​As a part of the ongoing process of studying and practicing necromancy, my research and experimentation has led to many pertinent realizations & understandings. Among them is a deeper comprehension of offerings and their uses, forms, and histories. 

One such fascinating concept sees much use in a myriad of systems: the obolus (plural: oboloi). 

The obolus is a special kind of coin used to grant payment for passage of the dead over the River Styx. It was a hard good that could not be burned, often places in the mouth of the deceased. It insured that Charon would ferry the dead across the first river they encountered in the underworld, and its become something of a standard of interrment ever since. 

You are, payment for the dead would in this context suggest that currency acts as a kind of agreed-upon means of barter in the Underworld. It is a symbol and something of value, be it for its perceived value or symbolic worth, and corresponds to the axiom “as above, so below.”

It is, by extension, logical that this currency would be of import to a number of beings who would call the other world their home. It’s an offering and means of transit, perhaps even a means of transport outside of one’s station. So where blessings and adjurations offer no persuasive power, consider the offering of coins and other physical goods. 

It is a simple, yet powerful practice. ;)
-SE

​This past weekend I attended a ritual meant to honor one's ancestors and family line. It was ornate, and it was a lovely concept, albeit terribly executed this year, and it left those in attendance frustrated and irritated with the process. Despite being right along with those disappointed few, I am, however, not terribly upset...wizened by the event and instead interested in teaching, which leads to this discussion today.

What do you do and how do you respond when the ritual you (or others) have worked so hard on? Do you just cut to the close and abruptly end so that all can get back to their regularly scheduled programming? Do you trudge through it and try to make it to the end? Do you get through the rite and modify it along the way? What's the right call?

Well, in truth, there really isn't one, which makes this topic all the more important to talk about. It happens, as we're human beings who happen to be rather far from perfect. These things happen from time to time, even if you're twenty plus years into your ritual practice. Knowing this, how you respond to a failure is just as important as how you respond to a success, and I'd like to create a dialogue about this here.

Being a guest at the home of a loved and trusted friend, I decided that the appropriate call was to sit quietly, to partake gracefully, to wait until the ritual's end so that I could peacably exit the ritual space and go about my evening. It was the appropriate call, as while folks were frazzled, sometimes that quick "nope, bye!" can do a lot more damage than patiently sitting and waiting. When there's no danger of things going sideways as a result of the rite itself, this is generally the appropriate call with the least negative social impact. As I see it, I can and will talk about this with the ritual planning comittee at a later date, but I wouldn't be able to negotiate those waters if I simply announced "I'm out!" at the middle.

However, when things get dangerous or troublesome, that's when emergent measures need to be taken. If you're in the middle of a spell to bring back your lover and the flame turns black, grows to 12x its original size, and something starts muttering from within the flames, its generally a good idea to assume a couple of things: 1) whatever just manifested probably isn't your friend, 2) this spirit is probably in some way related to the trouble you're having, and 3) its time to stop pursuing that lover. You can then blow out the candle, close the spirit door, wrap the ritual up in a white cloth, and bury it somewhere far from home.

If this happens in the middle of a public or group ceremony, you can intentionally disconnect yourself from the procession, throw salt over your shoulder, and leave the space in a hurry. Try not to look back as you exit, lest something follow you home. Then, when you get home, it'll be time for you to perform the usual sanctifying ritual process you would use. In partial relation, I recommend keeping an "Uh-Oh" spray handy, as you can quickly douse yourself in some of it to keep things away from you and your space, as it will help you to clear out spiritually and otherwise without a whole lot of prep work to be done under duress.

After all is said and done, the embers have cooled alongside the tensions at play, and you're feeling more like yourself, that's when the aftermath occurs. How you handle this can set the stages for years of experiences after the fact, so being prepared to do some damage control can make all the difference in the world. I would recommend making offerings to whomever you might have offended through the rite proceeding poorly, and if there were others in attendance, do the same with them. Talk it through, determine what could be done better, and make sure that you reaffirm the strength of your social bonds so that each of you comes out of this better prepared for the next ritual.

