Over the past few days, I've found myself deep in thought after going about my usual client work, personal practice, and devotional work.
SE
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Greetings folks. Over the past few days, I've found myself deep in thought after going about my usual client work, personal practice, and devotional work. It's occurred to me that spiritual work is often a cosmic game of "Telephone". "Telephone", for those of you caught unawares, is a childhood game wherein the party at the front of the line comes up with a sentence or phrase, tells it to the person next to them, then the recipient does the same and so on and so forth down the line. Those of you whom have played the game I speak of know that the sentence or phrases starts out as something as simple as "Johnny's mom is also the doctor" and ends up as "Mom's Johnny is also the proctor" at the final person of the game. So too is this the case with client work, I find. I am frequently approached by folks who either do not speak English or speak it as a second, third, or fourth language; frequently, they encounter the same troubles shared by their brethren from English-speaking countries - they are unsure how to put their concerns and wants into words which will then be clearly understood by someone like myself. This brings us to a rather awkward point in a relationship, as its difficult to understand just what it is that we're being asked to do when we miss important contextual clues. This is doubly true when it comes to interacting with spiritual entities, as not only do they not speak our language, but they also tend to sense our emotions, our sense of purpose or lack thereof, our thoughts, our confusion, and so on. With this truth being as present as it is, we encounter a new difficulty; not only must we understand the goal of our friend, client, partner, spouse, or ourselves, but we also must be able to communicate those goals and intentions effectively to the spirits we conjure. Language, being a finicky beast at the best of times, is something we must strive to understand intimately if we are to do this effectively; furthermore, we must also understand the language of the spirits we intend to work with. Sometimes the language is verbal and literal or it can be written and symbolic or any means and methodology in-between. Each of us is different in how we best perceive and understand the world around us and the spirits we work with, command, and/or serve are no different. Not only we must understand how to communicate ourselves effectively, but we also must learn to listen to the people and the world around us. Perception is the key to greater and deeper understandings, and that starts at home with the ones we love. We must hear them out first if we wish to understand what the Gods and spirits tell us through speech, song, dreams, movies, games, situations, and so on. With that said, happy hunting and blessed learning. SE
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Ave, my friends. As always, I hope my posting finds you well. A couple of weeks ago, I got word from a client and friend of mine that some recent work I had done for her led to some striking paranormal manifestations. Here are her words on the subject: "since you did the ritual work for me, i've been seeing things in my room. it's difficult to describe, but it's like i'm seeing glimmers of spirits or whatever they are all over in here. no audible sounds, just visual. sometimes it's in the form of a light, sometimes a shadow. i'm a little confused, didn't know if it might be related to the ritual. this is something that is completely new. the most prevalent was something small (and a light form) move across the keyboard of my laptop while i was using it. it was very clear and made me jump when i saw it." Given her reaction to these manifestations, I thought that I should share this information; these sorts of things do happen. Sometimes they're striking or startling, so if you're going to study and practice the Art, expect that this can happen to you. This result was simply from doing a bit of work to bless her; more potent rites have even more potential for this sort of thing. Take care, SE Greetings, dear readers. A thread on EvocationMagic got the gears turning in my brain, and I thought that I should write up an article about the importance of perspective. To frame this post, it should be noted that the original topic at hand was necromancy and the associated practices. Necromancy, for whatever reason, has resurfaced as a topic of intense discussion and debate, as of late. As a result, interested parties have decided that it is a wise idea to seek out someone who speaks openly on the subject and attach themselves firmly to that individual's coattails as if they are the be-all-end-all source of inspiration and worthwhile information. This is dangerous to begin with, but it becomes even more dangerous when one is speaking on the subject of working with the dead, as they are not to be trifled with. Generally speaking, I am more than a little uncomfortable with discussing the subject publicly. There are a multitude of reasons for this, but one major reason is that I do not wish to offend those who have taken the time to teach me what I know about the subject. There are plenty of aspects thereof that I am, quite literally, bound from speaking of due to oaths I've taken. Having said as much, I will be speaking on it in the abstract for the sake of illustrating my point about the importance of perspective. Humans are naturally rather biased; we get wrapped up in our preconceived views due to our upbringing and whatnot. As a result, its difficult for us to seek a wider view of the information at hand, despite the fact that it is often incredibly important that we do so. I am a proponent of view that we should seek balance and view each thread of divine inspiration critically and analytically, both without the "cultural bias" inherent to the system as well as with that very bias. In doing so, you view "System X" from both extremes and can then discern where the median between those extremes is. To explain this using a paradigm most of us are very familiar with, we can look to Christianity. Christianity, regardless of the sect one ascribes to, generally contains two distinct extremes:
