In 2011 DKMU had a meet. During the meet they held a group ritual that I was fortunate enough to be a part of. Several of the godforms were called upon by individuals, while others walked the circle, observed, and participated. I was given the charge of invoking LS, something rather intimidating for me at the time. She rarely came when I worked with her, and I had few results with her up until this point. The meet had an energy of its own, however, as a meetup of magicians and like-minded individuals always has. You can’t help but feel it throb, and the combination of active drumming, hearty discourse, and friends known yet unknown alter reality in a way of their own. After some intense meditation I wrote a piece about LS, and went for an adventure to procure chess pieces for the ritual. The ritual was held outdoors on a members’ property. A large grassy area was cleared early in the day, and then as the time approached torches were lit in a ceremonial manner. One of the participants was a fire mage, and he purified the space as he went. Several others played their parts, and then it was my turn. During the ritual I invoked Ellis for the first time, which is a very unique experience. She lays across your mind in a different manner than Eris. I find with Eris I often forget large chunks of time, find out I’ve done things that I wouldn’t ordinarily do, and always have a crazy story at the end of the night. Ellis is more subtle. For me she comes as a herald of revolution; an active force instigating change. At the time she filled me like a rush of flame; an unbearable heat that made you want to strip bare your insides. I wouldn’t call her destructive or dangerous; rather she burns away what you thought you knew of yourself and reveals things you didn’t want to remember were a part of you. I think that’s why she gets a bad rap, much like Eris does for her violent and chaotic methods of tearing away the selfinflicted veil. I honestly think that’s a major reason why Chaos Magick gets bad mouthed by a lot of people and why so many people have a long standing love-hate relationship with the work. It’s messy and painful and revealing. I can remember that after I had handed out the chess pieces I had a really poignant moment. I was holding my own piece, and as I looked at it I could see the way it was for the piece. Someone far away pulling all of the strings would slowly move it across the board. The piece’s place in the game was to follow what it was told, where it was meant to go, and to be with who they were told to be with. What if you could break it apart though? Burn the game and go where you wish, do what you please, and be with who you love? The irony is that every single person on this planet has that ability. If you free yourself from the obligations, duties, and bonds holding you in place, what would you do? Where would you go? One of the things that stood out the most for me during that ritual was the look on the participants’ faces as they made the choice to throw their chess pieces into the fire or not. You see, I had asked them. I had asked them the same thing I now ask you. Will you join me in setting the world on fire? The drum booms All the characters out to play The chess pieces Taking position Preparing for the on slew of the morrow Each a hero On his or her hero’s journey; Their hypersigil transcending the ages Alternate reality come here to this day Paving the way For the realities of the past’s Dreams come true Come out and Play your pieces Witches A s a small child I was fascinated with witches. I have sustained a life long fascination with the magical, and it has led me on a merry adventure.I don’t think that will ever change, and at one point that interest led me to hedgewitchery and traditional witchcraft. Shrouded in folk magic and traditions of the home, it can be challenging to figure out what the components really are. I’ve done quite a bit of research on the topic, but there is always more to learn. The point of the #Witchy Wednesdays series is to encourage further exploration. If you’ve never really looked into it at all, give it a try. It’s a really interesting way of practice that really springs from the older traditions and brings a sense of fullness to workings. Whether you just need a refresher course, are curious, or know nothing, I have compiled a list of links, articles, and sites that are related to the topic here. Stay tuned in the next few wednesdays to explore some more (: Don’t forget to head on over and check out Mad Queen’s post too! Magickal basics I just want to say thank you to everyone who commented, emailed, or messaged me last week in regards to my post on chaos magick. It meant a lot to know there are people reading my posts :p This week I’d like to share thoughts on magical basics. Most traditional paths agree that basics are an important thing, while other paths (I’m looking at you, Chaos Magic) put more of an emphasis on diving in and getting jiggy with it. Both are valid views, and I am not trying to knock anybody’s preferred method. I think magic can be successful, basics done or not, but that it seems to be successful far more frequently when basics have been learned and daily discipline, or practice, has been incorporated. The logic behind that is practice makes perfect. Now, I’m not saying I practice everyday; far from it, sadly enough, but in the past I have held a daily practice and had far greater success in workings than I have had when not. But this still leaves the larger question unanswered: What ARE magic’s basics? The answer varies greatly from person to person and from organization or path to another. Despite this, I think there are some things that can be studied and practiced on a regular basis that are beneficial irregardless of path. To me, these are: Meditation and the practice of stillness Dream work (including tracking, LD, OBE, and AP) Energy manipulation (grounding, shielding, etc) Visualization and affirmations A form of diviniation (tarot, runes, scrying, etc.) Obviously these aren’t what you typically think of as magick. But all of these make up a large chunk of what really makes magick tick. Whether you have mastered these skills or are still working through them, it makes a huge impact on the quality of ritual workings. So what about you guys? What do you think are the basics you should learn? Thoughts on chaos magick B ack when I began the #MagickMondays series last year, I intended to create a regular schedule for posting on a monthly theme with the hopes that it would eventually grow into a blog ring with many chaos magicians and pagans participating. While this hope never manifested, I have truly enjoyed crafting these posts, and intend to continue to write them. But with that being said, its very apparent that in the past few months these posts have been decreasing. That decrease has been paralell to some personal soul searching. In May of 2014 when I made the jump to my own website I was really excited, but quickly lost direction when I realized I had no real idea what I wanted to do. This has spread into my religious practice as well; I no longer really identify as a chaote or know if I really would want to be associated with those who do. In the 10 years I have been involved with the chaos magick scene it has changed from an experimental, no-holds-barred type of thing into an entirely different majority that has well-deserved the distaste that it has been treated with. I feel the move away from forums, blogs, and websites to facebook groups has led to the constantly increasing numbers of trolls, one-uppers, and know-it-alls. It disappoints me