Compound Recipes for Shadow Work in Autumn.

Featuring Australian Botanicals & Toxic Plant Handling (Southern Hemisphere). 

This chapter provides detailed formulations for complex ritual compounds used in Shadow and Nocturnal Witchcraft during the Autumn season in the Southern Hemisphere. Each recipe draws from both traditional materia and regional botanicals, including native and toxic plants. Compounds include powders, oils, incenses, inks, and tinctures for baneful, ancestral, protective, and trance-related work. Every ingredient has been selected for its energetic properties, seasonal availability, and ritual function.

Note on Toxic Botanicals:

All poisonous plants included in this chapter are for external ritual use only. Do not ingest or allow contact with mucous membranes or broken skin.

Handle with gloves and proper ventilation. Always label your tools and store safely, away from children, animals, and food preparation areas.

1. Shadow Walking Powder

Used to anoint the soles of feet, cloak the body in energetic obscurity, or scatter in ritual paths to enter altered states or cross thresholds unseen.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp burnt wattle ash (Acacia spp., native to Australia)

• 1 tsp powdered dead eucalyptus bark (collected dry from the forest floor)

• ½ tsp dried and ground datura flower (handle with gloves)

• 1 tsp grave dust (ethically gathered from a family or spirit-allied grave)

• ¼ tsp powdered charcoal from storm-fallen ironbark

• Optional: 3 drops patchouli essential oil (to anchor in the physical plane)

Harvest Notes:

• Eucalyptus bark: gather only dry, fallen pieces. Do not strip live trees. Break into small pieces before grinding.

• Datura: harvest only fully dried flowers. Use gloves. Dry in a sealed paper bag away from sun. Store in airtight glass.

• Grave dust: Offer coin or blood at grave. Use a dedicated spoon or bone scoop.

Instructions:

Grind all dry ingredients to a fine powder using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Add essential oil last and stir with a wooden stick. Store in black glass or stone jar in a cool, dark place. Use sparingly—this is not for physical invisibility, but spiritual obscuration.

2. Baneful Binding Oil

Used for poppet work, sealing jars, or drawing symbols in hostile magic. Not to be used on skin.

Ingredients:

• 30ml carrier oil (olive or macadamia, cold-pressed)

• 5 dried pepperberry leaves (Tasmannia lanceolata – native, spicy, protective)

• 1 whole dried redback spider (optional, symbolic)

• 3 rusted coffin nails or iron shavings

• ¼ tsp powdered hemlock root (toxic, handle with gloves, external use only)

• 9 crushed blackberry thorns

• 3 drops clove essential oil

Harvest Notes:

• Pepperberry leaves: Harvest in dry weather. Dry whole and store in brown paper.

• Hemlock: Identify with extreme caution—leaves resemble parsley. Use only dried root. Store separately in a sealed, labeled vial.

• Iron: Collect from old tools or railway spikes. Rust naturally in rain before use.

Instructions:

Add all dry ingredients to the oil in a sterilised jar. Seal and store in a dark place for 13 nights. Shake gently each day. Strain before use, or use whole for jar spells. Label clearly as TOXIC—DO NOT USE ON SKIN.

3. Ancestral Smoke Incense

For spirit contact, necromantic rites, or Autumn ancestor offerings.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp powdered gum tree resin (from Corymbia or Eucalyptus species)

• 1 tsp powdered mugwort leaf (Artemisia vulgaris)

• ½ tsp dried cypress needles (Cupressus sempervirens)

• 1 tsp sandalwood chips or powder

• ½ tsp dried lomandra root (Lomandra longifolia – native, stable, grounding)

• Pinch of dried myrtle leaf (Backhousia myrtifolia)

Harvest Notes:

• Gum resin: Harvest only hardened drips. Scrape gently from trunk after wounds.

• Cypress needles: Take windfallen pieces. Dry flat in paper.

• Lomandra: Dig shallowly near creek beds. Dry root fully and slice before grinding.

Instructions:

Grind all ingredients to a medium-coarse incense blend. Burn on charcoal in a fire-safe vessel. Use only in ventilated spaces. Store in a glass jar with a pinch of ash to prevent moisture.

4. Severance Ink (for Shadow Sigils)

Used to write sigils, warding marks, or break cords on parchment or bone.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp oak gall powder (Quercus spp.)

