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Cleansing & Banishing
The Veiled Scythe
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A rite of severance in six verses, calling Thanatos - the quiet threshold, not the violent death - to cut a harmful presence's hold and carry it beyond your door. Graveyard earth, a silver coin for the passage, and one firm knot. Worked only when gentler paths have failed.
What You Will Need
One black candle
Lit at the first verse and snuffed at the last. One only; this rite is deliberately stark.
An image of a scythe, or a symbol of Thanatos
A drawing is enough - a scythe, a butterfly, an inverted torch, a winged figure asleep. Thanatos has several emblems and the gentle ones are as correct as the blade.
A handful of graveyard earth, gathered with permission
Ask at the gate or the office; most will say yes to a handful from a path or a verge. If the answer is no, earth from a crossroads or from beneath a yew will serve. Never take it from a grave itself.
A piece of black cloth or a small bag
To hold the earth, the paper and the coin, tied shut with one knot.
One silver coin
Any coin of a pale metal. It is the fare for the passage, which is the oldest idea in the rite and the one not to leave out.
A slip of paper
For the name or a clear description of the presence or influence you are releasing. Folded away from you.
Moon Phase & Timing
A severance is a letting-go, and this one asks the moon to agree with it.
Waning Moon: The named phase. A hold loosening as the light withdraws.
Night: Required. Thanatos is the brother of Sleep in the Greek telling, and this rite belongs to the same hours.
Not the dark of the moon: Unusually, this rite wants the waning rather than the dark: you are asking for a withdrawal rather than an absence. Keep the dark moon for Hecate's rites.
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The Ritual
5 steps, with the words to speak at each one.
You have the materials and the timing. This one is held for the Inner Circle — every step, every incantation, and how to shape the working to your own intention.
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This spell is provided for spiritual and entertainment purposes. Midnight Spellcraft makes no guarantees of specific results. Trust your intuition and practice responsibly.