“Praises to you O Lords and Ladies, blessings to you who answer prayers! Thank you for lifting me up high when I was low, for putting a smile on your child’s face once more!
If you remember yesterday’s post, I was in the middle of a Greek ritual. And for some reason I started spontaneously praying to the Gods for something other than my usual requests. In fact it was almost like my subconscious was coming out. Usually on Noumenia I ask for cleansing and purification with Apollon Noumenious. Or I ask Selene and Endymion for money since the moon and the Stars are associated with money.
And I work with Zeus Ktesios and Hestia on bringing prosperity to the Household. But I ended up asking for the original cold weather of my early childhood. Of waking up one morning and feeling the brisk chill. And seeing cirrus clouds in all of their feathery splendor. So I just went with it.
And this morning it was a beautiful grey day! When I was a child I loved days like this. When it would rain I used to pretend I was Captain Nemo. And I played with my maternal grandmother. Usually with a Nick Jr. cartoon or puppet show. My favorite was Eureka’s Castle.
The Tuatha de Dannan have recently been making their way back into my life. When I started out doing magic, like many I fell into Wicca. During this time, I was exposed to the many Gods and spirits of the people in the United Kingdom. And the Greek Gods. My Master even says the pantheon there is more like a “UK Pantheon”.
Because the cultures and peoples are so mixed in this area that no one culture can describe it. From the Welsh and the Irish, to the people of the Isle of Man and the West Country. I had worked as an eclectic witch for years. Then I decided that while I am very good at eclectic magic, I wanted to study and officially serve the Gods. In each of their cultures.
I had already initiated into Greek Polytheism/Paganism. But I still hadn’t reconnected to my Celtic roots. And I began to look around for a person to teach me. Properly. For a while that was a bust.
Until one day I found out that in my Greek Temple there was a Druid. And not just any Druid, but an elder in her tradition. I couldn’t believe my luck. Here she was. My Master.
Fast forward to the present. I have been studying them. And lately they have been very vocal. Besides the totem pole that I shared yesterday, I also have been giving them libations. And food.
And for some reason I thought of them when praying to Selene. The Tuatha are Faerie Gods. And many of the Fair Folk work with the moon. Maybe that’s why they entered my working. But I prayed with all my might.
Prayed for that chilly weather that makes me relive the happiest times of my early life. And the next day, they answered,
View from my balcony
Some shots from the Balcony
My Balcony Garden
The Sun partially came out near the end but that was okay
The Sun came out near the end
Now I’m sure some idiot somewhere is going to come on here and say, this proves nothing. Or it’s coincidence. Let me say this : normally I would agree that it isn’t enough to be evidence. But lately our “spring” in Miami is more like Summer. Even for Florida, we have had historically high temperatures.
Courtesy of Global Warming. Some of the heat we have experienced hasn’t been seen since past centuries.
In fact, whenever the meteorologists claim a cold front will come, we don’t bat an eye anymore. Almost all cold fronts before this one have failed miserably. And they were stronger and had more of a chance of becoming cold weather than this meek little front. But instead we all saw a grey and cool day. With heavy clouds.
A good cool wind, and a gigantic smile on my face.
Besides being the time of Imbolc as well as the Roman purification rituals for February, we have a lot of astrological activity. We see the Green Comet at 9:45pm EST. There hasn’t been a Green Comet around here in 50,000 years. So make sure you perform your strongest rituals.
Tonight is the Blood or Flower Moon. Combined with the Scorpio Lunar Eclipse. Here’s some info for you.
All magic will be stronger during this time. For good and for bad. Good and evil spirits wander the places. So beware. Also, pregnant women and women in their periods should not be outside.
According to my Godmother in Santeria, women who are pregnant and on a period are susceptible to spirits. And indigenous witches in Peru actually state that a woman in such conditions becomes liminal during this time. Like a walking doorway absorbing all energy. Wear red strings to avoid the evil eye and harmful spirits. And only be outside to ask for wishes.
Or to do magical work you know you can handle. This is a lot of power accumulated from just a few days. Don’t let yourself get in over your head.
When will the Eclipse start?