greatly that so many of the posts on chaos magick these days are regurgitated, reblogged articles on general magick, sex-obsessed workings, and a constant slew of half-assed sigils. Is this all that chaos magick has been reduced to? What happened to the innovative, ground-breaking work that used to be easily found? On a personal level I have found that sigils are ineffective. They rarely work unless they are connected to a godform or egregore, so I really only use them when working with the DKMU godforms. I have always enjoyed the ability to experiment with different paths and take what is useful, but at this point in life it seems that all paths lead to the same thing. Perhaps it is time for a return to agnostism, and in-depth research. I guess that the real question I face is the same one we all are facing: What next? Lucid Dreaming Techniques S o last week we touched on dream recall and reality checking, but not in any real depth, so I thought we would get a little deeper on that, as well as some starting tips on lucid dreaming. Keep in mind that the best times to lucid dream are later in the night towards morning, and during afternoon naps. This has to do with all these science-y reasons relating to REM cycles. The primary difficulties had when one is attempting lucid dreaming are remembering that you had one, and prolonging the dream. That’s why dream recall is important to work on. After all, if you can’t remember that you had a lucid dream, then it is nearly impossible to track them or learn from them, and the more familiar you become with your own dreams, the more likely it becomes that you will recognize that you are dreaming. And the best way to work on dream recall is to keep a dream journal. Through your dream journal you can track your dreams, and by doing so, eventually track dream signs that consistently pop-up. These dream signs can become a form of reality checking; if you are seeing the same signs in dreams regularly, then you can turn them into triggers that allow you to recognize that you are lucid dreaming. Another common method is to remember to simply ask yourself upon awakening “What was I dreaming?” Prolonging the dream is the next difficulty most people have, and that generally comes from the realization that one is dreaming, which leads to excitement and then waking. There are a couple of different things you can do to counteract this, but the most important is of course, staying calm. You’re less likely to wake up if you stay with the flow of the dream. When the dream fades though, there are things that you can implement to try to extend the dream, or even to morph into another. These things are usually looking at the ground, rubbing your hands together, spinning your dream body, falling backwards, or singing a song. One of the most noteworthy things is that typically Lucid Dreaming methods such as MILD or WILD work effectively only when employed with the Wake Back to Bed, or WBTB method. This method is quite simple; you wake up after 4 1/2 to 6 hours of sleep, and then you get up for an hour before going back to bed. Typically during the hour awake one reads material relating to Lucid Dreaming, looks through one’s dream journal, takes a warm shower, listens to music or simply relaxes, away from bed. You can set an alarm clock to wake you, but many find that to be jarring, so a common alternative is to use mantras to convince the mind that “I will wake up at _____ time”. We touched on Reality Checks, or RCs last week as well, but I wanted to add in a few tips on that as well. Your Reality Check can be different from the ones commonly used, as the key is that it is one that works for you. Some of the popular times to do Reality Checks during the day are when you wake, think of lucid dreaming, recognize something out of place, or see a dream sign. When Reality Checks don’t work effectively (such as when you’re tripping hardcore on shrooms and just can not for the life of you figure out if you are awake or not), you can feel like you are left on your own, but always remember that observation of your surroundings is key, for only you can really determine whether the things going on in your surroundings are real or not. After all, if the walls are melting away there should still be some sort of sign. The most popular of the lucid dreaming methods, and the one most often recommended to beginners is the Wake Induced Lucid Dreaming, or WILD method.This method is typically most effective when sleeping on the back. The trick is to stay as still as possible while lying in bed, allowing the mind to wander as it will but not thinking too much. Eventually the body will fall asleep; this is usually accompanied by a numb feeling. After a while most people will begin to experience hallucinations of some kind (either visual and/or auditory), which then will lead to the dream state. This state of hallucinating is known as a hypnogogic state, and can be really disorientating, but if you stick with it, you should find your way to fleeting images that will flesh out into your dream. A really effective way to be aware yet relax is to use the counting method described by Stephen LaBerge. It’s simple really- as you are lying there, begin to count in succession with the reminder that “I am dreaming.” Last post we covered WILD and WBTB, so if those are unfamiliar check here. MILD is perhaps the second most well-known of the techniques; the acronym stands for Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams. The premise of the technique is that repeating to yourself as you fall asleep will help induce a lucid dream. These repetitions can be done in a variety of ways, but the most common by far are verbally, written, and listening to a recording. Some find it to be more effective to employ the WBTB method in tandem with MILD. CALD is Character Assisted Lucid Dreaing, and is a technique that employs the use of a dream character. DEILD stands for Dream Exit Inducted Lucid Dream, and is when you leave one dream and enter another. The trick is to stay still and allow the dream images to flow into another. There are a ton more as well, but I’d like to move along now Once you have begun regularly achieving success (it seems the general consensus is remembering 2-3 dreams a night and 1-2 lucid dreams weekly), there are a variety of fun things you can begin doing. The first of these is learning to control your dream body. Learn to fly, bounce like there is no gravity, change your appearance or clothing, or whatever you like. Next is learning to control your dream enviroment by first practicing simple changes like room color or shape, then envisioning a familiar place. This is excellent practice for building dream or astral temples, palaces, or homes. Once these have been accomplished, dream incubation is achievable. Dream incubation is when you create a dream with the intention of consciously dreaming it- while aware. They work best when written, and when incorporating a visualization Lucid Dreaming Tips + WILD An Introduction to Lucid Dreaming L ucid Dreaming has been an increasingly popular topic once more as people rediscover the wonder of controlling ones’ own dreams. Lucid Dreaming is the act of being aware of the fact that you are dreaming while dreaming. Everyone can lucid dream, and can occur as early as early childhood. It’s regaining momentum in the occult scene as people once again look inwards for answers. Lucid Dreaming is often seen as the prerequisite for Out-of-Body Experiences, and can allow one to explore your own consciousness and personality, or to work out issues that you have not been able to work out while