Hekatean Protective Amulet

I don’t know why, but I’ve been feeling a serious need for protection as of late. I figure, if I’m feeling it, I probably need it and should just go with it. Now in Saint Cyprian: Saint of Necromancers by ConjureMan Ali (wonderful book by the way!), he gives instructions for an Amparo with St.Cyprian. Unfortunately, although I’ve tried I just can’t seem to connect with St.Cyprian. I admitted defeat this weekend when I took down my shrine for him and gave an offering one last time in parting. It’s just not to be, or at least not right now.

I still really like the idea of a pact with a spirit though to keep one safe and watch ones back. Since my own patron, Hekate, is known for being apotropaic, I figured I’d turn there. Again, like the Favor of Kings working I wanted something physical. I find that I tend to get better results these days from grounding my magic in the physical. I guess everyone works different. I know people who can just ask spirits stuff and it lasts for ever, but for long term stuff I personally enjoy talismans, boxes, and stuff of that sort. It’s just my own personal magic style I guess (your mileage may vary).

Also, in Jason Millers Protection and Reversal Magic book he gives a symbol he calls “The Wheel of Hekate” and invocation for empowering it. He also gives a rite called The Sphere of Hekas, which I’ve used for years now and have built a relationship with the spirits in the rite, Abaek, Pyrhum, Ermiti, and Dimughali. I wanted to include all of this. I recently used this symbol to create about 8 of them at once, and placed them all over my altar, the entrances to the house, under my kids bed, at work, inscribed on my necklace. For some reason I just really felt the need this last dark moon to fortify my kingdom. I’ll be following this us up with some Kammael work later this month.

Beyond this, protecting the physical areas I wanted something to protect me personally, really beef up the defenses of my sphere. So I made my own version of the Amparo. I don’t call it an Amparo because I’m not familiar enough with the cultural term to use it outside of the culture it originates in, so I made my own “Hekatean Protective Amulet” based loosely on the concept.

So first off I purchased two Hekate Prayer cards from The Voodoo Store. I also cut out a picture of myself and on the back of this wrote my signature and smeared my own blood over it. On the back of the prayer cards (using a magic marker.. giving new meaning to the words), I drew out Mr.Millers Wheel of Hekate, along with the names of the 4 spirits Abaek, Pyrhum, Ermiti, and Dimughali. (I’ve been working with them on my own for years. Jason has hinted there is much more S.S. Lore on them in his personal practice that I’d give my right arm to learn about!). Anyway…

Then on the dark moon, I performed the sphere of Hekas,  invoked Hekate, gave her traditional offerings (Cakes, garlic, honey, eggs), and empowered the two Hekates Wheels on each prayer card. I then presented each card to the spirits whose names where written on it, and offered them each a candle slathered with Blood Sacrifice Oil with their name inscribed on it, and asked them to lend their aid to the cause.

Then I sandwiched the picture of me in between the two cards, bound it up with a cord, and set a candle that had been inscribed with Ἑκάτη nine times and anointed with a combination of Hekate and Protection oil on top of it. This I prayed over to for Hekate to lend her aid and protection on it, and finished up with one malas worth of chanting. I then left the offerings and candles to burn down and the next morning placed the empowered charm under Hekate’s statue to watch over. I suppose you could carry it with you, but it felt more appropriate to have it sit under Hekate on my own empowered altar space. I do feel a difference since I’ve done this, a much more secure feeling. Protection magic is something I’ve slacked on in the past, and kind of got bitten in the rear with because of that. Just thought it was time to remedy that.

Hekate Prayer Cards

Prayer cards: Back with names and wheel

Offerings

finished

Altar Show and Tell

  So I’ve been re-arranging my altars a bit recently trying to find a configuration that works for me. I’ve pretty much settled on the follow for my full altar set up. I found this set of tables at an amazing price at the local antique store. I was going got leave and think about them, but I physically could not leave until they were mine! I also found an assortment of other items there, such as the antlers, incense burner, and various other stuff (which resulted in the shop owner questioning me on why I needed all these items. I half considered rolling up my sleeve to show my rather large Horned God tattoo and telling them that I’m a sorcerer, that’s why, but I refrained).

