and I think the worst part about this election is the fact that I, a homosexual, am now fearful of how I am going to be treated
This. And black lives. Latinxs. Trans and nonbinary. Immigrants, refugees. Basically, if you’re not an uneducated white man, you’re fucked. How could people let this happen?
Passion and all that entails – lust, infatuation, rage,
aggression, obsession, power, drive and motivation, domination, feminine power,
etc.
She is ruled by fire – the fearsome aspect of the planetary
energy of Venus, volcanic and volatile. In a sense, she is the domineering
match to the masculine Mars, the traitorous seductress. Despite our own moral
connotations with such – she is not marred by our own virtue, for she exists
unabashed and guiltless. She cannot be controlled, she cannot be mastered, and
she cannot be owned. Her rage is explosive, her hunger insatiable, she is decadence
and gluttony, she is wrath and vanity – and she will not be judged for it. What
she wants, she takes; what she desires, she deserves. Conversely, she is the master of passion – with the power to
incite and dispel it. She is the dichotomy – the renunciate, the hedonist – and
everything in between. Under the guise of the Red Sister, she is the picture of
virtue – she who abhors the material and casts away all worldly possessions,
she is the ascetic and the chaste. “You may know my nature – but do not presume
to know my intention.”
Offerings, including but not limited to:
All things beautiful, lush and expensive – fine wines,
champagne, perfumes, sweet cigars/cigarettes, beauty supplies, jewelry, roses,
red candles bathed in oils, sugars and syrups, decadent foods (such as
chocolate or anything deemed an aphrodisiac); but on the darker side: knives, sulphur,
blood, red chiles, illicit substances (though not recommended – for your own
good)
(For the Red Sister: white or red roses, anointing oils,
flavorful “peasant” foods)
Ideal locations for workings:
Taverns/bars, brothels, street-corners,
places of luxury or excess – she is also particularly suited to bath rituals
and mirrors.
To Call Her
Gather a collection of offerings, a square of red cloth or a
mirror on which you have drawn her Seal (above). Drawing it in red lipstick may
garner you some bonus points. Upon this, the offerings will be presented.
Prepare yourself by dabbing on some perfume or inspecting your own image in a
mirror. Music is always a welcome addition to workings with her, as dancing is
a great way to align yourself to her energy. When you are ready, light 3 or 7
red candles and begin your working. Hymns may be sung and prayers may be said,
though I offer none. As with the Black Mother, I recommend speaking freely –
give yourself over to the power and allow the words to flow ecstatically.
Passion is rarely planned, but captured in a moment. Allow it to run through
you.
Once the connection has been made, you might make a plea to
her. What that will be is entirely dependent on what you need, but do so
honestly. She can easily see through lies and she will draw from you truth –
often truths you do not want to face yourself. But without facing them, you
cannot be free, and you cannot grow. Allow your guilt and shame to be expunged
by her fire and let it ignite within you its passion. Be warned, though,
obsession follows her – be sure to set up clear lines when working with her. I
don’t lay a circle often, but for this it is recommended.
When you are through, leave the offerings for her. Thank her
graciously and give her a respectful bow. You may now leave the circle.
It is recommended that upon the completion of your request
that you leave another offering to her as a gift of thanks.
For those familiar with Quimbanda, many manifestations of Pomba Gira are a perfect example of the Red Queen – and much of this working mimics her observance, though less specialized based on aspect.
Inspiration,
creativity, destiny – for it is she who writes your path in the stars, oracular
vision, divine influence, purification, protection, cosmic power – it is she
who fuels the sun, the stars and lights the moon, the fire of life – without
which nothing might live
It is she who is tasked with ensuring the continuance of the
Universe as we know it, striving always to make the world better – by means of
beauty, creation and inspiration, as such, she is well-suited to art and the
Oracular Spirit, for it is she who imparts vision and allots the drive to make
these visions reality. She is the Cosmic Artist, who – in great strokes –
painted the skies in their varying colors and with the flick of a wrist,
arranged the planets thusly. She might be worked through the sun or the moon,
for which it could be said that she has two aspects (though, in reality, they
are one-in-the-same): the Light-Giver. It is her Solar Aspect that purifies,
grows and fights the darkness, and her Lunar that remains as the last testament
of light in the night sky – the Guide, Queen of the Secret Path – the way to
hope through the darkness.