9:32pm EST
When will it peak?
12:11am
When does it end?
At 12:54am and then the moon should be normal by 2:50am
Now is the time to charge charms and holy waters and oils. Necromancy and Astrological magics will be stronger. So will summonings and vanishings. Another good art to practice is divination. But be careful since a lot of nasty spirits will try to mess with you.
Lemures or Larvae. The dark souls of the ancestral dead
As if the festival of the Lemuria wasn’t already chalk full of some strange, and often dark mystical energy. The Gods have chosen to make it more bizarre by making the final day of the Lemuria land on a Friday 13th. I have mentioned this holiday before. But I haven’t really gone into full detail about it started or why. So here we delve into the background.
First I need to apologize. The holiday started on Monday. But I couldn’t find the time to write. It’s on May 9, 11, and the final day being the 13th.
Romulus Haunted by Remus?
The Twin Boys destined for greatness, and tragedy sadly. Here with their adopted mother, the She-Wolf Luperca
The story goes back to Romulus and Remus. After they did all of their great heroic deeds, they decided to build a new city. It was their time. They wanted to prove that as with all things in their life, they built everything with their own two hands. They returned to the Seven Hills and went to work on building what would be Rome.
But soon after they began to quarrel. Romulus wanted to build the city on the Palatine Hill. While Remus wanted to build it over the Aventine Hill. When they couldn’t come to an agreement, they decided to let the Gods choose. Remus saw six birds that represented good luck.
But then his brother saw twelve. Which he claimed was proof the Gods choose the Palatine Hill. When he was creating the walls of Rome (some sources say a trench) his brother Remus criticized the work. Then obstructed the project. And finally, he skipped over the walls to mock his brother and the city.
Romulus entered a rage and murdered Remus.
Romulus killing Remus
By the time he realized what he had done it was too late. He buried his brother. But soon after the first Romans began celebrating a holiday called the Remuria. It’s believed that Romulus instituted the festival himself. Probably on the advice of Oracles.
Now I can’t back that up all of the way. That’s just speculation on my part with what I have read. But it makes sense. The whole holiday is about using an exorcism ritual to drive away dark ancestral spirits. He probably feared the return of his brother.
And as you will soon see, it’s also a holiday about removing guilt.
What are the Lemure?
A Lemure or Larvae is the angry spirit of the dead, every family has at least one. Toxic souls that are upset either because of how they died. Lack of proper funerals, burials, and/or rituals. Or lack of offerings by living relatives. They are similar to the Dybbuk of Jewish lore and the Causas (Causes) of Puerto Rican Sanse.
Or the Eggun Buruku of Santeria. Or even the Hungry Ghosts of Buddhism and the Preta of Hinduism. All of these are just names for the dark dead as we commonly call them in Santeria. Souls that go so deep into the darkness that some of them don’t even resemble humans anymore. The Preta for example are cannibalistic.
You can pretty much find a variation of a dark or mutated soul of the dead in every culture. Under different forms, species, and names.
Also being forgotten or unnamed can lead to them achieving this state. Some even due to the lack of funerary rituals. In Catholicism they have something similar called an Anima Sola (lonely soul). This is a person trapped in Purgatory as an unclean soul. Waiting for God to take them to Heaven. But without the proper rituals that could take an eternity.
In Latin American folk magic, these dark souls are called upon in magic. In exchange for prayers and masses done in their names, they will do favors for the humans who pray for them. It’s said that these purgatorial ghosts can tell you the locations of graves. Lost treasures. And they can grant certain wishes.
It’s not uncommon for women to call on female Anima Solas for love spells and magic. While male Anima Solas are usually called upon for financial security. All you have to do is to burn holy candles and do masses for them. This should be done before and after asking for their help. If you don’t, they will retaliate.
But you should always be careful when asking the spirits for help. Only work with spirits you trust. Who will never screw you up.
Some Anima Sola are violent
And spending so much time in Purgatory is enough to drive them insane. Those who do become insane, turn into the darkest and angriest spirits. And to make it worse, Purgatory is a giant oven of purifying fire to make your sins go away. To clean you before God. And it hurts as if you had gone to Hell.