Anyway, this provoked a full on altar rearrangement! It’s divided into two sections, the upper for Hekate and the bottom for Old Horney, my respective patrons. Inside the drawers are all my incenses, oils, lamens, metal talismans, and stones.

Below are close up of each half. Here is Hekate’s shrine. The photo above is Hellfurians Hekate print from The Voodoo Store. She is surrounded by vessels for Earth, Sea, and Sky. The skulls are a swine skull, 2 coyotes, and my raccoon familiar. There is also a snake bell, a brass offering cup, and the disks on either side are two of Jason Millers Hekate’s wheels from Protection and Reversal Magic, which I charged this past dark moon (another post on that later). The lamp is a sacred flame that is on whenever I am in the temple area.

Hekates Shrine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below that is the Old Horney shrine. It’s um… pretty much self explanatory. Statue, antlers, and skull for the Him, another brass offering glass, a skull for my ancestors, my ovate stone, an Awen disk and my ritual dagger.

 

 

 

 

 

Lets not forget my Hermetic Conjuration Station, surrounded by candles for the 4 elemental angels. I’m going to be making a new one soon. I find it’s just too big. I’m going to reduce the size to a smaller box and just have an array of switches inside to change the color of the light as needed. That’s my project for next year though. In front are pewter and tin talismans I made for Elubatel and Nitika. Oh and to the right is my stang and cauldron. So that’s the current set up, and I love it. Sometimes I go spend time in this area, not the do any magic, but to just spend time with the spirits who reside here. It’s very much a place of peace for me.

 

My Watch

The Front

The Back

Yes, I turned my watch into a protective amulet. Empowered it using M.C.’s Book of Abrasax. Probably not traditional. Most likely not what he had in mind with that rite. Still, a great way to ensure my protective amulet is with me at all times during the day without having to carry around an extra piece of jewelry. Totally unassuming and under the radar without screaming “HEY LOOK AT ME! MAGIC!”

The Favor of Kings Working

The layout

With open box

Awhile back, the good Frater Opus posted about The Favor of Kings. It’s an idea that I really thought is a good idea. At the time I settled on the Sun as being the sphere I wanted to go through for this. So I conjured up Michael and asked him for the Favor of Kings. I got pretty good results, but the idea of “purely mental magic has purely mental results” stuck in my head, and I thought that I wanted something physical to ground this magic long term. Something I can renew every once in awhile, pray over, etc. So I decided to make a Sun box.

I wood-burned a nice little box with the square and sigil of the sun, including the spirit, intelligence, and archangel on the outside as well as the “symbols of the sun” from Agrippa Book I.  It looks kind of mystical. I like it.

Next I fashioned a poppet of myself out of beeswax. I chose beeswax because it seemed the most solar, as well as the long history of concencrated bees ax in magic. It’s not perfect or pretty. It doesn’t have to be.  I kind of looks like Oogie-Boogie really… Anyway, I had a little red stone I used as the heart, which I bled over to forge the energetic link to myself and inserted the heart into the poppet during it’s baptism ceremony.

Next, I invoked Helios himself in the day and hour of the sun. I really want to forge a working relationship with Helios, given his role in the PGM and associations with Hekate. So Helios it was. I invoked him, asked for the favor of kings while burning frankincense and a yellow candle anointed with Crown of Success oil (from Quadrivium, I’m testing a sample batch for Lupas book review site and figured what better way to test than using it in an actual ceremony.). I then anointed my waxy double with the CoS oil all over and “tarred and feathered” my golden beeswax form with gold shavings. I then chanted the Orphic Hymn to Helios 6 times over the poppet, while sitting on a square of the Sun and with 6 CoS oil anointed Tiger eyes around it.

Then I wrapped the Square and shaved gold combination over the poppet, and put it in a gold back and sprinkled MORE gold shavings in the bag. The whole bundle went into the solar box and I finished burning the candle on top of it while chanting “Acebukrom” over it 108 (1 malas worth) times.

