Religion- Folk Catholicism
Epithets/Titles- Lady Sebastienne, Lady of the Shadows, Lady of the Night, Lady of the Seven Powers, White Girl, Skinny Lady
Nature- Opinions radically differ on this subject mainly because Saint Death does not have a wholly benevolent nature. Most say that she is a saint or an eighth Archangel. A more likely theory put forward by a small number of her followers is that she is a fallen angel attempting to redeem herself in the eyes of the Christian God.
Roles- Folk Saint (Patron of LGTB community, prostitutes, the impoverished, police officers, smugglers, drug dealers, taxi drivers, bar owners, bicycle messengers, soldiers, and Mariachi players)
Feast Days- November 1st and August 15th
Offerings- Candles, image vestments, tobacco, flowers, fruit, incense, water, alcohol, coins, and candies.
Symbols- Scythe, Scales, Hourglass, Owl, Oil Lamp, and Globe
Thursday, 23 January 2014
Wednesday, 22 January 2014
Psycheic Magic or Thaumaturgy
Psycheic magic (meaning "soul-like" or "mind-like" magic) also known as thaumaturgy is a form of sorcery invaluable to the practitioner of the thanatic arts. This power requires that the individual practicing keep their soul in prime condition. in practicality this means that they should possess true faith (or work at acquiring true faith) in themselves, their patron (one is recommended), spirits, magic, the occult etc. It is utilized through the processes of prayer, offerings, and devotion which allows the practitioner to develop a intense relationship with greater than human powers. This in turn allows the psycheic magician access to greater power than he/she would ever have on their own. Two examples of psycheic magic being utilized are shown below.
Example #1: A necromancer named Salem is interested in practicing psycheic magic, so he begins to develop a relationship with Hades the god of the dead in Greek mythology. He builds an altar which he dedicates to the god and begins saying daily prayers. Along with the prayers he gives the deity offerings of milk, olive oil, honey, cypress wood, and black beans. He continues praying and making offerings for a period of three weeks to a month without asking anything. Eventually after this period, Salem runs into a dilemma in his necromantic practice. To be specific he has been attempting to summon the spirit of an individual who died centuries ago and it hasn't been responding. Thanatic magical theory states that this is either because it has gone to the afterlife or Salem is not strong enough to conjure a spirit of such age. So Salem performs a ritual of worship at an auspicious time, presents Hades with a sizable offering and requests that his patron aid him in his working. If the offering is accepted by Hades then when the summoning is next performed it will either be successful or a alternate solution will present itself.
Example #2: Another Worker of the Dead, this one named Tristesse is currently in danger. She is being followed by three tough-looking men on a empty street at night in a big city. She has heard snatches of their conversation and so has learned that they intend to rob and rape her. As she attempts to escape her pursuers, she readies herself in case she is caught. Unfortunately she becomes cornered in a dead end. It is at this point when she launches a preemptive attack using psycheic magic. With one hand she grasps the symbol of her patron, Santa Muerte which hangs around her neck. With the other she points at her three would-be attackers and begins speaking a curse. Calling upon Saint Death she promises the entity a greater than average offering and asks for her aid. Santa Muerte responds to her devotee's prayer and Tristesse is saved. She will not speak of what occurred but there is a large article in the paper the next morning. It reports that police responded to a phone call about horrific screams the previous night. Upon arrival the officers discovered two horribly mutilated corpses and a raving lunatic. The case was never solved and the insane man committed suicide shortly after.
Example #1: A necromancer named Salem is interested in practicing psycheic magic, so he begins to develop a relationship with Hades the god of the dead in Greek mythology. He builds an altar which he dedicates to the god and begins saying daily prayers. Along with the prayers he gives the deity offerings of milk, olive oil, honey, cypress wood, and black beans. He continues praying and making offerings for a period of three weeks to a month without asking anything. Eventually after this period, Salem runs into a dilemma in his necromantic practice. To be specific he has been attempting to summon the spirit of an individual who died centuries ago and it hasn't been responding. Thanatic magical theory states that this is either because it has gone to the afterlife or Salem is not strong enough to conjure a spirit of such age. So Salem performs a ritual of worship at an auspicious time, presents Hades with a sizable offering and requests that his patron aid him in his working. If the offering is accepted by Hades then when the summoning is next performed it will either be successful or a alternate solution will present itself.
