I had already written a comprehensive article on St. George. On his origins as a Palestinian Soldier in the Roman Empire’s army. How he was an immortal and even a Mage for many years until he finally died. And the Dragon of Libya. Here is the article.
Mercury retrograde is upon us once more. We approach that time of the month again. When our divine messenger becomes a psychopomp. And leads the dead away for the mysteries of the afterlife. Let’s begin.
Pretty straight forward. The usual stuff about not making concrete plans or important decisions during a retrograde. However there’s another side to it. A side that is way more positive. The way of silence.
The way of silence involves using dark energy. And dark beings also. For the healing of the mind, body, and soul. It isn’t the typical new age stuff. Not that I am against the New Age.
One of the people I admire the most was Edgar Cayce, the Father of the New Age. He was a Christian Mystic and Prophet. This man had powers that baffle even the more traditional mediums. My problem is with people who have taken the New Age and perverted. Making it into the trendy, feel good, Splenda flavored crap it has become today.
Simply, dark energy does not always mean evil. It actually doesn’t ever. All energy, such as light and dark are neutral. And can be used for evil or good accordingly. Let me show you an example of the darkness being used for good.
The Path of Silence
Sister’s of Perpetual Indulgence, Day of the Dead Shrine, at the Ceremony of Altars at SF’s Garfield Park in the Mission District on the evening of November 2. By Walker Dukes
This is what I call the path of silence. It’s a term I sort of self coined in my own meditations. For my own brand of shadow work. So in my shadow work, when a Retrograde comes, I try to sit still in the pain. Sit outside of my comfort zone.
Where most people don’t like to be. I think of the things I typically hold in. Like a closed fist. And I unclose that fist. I let the flood waters out.
I react in a variety of different ways. Including crying. I let myself shake even. Or sometimes I get so overwhelmed I sleep. And sleep is actually the best way to do this work.
There in the Darkness
Hermes is one of the Theoi Khthonioi the Gods of the Underworld
There in the darkness, I eventually quiet the voices down. Until I hear nothing. Just the empty void. As quiet as a tomb. I hear a single water drip down into a pool.
And when I open my eyes I’m in a cave. And there, walking towards me out of the infinite shadows that would drive all of us mad, is Lord Hermes. The Shadow Lord. No longer the young, clean shaven youth. But the older, darker, bearded man.
I am on the cold sandy floor crossed legged. He sits on a stone in front of me. He studies me for a long time. It makes me uncomfortable as hell. And he asks me what I wish to discuss.
And I begin my therapy with him.
Actually this is therapy and confession as well as cleansing. During this time I practice pure necromancy. I avoid anything related to the light as much as possible. And I gaze into the void we all carry within. And I try to learn more about myself.
I don’t hate myself at all. In fact it’s the opposite. I hold court with myself. Different versions of myself appear behind him. And each speak and tell me their problems.
I begin to strategize with Hermes and my guides. About what changes to make. One by one each version is purified in a ritual cleansing that is secret. Then I re-absorb them into myself. In this way I am regaining my personal power.
And doing away with negative things that only hinder me. I am also promising to myself in the name of a God, that I will at least try to be better. And to do better next time. This is a form of shadow work you can do during any retrograde. You just substitute Hermes for the whatever God of whatever planet is in Retrograde.
And of course the problems each retrograde brings out are different. Another thing to do, is perform a Necromantic Ritual. Either with your own ancestors or the God whose planet is about to enter retrograde. Asking them for a deliverance from the bad luck and other negative aspects of a retrograde.
The Shadows Grow……
but that’s not a bad thing
There’s a solar eclipse tonight. Which when combined with the New Moon and the Mercury Retrograde unleashes a lot of shadow power. When there is a solar eclipse, it’s the Sun Gods and Goddesses entering their death forms. This may sound like a contradiction right? How is it possible. How the fuck can a Sun God like Ra or Hawk Maiden or Apollon or Amaterasu be dead? Because everything dies.
Even our sun will one day die.
And then it all comes back in an endless cycle. A hoop that never breaks. The Sun Gods can and do die. In fact they appear in several funerary texts. Eternal life can also be the same as death.