That night I had many a solar dream and felt a good influx of solar energy pouring into me. So much I found it hard to sleep. Still too early to tell if it’s worked, but I have high hopes.

A Witch who can’t curse…

 

is just a lame ass Witch. Sometimes you have to do whats necessary to protect you and yours.

Witchy Blog Award

Yay I won an award! I was named by Anne from The Den and Spanish Moss from Thicket of a Witch as a recipient of the Witcy Blog Award. So thanks very much to those two individuals who’s blogs I enjoy reading very much myself. It’s honestly an honor to receive such from ones peers who I hold in high esteem.

The Rules:

Post the award logo within your blog post

Thank the blogger who passed the award to you

Answer the seven questions below

Nominate five Wiccan/Pagan bloggers (If you don’t know five other Wiccan bloggers, nominate as many as you can)

Notify your nominees of their pending award

Give a short description of the blog/blogger and why you nominated them

Stop by Ayslyn’s Corner  and Book of Shadows to add your name to the list of bloggers awarded

You may customize the questions as long as they are still Wiccan- and Pagan-related

Ok the Questions:

How did you “discover” Wicca/witchcraft?

 

Like most through books. I first discovered my first real magic book in the form of a Hoodoo book in my early teens, followed up closely by DMK’s Modern Magic, and then Wicca in 90′s.

 

Do you grow herbs?

 

A few, though I it hasn’t been a huge priority for me. I’m hoping to grow more next summer now that we have more outdoor space cleared for it.

 

Are you “in the broom closet”? If not, share your coming out experience.

 

No I’m not. I’m fully out in my family and social circles. I don’t necessarily flaunt it at work because I don’t believe religion should come into play at work, but I’d be surprised if anyone hasn’t figured it out by now given my obviously pagan tattoos, and various sundry obviously magical “stuff” that graces my desk.

 

What tradition do you follow?

 

How much time do you have? Most of my study has been in Revival Druidry. I follow Jason Millers Strategic Sorcery current, and this past year has introduced a new found love of Hermetics/Ceremonial Magic. I tend to see the Chaldean Oracles as an influence on my path as well.  I’ve also been rediscovering my love for the Chaos Current, and incorporate elements of Chaoist philosophy into my work. (you might call this eclectic).

 

Do you consider yourself a witch, Wiccan or Pagan (or maybe something else?)

 

Here’s the million dollar question. I tweeted the other day that I feel most comfortable describing myself as a Witch, and to a certain extent that holds true, but not entirely. I consider myself a Witch in a very Jack Parsons “We are the Witchcraft” kind of way. I also really love the Earthy, primal, low magics. However to be honest I resonate with the Wizard archetype more than that of the Witch. Which is why I still think “Hedge Druid” is the best title I can fit into that doesn’t rub me the wrong way. The reason for this is a) I love me some Revival Druidry. b) Druid to me represents both the wizard archetype, and the primal shamanic magics rolled up in one. The Ovate stream feeds my desire and love for ecstatic-witchy like practices, while the Druid stream feeds my love of high magic. Also, Druidry represents a concept to aspire to. One I fail at consistently, but none the less is the ideal I’d like to achieve. It continutally draws me back every time I walk away from it and won’t let me go. So if I had to pick one all-inclusive title it would still be  just plain Hedge Druid, though I’ll answer to Witch or Mage if called so.

 

How much of witchcraft/Wicca are you able to incorporate into your everyday life?

 

It’s something that touches every aspect of my life. I don’t believe that magic should be something hidden away and only practiced in the ritual chamber. I see Magic as manifest in every aspect of my life.

 

Do you have a familiar? If you do, tell us how you meet him/her and how s/he takes part in your practice (if at all).

 

I have multiple animal spirit companions I work with through their bones. My most “bonded” one would have to raccoon.

 

So here are a few blogs I nominate:

 

The Cacophony of Crows: Her path in trying to feel things out feels similar to my own. I like that she is honest in her struggles and puts it out there in a way that all of us who have been there can relate too.

