've received the memo from my spirits that there's a topic in desperate need of more discussion, so I write this in service to them. When it comes to building an altar, I've seen little published about it, and for the most part it becomes an insanely elaborate affair when it doesn't necessarily need to be. I hope to offer some inspiration to you through this post.

The altar is a place of worship, condensed power, and operative function. It can take any number of shapes, but the shape it takes depends heavily upon the nature of the works you're looking to do. I'd also suggest considering the shape the work you're planning to do, as that should direct your decision-making process.

A Meditational Altar:
For instance, if you're looking to establish a place wherein you're able to meditate and contemplate at the end of a long day, you really don't need much. I'd recommend finding a small table that allows you to easily see the altarspace and what's upon it while sitting...a coffee table or small end table would do. Upon it, I would recommend placing a visual focus and two pillar candles to be lit when you begin your meditations and extinguished upon your completion. Between those candles, place an incense burner, and behind it an image of whatever it is you'd like to meditate upon.

This can then be consecrated to serve as a meditational focus that assists in advancing your progress. It might not seem like much, but it makes a world of difference and can act as a kind of safe abode for internal exploration.

A Christian Altar:
If, however, you're a Christian and wish for a sanctified place upon which you can set vigil candles, make offerings to YHVH & invoke angels, you'll construct it somewhat differently. I would recommend procuring a statue of a Crucifix, holy water, church incense, an incense burner, a white cloth, white candles, candle holders, and your bible.

Set the Crucifix before you, towards the rear of the altar space, and set the white cloth before the Cross. Upon it place the Bible, placing the incense burner between the Crucifix and the Bible. The candles and holders can be placed around the Crucifix to form a square. Then, sanctify the space with holy water by blessing the four corners of the altar whilst orating the Lord's Prayer in Latin.

Then, whenever you feel like you're under duress and could use some divine succor, return to this space, crack the Bible open to the psalm or passage you're interested in, light incense and read the passage aloud. Recognize that Sandalphon will hear your prayers and send them up through the smoke, and use this as a daily or weekly place of worship that can be of great meaning to you.

A Daemonolator's Altar:
To those of you that are more inclined towards working with powers on the opposite end of the spectrum, I would suggest procuring a black cloth, four pieces of iron, and an image of the infernal. Place the cloth in the center of the altar and set the four pieces of iron at its respective corners. Set the seal of the power you wish to work with in the center of the cloth, with an image of the infernal behind it. 

When you then feel the need to engage in daemonolatry, come to this space and use the being's enn or invoke them through your own oration. Light for them one red candle and one black candle and connect with them as you see fit.

If you feel inclined to increase the power and potency of the manifestation in play, find a metal bowl, fill it with sand, and place upon it lit charcoal and the appropriate raw incense. Use this as a kind of conjurative focus that brings greater manifestations into the space.

A Witchy Workspace:
If, however, you're the sort to lean less towards the heavens or hells, and more towards the Earth and its powers, you can bring that into your space as well. Procure for yourself an earthenware bowl, dry earth from your area. beeswax, tobacco, and copal, and a small receptacle that fits inside the earthenware bowl. Each day, mix up offerings for the powers of place, ensuring that the offering will fit inside the receptacle inside the bowl, being mindful of what you're looking to achieve that day.

You're welcome to place four candles about the bowl, but I would instead recommend being mindful of the elemental nature of the work you seek to do. When invoking powers of Water, purify water and offer it to those powers. When invoking powers of Fire, use a fire-safe receptacle and light a candle to them. Air?...incense. Earth?...fresh flowers.

An HGA Altar:
Finally, I'll talk a bit about an HGA altar, as that's the form of this I find to be most interesting and rewarding, personally.

For those of you who have K&C with your Holy Guardian Angel, this will be relatively simple. For those of you who have not yet undergone either the Abramelin Operation or some variation thereof, you can adapt this to serve you in that purpose.

Create a sigil or image that to you encompasses the essence of your HGA and make that the centerpiece of your altarspace. Under it place a deep purple cloth shroud, then collect and place upon your altar items that speak to you (and your HGA). They can be crystals, sharp things, candles, witchy tools and herbs, the works...its all you, but you want to make sure that this space is sanctified according to your needs and wants. 

