Most Graveyard Dirts on the market are powdered Mullein or Patchouli leaf, or just brown tempera paint and nothing else. They may be effective, but mine does have real dirt collected on the Dark Moon from an actual cemetery on Samhain. I use powdered Patchouli and Mullein leaf to increase the volume of the product without diluting its power.

This stuff is also called Goofer's Dust, and is most commonly believed to be used for cursing, hexing, even killing magick. Of course I am 100% opposed to those uses. I recommend it for intentions such as putting things to a total end, such as an addiction (use it to bury the needles or last cigarette) or to bring finality to a bad relationship or the completion of a karmic penance. However, Graveyard Dirt has many possible uses.

The most traditional use of Graveyard Dirt is an ancestor worship/ancestor reverence form of magick. You would gather dirt from the grave of a beloved deceased relative, or perhaps the most powerful blood relative for whom you had access to their grave site. Perhaps in even earlier forms of ancestor reverence, this would be actual dust from the grave, e.g. powdered bone and remains from the dearly departed. It would be likely that you had generations upon generations of kin buried in this same cemetery. This substance is a powerful connection to your ancestors, who are naturally very invested in your success, because if YOU do not thrive, prosper and have your own heirs, they cannot have any sort of success or immortality through you.

Graveyard Dust is therefor the means of communicating your prayers and needs to your ancestors so that they will work on your behalf from The Other Side. In this view, used with reverence, Graveyard Dirt could be used to any end, from finding a wife or husband to getting an excellent job to destroying your enemies. I believe this is how Graveyard Dirt must have become misunderstood to be used solely for cursing. You could use it in this way, but I am sure that if you trust your ancestors to bring you the best possible result, they will find more elegant solutions to your troubles.

Many of us are not blessed to be close to the final resting places of those who love us beyond all measure. For this reason, store-bought Graveyard Dirt provides us a way to remain contact with our own relatives through the Realm of the Dead in a general sense. To the Mighty Dead!

For more Voudou and Hoodoo magick potions, read our blog article.