• ½ tsp iron rust

• ½ tsp black nightshade berry extract (Solanum nigrum – TOXIC)

• 2 tsp vinegar (preferably apple cider)

• Optional: small amount of soot or charcoal for blackening

Harvest Notes:

• Oak gall: Collect fallen, hardened galls. Crush and dry completely.

• Nightshade berries: Handle with gloves. Crush and steep in vinegar for 24 hours before adding.

• Iron rust: Collect by scraping rust from old tools. Sift finely.

Instructions:

Mix oak gall, rust, and charcoal. Add strained nightshade-infused vinegar. Stir to combine. Let stand in a sealed jar for 7 days before use. Apply with quill, thorn, or ritual blade. Store in black glass. Label as TOXIC—EXTERNAL USE ONLY.

5. Autumn Threshold Elixir (Smoke or Floor Wash)

Used to cleanse and redefine spiritual thresholds—doorways, ritual circles, or grave entrances.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups boiling water

• 1 tbsp dried she-oak needles (Allocasuarina spp.)

• 1 tsp dried elder bark (Sambucus australasica – native subspecies)

• 1 tbsp lemon myrtle leaf (Backhousia citriodora)

• 1 tsp vinegar or storm water

• Optional: pinch of sea salt for grounding

Harvest Notes:

• She-oak: Gather dry windfall needles. Not from living trees.

• Elder bark: Never harvest from living trunk—only take from naturally shed bark.

• Lemon myrtle: Dry in shade to preserve oil content.

Instructions:

Steep all dry ingredients in boiling water. Cover and allow to cool. Strain through cloth. Add vinegar or storm water. Use as floor wash, ritual anointing water, or to mark space boundaries with branches or bundled leaves. Discard unused liquid into natural earth.

6. Shadow Anointing Salve

Used to mark the body before rituals of descent, veil work, or grave walking. Invokes silence, concealment, and otherworld tethering. For external use only on wrists, neck, and soles.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp macadamia oil (carrier)

• 1 tbsp beeswax (preferably dark or wild)

• 1 tsp powdered melaleuca bark (Melaleuca quinquenervia – paperbark tree)

• 5 dried native violet flowers (Viola hederacea – subtle link to spirit realms)

• 3 drops vetiver essential oil (deep anchoring scent)

• 1 drop datura flower essence (NOT extract; non-toxic vibrational essence)

• Pinch of ash from storm-felled wood

Harvest Notes:

• Melaleuca bark: Peel only loose, curling pieces from deadwood. Do not harvest from live trees.

• Violet flowers: Harvest in early morning after dew. Air dry in darkness to preserve scent.

Instructions:

Infuse melaleuca and violet flowers in oil over low heat for 1 hour (double boiler preferred). Strain. Melt beeswax into infused oil. Stir in essential oils and ash while warm. Pour into black or amber salve jar. Allow to cool fully. Store in a dark, dry place. Shelf life: 6–12 months.

7. Iron Circle Dust

Protective and grounding compound used to cast ironbound circles, wards, and spiritual tripwires around property, ritual grounds, or poppet containers.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp rusted iron filings (ritual nails or tools only)

• 1 tsp dried eucalyptus leaf (finely powdered)

• 1 tsp charcoal from a fire where a binding spell was burned

• ½ tsp crushed saltbush (Atriplex spp. – native salt-drawing plant)

• 1 tsp dried snake skin (ethically sourced shed only)

• Optional: dried crushed red ochre

Harvest Notes:

• Saltbush: Gather in coastal or arid areas during late afternoon. Dry in paper in full shade.

• Rust filings: Let tools rust naturally; scrape or file with ritual knife.

• Snake skin: Found naturally shed only—never taken from living animal.

Instructions:

Combine and grind all ingredients into a uniform fine powder. Sieve if needed. Store in airtight tin or ceramic vessel. Sprinkle in lines, circles, or crosses for boundary defense and intrusion detection. Best used during Waning or New Moon.

8. Womb of Dream Elixir (smoke or bath tincture)

Used for deep liminal dreamwork, trance walking, or nocturnal astral projection. To be used only in ritual bath or as a smoked infusion—not ingested.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp dried passionflower (Passiflora herbertiana – native variant, sedative)

• 1 tsp dried blue lily petals (Nymphaea violacea – dream activation)

• 1 tsp mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)

• 5 drops blue cypress essential oil (Callitris intratropica – rare, grounding)

• Storm water or distilled water base (250ml)

• Optional: moonstone shard or obsidian flake charged under the dark moon

Harvest Notes:

• Blue lily: Harvest only opened flowers. Dry immediately in shadow.

