According to the venerable Bede, this was the time when the Goddess Hretha, Hreda, or Reda had sacrifices done in her name. We don’t know much about these sacrifices.
After reading the blog post by A Wise Fool I actually tried to look it up myself and no, no sources as to what was sacrificed. Though Wise Fool does mention that certain cakes were baked around this time. So maybe that’s what used.
Here I have a wide variety of stuff to look at. I hope you like all of these articles. Enjoy,
You’ve probably noticed in the last month or so that two bright stars were in the sky. Closer than normal. Well there’s a reason for that : they aren’t stars. I began to notice them myself in February. And I felt something else was coming.
But I couldn’t pin it because there was no information on any astrological site yet. Something which I am disappointed in. It’s become too common for fucking websites and people to wait until an event is already happening. And then at the last fucking minute tell us everything “Ta Da!”. Like annoying life coach on adderall telling you it’s more exciting that way.
I like to be prepared. I have a bug up my ass about it. I do not lie. The last time an astrological event happened, it kicked my sorry ass. And I texted my friend and cursed his astrological sign to the fires of hell for it.
To which he asked what the fuck his sign did to me. And I replied,
I couldn’t tell if something good or bad was coming. Everything has a bit of both. But usually there is a specific theme that controls a lunation. Turns out, these planetary conjunctions have both. So without further adieu, I am giving you the pros, cons, and a few links on this conjunction.
This event is also called Astrological Spring, because this conjunction happens once every 13 Months. And it marks the astrological rise of spring. Which is why this conjunction is called the Spring Star. I have divided this stuff into three categories for your convenience. Neutral, Cons, Pros.
– The energy brings with it change. But the change could be good or bad. And I have felt that things will soon accelerate on that front.
– Mercury is taking a fast transit through Pisces. This means all sorts of unpredictable change can happen. Both for good or bad. It depends on your signs.
– The Conjunction of both planets cause people to look more deeply at relationships. Business, pleasure, love, family, alliances etc.. this can be good or bad. If you have a dysfunction in any of these areas, the conjunction will bring it out and force you to face it. If not, the conjunction will magnify your positive relationships. 
– Nine hours after the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus comes Mercury and Saturn in a double conjunction. Now shit gets dicy. Jupiter and Venus are generally seen as the party animals of the Gods. Saturn and Mercury are about discipline and hard work. And how that comes into play here is unknown.
It seems like polar opposites coming together to do something.
– When combined with Saturn, Mercury can be either good or bad. Again, it depends on where you are in life right now. And how it will effect your sign.
Cons
So the cons start as follows. Everything has a dark side. Even the Gods, especially them. They are nature itself. They embody everything.
The planets Jupiter and Venus can send down some of the bad influences. As well as the good influences. Think of them as gigantic talismans or antennas. Again, how they effect you depends on your sign. And even on you.
But these are some of the things to look out for :
Untamed Lust for everything. Excess. Feeling hollow and never truly full. Overly emotional in the negative sense. Depression, self loathing, hate.
Anger.
Warlike characteristics since one of her husbands is Mars the God of War. Vanity. And pettiness. But to name a few. Plus there is also excessive flirtations.
Mercury in its darkest form caused things to go haywire.
Both are more or less the same in negativity : everything that Jupiter has when it goes dark is what comes out here. But we also have negative thinking. A critical voice in our heads that makes us feel bad about everything. A bad temper (man have I been feeling that) and nasty words. And with Saturn we have the control freak issue turn into Excessive authoritarianism.
The good news here is that the first conjunction reduces the negativity greatly. Because of Jupiter and Venus we have the feelings of sorrow. Seeing the error of our ways. And wanting to make up for them. Which isn’t necessarily bad.
As long as we don’t take it to the extreme. This is extremely powerful because this conjunction is down in Taurus. And that is the sign for Venus.
Venus rules Taurus but right now this planet is being exalted in Pisces. Which increases the power of all of this even more. The thing is that we should also be careful that we do not apologize to people who don’t deserve it. The signs and their influence can cause this to happen. You also need to stay clear of conflict, lack of self control, lack of discipline, etc…
Pros
According to Astro King,
“There is also a semisextile to Pluto to add intuition, persuasion, investigation, endurance and determination,”
In Astrology, Jupiter and Venus are called the Great Benefics. Because they can bring down blessings of every sort. And they can manifest every power available. Combine that with the hard work and discipline of Mercury and Saturn and we have even more.
Jupiter :
From my God Pictures.com
Jupiter as King of the Gods, is the God of wisdom, and a God of great power. Money, influence, sex, all the things we could ever want. But there is another side to him : a wise father. Many Christians will lose their shit when they read this. I don’t care.
But Jupiter is at the same level as the Christian God. He’s the Supreme Lord of the Universe. And he isn’t the only one in that category either. He reigns alongside many God Kings : Indra, Obatala, Jesus, Ra, and Odin but to name a few. Great Kings of the Universe.
And their Queens as well.
I view Jupiter and Odin to be what I call “Mage Gods”. Gods who are masters of magic and instructors of all. So he symbolizes spiritual leaders. Wise men and women. And healers.
Many view this as a love conjunction. I don’t quite see it that way. Juno, not Venus, is the wife of Jupiter. The love between Jupiter and Venus is a familial love. With Jupiter acting as the father figure or elder.
Even if he isn’t her father. I don’t know for sure because all the sources on the divine genealogy for Roman Gods is confusing. Jupiter magnifies the power of any other being with him. In this case, of Venus.
When people think of Venus they think of a lustful Goddess running naked around a field. They don’t stop to think that she isn’t like that all of the time. Like everyone else, the Gods have their time for recreational pleasures. But then they have time to be serious about things. They focus on a task.
Create a project. Make sure they have all the resources and materials for said project. They can be said to be the greatest builders, alchemists, business people, or artists out there. They are everything, existence itself. And so to them, it’s nothing for them to be the best at those things.
I sense that Venus has been planning something for a while. And King Jupiter is supporting her in her endeavors. What I sense here is familial love. I think that for a time now she has been disappointed with everything going on in our world. The lack of love for the common person.
Lack of love even between families and supposed friends. And it has translated into a general disdain for everything. So the Goddess is leading us back to love. Love of family (which includes our animal children). Of our friends who are themselves a type of family.
And general love for your fellow humans. That last one is probably the one we are lacking the most. Even I have fallen into that trap. I get so tired of people being assholes to me for no reason, that I become an asshole back. I don’t stop to think that maybe they are having a bad day.
Or maybe they just lead miserable lives. Or they’re going through something bad. Venus reminds us to love one another. And to see each other as a universal family. And Venus joined with her loving relative, makes this energy stronger.
Jupiter for his part sends out wisdom and knowledge. Equilibrium which we desperately need right now. Maybe trying to get us all to come to the negotiation table in different aspects of our life. In that regard he has his work cut out for him. The way things are now, I can’t possibly fathom the idea of working with some of my opposites.
And for good reason. A lot of nasty hate mongers are out there. May the Great God and the Loving Goddess show us the way. Even if we can’t stomach the idea right now. This is also a time for art, inspiration, luxury.
And both Jupiter and Venus are good for your love life.
Mercury is one of the Mages of the Gods. A Master of all trades. A God of languages and travel, business, magic, transportation and communication, an ambassador to all. Even a God who crosses over the dead. And is easily at home in any dimension.
He’s even a God of thieves and thievery. He can be called upon to protect you from criminals. So here, it could be that Mercury, like Venus, is attempting to teach us something. Usually when Mercury goes retrograde it’s to teach us that our communications are off. Or that we’re missing something.
But when combined with Saturn we gain other influences.
The God Saturn is the former King of the Gods. Now he’s more like an Emperor of a much Higher Realm now. Jupiter is his son. When Saturn ruled the Universe, it was described as a Golden Age. A time of Paradise for all the pre-human creatures.
And then later humans. Similar in some respects to the Edenic Era mentioned in the original testament. He’s also a wise Mage God like his son Jupiter. So he brings the exact same energy as him. And he magnifies Jupiter even more.
Which magnifies the conjunctions more than before. It should also be noted that the second conjunction takes place nine hours later. Nine being a number of long lasting prosperity, but also of discipline and knowledge. So Saturn and Mercury seem to be bringing in the same influences as Jupiter : wisdom, knowledge, personal power, and a slew of other things. This is also a time for mental work such as planning and organizing projects.
Being in control of your life and taking care of business.
