A question hit my inbox this morning, and I thought I'd answer it here. The individual in question is fairly young, but lamented being bothered by demons and asked for a solution. Since this is an ongoing issue for some, I'll discuss some remedies here.

The word "Spirit" is heavily overused in our culture, mostly because we lack a cultural understanding that the denizens of the spirit world are not unified in form or function. Rather, they are different and have their own tribes, social structures, matriarchs and patriarchs. Some follow rigid rules and restrictions, while others are lawless and have no such limitations or boundaries.

As a result, dealing with their interference appropriately can take a variety of forms, beginning with the most simple of rituals and ending with brazen, forceful rites of expulsion. Which you choose to use depends most heavily upon what you are comfortable with, but also upon the nature of the entity you are attempting to remove from your space. There are times where this banishing can be achieved with a light tap, and there are times where the use of a sledgehammer will be necessary....sometimes literally.

So we'll start small and work our way up to more forceful means of responding. Of the methodologies used, the burning of sage is the least offensive. To do so effectively, procure for yourself a bundle of sage that's been ethically harvested and sanctify it appropriately. If you're Christian, the Lord's Prayer & Hail Mary will do. If not, and you'd like something a bit more sorcerous in nature, use this prayer:

"Spirit of sage, waken and hasten to me
Enchant this lovely bundle, help to set this space free.
Loosen the hold of demons and troubles dire,
As I set alight your base matter through the use of fire.
Genius Loci of various skill
Abide my laws, do my will.
Those present and of ill intent, 
Leave now, swiftly - be no longer present."

Repeat this prayer as you make the rounds through your space, ensuring that the smoke touches all that might require purification. I would recommend opening windows and letting the light into your space, as locales untouched by light have a tendency to draw near things that flee from it.

If this has worked, you'll experience a sense of peace, after which you can fill your abode with warmth and good cheer. Be mindful of this need to refill the space with pleasant energies, as ANY time you clear out a space, you've emptied liquid from a jar - it must be filled to the brim once more to ensure that nothing else takes up residence in the space you've cleared.

If cleansing with sage hasn't been effective for you, and you need a slightly more nuclear option, procure for yourself Artemisia vulgaris (Mugwort), being mindful not to confuse it with Artemisia absinthium (Wormwood), for the herbs have different affinities unto themselves.

As before, you will make the rounds, but this time your attitude should be less peaceful in countenance. Instead of asking others to depart, this time you're demanding, gently yet firmly, that the entities who have taken up residence take their leave of you.

Use this oration:
"Spirits of place with ill intention,
This before me is due prevention
Of all ill and harm one'd seek to create,
And with it I send you elsewhere to seek your fate.
Leave now, gently and without trouble or harm,
For I seek to reclaim this space, making it safe and warm.
Leave now, for you are unwelcome here.
This space is reserved for those I hold dear."

Mugwort is suggested, in this instance, as its temperament is more aggressive than that of sage. Spirits are generally rather offended by it, and it can be a useful means of warding off their influence. That is the reason for it being chosen for this purpose.

To speak on offensive herbs, from a folk magic perspective, the most potent among them is rather easily recognized: Asafoetida, or Ferula assa-foetida. Its considered to be an "aromatic", and its commonly known as Devil's Dung. It smells awful to us and worse to spirits.

If sage is a gentle "please leave", mugwort's a "You need to leave, now." Asafoetida is in a class of its own, and it could be seen, accurately, as an herb that says "Get thee the f*** out of my house!" There are accounts of it being placed on coals to ward off the dead, demons, and other intrusive entities, and I can personally attest to its efficacy.

Just be mindful of using it around the house, as it stinks to hell and upsets everything around you...often to a visible extreme. This is what you use if you want to tell everything within a mile radius to go away, so bear that in mind.

You can couple this with a prayer, but its not needed. Such is the nature of this herb. 

In addition to the rootwork means of sending spirits packing, there are plenty of invocations that can be used to this extent as well. For instance, procuring for yourself a Medal of St. Michael and saying over it these words can provide a strong charm against Evil:
"St Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Spare us the wickedness of the Devil and his Horde.
Act as a shield between the Righteous and the Fallen,
Vouchsafing us before the Lord and granting us his fury."

Play with this and get creative, as there are a great number of ways through which one might safely remove encroaching entities without an insane amount of work. 

Good luck,
​-SE

Hello everyone.

Fantastic to have you here as always, and your readership is much appreciated. To honor that, and in toast to the spirit of the holidays, this is part of my "Magic for the Holidays" mini-series.

To start us off, for those of us who are in the US, Thanksgiving is in a matter of days. We've passed Samhain, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day, and now its about time to interact with family. For some of us, that's a blessing, for others a curse, and in either scenario I present to you some magical tips that can be applied; I hope these tips bring about meaningful improvements that won't have you reaching into your pocket or purse for social lubricants. ;)

Without touching on the controversy around Thanksgiving, the name of the holiday centers around giving thanks for what one has. I have found that offerings go over particularly well during this time of year, and as such I would recommend doing so for the few days between now and the holiday proper.

Procure for yourself orange candles (you're welcome to go all-out and grab pumpkin spiced stuffs, if you like), egg nog, your alcohol of choice (if you or your ancestors drink), and a holiday treat of one kind or another (pumpkin pie, apple pie, gingerbread cookies, cheesecake, carrot cake, etc.). Pour a drink for yourself and then one for the landvaettir, your ancestors, your friends, and your family, be they with you physically or in spirit. Do the same with your snack of choice, light a couple of candles, and proceed to have a bite to eat and a nip to drink.

Bask in their presence, and if you feel moved to do so, tell stories about these people you're thinking of. It might seem silly at first, but I find that I become very comfortable with it within a manner of minutes. In doing this, you are providing offerings of sustenance and mirth, lore and imagination. All valid things to each of us, and an appropriate way to start oneself off in getting out of the work mindset and into that holiday spirit.

Enjoy,
SE

Greetings folks, I hope you guys are having a lovely day & it is wonderful to have you here.

I've been asked, repeatedly, for a "Dummies' Guide to Sigils", so it occurs to me that now is the time to do a short write-up. We're on the cusp of a retrograde, so it can be a pretty good proof of concept. Whenever switches like this are to occur, there's a fair bit of palpable tension in the air, so its easier to make magic work.

For the moment, I'll focus on the process of using ones that have already been created by someone else...those are easy to find, and I've shared quite a few of them here.

A sigil, be it for a spirit or a goal, is an encapsulated intention, condensed into a physically apparent and readily accessible form. It's a statement of intent, the symbolic representation of what you are looking to change, and it also represents the duality of the situation itself: what is (0) and what will be (1).

It is a binary, so working with a sigil is a bit like turning on a light switch. It can be made more complicated than that, but it doesn't need to be.

Here's a way of turning on that switch. :)

1. Get yourself seated and comfortable.
2. Light a candle and place the sigil in front of it.
3. Stare into that sigil and imagine that you're transferring that candle's light to the inside of the image in front of you.
4. As you do so, imagine that this light that you've just switched on is showing you exactly what you want to see.
5. Feel that desire you hold for the occurence of the goal you have in mind and feel those emotions switch from desire to fulfillment.
6. Let the candle burn down.
7. Shred of the sigil and toss it.
8. Go have fun and do something entirely mundane.

It's not really difficult, but it does take a little bit of focus. This is a G-rated version of making this work for you, and there are more complicated, grandiose methodologies as well. As you play with this, you may find that there are subtle modifications you wish to make to your method. I highly recommend doing so, as sigil magic is an intensely personal art form.

This is just to get you started. Have fun & enjoy your weekend.
-Chris