Example #2: Another Worker of the Dead, this one named Tristesse is currently in danger. She is being followed by three tough-looking men on a empty street at night in a big city. She has heard snatches of their conversation and so has learned that they intend to rob and rape her. As she attempts to escape her pursuers, she readies herself in case she is caught. Unfortunately she becomes cornered in a dead end. It is at this point when she launches a preemptive attack using psycheic magic. With one hand she grasps the symbol of her patron, Santa Muerte which hangs around her neck. With the other she points at her three would-be attackers and begins speaking a curse. Calling upon Saint Death she promises the entity a greater than average offering and asks for her aid. Santa Muerte responds to her devotee's prayer and Tristesse is saved. She will not speak of what occurred but there is a large article in the paper the next morning. It reports that police responded to a phone call about horrific screams the previous night. Upon arrival the officers discovered two horribly mutilated corpses and a raving lunatic. The case was never solved and the insane man committed suicide shortly after.
Friday, 10 January 2014
The Ghost Box: Tool for Talking With the Dead
Yesterday at 12:40 pm I performed an experiment to test the potential
of a device known as a Ghost Box. This instrument also known as a
Frank's Box is simply a radio that quickly scans multiple AM/FM
stations. Normally these are apparatuses modified from old RadioShack
technology, however I wished to immediately find the answer to the big
question. Can a Ghost Box allow one to have a two-way conversation with
the spirits of the dead in real-time? If so, this would make the process
of necromancy quite a bit easier.
The device I settled on using was a Nokia cellphone, it might be an unusual choice but it is incredibly easy to transport. For the experiment I did not bother to leave my house, choosing to rely on the idea that ancestor spirits are almost always near the vicinity of the descendents who wish to communicate with the dead. I asked three questions which would allow me to gauge the veracity of the matter. Here are the questions I asked along with the answers I received while scanning.
Q. Is there anybody there?
A. Yes, yes, yes (Song Lyric)
Q. How are you?
A #1. Patient (Radio Host Speech)
A #2. Mending my broken heart (Song Lyric)
Q. Is there anything I should know?
A. Tools to help you find out... (Various Radio Hosts) ... the good times we know... (Song Lyric)
From this I have drawn a couple of hypotheses regarding this manner of communication. Firstly there seem to be genuine responses to the questions asked. Secondly longer messages seem to be broken up between different sources and sometimes are incomplete. However until I have accumulated more data through repeated testing it is not safe to conclude that experiences gained from this method are legitimate messages. Furthermore there seems to be no way to determine the identities of the speakers (if there are any) because of the limited number of full proper names used in Radio broadcasts.
The device I settled on using was a Nokia cellphone, it might be an unusual choice but it is incredibly easy to transport. For the experiment I did not bother to leave my house, choosing to rely on the idea that ancestor spirits are almost always near the vicinity of the descendents who wish to communicate with the dead. I asked three questions which would allow me to gauge the veracity of the matter. Here are the questions I asked along with the answers I received while scanning.
Q. Is there anybody there?
A. Yes, yes, yes (Song Lyric)
Q. How are you?
A #1. Patient (Radio Host Speech)
A #2. Mending my broken heart (Song Lyric)
Q. Is there anything I should know?
A. Tools to help you find out... (Various Radio Hosts) ... the good times we know... (Song Lyric)
From this I have drawn a couple of hypotheses regarding this manner of communication. Firstly there seem to be genuine responses to the questions asked. Secondly longer messages seem to be broken up between different sources and sometimes are incomplete. However until I have accumulated more data through repeated testing it is not safe to conclude that experiences gained from this method are legitimate messages. Furthermore there seems to be no way to determine the identities of the speakers (if there are any) because of the limited number of full proper names used in Radio broadcasts.