Purification of the Anima Sola
Only special rosaries and masses can soften the purifying flame and eventually set them free so they can enter Heaven. Such a place would be the perfect grounds for an angry or dark spirit to be. And what all of the stories have in common are that these beings live in a dark world between worlds. A dimension where it isn’t exactly what Christians would call hell, but it definitely isn’t a paradise either. In some cases you could end up there if the wrong rituals are performed.
A fellow blogger had once told me a messed up story about how a Buddhist woman was trapped in a limbo like state. Because her Christian daughter gave her a Christian burial instead of a Buddhist one. The daughter had nightmares of her poor mother alone, in the darkness of an endless labyrinth. Until she spoke to a Buddhist Priest and the proper rituals were followed. Then the dreams stopped.
All of this is to give you a hint and a range of what dark souls are like. And how one can be violent while another is peaceful and scared. Sometimes even looking scrawny and hungry. Looking for help. Of course some of them are just evil bastards.
People who enjoyed hurting others and causing problems or sufferings. And they intentionally stay in places similar to a limbo or purgatory to avoid punishment (if you believe in that). Or maybe not punishment. But to avoid being sealed away in the spiritual world so they can keep haunting or bothering the living. Now as I said before, a Lemure is not always an evil spirit.
Just a dark one. Toxic due to its death or from some circumstance that keeps them in such a state. But each Lemure or dark soul or whatever should be judged according to four things :
1) What kind of dark soul they are?
Maybe instead of a Lemure they are a Jewish Dybbuk or a Preta.
2) Their intentions
Are they good or bad? Do they desire peace and help? Or do they want death and destruction?
3) Their culture
What is normally done to the specific dark souls and what do elders of certain traditions say about them?
And finally
4) The country they are in
If it’s a Preta in a country outside of India, chances are it’s connected to a local family or community. Maybe someone who recently passed away. Or someone who is ancient and follows a family where ever they move to. But either way, they’re in another land. There are rules they must abide by under the local spirits.
Indigenous spirits will always have more power than foreign spirits. And therefore the foreign spirit will have to keep their hauntings or activity in line with whatever local spirit rulers command. That being said, you can call on a local spirit for help battling a dark soul. This should help you gain the upper hand.
When the exorcisms were performed, the Father of the family placed his thumb between his fingers. And washed his hand with pure, clean water (maybe holy water). Then he placed uncooked black beans in his mouth and began spitting them all over the home.
Then in Latin he would chant,
“Haec ego mitto; his redimo meque meosque fabis,”
(With these beans I redeem me and mine)
So this ritual was one part expiation of sins and one part exorcism. He would do this nine times without looking back. The belief was the Lemures would take the beans and thus the sins. But they were in the house already and looking back meant they could attack. The next thing he would do is to beat on pots and pans and say,
“Ghosts of my Fathers and Ancestors, be gone!”
This would also be done for nine times which meant the ritual was complete. Only after the ritual was done could he look back.
The use of beans to confuse spirits or force them to count them until dawn is something still done today. And for more than just ghosts. Vampires and even the hag (demon witches) or werewolves of lore are also warded off by them. In some stories even nature spirits. But this ritual actually used them to remove sins as well. To cleanse away any reason the Lemures would have to be angry at the family.
And the use of noise to scare away evil spirits or spirits in general is another ancient practice. And still used today around the world.
Now, as for Friday the 13th, no one really knows what the origin was. I have written about it maybe once when it coincided when John Dee’s birthday. Since I don’t really have any new information I won’t go into it here.
Plus I have given you an eyeful with this post.
What I will say though, is that many witches consider Friday the 13th to be a day of good luck. And more importantly, a day where our powers are actually stronger. My Godmother in Santeria dedicates this day to prosperity work. As well as to cleansing and removal of curses. I do as well.
Though in my case I do past life healings and other work for clients on this day. My necromancy is also stronger on this day. And I use it as a mini version of Halloween to be able to speak with the dead. And gain information as well as to pass messages on to others. All kinds of magic is done on this day.
