“Setting the Table:
After the Death of a loved one, the [dinner] table should continue to be set with a place for them until the time of their funeral, after which point it should no longer be set. This encourages the spirit to ‘move on.’
"After 6 months – to – one year’s time, the table may be set in times of communion: birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, etc.”
So, the other evening, I turned on the TV in hopes of
watching some Netflix, only to find the internet was out. Lo and behold, I
switch to the regular TV to find that there is a Christian infomercial on. Too
lazy to turn it and curious in regards to what fire and brimstone sermon was on
the agenda, I leave it and watch as he asks (of course) for donations and tells
a few far-fetched parables. His spiel was on dreams. Aspirations, really, and how faith can “pay you back.” He
used the examples of Abraham trying to conceive with Sarah and Joseph’s life as
a slave to hone in on the notion that dream require faith. Both of these
stories, of course, speak about how these righteous people didn’t trust in God’s
promise and ended up delaying their dreams. That’s when he asked for the
viewership to crack open their wallets and phone the hotline, saying promising
what they give now would be returned 10-fold.
Now, I’m sure you’re wondering where this is going: and I
can say that it has nothing to do with any of that, but instead, the phrase he
used repeatedly, “Battle Seed.” This was used in the context of the harvest –
to sow and to reap. He referred to this donation as a “battle seed,” a
testament and offering of faith to be sowed, so as to reap the magnified
benefits in the long run.
Taking the phrase and running with it, I thought the concept
of a “battle seed” would be fantastic for a protection ritual and (inversely) a
curse – so I’m presenting both!
The Battle Seed of Protection
Plum Pit – cleaned and dried
Wax – you can buy it at the market, but chopping up a white
candle works just as well
Salt – any color should do
Cascarilla
Agrimony
Caraway
Black Pepper
Additionally, you’ll want a teaspoon or two of oil (doesn’t
matter the type) to thin your wax
Optional:
The ashes of Psalms 35
or The Prayer of St. Michael
Saint Michael the
Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection
against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we
humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince
of the Heavenly Host, by the Divine Power of
God, cast into hell Satan
and all the evil spirits who roam throughout
the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Instructions
Begin by grinding the agrimony, caraway and black pepper
into a fine powder and mix with (with ashes and) a liberal pinch of salt. Set
aside and begin to melt your wax. This can be done in the microwave, but paraffin
wax can be quite flammable when heated, so if you elect to use the microwave, add
the oil and keep a sharp eye on it. If you’d prefer to go the safer route,
simply add the wax (the smaller pieces the faster it will melt – I use a cheese
grater) and oil to a double-boiler and stir occasionally until all the solids
are melted. Remove from heat and allow it to cool for a few moments.
At this point, you may add the powdered ingredients to the
wax or elect to do the roll method (which I’ll mention momentarily. Dunk the
plum pit into the warm wax and remove, allowing a waxy shell to form over the
rough put. It will be hot, but once it’s began to harden, you can shape and
smooth the wax. Once it has cooled enough so as to only give under a bit of
force, submerge it again and repeat the smoothing process. This can be done as
many times as you wish, but if you elected to use the roll method, after the
last dip drop the wax-covered pit into the powdered herbs and roll it around to
cover. Allow the wax to harden for roughly 24 hours before moving on.
There a few different methods by which you might finish the
ritual: foremost (and my personal favorite) would be to bury it near your front
door step, lighting a candle to Michael (or whoever) and reading the
aforementioned prayer. Another method – and an extension of the former – would be
to place it within a jar that has been filled with earth and stow it near your
door. The final method would be to hang it (in a bag) near whatever it is you
wish to protect. Given that the affect is covered in wax, I recommend against
carrying it – otherwise you risk a nice, big grease-spot!
The Battle Seed of Destruction
Whole Walnut – in the shell is best!
Black Mustard Seed
Cayenne
Sulphur
Charcoal (powdered)
Black Wax (& oil) – from a black candle; reserve the
wick, they come in handy!
Optional:
A Personal Affect – highly recommended
Ashes of any applicable passages from Deuteronomy 28:15
through like 28:70 – there are some good ones in there!
Instructions
Much the same as before – powder the black mustard seed and
mix with powdered cayenne, sulphur and charcoal (as well as the ashes, if you
so choose). After which, you should follow the same instructions as above.
To finish, the “seed” should be buried in the yard of he/she
you wish to afflict. Alternately, you may employ the same jar method using
earth from their yard or dirt from their foot-tracks mixed with graveyard dirt.
This jar should not be kept in the house or on your property and instead either
buried in the cemetery or on unclaimed soil. In place of the Prayer to Michael,
you may read the chosen passages or ad-lib something sinister.
As the Dead Season approaches, it is time to both honor and
remember the Dead – ancestral, historical and formative – but also, it is the
time to honor Death and its many incarnations. Honoring the God/Goddess/Spirit
of Death within your own pantheon can be very personal, especially to those of
us who are Death’s Attendants – and while I do love to honor them as the
incarnations of Death, I also like to remember death in its faceless reality. And
while Death’s many mysteries command an innate, unprecedented respect it’s
important that we not forget the liberation, humor and fascination it breeds.
Those are the facets this ritual are meant to encompass – the joys that death
may bring.
“Ingredients”
This is simply a list
of possible options and by no means is it comprehensive, I urge you to
repurpose this however you see fit with any ingredients you’re personally drawn
to. This is merely foundation upon which to build and personalize.
Artifacts of Death/Curios – assorted skulls, bones, and fetishes
from the cemetery, snake sheds, assorted dead bugs (flies do the trick well, as
do spiders)
A Table – dressed in a plain black or white cloth
Black Beans, dried
Pemba/Cascarilla/Chalk Dust/Salt
Chile Ristras
Peppered Rum
Unfermented Juices
Bowls of Graveyard Dirt
Earthenware Vessels of your choosing
Instructions
Foremost, the idea behind this is to basically host a party
in Death’s honor – in much an Alice in Wonderland fashion. It is meant to be
light, not this great foreboding thing. Do not allow yourself to be overwhelmed
with it, when it is but an inevitable actuality. As such, it’s best to keep on
Death’s good side. Why not throw him/her/it a party?
Dress your table in your chosen cloth – black or white is
preferred, but something painfully festive would also be acceptable – and
decorate it to your liking. Toss the beans and chiles around, draw with chalk or pemba any skulls, bones, etc. to really enhance the mood (hence why black is recommended), pour some libations, put on
some “sweet jams.” The beautiful thing about this “ritual” is that you can
invite as many people (or spirits) as you’d like and ask them to bring their own symbols of
death.
Set the table accordingly, with places set for those in attendance (living or otherwise) and make sure to set a place for your own pantheon’s Death Diet(y/ies) or all the ones with which you work. Depending on your tradition, serve them customarily – for instance, many Death Gods/Spirits receive Cthonic offerings, feel free to serve them things other than food and then leave the in a traditional pit // if your tradition allows food to be shared with the Dead, by all means do so!
When the time is right – and even if you’re alone, no one will judge you
– it is then you begin the danse. Take your
favorite curios and dance about the room (I feel as though I should recommend
some Screamin’ Jay or perhaps some Harry Belafonte for those Beetlejuice fans out there) shamelessly. Ask your guests to do the same.
You dance in time with death now – and as such, Death is
honored. And quite the dancer. Continue until you run out of steam (or drinks).
A particularly good celebration for the Winter Solstice.
@doyounotremember
My recommendation would be to draw it on a circular piece of paper, then use the back as you would any regular petition paper. This can be burned and added to a Gris Gris bag, powder, potion, etc. It’s pretty versatile!
The Qedavian Apocrypha 