Offerings, including but not limited to:
Yellow flowers (solar
aspect) – particularly roses, marigolds and tiger lilies, gold, any form of art
in her name, wines (of any kind), precious or semi-precious stones, vibrant
spices (such as turmeric, cayenne, curry, etc.), salt; White flowers (lunar
aspect) – particularly night-blooming, magical ones (like Jimsonweed), silver,
moon-water, aloe vera, salt
Ideal locations for workings:
Open spaces – anywhere
with a great view of the sky, particularly the sun or moon, such as cliffs,
fields, forest clearings, places struck by lightning; she is not as particular
about location, as anywhere the light touches is within her domain. Her Lunar
Aspect is best appealed to on the Full Moon, and avoid the Dark/New Moon.
To Call Her
Gather a collection of offerings, a square of black or
white/yellow cloth (choose depending on aspect) and – with white/yellow paint
– mark her seal (above). Upon this, the offerings will be presented. Go forth
to a place you have chosen for the working. Note, that unlike most of the
others discussed, she can easily be worked with during the day, whereas the
others tend to prefer the hush of night. Arrange your offerings in an artistic
or fun way, she will appreciate the time spent arranging them to be pleasing to
the eye and the creativity involved. When you are aptly prepared, ask her to
come: trust your intuition and delve into recesses of the mind. Present a
desire, ask for her presence and her help. For those with Sight, she might
appear swathed in gold or silver, and possesses an almost electric personality.
Once the connection has been made, you might make a plea to
her. What that will be is entirely dependent on what you need. She is ruled by
the mind, not the heart – do your best to present your case in a clear and
methodical manner. She may challenge you to cut through the emotion and see
with clarity your true desire – which could be a blessing or a curse.
When you are through, leave the offerings for her – you may
wish to take a minute to appreciate the warm light of the sun, or the ghostly
glow of the moon overhead.
It is recommended that upon the completion of your request
that you leave another offering to her as a gift of thanks – a work of art or a
poem/hymn is perfect for her.
All matters of the
Heart – love, longing, heartache; mastery of emotion, weather manipulation,
divination, the sea of memory, taming the balance between heart and mind,
overcoming sadness, grief, connecting with past and future (“time travel”),
beauty, self-love, passive protection, connecting to the Dead
While the Red Queen reigns over passion, the Lady of the
Depths rules what remains – the sweetness, the devotion and the lasting love.
She is the kindly, insightful beauty welcoming you at the gates of her
queendom. She is the storm and the shelter from its own rage, she is the spring
of love that feeds the tributaries of experience that inevitably feed into the
Sea of Death – the place between lives – where she shows the retrospect in the
looking glass.
Offerings, including but not limited to:
Water – of any kind
(though salt or rain is recommended), shells, water-flowers (like the lotus),
but also most flowers of love/devotion/friendship, most herbs ruled by the
element of water or the moon, river rocks or sand, pink/blue ribbon/candles,
fish or shellfish, coins for wishes
Ideal locations for workings:
Offerings are thrown
into or left in/near water – creeks, rivers, lakes, the ocean (even bowls of
water), thusly those places near are suitable for work with her, fountains,
graveyards, a circle of shells or sand, extremely suited to bath rituals of
cleansing or love drawing
To Call Her
Gather a collection of offerings, a square of blue or pink
cloth and – with chalk – mark her seal (above). Upon this, the offerings will
be presented. While the offerings can be suitably left near water, I encourage
you to use bio-friendly materials and, when the evocation is complete, they can
all be thrown collectively into water. There is no hymn to be sung or prayer to
be read – instead, speak from the heart. Ask her to come, trust your intuition
and delve into recesses of the mind. Present a desire, ask for her help, ask
for her presence. For those with Sight, train your eyes on the water – she will
appear on or within its surface, with welcoming arms.
Once the connection has been made, you might make a plea to
her. What that will be is entirely dependent on what you need. If you are going
to completely spill your heart out to any of them, it is this one – she is
completely welcoming toward all displays of emotion and is the perfect counsel
for any problems you may be struggling with.
When you are through, leave the offerings for her – as
previously mentioned, it is encouraged that you either sink them in the water
or float them out on something eco-friendly.
It is recommended that upon the completion of your request
that you leave another offering to her as a gift of thanks – with her, you may
find that placing a hand-written letter of thanks and love to be suitable. She
would surely welcome the kindly gesture.