I focus on the darker energies of nature for healing. Another great thing to focus on is the use of Magical Oils. Like Lucky Friday the 13th Oil which is used as a talismanic potion for good luck. There’s also Friday the 13th Banish Evil Oil which is used as an amulet against evil. Then of course my favorite : Black Cat Oil.
The ingredients being Black Cat hair, iron fillings, bay leaves, sage, and myrrh. This one is my favorite since it is multi use. And it uses the energy of a black cat for magic. The ingredients are simple. But effective.
Now because the Lemuria falls with Friday the 13th this year, it’s a good time to do karmic cleansing and expiation of sins. The added power of this day will grant an extra kick to all sorts of rituals. But especially to curse removals and negative energy removal. And healing in conjunction with Mercury Retrograde. Which happens for the purposes of correcting problems and mistakes.
Speaking of Astrology, we have some interesting astrological events happening as well.
Super Flower Moon & Lunar Eclipse in the Sign of Scorpio ♏️
Sunday May 15th will be the Super Flower Moon of May. The moon will become visibly red. This symbolizes the blood of the Earth. Fertility, sexual energy, birth, and did I mention sex? Yeah be careful. You don’t want to wake up pregnant.
Or find out you’re gonna be someone’s father before you’re ready to. Fertility is at its strongest now. May is always fertile. But this just adds more power to it. I can’t help but think of a woman’s period.
This is a time of both life and death. Negative energy removed so that life can be possible. To make that theme stronger, we have the Eclipse in Scorpio making an appearance. Eclipses reveal hidden things. Either occult secrets or secrets about ourselves.
Combine that with a Retrograde and the remnants of the Lemuria and Friday the 13th energy. And that’s a lot of occult power that may not entirely be controllable. This is a time for Talismanic magic. I mean that in the original Astrological term. Talismans were originally medals with zodiac symbols on them.
Charged with the signs powers through special ceremonies. That’s where the name comes from. From the Arabic tilsam which means “graven image”. Being the image of the zodiac sign. Those were the original talismans.
You can create your own talismans. Not with images but with charms that will absorb the power and energy of these days. That way you can use them for whatever magic you seek to use later. But beware, don’t over do it. Try doing your magic so that you charm specific items for specific days.
Don’t over do it and then get an over powered charm that will blow up in your face when you try to use it. For Friday the 13th and Lemuria I will charm the bones of my dead familiar spirit. From midnight until dawn the 14th it will soak up all that energy. Meanwhile from the 15th to the 16th I will be charming something else for that energy. What I still don’t know yet.
I’ll probably bless an oil or something. Well, letting you all know ahead of time so that you can plan and do your work now. I hope this was useful. I’m sorry it took me so long to write about the Lemuria. But I have been busy doing the rituals myself.
Plus there’s another Roman holiday that is in May and has to do with the dead called the Rosalia for dead soldiers. So yeah, busy as hell. See you all later.
For some weird reason I seem to be amped up. The Moon in Pisces has me chillin. It’s like I drank Moonshine. See what I did there? Anyways, I am dropping some astrological and astronomical links here for everyone.
So yeah, let me enjoy being spiritually high for the night. I finished all my rituals. And I am going to Netflix Chill. Assuming I don’t pass out. I may pass out, my body is vibing with this shit.
The Full Moon rising in these days before it officially becomes full on Moon Day (Monday) the 10th.
Lots to talk about. So much so that I scarcely even know how to write it all down. For one thing, the alignment of things. It’s happening in the middle of the Fornacalia. Dedicated to the Roman Goddess Fornax, the Goddess of Ovens. Queen of the hearth and home.
Well in reality Vesta is the queen of hearth and home. But I added Fornax as one of my kitchen Gods. So I view her as a member of my household Gods. So this festival emphasizes not just the feeding of family and the making of bread but bringing prosperity into the home by means of food. Then Uranus in a few days will be going direct.
Which means the long period of darkness associated with the Heavenly King will end. Uranus retrogrades are about challenges to authority and rebellion. They typically happen when you have power figures who need to be challenged. Either in political offices or in your personal life. This can be a parent, a mate, a friend who is always center spotlight etc…now King Uranus is returning to his light or Heavenly aspect.
