It’s 2019! Another year towards the Age of Aquarius, another year closer to the next inevitable world war. Then when I’m old, I can pretentiously lecture little kids about how it was a terrible idea to follow propagandists into the trenches. We’ll reminisce to the culture war of the good old days, back when Christianity still existed and memes were legal. Hopefully Musk would have gotten us to Mars by then, so I can leave this rock and live out my life as a peaceful space hermit.
But enough about politics and pop culture (yeah right, on this blog?). We are here to talk about the Occult, magick, spirituality and mysticism. In my last post, about Urban occultism, I talked about the pollution problem in big cities, and how I use a very effective talisman to ward off against it (which has had demonstrable results). So I thought i’d talk about the general process of creating talismans and charms, for protection or otherwise. I personally feel it’s an overlooked topic, overshadowed about stuff about seals, sigils, sacred relics and whatnot. In reality, talismans cut close to the heart of the Occult in the most authentic sense, and they’re incredibly effective. Talismans are one of those things that have very little variation across cultures, and it seems they are related to some deep, universal and innate human tendency.
So the benefit is not just that pretty much anybody can use them, anywhere, by adapting it to local traditions, but also that it’s passive magick. In other words, it’s done once and sustains itself, and can technically last forever, even inherited, and it does not require you to consciously visualize or chant something (though you can do that if you want). Ultimately, it’s a very personal form of magick, which is also why it works so damn well.
Background on Talismans
So, what exactly do I mean my talisman/charms? Well, whatever comes to your mind when you hear the words, that there is your talisman. There’s really no “correct” occult definition for it, and it varies among cultures. Typically, it is some sort of object worn around the neck. It may have religious, cultural, or even personal significance. Of course, talismans which combine all three have the strongest impact on the wearer.
Traditional pendants involve religious symbolism. Think metallic/wooden crosses worn by Christians, often made of silver. Another example would be the teeth of some dangerous animal, like a bear or tiger, common in tribal cultures. There’s those rare flat stones with holes in them, formed by river action, that were worn by pagan Europeans to protect them against evil spirits. In Hindu tradition, people sometimes wear small silver capsules, in which there would be a small rolled up piece of paper inscribed with an entire hymn. Other examples include precious stones, motifs on clay/copper tablets, or objects that are important to people, perhaps given to them by someone important.
Some modern examples are metallic disks or sculptures, with words or images inscribed on them, representing national identity, religious creed, political ideology, or occult symbolism. Obviously, in modern times we can produce much more intricate and beautiful objects, although the belief in and use of talismans in much more rare.
When people wear such objects, it is usually as jewelry. The only case where it has any spiritual significance is in case of religious symbols, like a Cross, a Hammer of Thor, a Swastika etc.
There’s this amusing example of the modern Hindu talisman. Instead of being a hymn on a small piece of paper, written using a secret technique, they use lasers to print it onto a tiny bit of glass. This is fitted into a cheap metallic case, with a small magnifying lens as well. Looking through your tiny pendant, you can see the hymn. These are then sold in bulk through telemarketing, promising all sorts of miraculous effects, similar to televangelists in America. How religion has devolved. Such items don’t have nearly as much power as a traditional talisman. I always say spiritual/religious gimmicks or scams as the worst kind of thing, because they prey on the desperate and the alienated, and god knows that’s what most young people are today, without offering any real value for the large sums of money they make.
We can say that some general characteristics of Talismans is that it is an object that is precious, unusual, or of personal importance. Like all magick objects, the amount of time and energy invested into one will increase it’s connection to you, and the stronger it shall be. Personally, I feel that a talisman of personal significance, such as an something given to you by a friend or loved one, or an heirloom (or an object a Deity or Spirit personally blessed for you) etc. has more power, but this is not required, as you’ll see.
How I Use Talismans
A talisman has a strong psychological significance. One of the best uses of one is for protection. And I have found from personal experience that they work extremely well.
So, let’s take one of my most important talismans. Those of you who’ve read this blog in the past know that I live close to New Delhi, and you also know that I really, really dislike the place. It is a city teeming with negative energy and parasitic entities, and has a long history of tyranny and bloodshed. It is also the most polluted capital city in the world (and that’s not an exaggeration). Now, this has various reasons, but I guess being the bastion of socialist thought, corrupt bureaucracy, crime and elitism for 70 years does a number on a place.
Capital cities have this aura about them, that is turbulent and dangerous. I have also felt it (though much less) in Amsterdam and London, and to a minor extent in Tokyo. There is great beauty, but also great evil.
So, simply put, living in New Delhi harms one physically, mentally and spiritually. Even though it is the Indian capital, Delhi is one of the rare places that has no patron Deity, and most of the intellectual manpower migrated to surrounding regions. Look I wont bore you with details, but think New York with Beijing’s air, Soviet governance and English classism. That’s basically it. The Muslims in India call it “City of Jinn”, and for good reason. Jinn are evil spirits in Islam.
Bear in mind, i’m not saying all people living in the city are bad. It’s just not a very nice place to live in. There’s good and bad stuff.
