Was it a Hungry Ghost?

The Phantom Cat of Washington seemed appropriate for this blog post

This happened maybe three or four days after my last post

It took me a while to write about it because it’s only now that I have everything under control. But it’s a hell of a weird experience. I waited to write this to see if I could debunk it. But also because I am having trouble accepting this could be paranormal. My skeptical mind keeps jumping in.

It’s also a reminder that even experienced magic users can be dumbasses. I’m the said dumbass this time. So we’re not supposed to go out at night. Because dark spirits are out at night. At Ghost Month it’s even worse.

I’m the first person telling everyone not to step out even for a moment. I warded my house up. Did cleansings before hand. I made some specialized wards. Blessed myself and my family, the works.

I ordered a mini air conditioning unit for this small ass slum apartment I live in. I did it as a surprise for my mother. But whoever delivered it, left it on the porch of my Landlord instead of mine. It was dark already. Not full nightfall, the sun still had one slight streak in the skies.

And the sky was the color of dark blue, about to become true night. It was hot as hell and I figured we were okay. So I lit the porch light on knowing the dark things hate the light. I had recently put wards on the outside of my apartment as well. I salted my welcome mat with raw sea salt.

Blessed by Poseidon via his statue. I was confident that nothing would be able to come near us. So I stepped outside and closed the door.

Then I grabbed the box and entered backwards into my house

As I was taught by some old masters of mine from Trinidad. This is to prevent roaming spirits from following me inside the house. I locked the door and thought it would be fine. But as soon as I turned the light off, something started scratching the door. And my dog began to emit a low growl in response and started sniffing at the door.

His growl got louder and louder until he started barking up a storm. I shouted at him to be quiet and go sleep in his bed. But that weird scratching sound kept on. And the dog kept emitting that belly deep growl. One he only reserves for a person rather than an animal.

Now at first I was trying to ignore it. I did get goosebumps. And almost right away I thought I knew what it was. But I ignored it. I was trained by Paranormal groups in the basics :

1) Debunk everything first

2) Not everything is Paranormal, some is psychological

3) Try to find a logical explanation first

Fine. Got it. But you ever have something really eerie happen? You don’t know why it makes you feel weird. You have no logical reason to be afraid. You don’t know why it freaks you out.

But it does. But I pretended that it was nothing. There’s lots of stray animals out there. Street cats, ducks, and even a few possums. The problem is I also know spirits can possess animals.

Especially the dead or nature spirits. And Hungry Ghosts are notorious for that. I’ve never seen a Hungry Ghost before. I go out of my way to avoid them. I follow the rules, leave the offerings, and stay in.

I won’t even take my dog out at night anymore. This thing kept scratching in a sequence. One scratch, then silence. A second scratch, then silence. And a third scratch.

Then it would wait a few minutes and return to the same pattern. I kept thinking that’s weird for a cat.

“Hijo, ¿que es eso?”

(Son, what is that?)

“Es solo un animal,”

(It’s just an animal)

¿Un animal que hace eso como si estuviera enviando código morse?

(An animal that does that as if it’s sending morse code?)

I was hoping she didn’t notice the pattern. One because she’s more skeptical than I am. She won’t just believe something is magic or paranormal. And she’s noticing it’s weird. And two because I didn’t want her to be freaked out.

But even she felt something was off.

“That’s very strange,” she finally said.

She hit the door a few times, hard, to try and frighten it away. It didn’t have any effect. The scratches kept coming louder and seemed to be deeper upon the door. She wondered if someone had broken into the property and was playing a prank. But the scratches happened the moment I shut the lights off when I was inside.

Hungry Ghost from the Tibetan Buddhist Dictionary

No one is that fast. No one is out there. Plus the Gates were shut, my landlord is an ex cop so she has security cameras everywhere. And she’s nosy as hell. She would have seen a stranger coming and brought her gun out to meet them by now.

I wanted to text her anyway but my mom stopped me.

“What happens if no one is there? If there is no animal? What are we going to tell her?”

She was right. And it also seemed by how she phrased it, that she came to the conclusion this was paranormal. Without me having told her anything. After about six minutes of this I was like Why am I trying to debunk this? I’m not investigating anyone so I have nothing to prove. I began playing some Buddhist music and reading a few sutras out loud.

And that was it. It just stopped as suddenly as it had begone. My dog also calmed down afterwards. Even now I’m trying to debunk it. Maybe the music and the sound of my voice scared the animal off.

But my voice level was just as loud when my mother and I were speaking. And the Facebook videos she was watching before were way louder than the music I played. Hell hitting the door should have frightened it away. Not attracted it more. But it kept scratching the door uninterrupted.

Why would Buddhist music and Buddhist texts be enough to scare a random animal away? I was going to do a divination on it but my spirits stopped me. They asked not with words but with feelings Why ask when you know the answer already? Confirming that it was a Hungry Ghost. Not just my imagination or superstition. A nasty roaming soul. Drawn by the activity of a person opening their front door.

Venturing out like a fool when they should not. I should have known better. When will I learn that even magic and prayers are not 100% full proof? I don’t know. After that for a few weeks we both dreamed of the dead. Specifically of decomposing corpses that were not zombies.

But they could still walk around. I didn’t tell my mother about what a Hungry Ghost is. She’s a Jehovah’s Witness, she doesn’t believe in them. But she still dreamed of them. And she knows something strange happened that night.

I finally asked my spirits what was up. And they told me that this thing sniffed us both out. And it was trying to find a way in. So I had to do a far more powerful banishing to get rid of it for good. The dreams stopped for the both of us.

I didn’t tell her about the banishing ritual to see if she noticed a difference. I did a whole new cleansing, re-blessed everything and her and myself. Then I re-salted everything from the inside and out. Final thought, the morning after the strange scratching, I was sure that the landlord was going to complain about the marks. I wanted to be ready in case she tried to blame my dog.

Except there were none. I took 15 mins and even asked my mother to look. Short of a magnifying glass, I’m fairly confident that no animal scratched the door. She thought it was weird too. I started doing research online to see if it was possible for an animal like a cat to scratch something without leaving a mark.

I found nothing. If anything I found evidence to the contrary. That even a common house cat can scratch up the metal of a car given the right circumstances. This door is made of wood. There’s no way those loud ass scratching sounds happened and nothing was left behind.

Not even so much as a faint outline. Believe me or don’t. I don’t care. I didn’t see it. But I felt it.

Both of us did. Even my dog did. And I mean really felt it. It was the sensation of a wicked, child like mentality. Something nasty that has nothing better to do than fuck with people.

I can’t say for sure it was a Hungry Ghost. And even now as I write this I can feel my spirits facepalming themselves. As if to say we told you what it was already, why are you doubting us? But logically speaking I can’t prove that’s what it was. Any skeptic reading the blog would see this as a mere hysteria on my part. The common nightmares? A shared delusion between my mother and I.

Even though she doesn’t know anything about Ghost Month. The scratching noises that didn’t yield any scratch marks? The wood is obviously sturdy enough to resist despite the loud scratching. So it was just an animal. Tada! It’s explained away. The animal not being scared off by our voices or my mother repeatedly hitting the door to scare it away? Nothing.

And it’s just a coincidence that a sutra and some religious music was used by me at the moment the animal in question stopped. But I’ll say this, skeptics be damned. They aren’t here when the night falls and strange things come out of the shadows. Something strange is in the night shade. And if you should find that a package is on your door step or at your neighbor’s step, leave it behind.

Wait until the morning. Or else you might hear a strange, rhythmic scratching at your door. Scratch, then stop. Second scratch then another stop. Third scratch and a longer pause.

Only to start again…..

Ghost Month 2021 : What are Dark Souls?

A Flame Mouth is a Hungry Ghost who cannot eat food because it will turn into fiery coal in their hands. From Best Price Travel’s article

I decided to take advantage of this festival to write about a little talked of subject : Los Muertos Oscuros. The Dark Dead. This is something that is universal amongst all traditions, both old and new. Even Reiki practitioners have talked to me about the use of Reiki to help or aid the dead. Especially those lost in the darkness.

But first, what is this festival about?

Today at Sunset, the Hungry Ghost Festival begins. For those who don’t know, this is when the dark or toxic spirits of the dead are released. Specifically those who died and went to Hell for their sins. Hell isn’t entirely a Christian concept. Many faiths have their own version of Hell under different names.

Or states of hell. Sometimes referred to as “reincarnating into the lower realms.” Although lower realms isn’t always hell. Sometimes it’s limbo or even reincarnation as an animal. Though I personally don’t believe reincarnating as an animal is “lower” at all.

It’s being a part of nature. Humans after all, are animals. Typically, Hungry Ghosts are classified into three groups : Needle Mouths, Flame Mouths, and Corpse Mouths. A Needle Mouth is when a hungry ghost has a throat that is so tiny, it’s like a needle. Which is why they cannot eat food.