 

Candlesmoke Chapel: Joseph and Sarah just blow me away with the things that they do. They are truly the real deal (and genuinely nice people to boot)

 

The Druids Well: Snaegl is one of those people that inspire me to become a better Druid. Seriously, she makes it look so effortless and natural even though I know she puts a ton of work into her practice. Whether she knows it or not, she is an inspiration to me and I feel really raises the bar to aspire to.

 

Confessions of an Urban Druid: A Druid who’s gone through many of the same trials I have in regards to Druidry and yet still comes back for more, like myself. I often find myself nodding in agreement with her ideas on Druidry! I greatly enjoy the blog.

Root and Rock: I consider Skylla kind of a kindred soul in terms of the interactions we have.

October News

The Hounds of Hekate

Not sure why, but I haven’t had much of an interest in blogging recently. I’m not apologizing for it, I’m a firm believer in the Blogging without Obligation philosophy, just haven’t had anything to say. I’ve been doing tons of spiritual work. Been focusing a LOT on Hekate recently. Perhaps there will be some Hekate related posts coming up soon? I’m not sure why but words just won’t come. So in the absence of words, here are some pics.

I’ve been doing some bone work. I’ve come into the care of a few new skulls. 2 Coyote and 1 Boar. I’m in the process of cleaning and concecrating them. Once done I’ll be decorating them with sigils and they will join my cadre of spirit companions on Hekates altar.

Boars skull sitting my the new cauldron

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

R.O’s post awhile back on the Favor of Kings got me to thinking. I did a ritual with Michael to obtain tFoK, and it worked pretty well, but for long term use I wanted something physical to concentrate on to maintain it indefinitely. Thus, I’m making a Solar box in which I’ll probably have a whole post on in the future of how I plan to use it, but for now, some pics:

Exterior

Interior

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Been doing some Mars work. Making good use of both my conjure box and my Mars disk:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh and I re-finished my Baphomet statue. Ever notice how places offer resin and cold-cast bronze versions of statues, with the bronze version usually being about $100 more than the resin? Unless your REALLY interested in having bronze, simply re-finishing it will give you the same effect, sans the extra $100.

 

Before

 

After

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I realize this was one of the most UN-inspiring blog posts ever, but I leave you with one perhaps exciting tidbit:

I’ve been wanting to do another devotional for awhile now, to follow up the Horned God devotional. In the past month, about 3 separate people have asked me when I’m going to get around to doing that, so I’m taking from the hint from above. Honestly, I want to do something to honor Hekate this time, but there are so many good Hekate devotionals out there already. At least 4 by my count, one by B.A. and 3 by Avalonia. What could I have to add to that? Wouldn’t that be redundant?

I thought about doing a generic type “Dark Goddess/Witchmother” devotional, but the idea sits “meh” with me. This does not excite me. If it doesn’t excite me, then I doubt I’d be able to work up the enthusiasm to excite any of you about it.

So I went back and asked Hekate herself, what I could do to honor her and the idea pretty much struck me like lightening from above. I’ll take it as divinely inspired. A Crossroads devotional. It certainly fits with the theme of my blog. Dedicated to deities such as Hekate, Hermes, Papa Legba, Exu, Old Horney, the black man at the crossroads, as well as experiences, spells, charms, practices,  essays on limnility, the sacred nature of crossroads, and of course artwork! I’ll be putting up an official announcement soon, hopefully this week.

Hoofprints in the Wildwood PDF Free!

Given that it’s now Witching Season all official like, I’ve been feeling Old Horney pretty strongly lately. As a bit of a tribute to him I’m making the PDF version of Hoofprints in the Wildwood free for the month of October (Possibly even indefinitely). You can download it here:

You can of course still buy the soft cover version here.
Hail the Horned One!