The Pros for both is that Venus is a hot shot. So is Jupiter. That means that for those positively effected by both, this can be a time of flowering. A time of personal power. Of dreams and ambitions made reality.
It’s also said that the conjunction of both cause a person to become more spiritual. And it can cause a person who is positively effected to have a more bubbling social life. Though not everyone is effected the same way. And you have to be ready to use that power for yourself when the time comes. I hate saying this because to me it’s bullshit most of the time.
But sometimes, everything is 10% what happened to you. And 90% how you react to it. Don’t want to be positive? You don’t have to be. Be a Sith Lord, use whatever negative crap is in your way to build what you want. Turn lemons into lemonade by choking the life out of the damn lemons.
Force choke those fuckers. Darth Vader style. Sometimes a little anger and darkness is good for the soul. Now that doesn’t mean take people or things by force. Don’t turn yourself into a rapist.
Learn to use your anger and fear to accomplish something positive. Balance negative and positive energy. Just don’t allow your anger to get the best of you. Don’t allow it to become your master. Master only yourself.
Another Pro is that Venus and Jupiter are a time for manifesting your dreams. Combine that with Mercury and Saturn and this whole conjunction is about making long term projects or desires happen. By working hard to place everything into place. So manifestation work will be empowered here. Plus today is Thursday (Thor’s Day) the day of the God Kings.
And early morning on Friday (Freya, Frigga, and Freyer) is mostly a day for Godesses. Though we also have Freyer. Plus in Roman religion, Friday is sacred to Venus as she is the morning star. Both these days are conjoining with each other to grow these influences. These alignments can grant the power of charisma.
Scented Mini manifestation candles from Sage and Salt
You can feel and absorb such power that you feel like you are one with all things. Now is the time to grab your prosperity and power. But it’s also a time to chill out. To dedicate yourself to amusement. The weekend is here so that does make sense.
The first conjunction also makes sure that you reap the blessings of all of your previous hard work.
Many of you know that among the many traditions I practice, is an esoteric or occult form of Christianity and Judaism. From a Judeo-Christian perspective, this is the time for magic with Rabbi Yeshua Ben Yosef (Jesus Son of Joseph). Because of the miracle of the Fish, it was later taken as an early Christian symbol for his people.
The Gospel of Yohanan (John) 21:1-14, Yeshua replicates the fish and loaves of bread to feed everyone
In modern Astrology, the new moon is seen as a time of beginnings. In ancient astrology however, it’s a time of the dead. And often considered a time of bad luck. For the Romans, the Nones or New Moon was so unlucky, it didn’t even have a God presiding over it. Which meant it was devoid of power.
One would see two different perspectives here. One is the idea of miracles repeating. In modern astrology, Wiccans and other groups perform wishing rituals in which they burn papers with wishes and desires on them using magical candles. The request is sent to the universe. And in theory, the universe obliges you.
It’s a little more complicated than that, but that’s for another time.
The Christianized version of the Celtic Imbolc festival
So the miracle of the replicating fish makes a lot of sense here. In a sense you are replicating your desires and reeling them in with a net. But more important than that is enlightenment. The idea that Yeshua and his followers would become “fishers of men” and that rather than kill them, like fish, the men caught in his net would live forever. This isn’t me trying to convert you.
I’m speaking strictly of Christo-Pagan mysticism. Yeshua’s movement started out as a mystery religion. Where members were eventually sworn to secrecy. And they taught great magics. Including the ability to command the spirits.
To exorcise entities. To heal among other things. Sometimes just by speaking it into existence. But modern Christians follow the bloody dogma of the council of Nicea. The false doctrines of the Emperor Constantine I of Rome.
And with these false doctrines, the religion was demystified. Most of the love, hope, and the wonder this faith once taught, is gone. Like a chalice of fine wine that has been drained.
Meditate with the stars. And allow your miracles to grow.
Not just financial miracles. Everyone prays for more money. But not everyone stops to ask why do we pray for more money. And the answer to that question, is that we’re addicted to it. We live in a world where in most of the planet, you don’t have access to clean drinking water without money.
And thus this is also a time for us to see if we can make our dreams come true without money. Or if we do need it, how to replicate it. But not to become engulfed in selfishness. And not to be slaves of it. And that is probably the most important part of this lesson to learn.
Instead how to use the spirit to work with the material. Because material doesn’t have to be “evil” like many religions teach. I can hear my Gnostic Christian brethren screaming “blasphemy!” but it’s true. Just because something is dense or physical, does not innately make it bad. What’s bad is how it’s used.
But this is also a time of the dead. And it coincides not only with the Roman Parentalia, but also the Greek Anthesteria. Both being times to honor the dead. So the New Moon is a perfect and auspicious time for necromancers and those who work with the ancestors. In fact it magnifies those influences.
Also, Yeshua is a very chthonic God. After all he died and rose from the dead. And was a great necromancer of his time.
Baraka, Asherah, and the Gods of Ancient Palestine
Asherah (GOD the Mother) the GODDESS, the sister and wife of Adonai. Notice her depictions even in ancient statues are very close if not identical to imagery of the Virgin Mary. She is the Supreme Queen of Heaven. She and her daughter Sophia were renamed “the Holy Spirit” in the Bible. Notice almost all descriptions of the Holy Spirit or wisdom show it as a feminine force.
Now more to the point, there is type of energy in Hebrew magic called berakhah. Sometimes written as barak, baraka, bracha, brokho, brokhe. It can be translated as blessing or benediction. One person, a Judeo Christian mystic told me it’s also used sometimes for the word “lightning“. As the energy appears almost electrical sometimes.
It is a blessing or gift we all have which comes from the Elohim (the powerful ones). The ancient Hebrew Gods. Before Monotheism took hold over Judaism. There were many types of Elohim. In fact it’s believed by many that the Greek God Adonis was originally the Hebrew God Adon.
Each of the Elohim were children of Adonai (the Lord) and his wife and sister Asherah. God the Mother, the Mother Goddess. Asherah once had her idol right next to the ark of the covenant. It was a wooden pole dressed like a palm tree, which was sacred to her. Eventually the fanatical sect that worshiped only Adonai, cut down her pole.
And they destroyed imagery associated with the other Elohim. The Bible rewrote this horrific genocide and persecution as “righteousness” and “the will of Adonai”. In my work about Ghosts in Judeo-Christian religion I talk about how King Saul banned witches across Palestine. Despite the fact that witchcraft was a fixture in the Jewish faith. Even under his rule.
And the Witch of Endor was frightened of him being in her house. She believed he would kill her where he stood. Even though he came to her for answers when Adonai would no longer speak to him. It’s interesting here because the Bible acknowledges that her powers are real. And she actually did summon the Prophet Samuel’s Ghost.
It’s even more interesting because it’s mentioned that
“He inquired of Adonai, but Adonai did not answer him by dreams, or Urim, or prophets”.
Urim is the casting of lots by the way. It was popular in the Middle East back then. These were considered acceptable ways to work with God. But when a Pagan does it to talk to their God/Goddess it’s “evil”. It isn’t the only time this happens by the way.
There are many cases of Jewish witches and wizards across the Bible. Including the prophets and priests of Israel who performed all sorts of ceremonial high magic.
The ark of the covenant attended to by one of the Kohanim, the ancient priests of Palestine descended from Aaron, the brother of Moshe (Moses)
Baraka is a divine power granted to worshippers of these Gods. Like the awen granted by the Irish Tuatha de Dannan. The ashe given by the Orishas of Nigeria. The ekat by the Netjer and Netjeru of Egypt, these are all powers. Some have the Baraka that grants prophesy.
Others material wealth. Still others healing. It all depends on the person and what they desire both in this and the other world. Now there are many Gods in this pantheon to work with. But for the sake of this article, I am specifically going to mention two :
Baal (Lord) Hammon, the God of fertility and renewer of all energy. And Dagon, originally a Sumerian God of fertility and fish. But as a Jewish mystic once told me,
“Many of the Gods in Hebrew Polytheism, originally came from the Sumerians,”
He also explained that holy symbols came from them too. The Star of David for instance. And even the Seal of the Prophets in Islam, were based on Sumerian symbols. Even the Hindus have much from the Sumerians. So as with many ancient religions of the Middle East, they are often our forefathers and foremothers.
Fertility Gods, particularly those who renew life and energy are perfect for prosperity Magic. And Lord Dagon also bring
How to work with Baraka
The Light of God Image comes from Rabbi Fryer Modzin’s meditation videos on YouTube
Judeo-Christian witches and polytheists have a radically different perspective of the following text.
