Ritual of the Central Pillar

The Tree of Life is a symbolic representation of the whole of reality, and a map that enables the magician to traverse his entire Being.

This ancient symbol rests upon an even more ancient symbol, called the two Pillars. These represent the fundamental dual forces that exist at the beginning of time. The first disparity. Light and Dark, Life and Death, Order and Chaos.

Together, they produce the third, Middle Pillar. This Pillar does not, in truth, exist. However, though it is a mere illusion, it is the path of Enlightenment, Liberation and Immortality. It is the path of Magick, from where the Higher descends into the Lower, and the two mingle and unite at it’s centre.

Given here is the Ritual of the Central Pillar. It is to be used for invoking the Divine, and can be thought of as being similar to the Bornless Ritual, the Pentagram Ritual, or any other preliminary ritual mean to unite the Individual with his or her Higher Self. Anyone is free to use it, or make alterations and use it as a guide. In magick, nothing is set in stone.

Throughout this ritual, the magician is called to use his name, or magical motto/craft name. Here I have used mine (although White Raven is simply my name for this blog, not my actual motto). You should use your own, or any symbolic name.

The ritual contains English, Latin and Hebrew, along with some Coptic for specific Egyptian terms. The Hebrew godnames should be vibrated. The Coptic terms may not be vibrated, but should be chanted clearly and with respect. The Latin and English should be spoken with authority. The original version that I use also contains Enochian, but I have omitted them here since they require the use of the Enochian tablets, which not everyone uses.

The Latin and Coptic can be translated into English, and I have given their meanings next to them. In fact, the entire ceremony can be further translated into any language that is comfortable to the user. However, the Hebrew Godnames (which are all in bold) must be left as they are, and never distorted. Their correct pronunciation is given as well.

The Ritual

The Oath

  1. I call upon thee, oh Ancient One
  2. Thou maker of the black and the white
  3. Thou producer of dry and moist
  4. Thou that didst birth the Cosmos and the World
  5.  I call thee by thine name, ASAR UN NEFER! (Myself Made Perfect)

The Greatest and Deepest Truth!

  1. Thou art the Devourer of Flesh!
  2. Thou art the Conqueror of Spirit!
  3. Thou redeemer of the righteous, and burner of the fallen!
  4.  Thou madst the Man and the Woman
  5. Partaking of the Knowledge of Infinity
  6. Standing upon the Saints, and the Beasts!

I am thy emissary, who hast willingly set foot into this Ancient Temple! W.R.I is my name!
Hear me, thou who holdest the elixir born of the mud, the Light of the Life!
Thou art the Serpent who hosteth the Blood, the Blood that maketh the Man! Isis-Apophis-Osiris

Air

  1. Te Invoco! Lux Resergens! (Light Ressurected)
  2. Te Invoco! Vitae Essentia! (Essence of Life)
  3. Te Invoco! Ignis Spiritus Tempestus (Bringer of Storms)
  4. Semper Fluentem! Absit Extendentem (Ever flowing, far reaching)
  5. Cognitor Veritatis! De Catonis Ruptor (Knower of Truths, breaker of chains)
  6. Excita et Somnus! (awaken from sleep)

AHIH! YHVH ALHA va DA’AT
(Ah-hah-yah, Yehovah Eloha va daath)

The Lord of All things is Thee! Awaken within me, the primal urge of Evolution and Transcendence! Open my Eyes to the Truth, and grant me the authority to command all that ever was, is, and will be. Let all the cosmos and anti-cosmos bow to me, and all things made manifest by my Will. Let all beings of all planes be subject unto me! AMEN!

Fire

  1. Te Invoco! Rex Invictus! (Unconquered King)
  2. Te Invoco! Gladio Indomitus (Sword Indomitable)
  3. Te Invoco! Ignis Immortalis! (Undying Flame)
  4. Lux in Tenebris! Tepor ad Frigus! (Light in Darkness, Warmth in Cold)
  5. Vita Statore! Nequam Vestabat! (Sustainer of Life, Destroyer of the Worthless)
  6. Excita et Somnus!

IAH! YHVH ALHIM!
(Yah, Yehovah Elohim)

The Lord of All things is Thee! Awaken within me, the primal urge of Evolution and Transcendence! Open my Eyes to the Truth, and grant me the authority to command all that ever was, is, and will be. Let all the cosmos and anti-cosmos bow to me, and all things made manifest by my Will. Let all beings of all planes be subject unto me! AMEN!

Water

  1. Te Invoco! Mater Secretorum! (Mother of Secrets)
  2. Te Invoco! Bonae Vitae! (Nourisher of Life)
  3. Te Invoco! Domine Stellarum! (Lady of the Stars)
  4. Profundum Aeternam! Infinitum Firmamentum! (Depth Eternal, Expanse Infinite)
  5. Amor Autem Resistis! Solvet Circumscriptio! (Bringer of Love, Dissolver of Boundaries)
  6. Excita et Somnus

ASRA! SHADDAI Al Chai!
(Asherah, Shaddai El Chai)

The Lord of All things is Thee! Awaken within me, the primal urge of Evolution and Transcendence! Open my Eyes to the Truth, and grant me the authority to command all that ever was, is, and will be. Let all the cosmos and anti-cosmos bow to me, and all things made manifest by my Will. Let all beings of all planes be subject unto me! AMEN!

Earth

  1. Te Invoco! Mariae Eterna! (Eternal Virgin)
  2. Te Invoco! Medicus Dolorem! (Healer of Sorrows)
  3. Te Invoco! Vas Autem Sanguinis! (Vessel of the Holy Blood)
  4. Mater Dracones! Divina Antiqua! (Mother of Dragons, Divine Consort)
  5. Domina Voluptati! Sanctificetur Sacrificium (Lady of Pleasure, Holy Sacrifice)
  6. Excita et Somnus

ADNI Ha’Aretz! ADNI Mal’akh!
(Adonia Ha-aretz, Adonai Malakh)

The Lord of All things is Thee! Awaken within me, the primal urge of Evolution and Transcendence! Open my Eyes to the Truth, and grant me the authority to command all that ever was, is, and will be. Let all the cosmos and anti-cosmos bow to me, and all things made manifest by my Will. Let all beings of all planes be subject unto me! AMEN!

(Everything in italics should be spoken as if it were being said to the magician by another, distant and powerful voice)

Spirit

Holy art thou!

  1. Oh Lord of the Everlasting Embers!
  2. Oh Mighty Depth of Eternity!
  3. Thou mighty tempest, from whom nothing can hide!
  4. Hear me, oh Glorious Beast with the Deafening Roar!
  5. Almighty, All knowing Truth! Eternal Way of Light! Unity of the Aeons, oh Shepherd of Humanity, I call unto thee by Thy Name, IAO! YHSVH YHVSH! (Yehoshuah Yehovashah)

This is the Almighty One, before whom all shall tremble!
This is the Eternal Way, which leads all to Truth!
This is the Mystery of Ancients, which none shall ever Know!

This is He who Spake the first Word, and who raised the first mound from the Waters of the Abyss!

Awaken within me, the primal urge of Evolution and Transcendence! Open my Eyes to the Truth, and grant me the authority to command all that ever was, is, and will be. Let all the cosmos and anti-cosmos bow to me, and all things made manifest by my Will. Let all beings of all planes be subject unto me! AMEN!

Hear me!

  1. My inner strength and guiding light!
  2. The everloving waters that dwell in my being!
  3. The twin pillars of wisdom and understanding!
  4. Oh golden one, who bestoweth the favours of love!
  5. Oh majestic warrior that destroyeth my foes!
  6. Oh indwelling of dreams and visions profound!
  7. Thou cosmic rebel who gave me the flame!
  8. Oh horned God of my lust and power!
  9. My teacher and immortal mentor!
  10. The secrets that are deep within my being!
  11. The cosmic scale that brings me balance!
  12. Oh eternal virgin, and my purity of purpose!

AIMA ELOHIM!

Communion

(The following should be whispered)

  1. I call him, who bellows in the place of desolation!
  2. I call her, the horned one, the first and true Creator!
  3. I call her, who burns away inequity without equal!
  4. I call him, whose name is unchanged from what it was!

I am now dead.

  1. Let me be reborn.
  2. Let me be granted the Eyes of God, so that I may look upon the splendor of the Cosmos.
  3. Let me be granted Speech, to convey the divine Will.
  4. Let me be granted a Heart, to love those who could not be loved.
  5. Let me be granted Strength, to fight for that which is True.
  6. Let me have a Guiding Light, that I may never go astray.
  7. Let my body be a pure Temple of the Mysteries.

I now quit the Night and seek the Day!

AHIH (to be chanted 33 times, or longer, until communion is successful. Then stand)

Attainment

  1. I am He! the Bornless Spirit! having sight in the feet: Strong, and the Immortal Fire!
  2. I am He! the Truth!
  3. I am He! Who hates that evil should be wrought in the World!
  4. I am He, that lighteneth and thundereth!
  5. I am He, from whom is the Shower of Life of the Earth!
  6. I am He, whose mouth ever flameth!
  7. I am He, the Begetter and Manifester unto the Light!
  8. I am He, The Grace of the Worlds!
  9. “The Heart Girt with a Serpent” is my name!
  10. I walk upon the Earth and in Heaven, forever and ever more!

KHABS AM PEKHT (Light in Extension)

Charge

Awaken within me, the primal urge of Evolution and Transcendence! Open my Eyes to the Truth, and grant me the authority to command all that ever was, is, and will be. Let all the cosmos and anti-cosmos bow to me, and all things made manifest by my Will. Let all beings of all planes be subject unto me! AMEN!

Proclamation

On this day I am born again, on this night I have known the secret.
I have come into this world to find the sacred path
Now that path lays open before me, illuminated by sacrifice.

I was consumed and I was devoured, and burnt away into ashes
I was cast into darkness where I have known the deepest of sorrow
Now I am released, stronger than all who came before me.

I become the shining Light, who walks the path of Truth
Blessed by the brilliant, ineffable glory that shines deep within
Now I proclaim my name, and let it be heard for aeons to come.

My name is White Raven Invictus

L.V.X
I.A.O
A.U.M

Performance and Meaning

The ritual itself is quite fluid, and can be adapted in various ways. For example, you can circumambulate your magic circle during the parts for the four elements (Air in the East, Fire in the South, Water in the West, Earth in the North). You are free to move around, or include any extra motions, salutations or gestures. You can also use idols or images to represent each of the 4 elements.

By the way, the entire ritual refers to the Divine as “He”. Needless to say, if you’re a woman, change this to “She”. The Higher Self should be regarded in the way most comfortable and meaningful to your personally. The only exception is the first section under “Communion”.

During the last section of “Spirit”, we are calling on the forces of the 12 Zodiac, starting with Leo and moving counter clockwise, ending with Virgo. During this portion, Tarot cards representing each of the Zodiac signs may be used, and further cards may be placed on the altar for the 4 elements and Planets.

During the second list under “Communion”, there are 7 statements. Each of these refers to one of the 7 chakras, and these should be visualised in brilliant white light, moving from the Crown to the Root. So, when you say “Let me be reborn”, visualise the crown chakra glowing brilliantly. On the next statement, “Let me be grated Eyes…etc” visualise this bright light moving further into the 3rd Eye Chakra, and so on, until you reach the end. Each Chakra should be visualised as a perfect, white sphere.

This ritual can be combined with a Catholic style Eucharist. I know Catholics aren’t the only ones to do this, but that’s one example everyone will know. In this case, a glass of water, juice or wine may be charged with the energy of each element. When you say “I quit the Night and Seek the day”, consume this oblation.

Personally, I’d just use water. But, if I’m doing a the ceremony in a very formal way, I will charge different ingredients for each element and put them into a central bowl. For example, when I am reciting the section for Air, I will visualise energy going into a small bowl of cinnamon I have kept to the East of the Altar. Or you can even draw the invoking Air pentagram over it. Then, when I vibrate the Godnames for Air, I add some of this this charged cinnamon into a central bowl. Then I do the same for Fire, using chilli pepper. For water, I will add the Wine (which is the main basis of the drink) and Salt for Earth. Then, I will visualise visualise white energy charging the whole drink at the Spirit section. Finally, I shall drink the whole thing at the Communion, right before chanting “AHIH” 33 times. The wine and the cinnamon give a calming effect and pleasant smell, while the chilli and salt are painful and give a kick. Thus, the two Pillars of Life and Death. The sensation produced this way is very powerful.

Why 33 times? Well, with each recitation, I would visualise the Tree of Life forming around my body. The Tree of Life has 32 Paths, and the 33rd refers to the Tree as a whole. It may take a bit of memorisation, but remembering the order of the Paths is not that hard. The key is to keep reciting until you feel like you’ve connected with the Divine energy. The term translates to “I Am”.

The “Attainment” should be done after this, when communion has been attained. Chant “AHIH” more than 33 times if necessary, but do so until you feel a powerful sensation, and feel like you are closer to the Divine. Only you can know when this is. Once you feel, stand up straight, with your chest puffed out. The Attainment and sections after that should be done standing up, while everything prior to that should be done kneeling down. The ritual can be part of a larger ritual if needed, and any preliminary banishings and invocations should be done beforehand.

The language that I have used is specially designed to be evocative to a modern magician, and ignite their imagination. You see, all religious and spiritual prayers and hymns have this purpose. You can be sure that when Christian prayers were originally convinced, they gripped the fancy of the Romans and Jews, and seemed very arcane and mystical. However, as time goes on these prayers become more and more mainstream, and lose that fantastical element, until they end up being boring and tedious. Even invocations from just 100 years ago, such as the Bornless ritual, seem dated and mundane to us. They have lost their mystique and charm as time goes on. This is why all the language in this ritual is the way it is. This is my best attempt to impress upon the 21st century mind. This is also why Latin has been used.

The Latin intended to be used here is Imperial Latin (as it was spoken by Romans), rather than the soft Ecclesiastical Latin used today by the Church. It’s entirely up to you how you pronounce it. But if possible, try to pronounce it in imperial Latin, which sounds sharp and authoritative. By the way, “Te Invoco” simply means, “I Invoke Thee”.

You will notice one of the final sections is straight from the Bornless Ritual. These are 9 proclamations, each corresponding to one of the Sephiroth of the Tree of Life. I have added a 10th for Malkuth. In my opinion, this section is already fantastic and there is nothing I could come up with that was better.

The first section under “Communion”, which is to be whispered, are a translation of the Enochian calls for the four quarters. Even if you have Enochian tablets, or use Enochian magick, I suggest reciting these in English. This section isn’t meant to be Enochian.

The term “Yeheshuah Yehovashah” is complicated, and I want to speak as little as I need to about it. Basically, some of you may reognise it as a title for Jesus Christ, and may mistakenly think this Ritual is Christian.

Here’s the thing: YHVH is the symbolic Hebrew name of the Tetragrammaton, spelt with the letters Yod-He-Vau-He. Each letter represents one of the 4 elements (Fire, Water, Air, Earth). The letter Shin represents spirit, and its insertion into the name YHVH represents the descent of Spirit into Matter. In other words, it’s a symbolic name. It is not actually the name of Jesus. We already know “Christ” is a title, given to him by the Gnostics probably 200 years after he died. “Jesus” may also have been just a title. Heck, for all we know he was never called by that name, and the name only came around centuries later by Gnostics and Kabbalists who wished to use this figure as a symbol for their saviour.

