Books of Mystery and Magick

  In our meetups at Arcanus in Longmont CO, Dennis and I speak of arcane texts that contain a multitude of operations for the practice of magick. In this post, I will provide an excerpt from The Dark Book of Delphinium that exists in only in a few private collections in the world. Mine being one such collection. This is an example of the various forms of magick one can utilize to change oneself and ones environment. Over the next few months, I will be revealing these practices as part of a greater whole of knowledge sharing that we experience in our meetups and classes.
I hope you enjoy this walk down the arcane trails of deep knowledge -

The Sphere Working -

Close your eyes and visualize a small golden sphere at your solar plexus.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and out through the mouth. With each breath visualize the sphere growing larger and larger until it encompasses your entire body. Visualize yourself surrounded by a golden sphere of protective light. You can increase this sphere to encompass a larger space to provide protection or cleansing.When the sphere is no longer needed, work the visualization in reverse with each breath bringing the sphere smaller and smaller until it disappears into your solar plexus.Ground any excess energy you may feel lingering.

This technique can provide a pure space for healing, to raise power, or to protect against baneful spirits and other forces.

The Dark Ritual or Communion with the All -

Materials needed -

            Red Wine

            Dagger or Dirk

            Bread

            Salt

            Candle

            Incense

            matches

  

In a darkened room, prepare an alter facing North with the red wine to your right, the dagger crossway's in front of you, the candle in the center, the bread and salt on a platter to your left, and the incense between the dirk and candle in front of you.

Light the Candle and the incense. Perform the sphere working. Once ready, take up the dagger and inscribe an invoking pentagram to the North, East, South, West, and back to North. Inscribe an invoking pentagram above you and below you. Close your eyes and visualize the pentagrams glowing all around you. You are ready for powerful forces. (Note: How to inscribe the pentagrams may be found by a simple Google search)

Inscribe an invoking pentagram over the wine saying –

            Blood of the Dark Mother, Hecate, be blessed and empowered by the spirit of the dark forces  that reside within the deep mists of legend.

            Hold the magic of the fey and power of the lands from which they spring.

            As it is, so shall it be.

See the wine glow with the power you have invoked. See it transformed from wine into blood. Your blood. The blood of all that live or have lived. The blood of the Dark Mother.

Inscribe an invoking pentagram over the bread and salt saying -

Flesh of the Father, Cernunnos Luciferos, be blessed and empowered by the spirit of the lands that we tread. Hold the magic of the soil and winds and rain. Glow with the fires that fall from the skies and burn those that would walk against your children.

            As it is, so shall it be.

See the bread and salt glow with the power of the All Father and the lands. It is no longer bread and salt, but the flesh of the All Father and the lands upon which you walk. It is your flesh, and the flesh of all.

Tear off a piece of bread and dip it in the salt. Pass it through the incense saying -

            The smoke of our spirit guides us to the places of mystery. Into my body to I take the flesh of all my kin. Into my spirit do I take the flesh of the All Father and ride the wild hunt into the other world. As it is, so shall it be.

Eat the bread and feel the power coursing through you. Once consumed, say -

            As my body consumes the flesh, so does my flesh grow stronger. As my spirit soars, so does my power grow. As it is, so shall it be.

Pick up the wine. Hold it to the darkened sky and say -

This is the blood, the life, the birth. Into my heart do I take the sustaining breath of the Dark Mother. In my veins doth run the power of all things from the time before creation. I am of the Mother and she is of me. As it is, so shall it be.

Drink the wine and feel the warmth of the blood flow through you. Feel it empower your spirit center. Say -

            My blood burns with the Mother. My mind soars as she soars. I am of the all and the all is of me. Nothing is beyond my power for I reach into infinity. As it is, so shall it be.

Open your arms in an accepting manner and vibrate -

            Ahhhhhhhhh....

Feel the power emanate out into all of the worlds that exist. You are at one with everything. You are everything.  Cast any other spells or simply feel the power and travel to the ends of creation. When ready, take a deep breath and return to your body. Inscribe banishing pentagrams in the reverse order that you did the invoking. Re-absorb the sphere. Leave the incense to burn and snuff the candle.