Flame Mouths are people that cannot eat food because it will burn up or transform into coal. And Corpse Mouths are the very worst. Those are people who were so evil in life, that they become decomposing corpses. They can’t eat because their mouths rotted away. This is a testament to their very literal rotten character.

For many generations there was very little that could be done for such people. It wasn’t until the Buddha’s two disciples, Maudgalyāyana and Sariputta had to face the fires of hell to save their mothers. Both of them had selfish and greedy mothers, who when they died, went to Hell and became Hungry Ghosts. If you want to read the whole story, go to my 2018 Article on the origins of the Festival. This also covers the rituals needed to appease them and ease their sufferings.

In addition to Buddhism, the same entity exists in Hinduism, known as a Preta. Which becomes a flesh eating undead revenant.

A depiction of a Corpse Mouth

In addition to not being able to eat because of their mouths, Hungry Ghosts have large distended bellies. This is for them to eternally starve to death without starving. Now, most religions also have what I call Dark Ghosts. Toxic spirits of the dead. They aren’t necessarily people who went to Hell.

Not everyone believes in Hell. But various religions have something akin to limbo or purgatory. And in this place a spirit with no light as we Santeros say, or divine energy, just keeps getting darker. And then more violent and nasty. Until they become something far removed from who they once were in life.

A soul that was put into a blender and so messed up that it’s unrecognizable as who it once was. In Santería we call this an Eggun Buruku. Literally the dark dead. In fact I believe the Shadow People mentioned in modern paranormal accounts are these types of spirits. Not demons but really dark souls.

Although at least some of them, do become demons according to certain folkloric beliefs. In Catholicism they are called Anima Solas or “lonely souls” that live in purgatory. In Ancient Roman beliefs they were called Lemures or Larvae. The root word meaning “mask”. Because their visage was so horrible that they were masks of fear to those who beheld them.

And of course we have the Jewish Dybbuk. The soul of a sinner who, unable to become one with God, is hunted and beaten by Angels for sport. So they must come down to our realms in order to escape. They are called Dybbuks because the root word in Hebrew is the word for “attachment”. They attach themselves to the living or outright possess them.

Whether they be animals or humans makes no difference to them. Symptoms of Dybbuk possession include speaking with someone else’s voice (dead person’s voice). Having any ailments or pains they had in life like back pain or anything else they had. Or total personality changes. In certain spiritual circles the belief of a deceased soul doing all of this to a possessed person is identical.

Dark, but not always Evil

Not all of these dark souls are evil or even punished by God through the Angels however. Some Dybbuks are just dark because of how they died. Such as suicides. And they stay in a state of constant purification until they are ready to become one with God, like the Anima Solas in Purgatory. A Rabbi once told me that such a spirit will be attracted to someone who acts like them.

So if a Dybbuk committed suicide, they will go to someone thinking of it. If a Dybbuk was a murderer, they will go to someone thinking of it. Once there, they possess and oppress the person. The person starts getting visions of this dead soul in life. And they relive all the things the deceased went through.

The person in theory, understands that killing themselves or someone else won’t give them peace. So they change their ways and live out their lives. The Dybbuk departs from the human. And they having fulfilled their duty, are fully purified. Thus allowed to enter Heaven.

This is just one of many ways that the dark dead are able to be purified. It’s not always about sin but more often than not, miasma. Negative energy from some event holding them back. And by being unable to release this bad energy, they stop themselves from going forward. Usually, what happens is that a descendant doesn’t remember their ancestors.

There’s this modern belief that the dead are automatically fine. That when they die, they go to God and that’s it. Some go to Heaven, others go to Hell, done. But it doesn’t work like that. Even in Purgatory, there are many different forms and dimensions.

Same with reincarnation. Not all reincarnation is the same either. But I digress. When people forget their ancestors, that’s a nail in their spiritual coffin. When they don’t give them offerings of food and money or drink or incense and candles etc.. the soul becomes like a homeless person.

Alone. Trapped. Always hungry and thirsting. Always cold or hot because they have no home to protect them. Always alone or in the company of spirits that make you feel alone.

This is why on Hungry Ghost Month Hades Money or Hell Money is burned. It’s a kind of fake currency that is charged with prayers or belief. Once it’s burned in honor of a specific person, that person has the spiritual version of it with them. And to them, it’s a real currency.

Here we back our currencies with gold or natural resources. Their, faith, belief, power, energy is what backs such a currency and makes it real for them. I knew one woman, who would burn the paper using a holy candle. The holiness of the blessed candle would be permanently infused into that money. So that the money would appear to the dead person she offered it to as a talisman.

It wouldn’t run out.

Warding

In many traditions we have some kind of altar or idol for the nameless and forgotten dead. In Yoruba practice, we have statues of Babalu Aye and Oro who are Orishas that have power over the nameless and forgotten dead. They are placed outside the house. And offerings are given to them to make sure these spirits are pacified and won’t harm the living. Special idols for Hekate are placed outside of household doors to ensure bad spirits stay away.

Or just plain using sea salt barriers to block anything or anyone from coming in. While everyone is in danger of being effected by them, the sick, the elderly, children, and pregnant women are most at risk. Animals should avoid being outdoors at night as well. If you keep them outdoors, you need to ward your front and backyards. As well as ward their places of sleep.

Bless their food and drink and ask the Gods to fill them with protective grace to ward off enemy spirits. By enemy I mean anything that could harm you, even if unintentionally. Do extra protections. These are some links with information with good advice on what to do during this month.

Staying safe through Hungry Ghost Month

While Vietnam had their own Hungry Ghost Festival on July 15, this is still good advice and applicable to this festival.

Ghosts and other Myths : How Vietnam celebrates the 7th Lunar Month

Hungry Ghost Month & the Star of Yin Gate (More Good Advice for this month)

Finally, if you do decide to give offerings this month you need to be very careful. The Hungry Ghosts congregate all around people giving offerings. You need to charge your food and drink for libations but ask the Gods to put a timer on when the energy can be released. So that once you put it outside, it won’t release the energy until you have left and are safe. And wait until you are outside and far from home.

Pray to the Gods and ask them to charge the food and water. And that even if it is devoured right away in the physical world, it may endlessly replicate into the spiritual world until morning. That way many souls will be free. Or alternatively for the blessings on the food and water to be a gigantic bomb that will liberate an entire night’s worth of spirits when eaten. Cleanse the whole home.

Hungry Ghosts, like most spirits will possess an animal to eat on their behalf. The Hungry Ghost eats the energy inside the food, and the animal eats the physical food. Give your home an extra strength blessing. Do it for your Cars in case you need to be out late. Wear a protective charm with you.

And anoint yourself with oil. Or holy water. Bless any food or drink you have before you eat it and pray for protection. That way you will be given divine grace to protect yourself. Don’t offer the food to them when inside your home.

Because that will be an open invitation to them. And next thing you know, you will have legions over running your house. So when you do this outside, first have protection. Cast a circle, or wear a protection around your neck, have a charm bag etc.. even a salt circle around your car will do. Make it large enough to walk inside of.

Choose a place far from your home. Then what you need to do is pray to the Gods to charge the offerings. Either to ascend or elevate whoever will eat them. And that in exchange for them being crossed, for more good spirits to enter our home instead. That’s my advice.

Also, for this month it is very good to offer incense to your Gods and spirits for good Karma. Have a good Ghost Month everybody.

– M

A play based on Hungry Ghosts I found this very interesting

Soothsaying for the Month of July 2019 : A time of darkness, a time of light

Karkinos, the Giant Crab given immortality by Poseidon or Hera depending on the Legend. In the more anglicised version, his name is Crios.

Now normally, when July comes around, most people don’t view it as a dark time. Most people think of the scorching heat of the sun. But if you have been reading my studies and my weird little exploits then you know I am not most people. For starters, in the Ryukyuan Islands of Japan, the entire month of July is their version of Ghost Month. If you don’t know the story behind that festival, you can read about it here :

https://miamimagus.wordpress.com/2018/08/13/ghost-month-2018-the-hungry-ghost-festival/

But this Month has started out cthonic even astrologically. Both monday and tuesday start out with a New Moon. New Moon’s are considered the time of the dead and times of bad luck in Hinduism. Tuesday also has a solar eclipse in the sign of cancer. The day after the new moon in the old Roman calendar is the Nones which is dedicated to the dead and considered a bad luck day. 

On the 7th of July (Sunday) we have Mercury going into retrograde which now joins Saturn, Pluto, and Jupiter in their retrogrades. Then on the 16th of July (Tuesday) we have a Lunar Eclipse in the sign of Capricorn. Then there’s the feast of the dead saints Saints Cyril and Methodius on Friday July 5th. And if you notice, we end this new month the same way it begins : with a New Moon between the days 30 and 31st with the Feast of Joseph of Arimathea. So either way, it seems we’re bound for a lot of change.

And a lot of dark influences. 

