Pluto is retrograde as of today, and this planet’s influence manifests itself as a need to face down the troubles in your closet. People tend to get pushed to the edge a bit more when this planet is in retrograde, but such concerns are logical when dealing with such stress-inducements. 

If you want to be only minimally effected by this kind of astrological change, be very considerate when making choices with potentially substantial ramifications. You’re not always going to make the right decision, but if you decide to do the things that are good for you instead of easy for you, you’ll come out ahead more often than not. 

This, too, is an aspect of adaptation. Learning to adapt and make appropriate decisions despite duress can become a life skill that pays some serious dividends.

Blessings,
​Chris

​In doing this kind of thing for long enough, you learn that for as much as things stay the same, they also tend to manifest aberrant change. You can do the same spellwork and get the same results 100 times, but that 101st instance thereof can be a doozy. Make sure to pay attention to such variances, as they make all the difference in the world. 

Those are the instances where the most growth can be had, especially if that change is unpleasant. 

Blessings,
Chris 

I was nudged earlier to create a prayer to the Cosmic Mother and Father that cuts through some of the nonsense and instead focuses on their essence. I, in turn, pieced together a prayer to be shared here.

You'll notice that it takes from time-honored prayers of the Church, but focuses on the essence of ancestry. If you feel the need to connect to your Gods and those of your ancestors, use this as a tool to do so:

​"Through our Father I rise, bringing glory to my family and friends.
Through his wife, our Mother I do good deeds and attend the needs of me and mine.
May I do so ever-mindfully under their watchful gaze.

Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from Evil.
For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever.

Hails to our Mother, full of grace.
Our Father is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Holy Mary, Mother of God and Mother Mine,
Pray for us, your sons and daughters.
Now and at the hour of our death.

Mother and Father both, stand with me as I do works great and small.
Let my pride be yours as well, and let my acts bring honor and distinction.
Amen, Amen, Amen."

Blessings to you,
Chris

​Spirits, like people, do crave attention for their efforts, and recognizing this desire for positive feedback, reward the good ones for their efforts by thanking them with additional offerings. It might not seem like much, but going above and beyond for them often means that they’ll go above and beyond for you. 

If you’d like to incline them to do so, try over-rewarding beyond what you’ve promised them and *do not complain about what you’ve agreed to*. Do these things and you’ll notice an increase in helpful synchronicity. ;)

Blessings,
Chris 

​It’s Good Friday after a freakishly long Lent, and I’m glad you made it through. I dunno about you guys, but I’m very glad I didn’t try to give up caffeine during this period. Instead, I have endeavored to be kind, knowing that I have few vices and that the Divine would appreciate this instead. 

How have you guys fared?

It’s been an intense week, given what’s happened with Notre Dame & Al Aqsa. The spirits have been in an uproar, and I’ve been having a whole lot of visions and dreams. I’m immensely gratified that the fair Lady of France still stands and that her relics are intact. My heart goes out to all those affected by the fires in both France and Jerusalem, and stand grateful that more damage wasn’t done. 

If you feel similarly, be sure to set out a plate for the spirits today, regardless of your faith. It’ll be appreciated and noticed. 

For those of you celebrating Passover & Seder, be blessed. For those of you celebrating Good Friday & Easter, be blessed. For those of you celebrating 4/20, enjoy & be safe. 

It’s been a wild week and we could all use some wind down time. 

Blessings,
Chris 

Culture: (Noun) Way of Life;
“The way of life, especially the general customs and beliefs, of a particular group of people at a particular time.”

In my line of work, there’s a whole lot of conjecture around what sorcerers, witch doctors, spirit workers, conjure men and women, practitioners, etc actually do. We all do things a little bit differently according to our individual philosophies. 

My personal focus is on creating beneficial change. I like to see people grow. I like to see people happy. 

The nexus around which all of these results and life changes occur is that of positive growth & beneficial change. Life has so much suffering attached to it that learning to alleviate that suffering can do a world of good. I like to help folks see a way through their issues, whatever they may be, as we create an incredible amount of trouble for ourselves. Learning what not to do is often more important than learning what to do, since these instances of self-sabotage usually become life-changing. 