conscious. The most common obstacle to Lucid Dreaming is maintaining lucidity; once you realize you are dreaming, you also wake up most of the time. The best way to begin working on lucid dreaming is to improve your dream recall. This is commonly done by the keeping of a dream journal. Kept beside the bed, one is to write down any dreams remembered immediately upon waking, and before doing any other tasks. Through the journal you are able to track dreams recalled, how frequently you remember your dreams, look at common dream motifs, etc, and the act of writing them down helps. The next thing that one can do is begin implementing a practice known as Reality Checking. You can easily come up with one of your own, but the most common are trying to breathe through your nose, put a finger through your hand, check text, etc. (You can read more about reality checking here.) My favorite is to try to read something, although that has backfired on me on occasion. So it can be useful to have a backup method. This month’s #MagickMondays posts will be looking at Lucid Dreaming (obviously), and we will be covering several of the most popular methods used for Lucid Dreaming, as well as a review of Stephen LaBerge’s book. Some Resources that may interest you on lucid dreaming: Exploring Lucid Dreaming by Stephen LaBerge Lucid Dreaming Wiki Book A Kabbalistic Guide Lucidipedia Lucid Dreaming FAQ Mastering the Art of Lucid Dreaming series LD4All Guide Reddit’s Lucid Dreaming FAQ As many of you will remember, a few weeks ago I held an event called Glamourbomb Denver! While there wasn’t a huge turnout, work was done, and an Ellisian Generator was established in downtown denver. Five parks were marked with miniature shrines and ritual trappings, done together with a team of five individuals. We started our journey at Denver’s Civic Center Park, which also because the central point of our generator and the first shrine. This location was dedicated to Ellis. The next location was dedicated to Ino. Then Zalty. Trigag. Doombringer. I’m not sure why most of these pictures are sideways…. I tried several times to fix them, but wordpress keeps flipping them. Glamourbombing So I was totally going to write about alternative forms of diviniation this month, but it just isn’t working for me. So instead, I present to you, what I have been working on for over two months. Seriously. I scoured the internet from way way back archives to the present and read every. single. mention of a glamour bomb or glamourbombing. I know I already mentioned in the newsletter that I was writing a zine, but seriously. I am desigining a zine called The Glamourbombing Manual. I intend to do a limited edition, hand-bound series that comes complete with wicked amounts of swag. Sorry, I need to get back on topic, but I am seriously excited about this! S o a brief overview for those of you who are not familiar: A glamourbomb is a form of artistic statement that involves acts of random magick. They are intended to temporarily “lift the veil.” Long story short (you can read the longer version here), the otherkin coined the idea, and then the DKMU ran with it in a form (glitterbomb), and then it was announced dead (hereeeee). But needless to say, I don’t care. And I’m gonna do what I want. And ya know, I wanna do some glamourbombing. I moved across the country, I have never lived far away from a lake, and now I dunno where one is even, and I live in a big city. And sorry for that sentence. Ok, but we need to revive this thing. It isn’t dead, just like Surge isn’t dead any more, and books aren’t dead at all, and landlines still exist. So foo on you, antique stores, rotary telephones are still a real thing. Glamourbombing is a beautiful, amazing thing that inspires the soul and lifts the spirts of everyone who comes in contact with them if they are done right. So we should be bringing this back. It is magic at it’s purest and most spontaneous form. You get to walk around, find the perfect spot, and leave a mark on the world around you in some way. The first glamour bomb listed in The Glamourbombing Manual is the classic container idea. You find it everywhere, in every form, and used in every way imaginable. Glamourbomb #1: Fill any kind of container (easter egg, vials, treasure chests, origami paper boxes, gift bags, amulet sacks, mojo bags, vending machine prize containers, and so on) with any of the following: -glitter -bells -feathers -confetti -gemstones -sigils -seaglass -shells -tiny notes Add a tiny tag that says “open me” or “open in case of fabulous” Leave your beauty somewhere special that someone can find it. <3 For more information on glamourbombing, please check out WildMuse’s F.A.Q. This page was created to provide further information about glamour bombs in support of the Glamourbombing community on Livejournal. The views expressed here are entirely those of the creators of this page. Frequently Asked Questions Linked questions take you to a new page 001 What is the objective of glamourbombing? 002 What is a glamour bomb not? 003 How did glamour bombing originate? 004 How does glamour bombing relate to paganism? 004.b How does glamour bombing relate to animism? 005 How does glamour bombing relate to the otherkin? 006 Isn't glamour bombing about "freaking the mundanes" or pretending to be a fairy? 007 Is glamour bombing subversive? 007.b Is glamour bombing a kind of terrorism? 008 Are there precedents to glamour bombing? 009 What are some examples of glamour bombs? ConVocation notes 2012 Con was filled with so many great classes it was hard to pick which ones to go to. I was asked quite a few times if I would be sharing my notes once again this year, and of course I am. ~American Witchcraft and Folk Magic (Elige)~ – granny witchery- driven by women while pow- wow is driven by men – American witchcraft is often a melting pot that has strengths an weaknesses – it has 2 main categories: pagan and folkloric – folk magic tends to be more practical, it often originates in poverty stricken areas out of need – oil lamps are used in granny magic more then candles – pow-wows never accept payment and are often german – pow-wow goes with Christianity but they don’t like Catholicism while hoodoo workers often work with Catholicism – pow-wow focuses on healing through prayer, anointing, and washing – granny witchery is very eclectic and practical and uses a great deal of folk tales (such as Johnny Appleseed), often with a medical component and sometimes a restriction placed through divination – bread board divination- uses a knife with a wooden handle and a board with 6-8 symbols; knife is spun around on the board until it stops – granny magic has an emphasis on gender- passed down mother to daughter or father to son while pow-wow magic is regional and passed on man to woman similarly to hoodoo and is more work to learn and often had a major component of sexual advances – pow-wow workers believe men cannot be present for the birth of a child or they will lose their powers yet are very family oriented – they also place emphasis on the 7th child of the 7th child – gypsy magic emphasizes Catholicism components and black sand – European magic tends to focus on protection while american is more explorative – Victor and Cora Anderson were the keepers of the Feri tradition wrote book called 50 years of Feri tradition – Feri has more emphasis on individual versus ritual – main tool is iron pentacle and the 5 points represent major components of the tradition – 17:14 tradition- Robert Cochrin and Joe Wilson had an emphasis on hidden knowledge and the numerical representation of the goddess – ancient