Rosicrucians use the name YHSVH YHVSH as a symbolic name, or title for Jesus/Yeshua, whom them consider to be the Master. Other Kabbalists even use the name to refer to the gods Horus, or Dionysus, or simply the Messiah from Judaism. The name is a title, and is symbolic of the Higher Self. It does not specifically refer to Jesus, and this is not an intrinsically Christian ritual. Nor is it intrinsically Jewish, Pagan or Egyptian. It just is what it is.

Finally, the ritual should be ended by proclaiming the terms L.V.X, I.A.O and A.U.M. You can either state every letter (el-vee-ex, i-ay-oh, ay-yu-em), or pronounce them as words (Lux, Iao, Aum). The final word AUM can also be chanted. In this case, let it be long and sonorous, as resonate with your whole body. It is the sacred sound of the Universe.

Happy New Year
May this Decade be Fun

Until Next Time
White Raven Invictus

When an Evil Entity Invaded

Written December 28th, 2016 | Edited: 14th March 2019

On this blog so far, I’ve written about various invocations and evocations in a pretty carefree manner. I’m not one of those magicians who likes to add a bunch of smoke and mirrors and make things seem crazy and otherworldly, or at least, more than they already are.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t encounter problems. Like the Ancient Egyptians, I don’t like to focus on or describe harmful or problematic incidents. I learn my lessons, and stop dwelling on them. Still, shit gets weird sometimes when you practice, and you just have to accept that. The pay off though, of self realization and empowerment is completely worth it.

There is a reason for writing about this specific incident. This is a two part post. I was about to write a post on space clearing. You know, the standard routine smudging and cleansing with holy water most of us do. I wanted to write about how I do it, but first, I decided to write about a little thing that happened to me where I used it to get rid off something very problematic.

It was a little reminder that even though it’s routine, it’s pretty important to do it. Anyways, without further ado, allow me to tell you a little story. This is very different from everything else on the blog, so sit tight.


Ok, so one fine week, suddenly, things started going wrong. As in, more so than things usually go wrong. It’s difficult to pin exactly when and why this happened, and if it was associated with any particular event. 

I got a sore throat, and ended up missing two crucial college lectures. At the same time, my mood started swinging quite badly, even for me, and I was generally pissed off all the time.

When I say crucial, I mean really kind of pointless, but taught by a particular teacher who was the kind of person that is miserable inside and an asshole towards everyone. She’d made it so that if you missed a single lecture, you’d have no clue what was going on, and they wouldn’t help you whatsoever, and also be an asshole about it (don’t worry, I’ve forgiven them by now).

That’s how I initially perceived it. Looking back on it though, everything turned out okay, and I did quite well on that particular course. At the time though, it caused me quite a bit of stress, because the classes kept happening and I was falling behind and didn’t know what to do. Naturally, when your mood goes bad, everything in your life changes to match your mood. Things go wrong and awry, and don’t work out in your favour.

During this frustrating period, I ended up having a pretty big beef with someone I knew. I had to do something about it. Being young and naive, just waking up to my own magickal potential, I accidentally cast a curse, which is the only time in my life I’ve foolishly cast a curse of that nature. It was fueled by hate, and desperation, and I thought was the way to go. I suppose deep down I knew it was wrong, but desperation can be a hell of a force. 

When people become a threat to you, there are very specific methods of shielding your self, or binding them. I’ve even written about one. You’re not really supposed to hurl a ball of hatred and anger at them, because it’s just going to harm you further.

When I did the ritual, I very specifically said I wanted a certain person to be taught a “lesson they wouldn’t forget” (and they did), but that was just my wording. However, the emotions I was feeling at the time were deeply resentful and angry, and my throat, still not healed, was just making me more furious, and all that energy was added to the spell. I think this curse might have increased the effects I would face in the coming week. Bear in mind that all the bad shit happened first, before I cast the curse. The curse itself was not responsible for what happened, but a byproduct of it.

In fact, before I cast it, I had an inkling, like a little voice in my head telling me that the person I was going to curse was a magician and I should stay away. The one thing to keep in mind when casting magick against someone is to think very carefully if they are themselves a magician or have one working for them, because that complicates things a lot more. Generally I listen to those gut feelings very carefully, because that’s the voice of the Higher Self, but for whatever reason, in my delirium I ignored it, thinking “no way a person so depraved could be a magician”.

Lol, how wrong I was. Who said depraved magicians who suck the energy of others don’t exist. I don’t know if they were one, because they did seem to learn their lesson, but I have a feeling they might have had shields and my curse might have backfired, but I cant know for sure.

Update (2019): I’ve met such people throughout my life. They’re barely human, sunk to the depths of hate and depravity. They’ll drag you down with them, do everything in their power to make the world a worse place. Once upon a time (such as when I cast this curse), I hated and feared their influence. Now however, I completely shut them off. Their spiritual energy is parasitic and ugly, and generally they’re not fully aware of what they’re doing. I do not give them even a foothold within my own space and mind, casting them out immediately. Maybe they deserve mercy, but not mine. They deserve neither my time nor energy. Let them seek help, and only then may someone spiritual seek to give them love and acceptance. But if they insist on being a burden to the world, I certainly want to have nothing to do with them. If they send parasitic entities after you, exorcise it without mercy. Return it to the Void, to the Womb of the Great Mother so that the energy may be transformed into something good.

Anyway, so couple of days later, in college, a different mentor drops the bomb on us, telling us about a pretty large assignment that needed to be done by Friday. It was already Tuesday afternoon, and if we wanted to submit by Friday afternoon, we had just 3 days.

I had stuff to do on Friday, so I wasn’t planning to come on that day. This meant I had to finish this mammoth task by Thursday afternoon. Now, we all know colleges like to give mammoth tasks and incredibly tight deadlines, and most of my classmates knew it wasn’t really serious. After all, no way could anyone finish it, at least completely. Most people would present about 30-75% on Friday and get an extension. It’s more of a token way of saying “look, i’m working sincerely”.

But not me, and this is further indication that the energies around me at the time were clogged and my mind was confused. I somehow came up with a really time consuming idea, and decided to do that for my assignment, and I was already short on time. Even my mentor said I wouldn’t be able to finish, but I stuck to it. For some reason, I had decided to be overly enthusiastic and ambitious with that one particular thing.

Pointless, of course. I worked almost every hour between Tuesday and Thursday, staying up both nights, but I kept running into problems. My measurements would turn out wrong, i’d run out of important supplies, certain pieces of stationary broke down or went missing, one night I split dirty paint water all over my floor by mistake, and little annoying things just kept happening.

Also, a little thing happened that I really should have paid attention to at the time. Someone in my home had this little dream. In it, they woke up in the middle of the night by the sense of urgency and panic, and saw, floating at the foot of my bed, a zombie. Well, not really a zombie, but the figure of a person, who looked lifeless, like a husk. It had vacant, glassy eyes and a dark mouth, and it had nothing below the torso, so it was hovering.

I should’ve paid more heed to it, because it was most likely a warning. I don’t really want to make this sound all paranormal and cheesy, but that was how it was. Any magician worth his salt would take note of this, but me, being busy as I was, ignored it.

I carried my nearly finished wreck of an assignment on Thursday morning to college, hoping to finish by afternoon, but, lo and behold, after my first class we were informed that my mentor was absent, and so class was cancelled.

That was music to everyone’s ears, but not mine. Why? Because it meant i’d have to come on Friday. So i’d stayed up like a moron trying to finish my work, only to realise I had more time. This extension helped though, because when I got home, I was beginning to realise things were way too problematic than they should be, and my throat wasn’t getting better for some reason.

And then came the icing on the cake. I needed to present a certain document for something very important, but this document could only be printed by a lawyer, and you’d need to go to a district court to get it done, and I had no time to do it, since it was already Thursday evening, and I needed it by the next day.

Once I got home, I calmed down, and did an invocation of Mars, to help me fight all these problems, and destroy these obstacles that kept needlessly popping up (including my prolonged coughing). After this invocation, I was gargling, and I spat out a hell of a lot of mucus, thanks to Mars purging my system, and felt a lot better. I was sure my throat was cured. Something worried me though, because even though I felt clear and refreshed, but the mucus I had spit out, was almost reddish in colour. It was red.

Anyway, after this invocation, I tried to arrange this document to be printed without having to go to Court. At least my cough was gone, right?

WRONG. Well, not entirely. Next morning, I woke up early and somehow finished my work to a meaningful level. I wanted to go to college early and submit and come home immediately.

It was here that I learned that my younger brother had suddenly got a cough, and here that I realised that something might be wrong. When I had banished my cough, why had it passed on to my brother? It should just go, not linger about.

Anyway, so I’m rushing off to college, and it takes me about an hour and a half to get there by train. JUST when i’m almost to the last station, I receive the most idiotic message ever. The totally-urgent-assignment-that-needs-to-be-given-asap-or-ya’ll-gonna-fail submission had been postponed. To Wednesday. Go figure. There’s something about being almost at college and realising you didn’t have to come at all, or stay up finishing a wreck of an assignment and you should’ve taken it easy. And of course, class was cancelled, again, so I just changed trains and headed home straight away. That legal document thing didn’t work out.

I was pretty stunned the whole return trip. I wasn’t used to this many things going wrong all at once, and this is when I realised that I had not done a cleansing or cleared my energies in a while, and that’s especially important for people who encounter lots of people everyday, or even travel with them, like in a public transport. I also started thinking about the entity.

I’ll be honest, I have no clue what was wrong at the time. Maybe it was my hateful curse, maybe I’d crossed someone, or something (though I can’t recall pissing any spirits off). It could just be a build up of chaotic energies, or maybe my agitation, or maybe something to do with planetary transits. After all, your reality is like a reflection of yourself. The mind gets agitated, and everything around it becomes agitated.

So, I calmed down, first off all. I came home, and I was conveniently alone, so I did a full fledged cleansing, which was overdue, both of myself, and of my home, which I will write about in the second part of this post.

I will mention one unusual, rather weird thing though. It’s the one thing that adds a somewhat magickal vibe to this otherwise mundane tale of college stress.

I started smudging in the living room, which has a balcony attached. When I cleanse, I usually open up all the windows, including my balcony door. However, even with the door open, there’s a screen door before it, which was closed AND latched.
So, after I’d smudged all around the house in a circle, I returned to the living room, and started waving the smoke around in the last un-smudged patch on the house, further towards the screen door, and at then suddenly, the screen door FLEW open, with a crash. I mean it was flung open, almost completely, and a gust of wind went out of the house. It was as if something has just been forced out through my incantations. I stood silent for a few minutes, then continued and finished.

I was stunned, but when I looked at the latch, it was still in the “closed” position, but it had come off the hook. At that moment, I fully comprehended what I had been dealing with. Something substantial enough to open a locked door and leave. I stood silent for a few minutes, then continued and finished.

Everything worked out well after that. My own agitation would be cured, though it would take a couple of days. That assignment I was worried about? We’d end up getting almost 2 months, and I did the whole thing again, properly from scratch, and things returned to normal.

So kids, what have we learned today? Cleansing is important. It’s like bathing and brushing. Click here for the next part.


Update (2019): So, as I mentioned before, this was a time when I did not understand the dangers of evil entities. Later on, I would realise that this was due to Delhi, the city where I studied, being infested with parasitic entities. The Muslims call it the “city of Djinn” for a reason. It is also a city with no patron Hindu deity.

These days, I use a talisman to protect myself. It works very well, and you can read about it here.

Another thing I want to mention is that I did run into the exact some entity in 2018. Handled it much better this time. I was rather tired after returning from Delhi, and when i was doing my daily rituals, I had the immediate sense that something was behind me, attached to my aura. I commanded it to come before me, and it was forced to detach and appear in front of me. It was a similar looking entity, but it looked more industrial, or mechanical. It had the same phantom like energy, and the lack of intelligence.

Now though, I was much better at magick. I instantly called on the energy of Mars, into Genburah, and from my right shoulder I drew out a ball of red energy. I fashioned it into a spear, and with it I impaled the parasite, with a calm and steady force. It was killed instantly. I then did the Sign of the Enterer to push it out of my aura, and the sign of silence. I traced the Equilateral cross and cast it into the Earth. I thanked Mars for his help, and asked the Great Mother to receive this energy for recycling.

The key is to be firm in your intent and resolve. Uninvited entities are not fucking welcome to come near you, or harm you. Let the Universe be very aware that you live on your own terms. Most non magicians don’t realise this. They are unable to make it clear that they aren’t to be messed with. Recall that scene from Lord of the Rings, where Gandalf tells Bilbo in a booming voice, “Do not mistake me for a conjurer of cheap tricks, Master Baggins..” as the air darkens behind him. Don’t get angry. Just be very, very firm.

So yes, that is how you deal with phantoms, parasites and zombies.


Be sure to follow the blog, and you can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

Until Next Time
~White Raven

Invocation of Archangel Raphael

Written November 23rd, 2016 | Edited: 13th March 2019

raphael1raphael2raphael3raphael4Summary of my experience with Raphael.

raphael5Good guy Raphael, forcing war councils to be adjourned with sheer optimism.
(Scene is from Makai Ouji Devil’s and Realist, Ch 32)

What? Extremely irreverent to depict mighty Archangel of Air, Ruler of Hod/Tiphareth, and Divine Healer as a comical, flamboyant optimist, you say?

Well, it’s sort of true, at least for me, and clearly the person who wrote Makai Ouji.

I invoked Raphael recently. Looking back on this blog, I realised I only ever share posts about demons and darker angels. So I figured, why not share one about a more popular, light side Spirit, and one who holds incredible power and position. You know, to maintain the balance, as the blog’s name implies and not lean toward a single Pillar. So, give it up for Archangel Raphael!

This is an invocation done using the Grimoire of Armadel

This ended up insanely long, please bear with me

8535ab32e6275aa20c5581ed0e53eaa2“Let me show you, what happened to Nagini”


The Name Raphael

Raphael is the name of the Archangel of Air. It is Hebrew, and translates as “God, who heals”, “Healing of God, or “God, The Healer”.

It originates in Babylon, where people spoke Akkadian, am ancient Semitic language from which Hebrew and Arabic come. Many angelic names come the 7 aspects/children of Ahura Mazda (God), known as the Immortal Ones, in Zoroastrianism.

In Hebrew it is spelled with the four letters Resh-Pe-Aleph-Lamed, R-Ph-A-L (רָפָאֵל), and it’s value is 200+800+1+30= 1031.

The common name we use, Raphael, is the Latinised spelling of this name.

The Arabic name for Raphael is Israfil ( إسرافيل‎), or Israfel, which means the “Burning One”, although in Hebrew lore, that title is generally given to Uriel. In Magick, this name is used in an Invocation of Thoth. All other times, we call him Raphael.


Abrahamic Mythology

Before we move to the Magick, a quick look at Raphael from the traditional point of view.

To the Jews, Raphael is the 3rd most important angel, placed immediately under Mikhael and Gabriel, and one of the seven Archangels of Heaven. He is also one of the four highest Archangels, associated with Healing, known to have cured several important figures of ailments, such as Tobit, whom he accompanied on his journey through the desert. He overcame the demon Asmodeus, saving Raguel’s daughter Sarah from him, and binding the leader of fallen angels Azazel. He is sometimes depicted as a Serpent.

In Judaic lore, he rules the order of Auphanim (which are in the Sephiroth Chokmah), he stands to the West of the Throne of God, and is associated with one of the four rivers in Eden, very simply put. Look, we have a lot to get through.

giovanni_biliverti_-_the_archangel_raphael_refusing_tobiass_gift_-_wga2195“Sir! Would you be interested in-“
“I’m sorry, I have to go. I’m totally busy. I have exams. I’ll miss my train. I’m sure you’re doing something cool though. Really!”