In Christianity, you can only gain immortality through dying and entering Heaven. And then you become one with Jesus and therefore be eternal. So it’s not a contradiction. The Solar Deities entering their deathly aspects increase the powers of the Retrograde and the New Moon. Which is the natural time of the dead.
Now to make it even stronger, today is the feast of Baron Samedi. The Vodoun Loa (God) of the dead. And it’s also the feast of Saint Expedite.
This is what I am calling all the astrological forces I am seeing and sensing right now. Because I view them in my mind as stars. And they are lining up in Star form. Right now it’s a Hexagon. A six pointed Star.
The New Moon in Aries. This also means Aries the God of War is in his death aspect.
And therefore he adds his own power and wrath. Barron Samedi the Vodoun Loa (God) of the Dead and Saint Expedite. Tonight’s solar eclipse. And finally, the effects of the Mercury Retrograde. Tomorrow it drops to a trio : Mercury retrograde, and the New Moon with chthonic Aries.
Then a Pentagram with those two plus Saturn’s Day (Saturday). The day for the dead. And St. George’s Eve which is the time of the dead and phantoms. But also the dark spirits.
Demons roam the skies and land. And wicked things are everywhere. Black Witches practice their rites to Satan and Lilith on this night. Mercury Retrograde takes place on Friday. Any and all kinds of magic during this time will be powerful.
For good and bad.
Some legends say that you see Will-O’-the-wisps at night. And that these are souls of the dead that guard treasures they buried before they died. So that if you see these fiery spirits, you must mark on a map where you saw them. So that you can take the treasures. Yes this is a dark night indeed.
The veil will be at its lowest this week. So what does it actually do? I’ll make it easy. It can,
• Magnify all magic by means of lowering the Veil
• Create doorways to facilitate travel between the worlds
This goes both ways. Certain witches have been known to use times of the day or night of year to enter the spirit world. During the Wild Hunt, some witches used to astral project and join the Hunt. And this is such a time. The Stars of the Dead as I call them, will begin to fade Sunday morning.
Leaving only the New Moon in Aries and Mercury Retrograde. Then the New Moon will vanish with the first quarter moon. And it will be just Mercury Retrograde (for now). But this is just for now. I haven’t consulted my calendar in a while.
I promised I would tell you all what happened the next day after my last post. So here it goes. I cleansed my house after some spring cleaning. And then instead of blessing the house with my Exorcised Water, I used something else. My sister had gifted me some Hoodoo protection oil from Georgia.
Please ignore the clutter in the background
The lettering is faded. But no matter. The point is this oil which I never used before, works. Besides the witch who made it, my sister blessed it herself. Making it extra strong.
Though based on how potent this stuff was, I’m guessing it didn’t need much more power than it already had. Normally I use fiery wall of protection or Elegua Oil (oil sacred to Elegua) to ward my home. This was the first time I used this type of oil. It acted like fiery wall of protection. And it was just as potent.
I learned from watching a few Christian preachers and using their charms how to best apply the oil. I took the oil and liberally made crosses of protection with it on all the walls. I anointed the exists and entryways. I anointed the doorknobs. I even anointed my idols with it.
I saw and felt how Fire energy rose from wherever I applied this oil. And then I added sea salt to the windows and doors to increase the strength. All the time, I took my confirmation Bible and began reciting theBible during the blessing.
The Book of Revelations Chapter 5,
The Seven Horned and Seven Eyed Lamb
The Book with Seven Seals
“1And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 2And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
The Lamb is Worthy
5And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
From Lion to Lamb
6And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
7And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 8And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
The Lamb Exalted
11And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 14And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever,”
Christ in the form of the Slain lamb. Surrounded by four Seraphim, known as the Four Living Creatures. These angels have either four heads or four faces on one head, and six wings. And the wings have eyes on them so they can see in all directions. They use two wings to cover their lower bodies and two to cover their upper bodies to be humble before God. And finally two to fly.
