Archives

The Control Sigil – 

Bull’s Ring – Used to control the another – often someone who is otherwise uncontrollable or dangerous. As such, it could also be used to keep yourself under control. For the latter, it would most probably be best worn, and for the former, given to he/she you wish to effect.

Birth of Chaos – can be used as a remedy or an invitation for Chaos as it gives mastery to that which cannot be mastered. Can be used in hexes to rain down chaos and ill-fate, or can be used in an inverted position to be used for focus and attainment.

The Trident Heart – Is used to command the heart (be it your own or that of another). For the latter, I recommend this ritual:

  1. Place atop the sigil a drop or two of your blood, as well as a personal affect of he/she you wish to control. Roll/fold the sigil around the affect, in essence surrounding them with yourself. Burn. 
  2. Mix half of the ashes with The Conquered Heart Oil** (or something similar). Using the mixture, dress a (black and red) half-stick candle – if need be, carve the “bottom” into a burnable point as well. Burn the candle, black side first – until 1/3 to ½ of the black has melted. Extinguish, invert and light the red side. Allow it to burn until the red has overtaken the black. 
  3. Powder the remaining candle and add to this the last half of the ashes. Sprinkle on the victim’s property or on a path they will cross.

** The Conquered Heart Oil: 1 : 4, Castor to Carrier. Warm. 1-3 Red Roses, 1-3 Iron Nails, Cinnamon, Ginger, Orris Root, Sulfur, 3 dried, Red Chiles. Warm oil, add dry ingredients – with the exception of sulfur. Add this, instead, to the bottle. Pluck the Rose Petals from the stem(s) and impale them on the iron nail(s) – add curio(s) to the bottle with the sulfur. While the oil is still warm, pour into the bottle. 

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The Lords of Day and Night – 

The Hawk – Master of the Sun, Lord of the Day – is a swift and regal predator. Proud of its prowess, it recognizes its strength, but implements it with violent precision. It is graceful, tactful, and merciful in its tactile ferocity that might quickly slay its chosen pray. 

The Owl – Hunter by Moonlight, Lord of the Night – sees what is Unseen, perched and singing mournful songs. Like her brother, she is swift, direct and devastating to all who might make a delicious meal. She does not bathe proudly in the Sun to be admired, she hunts through black forests and scans the white-washed horizon. She is quiet, humble and deadly.

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The Removal of the Heart

When I created this process, I had been through a very rough
period in my life. A dear friend and ex-lover of mine went missing and, if that
were not enough, I – as a witch – had a very hard time dealing with the fact I
was not able to find him. At was at this time, I made the choice to drink
Morning Glory tea and seek him out – what I found was all the more
heartbreaking. I knew he had gone from this life – and lo and behold, months
later the news arrived. It was at this time – because, even though I knew he
had perished, there was a touch of hope that perhaps I had misinterpreted the
signs, misunderstood the message – that I decided to remove my heart.

So, I sat down and worked out the specifics, knowing well
what I was doing. When the time came to do the ritual, I prepared. I had
crossed every “t”, dotted every “I” – but as I began, I knew this was not what
it seemed. I had written it to free myself of the heartache by means of
metaphorically removing my heart. What I found was all the more placating. As
the ritual proceeded, I knew I would not be removing my heart – but memorializing
it. I penned out a lengthy letter, in which I tied up all loose ends – not just
with the aforementioned, but all loose ends of my life. I wrote them all out
and folded the paper inside the heart, let the wax seal it in and I had done what
needed doing, and made an oath then and there:

All these things, I
will carry with me always, but no longer might they hold me back. They have
been sealed in the past, so that I may move forward – but forever, all of them
will remain, tucked away in my chest.

I sealed up that heart, wrapped it in cloth and then stowed
it away in a miniature, wooden chest (Word
of wisdom, though, make sure you remember where you stash it, because I spent
20 minutes searching all over for the damned thing so I could take a photo or
two!).

So, if you are ready to allow the past be the past, and seal
up the memories – I have brought to you the ritual.