Posts that inspire me

I love reading blog posts. Blogs are great because they allow us to actually go beyond books and show other people what we’re doing and why. It shows actual practice instead of rote and static rules. It also lends itself to accountability. If I put up something that is complete BS, I expect my peers to call me on it. It keeps you honest. So it’s not a surprise that I keep a list of bookmarks of blog posts that inspire me. They may not be written recently, most of them are very very old actually (at least one of  these go back to 2008). But everyone once in awhile I’ll come across something that I know I’ll want to go back to again for either inspiration or just to try the technique. So here is a miscellanea post, except that it’s not recent miscellanea! It’s just stuff on my list that I think is awesome, and you might too if you haven’t seen it. So here are a few highlights I chose off that list. I hope it sparks your imagination as much as mine.

The Fundamentalist Druid describes a meaning of Druid that I personally hold to as well. For those of us who don’t do Celtic deities, it can be very hard to fit in with the other Druids.  (Yes I still consider myself  Druid even though I don’t talk about it here much anymore).

The Witch of Forest Grove goes into the proper way of cleansing and concecrating bones. I’ve been using her approach and enjoy it.

The Queen of Pentacles gives and alternate method for summoning Goetic spirits.

The Naos of Iakhos gives an awesomely powerful method for opening the gates.

Over at Post Modern Magic, here is a list of planetary uses for my favorite incense brand Morning Star!

R.O. gives a manifestation method using Agrippas scale of the number 4.

M.C. gives a nice banishing and adjuration rite. I hope to see more of this kind of stuff in the forthcoming Book of Abrasax.

The Digital Ambler reveals his method for Fiery Wall of Protection Oil.

Gordon explains the state of Chaos Magic.

Jack Faust explains the power of labels. All I have to say about this is YES YES YES!

I’ve posted this one before but it bears repeating. The Blog of Baphomet explains why many Chaos Mages seek training in traditional systems.

Shay explains why Hekate is all he needs. I’m at the precipice of this myself. Have been for about a year now. It’s a concept I contemplate almost daily.

Aaron Leitch explains about Angels and Gods. You would not believe how much shit I’ve gotten for working with angels from my pagan friends. This post clears up a bit how I have always viewed the subject as well.

Andrieh Vitimus gives an awesome download on Crisis Magic that contains so much good stuff, it’s not even funny. (Andrieh should you ever be in my neck of the woods, I’ll take you to a fish place).

R.O. Gives a talisman you can use to start making changes in your life right now.

Ok, Maybe I’ll have time for a real post later.

Dimensional Sphere Sigil Technique

I’ve been working on a new sigil technique that has been working very well for me. So well in fact that I figured I’d write it here in case anyone else wants to try it.

1) Formulate your intent intoboth a standard sigil and a mantracized version of that sigil.

2) See your sphere surrounding you in the form of well… a sphere. I see mine as a sphere of crystal clear glass around me upon which can be projected any image like a hologram.

3) Study the physical representation of your sigil for a few moments then begin to see it replicating virally inside your sphere. See thousands of copies of the sigil floating around the sphere and replicating until it fills it. If there is a planetary power that is associated with your goal see the appropriate color light filling it. See the sigil colored the appropriate color. The sigils at this point drift aimlessly about.

4) Begin the mantra. As you start, the sigils perk up and snap to attention. They go from  floating randomly to beginning to organize and rotate in a uniform way in clockwise direction. As you chant they swirl faster and faster and a tension begins to develop.

5) The tension reaches a crescendo.  Tendrils erupt from the sphere and you feel them attach on the desired goal somewhere out in the various layers of reality. Somewhere out there, there is a reality where your goal has already manifested. You just need to find it. You’ll know the feeling is right when you do it. There is a searching feeling then a “latching” feeling.

6) My original intent was to draw the goal closer to myself with the tendrils, but in reality I found it was the opposite. The feeling I had was one of drawing yourself to the goal. It’s as if your sphere has now become your dimensional travel vehicle. You can feel yourself being drawn away from your current reality into a reality where the goal has already manifested. To use Roger Zelazany/Amber speak it feels like begin drawn through the layers of shadow.

7) After you feel it’s gone on enough, let the image fade and go about your day. Repeat daily as part of your daily routine until the intent has manifested.

Tweaks, adaptations, constructive criticisms, thoughts, improvements etc gladly accepted. Like I said, I found it has been working quite well for me. Your mileage may vary.