As always, stay in doors during the solar eclipse, any offerings you’ll make to the Sun Gods must be on altars to the dead to their underworld aspects. On Lunar Eclipses, you can stay outside to make wishes. But only for as long as the conjurations last. Then immediately go inside. If you are sick, or a woman who is pregnant or on her period, really not a good idea. 

Liminal times like these will hit you harder than a man. Speak your wishes over the offerings and leave them outside before the actual events. You’ll still get your wishes. And remember : leave offerings blessed with prayer for the dark dead on crossroads or cemeteries, bodies of water like rivers or ponds are also good. They’ll channel themselves into animals in order to eat in most cases.

Also feed your land and house spirits to be safe and protected during this time. Now is the time to do a lot of cleansing and cleaning of the home. Also on Sunday we have the Tanabata Festival of Japan (Qixi in China) the Star Light festival of the two lovers. We have a bunch of holy holidays of light including the Slavic Kupala Night (the final Summer Solstice festival) which also ends Sunday. So we have a balance of light with darkness.

Update : As a matter of fact I may do more updates in the future.

I did my Soothsaying as usual. I did offerings to the Gods and entered a trance. I began to perceive days and weeks as energies. And then I marked my astrological calender with notes. Which I found something odd.

In fact I have never done this before.

Apparently, I pointed out that there is a vortex forming. Almost like a strange weather pattern of the spirit world. It started Monday to Tuesday this week with the New Moon and Solar Eclipse.

What I learned is that the vortex seems to be connected to the astrological phenomenon. Some kind of doorway in our skies is being opened. What, I have no idea. This could be for karma. This could be due to the Ryukyuan Ghost Month which is every July.

Or it could be something else entirely. I am still doing my research. What I also discovered is that the magic involved is influenced by the power of four. It creates a kind of square or perhaps a cube.

I noticed another phenomenon. Light and Dark seem to be going back to back with each other. We started the month dark. Tomorrow the feast of Cyril and Methodius we begin a light energy. It seems to be solar and rises to prominence from the 6th-7th which is Kupala Night. Then on the 7th Mercury Retrograde we have the Star Festival.

The light changes from solar to starlight. Night reigns but with infusions of holy light. Then around the day 9 to 10 it begins to clear up. A “Dawning” begins. But rather than Sunlight, I spiritually saw a large moon rising to illuninate everything at the 11th. The Full Moon isn’t until Tuesday the 16th, the same time as the Lunar Eclipse which adds a weird power to this.

The Eclipse and everything else sort of creates a spiritual vortex that feels similar to the Bermuda Triangle. Only it’s a square. And then I realized it’s actually a Cube. I just haven’t pinpointed yet where the last two points of the Cube are. Or what they are.

On the 11th the monthly energy is illuminated with lunar energy. That is the Dawning. But by the 17th it darkness till the end of the month. Oh and guess what? The regular Chinese Ghost Month starts next month on the 1st and ends on the 19th. So that means we have two cthonic months.

I wondered if I hadn’t found the other two points of the Cube, because they were for next month. And I was correct. Mercury going direct on the 31st is one point.

The last is Jupiter going direct next month on the 11th which is a master number. And Zeus or Jupiter as the God of Gods is a true master.

I’ll wait to do any other predictions for next month. It almost looks like a Hurricane path. So what I get from all this is :

• Manifestation
• Destruction
• Healing
• Light Vs. Dark or Light working with the dark.
• Lots and lots of spirits, light, dark, and neutral but mostly light or dark coming through during this timeframe. Ending sometime after Jupiter goes direct.
• Possible increase in violence.
  • Potential for peace, though it will be hard.

This month is tricky, good and bad vibes mixed into one. For protection from the Hungry Ghosts (I believe in India they are called Preta) you should have sacred charms with protective blessings or spells. Crosses, Stars of David, images of certain Gods or even holy books placed in corners of the home will shield it. Also place salt all around the outside of the home and salt the doors and windows from both sides. At the same time, you can charge the same charms with good energy from this month.

I would call this a Yin and Yang month.
How will you put these energies to work for you? Oh and by the way. After I finished my update on what appeared to be a spiritual vortex, I saw this over my home in Miami. Sweetwater down the road from FIU to be precise. It’s not there anymore but I saw it.

• 

  
  

They were taken with different phones. The originals were mine which is an Android. The lighter ones are from an iPhone 6. Notice that in every snap of the iPhone they seem to change in color. Interesting that this happened after my reading.

Update again

Apparently what I saw, was seen all over Florida. Even by people out to sea. This video shows at 10:13 that it could be seen off the shores of Florida.

Since then, the strange Earthquakes in California have been happening. Quakes that many residents are saying are not the norm for them. Could the “spiritual storm” I foresaw be something major happening?

I will put the remaining updates on this twitter thread

Strange things are happening. I wonder if any other #Diviners have seen what I saw during my monthly divination. Cause now we have more tremors in #California. https://t.co/IUbY5SlJf0

— Adventures of a Mage in Miami (@MiamiMagus) July 6, 2019

Asking all diviners for their input

• M

Violence & Death is in the air (Weird News Links)

In North America, violence is part of our day to day life. But since before and after Ghost Month it’s become worse. Here’s a list of some of the things that happened just yesterday or the day before I think. All of this was in the same Yahoo newsletter :

Couple Investigated after friend’s body parts found in bags

https://www.yahoo.com/news/couple-arrested-friends-body-parts-111906872.html

Cops catch a woman trying to feed the body parts of her husband’s ex wife to alligators. The couple both participated in her murder

https://www.yahoo.com/news/woman-tried-feeding-remains-husband-153434696.html

And this story is just all kinds of weird

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/mystery-woman-rang-doorbell-found-safe-police-death-064400781–abc-news-topstories.html

It is said that spirits can effect our world. That they can cause humans to become more violent. That they can cause disease and crime and murder and even suicide. I can tell you that there is at least some truth to this. I regularly use necromancy to cross the dead over.

And I can tell you that violence here has lessened with time as the crossings have happened. I think the combination of the Hungry Ghosts, Eclipses, and Retrogrades are making the violence worse. As a matter of fact Eclipses and Retrogrades can make the energy worse. Beware my friends. People are going crazier than usual.

Oh and the picture being used here is Ariana Grande who was sexually assaulted by a preacher on live TV at Aretha Franklin’s funeral. After he made a racist Taco bell joke about her.

this is literally disgusting. & the way he does it multiple times… how does he think that's ok or comfortable ? pic.twitter.com/uQbJJHu8mO

— anouska (@grandesecIipse) August 31, 2018

Funny how the media isn’t mentioning this and is actually going out of there way to avoid the elephant in the room. The hashtag #RespectAriana is trending on Twitter now. Not that men need Demons to be pigs. Real holy men don’t do this.

– M

 

P.S. This one showed up today

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/summer-triple-murder-watts-couple-144543845.html

 

Happy Sturgeon Full Moon in 3° Pisces!

So, we are entering a new lunar event (lunation). And as usual, I have a bunch of things to share with all of you. So, Sunday is the Full Moon. However, in accordance with Astrology, you feel the event three days before hand. So starting yesterday and ending Sunday is the advance of the full moon. However, Monday is also Moon Day or Manni’s Day (Norse Moon Goddess).

 

So I soak up the power until Tuesday.  I have a tray full of holy water that I charge with various astrological events. From Eclipses to Full and New Moons. Even Retrogrades. That way I can use the energy whenever I need it for a magical working.

This gives me access to the power whenever I want or need it. That way I don’t have to wait for a specific event to happen, to charm an item for a client or myself. I also give offerings to Selene the Titan moon deity, and to her lover Endimeon the Demi God son of Zeus. I worship him as the Demi God of Astrology and Astronomy. It was he, who introduced the ancient Greeks to the secular scientific study of the Moon and other celestial bodies.

 

It was his fascination with the Moon that led to him having met Selene in the first place. They loved each other. Legend says that he sleeps somewhere on Earth in suspended animation. Scholars say the young prince died and that his tomb has even been discovered. But this is inconclusive.

I sometimes do an in door Hellenic ritual with a white Olympioi Altar. Or because Selene is still technically a Titan, I water her sacred tree with milk, honey, or cream. One libation for her, the other for Endimeon. This is for them to bless the waters with the power of the heavenly bodies, Literally. As in the power of Heaven to consecrate the water further. That’s what I do for the first day at Sunset.

 

Today at the same time, the day before the actual day, I did a Jewish ritual. I pray to Yahweh and Asherah (GOD the Mother) for full blessings. I leave an offering at the Asherah Pole that I mentioned before. Then I read the Hebrew texts combined with my own praises to Asherah. This is because most of Asherah’s texts at least for me, have been hard to find.

Since the Monotheistic Jews hunted down the traditional Jews. These were Pagan Jews who worshiped the Elohim (Hebrew : The Powerful Ones, the Gods) until the religious genocides mentioned in Deutronotomy. When the old religions were wiped out in favor of the new Monotheistic form of Judaism. The book of Deutronotomy is probably one of the most genocidal, and prejudiced texts in the old testament and it details every part of this. It amazes me, that other texts like the Testament of Solomon is called “apocryphal”.