In which case authority structures go back to normal somewhat. But a Mercury Retrograde is coming right afterwards Monday Feb 17th until March 10th when it goes direct again. Which means everything will go haywire for most people. But I’m getting ahead of myself. That’s the week after of this coming week.
The Full Snow Moon or Hunger Moon is a time when the most snow falls in parts of the US. It’s called the Hunger Moon because Native Americans had trouble hunting for their food during the cold weather. Contrary to popular belief, this Moon is not a Supermoon. The real Supermoon will be in April of this year. You can read a really good article on this in the Old Farmer’s Almanac here :
I even found new names for this Moon including the Bone Moon. I’m only putting together these two links because I think they give the most efficient information on this Moon. One spiritual and the other secular. I apologize for not having written anything down. I have been busy with work and with my new home.
I will try to write more often. But in the meantime this is a good time to do self reflection. I would advise meditation and lots of it. Have a great Saturday,
My calender says it falls Manni’s Day (Monday) the 21st of January. But everyone says it’s on Sunna’s Day (Sunday) the 20th. The truth is, we feel the energy since this Saturday the 19th. The energy is felt three days before and after the actual moon. So whichever day you choose to observe it within this timeframe should be fine. To Europeans it was known as the Old Moon and Moon After Yule. To some of the Native Americans as the Wolf Moon.
This moon is the cold frost of the old year’s final vestiges dying away. And by the same token the harsh, bare reality of the new year in it’s full manifestation. The Full Wolf Moon, according to other astrologers, causes a person to focus on internal relationships and on family matters. This is true enough since wolves are social animals that hang around in packs. It was said that on this moon, they would usually surround First Nations communities.
Probably to see who would stray far enough away for a meal. I can imagine the scenes playing out before me. Loved ones who held each other tight in the cold. Keeping one another safe from the wolves who came to find food. Armed guards probably keeping watch at night with fire to keep warm and weapons to keep them away.
Watching each other’s backs. Yeah I can definately see how such a moon would cause a person to want to be closer to loved ones. It’s almost an influence of survival. Of barricading oneself at home against all dangers, both real and imagined. I always had the sense that this Moon brings out the inner survivalist in us all.
That it prepares our psyches for threats in the cold. But given the New Year’s reports, I think the threats aren’t just in the cold anymore. This moon is here to wake us all up and prepare us for the year ahead. The Blood Moon I know only too well. This is a Moon that causes a person’s inner fears and dark side to manifest.
Just as surely as the crimson color of nature is illuminated by this moon. At first I was overwhelmed by it. But after practicing what I call shedding or reaping for a while, it became like any other moon. I use my bloodstone as an anchor to keep me balanced while I reap the traits that no longer work for me. It helps me keep my shadow self under control.
Speaking of that, we have the Lunar Eclipse to discuss. The eclipse in a sense is the death of the Moon Deity later to be reborn. This has an influence over the Shadow Self. The shadow self is the part of your soul that contains your anger, resentments, and fears. All the things that need to be cleaned out.
Most of us just shove these things into boxes until we can deal with them later. But as is usually the case, people forget what they surpress. Lunar eclipses bring all of that to the surface. Just not as violently as a blood moon can. The moon represents our souls or psyches.
A lunar eclipse and a dark moon rule over the subconscious. A lunar eclipse causes the repressed feelings of the shadow self to subconsciously manifest in us all. That means : be careful and pay attention to what comes out of your mouth. It will bite you in the ass then and there. Especially with people you love. But don’t surpress your voice.
Figure out what you’re trying to say and then re-word it in a delicate way. That way you get to say what you really want without losing control of yourself. Be honest. Also do Shadow Work with yourself. Meditate and imagine your darker self across from you.
This is you, just another part of you. The angry part. Don’t be surprised if he/she is angry with you. Mine was angry with me because I never listened to him. Eventually, if you’re doing it right, the shadow self is no longer angry.
It only uses passion and aggression in a positive way. It helps one to be peaceful and centered. Your shadow becomes your ally. And you become more centered and focused on your goals. You need to ask your shadow how to let go of your anger.