Wednesday, 1 January 2014
Blood Substitutes
Sometimes in necromancy and other forms of magic there is the need for
blood in a spell or ceremony. Not everybody is thrilled with the idea of
drawing blood in one form or another. Therefore there need to be
available options for the squeamish and faint-hearted. So, what else can
one use in place of one's own blood? There are at least 7 possible
stand-ins that I am personally aware of through my research. These are:
Bloodroot, Red Wine, Apple Cider, Beets, Pomegranate, and Red Ochre.
Apple Cider- Highly valued by the Ancient Celts, this substance represents Otherworldly life-force. Consuming the fruit or the juice was thought to be able to transport the imbiber to otherworldly realms. Hard cider works just as well as the non-alcoholic drink.
Beet- The juice from this is used, but be careful it can stain.
Bloodroot- Symbolizes the ties of blood. Use only if you are not planning to consume it or rub it on your body because it has caustic properties. To use it, simply pound the root into a fine powder and mix with water until it reaches the desired consistency.
Dragon's Blood- In older times it was believed that this resin was collected from slain dragons. It is a coagulant and can so be used to stop bleeding. In other words it acts like the platelets in human blood.
Pomegranate- This was mentioned in at least one document, however I imagine that it would be rather hard to use. The only parts that are usable are the seeds, but the amount of juice that can be gathered from these in one fruit is minimal at best.
Red Wine- The symbolism of this liquid is obvious due to its use in Christian religious ritual.
Remember that this kind of wine is capable of staining many things.
Red Ochre- Symbolizes blood as life-force, a connection to the ancestors, and a element of rebirth.
I suggest keeping a supply of most of these substances on hand (excepting the beets and pomegranate) as blood can be used in several forms of magic. These include bindings, hexes/curses, protections, contracts, reddening runes or bones, ritual sacrifice/workings, writing charms/talismans/seals, magical inks, etc.
That's all for now, until next time.
Apple Cider- Highly valued by the Ancient Celts, this substance represents Otherworldly life-force. Consuming the fruit or the juice was thought to be able to transport the imbiber to otherworldly realms. Hard cider works just as well as the non-alcoholic drink.
Beet- The juice from this is used, but be careful it can stain.
Bloodroot- Symbolizes the ties of blood. Use only if you are not planning to consume it or rub it on your body because it has caustic properties. To use it, simply pound the root into a fine powder and mix with water until it reaches the desired consistency.
Dragon's Blood- In older times it was believed that this resin was collected from slain dragons. It is a coagulant and can so be used to stop bleeding. In other words it acts like the platelets in human blood.
Pomegranate- This was mentioned in at least one document, however I imagine that it would be rather hard to use. The only parts that are usable are the seeds, but the amount of juice that can be gathered from these in one fruit is minimal at best.
Red Wine- The symbolism of this liquid is obvious due to its use in Christian religious ritual.
Remember that this kind of wine is capable of staining many things.
Red Ochre- Symbolizes blood as life-force, a connection to the ancestors, and a element of rebirth.
I suggest keeping a supply of most of these substances on hand (excepting the beets and pomegranate) as blood can be used in several forms of magic. These include bindings, hexes/curses, protections, contracts, reddening runes or bones, ritual sacrifice/workings, writing charms/talismans/seals, magical inks, etc.
That's all for now, until next time.
Tuesday, 31 December 2013
Thoughts on Bone Dust
Since human bones are extremely hard to acquire in Canada by legal
means (and I have no interest in becoming a criminal) I have been doing
some thinking. Would other varieties of easily accessible bones have
useful properties? After doing some research involving animal symbolism
and mythology, I came to a definite conclusion. The bones of some
animals could actually be more useful than those of humans! These were
three varieties easily obtained at the grocery store with the purchase
of meat, namely: chicken, pig, and cow. Below I shall list the
associations of each animal.
Chicken - This creature is associated with the qualities of: Injury, Sacrifice, Fertility, Cowardliness and Initiation.
Pig- This creature is associated with the qualities of: Destruction, Sloth/Greed, Ignorance, Abundance, and Fertility.
Cow- It is associated with the following qualities: Slaughter, Taboo, Grief, Purification, and Wealth.