I generally like using the Stele of Jeu as a manner of invocation when creating and consecrating this kind of space, as its tech that can be reoriented towards one's higher operative powers with relative ease. If you get it right, this place should sing to every aspect of your being...you'll feel it. 

The whole point is to get creative while having a place that works for you and your spirits. You can get as inventive as you like and use that interest to show care and consideration for the spirits. It earns some serious brownie points and generally streamlines the magicospiritual process.

Just a couple of inspirational ideas to get you started. ;)

Enjoy!
-SE

When inspiration hits, it's a wonderful thing. The trouble is that it's not always forthcoming in an hour of need thanks to pressure and stress and sleeplessness in response to that upcoming deadline.

In times of issues like those, magic tends to be particularly useful. The stories of old are riddled with magical draughts of inspiration-given, so clearly our ancestors felt much the same way about the subject at hand.

When in doubt, I'd recommend conjuring your muse to form and effect and let him or her appear and inspire.

To do so, you will need several things:

• Water (preferably spring water)
• Wine (red wine, not white)
• Basil
• Bay leaves
• Blessed thistle
• 1 red candle
• 2 violet candles
• Abramelin oil
• A heat-proof surface of sufficient size to encompass the work

When you've obtained your materials, sprinkle them with holy water and ensure that they've been cleansed and repurposed to your needs.

From there, when ready, setup your altar. Place the spring water to the right and the wine to the left. Between the water and wine, place the two violet candles and singular red candle in the shape of a triangle with the point away from you; the purple candles should be closest to you. Sprinkle Abramelin oil on the candles and the herbs, being mindful of safety precautions, then place the herbs in the center of the triangle in the a shape like so: \|/. Say a quick prayer, then light the candles and meditate for a while, grasping the intention of your work and the nature of the conjured muse.

In time, inspiration should come. If it doesn't, you've either done something wrong or there's something amiss in your sphere that you will want to look into.

Enjoy!

SE

Note of Caution: You should be aware that even so much as writing this article has proven to be very disruptive and problematic.  If you are particularly sensitive to negativity, I would suggest that you promptly mark this entry as read (assuming you use an app like Feedly) and move on with your life. I'll be discussing some pretty negative stuff here.

You're welcome to stick around and read through this, but if you do, it may spark off some pretty noticeable changes.  Proceed at your own risk.

Still sticking 'round?  Ok, down to business....

In response to a series of questions a long-time client of mine has posed, I have decided to talk a bit about shadow work, the associated risks and implications, and the possible benefits of doing the Work. Herein will be a few methodologies that one can use to engage their Shadow and progress past their limitations.

Before I start, I must stress that this Work is FAR more dangerous and advanced than anything I've written about previously - hence the warning at the top of this post. This isn't stuff you do for fun.  It isn't something you do out of convenience either.  Its something you do when you don't have a choice.

We're complicated creatures, and there are times that we seem to be half angel, half demon.  We've got a side of us that wants to lie, cheat, steal, murder, rape, drink, and drug ourselves into a stupor.  Its dedicated, in many of us, to taking the easy way out and gets a thrill out of harming someone else in the process. We've also got a side to us that's good-natured, caring, compassionate, loving, and aspires to doing good deeds for the benefit of others. Its a lot like the story of the two wolves, pictured below.

We're all different, and some of us have an easier time tapping one of those wolves over the other.  That's natural and normal, but it just because its the way of things doesn't mean that you're doomed towards dealing with one specific side.

In the end, its a bit like dealing with the angel on one shoulder and the demon on the other. (Much like Kronk in The Emperor's New Groove)

In the Nature VS Nurture argument, the eventual realization is that our leanings are a product of Nature and Nurture, and as a result, eventually choice has a great deal to do with it.  In my experience, I have found that strength comes from being able to utilize the powers of both sides while still keeping them in balance. This is why we have rites like the Banishing Rituals of the Hexagram, Middle Pillar, grounding, and centering exercises.

Most everyone is familiar with the "Holy Self" or "Higher Self" in one form or another - some even go so far as to call it the "Holy Guardian Angel".  The other half isn't really talked about.

Your shadow, on the other hand, (also known as your Evil Genius, Evil Daemon, or doppelganger) is the part of you that's typically kept deep inside of you. It serves the functionality of a spiritually alive storehouse for all of your worst traits, your fears, your insecurities, It represents the abused, the liars, the broken, and the incomplete.  The shadow is comprised of pure, unadulterated fucked-upedness, and working with it is often one hell of an unpleasant ride......