Quite literally, if you pick the wrong spouse, job, house, or locale, you’re eventually going to spend years regretting that decision. You’ll spend years in pain, and all of this is elective. Choosing not to make unintelligent decisions due to fear, hormones, or social pressures can make the difference between a life you hate and a life you love.  Learning to pivot away from negative experiences that bring misery can make quite the difference. 

This awareness informs my decisions about what I choose to do & how I prefer to work. This puts me into the mentor role quite regularly, and I really enjoy getting folks back into their happy place. 

Just be aware that sometimes the thing you’re regarding as your happy place is actually the choice that will make you miserable. Likewise, the sometimes lackluster-seeming opportunities can at times be a little boring on the surface, but incredible overall. 

Sorcery is all about making potential work for you. You can’t turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse, but you can turn a silkworm’s creation into one. Consider this carefully both when choosing a worker and when choosing to do work for yourself. Sometimes what you hear from spirits is actionable intel that can make the difference between choosing a wonderful life with a six figure salary or getting stuck with Debbie Downer & a clunker. 

This describes both why and how I do what I do. That’s my sorcerous culture. What’s yours?

Blessings,
Chris 

Specifically, human & spirit intelligence.

It occurred to me that most folks don't really process the interaction between the manifest and spiritual worlds. We all have some concept of the latter's existence, but no real ongoing awareness of how that pans out on a daily basis.

From an animist perspective, literally everything in the universe has a soul and an intellect attached to it. This being might well be somewhat simple by our standards, but that stands to reason as their daily life is a whole lot different than ours. That rock in the flower bed is home to a rock spirit, not a god of science and medicine, which means that he probably knows rock things really, really well. He'll understand what he can do, how he can do it, and how his section of the universe works. If you need help in determining how best to work with his section of the universe, he can be a meaningful ally in such interactions to boot.

For instance, if you need to determine what particular stone formation is the best one for magical practice in a specific area and arrangement, beings like this spirit of stone will have the best understanding of how best to do things from their perspective. I have personally made use of this in ritual, using the spirits of the land to tell me how best to proceed in a harmonious fashion, which in turn generates more potent, manifest results.

These beings are essentially forced to exist in harmony with one another, and they tend to belong to larger spirit families by extension. This might initially sound a little strange, but many a piece of limestone has been brought from a quarry. Recognizing this and bringing this understanding into your day to day life can make quite the difference. The natural world is interconnected and interrelated unto itself, so this web of life that you cannot as easily perceive interacts with your enjoyment of the manifest world.

If you endeavor to interact with these beings and keep them happy, you'll notice that they too have the ability to interact with their worlds and yours. That intersection of intelligence can be enormously beneficial, as those things closest to the ground understand foundations. Those beings in the trees understand flight and reconnaissance. The trees themselves understand the passing of time & all that it can bring. The flowers understand pollination and how best to bring pollinators to the yard.

This might sound enormously low-brow at first, but as you begin to interact with the spirit world intelligently, it interacts with you in turn. This can turn runs of bad luck around rather quickly, as a pissed off land wight is going to cause you plenty of trouble.

Thus, be kind, ask permission when you aren't sure of something, and make a point of intelligently interacting with your land and everything on it. As you do so, the spirits of your city will take notice and your life will improve.

It takes little effort & a whole lot of mindfulness., but you'll find that this is entirely worthwhile.

Blessings,
Chris

​What do you do to conquer indecision & make the correct choice when life forces you to make some changes? One cannot linger at the crossroads forever, so there’s generally a need to quickly discern the appropriate choice to make. 

It has been my experience that the correct decision often stands out, in a way, on account of my spirit works, but when it doesn’t, things can be a little tricky. If you find yourself in this position frequently, I’d recommend finding a reader you trust. Have them help you to navigate the chaotic waters in your life & use their skills to seek clarity. 

If that’s not an option, for whatever reason, focus on enchantments to help you see the way through a situation more readily. It won’t seem like much at first, but it makes quite the difference. 

Happy Tuesday,
Chris 

Greetings folks & happy Monday,

Someone on StudioArcanis noted that they were having some trouble with invocation, so I've provided them with a couple of tips on how to conjure Belial correctly. It occurs to me that this information should be shared here, and so that's the purpose of this post.

Spirits in general are often a little weirded out by being called on by people who don't have a relationship with them, especially in an invocation, as that's an intensely personal matter. You're basically calling a spirit into yourself, and that can feel a tad unpleasant and shaky for anyone...spirit and human alike. Knowing this, I prefer to walk the line between evocation and invocation when conjuring a spirit to form for the sake of establishing a relationship.