• Passionflower: Pick flowering vine tops. Dry as whole sprigs. Store loosely in dark paper.

• Storm water: Best gathered during thunderstorms close to the equinox.

Instructions:

Combine herbs in a sterile dark glass jar. Cover with storm water. Add essential oil and mineral shard. Seal and leave in moonlight for 3 nights (ideally Waning Moon). Strain before use. Add 1–2 tablespoons to bath or burn over charcoal. Do not drink. Store in fridge or cool place for up to 3 months.

9. Silence Vine Binding Cord

Used in binding or oath rites, shadow vows, or for tethering spirits to jars or bones. The cord itself is the spell vessel.

Materials:

• 3 long strands of kangaroo vine (Cissus antarctica – flexible, binding plant)

• Black thread or raw wool yarn

• 1 drop of the witch’s blood or breath exhaled over cord

• Dusting of crushed poppy petal and crow feather ash

• Optional: inclusion of hair or nail clippings from target (if used for spirit bindings)

Harvest Notes:

• Kangaroo vine: Harvest at dusk, when pliable. Take with clean blade. Braid fresh, or soak dried vines in warm water to re-soften.

• Poppy petals: Dried and powdered in full moon, stored in glass.

• Feather ash: Burn black feather in silence. Use only what remains.

Instructions:

Braid vine and black thread together slowly while naming its purpose. Dust with poppy and feather ash at each knot. Charge with blood or breath. Coil and store in a wooden box or within a binding jar. Must be buried, burned, or cut to unbind.

10. Crooked Gate Tincture (Baneful Vision Work)

Ritual tincture for visual distortions, guided descent, or crossroads revelation rites. Applied externally to third eye or tools—not for consumption. Strongly toxic.

Ingredients:

• 10ml isopropyl alcohol or strong vodka (for tincturing)

• ½ tsp dried Corkwood aka Duboisia myoporoides leaf (Australian native—TOXIC)

• 1 tsp dried belladonna leaf (Atropa belladonna – TOXIC)

• 3 black fennel seeds (protective counterbalance)

• Drop of obsidian oil or crow blood (if ethically sourced)

Harvest Notes:

• Corkwood/ Duboisia: Found in Queensland, rarely cultivated. Leaves only—wear gloves, dry in paper envelopes. Do not inhale dust.

• Belladonna: Cultivated only—do not wild harvest. Leaves dried under shade.

• Obsidian oil: Made by infusing obsidian shard in oil under New Moon for 7 nights.

Instructions:

Place all dry ingredients in a dropper bottle. Cover with alcohol. Infuse in a dark space for 21 days. Shake daily. Strain through fine cloth. Use with extreme caution: external ritual tool only. Label clearly with skull and crossbones. Store away from light and heat.

Closing the Vein: Final Words on Autumn’s Materia Magica

In the fading pulse of autumn, when bark splits and the land draws its breath inward, the witch’s hands must become as disciplined as they are daring. Materia magica gathered and conjured in this season carries the imprint of death's slow ascendancy—roots curling into sleep, vines tightening into silence, and seeds becoming secrets. Every botanical, every drop, every dust is an echo of that descent. To handle them is to trespass respectfully through thresholds that other paths fear.

What you distil in this time is not merely substance, but function woven with shadow. These compounds are not decorations nor tools of shallow ritual—they are living extensions of your will, your oaths, and your capacity for balance between harm and healing, between silence and speech. They are doors disguised as dust, thresholds bottled in oil, bindings braided into cords of purpose.

You are now the keeper of venom and virtue.

Store with reverence, label with precision, and approach your creations as you would a spirit—not merely with command, but with understanding. A salve might speak. A tincture may remember. A cord may lie coiled with sleeping intent for years before it chooses to awaken. This is the nature of true nocturnal craft—it endures in shadow, knowing the witch will call when the hour is correct.

When the wind sharpens and the leaves whisper, open your cabinet, unseal your vessels, and remember what you gathered in the stillness of autumn’s breath.

Let what you’ve made serve no one but your true will.

Let no hand unworthy lay claim to it.

And when winter comes, let it find you prepared.

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