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah hath conquered the root of David is a line used in St. Benedict’s famous exorcism. Which is why I used the whole chapter where it appears. I just visualized a red holy fire from the Seraphim entering the oil. And consecrating and re-dedicating the house as a Temple. I finished outside on the Balcony.
Holy Fire of the Seraphim
As well as at the front door. I even dropped some of the oil onto the threshold of the door. Then it was time for some seasoning.
Raw sea salt crystals are better. Or Kosher Salt. But any salt will work
I had blessed this baby with a medieval exorcism prayer. Medieval Catholicism may not have been the most enlightened version of Catholicism. In fact they were anti scientific and against any form of free thought or equality. But, nothing beats the magic. In terms of rituals and sorcery and knowledge of various spirits it was a true golden age of magic for the church.
Sadly, the Vatican councils change everything. They keep weakening and watering down the rituals and prayers to be more modern. So we get ultra conservative dogma of the church most of the time, but not magical or spiritual enlightenment. Though thanks to Pope Francis at least the church is no longer as backwards as it once was. And he’s trying to reform it for the best.
But there is absolutely nothing wrong with the medieval prayers and rituals. And though they are “defunct” for use in the modern church, they still contain power. The prayer I read over the salt to make it holy was like a nuclear bomb in the form of a pill. Imagine that each grain of salt contains enough power to ward off any bad spirit of any kind. Break any curse. And even curse any enemy witch trying to hurt you.
They are like a mini armory. And together they can defeat armies. So I rubbed the salt together with the Hoodoo oil. And the spiritual fire became an almost electric fire. An alchemy of magics such as I had not seen before.
I really have to ask my sister where she got this stuff. I think I’ll start ordering from whoever makes this. When I finished I added a special binding to the spell. I won’t say what it is or where it comes from. Except that it’s also Christian Magic.
It really finished the ritual with a bang. Finally, I felt the whole house glow. I didn’t just see it, I felt it. I felt a heat go through the house. And then as a suddenly as it had arrived….it stopped.
I meditated and prayed. I couldn’t do anything else during Holy Week. Later that night I braced myself. At first I felt nothing. But then I felt anxiety.
And anger. But it wasn’t mine or anyone else’s. This time I was glad I remembered to pray before sleep. And I heard this crazy buzzing outside of my front door. At first I thought it was electricity.
But then I paid attention and realized it was the buzzing of many insects. They sounded like wasps or something. Whatever it was, I wasn’t going to open the door. I looked out the peephole and saw nothing. And then I felt it : anger.
From outside the door. They were trying to come inside and couldn’t. And I just thought it was strange. Until I remembered that witches aren’t the only ones who use animal familiars. Animal guides can be used by spirits as their proxies.
Their physical world avatars. I didn’t bother to ask my spirits. I knew that the things that had bothered me the night before were causing this. At best, I would allow aggressive insects into my house if I opened the door. And at worst, I would allow something far worse to cross the threshold.
So I went to my bed and placed my Bible under my pillow, prayed, and slept. And guess what? Nothing happened to me. For all their talk and threats, they couldn’t enter my dreams this time. They couldn’t even cross over into my home. Or float outside my window or above the roof.
Nothing. They were stuck outside. And last night during the April Moon I didn’t see or sense them. Nor hear them. You saw my pictures.
I even went downstairs after the witching hour and nothing attacked me. I was fine. I feel like whatever attacked, has either given up. Or is being blocked from coming here. So I’m back to sleeping soundly again.
~ And the bad news is ~
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing about others I know. Some of my relatives have been harassed by things around them. Some of my friends too. I had to help cleanse a friend of mine from a negative stain a spirit left on him. He doesn’t even know where it came from.
He has no enemies. Though I have a theory. He’s a security guard and is up late at night at the main gate. Which means he is always facing the road. Which is where spirits like to congregate.
And when he leaves, sometimes it’s at 3am. Or later. I suspect something followed him home one night and messed him up. To make it worse, the residents there are mostly negative people. And some of the other guards have had paranormal experiences.
One guy even claims he saw the Skunk Ape. It’s sort of our version of Big Foot. So he may be exposed to certain paranormal energies from the other guards. I have to help him cleanse with his spirits and mine. I have to keep you posted on his cleansing.