This might all seem a little overwhelming, but these things happen. One of the greatest lessons you can ever receive is that its still possible to fail, regardless of your experience level. You just don't want to fail at managing the particulars *after* the mess has hit the fan, as that's when trouble tends to set in.

Blessings,
SE

A topic of some importance has come to the table this week: placating and pacifying the dead.

A client of mine has had an interesting week, and not really in the best of ways. Her mother is finally at rest after years of nastiness & abuse, and that's brought any number of revelations to light. Among them is the temperament of the dead and the trouble they can cause for the living when push comes to shove.

There are plenty of texts written about how to process the passing of a loved one, but I've not found a whole lot of good information out there on how to deal with the hauntings they sometimes cause. I seek to address this here.

So let us say that your grandfather or grandmother wasn't the most pleasant of persons when they passed, and your life has suddenly become super awkward and difficult. How do you respond? Do you simply wave it off as being a result of your grief, or do you handle the trouble head-on knowing that they were mean-spirited in life?

My vote is for the latter, given the circumstances. Being taken advantage of by the dead is just as damning as having the living do so. Only when the offender is deceased, there are no established roads for the cultivation of peace beyond approaching a priest.

To start us off, if someone you love dies, make a point of attending the funeral and partaking of the processions in a respectful fashion. You don't need to like or love them to do so...just show up and be supportive. That handles most of the issues before they can become problems, and it generally makes for a safer state of affairs in the long run.

Afterwards, go home, shower, eat salt and bread, and meditate on the processions of the day. Say your goodbyes. mourn the person, but do not invite them into your home. That is a space for only the most trusted of associates, and if the dead want a space in your place of residence, you need to be certain that their intentions are pure beforehand.

If you don't know how to do so, consult a priest or sorcerer. 

If, after this, there are problems that are not directly tied to grief (IE having trouble at work because you are unable to attend work) or mundane troubles, its time to start taking some steps to deal with the issues these spirits are causing. First and foremost, procure a raw egg. Rub it all over your body, being careful not to break the shell. As you do so, draw out the funk you're feeling and place it inside the egg.

Then, give it a funeral and bury it elsewhere, away from your home. If you've done this right, you should feel the ick in the palm of your hand after pulling the curse off of yourself and placing it into the egg. The funeral then seals the deal and sends the spirit packing.

If the issue persists, procure for yourself holy water at a local temple or church. Focus your intention of being let alone into it and add rue, orris root, and iron filings to the mixture. Bless it in the name of whatever deity you feel is holy, then anoint your forehead with the mixture. If prepared appropriately, you may feel a purge response...this can often be an indicator that the spirit and its effects are leaving the body.

A third, more forceful option requires you to leave your home with a container and coins. Travel to three graveyards and at each make a petition to the Gatekeeper of the place. Ask that he, she, or it assist you by empowering your work against the unquiet dead. Leave for them three pennies and take a handful of graveyard dirt. Place it in the container and repeat these steps. 

When you've gathered grave dirt and empowerments from three graveyards, return home. When you get there, open the container of dirt and place within it a blessed talisman. Address the spirit by the name you feel it to be, and command it to enter the talisman within the dirt, citing that doing so is the sole means through which he or she can avoid judgement from the "Most High".

If the spirit abides, there should be a substantial change in the way the talisman feels in your possession. Rehome it at a church or sacred space, and ask that the beings who keep the locale safe provide the spirit with a comfortable afterlife.

Each of these are powerful means of handling the effects of the unpleasant dead. If these efforts fail, speak to a pro, as you'll need greater help.

Blessings,
SE


​

If you found yourself in good spirits at the end of the evening yesterday, you'll want to do an offering to the Powers That be as a means of giving them thanks for the boons you've received.

Procure for yourself one white candle, rose petals, rose hips, wine, and a photo of your honey. Create for the candle a bed a rose petals and hips, pour a glass of wine, and set the candle up so that it is near the herb base but cannot set it aflame. Take the picture of your missus or mister and place it to the right of the candle. The glass of wine should be placed to the left.

Light the candle and give a simple prayer of thanks. This should be in your own words, and you should include a relationship-focused blessing requesting even more good times in the coming year.