“Thou shalt not worship other Gods before me,” – Shemot (Exodus) chapter 20, verse 3.
If you read the Bible, you’ll know that Adonai asks for a lot of different offerings during the whole day. But he requires offerings at the very beginning of the day. And then a final offering at the end of the day as well. Now what does that sound like? A Gatekeeper! In the Greek religion it’s Hestia. In Santeria it’s Elegua.
In Vodou it’s Papa Legba. And some Occult Catholics view St. Peter as the Gatekeeper of the Christian religion. Chosen by Jesus because of the text where Jesus grants him the key to Heaven. And of course Protestant style magic users view Yeshua himself as the Gatekeeper for God. In my case I choose either Adonai or Yeshua.
Or sometimes Simeon son of Yonah (Simon son of Jonah). The original Hebrew name for Peter, before Yeshua gave him a new name after his initiation into his Mysteries. Or I choose Chokmah (Wisdom) the daughter of Adonai and Asherah. Also known as Sophia in Gnostic Christianity. Regardless, many who use traditional Hebrew magic give a first offering to Adonai.
In his name of El-Elyon (El Most High). Which is the origin of “God the most high” in English. The first offering can be anything. Something that comes from your heart. I use a special blend of incenses based on the Ketoret (Incense of the Temple) in the Bible.
This is a combination of frankincense, galbanum (a plant found in Iran), and most importantly, opobalsamum (a rare type of amber from a myrrh tree). In fact this is a high grade extract of light myrrh. And it’s believed by many sources to be the origin of the ingredient “Stacte” from the Ketoret. Now others have other beliefs about what constitutes the temple incense. But regardless this is a simplified version of it.
Pray over it when you get the incense. And let the spirit of Adonai and Asherah flow into it. You can use an oil burner for this. Then walk around the house and purify it in the name of El-Elyon. This acts as both a purification and also an extension of the offering.
For Lord Hammon
For Baal Hammon I give him grain, a golden scented candle to symbolize his Kingship, honey, and fruits associated with male fertility. Such as mango. And anything that represents renewal of life. Save the candle for last, for this acts as the ‘ignition’ for the ritual to activate. Then pray,
“Oh Baal (Lord) of the land, sustainer of the crops, renewer of life, King of the lands, Hammon King of the Gods with power bestowed on you by the Great GOD and GODDESS, please bestow prosperity to me. In the form of…”
(Specify exactly what you want. If you have Bible paper, legal tender paper, or even bay leaves or brown paper bag, write your petition and burn it in the Golden Candle. Make sure you have a fire proof dish to burn the petition in).
When you finish say,
“Thank you O Baal for listening to my petition, I ask that if for whatever reason you not grant me what I ask, that you grant me the equivalent or something better, in the name of El Almighty, Amen,”
For Lord Dagon
A smoked fish, grain, sea iconography. Anything to do with the sea including shells. Or even symbols of fish or underwater creatures. Ironically (or perhaps not ironically at all) the Judeo-Christian fish symbol is perfect for him. It can even double as a representation of Rabbi Yeshua.
A scented blue candle that reminds you of the ocean. Prayer,
“Dagon, God who brings prosperity fromthe waves of the sea, hidden treasures on the ocean floor are yours to give and to take at your command, O divine master, bringer of fish, on this Pisces new moon, I ask you to magnify the power of prosperity and to bring unto me….”
(Make your petition, and as before, wait until the end to burn the candle).
“Father of the Sea, bringer of Prosperity, I end this work begging your guidance and any advice you have on how to acquire what I ask. If for whatever reason you not grant me what I ask for, then I ask for the equivalent or something better, Amen“
Then, give a final offering to El-Elyon. What I use for the final offering is a blessed candle. Shabbat candles, which are environmentally friendly and can be used for any ceremony. This seals the ritual. I leave the offerings on the table for three days.
Then I take Baal Hammon’s offerings to bury them on the land closest to my door to bring in blessings. But Dagon’s offerings go to any body of water. And of course I take a bottle of honey and pour a first libation for El-Elyon to send the offerings to these two Elohim. And then pour a second libation to him when I finish.
The empty candle jars I can recycle for future rituals to those Gods. Or maybe use them for talismans. I could even decorate them. Or simply dispose of them. I dispose of the wax at the areas where I bury the offerings.
This is a prosperity ritual I like to do with both these Gods. However, for some, a ritual to the Elohim might be better if it is with female Elohim. It depends on the ritual caster. And what type of prosperity you seek. I chose Fertility Gods because they can make money and other requests “fertile”.
Allowing them to replicate. Which is perfect for this time. For you, it may have to be someone else. I would look up the list of Bet-ilim and see which one is the one you are looking to work with. Though ultimately I would still pray and work with Dagon if only because this new moon is ruled by Pisces.
So now that I have written all about my particular point of view and Christo Pagan practices, I am going to add some astrological links as well.
I promised I would talk about this as soon as I had the chance. And I finally did. So what exactly happened the day I brought the Buddha statue and the Guardian Lions home with me? Something weird. I knew something was off. And in hindsight, I should have listened to my gut.
But I just ignored it as me being paranoid or looking too deeply into something. My friends always say that about me. And they constantly tell me to chill out. But as I tried to perform the cleansings on them, they kept being blocked. I just assumed that they had heavy residual energy from whoever owned them before.
The objects weren’t evil or impure or whatever. But they were Haunted.
So according to my Aunt, she was friends with a wonderful older resident. A few years ago this woman died of natural causes. I think she said it was cancer. Before the woman died, she gifted the Jade Buddha and Guardian Lions to my great aunt. It was as a way of saying thank you for always looking after her.
Now my Great Aunt is a Christian and doesn’t believe. But she didn’t want to disrespect this woman and shun her gift. So instead, she kept it in her home in a place of honor. Kudos for my great aunt! But it looks like the older resident didn’t leave. Apparently that elderly old woman was still watching over my aunt from beyond the grave.
While attempting to cleanse the statues, I discovered her presence within them. I kept trying to force the energy out. But whatever it was, it would not leave. So I realized this wasn’t the standard run of the mill imprint. This woman was living inside of her Buddha and Guardian Lions.
I hadn’t sensed her because she was so dormant, that she might as well not have been in those items. It was only after I took them to my house and started trying to cleanse them that she woke up. She had been protecting my great aunt all this time. But eventually she “fell asleep” so to speak because there was no danger.
I communicated with her soul once I realized there was person in those statues. I explained to her that my great aunt gifted them to me because I study and partially practice Buddhism. And that she believed they would be better off with me. Instead of just being a home decoration. She agreed, but was worried about my aunt.
I told her I could cross her over. And that once in Heaven, she could become a powerful guardian spirit and could return to my Aunt’s house with greater power. And greater ability to aid her. She agreed and I performed a simple crossing over ritual with a candle. She entered the light.
And the next day, I confirmed with Bone Casting that she was well and now watching over my great aunt. Acting as her new spirit guide. All’s well that ends well right?
Blood doesn’t always mean family. Sometimes family is the one you make. Your tribe, your people. Those whom you stand by and who stand by you. Even in death.
There is also an old Spanish Spiritualist saying,
“What my eyes can’t see, my dead see,”
Meaning what I can’t sense, they will. And they will tell me about it. My Christian Great Aunt has a new spirit guide officially added to her guides. Whether she believes that or not. Moving on, I was finally able to cleanse the statues.
And this time the ritual took. I then began blessing them and calling the spirit of the Buddha to enter his image and live there. I also did prayers for the Guardian Lions to enter their own statues. So now I have extra house hold spirits. Extra family to watch over me.
I placed the Buddha and his Lions upon my Buddhist shrine.
And for the elderly woman, I took several stones. I cleansed them. And enlivened them for her and put them on my shrines outside. That way whenever I do religious rituals, I am feeding her spirit along with the spirits and Gods I work for. That way she will never become forgotten or unnamed dead.
And she will grow stronger with each offering. As a reward for her kind heart and generous spirit. And now I keep this Buddha statue and the Guardian Lions. As a way to honor her good deeds.
Olokun, one of the Orishas of the Ocean. His Sopon or vessel contains actual water blessed for him, my Godmother in Santeria once cleansed me with water she personally blessed in Olokun’s name.
Tonight is Hekate’s Deipnon, and I figured I would write this. I was also asked to write this by a client who needed her home and personal space cleared of negative energies. After I took a heavy curse off of her. The following is a ritual I came up with from various practices. But I made this ritual neutral so that it can be used by any religion and any God.
