Healing Rituals

In our practice of the cunning path, there comes upon occasion the need to heal in one form or another. As a practitioner of Traditional Crafte, I have encountered many forms of healing from energy to herbal. This, in conjuction with modern medical techniques lend a cunning man or woman the ability to assist their prospective tribe in all aspects of their lives. Below, find a simple ritual that I have found effective. In fact, it saved my life -

Basic Healing Ritual -

Materials -

Patient

Herbs appropriate to the healing being done

Teapot

Kettle of boiling water

Smudge Stick

Pine or Oak bough

Bowl of water

Teacup

Matches

Light candles, incense and smudge. Smudge the room. Utilize the Sphere Working to clear and prepare the room and patient for healing. Take up the Athame and describe an upright pentagram over the herbs saying:

“Oh creature of (name of element), remove the affliction of (name of affliction) from (name of patient), child of the Dark Mother and the Witch Father. Allow the body to heal with thy powers. As it is, so shall it be.”

Place the herbs into the teapot. Pour the boiling water over them saying:

“Release thy healing powers into the water of life and give comfort and health to whomsoever drinks of your bounty. In the name of the Mother and the Father, as it is, so shall it be.”

Let the herbs steep for about 10-20 min. Pour into a cup. Take up the Athame or Wand and describe the pentagram of Spirit over it saying:

“Unto the body you are healing. Go straight and pure to heal this child of the Mother and the Father. Let (name of ailment) be banished away and never to return. As it is, so shall it be.”

Give the brew to the patient and have them drink it til it is gone. Say :

“Dark Mother, thank you for giving me life and breath of the magic way. I praise everyday that I am your child and you are my Mother of All. Thank you and bless all that has been done here. As it is, so shall it be.”

“Witch Father, thank you for giving me the courage of life and knowledge of the natural way. I praise everyday that I am your child and you are my Witch Father of the sky and sun. Thank you and bless all that has been done here. As it is, so shall it be.”

Make offerings of incense to the Dark Mother and Witch Father.

You may need to repeat this again if the ailment doesn't disperse within a day or two. Also, you should give the patient more of the healing herb blessed by you to take throughout the day at regular intervals depending on the affliction and herb being taken.

Until next time.....

Fetishes

Steps for making a fetish -

1. Determine the nature of the fetish
2. Gather materials in harmony with the desire
3. Cut a 5 inch by 5 inch piece of red flannel or a colour that is in harmony with the desire

At your working space, perform the centering exercise by closing your eyes and breathing deeply through the nose and slowly exhaling out of your mouth. Do this three times.

Keeping your eyes closed, allow yourself to relax to the point of nearly falling asleep. This is the beginning of the Theta Gamma state. The easiest way to achieve this is by rolling your eyes up and letting yourself relax into the meditative state.

When achieved, begin the process of making the fetish.

Taking each component in your power hand, ask your guides and spirits to bless the item and grant the desire.

Example for psychic power:

I call upon my spirits that guide me. Empower this (herb, stone, shell, bone, etc) with thy sight. Grant my own sight into the realms of the dark and let all be lain before me. Ancestors that walk with me, lend thy touch and take my hand unto the depths of all knowing.

Place the component into the center of the square of flannel. When all components have been blessed, gather up the corners of the flannel and create a pouch containing the items. Using string, wrap around the items nine times saying:

Round and round I bind these tools. To awake the power unknown to fools. I wind my fate to the worlds around. And unto this path I am truly bound.

Tie the string into a knot to bind the materials into the flannel.

Holding the fetish between your hands, take a deep breath and gently breath upon the fetish visualizing the fetish glowing with each breath. Do this three times. Then say:

I give thee breath from my breath. I give thee life from my life. Thou art part of me and thou art empowered on this plane.

If this be a protective fetish, keep it with you always. If it be for a specific purpose, psychic ability, etc, keep it safe and hidden from the eyes of the mundane and utilize it when you have need of its powers.

Bit O Sorcery

The follow excerpt from my grimoire is a very powerful way of connecting with the Red Thread. This is the serpent power that courses through all. The Kundalini, if you will. This is one of the few rituals that requires a specific item. The Serpentine Blade. This is a Kris shaped dagger that evokes the power of the serpent and the coursing power of the Red Thread. I hope you find it interesting and useful -

The Ritual of the Serpentine Blade -

This rite connects one with the red current that runs through the world. The current of the serpent. This force runs through thy body and the lands and propels all upon the path of the cunning folk. The Serpentine Blade is of the crooked way and symbolizes the nature of our people.