keltic church- church of witchcraft – lucumi/Santeria has roots in voodun – shamanic and hedge witchery are a huge influence in American witchcraft – Laurie Cabott – American magic is passionate and has an emphasis on feminism, empowerment and the arts/ expression ~shape shifting 101 (Andrieh Vitimus)~ – physical shapeshifting takes years and years and is very rare/difficult – shapeshifting was primarily astral based- may have spirit-possessed an animal from the astral – it takes years to do physically because of the resistance of the self – there are 3 shifts needed: 1. Mental shift 2. Energy or auric shift 3. Astral shift (most difficult) – you can shapeshift into different personas if you can mental shift/ believe it – shapeshifting is done by amplifying a portion of the self- there are no real limits to the self except your own – has no sense of “other” like during invocation; you have personal responsibility – you can shift into something bigger and badder than bad spirits but must accept that responsibility – can be used as an excellent tool but you must know yourself and your limitations – there are 4 states of shapeshifting: 1. Mental/aspecting 2. Energy/auric (glamour magic) 3. Astral (must get there and see it- change what is you) 4. Physical (eye and face are most common) – usually takes 2-3 hours of prep ritual work for minor changes in the physical – NLP often works through mental/energy change – part of the problemis knowing where you are going and doing, and breaking it down, taking notes, and checking with divination – don’t let your shapes confine you, you made it and can make another – always frame things in the positive for your subconscious – if you feel restricted, be wary – can use your notes and journals as “save points” for analysis To trick your mind negatively takes discipline – exercise by Bandler- “circle of excellence” plus deep breathing ~Digging in the Dirt (Auntie Dame)~ – hoodoo is about your relationship with your life – Jim Hanson’s Hoodoo and Voodoo – eastern traditions- STFU and sit, western traditions- open hole, invite demons in – hoodoo is a magical tradition, voodoo is a religion – doctrine of signatures- a thing that looks like another thing or is similar can be used as a substitution – the ground our ancestors lay in is a part of them – Dorthy Morrison – how to pay a graveyard toll: ask for entry pay with pennies and dimes then wait for an answer – use dirt to slow things down or to fix something – the dirt of our ancestors is the most important – dirt is used for love, protection, fidelity, and laying a trick (like a booby trap) – hoodoo is used for protection, fidelity, and family – red brick dust- use it to mark a spot, make neighbors move, house hunting, and events where you need to change the outcome – use dirt from police dept or a safe place or your home – collect pieces of people to have power over them- foot tracks, signatures, hair, skin, nail clippings, blood, spit, sweat, semen, urine, and feces – we are part of the dirt – mojo bags are like walking altars- always use things in odd numbers – magic is about getting it done inside – 1. Collect the dirt and pay the toll 2. Labeling: who, where, and when 3. How did you get it: ask permission? Intent? Purpose? – **hoodoo basics- Jackie smith** – magic you’re not focused on dies – hot foot: black salt, red and black pepper – move away cookies: chocolate chip cookies with red pepper – sever ties mojo bag: tiny scissors, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg – dressing lights is candle work – ancestor altar: feed it water, booze, food, spirit money (must be burned) and is on the floor normally – rosemary bushes as a ward by your door – gossip cure: write the person’s name on cow tongue then nail the top to a board and twist it lots then nail bottom and freeze – stacking works – cop repellant: law books, cop uniform – backyard graveyard: ancestor dirt is set aside outdoors similar to a garden or shrine – all-purpose dirt: use burnt incense ash, and burnt offerings and store in a jar – crossroads magic: can be done anywhere two roads meet, but long roads are best. Any working will be answered- either by Legba or the archangel st. Michael. Make a payment of alcohol, tobacco, or candy- use at least a whole bottle and only share if he asks. To get rid of things: tie up the person’s things in black cloth and string and do not return for 7 days. – keep dirt in jars or tins ~Wild Ride: Aspecting and Possessory Work (Elige)~ – the goal is to know who you are calling in – Trance work: An altered state of consciousness, such as meditation – Possession: An external consciousness is controlling – Obsession: A relationship with a spirit that is unhealthy and often ego involved – Channeling: When spirits intentionally speak through you to someone else – Mediumship: Any communication with spirits – Invocation: Calling spirits in – Evocation: Bringing spirits out – trance work is the basis of all spirit work; you need to be able to control your mind and to be able to shift at will – meditation is a key component. It has 2 main types, passive and active. Passive is more essential as it offers time for reflection and knowing thyself – 4 levels of spirit work- 1. Overshadowing/presence 2. Inspiration: information starts coming 3. Prophetic trance 4. Possession – rarely can retain info in prophetic trance because it is similar to the dream phase – rule of thumb: treat spirits like you would sexual partners. Have a courtship period- devotionals are a good place to start- and always use protection. – always have a sitter to watch and tell you what happened – clean yourself before you do work – set the mood and energy – always follow the deity’s instructions but make sure to ask why and be sure they’re reasonable – afterwards you may need decompression time – be sure to find your god spark, or your own divinity – kissing the limits by thornwild – possessory techniques tend to be ritual based ~Measure for Measure (Auntie Dame)~ – in hoodoo, sex magic is about fidelity – underwear soup: boil their underwear, pull it out & use it in another soup. Feed them the soup to control them. – Money magic: use a green penis candle & anoint with oil and sexual fluids – sex was used for enlightenment. It was a way to see god’s face- oracles – sex magic is very binding- make sure you love them – fetishes need to be highly detailed – to take a man’s measure: using a piece of embroidery thread measure from shaft/ scrotum to the tip. Cut thread to size and tie knots in 3s- 1, 3, 5, or 7. For a woman, use a thread tied to the top of a dildo and do likewise. – controlling someone: having the fluids of someone else in your bag – having your own fluids is empowerment – ingredients for mojo bags ( walking altar <;3): Cowry shells: money, eyes, vagina Red: love, lust Red pepper: hotter sex Saffron: better sex ground ginger, cinnamon: spicy Seahorses: pregnancy ~shape shifting 101 (Andrieh Vitimus)~ – it is possible to physically shape shift with repetition and acceptance – the goal is to be able to shapeshift when you need it – some animals are very foreign to our minds – its important to notice and augment subtle differences, and having a list of attributes for shape shifting helps so you can roll back changes – use the circle of excellence exercise to focus on a time of optimal health for healing – **magic is incremental; it takes time to improve** – try visualizing healing for 30 minutes for 30 days – always banish – be aware of yourself and your life’s needs – expand work while maintaining control – you must be willing to accept the knowledge that any shape