To the Christians, Raphael is very similar to the Judaic Raphael, since both religions have the same source texts. In Christianity, due to the lack of complex Judaic theological structures, he is almost exclusively associated with healing Tobit and defeating Asmodeus, and in the New Testament, thought to be the Angel who healed the people at the Pool of Bethesda.

He is venerated as a Saint by the Catholic Church, as well as the Orthodox, exalted in several Renaissance artworks, sculptures and literature, as well as revered by many Protestant sects and called the “Divine Physician”. He is also sometimes mentioned as the one who brought the Ancient Mysteries to Solomon, though at times it is also Mikhael.

saint_raphael

In Islam, it is more difficult to draw parallels, since it has different theology, and since it is a strongly monotheistic religion, and does not clearly define any beings or spirits other than Allah (God) and Mohammed. To the Muslims, Raphael, known as Israfil, is one of the four Archangels who were sent to fetch dust from all corners of the Earth to build Adam, and who will herald the apocalypse with Trumpets, and is said to have tutored the Prophet. Said to have four wings and be a master of Music and Languages, he sings hymns and melodies for God.

84c089b3b2acafd458b48b2c5958adeb


Non Abrahamic Sources

Though these are older than the Abrahamic version, Archangels as we perceive them come from Abrahamic sources. That’s why I’m writing this second, and this is just for information. It’s mainly literary connections I can draw.

The Archangels originate from Zoroastrianism, as I said previously, meaning the equivalent of Raphael is the Amesha Spenta known as Haurvatat, meaning Perfection of Health.

Since he is like a snake, that would link him to the serpents of Mercury’s Caduceus. Remember, the Caduceus is also associated with healing, which is why the WHO emblem is derived from it. It originates from the story of Asclepius who was revered by the ancient Greeks as a God of Healing and whose cult involved the use of snakes. (The symbol itself is called something else, but it’s clearly derived from the Caduceus).

And, Mercury also ruled travelling, and Raphael traveled over a fair distance with Tobit.

V0024875 Astronomy: Saturn with his scythe, riding in his chariot. En

As far as Egypt goes, he is associated with Aquarius, and the Holy Living One/Kerub known as The Man. While “The Man” is the higher symbol of Air associated with Aquarius, Raphael is associated Libra. This association means balance.


Within Magick and the Occult

Being an angel, Raphael is predominant within Ceremonial Magick, and being a cardinal angel and Watcher, he plays a variety of roles.

First and foremost, Raphael is one of the ruling Angels on the The Tree of Life. He rules the sphere of Hod (Glory) or Tiphareth (Beauty). In Hod is the Healing aspect, while in Tiphareth is the aspect associated with Beauty and the guiding light.

Hod is associated with Mercury, which Raphael rules, further strengthening the connection to Magick, and we’ve already established Raphael’s links to Mercury symbolism.

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Raphael is also one of the four Archangels of the Quarters, ruling in the East, once again, becoming the first Angel that the Magician faces towards. Being in the East, he rules Air, which is also ruled by the Planet Mercury.

Raphael thus also rules the Zodiac Sign of Air, which is Aquarius, and so this also connects him to it’s ruling planet Uranus, a higher octave of Mercury. Seeing as it is currently the Age of Aquarius, or at least, we can say that the transition has begun, Raphael is the overseer of the current/coming astrological Age.

b53ac5c3610cd5174e85057cca38d235And here, you see the 4 kinds of ways in which human beings react to Magick.

As the ruler of Hod, his Qliphotic counterpart of the Archdemon Andramelech, whereas his cardinal counterpart is Amaymon, Demonic King of the East and Air. 

Within the Egyptian Ceremonies, there are four Kerubs in each Cardinal direction. The lower counterpart, aka the elemental King associated with Raphael is Paralda, the King of Air.

kerub-of-air


What Raphael Represents

So, in essence, Raphael corresponds with the ability of our body and mind to heal itself regardless of damage, as well as the ability of the Earth to heal itself against the odds (the story of Tobit is full of odds against him. Think about how Beijing, being immensely polluted for decades, reverted back to having clear air and blue skies with cars being banned for just 2 weeks). Healing leads to Beauty. Mercury to Sun.

raphael-the-archangel-08

Along with that, Raphael represents the conscious mind, our thoughts, decisions, reason and logic, and what we project onto the world, and the progress of Science, which in turn, lends to the progress of Medicine, which are among the few key things that lead humanity into the Age of Aquarius, but also the Ego contained in it, which is why he is connected to Serpents. The Ego is greatly strengthened when we place the Conscious mind over the subconscious.

02032012_jobs_medical_science_slideshow“Sir, are you sure it’s suppossed to be pee coloured”
“Shut up Jane. This is going to be The Future. Once we decide if it’s profitable”

UPDATE (2019): I keep talking about the association of Raphael with Hod and Mercury. In Yetzirah, Raphael rules Hod, and this is the healing aspect. In Briah, Raphael rules Tiphareth, and the Sun. This is his other aspect, associated with Beauty. In each case, Mikhael rules the other planet. So in Briah, Mikhael rules Hod, while in Yetzirah, Mikhael rules Tiphareth. For this reason, the two angels overlap a lot. While their enegy and presence is very different, they share a lot of sphere of influence. For example, Raphael heals, while Mikhael cleanses. Raphael rules beauty, while Mikhael is the beautiful face of God. Raphael rules science and medicine, while Mikhael rules the rational mind and critical thinking. I often struggled with trying to understand why Raphael was so often places on Sun and Mikhael on Merury, even though it should be vice versa. I now know that this is because of the differences between the Tree of Life in Yetzirah and Briah.

Of course, then one might say Mikhael is also the ruler of Fire. The thing to remember, that took me so long so fully accept, is that the Tree of Life and all the myth and correspondences, are simply systems of classification and metaphors for profound things that are beyond full comprehension. These are not the literal or even the highest Truth. So your subjective interpretation may be more useful to you than mine. Even here, I am simply giving the definitions used by the Golden Dawn, and the mythologies and narratives used by different cultures, and the reasoning given by historians, for the sake of reference. My own perspective deviates significantly at times. This is all just a basis for you to build Knowledge upon.


Associations

Name: Raphael
Sphere: Hod/Tiphareth
Planet: Mercury/Sun
Sign: Libra, Gemini, Aquarius
Element: Air
Direction: East
Colours: Yellow and Purple (Air), Orange (Hod), Green (Healer)
Incense: Lavender (Hod), Sandalwood (Air)
Metal: Mercury/Gold


Armadel

As always, I used the Seal of Raphael, given in the Armadel

I found something interesting though: usually, the Armadel has two sets of sigls for the Archangels, first the characters and then a circular seal. Minor angels have characters and no seals, but most major Angels who have seals almost always have characters. For whatever reason, Raphael has only a single seal.

tf627

The paragraph on Raphael also has a very lacking description as well, mentioning just the story of Tobit. I only took the Seal from the Armadel, but it’s not a Book I’d use for this particular Spirit’s invocation. There is another popular Seal of his given in the Faust Magicka. There is also a set of characters given in Poke Runyon’s Book of Solomon’s Magick

As for the seal itself, O Theos is Greek for ‘O, God’ and Agios means ‘Sacred/Saint’, then there’s Raphael and Adonay, a Hebrew Godname. The two “X” shapes are the first Hebrew letter Aleph.


Prep Work

So, it just happens so that in my daily life I need to go into and pass through the most polluted city on this planet. (You can hear more complaining, along with how I purged a parasitic spirit here, and how I eventually made a talisman to protect one from pollution here)

For a few weeks, I’d been having cold like symptoms, after there was a sudden spike in the smog levels. Initially I believed it was a flu, but it stayed for far too long without causing any fever or headaches. Eventually, I decided that it must be the pollution causing the sneezing and runny nose.

Often I’d wake up completely fine, but upon entering the city, the symptoms would come back. It must have been tiny particles of pollutants constantly entering through my nose and my body attempting to get rid of them.

There wasn’t a lot I could do, and eventually it just grew worse. I’d been meaning to invoke Raphael for a while, and so I decided to call on him for guidance and healing.

I did this invocation on the Day (Wednesday) and in the Hour of Mercury. You can read about astrological timing here. I don’t get Lavender where I live, so I used Sandalwood, for Air.

On the altar I placed a Yellow Candle for the East and Air, at the center, and a white feather, a dagger, along with the incense and the Seal. I also had a small bit of mercury on there. All you really need is a Yellow/Green/Orange candle, the seal, and incense. You may put an offering if you want, and that’s good. Stones associated with the Angel are optional.

Like in the Samael ritual, I listened to Binaural beats of the Mercury frequency to get into the corresponding trance. I don’t use it these days because I can get into trance easily, but if you’re new to meditation then it’s very helpful.


Invocation

I did my initial banishing, castings, consecrations, proclamations and all that stuff that we magicians like to waste 10 minutes on, and sat down. Before starting, I traced the invoking Pentagram of Air, visualizing it out of bright yellow light in the East. How you start rituals is totally up to you.

UPDATE (2019): To Invoke Air, trance an Invoking Pentagram of Air in bright yellow, and trace the Purple symbol of Aquarius inside it.
As you trace the Pentagram, Vibrate the godname SHADDAI EL CHAI. As you trace the zodiac symbol, vibrate YHVH. 

And the end of the ritual, remember to banish Air by tracing the banishing pentagram of Air and zodiac symbol again, vibrating the same godnames. Do this in the East.

I decided to mimic my Samael ritual, chanting a hymn from my heart, saying whatever came to mind. You can also prepare any chants or invocations that appeal to you.

I started slipping into a trance, and I don’t always write down the hymns, so I don’t remember it well. It involved calling on Raphael, first describing and visualizing his form and symbols, then using his many titles and achievements and mythos, moving to a more emotional plea, and a kind of devotional “surrender”, and then chanting his name repeatedly. In the end, I was left vibrating his name, swaying back and forth staring at his sigil.

It took me a long time to reach the climax, because my attention kept wavering, and so I kept breaking my trance and having to go back into it. Once I start a ritual, I like to see it through, so I kept going. I was not about to stop now.

It grew very hot eventually, after lots of chanting, and my body went into deep relaxation. Invoking Light Spirits is very different from Dark Spirits. Beings of Light lack concreteness, and come as very abstract energies, feelings and thoughts. Unlike my experiences with Darker angels like Samael, there’s no “peak” of awareness where your, instead, you drown into a deep trance and at the climax of the ritual, you feel extremely exalted. With darker beings it is more like an Awakening. With being of light it is more like Empowerment.

The deep relaxation almost made me want to lie back, and fall asleep, but I willed myself to go on. And then Raphael came.

Usually, there is some kind of appearance, like a reflection, or a thought, an image, or just the smoke or darkness appearing like a person, but with Raphael, it was just pure and strong emotional force. I had somehow managed to invoke the force, without the form.

I asked, or rather, almost prayed for the form, and continued to chant, although I could already make out “I am here. I am here.” in my head, but I chanted. Why? Maybe it was the 4 am delirium, or stubbornness. Not the the best thing in a magician.


Appearance

Regardless, finally Raphael appeared in the flames. And he was beautiful, and androgynous. He had long, yet kind of masculine black hair, but a very beautiful, bright and androgynous face, and a slender frame. He was wearing a white shirt, like the kind they used to wear in the 18th century, which was yellowish white. and had a dark purple kilt like thing at the waist. That was it. Strangely, no wings, dramatic symbols, abstract visions, except when I closed my eyes and there were many balls of light.


Interaction

I began by greeting him and thanking him for coming. He said he always answered whenever he was called upon, by anyone.

I asked him about my illness, and asked for help with healing. His reply was along the lines of “do not worry, it will be done by the time you awaken. Health is easy to achieve, but you must help me too”

I asked him what that meant, and he said “stop putting junk in your mouth”, and I was hit with a bunch of images going through my head, of all the bad food I had eaten, mostly of me eating hot chocolate powder directly out of the jar.

“Do you think you can consume things like that and be okay?”
“Bu-“
“The human body is easily affected. Your immunity is lowered by consuming poisons. If you want to no longer be affected by the pollution, you must do everything to strengthen the body.”
“But I eat good food. I’m vegetarian”
“Such things are merely tokens, if you continue to counter it by eating junk directly from it’s packaging incessantly to fill your stomach. And with that, you must refuse to acknowledge any weakness. Practice discipline.”

So, then I promised to be more careful, and closed the ritual. At first I wondered if I needed to give Raphael the License to Depart, since he is literally invoked with every LBRP.

“I am always here.”

Update (2019): Lilith would tell me years later that most of the time the “License to Depart” is useless for higher and powerful beings. It is only used for lesser spirits that you have bound by a ritual, which happens usually during planetary working. Often, most deities and angels, and even higher demons, do not need one. Least of all, the Watchers. It is better to say “I release all spirits bound by this ritual. I thank thee, and bid thee farewell.” Often for important beings, like Lilith herself, or major angels and gods, address them directly and thank them as well. This also applies to any spirit you have called on by name, or for whom the ritual was designed.
For lesser spirits, she suggested adding “return now to your homes and habitations. Leave, without causing harm or mischief, to man or beast, and the let the peace of God be between you and me. Amen. Good bye.”


Post Invocation

The next morning, my runny nose was nearly gone, and would disappear over time. It came back every now and then when I traveled by train, but I would will it away, refusing to indulge it by sneezing or wiping my nose, much like you ignore annoying people. Eventually, I’d make a talisman to protect me.

I also began to watch my diet, as in I stopped eating the hot chocolate. Not an issue really, because I had finished the jar right before the invocation. But nonetheless, tried to eat as much real food as possible, and not snack a lot. Even if I snacked, it would be a sandwich or some lemonade, instead of chips, biscuits and other things.

I’d been in the process of stopping the routine of soda and softdrinks. I ended up buying a can one day, but immediately the thought came to me that it was bad for me. And yeah, once you start leaving this stuff, it tastes less and less satisfying over time. You actually begin to notice the drowsy, sickening and demotivated feeling you get after eating them.

Update (2019): Over the years I’ve eliminated almost all the shit from my diet. I’ve also gotten rid of things that do not suit me. It is different for each individual. I do still eat chocolates though. But the Aztecs used it for magick, so it can’t be all that bad, eh?

I also stopped the rare consumption of Red Bull, because if anything is poison, it’s that. A few day ago, I saw a video titled “If Energy Drink companies were honest with us”, and yeah, that sealed my decision.

At first, my body craved the sugar rush, but I decided to not give in, and it went away. 

Of course, I still eat peanut butter out of the jar. But somehow, seems like peanut butter is good. Once again, I didn’t stop completely. I’m not the guy who cringes if someone offers me some Coke. But, I don’t crave it.


Conclusion

So yeah, that is my experience with Raphael. I expected as much. Angels and Archangels are supposed to help you make big changes with your life, and this was helpful. Anyway, this is White Raven signing off. If you liked this, leave a like, and comment your thoughts.

EDIT 2020: As of July 2020, I’ve written a new book on the Tree of Life and Kabbalistic theory. I’m quite proud of it, and you can check it by going to the Books tab, or clicking right here.