This is a very powerful ritual and propels you to the communion with ancient gods. Do not fear the dark aspect that may seem to come from this operation. If you truly wish to walk the paths of sorcery and magick, then you must learn to walk the middle way and commune with All, for we are not light nor dark. We are in between. I hope it is efficacious for you and once performed you will never be the same again for all spirits will see your light and come to you.

Major Arcana - The Empress!

  The next person The Fool encounters on his journey through the house of the Major Arcana is The Empress. Like several cards in the Tarot, The Empress represents strong female energy. The Empress represents the fertile, life-giving Mother who reigns over the bounty of nature and the rhythms of the Earth. She represents abundances, whether they be of health, love, or material possessions. She assures The Fool that there is prosperity ahead for him, but reminds him that all comes at the price of hard work and a true heart.

  It is said that during their conversation, The Empress hands him a piece of paper upon which is written some ultimate truth, although we are never privy to what this truth may be. She also instructs him to continue on his path and tells him in advance that he will next meet The Emperor, and that he is to tell him for her that "love is on the way".

In readings the Empress can refer to any aspect of Motherhood. She can be an individual mother, but as a major arcana card, she also goes beyond the specifics of mothering to its essence - the creation of life and its sustenance through loving care and attention. What are your thoughts on this amazing woman?

One for the Ladies . . .

  Can the Tarot help you with your relationships? Absolutely! For eons people have been seeking intuitive guidance from oracles such as the Tarot, and while they all have their merits, the Tarot is uniquely qualified to assist with questions regarding your relationships due to the personal nature of the oracle and the depth of the introspection that it provides. For it is by looking within ourselves that we gain insight into how we treat others, and hence how our relationships are most likely to play out.

  As we know, there are many aspects of the Tarot that are specifically designed to address the areas surrounding your relationships. The suit of Cups is the suit of relationships. Depending on the individual card and its placement in your reading, it can refer to your romantic relationships, your family relationships, or your casual relationships. These cards can bring good tidings, possible warnings, or point out areas we need to make some sort of adjustment to our way of thinking, beliefs, or attitude toward others.

  The Major Arcana card "The Lovers" is one of the big cards that speaks straight to you about your love life, and a LOT of information can be obtained by examining where this card sits on the table in regard to the rest of the spread. Is this a loving and respectful relationship, or is there hidden baggage and doubt? The cards can reveal all of this if we take to time to ask and listen with our hearts.

  If you would like to read a little more on this topic, here is a report that we put together regarding the Tarot and relationships, enjoy! 

  Link to report: The_Tarot_and_Your_Relationship.pdf

 

Major Arcana - The High Priestess!

  After The Fool has spoken with The Magician as he begins his journey through the Major Arcana, he immediately meets The High Priestess. She is the Yin to the Magician's Yang. While the Magician represents the masculine side of the spiritual journey that The Fool has begun, The High Priestess is the feminine side. She is the other side of the balance that must be maintained.

  She is the keeper of the unconscious knowledge and the representation of one who seeks to learn and expand their spirituality. She guards the gates to hidden wisdom, but imparts this wisdom to those she deems worthy of the experience. The High Priestess discusses with The Fool the importance of faith, and the truth about his everlasting soul and how it must be nourished. She tries to focus The Fool on this part of his being as she views it as the most important piece of the cosmic puzzle.

   

  In a reading for your sitter, The High Priestess asks you to gain a deeper understanding of the spiritual side of your being. She points to the well of eternal knowledge that awaits discovery and cautions that the attainment of this knowledge will take dedication and persistence. The payoff is nothing less than realizing your place in the Universe and becoming one with this position.

Food for Thought . . .

  "Sorcery! We are all sorcerers, and live in a wonderland of marvel and beauty if we did but know it. For the seed sprouting from the ground is as strange a truth as though we saw the hosts of Heaven sweeping onward in glory, or could commune with fairies, or raise from his grave the master magician of song who laid a curse on all who should dig his dust. But like children who go to sleep in the grand opera, and are wild with delight at the puppet Punch, we turn aside from the endless miracle of Nature to be charmed and bewildered with the petty thaumaturgy of seance guitars in the dark, cigarettes, and rope-tying, because it is miracle enough for us."

 - from "Gypsy Fortune Telling" by Charles Godfrey LeLand, President of the Gypsy Lore Society, published 1889.