Idols come in both genders or can appear genderless
In Ancient Greece they used sacrificial animals, people, food, or even idols called Pharmakoi. The idea was that they were vessels that retained the bad energy. And that when you sacrificed them, you were killing the bad energy. So the first part of this is a Pharmakos cleansing. You’re trapping the bad energy into a vessel.
You have to map out where you are going to go. For instance you need to know every nook and cranny in your house. Every corner. If you have an attic, start there. And make sure you go to every spot in your property and home.
Ending in the basement as well as outside your prosperity. You have to pray, or chant, or do a spell. And you command all negative energy and bad spirits to be bound to the vessel. You do this while you are walking around. The vessel is a sacrifice that soaks up all of the bad energy around.
You also rub yourself, all members of the house (including pets) with the vessel. This is done so that any attachments or bad vibrations can be drained into the vessel. You’ll know it’s done because you will feel the property be instantly lighter. And you and those around you will feel lighter as well. If this was a bag of garbage, toss it into a public dumpster or community dumpster ASAP.
And say that no one will be harmed by this bag. That you consign the dark energy to its own dark world never to return. To be bound to chaos forever. Chaos meaning the primordial void. Then turn around and walk away without looking back.
If it was food, you need to go to a crossroads, railroad, or body of water, even a pond will do. And call upon the spirits of those places (in the name of your God/Goddess) to remove the bad spirits and energies. And that as the animals eat the food, they will not be in danger. That they will destroy the negativity. Again turn around and walk away.
Position your car so that you don’t have to turn around to face the spot when getting inside. You don’t want to look at the area even by accident. Make sure you can leave and leave fast without turning around. The reason for this is that all the negativity will go to you worse than before if you do. Or worse, you might see the spirits that are going to take away the bad energy.
Which can be dangerous by itself. Another possibility is you will see the bad spirits that you bound and they will be freed instantly to haunt you. Make sure you leave the proper offerings at the site for the spirits or God you called upon. Go home.
Part 2 : Casting Aspersions
An Asperger also known as an Aspersorium or Aspergillum, a device used to cast aspersions of holy water. This Aspersorium comes from Rowan Morrigan
The term “casting aspersions” comes from this. It’s a form of cleansing with holy water. You basically flick holy water on the walls. On the ground. On anything and on everyone even pets.
That’s what casting aspersions actually means. This is to bless everyone and everything the water touches. So with the water you blessed with your own prayers, bless the home. You will need an Aspersorium which is a fancy word for an object that you can use to flick the holy water with. The church uses fancy metal devices or even brushes or small buckets to do this.
But any object will do. You cast the aspersions from the outside in. From the front and back yard. Call on your God or Goddess and their spirits to protect and bless the property and dedicate it to them. Say,
“I dedicate this home to be your divine temple. This I holy ground and only that which you allow can enter,”
Bless the outside in. And enter the front door and bless the house from the basement all the way to every nook and cranny up into the attic. You should feel another wave of relief come upon you. Make sure you flick the water or asperse it everywhere.
Sometimes I even use the cap from the plastic bottle I keep my holy water to asperse everything. If all else fails just use your hand. You will feel the wave of relief hit and once that happens you will know the dedication ritual is done. Granted some people don’t choose to dedicate their houses to their Gods. Instead they just do normal blessings.
I’m just not one of those people. My house is a temple to the Gods. I want them to live there. Sure the upkeep is a little more stressful but ultimately it’s better.
Part 3 : Reclaim your Authority
Think of your Will as a personal forcefield. And as a reality altering force. Your enemies, including evil spirits, have no power over you.
With this part, walk around with a holy item that represents your faith after the cleansing.
Used Horse Shoes are powerful talismans and can represent many religions and folk practices, from El Tarot De Yemaya (the tarot of Yemaya occult store)
And command that any unwelcome or negative spirits need to go. Command them to leave in the name of your God/Goddess/Gods. And say that only the Gods and their divine spirits can be in your home. Do this to reinforce and reassert your control over the home and property. It restored the natural barriers that exist to keep bad spirits out.
And it also re-empowers them to keep things out you don’t want.
Part 4 : Warding
From the Sacred Signs Archive drawing sacred symbols or hanging up magical charms is a common method of protection
This part is a long term project and it’s not something you can do in one day or night. You go through the process of learning special prayers. Or getting or making amulets to ward off negative energy. Or talismans to bring protective energy. Also drawing symbols or writing special words or letters of power is important.
You have to research your own religion. Or your culture and heritage. And find out what is useful in keeping bad influences away. This will increase the power of the dedication and/or blessing.
Since writing about Otura Niko, I got curious and wanted to know more about it. I had never heard of this sign before. And I wanted to trace its origin. I think I found the possible origin. Translated from the original Spanish article here.
In the land of Yewe Inle, there was a time when there was a terrible drought. Everything was a great disaster. It was then when the main kings met with the Obá Ikú (king death), Elegua, and Iroko to deliberate in an assembly. The result of that assembly was that everyone should do Ebó. The last three, as they had no money for the Ebó, decided to ask Oba Ikú for twenty-four coins, he accepted.
But with the condition that they pay him back within three days. They formally promised to do so. When the three days passed. Obá Ikú went to Elegba’s house to collect. He found him sitting in the doorway of the house, he refused to pay.
Obá Ikú bashed him with his cane and killed him. And made a hill of crab land (Ilekan) and buried him there. Together with his hand of Ifá, he sacrificed a rooster for him, and said:
“From today onward, you will be the Orisha (God) Elegua,”
Obá Ikú continued to the house of Iroko. And found him in the heart of the mountain. He asked for his money back. But he refused. And so Obá Ikú took his cane and killed him.
Throwing two majá that Iroko had in his room, two white jars, and killing a white chicken, he sang to him:
“IROKO DILOYU, IROKO DILOYU, BABA IKU EGUN LAYE, IROKO DILOYU,”
(ROCO DILOYU, IROCO DILOYU, FATHER OF DEATH CURSED IN LIFE, IROCO DILOYU)
And he said to Iroko,
“You will become an Orisha, everyone will worship you,”
And at that moment a sacred tree rose, which is the Iroko. Obá Ikú sent an envoy to Orunmila. Who by now had made his daily divination and saw the Odu (text) Otura Niko. So he performed an Ebó, feeding his ancestors along with the land and his Ifá, and he prepared a large casserole of ajiaco.
Otura Niko becomes a child when Obá Ikú arrived
An Orula baby doll
Orunmila invited him to lunch, when they finished Obá Ikú thought:
“I killed Elegba and Iroko, I must now finish with Orunmila as well,”
Obá Ikú raised his scythe to land a blow to Orunmila. But he dodged the blow of Obá Ikú. Who then pursued him tenaciously. And while he was escaping, Orunmila performed sarayeye (cleansing by rubbing a sacred object on the body) using the stick known as Espanta Muerto (frighten the dead). A cleansing to keep him safe from death.
And he arrived at the river. Out of fear, Orunmila leaped into the River. But Obá Ikú absorbed the river to catch him. But Orunmila still escaped. Then Obá Iku, disheartened, walked away.
Leaving Orunmila the victor. The river continued its normal course. And Orunmila came out of the water singing:
“IRE IRE WANWAN LELE ASHE IFA”
(GOOD LUCK WANWAN LELE DIVINE GRACE OF IFA)
Then Orula transforms into a child, to avoid being recognized and starts crying. He stands at the foot of a laurel bush, which had a lot of curujey (West Indian tufted airplant) on top and continued to cry. At that moment he meets two women who were passing through. They prepared a jar and opened one of the jugs. And filled it and leaves, some plants and placed the child (Orunmila) inside and took him to the house of Olodumare. One of them suckled him from her breast.
When they arrived at Olofin’s (GOD’s) house, the child surprises everyone by speaking to Olofin and tells him that he wants Aiyé to take him home. She rejects this, but because it was a direct order from Olodumare, Aiyé accepted and took him. She prepared a mat next to hers. When night came Orunmila returns to her in his normal adult state and says:
“I am Otura Niko and now I am your husband. With these transformations I defeated Obá Ikú. Because I am the foreman of the Egun (dead). But never reveal this secret to anyone,”
Orula
The woman was engaged and they lived happily. Where the fame of Otura Niko began to spread throughout that land.