Follow my blog for more content. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

 Until next time
~White Raven

Tetahatia: Armadel Invocation

Written August 17th, 2016 | Edited: 8th March 2019

The Grimoire Of Armadel contains a comprehensive method of invoking several Angelic as well as demonic spirits, and contains a list of several such entities, along with their characters, seals and specialisation. It was this method that I had used for my invocation of Archangel Samael. Perhaps the most striking part of the book is that it gives a style on Invoking Angels with seals and conjurations. Often, magickal grimoires exclusively contain demonic material. Angels are usually invoked through overtly Abrahamic prayers, and not for any specific purposes. This has changed in modern times, but we are referring to a different period.

I recently decided to use the Armadel again, this time invoking a more obscure spirit known as Tetahatia. This spirit had held my interest ever since I first laid eyes upon the Grimoire. He has a rather unexpected nature as far as Angels are concerned.

However what I learnt from him was very different from what I expected, and today I’m going to share my experience, and also my interactions with him.

Side Note: Tetahatia falls into that category of spirits who do not have any mythology or lore attached to them. Unlike the Archangels, Demon Kings, Olympian Gods etc. many of these minor beings did not play a big role in religion, and thus did not make it into folk lore or pop culture. That also means very little art, hymns, associations or anything else. Most of these spirits are found exclusively within the occult grimoires.

Most of the Angels in the Armadel are in other sources, so it’s easy to find material on them, as people often work with them. But for Angels mentioned only in the Armadel, and not in other places, it can be tricky. The Armadel does not mention ranks or orders of spirits, so you cannot use general associations based on Planets or the Tree of Life.

I was not able to find any reference to Tetahatia in any occult books I own, though I may stumble upon it some day. He is also not mentioned in the Shemhamphorasch, or in any other Grimoire. A google search will simply yield links to the Armadel, and to occasional questions about Tetahatia from curious people like myself. So I went into this invocation without much to go on, except what’s in the Armadel itself.


About the Angel

The Armadel says the Tetahatia is the Angel of Science and Virtue, and protected our forefathers from their enemies, and will do the same for those who call on him. Though it might be made to sound as if it’s referring to Christians of the past protected from pagans, to me “forefathers” seems to mean Magi of the past, protected from those who would seek to slander and persecute them, or hinder the Great Work.

This is mentioned under the Title “Cave of Ephron”, which refers to the ‘Cave of the Patriarchs’ in Israel, which is, like all things Israeli, sacred to the Jews, Christians and Muslims, although mostly to the Jews, and is said to be the resting place of important Abrahamic figures, including Abraham himself.
Ephron is the fellow Abraham purchased the site from. It is said that Angels protected the place from outsiders, and that seems to be the only relation to Angels of Protection like Tetahatia.

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Coming back to the Armadel, it goes on to give a sigil for Tetahatia, and says that with it one can learn how a “blinding darkness may be produced, or a thing terrible unto one’s enemies, also how a blessing may fail hereon”.

grimor58

So, as you can tell, Tetahatia is an Angel of Defensive magick, as well as Knowledge of Sciences and Virtues.
You can also see why many people would be attracted to him. After all, everyone wants to get back at their enemies, get revenge and other such meaningless things (revenge can be healthy, but in today’s society it is a debilitating obsession to most, and a path into depravity). He also seems to perform a function not commonly found among Angels, but in Demons. Even Angels of War, such as Samael, have been demonised and discredited by religion. It was strange to find an Angel that will teach you to harm your enemies.

Then again, I guess Jews, Muslims and Christians have spent most of their history wanting to kill everyone. And hey, no offence if you’re either, but let’s be honest, the Crusades didn’t fight themselves, and it ain’t Buddhists who run all the evil international banks 😀

(Seriously, I’m joking. Please don’t get me put on some list!)


Prep Work

Seeing the nature of the Spirit, I decided to use a red candle on my altar. Instead of making some incense, I used an incense blend I recently bought, containing frankincense, laban and a bunch of other things. 

Other than my red candle and incense, I only put a few more standard items on my altar, like some stones, and nothing else. One special item I put was a steel dagger, again, given the nature of the Spirit. I did the ritual on Wednesday, in the Hour of Mercury, at Night.

Due to the lack of mythology for the spirit, I decided that I would need my own incantation, so I created one in Latin. This is what I came up with:

tetahatia venit angelus virtutis

I then applied my anointing oil and entered the circle.


The Invocation

It was a pretty standard invocation. After casting my circle, doing the preliminary banishing and saying some declarations, which I always do, I sat down to meditate with my mind fixed on the flame, and began to chant, and in a little while slipped into a trance.

I did not chant for a specific number of times or anything, since I don’t know of any number associations for this spirit, I just kept chanting.

Soon, my eyes dimmed, and my heart began to race, but it still beat softly, in an almost subdued fashion. Eventually, I felt very hot, and the candle began to glow brighter and formed an aura, and I knew the spirit would appear soon.

Suddenly, the flame grew very large, and I began to see a figure inside. Tetahatia was here. I then greeted the spirit, and we began to talk.


Appearance

I saw multiple appearances of Tetahatia. In the flames he appeared as a feminine man, with curly hair that seemed would be brown down to his shoulders, wearing a sleeveless clothing that looked extremely Greek, but not what a man would wear, but what a woman or child would wear in Athens. Superimposed on him, the candle’s glow made his wings, but his wings were shaped like curved cross-guard of a sword, as if a giant sword was part of his body.

My eyes closed and I saw a more vivid, yet unclear image, which probably conveyed more about the spirit than a simple illusion in a candle flame. It was a vast, blackish space, and there was a feeling of huge gaping emptiness in all direction. In this space, floated the vague figure of a man with his arms stretched out. His wings were still a cross guard, but something like a sword’s blade also appeared to stretch out from underneath him. It seemed there was some light in the area, like orbs  going around the place, as if held by the figure’s gravity, and pointing towards him like comets. At some point, I saw just a sword and no man.

Make of that what you will.


Interactions

I first asked him what he was supposed to be, to which he replied that he was an Angel, of the Order of the Seraphim.

seraphim1

He told me he was indeed an Angel of Science, Virtue and Protection, but also dealt with espionage, subversive activities, and hindering those who attack you.

“I am both with and without Light”

I then asked him how we should produce a “blinding darkness” for our enemies. His answer was quite befitting an Angel, not at all what I expected, but neither was I disappointed. I’ll mention some of it here.

Enemies may be blinded by their ignorance. No spell can blind a person more than his own ego, ignorance and fear (these are essentially the things a magician strives to subdue). He also said that a large number of people today were blinded to a degree by these very things. They are reactive, polarised, and cling to their fear, arrogance, pride, anger and hatred, and nourish them. These things can be used to blind them, and keep them from harming you.

blinded_by_pride_by_prettty_lush

It makes sense actually. We are conditioned from childhood to have large, dysfunctional egos. This ego is what blinds us from seeing the truth about anything, since people are far too polarised to look at anything objectively. It also binds us from living the life we want. In case of Magicians, the danger of having an overblown Ego is even greater!

He told me that instead of using spells or wishing ill on others, I should use their own ego to stop them from causing me harm. You don’t so much produce a blinding darkness to harm others, but simply send them away from you by turning their face towards their own darkness, and using it. He said it was something to use on those stopping you from doing your own Will, not on the innocent, for then you yourself will have darkness within you which will blind you. He also listed various methods of doing this, some “ethical”, some not.

I asked him though, if he was an Angel, shouldn’t he love all of humanity?

“I am an Angel, and capable of such love for humanity, but you are not the same right now”

He said there was a balance to be maintained. Those who are following their Path, have the right to protect themselves from the deviated ones who get in their way, otherwise all who are true will be pulled back down.

He said that the way of escaping this darkness is to focus on one’s true Will. In other words, this darkness can only blind he who has succumbed to his ego and does not do his Will, and instead interferes with others.

“Never lose sight of the Will!”

UPDATE (2019): I understand now what he meant. At the time, I was far more naive, and much more easily angered. That is why he said “you are not the same right now“. He was not referring to the human condition, but my condition at the time. He was also right, that following your true path will slowly subdue the Ego. When he spoke of causing a blinding darkness, he meant that people who are blinded by their ego are easily manipulated. When you clash with such people, the natural instinct is to fight. But that’s wrong. The correct response is to be diplomatic, to raise yourself above them. Often, that fills them with even more rage and anger, because they cannot imagine not being taken seriously, and their mind is muddled. When you think with a calm, clear head at all times, you can see the true intention of people. You can see when they want to subvert you, or harm you. Often, humouring them while keeping them at arm’s length is the best strategy. When you aren’t infatuated with your Ego, you can tell people what they want to hear. This feeds their arrogance, but does not bother you.

All in all, the calm, collected and focused person can very easily manipulate those think highly of themselves (and that’s the majority of the human population). The more you deal with situations calmly and objectively, the clearer it will become how this is done. It is not wise to use it on the innocent, as that is what a psychopath is. But it is good to hone this tool, and a great passive defense against harm. It is the power of not reacting strongly. He who reacts, is “blinded by darkness”.


Conclusion

I think I pretty much understand everything the Spirit said. It’s actually some pretty standard and generic stuff in Magick, but with a new perspective. It’s not quite what people would expect after reading the Armadel, but it is true.

People end up destroying themselves in the most spectacular fashion due to their own Darkness. No person can harm another, as much as he can harm himself. I feel like this darkness within is often taken lightly, and can be a great tool to hinder enemies without dragging ourselves down to their level. After all, one does not need to use hatred and anger or even produce negativity, but “let people’s own darkness blind and smother them” (Tetahatia used those exact words). Those who can rise out of it will do so themselves).

I am not saying this is something that should be done, but it’s important to know what we can, and can’t do, before we decide if we should. If a drunken man keeps flashing a light in your eyes, you are justified to hold up a mirror and blind him, rather than pick a fight. After all, he simply needs to turn off the light if he wants to see again. 


Be sure to follow the blog, and you can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

Until Next Time
~White Raven

Why Your Magick Seems to be Failing

Written August 17th, 2016 | Edited: 8th March 2019

Magick, like all other fields pursued by humanity, requires dedication, practice, study and commitment. That is why dabblers usually end up quitting before they actually find anything. We’re all familiar with the former “occultists” who tried out the occult for something very simple like money or love, didn’t actually bother learning anything, and eventually quit because it didn’t work, either because they didn’t put any effort into it, or they did put effort into it but didn’t know what they were doing and screwed themselves. Then there’s the average atheist who did a ritual once, just so he could boast about how it did not work and shut out spirituality entirely.

But why then, does magick sometimes not work, especially when we’re new? The thing to remember is: Magick always works. It may not seem to work, but it always causes some kind of change in you or your surroundings. So perhaps the real question is, why does magick sometimes not work the way you want it too. Just by thinking, praying or even focusing your intent on something, you do magick. You use your intent to move your hand, and your brain sends electrical signals to the muscles of the hand to move according to your Will. This is magick, and everything is really just an extension of this principle, from casting a spell for money to Invoking the Gods of the Zodiac.

There’s plenty of little factors which determine the degree to which your magick will work. I think everyone knows that. However, people get confused and target the wrong factors; superficial things like the appearance of your tools, your circle, the time at which the magick was done, the incantations spoken etc. Sure these things affect, and greatly aid your magick, but they’re just extensions. The key to magick lies, not in the external, but in the internal: on your physical, mental and emotional states.

Now, i’m not going to go on a lecture regarding how magick works, but i’m going to give you a little list of things that may not be obvious, especially to a newcomer. Someone really ought to do so, so i’m doing it. Bear in mind though, that you will grow and become more capable with experience. I myself have a lot to learn.

However, mentioned here are things I wish someone would have told me when I first started out, so I would not have blamed lack of ritual tools and such when my Magick didn’t quite work out. That’s all for dabblers who feel there is only one way of doing magick,  while the real mistakes are often subtle and simple. Guess what, it doesn’t actually matter if you levOsa or levioSA.

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You Masturbate Too Much

Though this isn’t the biggest, or even the most important, i’m going to put this on number one, and make it a bit long, since it is this very topic that made me write this article. Because this is apparently a really important factor that for some reason no one wants to mention.

All the grimoires say things such as “you shouldn’t be defiled by a woman” before a ritual, whereas religion says to be celibate. Modern adepts say don’t be celibate but abstain, and science says sexual repression is unhealthy. Som traditions say sexuality is the literal key to magick, while others act like ejaculation is the greatest and most evil sin the magician can commit. The internet is full of polarised opinions about sex and masturbation, and they usually don’t focus on the magickal aspect. The ones that do, usually talk about sexual rites, not spirituality in genera;. I can talk about it, from personal experience, instead of tiptoeing around something that forms one of the central pillars of the human being.

So, first off, we know most religions condemn masturbation. No, this is not just false superstition, and like all religious tenets, it’s based on some reality. On the other hand, Science has shown us that sexual repression is unhealthy and leads to problems. Then there’s this thing called the NoFap community on the internet, which is basically a community of people who stopped masturbation, usually those who had become too addicted to it, and talk about the positive experiences they have had (keep in mind, they aren’t celibate). They’ve even got some broscience to back it up. I don’t know about it’s validity, but I do understand the spiritual side of things. And then you have guys like Crowley, who it feels didn’t do sex for magick, but rather did magick for sex (jk).

There’s a good discussion that could be had regarding the Sacral Chakra, Yesod and Gamaliel, but put simply, your body contains a reserve of creative force, and the crucible for this is Sephiroth of Yesod, or the Sacral Chakra. This energy is physically represented by the sexual fluids, just as the life force is represented by blood. This creative force is what is used to push you onto Tipareth and Kether, above Yesod, or manifest things on Malkuth, below Yesod. It is the raw energy reserve that is used for magick, like fuel. It is also used whenever you do things in daily life, and urges you to be creative and accomplish things.

Making sense yet? Naturally, this energy is constant and does not deplete, except in the most extreme circumstance, which is during sex, when humans perform their highest act of manifestation, that is creation of life. So when you masturbate, you’re wasting this energy on nothing more than pleasure, and giving it away. Why do you think they say “sex sells” and constantly surround us with sexual stimuli? Because they want people to continue wasting all their creative energy and being creatively exhausted. We wonder why so many people are unfulfilled in today’s world, and it is because today’s world glorifies sex and masturbation, and makes you think it is the path to success (Wolf of Wall Street). Yes, it relieves stress (so does meditation), but you need to work first to accumulate stress.  

masturbate-advice-duck-yeah-science-bitchThings like this abound the internet. Though healthy, they make it seem like doing it a lot is good. Disagreeing get’s you branded a religious lunatic or a toxic male. I should make it clear, i’m NOT saying it is a bad or immoral thing or saying it makes you a “loser”. I’m not that stupid. A magician should also learn abstinence, even though it is considered taboo these days, much like masturbation was in the old days. 

So, put simply, stop masturbating often. I’m not saying practice celibacy (just as bad), but abstinence. Today people have become slaves to lust. Learn to control that. Advanced magicians say it like it’s very easy, but they’re middle aged and don’t feel it so strongly. They already have a degree of sexual control. I know first hand how difficult it is, especially at early adulthood, to let go of it, but work towards it. Once you learn to control your lust, you’ll gain an incredible amount of control over your life. And you’ll suddenly realise just how powerful magick is. It will also benefit you in life, you’ll be stronger and motivated. That does not mean kill your sexual passions, or repress them. That will lead you down a much, much worse path into hell (it is no unknown fact that celibate priests turn into pedophiles. To stop this, some monks become eunuchs, but that is extreme asceticism)

One thing that confused me at first was the concept of sex magick. After all, if masturbation could be used for manifestation, it can’t be bad right. I’ll say this: in a ritual setting, none of the above matter. I don’t know why, but in a ritual masturbation is an effective tool.

