I spend a great deal of time watching people.  I find it interesting to observe their behaviors because it affords me the ability to better understand what makes people tick.  In turn, I get to figure myself out and better grasp how magical things work.

That people-watching habit of mine has come in handy over the years.  Now is one such time, as I've come to notice that as a general rule, people are having a great deal of trouble, emotionally and otherwise.  Things are happening that are making folks very unhappy, with no concrete or happy end in sight.  I've found myself giving the advice "endure this, as it'll pass" time and time again over the past few weeks.

And that's the long and short of it: "This too shall pass". Pluto's movements have been wreaking havoc in people's lives.  We've seen it before, with Mercury's retrogrades causing communication problems or Mars causing folks to fight, but for some reason Pluto is so much worse....so much stronger. Observing this and feeling the strain has caused me to come to some interesting realizations, to be sure.

This post is partly to share those realizations, partly to offer comfort, and also to offer advice and services to those in need.

Pluto is something like Saturn's shadow, astrologically speaking.  It speaks of the deep mind, of the Jungian Shadow, of constraint and barriers, and perhaps more importantly of our breaking points.  Where Saturn shows us how far we can go before we are pained, Pluto illustrates where our "Rock Bottom" is.  It shows us that we are human, confronts us with our mortality, and threatens to do us and everyone else around us in.  It contributes to the breaking down of connections with others with a sort of fiery, hellish glee, and it ensures that we feel alone.  Its spirits take from you until you feel like there's nothing left, and if you let its essence do so, it will consume you.  Only the strong and endurant survive and get forged anew.  Those that persist find themselves with a better grasp of their faculties, having been hardened, toughened, and sharpened by the brush with "the Void".

With that in mind, the positive end is that this retrograde is coming to a close on 9/22.  After that, give it a week or so and things should normalize.

For those of you who are magically inclined and thus skilled enough to do the work on your own, I suggest that you work to reclaim what was lost and focus on reaping the rewards due on account of having gotten through this.  You can use the following sigil to do so:

For those of you who lack the ability to do magic on your own or wish to complement your own work with the assistance of an accomplished sorcerer, I am offering a bit of magic.  I call it the "Mark of the Bold", and it is a bit of spellwork that I have created as a result of my years of practice and study.

The Mark is a rite that embeds energy and intention into your sphere, your energy field, and your very being. Its not unlike a spiritual tattoo, and its purpose is to set you apart from the rest.  Its partially a glamour and partially a blessing, and the goal and intention thereof is to effectively make you special. The purpose is to make you look and act the part of one who is successful and able to walk his or her own path in as victorius and triumphant a manner as possible.

I will be offering this at the price of 150$ until the 27th of September.  After that date, it will be available as a one-off working at a much higher cost. I would suggest jumping on this opportunity if this sounds like something you can use.  You can purchase the working below.

Best of luck and warm regards,

SE

*Note: Special discontinued on 9/27/2014*

The recent Q&A session got me thinking about sharing my own experiences with the Arbatel, as well as on detailing the methods I employ in working with those spirits.

For some backstory, I've worked with the Arbatel spirits on and off for the past 7 years or so.  I first stumbled on them when reading through AE Waite's "Book of Black Magic", if memory serves, and was immediately intrigued by the nature of the spirits therein. Working with them over the years is actually what inspired me to create planetary keys, etc., as the spirits themselves are what turned me onto the idea.

These are powerful entities, I find. Not ones to be trifled with, and provided you get on with them, they are plenty able to rearrange minor and major things within the known universe.  Case in point, working with Ophiel to find a new home, some time ago, resulted in my being led to an apartment complex with a room for rent on the third floor, in the third building, near third street, within 3 days (if memory serves - bit hazy on if it was three days or three weeks).  The locale was well within my price range and, little did I know until I moved in, I wouldn't be charged for electricity for nearly three years.  I believe it was 2 years and 7 months before the management company audited their records and I was informed that there had been a mistake on their end that allowed me to get by without being tagged for an electric bill.  I found that rather interesting, as while actually saving money was not the intention of the rite, staying within my price point was - and living in Arizona is quite costly on that front.  In fact, during the summer months, one's electric bill can easily be between five and six hundred dollars...and I was keeping my home at 76 degrees Fahrenheit at all times.  This calculates out to me having saved ~15,000$ at roughly 4500$ a year, give or take. All in all, pretty damned impressive for a spirit that some have relegated to a stance of less importance on account of his not being a deity.

Ophiel has come to my aid, repeatedly, since that time. I've worked with him at least six times for housing-related concerns since then, at least thirty times for clients, and probably more than fifty times for other Mercury-related concerns.  As a general rule, working with him has proven to be incredibly helpful in both the short and the long term.  As such, I am of the mind that serious practice in Planetary Magic requires some familiarity with him.

So too is this the case with his brethren Och, Phaleg, Phul, Aratron, Bethor, and Hagith.  Each has their effects and potency, and as such they are quite worthwhile.