 

It doesn’t matter that a couple of years ago, they found his seal in an archeological dig in Palestine. Because oh no! Solomon being a Magician and summoning demons to build the Temple of Jerusalem, Blasphemy!.  But Deutronotomy, a book that praises genocide and calls Kings who butchered their own people heroes, is Cannon. Except that Moshe (Moses) had been dead for a thousand years when this book became attributed to him. That means that Christian Cannon has actual Apocryphal works inside it.

But anything too magical or too Pagan gets called fake and removed. But I digress, I perform a Hebrew ceremony every New and Full Moon. Because Yahweh commanded the Hebrews to worship him on those days. With dancing and feasting apart from prayers. Hmm now what does that sound like to you?.

After I’m done, I sit down and meditate with the Prophet Maryam, sister of Moshe. The Prophets of Judaism are considered a type of Saint. And although they’re never called that by name, my understanding from a Rabbi was that it’s exactly what they are. They are powered by the Ruach HaKadosh (the holy spirit). They are in the constant presence of the Elohim and of Adonai especially. Maryam is a protective saint. Jews, Muslims, some Christian sects, Gypsies, and other groups use the Hand of Maryam for protection.

Of course in Islam it’s the hand of Fatima or Hamza Hand, she was the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed. And each finger represents the five pillars of Islam. This is a hand with an eye in the center known as the Nazar. It protects from evil spirits and from the effects of black witchcraft. Especially the evil eye.

Women mostly meditate with Maryam. But I find wisdom in her presence as I ask her questions for divination. On the third day, I do a sort of good bye ritual for them. When the last day is close to Monday, I extend the good bye ritual into my lunar devotions on Monday. This year is a special lunation.

Because of yet more retrograde and eclipse energy. Only this time we also have Earth energy in every direction. Perfect for all Earth centered rituals, magic, and so on. Full Moons are also about illuminating things that need illumination. Personal relationships and so on as well as business relationships.

The Full Moon is in 3° Pisces. Pisces is a zodiac sign that is mostly associated with Heavenly Gods. From Zeus to Christ, Poseidon, and many others. The only dark association with this sign, is Typhon. So this is a lunation that is associated with enlightenment and self discovery.

But, everything has a dark side. Typhon represents that dark side. Typhon was a Dark God who fathered several monsters and malevolent creatures. There’s different versions of who his parents are. Typhon tried to overthrow Zeus to become the new King of the Gods.

Normally, his influence is minimal in this zodiac sign. But given that we are in Ghost Month, plus the retrogrades and the solar eclipse from August 11, Lord Typhon has a lot of power. So we need to remain neutral. Achieve a balance. Because emotions will be all over the place.

Under these types of lunations I have noticed that really spiritually sensitive people feel a high pressure on their bodies. The Moon’s gravity physically effects everyone. It causes the liquid in a person’s body to rush to their heads. This causes some nasty migraines, dizziness, nausea, etc..but for spiritually sensitive people it’s worse. Now, I’m going to say a few things that sound like some typical new age crap.

But please bare with me. Because it has to do with sacred sexuality. I was told once that women are directly connected to magic in ways men aren’t. I used to think that was a bunch of BS. I have since learned other wise.

I had an apprentice from the deep South. And this woman was so connected to magic that when her gift started waking up, she couldn’t handle the extra power. For one thing, her aura lit up like a damn Christmas tree. So that not only could spirits see what she was but so could other magic users. A sorcerer in her bar saw what she was and started laughing.

He described out loud to the whole bar that she knew she was a witch and was now using her power. He told her life story without ever having met her and described her magical struggle to accept herself. He then raised his beer and said “welcome to the tribe,”. That experience spooked her like any normal person would be spooked. She hadn’t known that some witches are so strong, they can psychically pull information like that.

She was also discovered by another witch at her work place who tried to recruit her. Because she was showering the whole place with her essence. We figured out that all these times aligned with her period. Now, I have never been very in touch with sacred sexuality of any kind. I’ve always focused on things that I felt were more practical.

In that time of my life, I left the philosophy and the meaning of life type stuff to others. I started to do research on the topic and finally found a Wiccan from Latin America. She was the total opposite of Wiccans from the US. She worships the native Gods as well as the British-Celtic Deities. Even though she’s younger than me, she surprised me with her knowledge and her wisdom.

I told her about my student and she informed me of a doctrine her group believes in. She says, that while it is true that women are connected to nature, they’re connected only to certain aspects of nature. In other words, it’s not like what some Wiccans in the US believe that women are naturally more adept at magic than men. We’re also directly tied to nature as well. Simply we’re opposites and don’t always see the wisdom from the other side.

They believe that women are connected to the Earth and Moon specifically. And that the Triquetra, the sign of the triple moon is connected to menstrual cycles. But especially connected to the flower of life. The flower is a motif like the tree of life and the cosmic egg. The mysteries hidden by symbols.

Women are able to give birth because of the flower of life within them. Men are connected to the seed of life. And so, one seeds, the other bares. When full Moons or a period begins, women soak up and absorb all the energy around them. Like a sponge but most do it subconsciously.

For men imagine feeling like you’re going to burst. The natural physical aspect makes some women over emotional and most ill. But add in the spiritual part and it’s worse. Now to furthur add to that mix, even if the energy is clean and good you can still soak up too much. And if it’s filthy energy it causes you to become depressed, angry, or sick.

She also had moments of paranoia. Regular grounding and cleansing wasn’t doing it for her. The Wiccan teacher told me that she had to work with the Tabbaco spirit. She had to wear a red bag with a red rope around her waist. The bag had to be full of natural Tabbaco. The plant, not the cigarette.

Tabbaco is used in Santeria and in native magics for cleansing. I knew that. But Cubans are used to burning it like sage. She taught me to keep it in the bag like a normal herbal bag. My student had to wear this around her waist.

Then pray for the extra power and the negativity to be taken by the bag and soaked up. If the red bag falls off and breaks that means it absorbed a powerful impurity. If not, she had to wear it until the period ended. Then, she had to burn it in a campfire outside her house. This is so the tabbaco spirit can drive away the extra energy and negativity.

It worked for her, even her symptoms were relieved. Whenever she had her period or an intense lunation was happening, she would do this. It grounded and centered her energy. If the bag broke she would burn it at home that night and replace it with a new bag. Then she would destroy that bag by campfire when her period ended.

She said when she burned the bag she felt something leave her. So for those of you who have those problems, this works. In my studies with them I learned of rare instances where it happens to a man. There are times when a man is found worthy by the Goddess to share in these secrets and powers. So they develope a sort of masculine menstrual cycle.

It’s worse for men. Because men can’t physically expel it out with a menstrual cycle. After all, our bodies are for seeding. Not baring or growing life. I have met men who had the headaches, dizziness, and nausea.

And strange cases of vertigo. They used a similar ritual I was never told about, because it’s an occult secret. One man named Gaitano told me that for him, he experienced the Dark God and a gentle white Goddess in visions that terrified him. He said his brain felt like it was throwing up excess energy like radiation. He released this malevolent energy from his psyche and the people around him were effected.

They became sad or violent. Finally, he was told to use that ritual. The ritual calmed him down. It alleviated the physical symptoms. It would be lifted from him almost the same way my student described.

He described the same feeling of something leaving him when it was done. But for men it’s different. Instead of having to do that ritual every day, it’s done at the beginning of their male cycle. Now, I don’t know what to say about this because outside of this group I have never heard of this. I also haven’t found many traditions that even talk of this.

These are Wiccans with indigenous spirituality. Perhaps it’s something in their various backgrounds that allowed them to discover this. All I know is that their knowledge helped my student. I have not found someone with her raw power ever again. She was so strong that she was doing healings in churches.

But her church got spooked by how she felt heat come from her palms when healing people. Too close to witchcraft I suppose. She is now a Christo Pagan witch. She uses the knowledge she gained from me and others to help herself and people in her town. She’s the healer there now.

So, for women out there who may or may not be going through something like this,you have a period relief amulet. For men, which I doubt anyone going through that try this. It may work for you too. Also, today marks the second Nemoralia. Remember the first started August 13 and ended the 15th.

But the second Nemoralia of Diana of Nemi is always on the Full Moon in August. And this year it ends on Moon Day. I end this with the final warning : water signs are good for Shamanism. But they cause people to accidentally blurt out what they subconsciously think. It’s good for introspection. Bad for public relations.

I wish you all a happy Sturgeon Moon! May the power of Water and Earth guide us all.

-M

Graveyard Magic with Mictlantecuhtli : Friday the 17th.