I can’t say exactly how to go about it, for it is different for each. But remember this, every time you spill this energy, it takes time to replenish. Know thyself. It is up to you what you want to do about it. Don’t go into the circle spent, unless the ritual demands it.

Trust me, eventually lust will become just another feeling you can choose to feel when you want. It shall no longer rule you. 

UPDATE (2019): I’d like to add a bit to this, since I’ve learned some new things over the past few years. Sexuality is one of the hardest things that a magician has to deal with. First off, the context does matter. Masturbating to pornography will leech your energy like hell. That is something most people can agree on, stop masturbating to porn. Casual sex is fairly tricky too. I’d be careful with getting too promiscuous.

The release of sexual energy is a potent tool for magick, so never waste it. Ideally, when you release, the aim is to let the energy nourish your own energy body, or to direct it at magick, or at your partner (who will direct theirs at you). Masturbating to porn releases the energy into other sources, usually perverted fantasies, or at things other people want you to focus on (why do you think all the porn companies will put their logo on the corner of the screen. It acts like a sigil that you direct your energy at, which then helps them get richer).

Another thing is that it is different for men and women. I’m not going into how or why, but men loose a lot more from orgasm than women, and are capable of doing it a lot less to. So, it is more important for the male magician to control his lust. Men also more easily fall victim to it.

There’s a difference between lust and free sexual expression. Use your own intuition to know that. Usually, you’ll know innately what is right and wrong.

Yet another thing is that abstinence is not the same as repression. What we want to do is control and tame our own sexuality, not clamp down on it. This leads to a stagnation of sexual energy, and a break in connection with spiritual forces. It leads to that sexuality emerging as a negative force, and tormenting you since you refuse to face it.

Finally, know that total abstinence leads to an “ungrounding” of the magician. Usually, you need SOME rajasic energy to remain interested in the world, or you very quickly drift away and become monastic. That’s good if you want to be a monk, but not so good otherwise. Most people who abstain totally, either become monastic or make up for it with other practices, like eating meat. If you are vegetarian like me, you will have to engage in some degree of sexuality. Besides, most magicians usually do not want to become monks. Another thing I have noticed is that for artistic or creative people, total abstinence leads to a decline in creative insight and ability. There’s a reason most creative people are also sexually eccentric. There’s a connection somehow, since Netszach, the Sephiroth of pleasure, is also the Sephiroth of creativity.


You Don’t Have A Clear Intent

Magick will bring you exactly what you want. Though it sounds less poetic, the Universe does not give you what you need or deserve, but what you want. (Well, it shows you what you need, but ultimately you have to agree to it. It’s your life. Free Will, not even the Gods can take that from you.)

Your magickal practice should include understanding yourself and knowing exactly what you want.

focus

Yes, it is not wise to be greedy or become infatuated with the result, but when you cast magick, you need to focus on your goal completely: spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically. If you want something, focus on that, and not on the money to get it. If you want sex, don’t cast for love. If you want manifestation of a spirit, don’t be afraid and expect to see it visibly. This will take practice and focus.

Whatever magick you do, be it ceremonial magick and sending out the intent, crafting it into a sigil, or asking a deity to help you in something, be very clear what you want. It shows you have a clarity of thought. And like I said, don’t just think about it and speak it, but feel it as well. Don’t fret about seemingly impossible things that you don’t think can happen. All things are possible with Magick. Leave the little details to the Universe, just know what you want. Lack of this clarity will undermine your magick. Same goes for hesitation or unwillingness. Don’t want something? Afraid of something? Don’t cast for it. Magick is like a bullet, once you pull the trigger, it will go exactly where you pointed it initially, and can’t be stopped. If you stand in front of it, you’ll only get hurt.

I should mention, that very often you may not know what you want. You may think you want something, but you really don’t. Sometimes you may want something because you think it is the right thing to have, but deep down you know it isn’t for you. The reason I’m adding this here is because I have, at one point, had the entire heavenly and infernal host deny me something I really wanted. “Want” is a bad place to be. I just use the word for convenience, but it’s really about the feeling that you already have what you need. The feeling of abundance is important, because it will put you in a place where you can get whatever you need. When you begin to “want”, you enter a state of poverty and the magick stops working. Sometimes, very rarely, in matters of great importance, the Universe will purposefully deny you from going down the wrong path. Usually there is learning to be done before what you want can actually be given. 

Recall the story of Hercules or Promethues or Moses. Sometimes, getting what you think you want prematurely can do more harm than good. Heck, take the classic story of Midas.

Personally, I’ve had times where I cast for something, but was not clear about my intent, and got caught up on little ways, confusing the Universe and having my magick manifest in way I did not intend, or expect, or even want.


Contradictory Actions

You can’t expect to be given loads of money if you yourself are greedy or stingy. You can’t expect everyone to love you, yet hate yourself or others. Don’t confuse the Universe and your own subconscious with having mismatched magick and actions.

contradiction

It’s as Aleister Crowley wrote, you need to become a receptacle for the force you are trying to attract. In other words, you must act according to what you want. If you act against it, it is almost like actively seeking to nullify any magick you have done. And this applies to life in general, not just magick.

You have to match your actions to your Will, and your desires, and most importantly, to your Will. Not just actions, but even thoughts and emotions. In fact, as it says in the Bhagvat Gita, it’s better to be true to your thoughts and act accordingly, than do false actions which match your intent but contradict your thoughts and emotions, or you’re just a hypocrite. (Be true to your nature, and seek to change it to be your ideal self, than pretend and force that ideal on yourself)

So, for example, if I want to become knowledgeable about something, and do magick for it, I will need to lower my defenses, ditch my beliefs and opinions and allow myself to become a blank slate, in order for knowledge and wisdom to come, even if it makes me uncomfortable. A simpler example is if you want to have money coming in, you have to be generous and open with money, rather than being greedy, or constantly worrying about having more money. Maybe you want that perfect job, but spend large amounts of time on unrelated tasks, and don’t actually take the opportunities you’ve been give.

It’s that story of the man who asked God to save him from a flood, but refused to get on all the boats that were sent to help him. 


Lack of Belief

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You know what they say, you gotta have faith! Put simply, if you don’t believe in the magick that you do, it won’t work. That’s why non believers who try magick with the purpose of proving it doesn’t work usually end up doing so. Of course, there’s more to it than just that, such as practice: you can’t pick up a guitar for the first time in your life, and expect to play the solo for Master of Puppets, and then proclaim that heavy metal is bad music, just because you can’t play it, but lack of belief is still the basic issue. I mean, you also gotta believe that Master of Puppets is one of the greatest metal songs of all time, or how will you ever make yourself learn that tough fucking solo?

Magick is deeply rooted in your faith. That is why people of various religions who believe in a form of divinity, usually experience that divinity, and then feel that their religion must be the right one, since it worked wonders, not realising everyone else felt the same, including the skeptic who strongly wanted to disprove what they felt.

Proponents of purely atheistic occult (aka dabblers, i’m not referring to Luciferians and Gnostics) use this to say that magick is all in the mind, and has no external influence whatsoever, since mere lack of belief nullifies it. But you see, the magick isn’t really nullified, and it’s the disbelief, and desire for it to not work, rather than lack of belief that causes this.

As we’ve already established, when you do a magickal operation, your intent and emotions mean a lot. When you do an operation, you need to add to it the belief that it will succeed. After all, you want it to work, right? It’s like hitting the “send” button when you type a message to someone. But when you believe it will not work, or even strongly desire it to not work, that will be the magick you cast. In other words, your magick will manifest, in the form of not manifesting, since you basically cast magick for you to not get results.

Funny isn’t it. Your magick needs to work only once, and then you will know for sure that it works, but you always have to make that leap of faith, and just have complete trust that it works, especially in the face of new experiences. In fact, one reason why magick works so well the first time for many people, is because they go into it having no clue what to expect. Sometimes, they just do it out of curiosity, and are shocked by the result.

In a way, not believing in magick is better than believing there is not magick. With lack of faith, you are still open. But once you have faith in the invalidity of faith, then you’ve sealed your self. Belief is more powerful than skepticism. And a bit of skepticism is always good to have anyway.

All those quotes about faith, in all religious doctrines, were there for a reason. You must believe in “God” to know “him”. You get what you want, including not getting what you want if that’s what you really want. People who believe they will never be happy will never be happy. Belief is at the root.

“I believe in everything until it’s disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it’s in your mind. Who’s to say that dreams and nightmares aren’t as real as the here and now?”
– John Lenon


Practice

This goes without saying, but even if your magick isn’t working quite how you want it, it will grow over time. Practice makes man perfect (I know, I’m an artist. I can compare two art works just a few years apart and see the enormous difference in them). The more you do, the more you’ll learn, and the better you will become. just just stick to it, and focus on doing your true Will, and eventually you will be well on your way.

So there you have it. There’s many more things I could say on this topic, but these basic points are things I feel it is always important to keep in mind. Besides, the masturbation thing was the important thing i wanted to discuss, because I feel no one covers it and it’s fairly important. But don’t worry too much, it’s okay to make mistakes. If you don’t make mistakes, you’ll never learn anything new!

Be sure to follow the blog. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

So then, until next time..

~White Raven

The Pentagram and Its Many Meanings!

Written August 3rd, 2016 | Edited: 6th March 2019

Of all the symbols associated with magick and the occult, the pentagram is the most popular and recognizable, almost the emblem of Magick. And even as all the occult symbols infiltrated and found a place in the mundane world, the pentagram was above all else, as it is the common symbol for perfection, and even found on the flags of nations, both communist and capitalist. When little kids draw space in art class, they use the Pentagram for stars, and the Pentagram is what dominates the Walk of Fame. Several religions have also incorporated the symbol throughout history, and it has it’s origins all the way back in Mesopotamia. It was eventually co-opted in both Persia, and Rome, and lived through till the Byzantine era. later, the Turks would conquer Byznatium and adopt it, and it would be carried to all corners of the world. The symbol itself is archetypal, and several different meanings have been denoted to it over the millenia.

But what is the true meaning behind this famous and popular symbol? Like all symbols in Sacred Geometry, the Pentagram has several layers of information encoded into it. Much of this information transcends into higher planes, and the Pentagram might just be the lower visual manifestation of some profound higher thing. But anyways, today I’ve made a handy list of the multiple meanings on the Pentagram, as well as the inverted version of it, so you don’t have to read a hundred different sources to understand all the different associations. This isn’t an exhaustive list, just the different interpretations offered by different branches of the Mysteries.

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Note: Pagans sometimes use the word Pentacle, but Pentacle refers to vast range of symbols. So, when I say Pentagram, I mean five pointed Star. I’d actually suggest against using the word Pentacle. For example, all the Seals of the Greater Key are referred to as “Pentacles”.


In Sacred Geometry

The symbol of the Pentagram is part of sacred geometry, meaning it is made of very exact and precise proportions which are considered holy.

“God is the Great Geometer of the World”

Although “Pentagram” refers to only the star itself, it is generally depict it enclosed in a circle. While this circle is very important, just the star itself is sufficient.

The Pentagram, naturally, adheres to the Golden Ratio, and is constructed on five straight lines. The regular pentagon is the middle is 108 degrees at each inward angle. The Isometric triangles on the outside are 72 degrees on the base and 36 degrees at the top. If you joined all five corners of the star, it would also form a regular pentagon. The star itself can be divided into many other pentagrams.

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And if you want to draw one, you can do so easily with a compass or protractor, or even straightedge. So there you have it, a bit of math of those interested. I know I hated math, but this info is useful if you ever need to construct or draw a Pentagram, which is very likely for magicians. All the numbers used in it’s construction: 36, 72, 108, are sacred numbers, most commonly used in Judaic and Hindu mysticism.

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The Unity of the Five Elements

This is the most important meaning of the pentagram, which is Universal, regardless of which philosophy or tradition you follow.

In Kabbalah, the top left hand represents Water, then going clockwise it is Fire, Earth, Air. The top hand represents their sum total as Spirit.

5elements

Put very simply, the Pentagram= Air+Water+Fire+Earth= Spirit. And since everything is created of the elements, the Pentagram represents the sum of everything in the cosmos, aka the All/Divine, as well as the mirror image of it, which is Man, who hosts the Spirit.

Often, the circle around it can be interpreted as the material/manifest world, in which all 5 elements are contained and restricted, or the Divine Unity which binds all together.


As Tetragrammaton

The letters YHVH, pronounced Yehovah or Yahweh, is the Hebrew name of the Divine. These days it has become corrupted as “Jehaovah”, the patron deity of Israel and the God of the Judeo-Christian tradition. But the original mystical name YHVH does not refer to a specific deity with human attributes. It’s is a mystical name, made from the Hebrew letters Yod-He-Vav-He.

Each letter represents one of the four elements, Yod is the sacred Fire, with He being Water, and the Womb of the Great Mother. Vav is Air, or the Son born from the Union of the Male (fire) and Female (water). The second/last He is the Lesser Mother, or Bride of Vav, representing Earth. YHVH = Fire Water Air Earth.

This name, YHVH, is called Tetragrammaton, and so the Pentagram represents Tetragrammaton, as you can tell from the above discussion. I write this separately because there are multiple symbols that are used for the Tetragrammaton, not just the Pentagram, but the Pentagram itself is the sum of all elements, which IS Tetragrammaton. This might not be making a lot of sense to those of you who are new to magick, but try to keep up. You’ll understand eventually.

When the Tetragrammaton is depicted as a Pentagram, is often looks like this (as far as I know, the first depiction like this was by Eliphas Levi).

tetragrammaton

As you can see, the Pentagram is combined with other symbols to give the full meaning. The figure of Tetragrammaton is what is used as one of the Seals of Solomon.

So in simple terms, the Pentagram represents The Divine, or rather when the Divine is depicted as Tetragrammaton, the symbol for it is the Pentagram.

You might notice that the Pentagram is five pointed but YHVH only has the four elements. There is VERY long and complex reason for that, laboriously conceived by our great mages of the Golden Dawn, who perhaps enjoyed tedious and mind numbingly long thought experiments. I won’t go into it here, it’s not important if you just want to understand the Pentagram.

But for what it’s worth, the five lettered name is YHSVH, with the letter Shin representing Spirit. The name then spells Yeheshuah, and that is the original Hebrew name of Jesus.

(mind blow?)

By the way, that is why the old symbol of the Five Wounds of Christ was an inverted Pentagram, before it’s association with Satanism. There’s literally medieval Churches which have the Inverted Pentagram in their spires.


As A Symbol for Man/Spirit

Now that we’ve established that the Pentagram represents the sum of all elements, and the Divine. However, Man is said to be the reflection of the Cosmos too. You may have heard how God made Man in his image, and also that God dwells within us. This, the Pentagram becomes a symbol for the Human Spirit (which is basically the same as the Divine). This is best captured in Hinduism, where Brahman (The Cosmos) and Atman (the Soul) are considered identical.

“As within, So without”

(Note: For anyone actually confused when I say Man, I also mean Women. Please no bully)

Man is made of the four elements, together form and house the Spirit. This is the pentagram. One might say that the spiritually awakened man, who has the five elements working in harmony within him is the Pentagram. Each element can be represented with separate symbols too. For Earth (the physical body), the symbol if the Cross.