Things You’ll Need:

For the Heart –

  • Air-Dry or Oven Bake Clay – however, if you have a kiln, by
    all means… – also, as a last ditch, you can use clay-rich soil/dirt, I talk
    about the process here
  • Wax – you can use candlewax or paraffin, which can be found
    at most supermarkets (you’ll have to ask someone, because no place puts it in
    the same damn section [I’m not still bitter])
  • (Optional) Paint – I used red and pink wax, so I forewent
    the painting process

For the Rest –

  • A Box/Chest/Bag or other Storage Option
  • Time (& other supplies of your choosing) – as I said, I
    sat down and wrote everything out, but that isn’t the only way. If you want to
    burn some things, scream, do a little crying, do what you need to do, just make
    sure you have something to stuff into the heart!
  1. The process is relatively simple, but somewhat time
    consuming. Begin by sculpting your heart – as you can see, I went the more
    anatomical route, but the symbolic heart is perfectly fine – it’s your heart,
    sculpt it however you damn well please. However, you’re going to want to hollow
    it at least partially out. That’s where you’ll be shoving all the memories and
    tokens and whatnot. After complete, allow it to cure – through air drying or
    oven baking. This can be a timely process, don’t rush it.
  2. Once completely dry, in a double boiler, melt your wax. It’s
    not recommended to melt paraffin in the microwave, as it’s a minor fire hazard.
    If you don’t happen to have a double boiler, a bowl that snuggly hugs the sides
    of a pot will work just fine – though not plastic, that would be another
    hazard. Once the wax is thoroughly melted, remove it from the boiler and allow
    it to cool momentarily. On a nonstick surface, such as wax paper or aluminum
    foil, place your heart hollow side up. Pour the wax into the hollow and turn it
    so that it evenly coats the inside. This may also take some time. After a few
    moments, the wax cools enough to touch – so you can work it with your hands.
  3. Once the inside has cooled enough to remain solid, cover the
    rest, following the same procedure, allowing it to cool and then working it
    with your hands. This seals any cracks and also gives the added bonus of a
    nice, smooth, shiny coat once hardened.
  4. Once the heart is complete, the rest is very much up to you –
    however you wish to go about it. I went through a lengthy process of setting up
    an entire table for the working – covered in photos, keepsakes and the like
    (which I then boxed separately for safe keeping, out of sight and out of mind).
    After having written the very long letter, I folded it up and placed it inside,
    then melted a bit of wax over it to secure both it and a candle – which I lit
    and let burn down so that it would seal it the rest of the way.

As seen above, I keep
mine in a small cedar box, wrapped in a handkerchief on a bed of Sulphur – but your
choice of storage is entirely up to you.

As a word of warning, since the “removal” I become a witchy-nun – vows and everything, so that could be a possible side effect, I’m not entirely sure.

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Seal of the Scorpion – 

The scorpion – Hunter of Hunters – predatory defender who offer both offensive and defensive protection. It is best worn around the neck or kept on your person. (Also, feel free to use the scorpion drawing however you wish – for any and all sigil-y needs)

It is it – born from the Earth – 

That slayed Orion;

And kept ever vigilant,

By the Side of Isis;

Sister of the Hummingbird,

Of Serpent and Spider;

In all that I do –

I am protected;

Cross my path –

Cross my eye –

Cross my heart –

And you’ll face

The savage wrath

Of your own –

Envenomation.

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The Nature of the Soul

As requested by reginaabyssi ;; also, touched upon
briefly here

This is something I’ve wanted to write for quite some time
now, but was never sure if it was the appropriate time – for which I have to
thank reginaabyssi, who asked for me to delve into my own, particular theology.
And it is very much that, theology – in that this is what I have tessellated from
my experiences and have come to believe. Know that when posed with difficult
questions, such as “what is the nature of the soul,” I either look to nature
for the answer or nature – in her own way – shows me. As such, I will undoubtedly
speak anecdotally and perhaps even metaphorically, though I’ll do my best to “trim
the fat.”

To begin, we must first look to ourselves. And how it is
that we exist, perceptually, on this place. I spoke on this in the aforementioned
link in regards the comparison with the “gros bon ange” and “ti bon ange” in
Haitian Voodoo. We, as individuals, exist as smaller manifestations of a larger
“soul.” Or perhaps that isn’t quite the phrasing I mean, for the Greater Soul
is but a collection of smaller pieces, unique individuals that conjoin to form
something that communal. These smaller pieces, however, are animated by this
larger entity. The most fitting scenario I could describe would be to imagine
one mass. This large mass is then “shattered” – into hundred, thousands,
millions of smaller pieces. It is these pieces that animate us – these pieces are
most akin to the idea of the Western soul. Throughout life, we add to these
pieces – these pieces grow with every great experience, good or bad. All these
little shards, these pieces, grow and change as they are marked with knowledge
and experience – through countless incarnations, lives, call them what you will.
The Soul is a group of pieces (of which you are one) that existed as a whole
long before you, and will once again reunite – larger and grander than before.
And each, Great Soul, is much like us – a collection of lives and experiences,
all of which were individual, combine to form a Greater Soul that – too – is individual.