First, let me just say, Happy late Friday the 17th! Friday the 17th is like Friday the 13th in Eastern Europe and for Italians. Which is awesome for witchcraft. If you want to learn more, my blog post about it is here :

https://miamimagus.wordpress.com/2018/07/14/happy-friday-13th-and-birthday-of-john-dee/

So last night, I was preparing some left overs from dinner for the Hungry Ghost offering. Except that Mictlantecuhtli (Lord of Mictlan) started voicing his annoyance with me. For those who don’t know, Mictlan is the land of the dead in the traditional Aztec religion. He’s the God and King of the dead. Even with all the other scores of Underworld Deities, only his wife is as prominent as he is.

And in modern times she’s become more prominent. Her name you say? Mictecacihuatl, the lady of Mictlan. Also called La Santa Muerte (the holy death). I usually work more with her. But he has voiced that he wanted me to work with him more.

 

He demanded that this night, I do a Native American ritual for the dead. Not a Hellenic ritual to Hekate. So I obeyed my father. And instead of the Crossroads, I took the time to actually go to a nearby animal cemetery. Because of my work and affinity with animals, this cemetery is the natural blend of my Earth oriented magics with my necromancy.

 

I created an altar of the dead with a black tree near one of the outside walls. Now let me stop here. I’m sure a bunch of Rootworkers, and other people will say,

“If it ain’t inside the cemetery, it ain’t real cemetery dirt!!!!”

I’ve heard this many of times from the younger generation. Not the older generations. Very few of the old witches and wizards are that strict. Why? Because we have to work with what we got. And no, by wizards I don’t mean old white guys in funny hats.

I mean the Curanderos of Mexican traditions. I mean the Sancistas of Puerto Rico and the Chinese and Vietnamese wizards. I mean the Mages who still practice astrology and pray to older Persian Gods as well as to Ahura Mazda. We come in different flavors. Want to know what we all have in common? We had to adapt our practices.

Our religions have evolved because our cultures have evolved. In ancient days, we read from scrolls (and that was modern for their time). Then we read from books, and right now you’re all reading accounts of magic from my blog. We all had to make changes. If religions don’t adapt, they die out.

And then later generations go through hell trying to reconstruct them. Now, why do I have an altar that is just outside the walls of the cemetery? And why an animal cemetery? Simple. One, I don’t want to go to jail for illegal entry to a cemetery. Too many cemeteries are full of security cameras. In places like the South, they even signs banning people from doing magic at those locations.

Now if I have to, I will jump walls and bribe security guards to get in to do what I need to do. Like I did in the blog post about the Witch Bird. But if that is not the case, and the working isn’t too intense; I compromise. I cast the bones and asked the dead if I can use the areas of dirt just outside their walls. And because of my dedication, they said yes.

I am not claiming it will work for everyone. But it works for me. And witches are first and foremost inventors and innovators. Secondly, I take the time to find a spot outside that resonates with power, and I add more to it with charms. With idols.

With things that blend in the background that most people would never have noticed or care to notice. I pick up the trash, give proper offerings and so forth. I work with animals because I find them to be pure. I personally believe that all that is wrong with our world, is due to humanity. Whether it’s the Garden of Eden or even the Hellenic tale of Pandora and her box, we did this to ourselves.

Animals lost some of their greatest gifts because of us. Because when you are impure, the world around you becomes impure. But they didn’t do anything wrong. They have a closer connection to the Gods, or GOD, than we do. In short, I prefer to work with them because I feel that they’re more holy than we are.

What we call psychic abilities or simply ESP, they don’t need to develope, they just have it. All of them, not just cats. They can walk between worlds better than shamans can. That’s why the use of animal familiars is well documented in most shamanic traditions. Why else do witches of many traditions collect so many bones and other animal parts for? Because they all have their own Ashe or grace to them.

And these energies aid us in our work. The tree has a cement plate which used to be part of someone’s floor. I tend to recycle things a lot. I took the plate and laid it in a deep part of the ground so that it looks like a regular smooth stone. That way, no one will look at it and know what it is.

It’s an offering plate. I had took the time a few years ago to cleanse and imbue the plate with spiritual power. That way it could act as an Idol for the dead creatures and other roaming spirits. So  as I feed the Underworld Gods, I may also feed them. They act as my intermediaries with the Gods.

I also take stones, pebbles mostly, of various shapes and colors. I dedicate them to Gods of the dead. Each one is different so that just by looking at them I know who it is that the stone represents. Before statues and statuettes were made, our ancestors would find smooth or beautiful stones. And they were convinced that they had powers or may even have been sacred to certain Gods.

The original idol of Hestia the hearthe Goddess was such a stone. Then humans decided she and other Deities needed full blown statues. Even in Santeria, there are images of Orishas that look like stones or metals or whatever. You wouldn’t know what they were at first unless you took the time to study them. I follow this tradition.

Each stone was blessed with different magics for a week and a half. Then placed inside one of my altars where I give a three day feast to that Deity. I welcome their Spirit into our world through their idol. Once done, I have even noticed that the grounds the idols are on actually become holy ground. As if some part of this process causes divinity itself to kiss the ground.

Places that were completely desolate, grew with weeds and wild flowers. They grew in months or half a month sometimes. Areas that for years were as barren as deserts suddenly teamed with life. And filled with animals who treat these spots as vacation resorts almost. Even without the food offerings.

That’s how I know my Gods are real. I have seen my altars torn apart on purpose by nasty people. Not only have they regenerated, but the people responsible started having bad luck. That’s how I always know who it is.
Thus, my black tree with the blackest bark I have ever seen, looks more alive now then when I started.

One can argue it’s because of water libations. And that the animals living near or underneath the altars have made an eco system to enrich them. All of that is true. But the offerings are not continuous. I don’t have so much money that I want or need to pile food on top of every altar every day.

The Cemetery altar, I have not visited in months. Yet there it remains, pristine and beautiful. Even better than the first day I choose it. I have noticed unique animals forming communities in or around my altars. Each with their own systems.

They seem to recognize me. They act as if they have a time table for when I show up. Then they share the food equally. I also have coconut shells to catch rain water for them to drink. Or, if I brought my own libations, I pour it into the shells.

So last night, I walked all the way to this cemetery. I keep a mini flash light in my pocket in case I go on one of my weird little adventures. What can I say about venturing into the night for magic with the dead? Most people get freaked out or think it’s scary. Or that only a homicidal maniac will do such a thing. What could possibly go on in such a person’s mind? I’m sure that’s the question most of my normie friends would ask.

Let me tell you what it’s like. At first it’s a feeling of exceleration. That young, youthful feeling of walking the streets at night for adventure. That delicious crisp night air that you could only get when a good breeze is blowing. I almost hear music in the air. It’s soft, and smooth.

I find that it’s easier to walk at night even with all this damn humidity. Some nights, I find myself wondering if my sleeping pattern is more natural than everyone else’s. The day is so tiring. It seems better to sleep in the day and to live by night. Then, I enter the dark parts of the sidewalk.

Part of me is afraid of some lunatic hiding in the corner waiting to mug me. The fear mixes with the exictement of my little journey. Adrenaline starts pumping. Spirits don’t scare me, crazy people with guns do. It gets too dark to see in front of me.

And I take out the flash light and illuminate the ground before me. I can hear the crickets making their wonderful music. The night is alive with birds that only sing in the dark. And in Miami, there are birds who sing as if it’s dawn in the darkness. Maybe they came to the same conclusion I did about living at night.

I see a cockroach in the ground and part of me is freaked because they scare me.
The other part is fascinated because this makes everything creepier like a camp fire story. Like those old “are you afraid of the dark?” Episodes. And part of me recognizes that animal for what it is : a sign. Roaches are animals of the underworld like maggots, black animals, etc..

The moment I saw it, between the shock and easing off of tension, I felt the energy. I knew that it was a scout or messenger.

It was sent to see where I was and how much longer it would take before I got there. I didn’t hear voices. It was more like a vision mixed with feelings. I call them empathic visions. I could see the cemetery in black and white in it’s mind.

So I knew who had sent it. And I felt what it’s purpose was. Part of being a necromancer is being able to connect to the energies of cthonic animals. I call these odd visions, feelings, moments of Revelation via the dead the Cthonic Pulse. And lately this energy has increased ten fold with Ghost Month.

This isn’t the first time underworld animal guides have appeared. I’ve had night hawks fly over my head when going to the cemetery. Or once, a black cat crossed my path when going to celebrate the feast of Obba. I took that as an excellent sign. A blessing from the wonderful Orisha herself.

So I was happy to see that roach as much as he scared me. As I ventured down the darkened pavement, I prayed to the spirits in the name of Mictlantecuhtli. I told them all my fears and issues and things I wanted them to remove. I’m afraid of cops more than any maniac waiting in a street corner. One wrong move, and I’ll be a hashtag on twitter.

All this caution just to practice my own faith. And it seems so unfair. There are Christians that dance with poisonous snakes. Some won’t allow their kids medical care due to doctrines. No one bothers them.

But I can’t go talk to the dead and leave them offerings. Even if the altar is outside the walls. All this and more is what’s inside of my head while doing this. But I go on, I clear my head and I pray. I have the offerings inside of my bag.