taken is inside of us – Use incremental changes, build in safeties, and keep a record ~ Hardcore Herbalism~ Http://dl.dropbox.com/u/42511867/hardcore%20herbalism.pptx Convocation 2011 notes Psychic Defense – Energy- the subtle matter that carries potential for action – we work with “life energy” like strong emotions (which can affect our physical state. This is Chi – Grounding- done through feet and hands- can air or earth ground by moving energy up or down – Shield- envision plastic soap bubble around yourself. Begin with a small ball. Give it a color and program it too. Refocus and fill to make it lastpoke it to reinforce the idea controlled by belief. Diff textures equal people staying away. Can be applied to a home. Use a brick and mortar shield for solidness. – Energy moves down and pools – Cleanse a room by imagining a large wind blowing all the energy out of the room – Shield a room by turning the room into a bubble – Put a personal shield in an item- the item becomes a touch stone. Create a small shield/spell around the item When you begin to feel stressed, etc. touch item to extend shield. Best objects are natural materials like metal, wood, stone. Can be imprinted with self, emotion, memory. – mentally remove energy- deal with the issue that put it up. The story of your life – “What dreams may come” movie to watch – Stories motivate us to do things – Take your stories and make them better- decide and then your actions will follow suit (the facts don’t matter). Change your expectations – Obstacles can have spiritual meaning if you just change the story – Stories have structure and conditions while dreams are the end goal. You need to write a story to get to the dream -NLP and Hypnosis may help this – The holy guardian angel is itself a story- a divine myth of the self – Give yourself permission to achieve your dreams – The most important magic is the one using the symbol set that is more important than plastic reality- use these to create a self- narrative. Reality can *change* for you. – Reality can break when the story is more compelling (like ghosts). You must be a solid believer. – “Meta-narrative” similar to an individual matrix- they all bend against each other. Don’t concrete things! – To be possessed one must *know* oneself is *not* oneself. Analyze the components of the story – Is the end result powerful enough to move you forward?? What is the obstacle? ** Don’t let assholes rent space in your head. Don’t let them affect you. – Make a bridge between stories- tell them what they want to hear even if you don’t believe. ***Daily Discipline*** – All thoughts, actions, and magic must be congruent with the story – Start at the end and work backwards- LOOK OUT FOR PLOT HOLES – Focus your magic on self change – The “great work” is SELF work. <3 – How do your dreams/work affect those around you?? All stories connect. And last but not least, do 1 thing differently daily.. =) An Introduction to the Narrative Hypersigil 1 10 Jul, 2012 in Uncategorized tagged Hypersigil / Magick / occult by Kiki Wanderer This is Part 1 of 2. Part 2 is a working example of a hypersigil, posted here. There’s talk here and there about hypersigils; the most famous being “The Invisibles” by Grant Morrison. It’s rumored he coined the phrase through his article “Pop Magick[1].” Despite this, there is a lot of confusion about what a hypersigil really is, and how the normal, everyday, aspiring magician can implement one. This- the application of magic to literature- is something I’ve attempted on and off since before I called myself an occultist, with some success and failure. The written word has so much raw power, and there must be a way to implement that power beyond the basics of black print on a white page. A hypersigil, according to the dictionary, is “a creative work that via the medium of its artificial universe changes its creator, its observers, the real world, or other things[2].” For our purposes, it is essentially a form of narrative magic that impacts both its creator and its audience. It can take the form of a poem, song, story, comic, or pretty much anything else. It works because “the hypersigil functions as a two-way axis, images and symbols of desire being fed into the subconscious and received from the depths of flashes of insight and inspiration. [It] is meant to be dwelled upon as an ongoing creation ritual of daydream[3].” Pretty much, what that means, is that it works through obsession, as opposed to the classic method for sigils of forgetting. If you look around, hypersigils have been unwittingly released throughout popular culture. These are manifest in every field, but the ones I am going to highlight are art, comics, poetry, narratives, music, and movies. One example of art that is a form of hypersigil is the work of Joe Coleman, an artist who knowingly creates works of magic. He himself states that “exorcism, alchemy, mysticism, all of these things exist in my work, but only in the most practical and instinctual sense of a very personal need[4].” An artist who works in a similar manner by distorting reality for the common individual is Bansky. His works of graffiti almost always have political or societal messages to them, causing people to think. Likewise, the most famous form of known hypersigil is the comic series “The Invisibles” by Grant Morrison. It’s been said that the main character in the series, King Mob, is loosely based upon the author, who experienced many of the same things in his life after having written them in the comic[5]. “The Sandman” by Neil Gaiman has too many occult and esoteric references that are correct for it to be anything but a hypersigil[6]. The demons, gods/desses and symbols are all legitimate. Poetry and narratives are often quick and convenient formats for a hypersigil. The “Jabborwocky” has to be one of the best examples of a hypersigil poem. Not only is it well known, but it has changed the world as we know it through its nonsense wording and its dreamlike guise that has left readers fascinated. William Butler Yeats is perhaps one of the most famous authors out there, and was a member of the Golden Dawn Society[7]. As one looks through his works, one can see a number of mythological references, as well as a good deal of spiritual ones. An example of a narrative is Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery.” When it was first published it was met with public outrage and hundreds of hate letters poured in[8]. Another is the Cthulu Mythos, whose affect can be seen through a number of other areas[9]. Perhaps the most well known Cthulu work is the “Necronomicon,” which has been referenced in television, movies, and stories as an ancient book of evil. Music and movies are becoming more and more frequently a form of narrative, as well as a field with large impact on our nation. Morbid Angel is an excellent example of this and is a band who uses the occult in their music[10]. Their use of satanic imagery, sumerian gods, and the occult have brought them to the top of the heavy metal scene. Another less conventional example is Elvis Presley. Elvis became an international hit and revolutionized the music industry[11]. In the field of movies, what movie series could be bigger than that of Star Wars? Rare is the individual who does not at least know of the series inspired by Joseph Campbell’s book “The hero with a thousand faces.” The heros of the series have captivated peoples’ hearts, providing a new form of mythos for them to identify with. Likewise, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a well-known cult classic and has the longest running release in film