Cultivation,
agriculture, health and healing, herbal work – and the secrets of the plants,
the animal teachers, survival, mastery of the wilderness, soul-work, the dead
(necromancy and nigromancy), most chthonic works, opening doors/gates, she is
also particularly suited to guide in astral works (with or without the
accompaniment of entheogens), terrestrial nature (in general) and all its
magics
The Earth Mother can be a harsh teacher – she is stubborn,
aloof and constantly testing those under her tutelage, but as such, they learn
to expert survivalists: those who can adapt readily to any new hardship. She is
the keeper of great secrets, ones that have been eternally connected to the
Craft as we know it – herbal magic, weather manipulation, and work with the
Dead. She is demanding – of respect and commitment – for it is within her Craft
that one wrong move could mean acceptance into her Kingdom. To reap the harvest,
one must first plant the seeds.
Offerings, including but not limited to:
Most any plants – but particularly
those with strong magical connotations (even more particularly, poisons – belladonna, mandrake, wolf’s bane: always use caution), soil, seeds, wheat,
poppies, fruits – specifically apples and plums, blood, feathers, pelts/skins,
bones, stones, iron tools, traditional witch tools – such as the cauldron,
wands, staves, etc., eggs, braided reeds/grasses, teas are also suitable.
Ideal locations for workings:
Nature. Really, that’s
about it. The more remote, secluded and forested the better – swamps, deserts,
subterranean caves, cliffs, forests, etc. For urban witches, parks or places
abandoned and repossessed by nature will suffice.
To Call Her
Gather a collection of offerings, a square of black or green
cloth and – in white chalk, pemba or cascarilla – mark her seal (above). Upon
this, the offerings will be presented. Go forth to a place you have chosen for
the working. Night or day makes no difference, though traditionally work with
the Dead should be done at twilight or in the night. Arrange your offerings
upon the cloth – she is particularly fond of foods such as cakes/breads made
with wheat, wines and meat (cooked or not). When you are aptly prepared, ask
her to come: trust your intuition and delve into recesses of the mind. Present
a desire, ask for her presence and her help. For those with Sight, she can
appear in a number of guises, from the stereotypical hag, to a beautiful
bare-footed woman. Her personality can be a bit harsh and abrasive at first
(snappy, she’s snappy), but once she warms up to you, she will be much more
pleasant. Despite her stern nature, she has a good sense of humor – just make
sure you do if you try to appeal to
it.
Once the connection has been made, you might make a plea to
her. What that will be is entirely dependent on what you need. She is ruled by
the mind, not the heart – do your best to present your case in a clear and
methodical manner. She may challenge you to cut through the emotion and see
with clarity your true desire – which could be a blessing or a curse. Unlike
the Queen of Heaven, however, who may be more tolerant of your innate desires,
the Earth Mother will demand you correct your flawed thought process before she
will continue with you. Be genuine, be humble and be patient – she will lead
you in the right direction.
When you are through, leave the offerings for her – you may
leave them in the wilderness/place of working, but you might find it more
beneficial (especially for spirit work) to bury the offerings in the
traditionally chthonic manner.
It is recommended that upon the completion of your request
that you leave another offering to her as a gift of thanks – food. She loves
food. Leave her food or give her a gift proving her instruction hasn’t fallen
on deaf ears.
Darkness, chaos, the
esoteric, the infernal, “demons,” but on a more personal level: things
forgotten, the subconscious, fear and the primal aspects of the psyche.
While
she can be sharp, her teachings are rooted in cosmic understanding – she is the
ever-present, the one who sees all, but remains passive and patient, biding her
time until her force might be unleashed with catastrophic fervor. Do not fear
her – for despite her power and frightful epithets – she is nonetheless a
great, maternal force. “To understand, one must be demanded – for Truth is an elusive concept.”
Offerings, including but not limited to:
Blood – of most any
variety (dark wine will also suffice), meat (raw or otherwise), black candles
(turned upside down), ashes, water – rain, sea, spring, river, lake, black
soil, obsidian, sulphur, spiderwebs, etc. No
fire or lit candles.
Ideal locations for workings:
The darkness – night, caves,
empty fields, near water, anywhere dark and secluded, but even a dark room
stripped of as much light as possible will do.
To Call Her
Gather a collection of offerings, a square of black cloth, and
(optionally) a bell with a low, vibrational tone – a gong or singing bowl would
also work. Before the working, on the black cloth, mark her Seal (above) in ash
(chalk or paint would also suffice). Upon this, the offerings will be
presented. It is important to do this beforehand, as the working should take
place in complete darkness (or as complete as can be arranged). Given that this
should be done blindly, there is no hymn to be sung or prayer to be read –
instead, speak from the heart. Ask her to come, trust your intuition and delve
into recesses of the mind. Present a desire, ask for her help, ask for her presence.