Since Belial was mentioned elsewhere, I'll use him as the example here. Belial is a powerhouse associated with magical and political learnings, and he can assist a person in becoming more free both financially and socially. If you're an awkward person who doesn't connect well with others, ask him to tutor you on that front, as he can certainly do so.

Belial's a bit picky, and he'll happily watch someone for a time to see if they've got the potential to be worthwhile. This statement sounds a bit judgy, and it is most certainly meant to be. This spirit is a powerful being who is a King in his own right, meaning that he really doesn't have to suffer to entertain people he's uninterested in. Knowing this, you really want him to like you if you're looking to gain any kind of result.

To garner his interest and thus take a stab at doing this properly, you're going to need some materials. Create a raw incense blend of equal parts crushed frankincense and wormwood. Take that mixture and suffumigate it with the aroma of burnt bay leaves, then leave it to develop under a burning incense stick - preferably one containing the scent of Black Arts oil. During this time, chant his enn ("Lirach tasa vefa welhc Belial") over the blend itself no less than 300 times. Yes, you read that right.

Regard this blend as an extension of the spirit's power and treat it with respect.

This process of preparation should take you a day. Maybe two if you're slow. When you've completed it, you should feel a difference in the mixture itself, and there should be a radiating line of power from it. If there isn't, you've either screwed up in the creation of the powder or you're just not terribly well-developed psychicly. Go through the rite anyway, as you can't and shouldn't back out at this stage.

Next, you'll need three red candles. Place them in the shape of a triangle. At its center, place a sigil of Belial, and on its back write a *brief* indication of what you want from him. Place upon this sigil at the center of the triangle a fire-safe bowl, preferably filled with sand. Light a coal and place it in the bowl or cauldron, then place upon it some of the aforementioned blend - you should place enough to create an intense atmosphere in the room, but not enough to set off any fire alarms. Ventilation is key.

Light the candles, then make your plea to Belial orally. Watch the smoke. If you've been successful, the smoke coming off the coal will feel and look a bit funny. This is standard, and its a manifestation of the spirit.

Note your impressions and experiences, then keep watch over what happens. Life tends to get turned upside down a bit, but that's the norm with him. He's an extraordinarily powerful spirit, and it is not uncommon to feel  him as a presence directly behind you, often with his hand on your shoulder. That's pretty normal, but it can be a bit disorienting.

When you've completed the ritual, give Belial license to depart. If you don't know what this is, say these lines:

"Belial, I thank you for your presence and power. I thank you for joining me. I thank you for your attention.

Go now in peace, respected and potent spirit.
Amen."

You're giving him permission to leave, thereby unbinding him from the rite itself. Burn the sigil after this unless you've been specifically told to carry it with you. You will know it inside if you have been, so if you haven't, dispose of that energy by destroying the sigil with fire. You're not seeking to harm the spirit here, you're making sure you can't accidentally desecrate anything and thereby invoke his ire.

Please post here with your experiences and thoughts in exchange for these tips. ;)

Blessings,
​Chris

In a discussion elsewhere, the topic of Protective Talismans came up as a point of interest, so I'd like to discuss this here in a broader context.

When you're in an arduous situation and shots have been fired in your direction (be it literal or figurative), its generally good practice to have some idea of how to respond to the threat at hand. In the interest of providing some direction on that here, I've put together a ritual format to follow. You can modify it as you see fit.

First, procure hawthorn, bayberry, and rhubarb. Bless each with holy water, then say the Lord's Prayer over the triplicity.:

"Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us as we forgive those who trespass against us. 

Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from Evil, for Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory for ever and ever."

After this has been done, place the hawthorn, bayberry, and rhubarb on a clean plate and set that upon your altar.

In front of the plate, place three candles to form the shape of a triangle. Light those three candles and say the following prayer:

"Bound power before me, I call out to thee and ask that you would open the Gate. Through this portal bring to me three things: protection for my happiness, protection for my health, and protection for my wealth."

Clasp your hands together as if in prayer, bow to the portal thrice, clap once, and then leave it be. Let the candles burn down completely, then dispose of the remaining wax and the spent offerings.

Blessings,
Chris