history[12]. Even today you can go to any large city and see a midnight showing of TRHPS and watch the colorful people come out with their movie-going props. I hope by now you have an idea of the different forms that a hypersigil can take. To begin forming a hypersigil you need to do what you do for any other formal magical endeavor- get into a trance state however you wish. I find for writing that music in the right mood, some incense, smokes and alcohol work great (I’m sure pot would work for this as well). In my casewhen writing- this generally follows the form of playing certain playlists on my itunes that have songs that correlate. If I’m really feeling it, I’ll even get on my youtube and grab a playlist that works off of there so I have the visuals pumping in the background as well. So once you’re feeling it, the next step is to plan out your intent. The most common way of doing this is to come up with a list of desires you’re looking to achieve, and checking that they are things that have strong emotional attachment to you, or that are things you can easily obsess over. I usually form mine in a disorderly bubble map because that’s what works- I want to emphasize this- do what works for you. I am going to be playing with a motif that is near and dear to me and that appears in a large majority of my work- the sparrow. The desires I have listed are freedom, adventure, companionship, and new experiences. I am going a bit free-form on this one since I find that works the best for me when the muse takes over. The next step is to actually write this narrative up, making sure that you incorporate sense and feelings. Realize now that your hypersigil will probably reveal a large part of your soul to paper; the things that you are afraid to tell and show others is what are going to come out, whether you like it or not. It’s unavoidable and will reveal more of yourself than you have ever wanted to reveal. I’ve always felt that this is why the works of many of the “greats” weren’t really published until after their deathsEmily Dickinson comes to mind as an example. The hypersigil I’ve chosen to written for this article is titled “The Sparrow and the Magician.” After you’ve had the pleasure of losing a number of hours in your trance and writing, regroup! Put it away if you need to. Then reread what you’ve written. Edit it where needed and add the nice little finalizing touches that it may need. Make sure your intent is clear in the piece, and if it need clarification, supply it. At this point, if you want to do a form of ritual, feel free to. Sometimes a piece needs that extra little bit of oomph- especially if it’s written with a more occult feel to it (like a narrative written about a ritual’s success). I’d recommend charging it with an intense emotion similar to the goals and desires you’ve chosen. Now that you have your amazing, super awesome, powerful hypersigil all ready to go, it’s time to think about what you’re going to do with it. There’s always the option of publishing it. You can post it up on scribd, lulu, torrent it, or submit it to an ezine like The Infinity Network’s. Or you can spam it everywhere by posting it on forums, facebook, twitter, and your blog. And then there’s always the option of burning it, which I find works really well for negative narratives. It tends to clear the air and block off that path, giving you more potential paths for your life or for the situation you find yourself in. I’m sure you guys can think of a multitude of other things that can be done with this. Hypersigils can be a lot of fun to play with. There’s a lot of different pointof-views on them, and they come in many, many, many forms as well, making them malleable for the aspiring magician to play with. I feel that it is a different process overall for each magician and certainly is one that needs to be fine-tuned by the individual. [1] Morrison http://www.scribd.com/doc/24506/Pop-Magic-by-Grant- [2] http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/hypersigil/ [3] http://beautifulpyre.typepad.com/beautifulpyre/2010/02/golde n-fiction.html [4] http://books.google.com/books? id=W6IycFk3VZ0C&lpg=PA361&ots=QkFhKgLsgB&dq=joe%20coleman %20occult&pg=PA49#v=onepage&q=joe%20coleman%20occult&f=false [5] http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Grant+Morrison/ [6] http://www.dccomics.com/media/excerpts/1696_1.pdf [7] http://www.magickalmind.com/dorian/Yeats.html [8] Jackson http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/298866/Shirley- [9] http://necronomicon.net/ [10] http://www.morbidangel.com/biography.html [11] http://www.elvis.com/about-the-king/biography_.aspx [12] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rocky_Horror_Picture_Show I’ve been compiling a list of links on hedge witchery and traditional witchcraft for some time now. lots of thoughts from the pagan community on what exactly hedgewitchery is a traditional ritual Cyndi from OC’s blog The witch bottles are the best thing on this grimoire an author, Sally Morning Star author Rae Beth an interesting article on the usage of nails travel spirit trap kit– I think this has some merit for potential usefulness this site has a lot of information on herbs and their magical uses, as well as planetary correspondences and growing information an interesting blog tips on making offerings money mojo bag making herbal listings and recipes ancient texts library Ms. Graveyarddirt a deep woods tea party witch of forest grove blue druid traditional witchcraft the ancient practice of reddening the bones pagan prayer beads an introduction to necromancy and what it really is in practice shamanism and spirits shamanism initiation stang– what is it and how to use it pagan holy water witch’s reading list– lots of different traditions listed here interesting information on circle casting and its connection to the world tree Walking the worlds shapeshifting– what it really is animal familiars and what they are ancestoral work flying ointments– advice, prep, and recipes podcasts a great article on bones and their uses magically cleaning house flordia water recipes the seer’s reading list– on seeing and communing with spirits vessels bone flute making another bone witch an ancient herb grimoire an herbal salve that gives pep consecrating runes preserving dead things a charm for traveling mushroom picking guide 1 mushroom picking guide 2 fossil angels by alan moore drying herbs identifying mugwort black salt for protection the care of mojo bags four-thieves-vinegar/ 4 thieves vinegar- what is it, how to make it (recipe!) and how to use it ancestor work candle working another kind of black salt a resource for ancestor work or for any grave work holy oil– offers a variety of ways to create/extract oil as well lamp magic angels charge over thee protection oil an oil to help with gaining power working with the dead mysticism and its prices mumming how to make your own smudge sticks drying herbs one witch’s personal divination system using bones stones and misc items a touching post on spiritwork and offering a good article on some deep thoughts relating to spiritwork, shamanism, and general callings etheogens article hearing the gods novena, what it is and what to do research tips and places to look tips on creating your own collection diviniation Witchcraft resources an interesting article on pathwalking/horsing in the spiritual community hedgecrossing ritual some thoughts on hedgewitchery the dictionary of old english plant names– for all your grimoire needs! getting to know land spirits Entheologic incense recipes Ozark Folk Magick Glossery The Prosperity Web 3 11 Aug, 2014 in