I’m still happy. Still excited. No one will bother me. Finally I reach illumined sidewalks and shut my flashlight off. I feel the relief of the light.

No loonies in the street corners after all. The only thing I hate besides the cameras in this cemetery, is that the animal cemetery is surrounded by houses. And development is everywhere. So I have to be extra careful. Some nights are better than others.

I remember one night when trying to celebrate Dia de los Muertos (day of the dead) these Cubans across the street from the cemetery were having a fucking barbeque at 3am! What’s worse, was that they take up so much space. Parking even on the grass of the cemetery. Add to that, the little road between their houses and the cemetery really is little. Not enough space away from them. So I entered stealth mode.

I remember that I had to move in the shadows of their cars. I tip toed around bushes. Cursing at them in my head in Spanish.

“Only Cubans are this fucking annoying! Having stupid barbeques even when a hurricane is coming!”

(Yes, I’m Cuban too)

They had no idea that some guy was skulking around in the dark behind their cars doing necromancy. Or that one of them had parked next to an altar. I still laugh about that sometimes. I  finally arrived before the tree as once I did all those years ago. I took out the offerings, one by one and laid them on the plate in the ground.

I spoke not with words, but with my mind and said,

“Mictlantecuhtli, these are your offerings, may you share them with the dark, forgotten, and unnamed dead for their peaceful passage, Amen,”

I sat down and meditated in the dark. Careful that no bugs were around, but equally careful that cops or neighbors don’t see me. That’s why I don’t go there all of the time. I have my own indoor altar to work with. This is for special occasions only.

I sat down, and called the dead with my mind. And I went through all of my petition. I let their energy fill me from the inside out. The dead animals took from me all that didn’t belong in my life anymore. I stayed there, half awake and half asleep in a sort of lucid trance.

Of course, I asked for protection. And I carried charms for my safety. My own guides were there to keep me safe. Plus the Guardians of the Cemetery are protecting me. And the Tree altar is holy ground either way.

I took cascarilla or egg sell powder and I made the sign of the cross on the back of my neck. But not the Christian cross. The Cross of Quetzalcoatl.

“Protect me my Lord, by thy precious cross from all evil,”

The final precaution now taken. This is to protect my energy from something getting in. This creates a skin and soul shield to block unwanted possession.
They didn’t begin to cross over the hungry ghosts until after I had left. I visualized and focused on the aspects of my life that weren’t working.

People think of Cemeteries as filthy, but that isn’t always the case. Sometimes they can both clean and empower. I felt, rather than saw the Lord of Mictlan there, guiding me through it all.
I felt him, but not possess me. Not like on tv.

What I felt was his energy rolling inside me. It was like the waves of a dark ocean at night. He was commanding the spirits to do something from within me. I felt the energies of the animals like one huge, pool of cleansing air and water filling my lungs. Detoxing me from the inside out.

I felt the bad parts of myself and my life melting away. Leaving me. When I fully woke up, the power was turned off. The ocean gone. The door closed.

Nothing. Just the sound of crickets. I had felt the rush of his power building slowly. I had heard it like blood in my ears. But now it was all gone.

Like the end of a dream. I had finished with my limpia (cleansing). My personal reaping of bad energy. I felt lighter. I then grounded and cleansed on the spot.

I cleansed with holy water. I drank some of it too. This is to close and clear the channels from within. After I was as clean as I was going to get, I gave a final offering and left. It was after that, that I felt the call go out.

And I knew that they had started calling and crossing over the Hungry Ghosts just after I left. I started walking home. Just shaking it all off. I was enjoying the rest of my night. I saw a young woman waking home from work.

The old traditionalist in me said,

“Ask her if she wants company on her walk home,”

The Feminist in me said,

“She can handle herself. She doesn’t need you to walk with her anywhere,”

And the realist in me said,

“Dude…..you just walked out of a cemetery. You’re covered in tree bark and smell like an ape died. I don’t think she wants your company either way. Unless she has a fetish for Marilyn Manson wannabe’s,”

(Ah, my voice of reason. He wins everytime.)

As I walked past a house I heard someone in the dark of their patio. She talked on the phone in Spanish. It was oddly comforting. In the aftermath of such an intense spiritual experience it was nice to see regular people doing regular things at that hour. Sometimes, being in this supernatural world of ours we need a break.

Magic users are both of the world and yet not of it. We need reminders that we’re are human sometimes. When you work with spirits and Gods often, you forget your own humanity. Oh you know you’ll grow old and die. You know that you can’t fly or whatever.

Not that. I am perfectly aware of my mortality and human limitations. I’m not that bat shit fucking crazy. But sometimes we just need a dose of the normal to be balanced. Go to the movies. Kiss a beautiful woman (and that goes to our LGBT sisters too).

Read a good book cuddled with your animals, enjoy life. Not be so serious. On my way home I am wondered if I should work on my blog. Or organize some meetings with clients. Wouldn’t it be awesome to have this blog posted the same night I did all this? Hell yeah.

But I already know the answer : bed. I need to go to sleep. I finally reached home drenched in sweat. I enter the door backwards to stop spirits from following me in. My old master from Trinidad had taught me that.

Things can follow you in a house by trailing you. You break the trail by turning around and entering backwards into the house. I learned that one the hard way. I eat because I’m fucking starving. I remove all my cloths and take the time to cleanse my key chain and other items with blessed white alchohol.

And I use some Hebrew holy water in my bath to wash up and really cleanse.
Refreshing. Then, I lit a candle to the Gods of hearthe and home, and rest. It’s 3am by the time my bath is over. I’m still tired but satisfied.

Thank you Mictlantecuhtli for getting my lazy ass into gear. It was only when going to bed yesterday in the early morning that I realized. I did all of this on the early morning of Friday the 17th. Good for Witchcraft. Not bad.

And on the witching hour too. I guess the Lord of the Dead was keeping me on my toes. Good Night everyone,- M

Nemoralia, Pomonalia and Vertumnalia, plus Feast of Hekate and Ghost Month

So yesterday, began the three day feast of Diana also known as Artemis. Specifically, Diana Nemorensis (Diana of Nemi). She rules over a lake with a sacred grove near the lazio region of the south of Rome. The lake is also known as “Diana’s Mirror”. On this feast, her spirits, the Querquetulanae (oak nymphs) prepare to welcome any human worshippers while celebrating the Deity herself.

Also known as the festival of torches, no one is allowed to hunt and kill animals at this time. Celebrants go to the grove of Nemi carrying torches with small parchments of paper with written requests for her. They tie them in string and leave them near sacred trees at the grove. Others will actually leave statuettes of her or clay formations of body parts that need healing. Or at least this was how it was done in Roman times.Offerings were also made to Hekate. For some reason the Romans seemed to have believed she and Trivia (Hekate) were the same person. This is because Diana had three aspects. In modern times, many Neo Pagan groups have used this day specifically for Hekate.
The Nemoralia was celebrated both from August 13-15 and also on the full moon of August.It depends on where your sources lie. Of course the accounts say the torch light mingled with the moonlight in Nemi’s waters. So it may have been celebrated twice. It is also the feast of Pomona and Vertumnus, the Roman Goddess of fruit and vegetation. And the Roman God of Seasons and Change as well as vegetation.While it was still daylight, I honored them using my Hellenic altar. I gave them the first fruits of the land. Not every Hellenic, or Roman Pagan agrees with these Gods being the same. I’m one of the few that do believe in at least some of them being the same. It makes sense that beings as powerful as Gods or Goddesses would have been known back then to more than one culture.

And they may have even have been given different names. The Yoruba practitioners in North America for instance, have told me they believed  Amphitrite is the same as Yemaya.
Who knows? I’m no one to contradict either group. Now, on the offerings to both Pomona and her husband. What the apartment complex has is what Cubans call Cundeamor. In English, it’s called Bitter Mellon.

A small orange fruit that grows on the vines that grow on fences. It has both medical and magical properties. It’s sacred to Oshun in Santeria as it has properties in love and healing. I’ve used it to make Lustral Waters. The water turns cherry red when I strain the fruit inside it.

Very beautiful. It has a faint nature smell to it I like and you only need to strain one. It makes me think of cleansing. Purification. It is a natural anti inflammatory. And it is a natural cure to potions and powders left behind by witches to curse their enemies.

My Godfather taught me that when strained in water it could be used to heal a person who stepped on the powder or potion. Cundeamor would be strained in water. Once the feet were washed with the Cundeamor water, the person was healed of the black magic. That is a perfect offering to Lady Pomona. Legend has it, that she was originally a wood nymph so beautiful, that woodland Gods had tried to court her.

She told them all where they could go. It was finally the God Vertumnus who tricked her into marriage. He shape shifted into an old woman and talked her into marriage with him. Marrying a God can make a person become a God. So her marriage to him caused her to be deified.