After some time,
Shango, Egun, and Oshumare come to visit Otura Niko. To receive them all worthily, he tells his wife, Aiyé, to cook great delicacies. She replies in front of Shango:
“I have no time,”
Then Otura Niko threatens her. And she mocks and insults him, saying:
“You are only great because you are the foreman of the Egun (dead) and capable of shape shifting,”
At the moment, Otura Niko took his Irofá and ran after her. She was on her way to Olofin. But before arriving, Otura Niko caught up with her and gave her a blow from his Irofá and killed her. Then he said,
“I killed you for violating your oath,”
(You see, his power was in that he had become the foreman of the dead. And apparently, no one knew that. Nor that he was such a mighty shape shifter. To know the secret was to share in the power. And I suspect that Orunmila also didn’t want Iku, the Orisha of death, to know the secret of his survival).
Shango and Orunmila
Immediately, he made a pact with Shango. Also giving him the secret and the ashé (power) of Otura Niko. He took Aiyé and buried her. Then he put his Ifá next to her tomb and gave 2 black chickens to the spirit of Aiyé. Along with his Ifá.
And put the chickens with Ekó to Egun. They lowered the vultures and ate them. Letting him know the power of Egun that he had.
Prayer of Otura Niko, Otura Ogbe
“Otura Niko adifafun iku alashona oumbo wa ni eshu ishonshon oba lele iroko oba lele orunmila ore lawa oba iku yen ore amaiyekun belele iya lele lokua ariku omi orunmila oun sede otura niko umbo atefa ni egun agboran iku agboran olofin yewe inle oba iku onika ododo sekun iroko segun gbogbo iya kalalu elebo owunko elebo moyeni iku orunmila akue ye akualosiña iya laye oba iku,”
(Otura Niko, the death of our child’s mother, is the God’s faith, the king, the king, the king, the king of death, the king of death, the eternal friend of the mother, the king of heaven, he is the king of heaven).
It’s unknown if Otura Niko was named after him. Since he ritually becomes the “foreman of the dead” after this. Or if the Odu (text) already existed prior to him taking on this title. But that doesn’t really matter at this point. As the Foreman of the dead, Orula is immune to death.
He’s also shown to be a masterful shapeshifter. So he could take on any variety of forms and escape Iku. And foreman is another term for supervisor. Perhaps it even means he could command the dead in this form. Or command Iku to leave him be.
I’m not sure yet. I have to ask my Babalawo about his knowledge concerning the text. And see from there what happens. Take care of everyone. And as usual, be safe.
– M
The Eggun or dead, looking at their own corpses on a battlefield
There’s all manner of rituals and magic for protection and cleansing in the New Year. There’s some amazing things in tradition that one should consider adding to their practice. My witch sister (as in my actual sister) has been practicing magic here with me. Preparing for the New Year’s as well. These traditions come from different groups.
Also known as a Growth Cleansing or a New Year’s Bath, this is a bath with flowers. It opens up the spiritual channels in a person’s body. This is to allow them to release negative or unnecessary energy. While also allowing good energy to enter. The following is a formula we use in Spanish folk magic.
One prescribed by mediums for the new year.
Ingredients :
Note* ingredients must be natural and freshly harvested
1) 5 Sunflower petals
2) 5 Red rose petals
3) 5 White rose petals
4) 5 Pink rose petals
5) 1 Rue branch
6) 5 Jasmine branches
7) 2 yellow candles
8) 2 Rosemary branches
9) 5 Daisy petals
Instructions :
To start doing the bath, heat six liters of water in a pot or saucepan. You’ll have to leave the water heating about 10-20 minutes. Until it starts to boil. Once bubbles begin to appear in the water it means that it has reached the ideal temperature. Remove the pot from the heat and carefully put all the materials in the water.
Once this is done, place the pot back to heat. But this time you only raise the temperature a bit and stir the materials. After another 15 minutes, put the pot to cool. When the water cools put it in the bathtub with the other ingredients. If that water is not enough to bathe, you can put a little more water without any problem.
Essentially the water you prepared, will bless and charge the regular water.
Once everything is ready, light the two yellow candles and take a bathe. Imagine yourself illuminated by the energies of the flowers. Allow the souls of those flowers to enter you. All things are alive. And when you bathe in flowers, the souls of those beings enter you.
So this isn’t just a normal cleansing. It’s a soul cleansing. It washes through you and over you by using pure souls. Those of the flowers themselves. That’s how this works.
Embrace them. Feel the negative energy disintegrate inside you. And then be flushed out naturally from your energy pathways. Allow the calm, nourishing, energy to enter your pathways. Feeding them.
Renewing them. Once you finish the bath, dry with a white towel. This is because white is a color associated with purity. If you have a special color that empowers you, you can use that instead. Then do a regular shower.
And scrub with soap as you normally would.
As my Druid Master recently told me : in our tradition, any form of washing with water is a cleansing. And this is true in more ways than one. In Jewish mysticism, it’s said that water loves bad or impure things. It was made that way by God to absorb the impurity out of things and people. That’s why most cleansings use water as a basic ingredient.
How my sister does it
My sister’s special batch
My sister uses the same traditional flowering formula as described above. The only difference is that she uses Christian Magic to empower it further. In conjunction with the new moon prior to the new year. She also used my balcony shrine which is filled with various plants and astrological idols to empower it. She also adds a few secret ingredients to make hers stronger.
She also added some power to it from a portable altar she brought with her.
But because they are a secret taught to her by her teacher, I can’t reveal that. What I will say is that she combines it with Catholic Masses. She does a mini mass in the bathroom with a specific Gregorian chant playing on her phone. The combination of the potion with the holy music adds to the power of the cleansing. She uses special rites associated with the Catholic Church.
As well as the new moon, and Saints to empower the water. New moons are good for new beginnings.
I do it also not only with Christian Magic but with Santero magic as well. I appeal to Ossian the Orisha of nature and plants, Aroni his faithful servant, and Inle the Orisha of Medicine. I do special Santeria prayers with them. And I charge the potion on my balcony shrine as well. It’s a shrine to both nature and the astrological signs and celestial bodies.
I ask for them to charge it with their powers over night. And once I do this, I leave the potion in a plastic container for the night and allow them to fill it with their Ashe (divine grace). It’s pronounced Ahhh-sheh. Sometimes it’s spelled Ache by Cubans. Which confuses the hell out of English speakers.
I also add Cascarilla and some secret ingredients to the brew like my sister does. Though mine are different. Once charged, I wait until New Year’s Day to bathe. Like literally a few minutes after midnight. Then I try to dress in light colors.
I have a specific color I use to be empowered.
Santeria Cleansings & New Year’s Traditions
Orisha shrines to Yemaya and Oshun
These are cleansings taught to me by my Godmother in Santeria. The traditions here I also learned from my Babalawo. First up is the feeding of the Earth.
This one was taught to me by my Babalawo Warning! Do not do this ritual. Only a Babalawo or high priest of Orula cando this. I am just outlining the basic ritual and the origin. Doing this the wrong way can actually kill you. This isn’t a joke.
You’ve been warned.
According to our sacred texts, it’s said that when the daughter of God ile Oguere reincarnated, she became the planet Earth. Orula the God of Divination and Magic told her she needed to do a special cleansing called an Ebo. This is sort of like a karmic cleansing to change your fate. She did not. As a result, her children (humans) abuse and hurt her.
The Ebo would have prevented that.
Mother Earth herself
A few years later after humanity had populated the Earth, the Orishas (Gods) had invented death itself. This was to prevent overpopulation. They assigned Iku to be the Orisha of Death. And everyone hated Iku. They all wanted to live forever.
What was worse is that back then when people died, their bodies just lay around. Burying a body hadn’t become a custom yet. Imagine seeing your loved one’s body just laying on the ground. And it looks as if it’s still them. Just sleeping.
One day ile Oguere and Iku were spending time together. She complained that her human children abused her. And he complained that her children hated him for doing his job. So she had an idea. She made a pact with Iku.
“If you kill as many of my children as you can, I will absorb their bodies into my body,”
The problem was, it was going to be difficult for him to do it on his own. So he said,
“My wife Arun (disease) will have to do this work with us. She must be given power over everyone equally. The rich and the poor, the young and old, kings and their vassals, the wise and prideful, thieves and honest people. Everyone equally,”
She thought about it, and finally said,
“I accept, however I demand that all people grant me tribute of whatever food they eat. And if anyone does not do this, you will be in charge of collecting their debts,”
From that day forward, Iku sends natural disasters and all manner of unnatural death to fall on humans. And in exchange, ile Oguere will suck down human bodies into her own body. When this happened, human bodies began to decompose. Because the Earth began to call them home. Now since then, many rituals to appease the Earth have been made.