MagickMondays tagged INFN / Magick / MagickMondays / Prosperity by Kiki Wanderer The Prosperity Web was created in 2010 by the infinity network , or INFN. It sought to create a web of energy specifically geared to encourage and increase prosperity for its users. A message was spread throughout the realm of the internet by members of INFN, and an opening ceremony was held on December 21st. Participants from all over the world donated energy to the sigil in a variety of workings, and the sigil was a success. I chose to spread LS further as a way to give back. O ver time, many continued to work with the sigil, reporting steady results. It’s been used for everything from getting a bonus to improving the luck of magi on the road. The versatility of the sigil has been amazing, and it has been used in just about every way imaginable. Despite its success, it has gained very little internet fame, and that should change. Back in 2012, I worked with the web in a different capacity, making tokens out of metallic clay. These charms were created out of sculpty and then baked in the oven. After cooling, I inscribed the sigil with a sharpie used only for magickal purposes. They were charged over the final days of the winter holiday (nothing like the power of consumerism at christmas), and were a part of a ritual working as well, before being sent out to magicians across the world. Their success was almost immediate, and many of their recipients sent back stories of how their luck had changed. The Prosperity Web can work for you too. All you have to do is give it a task. If you are interested in the associations and the original post, you can find it here. Don’t forget to check out Mad Queen’s post as well. Prosperity to thee and me and the web! Post last edited Jun 23rd 2011 Dream no small dreams, for they have no power to move the hearts of men. -Goethe http://www.spruz.com/ This is part 2 of an article on hypersigils, here. This story is meant to be a working example of a hypersigil. She ran down the dirt path with joy in her heart and fear in her step. Sparrow knew he would be coming for her; he always did. The wind streamed past her face, whipping her dull blue hair straight out from her head as she panted heavily. The ground smelled fresh and firm beneath her feet; the rain had begun to dry but it was still muddy and she relished the sensation of it coating her toes. All too soon she heard the oh-sofamiliar sounds of the thick boots crunching the mud into dust behind her, and tears began to fall down her face as she knew she was going to lose this battle once more. No matter how she evaded him, he always caught her. Even if she went to the ends of the earth he would be there, like the ring around her finger that bound her to him. She was his property and he was her cruel and ruthless master. She stopped short as he appeared before her on the path. “Where do you think you’re going, Sparrow?” he asked her as he grabbed her wrist. She defiantly stared back into his eyes, refusing to answer. Her silence always angered him; her soul being the only thing he couldn’t break. He shook his head sadly and began to pull her along. “This is why I can’t let you out of your cage. I’m gone for an hour and look at you. You have mud on your feet and your dress is torn. You know what this means.” She stared back behind them, longing for the seclusion of the now empty path. The trees shivered in the wind, a premonition of the evening before her. They returned to the traveling wagon and he shoved her inside, snapping his fingers and catching her in his hands as she changed into a small blue sparrow. “There, there now.” he soothingly said as he opened the door of a small wire cage that was placed beside a window. She struggled in his grasp to no avail. He pushed her in unceremoniously and she huddled on the floor of the cage, looking out the window longingly already. “You could be out there- if you’d quit running away,” he told her before shutting the heavy wooden door and beginning the journey. In five years she had never once been able to hide from him. She had been told not to fall in love with magicians; they were the worst kind of people in Oshara, but she had anyway. He had charmed her with his tricks and his knowledge. He offered her the world- adventure, travel, companionship- but it had all been a lie. It had been a trap, and she had walked right into it. She had been just another girl looking for more than the life of a small town storyteller. She wanted to live stories and create her own tales of wonder and amazement for the next generation. Even now she could still remember how it was before- the promises, the places he would take her, the beautiful things he would bring her from his travels. But all of that went away once they had eloped. He took what he had wanted from her and then he had gotten bored. But for some reason he kept her around. She wasn’t dense enough to not realize that she must not have been his first woman, maybe not even his first wife. And she certainly hadn’t been the last- a sharp pain in her breast that reminded her at least daily of his infidelity. That was when the world had been pulled out from under her feet and the blinders had been torn off her eyes. As she stood there, looking down at them sleeping together, she had realized in that instant that everything had been an elaborate fabrication to bind her to him like a medal slung around his neck. And that was when she had begun to run. She shifted on the cold brass floor and mulled over the state of affairs her life had become. This small cage was the extent of her reach on a regular basis; he had told her that for her protection he needed to cage her. “The world is too harsh for you, my love.” he had told her the first time she had run away while cupping her chin in his hand. He pulled slightly on it to make her look into his eyes as he added “I am doing this for your own good.” From behind the wagon he had pulled out the brass cage that they had picked out a few weeks before. She had asked him for a small bird from the open air market that day, pointing out that the companionship would soothe her loneliness on the days when he had to be out performing magical acts for those far away. He had bought it with a twinkle in his eye and kiss on his lips for her cheek. She looked up at him now with a quizzical look in her eye and was confused when he set it beside her and began to bind her arms with rope. As she struggled he backhanded her roughly, a grim expression on his face. Her heart had shattered even further as she laid in the circle he created, her physical form passing in and out of consciousness while he intoned in his magical language over her. He paused momentarily while she was conscious, placing a single sparrow’s feather on her breast gently, almost lovingly, and brushed the hair back from her face. He kissed her forehead and stood, continuing his spell and anchoring it. As he stood there, tall, grim, and menacing, she saw a look of reluctance pass through his eyes before he snapped his fingers. Suddenly the world around her became much larger; the ropes binding her lay around her as she tried to reach out but found she couldn’t. He had quickly captured her and placed her gingerly into the cage, holding it near his face. “I’m sorry.” On that day her feathers had been bright blue like the sky, and her song had eventually chirruped from her throat despite her sadness. But over time he had killed even the song of her soul; his grasp had tightened like the icy cold death of winter. And eventually she had begun to feel nothing. He would change her back to her human