How to get over fears and unbind yourself. Once you do this, you should be fine. You’ll feel lighter and better aligned with yourself. But doing this with a blood moon is unpredictable. So it may be easier for others to do this work in the days after these lunar phases have ended.
Maybe two or three days after. It will still be fresh in the air but not unbearable. So we have the Full Wolf Moon which already bares our realities to the world. We have a Blood Moon (supermoon) which forces our anger and fear out. And we have a Lunar Eclipse which works with our shadows.
And it starts on a Saturn’s Day (Saturday) which is a day of reaping. It continues into a Sunna’s Day which already contains has fire energy. And finally finishes in Manni’s Day or “Moon Day” which continues to keep it’s power working to perfection. This is shapping up to be an interesting and very long weekend.
Warning : Once the Eclipse starts, the whole world becomes a “thin place”. This means all creation is an in between or liminal space. Like a crossroads or some other sacred place, the spirits will have greater power and influence over us than usual. And both good and evil spirits will be able to enter us if they wish. Once the eclipse starts, go outside to invoke the Gods and benevolent spirits.
Lift up your hands and pray to your higher powers and spirits for good health, abundance, love etc.. But once you are done seal it with a prayer and walk into your house backwards. This is done to avoid spirits following you into your house. Then stay in doors for the rest of the night if possible. If you must go out wait for at least an hour after the eclipse to leave. Pregnant women should not under any circumstance be outdoors during this time.
A child can be born dead, or have some sort of defect from this. Beware,
Man, we have a lot of shit going on don’t we? So where do we begin? Ah yes, this past Saturday was the Autumnal Equinox. This is the last hurrah for the Sun Gods ending Summer in favor of the coming Winter. So, how does one celebrate the many holidays that appeared on this day? Well here is how I organize them. Sunset is the proper time to celebrate because in Ancient times, the day ended at Sunset. So whenever a Celtic Feast appears, the Eve the day before is always more important.
It’s that way for Hebrew festivals and some of the Greek ones too. This and all of these other Autumnal Equinox feasts ultimately are about the same thing : the ending of Summer in favor of Winter. The Sun Gods and Goddesses from every faith now retire so that the Lords and Ladies of Darkness can now reign. This is the time of the dark spirits.
Most notably, the Dub Sidhe (Dark Faeries). In Japan, the Sun Goddess Amaratsu is soon leaving to a cave until she is begged to return to the human world. The Hopi Goddess Hawk Maidan is now slowly leaving and the Spider Woman who created the Universe rules in her place. Now, Alban Elfed (light in the water) is celebrated differently by most Celts. I celebrate it the Druid way.
By giving milk to the trees and singing them songs. I also leave offerings to the lands and their spirits. Mabon is a Wiccan feast that merged with Alban Elfed. Essentially it’s the same holiday. Except that it is named after Mabon Ap Modron (Mabon Son of Modron).
He’s in one of the Celtic trinities. His Father Dagda is the Father God. His Mother Modron is the Mother Goddess. Mabon is the Son. So on Mabon, I usually make him an effigy with what I have on the land.
For Wiccans, Mabon is Thanksgiving. It’s weird for me to come Thanksgiving in November when it’s in the middle of winter. I make a Thanksgiving feast for Lord Mabon with his effigy. The Descent of Persephone I celebrate on the same day at the same time. I go to the Crossroads and offer flowers to both Hekate and Persephone so that she can lead Persephone back to the Underworld with Hades.
As for the Harvest Moon, I do a Hellenic-Jewish ritual with a set of prayers to Yahweh as well as to Selene and the Demi God Endimeon. Here are some links on the Equinox and Moon. As well as the Astrological report for this week :
Now I finished my ritual on Monday when the Harvest Moon was at it’s peak. I did a flower cleansing ritual with Persephone and Mabon on one of the sacred ponds I visit. The same one I use to celebrate the Nemoralia. It hit me only after I took the main picture of this blog that that Moonlight really was in the water (Alban Elfed). Amazing!
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.
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
Adventures of A Mage In Miami 