But at least as far as myself, I am safe. To those who read my posts I would suggest a spiritual cleansing for the home. Followed by a blessing. For everyone during this Holy Week. I have already bought some more candles and incense in preparation for this.
And preparing some moon water during this week on my balcony. I added moonstone, quartz, lapis lazuli, and some other stones in the water. With a statue of Poseidon on one side and a statue of Yemaya to the other. I let them and the moon and crystals do their work. I also prayed to Selene and Endimeon as well as the man in the moon last night.
But I am stocked up on holy water, incense, candles, and my other supplies. If you don’t practice magic, find a local holy temple. Of any religion. And stock up on supplies and blessings. And do a blessing like me.
Many of you are probably asking why I am posting this. It’s only partially religious. Also remember I am a Christo Pagan. It’s mostly paranormal. Some weird shit that happened to me last night.
But I should start from the beginning.
Santeria and Latin America
A Santeria ancestral shrine
Santeria is a mix of the Catholic religion with traditional Yoruba religion from Nigeria. It isn’t Vodou per say, but it does have some things in common. Santeria also have deep connections to Spiritualism. Spiritualism and Spiritism actually. Especially those things taught to us by Allan Kardec.
In Latin America and in Santeria, magic is usually never practiced during Holy Week. The reason for this, is do to Catholic traditions. In which the crosses and altars are hidden from view during this time. White cloths are placed over the sacred items. And we Santeros and even Spiritualists and Spiritists do the same.
To honor Christ. A spiritualist once told me that during this time, Jesus re-enters the underworld. And he’s there to cross over innocent souls still trapped in Purgatory. Until he spiritually resurrects after Good Friday. In which case he goes back to Heaven with all of the souls he has saved.
So perhaps it’s not right to say we can’t practice magic. We can. But it’s a spiritual type of magic. We pray and study scriptures or spiritual things with our spirit guides. We just don’t burn candles.
Instead we allow the energy or power of God to do it all for us. So Holy Week can be a very sweet and spiritually fulfilling time. However, as I have mentioned before and will keep mentioning, everything has a dark side.
The Dark Side of Holy Week
It’s said that on the day Christ was crucified, there were all sorts of demons reveling. They had failed to stop him from accomplishing his mission. So they decided to celebrate that he was suffering and dying. A small “victory” for their side. And that has become a tradition ever since.
Demons tend to have their own celebrations at this time. And practitioners of black magic tend to perform rituals and honor to their own evil spirits as well. I say practitioners because not every evil sorcerer is a Satanist. But the main belief is that before, after, and even during a holy day or week, they celebrate. All in order to mock whatever higher power has a feast day.
This isn’t just a Christian thing. Similar things can be found in other faiths. Where black rites and evil spirits celebrating can be found during the feast days of other Gods. The point is to commit sacrilege against the holy. We see the same on other holy days.
We see it on Walpurgisnacht (Walpurga’s night) which was originally the Christianized Beltane festival. It was believed the Devil and his followers gather on Mount Brocken in Germany. To celebrate their own black rites. To dance, and drink, and make merry. For this reason the evening of April 30th to May 1st is sacred to most Satanic groups.
Granted, this arose from the Christian perversion of Nordic religion. Even calling Odin or Wotan a “devil”. Regardless of how it arose, in the 60’s Anton LaVey made Walpurgisnacht an official satanic holiday. So it is celebrated by many modern and traditional satanists. And even they say they believe the stories of Mount Brocken are true.
There are many people who think that Satan and his horde still hold court on that mountain to this day. To mock not just the Christian God, but the Pagan Gods as well. So it’s not just the Christians getting harassed by these dark powers. It’s us too. And something similar is found in Santeria.
It’s believed that no Santero, Witch, or Spiritualist will practice magic on this day. Except someone who is intentionally trying to work with the darker spiritual forces. This doesn’t always mean a Satanist though. A Santero might break the taboo. If they think that in order to help their client, they need the aid of darker forces.