Considering that the main connotations of bones themselves are Death and Mortality, the positive qualities attached to the animals become reversed. Fertility becomes Sterility. Abundance becomes Scarcity. Wealth becomes Poverty. The Purification quality attached to the cow does not become reversed like the other positives. This is due to the fact that cow ashes were used in a Jewish ritual to purify one who had touched a dead body.
So as can be seen while human bones in the form of dust can only be used in magics of Death and Mortality, the others can be used to cause a variety of conditions. Now consider the situation in which these animals died and their remains were treated and apply animistic beliefs. From that we can conclude that the spirits of these animals were angered by their treatment and at no point was any ritual performed to ease their spirits. This makes powders made from their bones perfect for cursing and hexing one's enemies.
I suggest being careful when handling the bones and the resulting powder. You should wear a disposable dusk mask in order to prevent inhaling the powder. I realize that fish bones are also easily acquired but fish have no negative qualities associated with them. In regards to the chicken's association with Initiation, I believe it could have various ceremonial/religious uses.
Until next time!
Chicken - This creature is associated with the qualities of: Injury, Sacrifice, Fertility, Cowardliness and Initiation.
Pig- This creature is associated with the qualities of: Destruction, Sloth/Greed, Ignorance, Abundance, and Fertility.
Cow- It is associated with the following qualities: Slaughter, Taboo, Grief, Purification, and Wealth.
Considering that the main connotations of bones themselves are Death and Mortality, the positive qualities attached to the animals become reversed. Fertility becomes Sterility. Abundance becomes Scarcity. Wealth becomes Poverty. The Purification quality attached to the cow does not become reversed like the other positives. This is due to the fact that cow ashes were used in a Jewish ritual to purify one who had touched a dead body.
So as can be seen while human bones in the form of dust can only be used in magics of Death and Mortality, the others can be used to cause a variety of conditions. Now consider the situation in which these animals died and their remains were treated and apply animistic beliefs. From that we can conclude that the spirits of these animals were angered by their treatment and at no point was any ritual performed to ease their spirits. This makes powders made from their bones perfect for cursing and hexing one's enemies.
I suggest being careful when handling the bones and the resulting powder. You should wear a disposable dusk mask in order to prevent inhaling the powder. I realize that fish bones are also easily acquired but fish have no negative qualities associated with them. In regards to the chicken's association with Initiation, I believe it could have various ceremonial/religious uses.
Until next time!
Tuesday, 24 December 2013
Libitina, Patron of Undertakers
Religion: Ancient Roman
Titles/Epithets: Death
Functions: Goddess of Burial, Corpses, Funerals, Undertakers, and Records of the Dead (Obituaries)
Offerings: Coins
Symbols: Dark Wings
Sacred Animals: Birds of Prey
Sacred Plants: Horehound and Henbane
Relatives: Unknown, Associated with Venus
Festival: February 21st-27th, known as Feralia
Titles/Epithets: Death
Functions: Goddess of Burial, Corpses, Funerals, Undertakers, and Records of the Dead (Obituaries)
Offerings: Coins
Symbols: Dark Wings
Sacred Animals: Birds of Prey
Sacred Plants: Horehound and Henbane
Relatives: Unknown, Associated with Venus
Festival: February 21st-27th, known as Feralia
Myths
None have Survived
Monday, 23 December 2013
Ereshkigal, The Great Lady Under the Earth
Religion: Sumerian and Akkadian
Titles/Epithets: Mistress of Souls
Functions: Queen of the Underworld, Judge of the Dead, Warden of Souls
Domain/Kingdom: Irkalla (also known as Arali, Kigal, Gizal, and the lower world)
Offerings: Wine, Garlic, Grains, Beans, Truffles, Onions, Lettuce, Fish
Sacred Animals: Owls and Lions
Relatives: Inanna/Ishtar (Sister), Nergal (Consort)
Titles/Epithets: Mistress of Souls
Functions: Queen of the Underworld, Judge of the Dead, Warden of Souls
Domain/Kingdom: Irkalla (also known as Arali, Kigal, Gizal, and the lower world)
Offerings: Wine, Garlic, Grains, Beans, Truffles, Onions, Lettuce, Fish
Sacred Animals: Owls and Lions
Relatives: Inanna/Ishtar (Sister), Nergal (Consort)
Myths
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