I'm sure my explanation of Christianity as such will draw some flak, but before the Satanists in my audience send me hate mail, you should realize that without Judeo-Christianity there is no Satanism; thereby, Satanism is an extreme view of Christianity. That said, neither extreme is all that useful at the end of the day, as both of them cause us to put blinders on. The median view between those extremes ends up being something akin to "Christ and Satan both exist, and both are necessary". If you follow me to that point, consider this, then, on a more global scale and add an element of historical research to the work at hand. Once you've done so, you can then draw similar parallels with certain sects of Buddhism, modern-day Hinduism, Islam, and even some Judaic threads of faith. In doing so, you've encompassed between 6,500 and 7,000 years of human religious history and development. Once you've done that, you can continue the trend and look back further and further until you get to the end of the evidence and the beginning of human development in that arena. Returning full circle to the topic of necromancy, after you've done the above historical research, you can then look at the evidence of religious practices from however many thousands of years ago. In the case of necromancy, we must look back to the beginning of burial practices. As far as we know, humans first started burying their dead, in one form or another, between 80,000 and 120,000 years ago. We can assert this because one doesn't bury their dead unless there's an inherent belief in some sort of afterlife, as otherwise the ritual is useless. That being the case, we can assert, through the ritualistic behavior, that some sort of primitive necromantic practice occurred. Ultimately, this brings me back to the purpose of this post: we don't need to ride the coattails of someone else's work in order to get back to basics and figure out where a lot of this comes from. We have plenty of evidence out there that can be used to enlighten us and shape our views. Doing our own research doesn't dilute the knowledge transfer quite as much. Sure, it is still going to be diluted, as someone had to interpret the historical data, but that's one less step on the knowledge transfer train. This is important because acknowledging any man or woman as Master, Mistress, Teacher, or any such title means that you are subjecting yourself to their limitations. This goes for all forms of instruction, be it from a human, elemental daemon, deity, or any such thing. That being the case, if you're going to subject yourself to such a thing, realize that this is what you're doing and be willing to look at everything they provide in a critical fashion. If you're going to be expected to take something on faith, someone should at least have the decency to tell you as much. I hope this post has been both helpful and enlightening. Regards, SE Greetings once again, dear readers. I hope this post finds you well. As yet another follow up to my Elemental Work post, I've got another seal to share with you.... The spirit in question is named Khelbir, and his sigil is posted above. He is an earthen creature, not all that dissimilar to Ghob whom he answers to. Khelbir is what some might call a gnome, defends the hearth, unveils hidden things, and empowers people whom he respects. He is not, however, very friendly towards women, as he views them suspiciously and has a tendency to pinch them and pull their hair. Its possible to earn his trust as a female (he adores my girl, for example), but to do so you must approach him gently. As a male, if you wish to earn his respect, you must handle your business and work hard. Laziness is not something he tolerates, and he'll do more than call you on it if you are the sort to lay about. Enjoy! SE Ave, dear readers. I hope this post finds you well. Today I'm feeling a bit puckish, so I thought I'd share a few more Green Man Glyphs as a follow up to my previous post on the subject. These ones are just as varied, though admittedly a lot less finance-centered. Instead, these are a smattering of different uses, as explained below. As with the previous seals, these are for you to use as you see fit. Glyph 1: The Cube of Space The Cube of Space, shown above, is used to claim space for the purpose of magical endeavors. I would suggest that you endeavor to use the sigil as the basis for your own magical barriers rather than simply use the sigil as a physical base, but I leave the discovery of the related mysteries to you. Glyph 2: Challenge The second glyph is directly related to your growth. It revolves around connecting with the Green Man and receiving gnosis directly from the source. This is not an easy seal to work with, as this is information you will have to earn. I know from experience that this knowledge is hard won and is thereby transformative. Due to this, I caution you and advise you to proceed at your own risk. Glyph 3: Growth The third glyph is used to spark one's magical and spiritual growth by and through the connection to the Green God. Through this seal, He'll manifest in both you and your life and guide you as necessary. I would suggest that you burn a candle over this seal to empower it, blood the glyph, and then sleep on it. That's all for this post. Enjoy! SE Greetings once again, dear readers. As always, I hope that this post finds you in pleasant spirits (forgive the pun). It'd seem that I am quickly making a habit out of posting information from my personal grimoire, so I thought that I would share another with you lot. This particular entity, Lail-Naj'Ma, is best categorized as being inbetween what one might consider planetary and elemental, and while she is most comfortable at night, her attributes are both solar and airy. Her strengths revolve around intelligence gathering, helping us to digest information, and other such pursuits. A yellow candle dressed with a sweet-smelling perfume is perfect as an offering for this one, and while she is generally good-natured, she does not take kindly to stupidity and will grow impatient if you don't listen. She is a spirit with which a respectful tone is mandatory for continued work. Her sigil is as follows: Enjoy! SE Greetings once again, dear readers. I hope this post finds you well. As another follow-up to my previous Elemental Work post, I'd like to share another seal with you. The elemental daemon in question is named Aretreia, and her seal is shown below. She is a force which causes rapid change and is associated with manifest fire. Elementally, she is categorized by Earth and Fire and is best befriended through offerings burned on charcoal discs in a bronze bowl. Failing that, an earthenware bowl is also appropriate.