Now let me clarify, Santeros and Witches in general don’t have a black and white mentality. We believe in using whatever we can get help from depending on a situation. So if we believe that we need help from the dark side, we will get help from them. That doesn’t mean that we will engage in Devil worship. Or that we will make it a habit of working with dark things all of the time.
But in order to help an abused woman. A child being violated. A person being harassed by a landlord. Or even someone who owes money to the wrong people, we won’t hesitate to dip our toes in the darkness for it. And that is a long Judeo Christian tradition.
Going back to Moshe (Moses) who often used dark arts to help his people. As well as King Solomon who learned to bind demons and employ them against his enemies. So don’t think that we are unholy for doing this. It goes back to Biblical times.
Strange Visions in the Night
” The Flying Head ” from Iroquois and Wyandot religion, it’s considered a demon of cannibalism
Now I am not saying I saw a Flying Head from indigenous religion. I live in Florida. And we have totally different Native groups here. But I did see something and whatever it was decided to come fuck with me in the night. It was strange.
Technically, it started Sunday night. But I didn’t put two and two together until recently. On Sunday I felt….something nasty. It made me uneasy. In the middle of the night I felt that that deep primordial fear of something nearby. It wasn’t in my room though.
But whatever it was, made me feel like a child again. I was scared. I figured it was just a bad dream. Until last night. Because last night I had strange dreams and visions.
And one of them, was of a floating head outside of my window.
It couldn’t enter my room because my house is a temple. There are shrine-altars everywhere. And the home is specifically consecrated through a dedication ritual to block things out. And my room has the most shrines of all. Even on my window.
So it couldn’t enter.
But I felt it saying something in English. It said something about “gathering souls” to eat. It unsettled me. I couldn’t make out any features because it was just a large shadow outside my window. At this point I still thought it was a nightmare and forced myself to become more awake.
I didn’t think anything of it. Until I heard weird noises all around me. Then I heard a scratching sound on the front door of the house. But again, I have protection everywhere. I didn’t do any of my normal protection spells do to Holy Week.
So instead I slept with a blessed confirmation Bible under my pillow. I finally realized it was all real when I used my sight. I could see the shadow of a haggard old woman with native features. She was floating above the roof top of my house.
“What the fuck?” I shouted.
I was almost waiting for an answer. My friend had recently told me she noticed a lot of dark activity near my home. And that I needed to be careful. I live on a crossroads. Which are interdimensional portals.
But besides that, the lands here always had something off with them. There are good spirits here trust me. And the Land Spirit is good too. But there’s also a lot of weird shit here. At some point I had to do a Deliverance to get rid of the spirits showing up here.
Finally, I got fed up with this shit. I took the confirmation Bible in my hands. And I focused on the energies of the entities. And I put them together in one image in my mind. A mental representation.
Similar to a Voodoo Doll. And I said,
“In the name of Adonai Tzevaot (Lord of Hosts) I command you to leave me alone and go to Gehenna(Hell) where you belong,”
Then, I focused in the image in my mind. And I smashed it over the head with the confirmation Bible in my hands. I heard multiple voices shriek in terror and pain. And anger, as if they were cursing my name in another language. And they finally fled.
But it took a good five minutes before they left. If they didn’t leave I had a plan B. After I was satisfied they were gone I began to pray. In retrospect I should have from the beginning. I commended myself and my home to God and asked for our protection.
After that all I had was peace.
I am going to do a special protection prayer and cleanse my shrine-altars again. I have some protection oil my sister got from a Hoodoo store in Georgia. And I will combine that with prayers to the Archangel Michael. But I had the strangest feeling when I woke up this morning. It was actually a memory of a dream I had after this took place.
I heard a nasty, diabolical, voice tell me I was being tested. To prove that I am as good a man as I think I am. I guess whatever it is got pissed off I drove them away. All I know for sure is that whatever this is, it isn’t over yet.
I’ll keep you all posted, be safe everyone. Some nasty shit is out and about these days. And they don’t care what God or Goddess you follow. They just want to feed.
– M
Post Script : This is the continuation of what happened.