self and she would sit beside him on the bench of the wagon and watch the world pass by, silent. It wasn’t that she couldn’t talk; it was that she didn’t want to. All of the hurt welled within her, caging her soul in a way that he had never intended. He tried desperately to fix her; even going so far as to buy her things once more and to show her beautiful things again. But no matter what he did it made no difference. All of the good in life had been taken away and all that was left was a black and white copy of a vibrant and beautiful woman. Her skin paled to a sickly shade of white and her locks of bright blue dulled. After a while it had visibly begun to hurt him to see her that way, and that was when he began to keep her in her sparrow form more than her original form once more. She was easier to ignore in her silent smaller shape, and she was thankful for the distance between them. Pressing closer to the wall of her cage she sadly chirped as a tear fell. She still loved him. Despite everything, she loved him. The days where he caught her after she ran were always the loneliest. He would capture her again and then he would be silent and withdrawn at the time where she was most vulnerable to him. If only he would reach out to her… The world was so big and frightening. She had always wanted to see it with him, safe within the confines of his strong arms. The journey was only special if she had someone to share it with; it wasn’t an adventure alone. The door slid open, drawing her attention. He stepped in, cautiously. Pausing, he hesitantly opened the cage door and held out a hand. She stepped forward, equally cautious and on the defense, unsure of what he was going to do next. He turned and slowly walked out of the traveling wagon, placing her on the grassy slope beside it. He softly snapped his fingers, watching her transform into the pale shadow of herself that currently inhabited her slender frame. She looked at him from under her long unkempt tresses with empty pain in her eyes. “You’re free.” he simply said, turning and sitting on the stoop of the wagon. He watched her, expecting her to take off running like she had every other time he had left her unattended for more than a few moments. She merely stood there, looking at him, unsure. He stood, steeling himself. “I said, you’re free. I can’t take how you look at me anymore! You’re miserable. And it makes me miserable.” He strode across the short space between them and roughly grabbed her hand, beginning to slide the ring from her delicate finger. She pulled her hand back, and looked up into his face, anguish in her eyes as tears poured down her cheeks. In a rusty, unused voice she softly whispered “Why? Why can’t you love me? All I wanted… was to be your world.” He laughed for a moment and then slid his rough, work-stained hand along the curve of her smooth neck. “You are my world. When you’re silent, it’s like the moon is hiding and I am left floundering in the dark, hopelessly trying to find my way back to you.” She smiled slightly and he gently kissed the pale soft lips he had missed so much. She gasped at the passion and pressed closer as a new adventure presented itself Methods of Meditation 15 Sep, 2014 in MagickMondays tagged A.A.O. / Magick / MagickMondays / meditation / occult by Kiki Wanderer S o there are tons of different methods you can use to meditate. Seriously. Makes sense though, since it’s a phenomenon that extends beyond the limits of culture and religion. Most people will remember meditation as the process of sitting absolutely still while trying to think of nothing on purpose. And that’s what it is, but not really. The beautiful thing about meditation is that there are so many different variations of technique. It allows anyone to utilize it as a skill, as long as that individual is able to discover a technique that works well for them. For some this means motion; hooping, dancing, spinning wool, etc. Others employ a method that utilizes sound or vibration, such as drumming, clapping, or chanting. I’m sure you can come up with others on your own. The practice of meditation is pretty helpful as well if you are interested in building a solid foundation for your practice. Over the years I have heard famous and unknown magicians talk about their many differing practices with the occult and religious fields, and the main thing that you hear over and over again is the ideal of discipline. Without discipline in your life your magick/faith/belief/religion/spiritual being will never be the way it could be. And meditation is a great step towards that discipline in your life. Ten minutes in the morning and ten minutes at night will change you. Yeah, it sucks to get it going, and it’s *so* stupidly easy to forget, but it is seriously life changing. Once you’re able to do it, the door is flung wide open to do other things, like lucid dreaming, and astral projection, or Out of Body Experiences. You’ll have the tools to meet with the inner version of yourself, or to hear the voice of god if that’s what you’re looking for. And those types of encounters are what changes the soul. Not only that, but meditation has a lot of applications for ritual purposes as well. Not only can ritual consist entirely of meditation, such as in a guided meditation used to meet the Holy Guardian Angel, or HGA, but it can also merely have an element of meditation, such as when Andrieh Vitimus‘ waterfall banishing is utilized at the end of a ritual. It also can be the opening for an out-of-body experience, or just have aspects of it incorporated in a ritual. Meditation also shares a lot of common elements to things used in ritual, such as visualization, trance stages, and mental control. It’s generally pretty hard to build up a solid LBRP without ever practicing first the ability to visualize a shape in the mind- which most likely will be practiced during meditation. There are a lot of tricks that you can do to prepare yourself for meditation. The most effective tricks involve manipulating the mind through the reinforcement of environmental triggers. By burning the same incense or candles, and playing the same music you can set and reinforce a mental trigger that those scents or sounds in particular mean it is time to meditate. This small act can be incredibly useful for those who have difficulty “getting into the mood,” or establishing habits because it is a mental cue that is acknowledged on a physical level that can set the tone for periods of meditation. Likewise, practicing in the same place at the same time everyday can really help establish it as a habit and an integral part to your daily routine. The 5 most common beginner meditation techniques (in no particular order) are: 1. Chanting. Many prefer to use “OM,” as it is a sacred sound in a wide range of religions and traditions. 2. Concentration. Concentrating on a singular point, shape, item, or the flame of a candle. 3. Walking. You can either focus on the physical act of walking, or wander aimlessly, focusing on whatever snatches of thought pass by until there are none. 4. Breathing. There are lots of breathing techniques you can use, such as holding a breath to a specific count and so on. 5. Guided. Guided meditations usually are in the form of audio or video clips that you can listen to while practicing. And before I go, I want to share one of my favorite techniques. It’s technically a ritual, but I find it hits all of the elements that I want for a quick meditation a lot of the time. It’s called the Solar Grounding Ritual, and I was introduced to it by one of the awesome hosts of Occult Corpus. Hope to see you all next week!