart, necromancy weaves together many of the arts, becoming a hinge between the living and the departed.

Within the Coven of the Veiled Moon, necromancy is approached with reverence. It is practiced most often as a form of veneration—candles lit for the Dead, offerings left at graves, ancestral presence invited into ritual circles. Communication with the departed may emerge through trance, dream, or guided vision, but it is framed as relationship, not domination. In the coven’s practice, necromancy stands alongside Dream Magic, Divination, and Mediumship, always contained within protective ritual structures to ensure safety for both the living and the spirits called.

Examples

Lighting a black candle and gazing into a bowl of water or mirror to invite a spirit’s message.
Leaving bread, wine, or flowers at a gravesite while whispering a question to the departed.
Building a ritual circle, invoking protection, and calling an ancestor to appear in dream or trance.
Performing a psychopompic rite with incense and prayer to help release a troubled or wandering spirit.

Note: Necromancy can be profoundly moving, yet it carries risk. Spirits may bring wisdom, love, and protection, but they may also carry sorrow, unrest, or deception. It can be a dangerous shortcut—promising mastery but often delivering chaos. Practitioners today are urged to prepare carefully—banishing, cleansing, and warding before and after the work—and never to treat the dead as tools. Approach with respect, patience, and boundaries. Done wisely, necromancy is not only a practice of darkness but of continuity: the living and the dead sharing the same great circle, each with wisdom to offer the other.