She is fond of sulphur and burned offerings, and is best used for removing obstacles from your life. Proceed with caution if you choose to work with her. Happy evoking! SE Greetings once again, dear readers. I've been considering (and putting off), for a long while, writing a post about working with elemental spirits as a generalization - in fact, this post has sat here in my "Drafts" folder for several weeks. Its ebbed and flowed rather naturally, sometimes increasing in size, and sometimes shrinking to fit the mood of the day. That being the case, I think it is high time that I post this piece. Be aware, however, that this post encompasses my current views and level of experience, which are subject to change. In essence, my goal here is to provide you with a means by and through which you'd be able to get a feel for the elements themselves, rather than the elemental kings. Recently an acquaintance from EvocationMagic and I were talking and he mentioned that he was having some trouble understanding and digesting Agrippa's descriptions of the various elemental spirits. Admittedly, he is part of the motivation behind this post and I'll leave it to him to chime in if he feels so inclined. Having said as much, this brings us to the following point: "What are elementals anyway?" Well, elemental spirits, or daemons (not to be confused with the Judeo-Christian term "demons"), are entities who live in, are made up of, act like, and manifest through the primal elements that exist in the world around us. Each pantheon and associated worldview has its own way of categorizing these elements and the associated beings, so for the moment, I will stick to describing the categories noted within Agrippa's texts. These are as follows: 1) Air 2) Earth 3) Fire 4) Water These elements have several combinations, and amongst elementals you will oft find very strange combinations of different energies. I've encountered spirits closely associated with both fire and water, air and earth, air and water, water and fire and earth, and any other such combination you can think of. In those circumstances, it is always rather odd to work with those entities, as you're never really sure who they answer to; this is where the hierarchy is no longer particularly useful, and instead you must rely on coordinating with the spirit directly. This is one of the many reasons why I do not espouse the use of hierarchy-driven threats against spirits; there will come a time when you don't know who a spirit answers to. That is, however, neither here nor there so I digress. Having said as much, there four "pure" elemental energies that one can tap as necessary, and in time you will learn to mix them to fit your needs. It is tricky, to be sure, but it is incredibly useful. As usual, herein I will provide the sigils and a brief synopsis of some of the skills associated with each elemental energy. It is up to you to use these sigils effectively, and, as always, proceed carefully. Above is the first sigil, which corresponds with Elemental Air. Airy powers are most frequently associated with those of intellect, raw knowledge, direct communication, gnosis, wind and dust storms. The energy is unemotional, direct, flighty, and playful. This energy rules over any and all intellectual pursuit and is perfect to involve when one is studying for an exam or looking to absorb information on the job. Second up is Elemental Earth, which is associated with binding, growth, grounding, stability, fecundity, and materialization. This realm is exceedingly good at assisting you in areas of fiscal responsibility. Earth is slow to respond, quiet, hardy, and quite ambiguous with regard to gender. It is oft associated with the working man's labors, wherein patience and strength are often far more useful than simply raw wit or passion. Thirdly, we have Elemental Fire, which is wild, untamed, energetic, expansive, illuminating, and quick. It is both healing and destructive in countenance and turns from one pole of activity to the other quickly. It is versatile, and can be used to help and harm simultaneously. It is carnal, rough, impish, and sometimes playful in a destructive fashion. It is, by far, the most dangerous element to involve oneself with, but it also incredibly fascinating. This is the realm of male sexuality, make no mistake, and can be used to rouse the lustful passions of another. Finally, we have Elemental Water, known for being cooling, life-sustaining, slow-moving til roused, and seductive. It is secretive, quiet, deceptive, and has drowned many a man. This is the realm of female sexuality, and its power lies in the use of emotional ties to get things done. Still waters run deep, but when there's a quake, just watch for