An interesting depiction of this is Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, where you see a person eagle spread in the form of the Pentagram, representing the Five elements, superimposed on a person standing with his arms out and tilted upwards in the form of the Cross (or specifically, the form of a man hanging on the Cross, known to the Christians as the image of the Crucification), representing the material body of Man. (Of course, this image itself has it’s own multitude meanings, as does the Cross).

leonardo

While performing the LBRP, which is a basic ritual in ceremonial magick, this posture of the Pentagram is assumed at the end by the magician, to invoke the five elements within him. The Pentagram is both the Microcosm (Man) and the Macrocosm (The Cosmos)

EDIT (2019): According to Da Vinci himself, this symbol shows Man has the perfect blueprint of the Universe, made in the Golden Ratio (this is his official definition. He was definitely an Occultist). I won’t break down the image here, but it’s got some very strong symbolism. According to me, he is showing the Mundane, that is the Earthly vessel of Man, as well as the Sacred, the Awakened Man, as the same being. Or perhaps, like the symbol of Christ, he wants to show the emergence of the Awakened Man upon Crucifixion of his flesh. This is the same concept shown in Hinduism by the Lotus emerging from the mud.

Secondly, I should mention that the Pentagram enclosed in the circle represents Man, and so it is used as the symbol for the Earth element in many traditions. When I say “symbol” I mean implement. For example, in the Golden Dawn, Fire is represented by a Wand, Air by a Dagger, and Water by a Cup. The element of Earth is often symbolized a wooden Pentacle. Although the actual Pentacle has a Hexagram on it, it is depicted with a Pentagram on tarot cards. 


Lady Venus

Venus is the Goddess of Love and Fertility, called the Morning/Evening Star. The Pentagram is closely associated with her as well, and this might be why we use it to depict stars in general. It should be noted that Venus rules over fame, drama, music and the arts. This is probably why the Pentagram is the symbol of celebrities and stardom.

pentagram_of_venus

If you look at the orbit of the planet Venus throughout the cycle of 8 years in the Earth’s sky, you will see it traces a rough Pentagram shape.
There is a lot of astronomy and math behind this, which I wont claim to fully understand. Google it if you want.

pentagram2

EDIT (2019): The Pentagram is not the Kabbalistic symbol of Venus. That would be the Seven sided star, or Heptagram. Nonetheless, the Five Pointed Star is a powerful and important symbol of the Sacred feminine.

When we are talking about Venus, we often mean the “lesser” aspect, known to the Greeks as Aphrodite Pandemos. This is the well known Goddess of Love, Sex, and fertility. This is the Heptagram Venus. This Venus, in Hellenic mythology, was the daughter of Zeus.

However, Venus is also the symbol of the Sacred Feminine itself, in it’s higher aspect. This Venus, known in Greece as Aphrodite Ourania, was born from the castrated phallus of Uranus falling into the Sea (Neptune). This is the ancient aspect known as Ishtar/Ianna in the Middle East, and as Shakti in India. This aspect is rightly symbolized by the Pentagram.

Remember how we discussed at the start that the five pointed Star first emerged in Mesopotamia? Well, in Mesopotaia, it was the symbol of Ishtar, and in Egypt a symbol of Isis. In Rome it was that of Venus, and even later in Christian Byzantine, it was used as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. All of these deities represent the same force.

Ishatr was known as Astarte to the Greeks. Astarte. That’s why the Pentagram is symbol commonly called a “Star”. Mind blown?

Well, the “star” in question, at the time, referred not to the planet Venus, but to Sirius, or the “Tear of Isis”. It was the brightest star in the Sky, and it’s heliacal rising symbolized the ancient Egyptian New Year. The festival is still celebrated in Egypt.


Spirit Over Matter

You might have noticed how each arm of the Pentagram represents one of the elements, but the Spirit is the one on top. While the opposite of each element is depicted on the arm opposite to it, the Spirit, having no opposite, is on top. Even when you see Pentagrams with a different combination of the elements, the Spirit will always be on top.

The reason should be obvious. The Spirit is separate to the other elements. The Pentagram also depicts the message that the Spirit is superior to the material body, hence, “Spirit over Matter”, and here by “Matter” I mean “flesh”, or one’s Earthly life, desires and ambitions.

A thing to note here is that the astrological symbol of Venus also depicts this.

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It’s a circle over a cross. Remember what I said about the Circle of the Spirit and how the physical body is shown as the Cross. The Circle is over the Cross, so once again, “Spirit over Matter”. I think it’s interesting how the Pentagram is a symbol of Venus, and the message it contains is  contained in the astrological symbol as well.

In magick, it can be said to symbolise the exaltation of Spirit over Matter.


Inverted Pentagram

So, now that we know that the Pentagram is symbolic of Spirit over Flesh, we can see what the Inverted Pentagram stands for.

The Inverted Pentagram is structurally the same as the Pentagram, so it symbolizes the same Unity of Elements, The Spirit but now it is flipped, with the Spirit BELOW the four elements. You know what that means: the Inverted Pentagram depicts “Matter over Spirit”.

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The Inverted Pentagram and it’s strange message have their own significance. You’ll be interested to know that the Second Degree of Witchcraft is symbolised by this Inverted Pentagram. I’m not a witch though, so I don’t know what exactly they do in this degree.

The Inverted Pentagram stands for a message that opposes what the Pentagram stands for, and this can be seen in the astrological symbol for Mars, which is the opposite of Venus.

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As you can see, this time the Cross of Matter, which is now in the form of an arrow, is above the Circle of the Spirit.

The Order of the Eastern Star, which I believe is the Sisterhood associated with the Freemason Brotherhood, use an inverted Pentagram to show the Union of the elements.

EDIT (2019): In magick, this is the exaltation of Matter over Spirit, and is the opposing counterpart to the normal Pentagram. In this way, the upright Pentagram become the Key to access the Angelic forces above the realm of Matter, while the inverted version is for the Infernal forces beneath Matter (hence why Inferno lies under the surface of the Earth, while Heaven is symbolised as being in the Sky. It wasn’t just primitive people being superstitious. It was symbolic.)

We talked about how the Kabbalistic symbol for Venus was the Heptagram. Well, the Kabbalistic symbol for Mars in the Pentagram. Mars and Venus are strongly connected too. In Kabbalah, the Pentagram would a more male symbol.

I’d love to get into, but Kabbalah is just far too much for this already long article. In Kabbalah, the Pentagram (and the number 5) represent Kinetic energy, or motion. This is perhaps the most clear reason why the Pentagram is used as a symbol for Magick. It is the symbol for invoking any and all spiritual and mundane forces. It is Symbolic of force itself, and magick relies heavily on Invocation and Evocation of forces. It is like a spinning water wheel, helping you harness the latent energy of water and turn it into power. I could go on and on, from one thing to the next.


The Right and Left Hand Paths

The Pentagram and the Inverted Pentagram have been symbols in the occult for a very long time. The distinction was not commonly used by ancient magicians. It is generally seen as a modern new age idea. In ancient traditions, they would have been used together.

Eventually, there was the divide within the occult between the Left and Right Hand Paths. One of the primary differences between the two was whether God was inside us, or outside us. Now yes, I know that there’s a lot more to this, relating to the history of Black and White magick, and a long history of philosophical and ideological struggles, and we can argue about that forever.

But this was the first time the LHP and RHP properly came about. LHP believed that God was inside us, and so we should serve the Self only, so they chose the Inverted Star, which was Flesh over Spirit. This was probably influenced by the founding of atheistic Satanism at the time. The RHP guys said that God was external, a theory which had already been believed by the Church for centuries, and so they believed in serving others, and picked the normal Pentagram, Spirit over Flesh, which they interpreted as serving others before self. And so they argued whether God was within, or without.

One could say that the split was also between Hedonism and asceticism. If the Divine is external, then Spirit must be exalted over Matter. After all, we must sacrifice everything for the greater good. On the other hand, if all Divinity is within, then why not be self serving? Why not exalt the Matter over Self?

EDIT (2019): Lots of angry people have said that I never did justice to this topic here, and I know. This post is about the Pentagram, so I merely give an introduction to the RHP/LHP split in the Occult, and how they each used their Pentagram. It’s just so that new people an have a basic understanding. I myself do not ascribe to either, and follow the Middle path. And the way I see it, this was of thinking is only growing, as the old absolutist worldviews decline.


The Satanic Pentagram

Well, as you know, the RHP/White Magick and the LHP/Black Magick are still two existing streams within magick. I’ve made it clear how I don’t buy into that idea, but I still have to admit that they’re there. And obviously, even though the utterly polarized Serving Only Others vs Serving Only Self thing is more or less gone, an ideological divide over various other issues still exists, particularly over White and Black magick. The Inverted pentagram has a more common symbolism associated with it.

You’re probably familiar with it: it’s the image of a Goat head, which is Satan, superimposed on an inverted Pentagram with an outer circle that has five characters, which, which spell Leviathan. It is often called the Satanic Pentagram.

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This is the symbol for the religion of Satanism, which today is an atheistic, philosophical religion present largely in the USA. The philosophy and ideas they believe in are also present within the LHP, and so this symbol has also become an emblem for many Black Magicians. The symbol of the inverted Star now represents the collective ideologies of the LHP, as the normal Pentagram sometimes represents the ideologies of the RHP. 

I don’t mean that people will always show it with the goat head, and most of the times you’ll simply see an inverted Pentagram, but this does not simply mean “Serve only Self” anymore, but instead represents the ideas and beliefs that the LHP stands for, as oppossed to the ideas and beliefs of the RHP, which are often depicted by stylised variations of the the Pentagram, which also no longer really means “Serve only others”. I’ll leave it at that.

Remember again how the Inverted Star is linked to Mars. Well, Mars rules the sign of Aries, and it’s symbol is the goat head. 

EDIT (2019): I should say that this largely affects modern traditions, especially those derived from the New Age. The way I see it, true, complete and authentic traditions reject ideologies entirely, accepting that the world is complex and each person must chart his own path.

You may object, but I personally hold that the LHP/RHP split is superficial. There is only one Magick, one force. Duality is ever present, and we must live in it, but it comes form the One.

Secondly, I say that no perspective is totally correct. I venerate both dark and light Gods, and respect the Gods and practices of others. To me the split is the sign that a practitioner is still polarised and blinded by himself. When I originally wrote this article, I was not confident enough to make such a statement. But now I am. This is not the fault of people, because they simply have not experienced the spiritual process fully yet. Suffering teaches empathy, and empathy leads to an end of polarity.


Elemental Pentagrams

The Pentagram is used to invoke forces. We established this before.

Within a ritual setting, the Pentagram can be used to represent each of the other four elements as well. This depends of exactly which of the five points you begin tracing from, and which direction you go:

pentagrams

So, in short, there is an Invoking and Banishing Pentagram for each of the four elements, making 8, and 4 for Spirit, both for passive and active, making 12. Technically, these Pentagrams can be used to Invoke and Banish pretty much all magickal forces, depending on how they are used. This is the primary use of the Pentagram for the magician. You will see it in a variety of rituals.


Concluding Note

As you can see, the Pentagram has a vast plethora of encoded and acquired meanings. You will often see people use it in different ways and give a different explanation for it, and remember, over time it may very well acquire even more meanings and associations. In this article I tried to give as clear an understanding as I could manage, starting simple and slowly building up the layers. I follow the Hermetic Kabbalah, so I have a bias towards the Kabbalah in general. There’s probably more about Pentagrams that I missed out. As I discover them, I shall continue to edit and update this post.

EDIT (late 2019): Yeah that’s not really happening. While I updated each post on this blog this year, any new ideas, experiences or insights I have will always be written as new posts. I hate changing old work, but I also don’t like bloating them with extra content. Remember, when on my blog, always read the latest post, and you’ll know where I currently stand on most things. For one, I can actually write now without spelling errors, and in more eloquent prose. At the very least, I no longer sound like a 19th century philosopher. Now I just sound like a 20th century philosopher!

Who knows, maybe we’ll get to the 21st one day. Lol amirite mah dudes. #sorelatable #pepedidnothingwrong #ihatehashtags. But I think I might scare away all my older, sophisticated readers in their 30s and 40s. You know, millenials 😛

All symbols in the occult have many meanings built on top of one core meaning, such as the unity of five elements in this case, but even that is a condensation of many things into one symbol, and the end result is a huge amount of energy contained in a single symbol. That is why these are called Symbols of Power. They too follow the Law of Rhythm, and over time grow, evolve and adapt, growing in power, influence and popularity. They are archetypal.

So remember, whatever the Pentagram means to you, it may mean something else to another person, and both of your interpretation is as valid as the other.


Well that’s it for now. Be sure to follow the blog. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

EDIT 2020: As of July 2020, I’ve written a new book on the Tree of Life and Kabbalistic theory. I’m quite proud of it, and you can check it by going to the Books tab, or clicking right here.

Until we meet again

~White Raven

A Powerful Invocation of Lucifer [Pt 3]

Written July 29th, 2016 | Edited: 4th March 2019

Part One | Part Two


Interactions with the Morning Star

So I began with the standard greeting you normally give spirits, and went ahead with the ritual. I first asked him for help with some personal things, which he readily agreed. He behaved not like a Goetic demon, meaning there was no pact involving “I’ll do this for you, and in return you give me this”, but rather like a Greek deity. As you know, you don’t barter with those Gods. Instead, you revere them, and make frequent offerings, and every now and then, ask for things in return. You won’t incur their wrath if you don’t always repay every wish with a offering (although this depends on the God. Lesser Gods can be wrathful, but “true” Gods don’t). Anyone who’s pagan will understand.

Perhaps he is a Greco-Roman deity after all, rather than a Abrahamic Demon. Or maybe that’s just how I perceived him. To be honest, I was too overwhelmed with emotion to say much. He did say though “don’t get swayed by emotion! be calm and in control”.

I continued talking to him. He had a hell of a lot to say. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a long invocation before. He talked endlessly for about an hour, and I wrote down everything. That’s probably why this post is so big, but then again, the Bringer of Knowledge will obviously end up imparting lots of knowledge. That’s what he’s known for. Let me write some of the generic things he said, that he’d want publicly shared. You may have heard some of these before.

“When you’re indulgent, carefree, fun and loving, you become a beacon and everyone is attracted to you. These are what make some shine and stand out, and be adored..”

“Call on me, and you shall have what you want…”

“Indulgence, euphoria, relaxation, sex, light, attraction, charm..I am in all of these..”

“Control your emotions”

“To an extent, I am of Pluto. I am also of the Sun, Venus, Mars and Neptune, and even the Moon. All planets, in fact..”

“No I don’t hate humanity. I find you amusing…”

Did he hate Mikhael? The moment I asked this, I swear I heard a laugh to my right (the direction in which Mikhael is invoked during LBRP), but I was in a trance so I can’t be sure. Lucifer too seemed somewhat amused. Seems this question comes up a lot.

“None can hate Mikael. We are on the same side, but our energies don’t mix. Water and oil do not mix, but would you say they hate each other?…
He is Seraphim. You don’t mess with them..
I love him as a brother. We really were brothers in one life, you know, but now we are transcended..
We may have taken physical bodies many times, and even fought..”

Then again, I also fight with my brother. All brother fight, don’t they. Who else are you gonna try your mettle against? (These are metaphors anyway for deeper mysteries).

“We did fight, but we are not enemies. On the plane we are on, hate, anger, pride and jealousy are meaningless..”

At one point he asked me if I was tired from writing. I started to say, “ok i’ll end the ritual”, and he was like “That was a question! I did not give you leave to quit. Are you tired? Or will you continue? It’s your choice, you are the master of this circle!” That was his drill sergeant side. I decided to continue.