As well as many rituals to ward off Iku. And some ceremonies like this one, do both. The Jorojoro is a hole, representing the mouth of the Earth. Usually, a group of Yoruba practitioners led by a Babalawo go into a barren land. They open the Jorojoro, and perform a ritual which has many prayers and components.
But part of it is a technique called Sarayeye. Basically, this is cleansing your body or a place with a ritually charged object. This can be an idol. Food. Or even the body part of an animal like feathers.
In this case, everyone carries a plate full of food and perform Sarayeye with that food. The cleansing absorbs all the bad energy. Bad luck, death, disease, curses, obstacles in the New Year etc…then one by one, the food is dumped into the JoroJoro to feed the Earth. The Jorojoro has to be deep so that it can absorb all of the food. Then, the ritual is closed, by sealing the Jorojoro shut.
The Earth Mother will be appeased and she will give you powerful blessings. At the same time she is draining all the osorbos or bad energy away from you. Including Iku or death. This is done every new year by Babalawos. The ritual is expensive but well worth it.
But I must warn you that only a Babalawo has the authority to perform this ritual. If anyone tells you they can do it without being a Babalawo, run away. Because doing it incorrectly angers ile Oguere. And it results in death. This is because the Earth is hungry.
And the worst thing you can do, is to leave the hole open. She will devour the energy of the person who didn’t perform the ritual the right way. Pull their soul down into death.
This cleansing was taught to me by my Godmother in Santeria. Oshun and Yemaya are the Goddesses who symbolize cleansing and prosperity the most. Inle does too. But a lot of people leave Inle out. What you do is take a bottle of melao or sugar cane syrup to the beach.
And once there, you pour some in your hair. And the rest into the water. Obviously you have to be in the water when you are doing this. This is an offering to Yemaya, the Goddess of the Seas and Oceans. Really all water everywhere belongs to her.
She is the Mother of the Earth in our tradition. Because without water, no planet can survive. Now, when you do this, it’s an even more powerful cleansing than the flowering ritual mentioned above. Yemaya can open your roads to greatness and bestow blessing so powerful than no force or enemy can stop you. It may take a while with the flowering bath to disintegrate the bad energy.
As well as renew your strength. But this cleansing with the beach is faster. It’s also more powerful because this is a loci specific ritual. A ritual that uses the power of a location to help you.
A variation of this ritual, uses a honey comb or honey. Personally, I prefer to use a honey comb. You can buy those in the supermarket. It’s like a bar of soap made out of honey. You can scrub yourself with it.
They’re usually in square plastic containers like this. Though if you can’t find honey combs, just rub regular honey on yourself. Then pour the rest in your hair. Like the offerings of the sugar cane syrup. Oshun is the one you call with this cleansing.
And you are asking her to pull all the impure energy out of you. All bad luck, everything out of your energy field. Then, you toss the honey comb into the water as far as you can. That will be the offering for Oshun. But I would recommend you bring a change a clothes with you.
Bring shorts or a bikini to enter the water. Because regular clothing in sea water smells like a rotten animal. Better to remove the wet clothing and change back into your normal clothes afterwards. Bring a bag with you for your wet clothing to seal it up until you can wash it. Likewise you can do something with Inle as well.
She is the Doctor of the Orishas. And has great power to heal. What I normally use for her are vines and leaves which symbolize healing. I ask the Earth to charge it with great power. Then when I go to the Ocean, I ask Inle to drain all that is bad from me, to the vines.
And all the good energy from the earth and water to enter me. Then I toss the vines into the water far away from me. And that will be Inle’s offering.
We have already discussed the powers of the Sarayeye technique. And how ritually charged objects can be used in cleansings. This is such a cleansing. My Godmother taught me this one too. The one and only ingredient here is an egg.
If you want you can bless the egg to make it stronger. That’s up to you. On the first Monday of the new year, in the morning, rub an egg from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet. And pray to Elegua. Ask him to take all the bad energy out of you from the old year.
You will wait until you feel lighter. As if everything that was on and in you will be devoured by that egg. Eggs are living objects. They have living organisms inside them. So they are the best things to use for a sacrifice.
Once everything has been pulled from you, you throw it backwards so that it will break. Do not look behind you. Because if you do, whatever negativity you had removed, will return to you. And worse than before. Now you cannot eat eggs for seven days.
Because if you eat the same food you cleansed yourself with, it will also return the negativity to you. Seven days is the cut off point. After the egg fast the day after the seventh day, you will be able to eat them again. You can wash the egg with holy water to give it an added charge. Or anoint it with a holy oil or powder.
If you can’t do this in the morning then do it at night or the afternoon. The point is doing it while it is still Monday. Elegua is the God of the Crossroads in Yoruba religion. He opens all roads and brings success in all things. No ritual or prayer can be done without giving the first and last offerings to him.
He is the Lord of the New Year and Old Year and will open and close all doors. Doing this ritual with Elegua will be sure to remove all obstacles. He is the divine child God and Prince of our religion.
Throwing Water out the front door, the Window, or the Balcony on New Year’s Day
In Latin America and Spain, people throw out a bucket of water at the very moment of midnight of New Year’s Day. Others like the people of Uruguay, do it from December 31st. The water absorbs the old energy of the old Year. So when you cast out the water from your home, you are casting out the old year. Santeros have our own variant of the ritual.
My Godmother puts Cascarilla into the bucket so that the positive energies of the new year can be invited in. Some use a bucket of Catholic holy water.
Puerto Rican women of the older generations also did the same thing. But they would follow that up by burning church incense inside the house to bring blessings. They’d be doing this and praying deep into the early hours of the night. And to ward off evil. I burn Gold Rain incense that I dedicate to the laughing Buddha to bring in money.
The Christian Magicians in the Ozarks in Arkansas have similar beliefs. They believe in sending out the old year. And bringing in the new year. But instead of using a bucket of holy water, they open their windows. Just a crack, not open all the way.
The old year slips out through the same small opening. And at the same time the new year slips in. There are other beliefs concerning the New Year’s in the Ozarks. Namely that a visit from strangers isn’t very good. But especially not from a woman.
Why that is, has never been explained, at least not to me. Only that your year is supposed to be crap if a woman is your first New Year’s visitor. That actually happened to me once. And it wasn’t just any woman, it was an extremely neurotic neighbor. One that drove her family crazy.
Like literally every once in a while there were cops or some other trouble in that apartment. She visited us to wish us happy new year just as I was about to throw the water out the front door. I actually debated tossing the water at her.
“Maybe if I throw the water at her crazy ass it’ll exorcise the bad year or cancel it out,”
I didn’t. And man did I regret that decision. Because it really was a shitty fucking year. I don’t know if it was the power of suggestion or not. But at least that time it was right.
I know in the Ozarks it usually is right. On New Year’s Day they tend to stay home. Almost in lockdown pattern. Until the next day. They also seem to have a taboo against taking something out of their home.
They seem to believe removing anything from their houses on New Year’s Day will bring poverty. For a visitor to be allowed in, that person has to bring something inside with them. Even if it’s a twig. This symbolizes prosperity. Now with me it’s the opposite.
I throw shit out as quickly as possible. I like my energy uncluttered. But every place has its own set of rules. All of this information comes from a Folklorist known as Vance Randolph. His research on the Christian faith healers and magic users of the Ozarks is considered Gospel.
Even by the faith healers themselves. He did everything he could to properly catalog, analyze, and preserve Ozark culture. Especially the magical and mystical aspects of their folk religion. He’s in essence, the Eliphas Levi of Ozark and folklore and folk magic. His second wife was a premier folklorist named Mary Celestia Parler.
And together they created the Arkansas Folklore Society. Unfortunately the society which was started in 1950, ended in 1960. But any books or papers you can get from them are good. For they are necessary if you really want to understand the culture and faith of these amazing mountain people. I became fascinated by Ozark magic and folk religion years ago.
I thought this entry would be incomplete without mentioning them.
Chalking of the Doors : Blessing your home for the whole year with Baby Jesus and the Three Kings
The blessing formula drawn over the inside or outside of the front door to bless the home
It was once believed by Christian denominations from Europe, that Satan temporarily losses his powers. Every year around the time of New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Some believe it’s on Christmas Day. Still, it’s important to perform special wardings and blessings. The most common blessing during this time is the Catholic Epiphany blessing.