a tsunami. There you have the elements and their signs, to use as you see fit. Remember, however, that spirits of this sort are neither good nor evil; they simply are. You define how they manifest, so any fault or praise belongs with you, the magician or witch who conjures them. Regards, SE 'lo again, my witchy friends. :) At the urging of a friend of mine, I've written a prayer that may serve as the Buddhist version of St. Patrick's Breastplate. This piece calls Mahakala, a wrathful emanation of Shiva, for the sake of becoming a walking embodiment of His essence so that we might become the change we wish to see in the world around us. Use this whenever you feel threatened, hopeless, weakened, or in need of a sense of purpose. Use this when you feel as though the odds are stacking themselves up against you. By and through this prayer, one may seek enlightenment and cause others to do the same. Consider the use of this prayer to be an empowerment, if you should so choose. The Prayer: Great God Mahakala, I call to you in all of Your forms I prostrate myself before you and I bind Your essence within and without me from this day forward such that those who rise against me shall gain no ground Let Your compassion flow through me so that I and all others Might be freed from sickness, hindrances and troubles I gird myself in Your garbs and pick up Your tools They empower me such that I may always walk with You Bettering lives, attracting and fulfilling needs Providing antidotes for the poisons of the World Let all seek Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha As they see this kala which I've become! You are welcome to use this as you see fit or repost this as you see fit. Please be sure to give me credit for it, however. Warm regards, SE Greetings, dear readers. I hope this post finds you well. I am, for the first time in quite some time, feeling unusually inspired, so I thought I would share my thoughts and ideas with you lot. :) The topic of this post, as one'd guess from the title, is creating and using magical powders. The picture above was taken on Saturday night. I was working to create a sprinking/incense powder to be used in the endeavor of helping a friend of mine with some of her medical issues, as she's rather fragile in that department. The plant you can see balanced on the knife is know as bloodroot, and it is a sacred plant to various native American tribes. Its a plant I know the spirit behind, and I've worked with it for several years, so I feel comfortable working it in to the mixture. That being the case, I cut bits and pieces off until I felt as though I had enough and then mixed in other herbs that were appropriate to the work at hand, using things that were easily accessible. This is an arena wherein herb and spirit knowledge is more-or-less mandatory. You'll find that if you gather herbs from your property or area, you'll connect with the spirit of the land too, so this is an exercise in learning as well. This picture of the jar is a pic of the finished product, with all of the associated herbs mixed in. From there, I stuck it on my altar and let it charge.
My examples provided, you can do the same sort of work if you feel so inclined. As indicated above, this is an exercise that does require a bit of knowledge beforehand, but it also will serve to deepen your understanding of the areas around your home, the spirits therein, and, eventually, the much "larger" spirits that preside over each plant. It takes a great deal of patience to work on this sort of thing, but it is intensely useful, as it does increase your sphere of influence. If you're unsure where to start, I would suggest doing some research on the web to see what flora grow in your area, and then learn how to work with them: learn what they do on both the physical and the spiritual sides of things. Once you have that basic knowledge, start harvesting (respectfully!) and making it into your own mixture. When I say "harvest this respectfully", I mean that you should give offerings equal to what you are taking, and be sure not to harm the plant in question, lest your work take on a darker meaning and get you on a spirit's short list. When all's been gathered, macerated, chopped, and so on and so forth, stick it in a jar of your choosing and procure a candle. Get comfortable, stick yourself in your metaphysical happy place, light the candle, and invoke or evoke the spirits appropriate to the goal of the work. In my case, with the herb mixture I created over the weekend, I invoked Zoroel, Sabrael, and Raphael during the creation of the mixture, and it showed within 24 hours. Finally, have fun! Hope that helps! Regards, SE |
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