Your shadow makes even the denizens of the Qliphothic shells look cute and cuddly - this is doubly so if you've been through extreme trauma in your past.

Working with one's shadow, however, can be very fulfilling when one's reached the appropriate stage of awareness and ability - knowledge of and communication with your HGA is mandatory. Mastering it does have its benefits, though mastery of one's shadow is an ongoing process that is repeated as one lives his or her life.  Its a set of practices that can, eventually, lead to some amazing realizations about one's self and the universe around them, and, as a result, be a major reservoir of power that can be tapped on demand.

Below is a ritual format through which one can connect to, work with, and overcome the portions of their shadow. It follows a strict flow and I would not recommend straying from it, lest you endanger yourself.  The sigils for each part of the shadow self can be found at the bottom of this article, and I would suggest that you only utilize one at a time.  Do not draw them unless you intend to use them.

1. Provide offerings to your guardian spirits
   
   By this point, you should have a pretty decent handle on the nature of your guardian spirits, both local and ancestral, as well as the allies you've cultivated through your ongoing spirit work.
   
   
2. Perform an Invocation of your Higher Self
   
   By this point, you should have your own method for getting in contact with your HGA/HS for ritual use. Proceed with it, as you will need the essence of this portion of you present to balance out the extreme negativity that will be raised as you progress through this rite.
   
   
3. Draw the sigil for the aspect of your Shadow that you intend to invoke
   
   You will need to use consecrated parchment paper for this purpose.  I would suggest that you trace out the sigil, then pray over it to empower it.
   
   
4. Prayer to the Keystone
   
   The Keystone an entity I've worked with for quite some time.  Its purpose is simple: to watch over the keys so that they are not accidentally activated through tracing them, visualizing, etc.
   
   Keystone, bearer of possibilities
   Stir, waken, hear, and become available to me
   I invoke thy name and call for thy presence
   Stand alongside me as I work through the Umbric Keys
   Face me so that I might face my Self
   
   [Seal the invocation by tracing a lemniscate in the air]
   
   
5. Evoke or invoke the Shadow's aspect
   
   How you proceed here is up to you.  Evocation tends towards being gentler than invocation, but invocation will allow you to do more than simply wrangle with that aspect of your Self.
   
   
6. Complete the rite and dismiss all invoked forces
   
   Dismiss that which has been conjured and ground yourself in the manner of your choosing.
   
   
7. Deal with the outcome of the rite
   
   If you did the work right, you will have stuff to deal with.  You'll learn about certain things that motivate you, how to diffuse your temper, etc.  That's the real reason behind this work, after all.  If you should need help, which you may, you'll want to reach out to me through my contact page.

If you choose to follow this path I've laid out here, good luck.  You will need it.

As mentioned previously, should you need help, feel free to contact me.

Regards,

SE

In response to a request from a long-term client of mine, I have decided to share a means by which one might reach and commune with their "higher self".

Without going into the specifics of just what that is, as its been rehashed all over the interwebs, this post is to serve as a brief how-to....that is all.  You, as with all magical work, assume all risk, liability, etc., as connecting with one's Self isn't exactly an easy path.  It will shake things up - if it doesn't, you've done something wrong.

The sigil you see below is a key of sorts.  Its purpose is simply to rend the veil such that you have the ability to connect with and perceive your Self as a separate entity so that you can work with it.  You will need to have a basic understanding of sigil magic, astral projection, creating sacred space, etc. to use it effectively and safely.

You will need to claim the space around you, make it sacred, banish all of the larvae and the like that typically hang around, invoke whatever Gods make you feel safe, and then utilize the sigil as a key to the astral.  Project into and through it to connect and commune.

I would recommend drawing it on a piece of cloth using your own blood, or perhaps a scrying mirror.  The former method will allow you to reuse it as you see fit.

This will likely stir strong emotions and desires in you, so be prepared and don't undertake this if you're troubled, unwilling to do the work, given to bouts of megalomania, or any other such sociopsychological malady. Be aware that this working will attract attenton from spirits, so you may have spirity nasties show up and try to siphon your energies after the fact, so diligence is required. This isn't something that you do out of curiosity and then give up on, so bear that in mind.

Happy Hunting.

SE