My methods, in working with them, are simple.  The best results I've gotten have required the least level of preparation on my part after having been initiated by them.  Prior to my simpler approaches, the thing that really kicked my experiences with them into higher gear (after moving into the apartment mentioned above) was evoking the lot whilst intoxicated; while I wouldn't recommend it, the process led to some potent internal changes that afforded me the ability to work with them more easily. Prior to this change, I found that using three candles of an appropriate color, the appropriate planetary oil, a mix of frankincense and myrrh on a coal, and the spirit's sigil worked quite well.

After the initiatory experience, writing a short petition and lighting a candle for the spirit in question became more than enough to readily conjure them.  The process became, for me, something of an offering and a prayer. That in mind, I mention this because working with spirits like this in a simple, unimpeded way seems to be of value.

With that in mind, I have endeavored to pen, for you, Attunement Sigils to unlock the Arbatel's potency for you prior to work with the lot. I would recommend proceeding slowly, doing one a week on the appropriate day, during the appropriate hour if you're not familiar with Ophiel et alia.

Each of these sigils is correlated with a Planetary energy, and thus with a specific day, Planetary Hour, and thus a spirit. You can use Lunarium to calculate planetary hours - be sure to change the location to where you live, as that is crucial.

May these sigils serve you well.

Enjoy!

SE

A friend and colleague sent me a list of questions to answer recently.  It seemed appropriate to post my response here as well.

1. If you worked the Arbatel, could you share your most significant experience with it?

I've worked the Arbatel many times, though have not done so in a traditional fashion for many years.  I've found that I've gotten the best results I've had when not using barriers of any sort when working with Ophiel, Bethor, Och, etc.; by taking away the circles, flowerly language, and the need for most physical trappings, I've discovered that the Olympic spirits tend to appear rapidly, powerfully, and in a way that is considerably less filtered.  The very act of conjuring their essences becomes a potent alchemical starter, effectively transforming the bearer rapidly.

2. What would you consider to be the secret of effective servitor creation?

Being aware of the fact that servitors are built from pre-existing building blocks seems to be key.  When you begin to construct one, very rarely are you actually using unprogrammed materia....rather, you're grasping onto bits of other creations and fragments of what once was and mashing it together to forge a sort of golemesque creation.  Its a bit like performing Kintsugi with these bits and pieces to create a newer work of art.

Sometimes those bits & pieces are more intelligent than we expected, and as such tend to have a personality to them.  Becoming aware of the essence these pieces represent as you're playing Bob the Builder is key to spinning up a solid, well-grounded entity that can work with you for years to come.

3. What was the insight that literally blew the doors open for you concerning evocation?

Spirits are no different than humans where their personalities are concerned.  They are just as interesting, capricious, and varied in their countenances and wear as many masks.  Treating them like people instead of figments of our imagination allows you to form real relationships which set the stage and path of your life for years to come.

4. How many spirits have you worked with personally and have a mutual 'friendship' with, if any?

I've worked with hundreds, if not thousands of spirits, depending on where you set the bar and how you define separate entities.  I work with and have an ongoing, frequent relationship with more than 20, less than 50 at any given time (again, depending on where you draw the lines in the sand).

5. What is youre preferred method of evocation, or spiritual communication?

I don't really have one, as my needs change on a daily basis to fit my client's needs and desires.

6. Do you have a favourite method, or one that works for you the simplest?

The simplest method of evocation that works for me is just a matter of calling the spirit out; I use my heart and soul to speak to it, and they come. Works beautifully.

7. Do you have a 'favourite' spirit?

Personality-wise, I am quite fond of Kali-Ma.  I get on well with her and there's a great deal of love there. As far as who I interact with on the daily, my Patron comes to mind. I don't necessarily "like" him, at times, as the Horned God is certainly rough around the edges - I do, however, have a great deal of respect of and affection for him despite this harshness.

8. What was the single worst piece of advice you received in the study and practice of the occult and when did you realize it was terrible?

"All spirits are either the Lord or the Lady!"
"All things come back to you threefold!"
"Working with demons'll send you to hell!"
"OMG, you should never hurt anyone!"

Really, take your pick.  All of those things are fallacies.

9. How do you go about the purification before evocation, general experience?

Generally, I don't.  I figure that our ancestors were very practical people and thus waste not, want not.  Purifying oneself before a rite isn't generally helpful, as it is better to come as you are and behave in a respectful fashion. You aren't necessarily going on a date with the spirit, and thus overly dramatic rituals tend to get in the way via their clunkiness.  Don't lose the forest for the trees.

10. How do you deal with curses and which counter spells do you prefer to use?

When possible, I simply rise above them and let the offending party deal with the fallout.  When that isn't possible, I handle the situation as evidence and experience dictates.  I find that most times, the situations is different enough that simply doing a prescribed set of actions isn't enough.

However, that in mind, were I advising a novice, I would recommend the following behavior:

1. Assess
   A: Divination
   B: Deduction
   
2. Resolve
   A: Blessing
   B: Uncrossing
   C: Healing Work
   D: Luck Work
   E: Obstacle Removal
   F: Road Opener
   G: Jinx Removal bath
   H: Talisman creation
   I: Sever ties with cause
   J: Protect & Reverse
3. Observe
   A: Watch for changes in one's situation that seem to indicate success or failure.
   B: If necessary, start again from the beginning of the cycle
   

The questions came from BaiLung of StudioArcanis.

Enjoy!

SE