Bone Garden Rite

The Bone Garden Rite is one of the oldest forms of necromancy, tracing back to the ancestor cults of ancient Europe and Africa. It involves the intentional burial of ritually prepared bones — animal or human (ethically sourced) — in a specific pattern within a consecrated plot of earth. Over time, the bones act as a beacon and a home for spirits who wish to ally with the practitioner, creating a permanent garden of spirit companions.

The bones are first cleaned, then carved or painted with sigils of binding and alliance. They are wrapped in black cloth and buried in a spiral pattern — the ancient symbol of descent into the underworld and return. The practitioner marks each burial site with a stone or a flowering plant, creating a visible garden above ground that mirrors the spirit garden below.

Over the following weeks and months, the practitioner tends the garden, watering it with moonwater and speaking to the spirits who gather there. The spirits of the Bone Garden become trusted allies, offering protection, wisdom, and assistance in magical workings. In return, the practitioner provides them with a home, offerings, and the continued vitality of the garden. It is a symbiotic relationship between the living and the dead that can last for decades.