Simple, but effective.
Have a great day folks!
​-SE

May you and your loved ones have a most enjoyable time this evening.

For those of you who find yourself unattached today, engage in some self-care, connect with your Powers & Potencies, do something kind for yourself and stand tall. 

Blessings,
​SE

There’s this minimalist trend going around right now thanks to Marie Kondo’s show on Netflix titled “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo”, and it’s gotten me thinking about this in a spiritual context. This idea of questioning whether or not things bring you joy is pertinent in mundane matters, but it also matters insofar as magical and spiritual efforts are concerned.   In both, it’s easy to get bogged down by too many things, focusing less on experiences and growth and more on the hallmarks of whatever success you’re chasing. As such, it’s important to consider the ramifications of what these projects and processes entail. 

How many altars do you have? How many talismans? How many ongoing works? How many decks of tarot cards, sets of runes, etc.? It’s a pretty unfortunate thing to take in, but much of magic has been commercialized by the lowest common denominator. There are those who are incredibly powerful & talented, and there are those who simply aren’t....we live in the day and age where the best-marketed product wins out over the better-quality product. 

Knowing this, how much of this baggage have you brought home to roost? How is that affecting your home, your goals, your life, your magic? This might just seem like a trendy way to insert myself into the discussion (and it is is), but this really is an extremely important topic to be considering. 

I, for instance, have loads of books about magical practice. I use them for inspiration, and sometimes as a means of getting a different viewpoint. I can count, however, on one hand how many of them have actually been useful or illuminating. Among them, the most beneficial have been texts like the Bible, the Qu’ran, the Rig Veda, and the Tao Te Ching. Otherwise, most of them are a dime a dozen. Every once in a while I’ll see a phenomenal book that’s entirely worthwhile....that’s pretty rare though. 

As I write this, you can bet that I’m taking stock of what I have on hand and what I actually use. To be honest, the ratio isn’t that good, and I’m a professional sorcerer by trade. For those of you shaking your heads right now, GOOD. That’s the point! If I’ve fallen prey to this, you sure as hell have too!

This isn’t a criticism, it’s a matter of being real and bringing us all back to brass tacks. For every amazing piece of inspiration, literature, or profoundly potent magical tooling, there’s at least a dozen polished turds & space-wasters. To use Alton Brown’s assessment, if it’s a “unitasker”, you need to consider whether or not it’s being used often enough to be worth the space and effort. 

Sometimes they are. More often than not, they aren’t. 

If you make this assessment and decide that various items are not for you, you should dispose of them properly. I’ve included below a ritual to do so, and this will work for most items. 

*note: books can always be traded in or donated. Do not treat them in the way I’ve described below, for they are a sacred thing.*

When endeavoring to work with spirits, self-development becomes a substantially important concern. How are you to perceive or work with them if you've failed to put yourself into a mode that allows for this kind of awareness?

We've discussed mindfulness via meditation many times over in the past, but how does one apply that to their day to day lives? The answer is simple, but the act isn't quite so: work to remain aware of what's occurring in your periphery at any moment in the day. 

When you're in your cubicle and responding to emails, take out your headphones, quiet the music, and keep your eyes and ears open to hear what's occurring in your immediate vicinity. Become aware of both the little and the big things, and simply take a mental note of them so that you can reflect on those details later in the evening. This might seem incredibly mundane, but spirits tend to interject between the words others speak, and they do so in moments of silence or pause. Sometimes this will manifest as a disembodied voice, or other times you'll mishear what others say in a way that actually gives you more information.

Its easy to write this off as a hallucination or a misdirect, but this is where the mindfulness comes in. If that information you've "misheard" ends up being correct, continue to follow it. If you do so correctly, you'll find yourself stepping-stoning your way into success with both the mundane and spiritual worlds, increasing your grasp of the conceptual knowledge needed in both. 

Magicians work in this world and the next. Thus, you should endeavor to do the same if you wish to be more readily able to conjure and work with spirits to advance your position.