Like there’s cool stuff, but you can’t see it because of smog.
Unfortunately, I often have to travel there. A few years ago, when I wasn’t aware of this problem, I’d managed to track in some sort of vampyric spirit that had begun to attack me and my family, causing ill health and turbulent times, and I had to perform an exorcism and cleansing to drive it out. It was somewhat dramatic, and you can read about it here.
I had to make sure that it didn’t happen again, and would make extensive use of protection magick. Eventually, I decided to create a talisman that would protect me passively, and it works wonder.
Not only does it keep me safe from negative spiritual influences, it keeps my mental state in check and also seems to physically repel the air pollution. Once upon a time, returning from Delhi would leave me tired and drained, in a very bad mood and with a sore throat, and out of action for like a day and a half. I’d usually have some sort of bad encounter, and banishing whatever minor entities had attached to me was almost a given (I usually call on the energy of mars to remove them from my aura, then cast them into the womb of the Earth Mother, to hopefully be transformed into something good).
Now, since I started using the talisman, that does not happen at ALL. Bear in mind, this is despite protective magick I do anyway, and daily rituals. If I, an occultist, am affected so badly, it’s really no wonder most ordinary people hate the place.
Another cool thing I’ve noticed that my talisman radiates power. At first I believed it to be largely a psychological phenomenon, with the talisman simply being a subconscious trigger that causes you to be extra vigilant against negative thoughts and emotions (and possibly causing your body to eject any particulate that enters). But, after repeated use, it becomes warm and heavy, and I can feel the heat even from a few inches away. After cleansing and reconsecration, it becomes cold against my chest, and almost appears to “shine”. It’s not just psychological, at least not anymore.
I wear it around my neck, under my shirt (I have no interest in exposing it to unwanted eyes). I also have a second talisman I made recently, which I consecrated during an invocation of Dionysus (more on that in a future post). It’s a small pine-cone I found many years ago in the mountains, when I was a kid, and I’ve had it all these years. Perfect raw material.
Instead of trying to give a generic creation method, i’ll instead tell you how I created both of these, and my reasons for each step. That should give you a deeper understanding of the process.
As a side note, I should warn against over-protection. Bear in mind that I don’t wear this talisman all the time, or in day to day life. You don’t want to begin to rely too much on this type of magick, since it can keep you from facing challenges that will help you better yourself. They can also limit your social interactions. I only wear my talisman when I go to Delhi.
Think Frodo and the One Ring. Think of Gandalf and his magical powers. They certainly use their powers, but the real “magick” is in them. Frodo wasn’t able to enter Mt Doom because he used the power of the One Ring. He did so because his journey had transformed him, and given him courage, faith, strength and resilience, and helped him actually destroy the Ring (power). Gandalf is so powerful not because he solves all problems with a flick of his staff, but because of his knowledge, foresight and wise counsel. Spells and chants simply make them more formidable, but they’re extensions of magick, not magick itself.
Sauron is the one who is pathetically weak, not even having a body, and NEEDS the One Ring in order to command any real power. Without that, he simply disintegrated before Isildur’s blade. He would have been slain by Celebrimbor had he not tricked him into making the Ring in the first place. A true talisman would be Aragorn’s blade, or the Arkenstone, or that little vial of Light, or those guidance necklaces that the Elves made. Objects of great, positive power, but tools at the end of the day, to be wielded by those who are worthy.
(I’m sorry to all those who have no idea what i’m talking about)
Creation of a Talisman
Alright, so the first, and most important step is intent, as it is in all magick. My intent was protection. Protection from negative influences, be they spiritual, mental or physical.
Next comes choosing an object, and this is where you must get creative with symbolism. For example, for the talisman consecrated by Dionysus, I used the pine-cone. Pine-cones are a symbol of fertility, as well as the Wild. They are associated with Mercury and Dionysus. For my protection talisman, I chose a small pendant I had. I do suggest using something you already have had or have made, because it already has a connection to you. In this case, the pendant is made of obsidian, and shaped like an upside down 2D obelisk. Embedded vertically along the front face are 7 little spheres of different stones, symbolizing the chakras. This is attached to a silver cap that has a small ring, so you can thread it.
I know, sounds fancy. It wasn’t actually very expensive. I’d picked it up in some new age shop because I thought it looked cool when I was a teenager. I too, wore it for cosmetic purposes. Over time, I became less edgy and didn’t wear such things in public, but it stayed with me safe and sound.
Now we have both intent and object, so it was time to plan the ritual. You must decide what spiritual forces you must invoke. So, in this case for protection, I naturally chose Jupiter. However, you can get creative here too, and assign your own meaning to the talisman, based on physical attributes. For example, this pendant was a black inverted obelisk. Obsidian is used for protection, but a black inverted obelisk is strong Binah/Saturn imagery. The silver cap corresponds to the Moon. Both are associated with Water, which also has strong relation to an inverted obelisk and Binah.