While those with Sight may catch a glimpse of her, she prefers to remain
shapeless, present as a serpentine energy – one that coils about in the shadows
and reassures the practitioner. Do not fear,
but trust the Darkness.
Once the connection has been made, you might make a plea to
her. What that will be is entirely dependent on what you need, but do so
honestly – there are no secrets, she knows – do not try to mask your true
intentions or desires, for they are already apparent to her. Be forward, be
genuine and she will do what she believes is right.
When you are through, leave the offerings for her. Leave the
scene by taking three steps backwards, turning and walking away without looking
back. If you choose to work within a dark room, leave through the door, at
which point, you may reenter and turn the light on to clean up. The offerings
should nonetheless be left somewhere dark (a basement would do), remote, or
buried.
It is recommended that upon the completion of your request
that you leave another offering to her as a gift of thanks.
Foreword: I’ve always had the desire to write my beliefs down in the form of a book. Admittedly, it’s always proven quite the task, because – while I know what it is that I want to say, I’m often stumped by the manner in which I want to say it. In the past, I have tried (vehemently) to write in as objective a manner as I can – to (very) little avail. And the other day, driving (the setting where most of my best ideas are formed) I decided that perhaps I should be taking a note from the countless faiths before me and approach it in a poetic (though not necessarily in the form of poetry) way. As soon as I began, I understood the great need to personify these forces – which I did. So, today, I sat down and typed a test run, just to see how it would play out and I’m happy to say it was far simpler than I expected. Of course, I was just typing, so while I edited spelling errors, the rest remains pretty much the same.
We’ll call this an extremely rough draft:
All were born in fire – a great expansive proclamation forged
in cyclical whim, devout equally to the flames of creation and destruction. It
is a force that remains: ever-spinning the heavenly bodies on their own unique
axes, expelling the cosmos further into the uncharted oblivion. This force – so
vast – remains yet, billions of years after the universal birth and from it,
sprung the potential for life – a means by which this expanse might experience
its own being. We are this meditation, this introspection and adhere –
knowingly or otherwise – to a grand hierarchy of existence and consciousness.
The stars may not know of their own heat – but we do.
If we must give unto this force a name, I will call her:
Nexus, for it is known that all things begin in the likeness of our Mother –
female. It was she who consolidated all matter and energy, gathered in an
infernal vortex, and expanded in a great flash of color, light, and splendor. And
this volcanic existence was her womb as well her form: every element funneled
from the great expanses – back from whence they came, to the Cosmic Pangea –
plucked from the vast darkness by the Voids, wherein even light might not be
spared. And these beings fed – and yet feed – Nexus, the Mother. She resides,
fragmented throughout all that is known and unknown, but at the site of
creation – the Heart of the Universe – the Voids return these pieces, tessellating
every element and experience garnered by separation. This Heart is but a nexus
in itself, a liminal place where all planes of reality collide – as such, it is
not simply the Heart of our own
Cosmos, but every existence, every
planar dimension.
And she is Nexus –
Mother: Spring of Existence; She of Red-Skin, she
of Light, Our Mother and
Destroyer, Lady of Infinite Eyes,
who might see Herself – Anew; Dressed in white hot,
plasmic fire Draped in scarves of
galaxies, And Matron of the
Stars Tended by the Black
Maidens, Sentries of the Boundaries, Who produce before her
fractured feet, The pieces shed in
jubilant fervor – As she cast herself out
– And birthed the worlds
innumerable
At the Heart of All, these pieces – beginning first with the
remnants of the Great Expansion – are distributed, continuously feeding this growing
form matter and energy until its mass might overturn its own creation force – when it
grows so vast, so large, that it begins to reverse its own Expanse, drawing –
instead – its remaining constituents homeward, back toward the Nexus, tugged at by an insatiable, gravitational hunger. It is her Rebirth, her mosaic reformation – as her
great force crushes as every piece and draws into itself every manner of
matter. All must return to the forge from whence it was wrought – with the
knowledge that in time, it, too, will be reborn at the time of the Next Age, the Expansion –
for it (like most things in existence) is cyclical.
And if we must erect
around her a mythology, then let it be this:
Nexus – the Goddess of
Creation and Destruction – when in her incendiary form (in times of Creation
and Destruction) bears crimson skin, bright and glowing like that of molten
metal, nude and without genitals (for she is
Creation). Her hair is in constant motion, swimming in the vacuum of space. She
stands ever-silent with a face so still it could well be but a mask. Dually she
is loving and violent, existing as all things, she is the spectrum of morality
as we see it – though entirely free of its confines. While her form may be
perceived, it is but a guise – she is everything and nothing, she is force and
she is matter, she is the ripple and the soundless echo, the supernova and dust.