(Once again, stunningly similar to Mikhael)

I asked what he was to the Goetia.

“I am to them, like a god and overseer!”

“I create, I destroy..”

“I like fine things, like poetry, prose, art and such. I also like brewing and cooking..”

And I was hit with a bizarre image of Lucifer in a kitchen, with an apron, chopping veggies.

“Yes, I am an Angel, mighty and ancient! At first, you did not know me, and you were afraid. Fear binds you to your plane, but where I am, there is no fear..”

What is your opinion on all those who fear and shun you as the Devil?

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“I want them to fear me. It is my job to scare the weak and ignorant. Only he who overcomes this fear, may glimpse at the light that is me…
My kingdom is light and wisdom. The ignorant fear wisdom, like rats in sewers fear the light. One must strive to overcome this fear, or my presence will burn away his senses and shatter his small and narrow system of petty beliefs, superstitions and mindless morals. I am of Pluto! I transform ignorance to knowledge, but I will shatter the ego of those too stubborn to accept knowledge…
Thus, I masquerade as the Devil, to protect those who are not spiritually ready. They rely so much on their ego, doubt and arrogance, that if I shatter it, they will be lost”

EDIT (2019): You will notice here, that this statement was tinged with an pride unique to Solar spirits. It is in their nature, so usually you don’t question it. What Lucifer meant here is actually fairly common knowledge. Human beings have deeply rooted belief systems, and if these collapse, everything in their lives falls apart. This is the reason most Occult orders warn against premature revelation of Knowledge, and why even I am careful what I write on a public blog. Even in my own self initiation, things are revealed to me slowly, like “droplets from an ocean into the body of time”. Even I, at times being suddenly shown the falsity of my own actions or thoughts, have felt myself collapse internally, and felt bitter, angry, alienated, or nihilistic. Magicians usually have the strength to work through such periods, like Job, or Arjuna. But many people don’t, and like Cain they become bitter and resentful. Lucifer said this in his capacity as a mighty God of the Zodiac.

However, for human beings (or more specifically, magicians) it is not the right frame of mind to have, to shun the “weak” or the “ignorant”. Fundamentally speaking, all magicians and occultists are bound to the same limitations as all humans. Even if it is true, that we are somehow greater than them, I have found through personal experience that raising yourself on a pedestal leads to nothing but isolation, suffering and being cut off from the Higher Self. One of the teachings of the Golden Dawn is humility. Don’t look down on others. Everyone is suffering, even the demons and angels and gods. Suffering is constant. And everyone tries their best. There’s something extremely evil about dismissing someone who is doing their best to be up to your standard, as “lesser”.
Trust me, I’ve seen remnant traces of the caste system, belonging myself to the Brahmin caste, and what such beliefs do to people. The sense of entitlement that comes from belonging to a “pure” of “high” bloodline like tear your humanity apart.

/endrant.

“I like Luciferians, but I wish they’d talk to me more”

If you don’t know, many Luciferians are atheists and don’t actually believe in Lucifer, or magick in general. They think it’s all an illusion of the mind. I’ve dealt with many theistic Luciferians though. In general, I respect them, even the atheistic ones. Although I am more rooted in tradition and orthodoxy, I can understand the need for a rebellious current. I also partly tap into that rebellious current.

“For me, burn fat in a container of gold, or a candle which is yellow or white. Sing, dance, indulge and create! Let there be celebrations! Reject all oppression, liberate yourself from fear through knowledge.”

“Party hard. Partying means doing that which you love, not just drinking and pleasuring (unless one enjoys that the most)”

“Destroy ignorance wherever you see it, and seek knowledge”

Destroying ignorance is not the same as destroying the ignorant. That’s the fine line between the Just and the Tyrannical.

“He who is happy, has found the answer”

The candle burned for 13 hours straight. This is interesting because normally ghee lamps burn for a few hours.


Post Invocation

As he said, he will give you what you want, and very quickly. But it works only with things you truly want, things you REALLY desire, especially material things, so please don’t go begging Lucifer to get you a girlfriend or asking him to fulfill petty whims and fancies that you can easily do yourself or with your own magick. 

Imagine you’re out shopping, and you really need something, but can’t find it, even after searching in multiple shops. You don’t even need an altar or circle. If you simply call out and ask Lucifer to give that thing to you, chances are it’ll show up in the next five minutes, or in the next few hours at most. Lucifer is very quick and gives you what you really want or need. In exchange, set out nice food or beverages for him from time to time, draw him or compose poetry or music in his honour. Or just burn candles. Whatever you’d normally do for a pagan god.

Most invocations will have a positive impact on your life, but this one had a specifically material one! 

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So in short, Lucifer’s specialty is granting your deepest desires, particularly material, and very quickly, and teaching you things that will help you broaden your mind or stuff that’ll make you an interesting person.

He is a great deity to work with if you’re experienced. 

Thank you for reading. Please be sure to follow the blog for more content. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

EDIT 2020: As of July 2020, I’ve written a new book on the Tree of Life and Kabbalistic theory. I’m quite proud of it, and you can check it by going to the Books tab, or clicking right here.

Until Next time
~White Raven


Personal Opinions on Lucifer, Written 2019

So, it has been about 3 years since I wrote this post. Over this time, this has been one of the most popular topics on the blog, and many people have contacted me specifically asking about Lucifer. I thought I should make some clarifications.

My opinions on Lucifer are still more or less the same. He is a Solar deity, and most of the association are still there. By now I’ve realised that even the story of his Rebellion and Fall from heaven tie into the symbolism of the Sun/Tiphareth. In the Microcosm, the Mind is associated with Lucifer. It is the vibrant, sparkling light that guides us in the darkness, and the gateway to all knowledge. However, there is the ever present tendency of Man to become infatuated with his own Mind, much like the tendency of Lucifer to forget that he is also part of the Cosmic Plan, of the One. Thus, Lucifer become a reservoir of the the rebellious energy that destabilizes Order, and creates Chaos. This is neither good nor bad, but contextual. In an oppressive Tyrannical system, it is precisely this energy that is needed for the liberation of the Individual. The Individual MUST see himself has exalted above the group, as special and powerful in order to stand a chance against Tyranny. Perhaps this is why most people drawn to Lucifer come from a fundamentalist Christian background. 

However, in a different situation this same energy can lead to the collapse of Civilization. In a free, liberated society, Chaos simply causes degeneracy, alienation and the breakdown of tradition and order. Even if a magician feels he does not need these things, he must not forget about the countless people who rely on it. They are not lesser just because they are seemingly weak.

In such a case, the energy of Lucifer becomes dangerous, and often it is the Orderly and disciplined energies (such as Mikhael/Michael) that are needed for people to make sense of things, and have structure and meaning in Life. Perhaps this is why the reverence of Archangel Michael is so common in the regions of the world where there is currently a lot of uncertainty, such as high crime rates or lack of trust of the government.

Lucifer is what he is. It is dependent on the situation of the Magician to decide whether that is what is needed. Generally, the darker spiritual forces, like Lucifer, Kali, Samael etc. bring Feminine Chaos, while the lighter forces, like Mikhael, Indra, Christ, bring Masculine Order. The key is to balance the two forces, like the ancient Taoist wheel of Yin and Yang. 

Those are some of my reflections on this topic.

A Powerful Invocation Of Lucifer [Pt 2]

Written July 29th, 2016 | Edited: 1st March 2019

Part One


Associations

Great, now that we’re past all that theory, let’s get to the good stuff. People often try to force Lucifer into a single planet, but this is impossible. Lucifer is a very vast and powerful spirit and, almost like the Archangels, and has many aspects and is associated with multiple planets.

I’ve come to find that Lucifer is a spirit of opposites. He is principally a Solar and Plutonain spirit. Those two are polar opposites. I know, Pluto may not be commonly associated with him, but think of his most popular mythology. He was “cast out” of Heaven. All Plutonian spirits have a mythology of loosing something that is rightfully theirs, like Hades and Osiris, but later regain it in some way, either in myth or in their worship. Hell, the Planet Pluto itself was cast out of the Solar System, despite being so important for so long. The archetype of one being cast out of paradise is an ancient one. After all, it is the fundamental and most basic idea that all things in all of creation, from Gods to insects, were “cast out” of the perfect unity and balance of the Supreme One (Ain Soph Aur, not YHVH, which is beneath that), and this is the reason for suffering. The Hermetic philosophers and Vedic Sages both proclaimed this.

Lucifer becomes very important in this era as the Bringer of Light (transformed into an Angel of Light indeed. The Bible was right, lol). The Aquarian current is picking up, and with it comes a breakdown of old, accepted social structures and norms. This isn’t “good” or “bad”. It just is. 

Lucifer is also associated with Venus, as the bringer of light, and Mars, as the rebellious Angel and ruler of Hell. Again, two opposite Planets. One might say that the Martian aspect of Lucifer is now the being we call Satan (I do not have personal gnosis of this).

Lucifer also has a Neptunian aspect, as he is very deeply associated with fantasies, drugs and indulgence. I guess, since Neptune is the higher octave of Venus, and Pluto is of Mars, that’s another polarity. Remember, don’t go on about how his myth is “corrupted” and go digging to find his original legends, if there are any. I don’t know why people treat Gods as poor helpless beings whose name got tainted. These are powerful, ancient spirits for crying out loud. They often ensure their mythology gets remembered a certain way, and even change according to people’s beliefs in them. Everything happens for a reason. As Above So Below.

When you invoke him, although he’ll carry all his attributes, his strongest will be based on how you choose to perceive him, and on his post popular mythos at the time. Ideally, you’d want to invoke him in his Solar or Venusian aspect, as the Bringer of Light, his strongest parts, at least these days. Thank all the heavy metal songs, religions, anime and video games created honoring him as the hero (or anti hero) and all the love from pagans and satanists.

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So, these is all the stuff he is associated with: Sun, Venus, Neptune, Pluto, Mars, Light, Darkness, Morning, Night, Dawn, Knowledge, Rebellion, Pride, Lust, Charm, Angels, Gold, Silver, Rebirth, Transformation, Alchohol, Drugs, Fantasy, Stoicism, Calmness, Fine Arts, Music, Phoenix, Leo, Lion, Peacock, Yellow, Golden, White, Light Blue.


Lucifer and L.V.X

For those who don’t know, L.V.X is a Golden Dawn formula, used in the Banishing Ritual of the Hexagram. LVX is how you’d write Lux in Latin, meaning Light. It consists of 3-4 poses,one for each letter.

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I’m connecting it to Lucifer because of the fact that it means Light, but also something else. If you at Lucifer’s most common seal,  you should be able to see pretty easily that it appears to have been constructed from the letter LVX. That’s not just a coincidence.

The upside down triangle also represents Water, and the Sacred Feminine, but also the Chaos that unbalances Order. I feel like the curved lines and the V also seem to represent a goat/ram’s head.


Prep Work for the Invocation

For this invocation, I used the following seals from the Grimoire Verum. One (the ones below) I made from black paper, with silver writing, and another (the one above) on white with a gold seal and then some holy names in red and blue, like you’d do for Angelic seals. I think i captured all planetary energies properly.

luciferseal_black

I prepared the following incense:
Lemon Grass
Myrrh
Sandalwood
Orange Peel Powder
There was some other stuff, but these were the prime ingredients.

I decided not to use a candle, and instead used a golden (brass) lamp with milk fat (called ghee), the kind people use for Hindu deities. I felt like i should use it, and followed my intuition. Into the liquid ghee, I added 3 drops of some essential oils.

Right before the ritual, I also anointed my temples and eye lids with Fairy Salve.

EDIT (2019): I no longer rely on anointing my eye lids in order to sense spirits. Over time with practice, your psychic senses become more sensitive.


Pre-Ritual Manifestation

A Ritual is complete before it is even done. The actual ceremony is just a formality. When you focus your Will on it, the Spirit you are going to invoke comes to you, and the energy gets stronger and stronger, and so does your intent, until the actual ceremony when it is released from the mind. It is not rare for things to happen in the days leading up to the ritual. The prep for the ritual went very smoothly, and I also came to realise many things in my meditation that would help me in the ritual.

I was out of ghee, so I went to buy some, and I was informed that the ghee which normally came in cartons had been stopped, and replaced by a much nicer looking jar of ghee from a different company. The processed ghee used to be refined, so it was white, but this new ghee was unrefined, and was a golden in colour. To anyone confused, butter that you normally buy is basically salted, frozen ghee.

Here’s the most notable thing: I planned to do the ritual on a Sunday morning, around sunrise. Of course, the hour in which the sun would rise on Sunday would be the hour of the sun. I wanted to start in that hour and end in the next hour of Venus. Now, i’m not a morning person, and I knew that I would not be able to wake up so early (there’s a reason I do all my rituals at night), so I decided to stay up that night. I got to around 4:30, and I’d done all the prep. It was a little while until dawn, so I thought i’d rest my head for 15 minutes or so. Biggest.Mistake.Ever.

I awoke again around 8:45 am. Sock followed confusion as I realised I had fallen asleep, and was 3 hours past when I had to begin. I was a bit devastated.
Now, normally i wouldn’t be so upset, and just do it anyways, but you see, I had something important to do around 9.

However, just then I was informed that the person who was meant to show up at 9 wouldn’t be coming. Lucifer himself had made time for me, so it was wise not to postpone anymore, despite it being a different time than i’d planned. It’s best not to try and control everything. I did the ritual at 10 am.

EDIT (2019): Also bear in mind that at the time I was rather undisciplined and unable to wake up on time or keep schedules. These days I wake up at 7 am, with the Sun. Discipline IS important for all occultists and spirtualists. Even if you’re a rebellious Luciferian, do wake up on time. Staying up all night becomes a worse and worse idea as you get older.


The Ritual

Timing

I think it’s important to mention when I did the ritual. I did it on a Sunday, in the Morning. The next day was Monday, day of the Moon, as well as a Full Moon. Monday Full Moons are very strong, but what’s more, Tuesday was June 21st, the Summer Solistice, when the day is the longest in the year. As you can see, it was a period of incredible Light, when the Sun and Moon would be very powerful, and when better to invoke the Bearer of Light.

The Altar

On the altar, I had the seals of Lucifer and the lamp forming a triangle, my container with burning incense to one side, which was my offering (along with the ghee, of course). I placed six stones in a crescent shape around the lamp. It included peacock stone, jade, sun stone, lapis lazuli, and some others.


Appearance of Lucifer

Ah, and now, I can finally get to the actual invocation itself. Lucifer’s energy had been growing all week, and now reached it’s peak.

I cast the circle as I normally do, and did a standard LBRP, and you may do it however it is done in your tradition. Lucifer is powerful, and doesn’t normally need very fancy rituals or gestures.

By now, the atmospheric pressure of the room had increased dramatically, and I could feel an intense, warm energy pushing on my chest, where Triphareth and the Solar Plexus Chakra are.

I didn’t prepare an invocation in advance, instead chanting what comes to mind at the time. I called out to Lucifer, and asked him to come, into my temple and circle and me.

EDIT (2019): These days I write and memorise invocations before hand. It makes it easier to conduct the ritual smoothly.

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I used some of his many names and titles, as is normally done in invocations: Helel, Helel Ben Shahar, Lucifer, Bearer of Light, Bringer of Dawn, Morning Star, Son of the Morning, Lord of Light, Father of Night, Illuminater, Lord of Inferno, Angel of Rebellion, Mighty Dragon etc. as well some of his achievements.