I defined the talisman as having the following attributes: The black obelisk, corresponding to Saturn, would absorb an negativity born in me, because after all, it isn’t the external influence itself that is harmful, but our reaction to it. Touching my chest, it would take into itself any dark thoughts and emotions I experienced, since Saturn is associated with banishing and transforming, and meanwhile the silver cap would create a reflective shield around me, that would send all evil back to the place from where it was coming, like a mirror. It’s a easy, passive way to ensure that people/entities who seek to dump their trash on you have it flung back to them, but at the same time you don’t need to get involved in any trash flinging of your own. The Water symbolism was for purity and cleanliness (and was enhanced since I would anoint the thing with oil), and the 7 stones for the Chakras mean that this pendant protects you on each level, from the Crown to the Root.
As you can imagine, such careful and precise consecration works really well. I also prepared some protection oil, using the powers of Jupter, to add an extra layer of protection and keep the pendant itself clean (the oil becomes like a container for the negativity).
Now for the process. It begins with a cleansing, traditionally done with water and smoke (incense). Say any preliminary invocations if you want (LBRP, Kabbalistic Cross, Middle Pillar etc.). Ideally, take the time into account. For me it on the Day (Thursday) and Hour of Jupter, during the waxing moon. Prior to this, I’d left the Talisman is some salt for about a weak, so it would be a clean slate. I took a stick of frankincense and make it go round in a clockwise direction around the pendant. Then I cleaned it with a clean, damp cloth. Ideally you’d use holy water, but I just used regular water to great effect.
Then comes the consecration, and this is where you Invoke the forces with which the pendant is to be blessed. I believe I invoked Water first. Then Saturn and the Moon and visualised their energies going into the talisman, stating how the talisman will work.
To seal the talisman, I invoked Jupter and stated the larger purpose of the talisman (to protect), while anointing it with my protection oil. Now I gave thanks, banished and closed the ritual. The talisman was ready!
Now, you may be wondering, does a talisman blessed by Jupter but partly consecrated with the power of Saturn not cause issues? And to you I say: probably.
But, so far nothing of the sort has happened. The talisman hasn’t spontaneously shattered or imploded, nor have I witnessed things going wrong around it. Who knows, maybe I just managed to do it right.
For the acorn, it was much easier. At the peak of the Rite of Dionysus, when I was closely communed with the deity, I asked him to bless the little acorn, and empower it. He then stated it’s purpose, and informed me how I was to use it.
All talismans, and indeed all magical objects are empowered over repeated use.
Prayer beads are a classic example of Talismans blessed through repeated ritual
Use and Maintenance
So, depending on the nature of the talisman, it may or may not require reconsecration. This varies wildly, and it’s entirely up to you (or the traditions which you follow) that will define how this is done.
For my talisman, I mentioned that as it absorbs more negativity, it grows warm and heavy. And it’s difficult to explain, but I get a sensation of “tiredness” from it, as if it is weary and exhausted. Technically, it should have been able to endure several uses, but Delhi really is so bad that a it it needs cleansing after being worn for only one day (two if I didn’t spend as much time in the city).
Remember how I said the oil is the carrier of evil forces? After I return from Delhi, I put it away to rest. This isn’t really needed, but I need to use the talisman only once a week or so, so I keep it covered, laying on a bed of cloth (these things should be treated with respect).
Before I must wear it again, I take the damp cloth and clean out the oil (that carries the absorbed energies), while visualising the talisman filled with brilliant white light and reciting “Be now clean and pure, and blessed by the Divine”. After that, I once again anoint it, now reciting it’s purpose to “protect me from all evil. Be my shield in the face of darkness”. I dunno, get poetic (you know, like the Christians.)
After this, it feels light and cool again, and the reconsecration is complete.
I think it would be wrong if I didn’t mention my doubts. I have had the thought that perhaps, the talisman becoming warm and heavy is actually a sign of it being empowered and solely growing in strength, and maybe when I clean it and re-anoint it, i’m actually resetting it. Perhaps I shouldn’t actually mess with it once it’s anointed, and maybe Saturn banishes the negative energy on it’s own. Maybe I should just put it on some Earth to ground it.
I don’t know if this is true, but my intuition tells me that cleaning it is the right choice, and so I do it. There’s always going to be room for doubts, but we must trust ourselves. The air of Delhi has particulate in it, stuff like arsenic and lead. I don’t want that shit on my talisman, and it clearly attracts it (I can see a fine layer of white dust on it after one use). So, trusting my instincts, I do what I feel is right. And the instincts are the voice of the Self.
Well, that was all. Spring is upon us, so expect far more posts on this blog. I’ve decided to update it more regularly now. We do live in the Age of Information. So I’m doing my part.
If you liked this, be sure to follow the blog. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus.
Well good luck, take care, and until next time. This has been White Raven, signing off.
Credits:Blue Flame Magick
Credits: Cafe Astrology
Credits: Mortimer Arms
Saturn Eclipsing the Sun, photo by Cassini probe
Source: http://www.astrology.com.tr/planetary-hours.asp
Source: Inuyashiki (no, I have not seen the anime)
Between The Pillars 