Vertumnus, as an old woman, told her the story of Iphis and Anaxarete. Stressing how it was dangerous to turn down suitors coming to court her. Then later he appeared in his form to offer her marriage. I’m guessing you can figure out the rest from there? I try not to laugh too hard at this because my Lady gets upset. But she knows I love her very much.

She reached out to me back when I had no idea who she was. I had no clue why a nature deity would care if I worshipped her or not. It turns out, just because I don’t know how to garden doesn’t mean I can’t be close to nature. I believed that you had to be good at that because that’s what my ex made me believe. My knowledge of nature was colored with her lense of what it was or wasn’t.

As a necromancer, I find dead animals and give them proper burials. I ask whoever I feel is their God to take them. I also help protect the plants and animals where I live. I feed and water them. The animals feast on the offerings of my outside nature Altars.

And I even have groves around my complex that I use to honor the Gods on special occasions. I also found that I like Vertumnus a lot. He really is a trickster. He always makes her and me feel happy and lightens the mood. She does love him.

She gets angry but not in an actual anger sort of way. She tries to get mad at him whenever I read the story of how he courted her. But she bursts out laughing every time. Her laughter is so strong that at times I feel it on the wind outside. She is one of my favorite Godly relatives.

And my Lady Hekate, was ready for her offerings as well. I gave her a proper feast on the crossroads before going to the river behind my home. It has a Grove of it’s own for Diana of Nemi. Instead of an actual torch I am going to use a flashlight. I debated whether to use my electric lantern or not.

But there are other apartments back there and I really don’t want to attract any attention. I brought offerings for the Native spirits here in Florida as well as offerings for the Querquetulanae. But first, offerings to Hekate. As I mentioned yesterday in my post on Ghost Month, there seems to be many parallels happening all at once. Because now I will be giving offerings to Hekate as well as Diana of Nemi for three straight days.

Feasts of Hekate are always so that the dark dead can move on in peace. Hekate is the Goddess of the triple crossroads. She is a master of witchery in all it’s forms and a guide or psychopomp, to the dead. She’s worshipped not just by Hellenic Pagans but also by Wiccans. Especially Wiccans with a Celtic influence.

They believe that she and the Morrigan are like sisters. Not literal sisters, but friends. They both share the Crossroads. Hekate has many powerful functions in both religions and in magic. Idols of Hekate can be placed outside the home to ward off evil spirits.

And at least once a month, she destroys negative energy and takes away all the nasty ghosts in the area with her. For this reason, I called on Hekate to help me bless the food for the Hungry Ghosts. The reason for this is because the Ullambana Sutra is long as Hell, pun intended. Reading some of the sacred scriptures in all religions is similar to reading the Bible. Long and takes a lot of time.

And as much as I wish I had the time to pray over food with a gigantic sutra three times, I don’t. With Hekate I do a simple prayer. Then in Latin I do a benediction so that the spirits who eat the food are crossed over. I was doing it long before I ever heard of the Hungry Ghost festival. I noticed that crime and bad things in general actually decreased everytime I did this ritual on Hekate’s Deipnon (feast).

This is done once a month. So Hekate is a tried and true ally in not only neutralizing the bad spirits, but crossing them over. I have never met the same bad spirit twice. Eventually, she started bringing new bad spirits to my crossroads shrine to be crossed. The most issues we have here believe it or not actually come from cops.

Usually trying to over-exercise their authority and give out tickets for literally anything and everything. That includes “driving too slow”. But in terms of actual crimes, the one thing that happened was a guy who got drunk once four years ago and had to be arrested. The Catholics often talk about how Mexico is plagued by bad spirits and this is the reason for all the crime there. They have even attempted mass exorcisms to drive away the demons they think are over there.

Sadly, crooked governments don’t need spirits to be crooked. However, I can say that based on my little experiment, negative entities can and do make things worse. So, since either way we need Hekate for her own feast plus the Nemoralia, I called on her to care for the Hungry Ghosts at my Crossroads shrine. There, they are neutralized. Her spirits, the Empusae handle them well.

They take on the form of donkey headed men and women, and keep them in check. None of the entities have caused trouble. I first called on Elegua for help and he and his Eshu spirits on the Crossroads have also helped by protecting us specifically. Her spirits are the most aggressive hands on people here. They even force some of the Hungry Ghosts to come to eat.

They make sure they get booted off. My work on the Crossroads yields great rests. The ever expanding relationship I have with it and it’s spirits turned out to be more practical than I had ever imagined. So now I have other prayers to make for the hungry ghosts. That’s it for now everyone. – M

Ghost Month 2018 (The Hungry Ghost Festival)

So, yesterday was not only a New Moon in the sign of Leo (Hail Zeus!). I heard also that another supermoon was here but don’t know for sure. We have a lot to discuss. For starters, yesterday was the first day of Hungry Ghost Month. It will remain active until Sunday Sept 9th.

It’s not lost on me that it starts on a Saturday and ends on a Sunday. Saturday is a day for the dead to rest. I do my personal ancestral meditations and offerings at 12am if I can. If not just before 12am or even at Sunset of the same day. Sunday is a day of light dedicated to the Sun Gods who chase the dark spirits away.So for it to start on a Saturday and end on a Sunday this year is symbolic to me.
But on top of that it’s also a New Moon. In Hinduism, new moons are very inauspicious times. Dark spirits including the angry dead roam the streets at night. Another Hindu had told me though that it was also a good day to honor one’s ancestors regardless.Now, time to talk about Ghost Month. Ghost Month has it’s origins in Buddha’s disciple Maudgalyāyana, in China his name was changed to Mulian. But they’re the same person. He was the second most important disciple of the Buddha. The story goes that he was so powerful, that he could astral project to heaven and to hell.One day he was listening to a Buddhist lecture on being devoted to one’s parents. He realized in that moment, that he had neglected his mother. Maudgalyāyana came from a wealthy family. And his mother wasn’t too happy when he decided to renounce his life of material pleasures. He became one of Siddhārtha Gautama’s disciples.

Gautama was once a prince from Nepal.
He eventually renounced his throne to become a mystic, eventually a Buddha or “awakened one”. He had recognized Maudgalyāyana’s zeal for wisdom and wanting to lead an upright life. Maudgalyāyana was an advanced student with a vast array of powers. He decided to go back home and visit his mother.

But when he arrived, he discovered that his mother had passed away years ago. He was filled with great sadness. After all, how could he have forgotten his own mother? Something had to be done. He decided that if his parents were no longer able to be with him, he would go to them. He went into Heaven using astral projection.

He was happy to find his father there. But he could not find her. At that moment he was struck with a very bad feeling. In life, his mother was a dominant matriarchal figure who always wanted things done her way. He asked her to use the family fortune to watch over the poor, and any Buddhist monks while he was away.

But she never did. He traveled to Hell on the chance that he might find her there. And to his horror, he did find her. Only it was worse than he had imagined. She wasn’t just a condemned soul, he saw that his mother had become a Hungry Ghost.

Hungry Ghosts are very dark, toxic, ghosts. Either from Hell or Purgatory. Some are people who died badly like murder or suicide and they rise as cursed spirits unable to let go. Others died in accidents. In other cases, people become Hungry Ghosts when their families either forget the or stop giving them offerings.

They normally hang around the outskirts of cities, abandoned places, wastelands, or even the garbage areas of apartments. In Hinduism they’re called Petras. It seems that spending too much time in the lower realms drives human souls to insanity. That’s why many cultures and religions have a very thin line between hell and purgatory. For some, being stuck in the purgatorial realms is like hell.

And some become these creatures when they are selfish,greedy people who treated others with disdain in life. Thus, they damn themselves to Hell through their own sins. But not all of are Hell ghosts. Some of them are just in Purgatory, but a very dark part of purgatory. They’re only a few steps away from becoming Demons.

As a matter of fact they even possess some of the same characteristics at times. There are stories of them shape shifting into human form to fool humans and try to kill or possess them. They take on the forms of animals. Sometimes they shape shift into people you know. Even beautiful women and handsome men could really be Hungry Ghosts.

They can also possess or haunt the homes of victims. In many cases, traditional Chinese Priests, Buddhists, and Taoists have been called to exorcise the dark beings away in time to save the victims. There are several manuscripts depicting the various forms of Hungry Ghosts out there. The only thing they all have in common is extreme hunger and some of the same appearence. They come in various catagories and subcatagories.

I am only going to mention two. The Needle Mouths who have tiny needle like throats. This is so can’t swallow food. Some say they have mouths that literally are as tiny as the head of a needle. And the Flame Mouths, who can’t eat or drink anything because whatever food they try to drink or consume will burst into flame the moment they try to.

Others say that the food and drink doesn’t become fire but turns into coals instead. The huge bellies are so that they are eternally hungry which makes the torture worse. Strangely, Maudgalyāyana’s mother was both. She had a gigantic belly and a needle like throat. And when he offered his left over rice to her, they burst into flames.