Regards,
SE

​I've been spending a fair amount of time, over the past week, working with Raziel, an archangel who is said to have been present at the time of Creation. Not a whole lot is written about him, but that tends to be the case with spirits who are essentially abstracts unto themselves. Most folks are interested in what gives them money or gain, rather than in what allows them to be at one with the flow of the universe, so it stands to reason that he wouldn't really be a big hit at parties.

I'm not at liberty to share most of what's been shared with me, as I cannot yet claim to understand a good chunk of that data. However, what did come out as a useful talking point in all of this is confronting an idea of some pertinence where seeking after power and monetary benefit are concerned. 

We each have baggage to deal with on account of being human beings. We've all encountered some kind of adversity in our lives, and while the severity of those difficulties changes according to each of our personalities, the perceived impact of these trials and tribulations is more or less equal. We're going to struggle with one thing or another over the course of our lives, and according to Raziel, the events that stick with us have a tendency to become lead weights about our ankles.

If you find yourself in a situation where you're making no progress or the way is more difficult than you would have expected, consider what is holding you back. Sometimes it'll be other people, adverse circumstances, or a hex...when its not, however, the damage is more likely than not internal.....I would advise you to contemplate what fills your head and heart with sorrow so that you can then take steps against it. This isn't an easy road, by any means, and you are more than likely not fully at fault for whatever's occurred, but its your responsibility to handle these issues and get back on the road to success.

So by all means, find those chains and cast them off. You'll find that they've done far more to hold you back than you might initially expect.

Blessings,
Chris

We're welcoming in the Lunar New Year today, and the Year of the Pig is upon us. Pig's are, in the Chinese cosmology, associated with luck, optimism, and good things, so I'd like to wish you luck & loads of success!

Blessings!
Chris

Since we are all human beings, each of us experience anxiety & stress. We've got quite a lot to worry about, as we're seeing very real threats develop in front of us. We're bombarded with clickbaitey media on a day to day basis, and the news parades the latest hairfire in front of us to garner attention and viewership. Its all well and good to stay informed, but there's a point at which this can all become too much to process.

I seek to discuss this point a bit and give you some tools to handle it so that what was once too much becomes manageable and well within your control. To this end, if you find yourself stressed out without an obvious cause, take some time to quiet the mind. When you've achieved that state, ask yourself "what's bothering me right now?" and listen for an answer, whatever it may be.

There are times where that fear or concern is entirely legitimate in nature, and there are times where that internal response is laughable. If its a valid reason to be concerned, the next thing you want to ask yourself is "what can I do to take steps to remedy this situation?" and again, listen for answer. Repeat this process until you have an idea of what needs to be done next so that you can make yourself more comfortable.

You might find yourself in a situation where you're banging your head against a wall because there's no end in sight, but that's going to be relatively rare. This rather simple meditative exercise gives you a tool to first determine what's upsetting you, and secondly gives you the ability to brainstorm and respond to that perceived threat in a rapid fashion instead of simply agonizing over it. As you then take the steps necessary to resolve the trouble, you should begin to notice less fear and anxiety in response.

If, however, the trouble is something that you cannot make mundane steps to resolve, can you, through magical works, begin to create a situation in which steps can be taken? If so, do that, and then begin to take mundane steps in conjunction with the magical remedies applied, as you'll then make it possible to work against what was once an insurmountably difficult hurdle.

Seems pretty simple when written out in this way, no?

If you, however, find yourself in a situation wherein the stress is neither valid nor useful, you can take steps to minimize the fear itself. To do so, calm the mind then mix together benzoin, sage, and neroli (or substitute dried citrus peels). Use a mortar and pestle to pulverize the mixture, and then place the mixture in a dish. Place upon it a candle, light it and say the words "Stress from within me, I acknowledge you and lessen the loudness of your voice. You are valuable and wanted, but I have heard your words and make this choice."

When the candle has burned down, take the herbs and place them into a jar. Fill the jar with oil and consecrate it. Whenever you find yourself in a stressful place of mind, anoint your forehead with the oil and then go back to focusing on your endeavors. This creates a mental link, a magical link, and a mundane link to the point at which you've taken action against your stress, freeing you up to use the aforementioned exercise to deal with actual stresses instead.

Just something to think through and work with. Its a surprisingly handy tool.

Blessings,
SE