Another way to put it is that the Soul is much like the Universe.
Once we were this gargantuan, superheated mass that exploded into trillions and
trillions of smaller pieces, hurled out with such a great force that we are
still being hurled! We exist thusly in the In-Between – after the explosion,
but before the recollection.

However, the perception of time on this whole process is
extremely difficult to cope with, because Spirit exists outside our perceptions
of time and perhaps even time itself, so, theoretically this process could happen
(in what we consider) instantaneously – in that these pieces explode and reform
in such a manner that this life and all lives that combine to form the Soul could
happen in (what we would perceive as) a flash. This, too, makes things
difficult for the “laws” of incarnation – because its plausible that there
could be other living pieces of the same Greater Soul living amongst one
another. Which is to say, right now, someone who is part of Your Soul, could be alive and prospering
on the other side of the globe – however, I’m quite sure that your meeting
would be forbidden by some cosmic doctrine. Which all goes into Soul Planning,
goals, yadda yadda – things that I won’t crowd this post with.

This, in itself, is by no means a unique concept and
manifests in many faiths and ideologies the world over. The part of my beliefs
that I’ve never heard echoed was what happens after this process of reformation
– when the Soul is Complete (for notions of Soul Completion, see the: Bucket
and Thimble analogy). I believe this completion, freedom from Samsara – as Moksha,
Enlightenment, call it what you will, presents the Greater Soul with numerous
options, however the one I most want to touch on is my notion of Deification.

I believe (and please note that I both bolded and italicized that)
that upon a Soul’s completion, the Spirit may choose to serve those still “working
toward completion” – through Deification. To become – what we as mortals would
consider – a God. As such, the Gods as we know them are Souls who have
transcended our status and have pledged to – in some way or another – assist
humanity in our own Completion, by “speeding up” the process – through means of
Divine Guidance – or through means of “punishment” (putting further obstacles
in our way so that we might grow more with each life, and thereby “speed up” Completion).
These Gods, of course, are well suited to guide, being that they have achieved
that which we seek to achieve and their unique proclivities dictated by their
own, unique “make-up” of experiences (i.e. what makes a “Love Deity” a love
deity, and so on).

As such, we who live now are ever-working our way to
deification (if we so choose, as there undoubtedly are other choices that a
completed Soul may desire to take on). This, however, I do not believe to be
the End – as I think these beings, too, exist akin to us, in that they are part
of a greater whole – of which are themselves, part of an even greater whole –
and so on and so forth.

Given these particular beliefs and my own inklings, my idea
of “God” is more akin to the Hindu concept of Brahman (and even more akin to
the Shaktism notion of “Shakti”) – or that God is everything. The top of the
proverbial ladder, that which is encompassing of all that is, was, will be. All
mass, matter, energy, etc. and thusly, all of its opposites as well – in this
and every dimension. But – that’s
more than you wanted to know.

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This was taken on the altar at the nearby Catholic cemetery before the idol of Jesus’s Crucifixion.

Making this working: complete.

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Seal of Lucifer, the Destroyer:

This is the Lucifer most known – he is the Punisher. However, unlike the modern Christian demonization, Lucifer the Destroyer does not dwell in an eternal, subterranean hell awaiting those who turn away from YHWH – no, he walks among us. While no longer does he serve the Tyrant God, his goals remain – punish all those who bring “evil” into the world (hypocrisy, bigotry, lies, pain, strife, hatred, etc. – all the things born only in the corrupt mortal mind, but permeate outward). He is the destroyer of Illusions, Lies and all that poisons the mind and delays Enlightenment/Salvation/

Saṃsāra

(call it what you will). In a sense, he is much like Kali – but on a smaller scale (Kali does not only work in mortal affairs but functions as an integral cog of the Cosmos at large) – in that he destroys misconceptions, confusion, greed, all those things that cloud the mind, so that Lucifer, the Morning Star (and all of his incarnations as prophet, sage and spiritual leader– “The Devil” of Old) might lead you onward.

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Did I mishear or did someone say: “Witches’ Bottle Season?”

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Really rough photos of my cards being put to use. Expect high quality photos soon!

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