Lucifer came fast, and when he came my astral vision was filled with golden light. When you invoke, you often see the spirit in many forms, but I’ve tried to get some distinctive characteristics. He has white wings, and white golden hair, and pale, white skin. There is golden fire all around him. He wore a golden band on his head, and at some point he had a flaming torch, I think.

At one time, he was a pool of orbs of light. At another time, he stood in a dark forest on a pedestal of tree branches. I also had a glimpse of his court, but it went away very quickly, and when I did see it, my mind could hardly perceive it’s glory. I could make out a large, grand white building, towering columns of lapis lazuli, and intricate blue green or black stone floor. I saw glimpses of royal garment and this time his wings were in peacock colours, like the wings of Isis. The court was very disorienting, and I felt like I was falling  off into golden clouds, but someone caught my hand and brought me back to my immediate vision, with Lucifer before me in the golden fire. In fact, he himself seemed to be made of that fire. “Don’t fall off now, or you’ll be overwhelmed”. As far as I can tell, his voice is soft, and silky, yet firm. Yeah, I can imagine him seducing everyone with that voice.

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The feeling I got from his was of warmth, but also of dissociation. He was emotionless, and calm, not at all like the common depiction where he is supposed to be angry, broody, sly, rebellious, indulgent and out of control. He felt both masculine and feminine, and very charming, but also distant: like a person at a party who could probably seduce anyone he wanted, and drink and dance and lose control, but chose instead to sit in a corner and talk to people and keep their attention. He felt like someone who’ love to enjoy and laugh, making everyone around them happy. But, if needed, he can be a harsh teacher. He’ll give you some tough love, like a drill sergeant (interestingly, the same as Mikhael).


Part Three

A Powerful Invocation of Lucifer [Pt 1]

Written July 29th, 2016 | Edited: 1st March 2019

“What is it that you desire?”

That’s Lucifer’s catchphrase from the Fox series by the same name. Lucifer is perhaps among the most popular mythological characters ever to make it into modern mass media, be it serials, movies, video games, anime, books or anything you can imagine (the only ones more popular would be the Greek gods).

Not just media; Lucifer has been a crucial figure of countless beliefs and philosophies, especially in occult in this Age of Information (or whatever you choose to call the current age). Lucifer is an extremely powerful entity, that all magicians can work with, regardless of your system.

I should mention, this is based on personal experience. I’m by no means a satanist, black magician, left hand practitioner or Luciferian, nor am i Wiccan, a light worker or a right hand practitioner. I’m not going to impose my personal beliefs on you, or get into the philosophical debate surrounding his origins and nature. There are some things man cannot comprehend yet, so i’ll leave that stuff to others. You may choose to think of him as the Lord of Hell, a pagan deity, an angel or just a spiritual force.

What is important here is the way to invoke the spirit Lucifer, and my experience with him. I hope that by reading this you can plan your own invocation, and benefit from him. I’m sure Lucifer will be happy that i’m spreading the word about him.

I cannot guarantee that your experience will be the same. The best way to learn is by actually calling him, if you wish to. The choice is yours.


Abrahamic History on Lucifer

There’s no way I can go into the entire history of Lucifer in mythology, or I’d be typing hundreds of pages. I’ll touch on the main points, which you should then research in your own time. Familiarising yourself with the spirit being invoked is very important, and everything’s there on the internet if you know where (and how) to look.

The first instance of him is in the old Hebrew Bible, where the word helel is mentioned, literally meaning light bearer. In Greek, this became heosphorus/phosphorus, the bringer of dawn/light, and finally Lucifer, in Latin, meaning morning star. These are all commonly associated with Lucifer. The titled Helel ben Shahar is also used.

This name was being used for the King of Babylon (whom the monotheists hated), probably Nebuchadnezzar II. It talked about how he had fallen to Earth. Interestingly, this name became like a title, and was also used for John the Baptist and Jesus himself! Overtime, it came to be the name of the Devil when he was an angel, before his fall, although the Bible does not mention “Lucifer” in it’s long list of the devil’s names, most of which were names of pagan gods. The fact that there have been at least two bishops in history named Lucifer, would indicate that once upon a time it was a common Catholic name (not to mention Jesus and John).

In the Hebrew version of Revelation Jesus calls himself helel. They normally write “I Jesus, am the Bright Morning Star” in modern English versions. What this means, is up to you to decide.

Note that Lucifer was never the same as Satan. Shaytan is the Islamic name for the devil, taken from Judaism. Both Islam and Judaism have a different story of the devil from Christianity, usually deciding that it is the Archangel Samael. Keep in mind that initially the Abrahamic holy scriptures were a vast, convoluted plethora of original and stolen myths, and took centuries of reinterpretation to arrive at the holy books we have today. The more I go into it, the more confusing it gets. 

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One important thing I should mention is that the Hebrew Bible does say “Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of light” but modern translations say “masquerades” instead of “transformed”. You should check out Eliphas Levi’s work on Lucifer for more on that. This may be a reference to the alchemical process. The implications are very deep.


Pagan and Occult Lucifer

Contrary to popular belief among new agers, Lucifer is NOT the Babylonian Sun god. That would be Shamash. In early new age Witchcraft, Lucifer was considered the sun god and counterpart of the moon goddess of Diana. In pagan mythology, this was normally her brother Apollo. They did get the part about Lucifer being Solar right though.

Lucifer is only mentioned by name in the Sibylline Books, which the Romans used for prophecy. It says he fights in the Battle of the Constellations on the back of Leo (thus the association with Sun). This might be where the idea of the Antichrist riding the Great Beast comes from. The Great beast is often depicted as a lion, and one of the names of the Antichrist is Appolyon, a name for Apollo. You see a pattern yet?

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I’m not saying the Christian stories aren’t referring to important archetypes. Of course they are, like all other mythology. But the Christians chose to present their scripture using distorted pagan symbolism. For example, they could have used any Hebrew/latin names for evil and destructive forces, but they chose the names of Pagan deities. They could have shown their symbolic tyrants as fictional Kings, but they chose known Kings of enemy Kingdoms like Ramses II or Nebuchadnezzar. A big chunk of the confusion comes from the willingness of Abrahamists in the olden days to distort facts in order to attain political goals. And hey, I get: they were pretty persecuted under pagan rule, but we have to be very careful with names. Often, when Christians use words like Appolyon, their referring to something very different than what Greeks meant when they said “Apollo”.

Other than early Witchcraft and Eliphas Levi, both hailing Lucifer as the Morning Star and Bringer of Light, he is also mentioned by John Weyer, who lists him as a Crown Prince of Hell. He is mentioned in the Goetia as well, at least in Mathers’ version, but only once, in the section about King Paimon.

In early Catholic demonology, he was one of the seven Crown Princes of Hell, but eventually demonology fell out of favour in Christianity, and all the princes were condensed into one “Devil” for the sake of convenience.

Rudolf Steiner placed him as the Light, and the adversary of Ahriman, a Zoroastrian spirit of everything evil and unholy: the Darkness.

Lucifer is also there in the Enochian System, you just need to look for it. The name itself in associated with ‘brightness’ in Enochian.

And in the good ol’ Tree of Light, Crowley and his contemporaries put a being called Lucifuge in the Qliphoth. This name means “he who flees from the light” as oppossed the name Lucifer, “he who brings the light”.

EDIT (2019): I have a post on Lucifuge. Lucifuge is not Lucifer, but the two are connected. Click here

The most important would, of course, be the Grimoire Verum, in which his seals and invocation are given. In this book, the seals of other princes like Leviathan, Beelzebuth etc are also given. This is about all the reading material I can personally give you.

My current personal opinion on Lucifer is given at the very end of all three parts.


Part Two

 

Spell for Binding Away Negative People

Written May 16th, 2016 | Edited: 27th February 2019

NOTE: This is not a curse, but a banishing spell. The purpose is not to get revenge on someone you hate, but to make it so they can no longer send you negativity. It is a protection spell. A Magician should not be swayed by emotion, but it can be hard to stay calm while being bombarded by negativity, but if we succumb to it, we pull ourselves down to their the level of vain ignorance and despair. This is to cut them off from you, so they stop dumping it on you.

Right, time for a spell to bind all that pesky negativity someone is sending you, or to get them out of your life for good.

EDIT (2019): For passive protection, click here.

I’m a ceremonial magician, and this is a wiccan spell. I normally don’t use witchcraft, but there’s a lot of really cool, quick and nifty little  spells they have, so i’m always interested in using them. The ceremonial magick protection methods are either simple like shielding or the sign of silence, or big rituals like the Rose Cross. This binding spell falls somewhere between them, and will work as long as you do it right. It also seems to have some hoodoo/shamanic inspiration.
The original inspiration was from a wiccan spell, but I have made some changes to it. I’ve realised it’s better to add things to spells according to your tradition, and that makes them work better for you. As a ceremonial magician, this to me is a Saturnine spell, so I’ve made sure to venerate him in it.

I just want to say now that this spell is NOT intended to harm the person you are binding or even restrict them, but to protect you from their negativity. Now, for those people whose life and existence hinges on being mean and negative to others, it might be hindering, but that’s not our concern, since the intent is pure. So, let’s get into it.


Preperations

So, first off, you want to do this during the Waning Moon, on the Day and in the hour of Saturn. For more about timings your rituals, click here.

For this you’ll need:

Amethyst
Smokey Quartz 
Black String/Rope/Ribbon
Paper/cloth, ideally black in colour
A bit of earth
A Jar/Bottle
A Sympathetic Link to the person.
Four Thieves Vinegar (this is optional. I don’t use it, but it can be used) 

Now, what you need to do is make a poppet. You ever watch those bad movies about witches, where they make little voodoo dolls and tie a hair to them and use it to torture people? That doll is essentially a poppet (of course, we are not torturing). It is a symbolic representation of the person.

It does not have to be detailed, just a basic human shape. It can be made of cloth, if you’re good at stitching. I had black paper, so just cut two identical human shapes and glued them together. Make sure the head is open, because that’s how you’ll put stuff inside. Note that the main purpose of the poppet is to hold the things together. You could probably put them in a pouch or something, but the poppet will have a much stronger impact on the subconscious.
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After that take your jar (I just picked a old pickle jar with a red lid) and with a black marker, draw the astrological sigil for Saturn: ♄.

You also need a sympathetic link to the person you’re binding, like a hair, or a piece of garment, or something they touched. Blood or sexual fuid would be best, in theory, but let’s be honest, that’s very difficult to obtain, so don’t even bother. Hair will work just as good as blood. (Please don’t go around asking people for their bodily fluids).

EDIT (2019): Seems people are unlikely to give hair too. I’d stay stick with articles or pictures, unless you need the spell to be very strong.

If you can’t get anything, just a picture will do. That’s pretty easy to obtain these days, with everyone face plastered all over social media.
Just make sure all the materials you’ve chosen can fit in the poppet, and that the poppet can fit in the jar.


The Spell

For the spell, you want to add the amethyst and smokey quartz in the poppet: 3 pieces will do. Then, add the earth/dirt. If it’s dry and loose, please add a few drops of water it, or it tends to get messy, as we are reminded by this annoying emo rebel.

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Then, add your sympathetic link, and seal the poppet. Take a pencil, and draw the Saturn sigil on the poppet. The dirt venerates Mother Earth (ruled by Saturn), the pencil drawn sigil and black colour venerates Lord Saturn. The Amethyst is for peace between you and the person, and the smokey quartz is for protection.

Now, take your string or ribbon, and from the legs, begin wrapping it around the poppet. Make sure you move the string counter clockwise, and you may chant while you do this: to the Mother and Saturn, to aid in this.

All the while, imagine this person negativity break from you and drain away. Imagine you not being controlled by this person, and imagine his/her negative energy returning to them, and leaving you forever and you being in control of yourself. Make yourself feel calm and protected. Do not think about how you hate this person, but how you want to be free of this hate. Make sure you bind the poppet completely.

One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them” ~Lord of The Rings
In case you never realised, The One Ring is Saturn symbolism.


Containing of the Poppet

Ideally, you want this person out of your life, but what if you need them? When I was doing this, it was a person doing a group research with me. It was essential that we could interact at least professionally, for the duration of the project.

Often we are forced to work with someone, and can’t send them off, because we need to get shit done. So, now comes in the jar. This is an optional step, and is a way to temporarily bind just the person’s negativity towards you.

Take the jar with the Saturn symbol, and put the poppet in it, and close it tightly. Now, imagine the walls of the jar being a protective between you and the person. They can interact with you, but they are separated by this wall and cannot send you any energy. Imagine the jar to be like a shield that keeps their negativity contained and unable to harm you or them. You can chant for protection however you want.

Remember, you’re not containing the person, but their negativity. This should also help them, if they choose to let it go. If they still cling to their negativity and follow it into the jar, nothing you can do.

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Next, store this jar somewhere you wont see it, and forget about it. Keep it away for the entire time you need to work with this person. You’ll find they will slowly stop their negative behavior towards you, but they’re still in your life.

EDIT (2019): I have found since the time I wrote this, that it is a rare occurrence where you actually “need” a person in your life. It usually means you are not firm in your resolve.
Ideally, I suggest skipping the jar entirely and just banishing the person’s negativity. It is what I should have done. Everything works out eventually if the intention is pure.
I am not going to remove it from this post since it does work quite well, but such methods are usually used for torture, to cause the person pain over extended periods. There’s little point in binding a person in the jar if you’re going to let them go anyway. So, do what you must, but keep my suggestion in mind.

The next step is for getting the person out of your life. So, at the end of the time period, open up the jar, pull out the poppet, and do the next step.


Disposing the Poppet

This is the final step for getting rid of the person. Very few people need the above step. Chances are you want this person out of your life fully. So, now that you’ve got the poppet bound, and may have put it in a jar for sometime, it’s time to banish it.

Take this poppet, and release it to the elements. There are a couple of different ways.

By Earth: bury it, say a prayer to Mother Earth, turn counter clockwise and walk away.
By Water: toss it in a stream or river, and before it hits the surface, turn counter clockwise and walk away. You could even flush it, if it’s very tiny.
By Fire and Wind: Burn it, and scatter the ashes to the wind, turn counter clockwise, and walk away.

You have to let go, and forgive this person. That’s the only way this will work. When you dispose off the poppet, also dispose off any feeling of resentment, anger and sadness this person left you with. If they’re filled with darkness, that’s not your problem. You’re not a trash can for others to dump their negativity, and the longer you hold on to negative feeling towards them, you’re holding on to the trash they threw at you.

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Some people might like to toss the entire Saturn jar into the water or bury it, but I advise against it. The glass or plastic jar is non-biodegradable. I’d much rather you just took the bare poppet and buried it or tossed it in the water, since it will decay. We don’t want to asking the Mother for a favour, and polluting her at the same time.

Besides, there was recently a case in some South American country where some guy found a glass bottle on the beach, with a picture inside that had needles stuck in it. This was obviously a curse. Who knows what the effects will be on the person who finds and opens up your jar? Be careful, the chickens always come home to roost.

If you’re releasing it into the water or burying it, you can even put the poppet in a jar of Four Thieves Vinegar. I burn it, so I did not, but yesterday I saw a video made by Uncle Birch (freakphil1309) and that’s what he said he does.
The vinegar method is his way, and i’m only mentioning it because he’s a pretty solid occultist, and a witch as well (meaning he understands spells better than me). In his version, you skip the poppet entirely and just use a picture. I’d link his video but his channel is impossible to navigate. You’ll have to search yourself 😀


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Until next time
~White Raven