We have a lot to study here. For one thing, we are now leaving the era of Pisces ♓️ to re-enter the era of Aquarius ♒️. Yes, cue that song from the Winchesters. The one where Mary Campbell’s friend Carlos was singing and dancing. That was hilarious.
The Age of Aquarius Returns
According to the article in the link, it will effect all signs. So be sure to check out your sign and how it will be effected. This will last for 20 months. The big deal here is that Pluto is entering Aquarius. Pluto is the Roman God of the dead.
But he isn’t just about the afterlife. As a member of the ruling triad of Roman Deities, he has untold power. Like his brothers Jupiter and Neptune, he’s connected to authority, stability, wealth, and prosperity. He guards the hidden treasures of the Earth. And reveals knowledge both wonderful and terrible to those who seek it.
And are willing to pay the price of admission.
So what does that mean for Aquarius? Well for one, a huge power shift. Because all of these qualities or most of them will combine with Aquarius. That means Lord Pluto is going to magnify what Aquarius is in charge of. So what is Aquarius in charge of?
Now all of that sounds awesome……..except that it isn’t a magic pill.
It takes wisdom, patience, skills, and an unbeatable spirit. You have to be willing to rise up and fight the power. And there in lies the other issue with this : those in power. Palpatine tells Anakin in “Revenge of the Sith” that,
“Those who gain power, fear to lose it,”
This scene is so much better in the novel. Which is why I brought all of you a clip from the audiobook. It also makes Anakin’s fall from grace a lot more understandable.
And he was right.
Those in power aren’t simply going to give us freedom. Or allow us the free use of our minds and resources. Typically these massive changes usher in movements. And if 2020 showed us anything, was that the police was only too ready to break bones. Especially with Black Lives Matter protesters.
But we also saw the dark side of Protest Groups. With the Coup Plotters on January 6th attacking the Capitol. Trying to block the election and keep Trump in power permanently. We were this close to a full Dictatorship instead of a partial one. From a mere mob of violent white supremacists, to a coup plotting army.
I predict a lot of violence coming from MAGA right of the US. But violence comes in many forms and isn’t always obvious. For one thing, violence can come in the form of political oppression. Or censorship of ideas and education. Like here in Florida with DeSantis and his idiotic “stop woke act”.
Which hasn’t even been passed yet, and schools are going out of their way to fire teachers for teaching kids about black historical figures. Because it’s too “woke” whatever the hell that means. So beware, because they will unleash it. And not just in obvious forms. But cloaked in deceptive language about “parent’s rights” in schools.
What people fail to recognize is that the signs have dark and light sides. Everything in nature does. So when these signs show up, you have to consider the possible ramifications. Everything is a double edged sword. Before 2019 we thought that the new year was going to bring us the best of years.
We were rudely woken up.
The Age of Aquarius was also one of the most violent eras. Mostly due to political oppression in the US during that ridiculous Cold War. And also from angry, oppressed, youth rising up to overthrow the government. And the society which created it. It’s possible we will see this happen even more sharply now than we did in 2020.
Especially in Republican controlled states like Florida. But it won’t just be the US, we will see this happen all over the world. I get a nasty feeling, like a tumor hidden inside my soul. That whatever is coming in this new age won’t all be nice. We should be optimistic.
But we should also prepare for the worst. Because the worst is coming. You don’t need a psychic for that. Anyone with eyes can see the writing on the wall. And I am tense and anxious.
It makes me want to hide in a bunker somewhere with food and water. I get that feeling now more than ever. Something just ain’t right. Well, we are living in the sign of Otura Niko this year. But the big idea is we will see a change of ideas in this new era.
It also means there will be a reaping of sorts. In magic and spirituality, this means old parts of the soul die off. This is necessary for rebirth you see. But it also means you enter a place of darkness. You have to ritually die in order to see what’s on the other side. And once there, you don’t know if you can handle what you find. You may uncover hidden truths that change your life forever. And maybe not for the best. And when Reapings are done in a mass scale like this, it tends to lead to rebellions and other forms of conflict. That’s not bad. Reapings are necessary for change. But birth can be painful and even lethal. So keep that all in mind.
But those are my thoughts on the subject. Take it or leave it. Also before I go, here are some other links.