Thus we begin. Gather unto thee a blade forged in fire and in the form of a serpent. A Kris shaped blade sharpened and pointed to draw life force into it and direct it as ye will. It must be able to cut and draw the red from ye. Wood hilted is traditional, but bone or antler are also allowed. For this be a tool of the fell ways and the dead will favour it.

The Old Gal should be waxing into her beauty or fully present. Then, to a place of isolation go. A cemetery is good for working if one can be from the eyes of the living. The land of the dead being unavailable, and a wood being out of thy realm, a spare room with an altar will suffice. Upon the altar provide the following -

Serpentine Dagger

Lancet

Sorcery Incense (Sandalwood, Dragons Blood , and cemetery dirt anointed with thy own blood)

Censer with Charcoal kindled

Red Wine

Cup

Black or Beeswax candle

Symbol of Sorcery (this can be a sigil specific to your path. My tradition has it's own and is known unto only those of our ways)

Kindle the candle saying -

The light in the dark do I strike. The beacon of the gods to I shine. From all realms I call to the spirits that can aid me in my task. Grant me thy power and thy vision. Come and fill this place with thy presence.

Lay thy dagger upon the symbol. See it as a thing not yet alive but awaiting the essence. Placing thy hand upon it, utter the following incantation -

Serpent of steel. Seeker of the power of life. I bless you unto this world. Forged of fire and hilted of nature, I touch you with the spark of my life. Into you I pass a part of me and thus birth you into existence.

See energy passing into the dagger from your hand. Give as much as you can until the dagger glows in thy minds eye. Once done, pick up thy dagger with both hands and breathe upon it and say -

I give ye breath of my breath. Life of my life. So that ye may serve me and the gods. From me ye will pass power, and to me ye shall bring it. Always faithful to my will. Always a part of me.

Blow upon the dagger and see if flame in thy minds eye. Replace thy dagger upon the altar and symbol of sorcery. Cast ye incense upon the coals and say -

To fire to I call. I cast this herb upon yon coals and kindle the flame of the gods. And to the gods will ye take my voice. Creature that made this child of the earth, now ye will bless it with thy touch.

Touch the tip of the dagger to the coals. Pass the dagger through the smoke saying -

Into thy lungs does this power pass. Awaken from thy slumber my child of power. Awaken and breathe thy life.

Feel the dagger pulse with its breath. Pour ye a draught of wine. Pick of yon dagger and place the tip into the wine saying -

Drink of the essence of the gods. Taste the intoxication of the power. Wake unto this life and be of this plane.

Wipe the wine from thy dagger. Using the Lancet, draw blood from ye. Rub this blood upon the blade saying -

Feast upon my force, oh child of my heart. Feast and take thy sup upon the force granted me by my ancestors. Sustenance is given thee and now ye are awake and powerful. To my will ye shall now serve and to my purpose ye shall be bound.

Feel thy force absorb into the blade and feel the dagger become part of thy life. It shall be forever bound unto thee. As a child to its parent.

Place thy dagger upon yon symbol. Raise the cup of wine to toast the beginning and say -

To ye do I raise this cup. Welcome and be blessed unto our path. Ye kindred of mine and ye servant of the way. I drink to thy birth and to thy life to come. Slanche.

Drink of the wine. Raise the cup again and give toast and thanks to the spirits that attended and lent their power to thy rite saying -

Kin of mine and the gods. I raise this cup to thy greatness and give thanks for thy help in this working of the old way. I drink to thy health and ask ye to go to yon places in peace and frith. We are the same and our blood runs through the lands. Slanche.

Drink thy toast to the spirits. This ends the ritual of the Serpentine Blade.

This blade will serve ye from this time hence. Ye shall use it when calling the gods and sending power. Periodically, upon its day of birth, ye will feed it with thy blood. This will keep it strong and thy bond powerful. Truly ye have given birth to a power of the land and to thy will ye shall direct it. Keep it with thee always. So it is done.

Until next time......

The Witch Bottle

The practice of creating a Witch Bottle is very old. None know the origin, but examples have been found throughout Britain and greater Europe. In this post I will illustrate the creation of the Witch Bottle that you can use for protection from the harm of wights or other malicious energies.

The Witch Bottle -

To keep at bay those things that would bring us harm, fashion the bottle of Witchery and all will give ye a wide berth.