In fact, practitioners of Hoodoo also perform this blessing themselves. While traditional Catholics only allow a Priest or the head of the family to do it. Anyone who practices the root can do this. When a Priest does this, they do it as a representation of Christ. This is commonly referred to as in persona Christi(in the person of Christ).
This is a fascinating concept. It essentially means that the Priest is making themselves empty of their personal nature. And they ritually “become” Christ. They allow themselves to be filled with his authority. Like a form of divine possession almost.
In Christianity, divine possession doesn’t always mean that a spirit takes you over. Sometimes it refers to inspiration. Gaining prophetic visions and such. In this case it’s the actual authority of Christ being transferred to the Priest temporarily. When this happens, any blessing performed by the Priest, is the same as if Jesus himself were doing it.
Traditionally, a Priest does this. But the father of the family can also do it. I find that kind of sexist because the head of the family could be a woman. So really any head of the family can do it. As long as they are baptized.
Because then they are, they’re included in the “universal priesthood” (belief that all Christians are priests of Christ). In addition to this, practitioners of both Voodoo and Hoodoo can also perform this ritual. In fact this was an old tradition for many years. I was going to write about this. However, there are some amazing articles I found that I decided were better than anything I could write.
* Worship of Jesus in his child form (Divine Child) a theme you can find in many religions
* Worshipping him through a household ceremony as if the house was his house
* Calling on the Three Pagan Kings to aid in the warding and blessing of the home for the whole year until next year by chalking the door.
Using the Blessed Chalk to make the inscriptions
Then
* Blessing the home with Epiphany Water and special prayers.
Again this is me dumbing down the ritual for you. The actual ritual is a ceremony the whole family just participate in. And you are giving cultus to the Christ child by using an image of him. Now, the Catholic Church explains that the formula for blessing the house is Latin. And that the initials mean, Christusmansionem benedicat – (Christ bless this house).
However, these are also the initials of the Three Kings. Casper, Melchior, and Balthazar. And as I said, this is an old tradition done even by Rootworkers in the old days. Granted when we do it, it’s normally just the initials C.M.B., the plus signs are crosses and the numbers are the year the blessing is taking place in. For instance, the formula for this new year will be 2023 so the formula will be,
20+C+M+B+23
Rootworkers also believe that this chalk blessing offerings protection against witchcraft. It calls on the power of Christ and the three kings to block any malevolent influence. Be it magic or evil spirits.
How I do it
I do follow this formula almost identically to the way it’s performed by the church. I find that the chalking formula they use is better than just writing CMB. However, I don’t just write what is there. I add some things to the blessed incantation. For one, there was a Fourth Mage King known as Artaban.
He followed Jesus all his life. There are stories of heroic deeds and even people whose lives he saved along the way. But he never did catch up to Jesus. Finally he died almost at the same time Christ was crucified. And Christ himself crossed him over.
Saying that in everything he did, including saving the lives of the innocent, it was as if he had done those things for him. And There was also a Roman Witch the Magi Kings were friends with. We don’t know her true name. But she is known as La Befana in Italy. So over there it’s a Christmas Witch and not Santa Klaus who delivers gifts.
She was to join them to see Jesus as a child. However, she said she couldn’t because she was too old to make the journey. Later she regretted it. And tried to catch up to them, but it was already too late. So the sack of gifts she intended for the Child Christ, was instead given to the needy children of Rome.
So my formula is :
20+C+M+B+A+LB+23
To invoke all of their protections.
Other Traditions
There are a bunch of other New Years traditions to mention but they are all too numerous to write about here. So instead I brought you links and pictures from Atlas Obscura.
Well, we are finally at the last day of the Noumenia. The day when we finish the festival. This one is an odd mix of the first two. It’s a semi stay at home festival. It focuses on non human as well as human spirits.
Our Agathos Daimoi (Good Spirits) or spirit guides. Those spirits who have watched over us since the days of our birth. In ancient times they were honored with huge feasts in the household. The family would gather round. Like Christmas it was a family celebration.
Usually everyone in the family participated in thanking and honoring their Daimoi. Followers of the Theoi and Theia are still here. And so, modern temples who worship the Gods come together in temple celebrations to honor their good spirits. In my case and in the case of many other people, I do it alone. I do have a temple, but we don’t always celebrate the Noumenia together.
And they use the modern calculation of the New Moon. The timing I use was revealed to me. And it took me a long time just to study. So I choose to do it my reconstructed way.
Sunset
We begin our celebration as always at sunset, marking the next day. We set up a shrine to our Agathos Daimoi. Now my shrine is personal to me and so I can’t snap a picture of it. But what they have are typically images of protective spirits. This also includes our ancestors because they are also our Agathos Daimoi.
A warrior statue of someone’s Agathos Daimon
Now they don’t have to be Greek spirit guides. Any spirit guide is an Agathos Daimoi no matter what culture they come from. I personally have native and African guides among many others. And their images adorn my shrine. Now the images can be anything.
If you have plant spirit guides, place potted plants or images of those plants at the shrine. If you have guides who are ancestors, place their pictures there. If your guide is a guardian Angel then place a warrior Angel statue in the shrine. If you are protected by a specific Saint or Demi God also place an image of them there. There is no wrong or right way to do this.
An example of someone’s personal shrine to their Agathos Daimon. As you can see, the imagery doesn’t have to be a solid picture. It can be anything. Any idol you chose as long as it has meaning for you and your guides.
I use to have this book shelf dedicated just to them. I placed all my guides images there. An old associate of mine who practices Voodoo and Hoodoo managed to get her hands on a bakery rack. And she uses it for all of her guides to have a place in her room. Now, on to the God of this festival.
Agathos Daimon as a God of luck
An ancient depiction of Agathos Daimon or rather a God in his Agathos Daimon form. Asklepius
Agathos Daimon meaning “Good Spirit” can also mean “Good God”. There’s a lot of debate over this. But essentially Agathos Daimon is a spirit guide. But also the name of a God of good luck and prosperity who appears as a giant snake. It’s said he’s the husband of Tyche (Lady Luck).
There are some who claim this is a title for Zeus (who does appear as a giant snake sometimes). We know that Agathos Daimon is the name for a spirit guide. But whether or not there is a God or group of Gods who share that name depends on your view.
Zeus in his Agathos Daimon form
Personal Revelations
Now, this is my personal experience. This is not to be taken as “gospel”. This was a personal gnosis granted to me. I do not claim to be all knowing. But I did see him in a vision.
It was in an exhaust trance.
It kind of freaked me out because it looked so real. Imagine having a giant talking snake with semi human-like features in your bedroom. I damn near shit myself. He is not the serpentine form of Zeus. Though he did say Zeus has a similar avatar.
But he did tell me that he was a God of good luck and did confirm Tyche was his wife. He also told me he was the Lord of all Agathos Daimoi. In other words, he’s the God and chief of all spirit guides in Greek culture. This is what he told me. I did notice that after I began giving him cultus, my guides got stronger.
No matter what culture they come from. He does bring good luck. In fact sometimes when I pray to him I see visions of golden coins falling from the skies. And in any working with Tyche, he amplifies her gifts to immense levels. I have contemplated buying an image of a golden serpent for him.
He gives good luck by causing you to “shed” your bad luck. Like a snake shedding skin. Sometimes it’s a painful process. Emotionally, mentally, and spiritually painful. But when he’s done, anything that was holding you back is removed.
Besides Agathos Daimon, there are also the ancient heroes. You have probably heard of the term “hero worship”. Well that is because the heroes of the ancient Greeks are like our version of the Saints. In fact, the cult of the Saints was basically ripped off of our hero cults. We honor the Heroes for their intercession in our affairs.
People are used to asking the Gods for favors all of the time. However, the Gods are cosmic beings and are thus busy most of the time. The heroes on the other hand, were human once. And they are members of “The Mighty Dead”. The most powerful of the dead who can grant any boon.
It should be noted that at least some of these heroes are Demi Gods. Or became Gods after death. So hero worship is sometimes literally worship. So we have the added benefit of God power with hero power. Best of both worlds.
And I can also tell you that they are great to call in battle against dark entities. The heroes understand humanity on a level the Gods don’t. And they’re closer to us because the underworld is beneath the earth itself. In another, more spiritual dimension. Even Gods of the dead aren’t so close because they occupy higher space.
