Prologue — The Folklore of the Cage

In old mountain houses, when a thing would not leave—grief that grew teeth, a fear that learned your name, a presence that lingered close to the bed—elders did not chase it out. They contained it.

Bone-Cage is the remnant of that craft: a structure of boundaries, breath, and blessed materials. Not every shadow is malicious. But every shadow needs a fence.

Why These Allies

Hyssop is temple-cleanser magic: it ends the chapter and rinses shame from the story. Nettle stings to remind you where your edges are, then teaches you to stand in your skin. Yarrow is the hedge-witch ruler: it measures where “you” end and “not-you” begins.

Obsidian cuts dead cords clean and reflects back what doesn’t belong to you. Red Agate calls your blood and bones home so you stop absorbing other people’s feelings. Fluorite sorts the mess—obligation vs. projection, truth vs. ghost-script.

Why Boundary Magic Works

Energetic boundary magic operates on three mechanics: Containment (holding what overwhelms), Delineation (separating self from not-self), and Withdrawal of permission (ending the feed).

When you light Bone-Cage, you are teaching your spirit structure. The flame is the ward. The wax is the cage. The scent is the ceremonial atmosphere that tells the subtle world: “Only what is mine may remain.”

How to Know This Is the Candle You Need

• You feel “crowded” inside your own thoughts or body.
• Your tools (tarot, pendulum, dreams) feel noisy or unreliable.
• A mood or fear repeats like a stuck chord.
• You are processing heavy shadow work and need containment.
• You’ve been around draining people, grief, conflict, or chaotic spaces.
• Your boundaries feel thin, or you’ve been spiritually “too open.”

Somatic Doorway — Where Is the Gap?

1. Place one hand on your sternum and one on your lower ribs.
2. Inhale for 4, hold for 1, exhale for 7. Repeat 5 times.
3. Say softly: “My body is my house. My house is mine.”
4. Note where your attention drifts — that’s where the cage will form.

Deep Path — The Ossuary Rite (25–40 min)

1. Create the circle: Salt to the east, water to the west, candle in center, empty bowl before you.
2. Light the flame: say: “This cage forms clean.”
3. Breath purge: 3 long exhales toward the bowl to expel stale emotional fog.
4. Containment statement: “You are acknowledged. You are witnessed. You are not allowed to feed.”
5. Allies as guardians: Touch each stone lightly and ask it to do its job.
6. Wax seal: Drip one safe drop of wax into the bowl while saying “Bound.”
7. Release breath: One sharp exhale from the mouth.
8. Close: Snuff. Tap salt at your doorway tonight.

Sigil Work — Burn & Keep

1. Release Sigil: create from your unwanted pattern. Burn in a dish after a single breath near the flame.
2. Protection Sigil: create from what you are keeping safe. Place under the tin for 3 sessions.

Tarot — The Cage Spread

1. The Clinger: what is feeding on your field.
2. The Bone: your boundary medicine.
3. The Door: the single next act that frees you.

Omens & Wax Signs

• Low steady flame: boundary solid, slow clearing.
• Crackle: resistance leaving.
• Wax leaning one way: energy tied to a single source.
• Even pool: the cage “took.”
• Herbs drifting outward: external influence exiting.

Aftercare — Reclaim Your Field

1. Drink water. Eat something grounding.
2. Do one mundane boundary act: close a tab, throw something out, say a gentle “no.”
3. Sleep with your protection sigil under the tin for 3 nights.

Tin Care & Safety

• Burn on a heat-safe surface away from drafts, pets & fabrics.
• If any herb/stone drifts toward the flame: snuff, wait 1–2 min, nudge outward.
• Never leave unattended. Do not ingest botanicals.
• Spiritual practice supports healing; it is not a replacement for mental or medical care.

The cage is not punishment. It is mercy and clarity. Use it whenever your spirit needs its room back.