Materials needed -

A glass bottle (a mason jar with lid works well, or an old wide mouthed bottle with a cork)
Broken glass
Pins (or thorns)
Nails (finishing nails work well for this)
Thy water (urine)
Wax

At the dark of the moon, gather thy glass, pins, and nails into the bottle. Say the following -

Old master of the witching wood, let all mischief dash upon the sharpness of my power. Keep at bay those things that would cause me and mine harm. 

Put thy water into the bottle saying -

As my essence combines with these items of witchery, so does the power of protection grow. Let none that would wish harm to me and mine pass by unscathed.

Seal the bottle securely and wax it so none of the power leaks out and none leaks in to corrupt thy spell.

Go out at the stroke of the twelfth bell and bury the bottle in the land of thy ward. This being at thy boundary. (note: it is traditional to put the bottle at the boundary of your home in the ground. If you have not land to bury it in, say because you live in an apartment, then the bottle must be hid somewhere in your home and kept from prying eyes.)

As you bury the bottle say the following -

Old master of the witching wood, keep me and mine safe and let none pass by unbidden that wish me harm. As it is, so shall it be. FIAT, FIAT, FIAT

It is done.

(note: we do this operation during the dark or new moon to keep any harmful spirits or persons from seeing our operation and thereby ruining the protective spell. If this bottle is dug up and broken, the spell is ended. That is why great care must be taken to bury or hide this bottle from any that would destroy it.)

I hope you enjoyed this walk down the dark paths of witchery and make good use of this simple, yet effective working.

Until next time.........

Here Comes Easter!!

Many of those preparing to celebrate Easter may not realize there are others planning to celebrate Ostara at the same time. The two holidays are actually closely related and draw upon similar historical roots. Ostara is essentially the pagan incarnation of the traditional Christian Easter. The Christian tradition itself draws the name from the pagan god “Oestre” or “Eastre.” This word has Germanic roots and refers to the eastern direction from which the sun rises. Oestre is the Teutonic goddess of spring and dawn who is very closely associated with the Vernal Equinox.

The Vernal Equinox takes place each year between March 19 and March 22, while Easter always occurs between late march and early April. In the past, beginning with the pagans, this time of year was celebrated as one of renewal and rebirth. Christians adopted the symbolism to represent the resurrection of Christ rather than the earth itself. Other religious traditions predating Christianity have had similar figures that utilized the same symbolism. Hathor, the Egyptian figure that experienced rebirth is merely one example.

According to myth, pagan children would present eggs as a gift to the goddess in return for the coming of the spring. Oestre traditionally carried an egg to symbolize birth and new life.  Christian traditions incorporating eggs have not strayed very far from this practice. The popular depiction of the rabbit associated with the Christian celebration has its roots in the pagan tradition as well. Ostara was said to have been so touched by the gifts that she recruited her minions to return these eggs to the children in baskets. The minions were rabbits.

March and the location of the sun also mark the time for the rutting of rabbits. This implies elements of fertility in relation to the bounty that the earth cultivates during this time of year. Other popular legends have emerged on the Equinox as well. The word translates as “balance,” bearing some responsibility for the idea that an egg could be balanced on its end only during this time. The days and nights also reflect this translation; during this period of time, light and dark are equally 12 hours long.

Early Christian churches were more sensitive to the pagan roots of the celebration of Ostara and disapproved of the incorporation of eggs and rabbits into the holiday. Followers of the pagan traditions would bury eggs in the ground to celebrate the spring. The priests of the day encouraged children to remove the symbols of worship from the ground. They rewarded the children by paying them a small amount for each egg they collected and returned to the church. However, time quickly engrained these symbolic references into the Christian mythos to form the holiday that is now celebrated all over the world. - source ULC

Simple Numerology

Numerology -

Numbers can give you an insight as to the nature of spirits and people. By assigning a number to each letter in a spirit or persons name, you can discover their true personality and treat them accordingly.

Numerological meanings of numbers (magickal) -

1 - Creativity, independence, originality, ego, self

2 - Empathy, cooperation, consideration, over-sensitivity, co-dependence

3 - Artistic expression, sociability, friendliness, superficiality, wastefulness

4 - Practicality, application, loyalty, rigidity, repression

5 - Freedom, adaptability, travel, inconsistency, abuse of senses

6 - Love, responsibility, understanding, meddling, jealousy

7 - Spirituality, mental analysis, wisdom, fault finding, suppression

8 - Executive ability, management, power, materiality, unscrupulousness

9 - Artistic genius, humanitarianism, romance, emotionalism, dissipation

11 - Intuition, idealism, invention, insensitivity, fanaticism

22 - Practical idealism, material mastery, get-rich-quick schemes, viciousness

Numbers and letters based on Simple English Gematria -

A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I/J	K	L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U/V	W	X	Y	Z
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24

Until next time.......