The Ceremony
Some heroes are Deified. So at least some of the Gods worshipped on Agathos Daimon are heroes
First, we give offerings to Hestia. Rather than the libations, I like to use candles this time. Fire is sacred to Hestia anyways. But yesterday I used libations. I wash my hands in the Lustral Waters and I speak the words,
“Hestia, Daughter of the Most High God, Zeus the God of Gods. Hestia of the golden hair from which fiery oil ever drips, ancient keeper of the ways of the Gods, protectress of the family and the house of the family. Keeper of the Hearthe on which our ancestors once cooked their meals, and families gathered round to celebrate and eat meals, while priests and priestesses gathered round it to perform rituals, we ask for your holy intercession on our behalf great lady, O Princess of the Olympioi, grant to us your favor and grace so that we may continue our work and begin the rituals of Agathos Daimon, Yammas,”
I usually wait for a sign from Hestia. A feeling of grace to overcome me, which tells me she’s here. Allowing me to continue on, now spurred by her spirit. Now I bring either wine for libations, or food. Home cooked food.
Whatever you are eating is what you should offer.
I bring part of my dinner to them. I have two shrines for them. One on the outside and one in home. Back when I didn’t have the time, space, or money to give my offerings, I used to leave it outside. I asked Agathos Daimon for a sign of where I should leave the offerings.
The next day my mother told me that she saw a huge snake by this tree on the left hand side of our apartment. I took it as a sign and went there. I felt the power of that tree. A hidden power. I must have walked by that tree a dozen times.
And never had I bothered paying attention to it. Now I looked inside it not with eyes, but with heart. And I felt it’s hidden power. It was damn near invisible. But there.
I guess I wasn’t ready to know about it yet.
And then for the first time I noticed something I never noticed before. The roots of this particular tree looked like giant snakes. I took that as my second sign. I opened myself to my spirits and asked if this was the place and they said yes. From that day forward, it was my shrine to Agathos Daimon and to my personal Daimoi.
Giving offerings
Today I had a simple food. It was just pasta and eggs and bread. But it was all that I had to give. After lighting the candle for Hestia, I ate dinner with my mother. And I separated a portion of the food into a bag. I prayed to the spirits who worship the Gods to charge it with prayers for them.
Then when I finished eating, I blessed it in the name of the Gods. They could eat the psychic energy. I went to the shrine. I prayed to Agathos Daimon and my Daimoi first.
Agathos Daimon and his attendants
“My Lord, Agathos Daimon, please shed from me all all that is impure. Cleanse my life and that of my loved ones of things we no longer need or want. And bring to us prosperity. As I honor you I also honor my Agathos Daimoi, my good spirits that you have granted me. And those whom are empowered by you even if they come from other lands.
I pray to you my holy Daemons, great spirits granted to me by the Gods for my own blessings and protections. I thank you for all the good things you given me and my family. I thank you for always being my support in the darkest of times. May Agathos Daimon bless you my Agathos Daimoi. Continue to walk with me on the path, Yammas,”
Spirit Guide
I drop a portion of the food for both him and also my guardians. Next, the heroes. I name a bunch of heroes from Greek religion, and also from other cultures that I look up to. Then I say something like this,
“Holy Ones, great heroes of old, I pray, please support us in our work. Please empower my Daimoi and grant them victory in everything that they do. And grant me victory and focus, please aid me in (give your petition here) please grant me your support. I ask that you intercede with our Gods. And that you also intercede personally for us in all of our affairs. And especially in the petition for which I have dedicated to you. Yammas,”
I dropped the rest of the food there. I went back to my home. And there I made candle and incense offerings for Agathos Daimon, my Daimoi (on my ancestor shrine), and the Heroes. I paid homage to my spirits and when I was finished, I burned a final candle to Hestia. And this time I took a reading from my temple for her.
And with that, the feast of Agathos Daimon is over now. This can be a private holiday. Or you can invite a close circle of friends to honor their own patrons and spirits. Like I said, it’s a mix of the Deipnon along with the actual Noumenia feast. Good night everyone.
An actual hotel guest room from a real hotel, the Royal Mandaya Hotel (royal?). Which makes this both hilarious and disturbing at the same time.
Welcome to the dark time of the year everyone. I hope you’re all comfy by your fire or space heater. I also hope that you have sufficient food to eat. And a nice warm blanket to be tucked inside of. The dark time of the year is here again.
Providing both comfort and fear for many.
During Christmas, it was an English tradition to tell ghost stories in the winter. Winter being the dark time of the year, when the Fae and all other spirits had full run of the land. It seems natural for people to have associated it with the dead. After all, things go bump in the night when the sun is gone. And only the holy power of fire can keep them at bay.
But there’s one problem with that. We don’t use fire hardly ever anymore. We don’t even have proper Hearths. And people don’t believe. Does that protect them? I’m not so sure it does.
If anything it debilitates them. Like an immune system that’s been weakened. How are you supposed to protect yourself from things you don’t even know are there in the first place?
This story was so good I just had to share it with all of you. It’s a YouTube video for your listening pleasure. Enjoy. Sit back and relax.
This year I did not divine on the Eve of St. Mark. Apollo came to me in a vision clad in black and told me there was no need. They would be revealed to me in a few days. And sadly he was right. Because by the next day (St. Mark’s Day) it was revealed that my uncle’s wife has an aunt who had a massive stroke.
And she’s expected to die. Yesterday I was told by my uncle that my great uncle was also hit by a stroke. We were told he’s expected to die within a matter of hours. Despite all of that, I am not upset. Mostly because I wasn’t too close with either.
But also because after my grandfather’s death predicted by St. Mark’s Eve, I am not scared or shocked anymore. It would have to be someone really close to me. Maybe that’s callous but it also happens to be true.
The shadow of death has fallen. In conjunction with Lord Hermès entering his retrograde. And with St. Mark and St. George who I believe are riding the winds in a sort of invisible wild hunt. The energy is changing all around us.
A reaping in Spring is what I call it.
When my relatives pass I might not be able to do readings or magic. It all depends on my emotional or spiritual state. I am also going to ask my high priest what is or isn’t allowed during mourning. For the ancient Greeks, there was a 13 day morning period in which the Gods could not be worshipped. The reason for this is because we are spiritually and energetically unclean during that time.
Not because we are “unworthy” but because death is a powerful negative force. And it leaves a temporary spiritual taint even in people surrounded by death. That lasts at least that long. For the Romans it was 9 days.
I am not sad but I do feel numb. So much death and so fast. Last year there was no one I knew who was going to die at that St. Mark’s Divination. So it’s been at least a year since I didn’t lose anyone. And lately I’ve been thinking about my pain.
And how to make it stop. I keep thinking about going to therapy again. Maybe I should. I think I need to refresh my brain. And truthfully what I really need is a vacation.
A real fucking vacation. Maybe Cuba. Go there and visit the Sierra Maestra mountains and meet the indigenous people there. Get a cleansing done. Visit the other spiritual people there.
Or Haiti. I have dreamed of Haiti since I started practicing Voodoo and Hoodoo. Since I have worshipped the Loa. And even had a strange dream about going there that had a lot of religious significance. I feel like Haiti is as much home as Cuba is.
Write my stories again. Gods know I would love that. If only I could fucking afford it. I just need a day off. A real day off.
At this point the dead have more of a vacation than I do. Hermes is their tour guide. How sad is that?
I have decided to do shadow work again. It’s been a long time since I confronted my shadow self. I need to listen to him again and see what the root of my problems are. And also apologize to him for not being the best caretaker. I care about everyone else but not me.
I think things were better when I was selfish. Then I didn’t need to care about anyone else. Just me and whatever I wanted. I look back on my earlier life. And I started thinking : I may not have accomplished much but damn it I had some fun.
More fun than I’m having now. Ever since I became Mr. Save the world I don’t have as much fun. You know there was a funny fortune cookie that once said,
“Nostalgia is realizing things weren’t quiet as bad as we thought before,”
Or something like that. I wonder if I will look at this time with nostalgia. I have a feeling of impending doom almost. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. The waiting is killing me. And what’s worse is thinking I am crazy for waiting for something bad to happen that might not happen at all.
I need a cruise….whoops, sorry Charon not that kind of cruise
Sorry for being Emo. Its annoying as hell I know. But I can feel a mass reaping coming on. Maybe it’s the war in Ukraine or maybe it’s something else. Either way now is the time to prepare and do rituals and prayers to ward it off.
If you are into apotropaic magic now is the time to do special rituals to protect yourself. I would also recommend special cleansings. Since both Saints Mark and George’s feasts passed recently I think I will appeal to them. Well that’s all for now. Take care of yourselves is all I can say.
I have to go Adult and actually treat myself good (damn it)
Adventures of A Mage In Miami 