I am still studying on the subject. But this is the only time I have heard of a hungry ghost who fell into both catagories. It’s possible her sins were so great that she merited both punishments. He realized that he had no hope of saving her on his own. He went running back to the Buddha for help.

The Buddha told his student that though he was powerful, the weight of his mother’s sins were too great. Even for him. He even said that all the Angels in Heaven, all the Demons in Hell, and the four Kings of Heaven combined could not free his mother. It was only through the Sangha (Buddhist community of monks and nuns) that they could hope to free her. He told Maudgalyāyana that he had to feed the monks and nuns and ask for them to pray for his mother.

This became a sort of Buddhist Mass for the condemned dead. The mass was so successful that legend says he dreamed his mother. She finally to left hell and entered heaven. Eventually, she reincarnated as a dog and lived with a wealthy family who cherished and loved her. And with time Maudgalyāyana was able to transfer enough of his merits to his mother that she was able to reincarnate as a human again.

The premise of this Buddhist Mass is that you transfer your good deeds or merits to the condemned dead.
This allows them to gain enough blessings to leave the lower realms. By lower realms, they don’t just mean hell. This could also be purgatory or life as an animal. Once freed, the soul ascends to the higher realms.

At the same time, the offerings of food to the monks blessed the disciple so that he gained extra blessings. These extra blessings were shared to his mother. In the end, Maudgalyāyana’s love and devotion to this mother was what saved her. As even the Buddha claimed that his cries of anguish for his mother moved not only the spirits of heaven but the spirits on earth. Even the demons in hell were moved.

Now with that, I wanted to add something interesting to this. Some teachings claim Hungry Ghosts actually live in space. Not an actual hell. So a lot of them could be up there as part of their existence. It makes sense.

Space is a dark void after all. What’s interesting about this is that astronauts have had some really weird encounters in space in the past. I’ve heard stories of astronauts claiming they saw giant angels, transparent entities that almost look like snakes, and in one case possible Poltergeist Activity. In 2003, there was a Chinese astronaut named Yang Liwei who entered space as part of the Shenzhou 5 mission. He claimed that something was knocking on the walls of the ship, from the outside.

He was nervous and tried to do what we do in the paranormal community : debunk it. He couldn’t find the source.  He said that it sounded like a hammer on a bucket of some kind. He never found the source of the sound. And it kept happening all throughout his time up there. The word Poltergeist from German “poltern” (to knock) and “geist” (ghost) Knocking Ghost, is a term for trickster spirits including ghosts that like to play jokes on people they haunt.

They make noises like tapping or knocking sounds on the walls of haunted houses. They sometimes take keys and other items and misplace them where people can’t find them. The main theory about Mr. Liwei’s experience is that it was Aliens.

After all, what else could it have been? If it was debris it would be making different noises. And the impact would be harsher than that. Instead it sounded like metal knocking on a bucket. I’ve heard sounds like that when people use door knockers. It sounds like what he’s describing.

Although I am not against the idea of aliens, how could they remain undetected from censors? And why would they be doing that? Some would argue they have cloaking technology that would hide them. They would furthur say it might have been  a psychological experiment. When he came back to earth, he started warning fellow astronauts. He told them to beware of the strange knocking sounds in space.
And sure enough, other astronauts  reported that same odd knocking sound.

They also tried to debunk it. But they also concluded that it came from the outside of the ship. To my knowledge that has only ever happened with China’s astronauts. But what if it wasn’t aliens per say? Or rather yes and no at the same time. Alien means “foreign”.

From a living human’s view, spirits can be alien to our world if they no longer belong to the living. What if the stories that Hungry Ghosts occupying places in space were true? Given all of the strange phenomenon that’s not so big a leap to make. Getting back to the main point, always remember your ancestors. Always love them. Always take care of them. Even if you are a Christian, the Roman church for example does mass to help elevate the human soul into heaven.

The Hungry Ghost mass eventually evolved into rituals where monks and nuns or believers could free the angry ancestors. In the old days, believers would take a plate of food, usually rice, bless the food with a mantra three times, and then dump it onto the grass. The Hungry Ghost will then either possess an animal or shape shift into one in order to eat. This is one of the ways in which a spirit can be freed from the lower realms.
Another of Buddha’s disciples, Sariputta, went through the same thing.

The sacred sutra (text) of Petavatthu (ghost stories) details how Maudgalyāyana not only traveled to hell and spoke to his mother, but had conversations with other hungry ghosts. It’s very interesting to read. Maudgalyāyana often leaves me with the impression that if he wasn’t a Magus, he could have been one. Magi normally look at the spiritual world through an almost scientific lense. No, he didn’t write scientific calculations in the sutra.

But magi tend to be occult scientists. We practice a strange sort of of magical science that on the outside looks like mumbo jumbo. But underneath it all are deep observations of the world around us. He seemed to have developed an advanced understanding of Hell and how it operates. Fascinating stuff there.

I recommend it for Necromancers, Magi, and those interested in the afterlife in general. This will give you a good understanding of the world of the spirits regardless of which aspect of it you explore. The Story of how Maudgalyāyana freed his mother from Hell is here :

http://chinesefolktales.blogspot.com/2011/05/mulian-rescues-his-mother-ancient-indo.html

I was not able to find a link with the original Indian story. So instead I found the Chinese version where his name is Mulian. But it’s the same story. It’s interesting because his mother is named in this story. Since I haven’t been able to find the original, I don’t know if she’s named in that one or not. In this one her name is Madam Liu.

The sutra that contains the ritual for liberating condemned souls is called the Ullambana Sutra. It focuses on filial piety but has the ritual mentioned within. A really good source on not only this sutra, but Heaven and Hell in general is “Heaven & Hell In Buddhist Perspective” by author B.C. Law. The book goes into the origins of the Ghost Festival, the actual story, and the ritual itself. I’m still reading it though but love the hell out of thus book, pun intended.

You can read it for free here :

https://quangduc.com/a33312/heaven-and-hell-in-buddhist-perspective

The Sutra is here :

www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/ullambana.html

If you do this ritual, take the food offerings far from your community. You don’t want to accidentally have something follow you home.
Turn around and whatever you do, do not look back no matter what you hear or feel. If I were you, I’d have something to protect myself with. A religious symbol, a charm bag, a holy item like Palo Santo (holy wood), silver, whatever you can find.

Even just a pocket of salt, and bread in the other pocket for life and death to gain safe passage from the Faeries is recommended. The Faerie folk are everywhere. Even in the land of the Dead. And they can help with all things. Like any good Santero, I spent last night resguardando (safe guarding or warding) not only my home but my neighborhood in general.

I went to my crossroads in the fork in the road where I live. And there I gave Elegua, Hekate, and the other Crossroads Gods their offerings. I felt them create a shield of protection for us all. This way no one will be harmed even if they do not believe. My Godmother went to the outside of her front door and the back balcony and drew crosses using cascarilla (egg shell powder).

This was to block their entry. We both already have several protections, but every little bit helps. The one good thing about yesterday, is that new moons are celebrated in Judaism like the full moons. Sacred to GOD. So I performed my own mystical celebration based on Jewish rites the day before yesterday at sunset.

I asked the Archangels and the Prophet Maryam, sister of Moses and Aaron to shield us. And since it’s also the sign of Leo the Lion, I invoked the protection of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. The Lion Totem of the Hebrews adds extra power to any household spirits for protecting the home. Which leads me to the next point : honoring the ancestors with offerings will help them strengthen the home in conjunction with the other household entities. So make sure you clean your home Altars.

Give them fresh offerings of fruits. Vegetables, and the first food from dinner. Offer it not only to them but to all household Gods. Ask them to keep you safe. And burn lots of incense.

Also, the more incense you burn for them the better. It brings more fortune and good luck to you. Take the last bits of your food, and use that for the Hungry dead outside. Also offer it to your household Gods (like Elegua or Hestia) and ask them to help cross the dead over. After all, just because you aren’t Buddhist doesn’t mean you can’t call on another holy power.

My Godmother will be invoking the Virgin of Mount Carmel (Spanish La Virgin Del Carmen). She is also reputed in legend to be queen of the dead. She has the power to free any soul from hell or purgatory. She’ll be using the Catholic Prayer for her found here :

https://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=2289

Use your own faith. Remember, the dead don’t care what your religion is. That’s a fool’s belief. Any faith that is real has real power. All you need to do is believe.
I’ve known people who crossed the dead over with magical spells instead of prayers and it worked.

I’ve known others who called on their spirit guides to cross people over. And some have simply used meditations, or visualizations to do it. I wouldn’t recommend any of that for the Ghost festival though. Feed them blessed food with the intention that it will cross them over.

It goes without saying, that besides the five planet retrograde and all the supermoons and eclipses we have had; the Reaping I talked about before worse. None of this is by accident. It seems the spiritual world is getting is ready for a few things. But don’t worry, it all leads to change of the needed kind.

Until next time dear readers, M.