The Nature of All Things

Dennis and I are at the Celebrations Fair in Denver at the Merchandise Mart this weekend and I figured I'd pop a bit out here on spirits and their nature. We work with a great many spirits at Arcanus and getting to know them and how to work with them can be a bit daunting to some. I hope you find the below useful and hope to see you at the fair. 

The Nature Of All Things - 

In the worlds, all things have spirit. Sprites, fairies, and other myriad creatures do exist within the confines of their own existence. At times, there are humans that see these beings. Generally it is at times of stress or “in between” states of consciousness. This is where we get the stories of sightings that have permeated the mythological lexicon over the centuries.

Witches, being between the worlds, tend to see these beings and interact with them on a regular basis. The wights of a place can be called upon in times of need and to gather power for spells. Offerings are placed in order to gather connections with these wonderful creatures. At times, they can be dangerous, depending on the reason and attitude when calling upon them. Therefore it behooves the witch to think of these beings as also children of the Great Mother and All Father. Kin, if you will, since they are from the same pool of energy that hath formed them.

Now to animal energies. Animal spirits can be called upon to empower or teach the witch. The thousands of years of shamanic practice have proven the efficacy of this tradition. By getting in tune with the spirit of say the Crocodile, the witch can develop new wisdom among many other things attributed to the Crocodile teacher. The familiar is part of this secret teaching wisdom. They can use their animal powers to enhance spells and help to secure knowledge for the witch. This is a body of knowledge that can take years or even a lifetime to study. For our purposes, knowing the ways of the animal and how to call can be enough. Journeying with a totem can open up whole new vistas of information. Following is a technique that the witch can use to facilitate this communication -

Exercise – In a quiet and safe location, perform the sphere exercise found in earlier postings of this blog to focus and empower you. Once ready, smudge your person and the area with sage. This will cleanse the area and your own energies of confusing remnants of impressions left over from your day or previous workings. Settle yourself into a comfortable position. Close your eyes and take a deep breath to prepare for the journey. As is typical of this sort of journeying, you will visualize a natural hole in the ground or tree and allow yourself to follow it down into the other realms. I generally find a cave to be the most efficacious for me, but what pleases you will be of your own choosing. Once you find yourself descended into the other realm, put the desire into the ether that you wish to meet your personal totem. After a short while, you should encounter the animal that is most prevalent to you. Allow impressions to materialize and make note of any communication that you receive. When you are ready to return, take a deep breath and visualize yourself traveling back up through the tunnel until you reach your level of awareness. Take another deep breath to focus and end the session. You may want to eat something to help ground yourself in this plane.

That's it for now.. 

Until next time.....

The Gates of Hell Part 1

Over the years, if you are in the community, you tend to hear tales of places that some claim to be the gateways to "hell". Wonderful vacation spots of the damned, and shunned by those not wishing to lose their souls and spend an eternity burning in lakes of fire. In this post, I thought I would take a brief look at these locations. This is wonderful fun and eye opening as to how rumour becomes legend and legend sometimes comes back around as fact in the minds of the faithful. I will give brief snippets of these places over the next few weeks and maybe you may even be lucky enough to visit some... Soul intact, of course. So lets begin...

The first location that we will examine is an interesting little spot located in Kansas. Yes, I know, many have said "How do you break hell down into just one place in Kansas?". But, trust me on this, there is one spot in particular that has been reported to be the very gateway to the hellish realms. The place of mention is none other than Stull, Kansas.
The legend has it that there is a stairway that leads down into the bowels of the earth and into the kingdom of Satan himself. How it came to this illustrious position has a few explanations. One is that a child was burned to death by his father. This was said to be accidental, however the devil may have made him do it. Who's to say. Another is that a man was found hanging from a tree. Most likely the victim of the denizens of hell, or so it is believed. And apparently there is the church that was crumbling and gave off an evil vibe. Whatever the reason for this place being considered a gateway to hell, it had an affect upon none other than The Pope. Rumour has it that in his trip to the US, he made his flight reroute around the location of Stull. The truth of why he did this is not very forthcoming, but the legend stands. So even "His Holiness" feels the evil from this place and took precautions to avoid the land of demons.

Well that is it for now.. I will come back later with more locations of Hells own Autobahn.

Until next time......