She might be equated with Shakti – in many of her manifestations.
Hymn of Nexus
She stands on the
ellipsis plane: A sheet of crystal –
glass – Running with liquid
gold That emanates from
the wells of her feet – She is the ripple –
& she is the echo And from the edges
the metal cascades Into the vacuous
chaos; Unbound by gravity – Hanging in liquid
droplet stars; She is the crumbling
statue Constantly shattered
– and Reforming Of every shard
particle or Planet grain of sand; And as she dips one
finger in the pool beneath her feet – Every atom of her
being is hurled into the oblivion If sound could
travel, it would be symphonic – grand and beautiful But there is but
silence as each piece dazzles – bound by golden tethers – Sent to every edge,
then halted: Each piece bears her
face; In the simultaneous
darkness And blinding light,
the cords tighten And begin to spin –
so quickly, So precisely that
they might only be Perceived as one
golden egg – The age is marked and
the filaments Coil, bringing with
them every minute piece – Home; And the molten
elements And heated gases
collide Casted again in their
familiar Feminine form – She is Nexus –
Mother: Spring of Existence; She of Red-Skin, she
of Light, Our Mother and
Destroyer, Lady of Infinite Eyes,
who might see Herself – Anew; Dressed in white hot,
plasmic fire Draped in scarves of
galaxies, And Matron of the
Stars Tended by the Black
Maidens, Sentries of the
Boundaries, Who produce before
her fractured feet, The pieces shed in
jubilant fervor – As she cast herself
out – And birthed the
worlds innumerable
During intermediary times
– while her form is splayed all across the countless spheres of existence – she
may be perceived as a white-stone statue, shattered and pieced back together
with the same molten substance as before – now solidified into gold. She is
swathed in white fabric, and holds a golden astrolabe with which she surveys
the stars (or, herself, rather). She wears a crown and her hair is as black as
the vacuum that surrounds, eyes the same gold as the veins that comprise her.
It is in such a state that she is more fluid, more “human” – occupying the
Ellipsis Plane. Therein she is tended by the Voids, her Handmaidens, who are
dressed entirely in black – specifically, long gowns that cover their entire
body from the neck down: sleeves turn into gloves, synched at the waist and
cascading to the ground. Over their head they wear black veils – like mourners
– and remain ever vigilant to the whims of the Goddess. It is they who rule the
Darkness and all the Spirits therein.
The Plane is a vast, flat
sheet of crystal/glass, transparent if not for the constant tide of gold that
emanates from the feet of the Goddess, flowing like a fountain across its
entirety and cascading over the edges into the vacuum – where it then forms
into droplets and scatters itself across the black sky. This is her domain, her
observatory – where she collects every experience her “pieces” survive/suffer –
and it is through the eyes of the living that she comes to understand: not simply
her own existence, but the notion – which in her infinite form, unbound by
limitation cannot be concieved – of physicality, law, emotion, mortality, fear,
and transience. For to be infinite – finite concepts cannot be known, and vice
versa. And it is this notion that will resurface again and again – the
separation of finite and infinite.
But Nexus – despite her
given purpose as Creator of All – is not the First Mother. She was birthed by
the Darkness, the black abysmal space in which nothing was but an emptiness. Before the time of matter, mass and energy –
before the time of light – before time: there was Darkness – there was The
Black Mother.
It was she – of
shapeless, formless, nonexistence – that drew the Nexus from the nothingness
and, in this act of martyrdom, destroyed herself so that existence might be. It
was she who dreamed the Nexus into being, and it was She – the personification
of nothingness – who had to be destroyed before anything could ever be. So dreamed – if only for a moment –
and from nothing was born everything. And now – in the Age of the
Nexus – wherein she might create, she drew from her own existence the recesses
and named them in her mother’s honor – these hollow spaces and the embrace of
the abyss: the Black Mother lived again, in the emptiness – in the Voids, as
loyal servant to her own daughter.
She is the embodiment
of disembodiment; this vacuous blackness that resides. She is empty space, she
is the furthest recesses of the cosmos, whereupon light has never touched, she
is the black upon which the stars are hung and cosmos shrink. Her flesh is that
of the Nightmare – endless darkness, palpable and serpentine – but never forget
that it was she who birthed the light, who allowed for matter and energy to
exist in her – and the one who sacrificed herself to create the Creator. She is
the Progenitor of Creation – and the Successor to Ultimate Destruction.
The Qedavian Apocrypha 