I found this fascinating. And it actually gives us an idea of how to do Apotropaic magic without anyone figuring out what it actually is. It would be hard for anyone to discover it as being magic in the modern day. Really good investigative article on the subject.
It looks like the long winter goes on, as death continues to reap the living. After the intense period of the Super New Moon in Aquarius, we have all been left shook. New Moons are times of the dead and bad luck. But a Super New Moon is like Mother Nature was on her period and flushed all the nasty negative shit out. And you better watch out that you don’t get swept in it too. s
As mentioned this year we are in the sign of Otura Niko, the Foreman of Death. And this year is full of death in every which way. My friend just lost his other friend to a car accident. I had to perform a ritual to cross him over last night. And there is the incident of the dead woman who was attached to a statue I had gained.
The irony is that the signs of the spirits are all saying the same thing : drop your to-do lists, relax, be present. Don’t worry about the next thing to do. It’s kind of hard to do that when you have friends and family dying off. Or when you have to constantly watch your ass to make sure the sky isn’t falling. I have a headache.
But not a normal headache. It’s more like a spiritual headache. And I need a pill that lasts the whole year.
Oya the Orisha who escorts the dead to the Cemetery
Today was a mix of good and bad. But I had to navigate through the wads of shit. Quite literally. The first thing that happened was I stepped on a massive pile of dog shit. It looked like a bull had emptied his ass. I had to clean that off my shoe as throughly as possible.
Then later, my damn belt broke in the bathroom of the Olive Garden. And my pants kept falling down afterwards. I felt like I was in a fucking Cantinflas movie. With me needing to make sure I didn’t moon anybody with my fat ass. Then finally, well you don’t need to know what else happened.
Needless to say, this new moon has been kicking my ass worse than a Waffle House employee.
So here in the spirit of the fuckery that is the New Moon in Fucking Aquarius I give you new Astro links. And damn you sarcastic Aquarius sign assholes to Hell.
Oh and I forgot to mention, it’s a fucking Supermoon too. That’s what I get for being a Magus who isn’t up to date on astrology. The original Magi are rolling around in their graves right now. Fucking Hell.
Since writing about Otura Niko, I got curious and wanted to know more about it. I had never heard of this sign before. And I wanted to trace its origin. I think I found the possible origin. Translated from the original Spanish article here.
In the land of Yewe Inle, there was a time when there was a terrible drought. Everything was a great disaster. It was then when the main kings met with the Obá Ikú (king death), Elegua, and Iroko to deliberate in an assembly. The result of that assembly was that everyone should do Ebó. The last three, as they had no money for the Ebó, decided to ask Oba Ikú for twenty-four coins, he accepted.
But with the condition that they pay him back within three days. They formally promised to do so. When the three days passed. Obá Ikú went to Elegba’s house to collect. He found him sitting in the doorway of the house, he refused to pay.
Obá Ikú bashed him with his cane and killed him. And made a hill of crab land (Ilekan) and buried him there. Together with his hand of Ifá, he sacrificed a rooster for him, and said:
“From today onward, you will be the Orisha (God) Elegua,”
Obá Ikú continued to the house of Iroko. And found him in the heart of the mountain. He asked for his money back. But he refused. And so Obá Ikú took his cane and killed him.
Throwing two majá that Iroko had in his room, two white jars, and killing a white chicken, he sang to him:
“IROKO DILOYU, IROKO DILOYU, BABA IKU EGUN LAYE, IROKO DILOYU,”
(ROCO DILOYU, IROCO DILOYU, FATHER OF DEATH CURSED IN LIFE, IROCO DILOYU)
And he said to Iroko,
“You will become an Orisha, everyone will worship you,”
And at that moment a sacred tree rose, which is the Iroko. Obá Ikú sent an envoy to Orunmila. Who by now had made his daily divination and saw the Odu (text) Otura Niko. So he performed an Ebó, feeding his ancestors along with the land and his Ifá, and he prepared a large casserole of ajiaco.
Otura Niko becomes a child when Obá Ikú arrived
An Orula baby doll
Orunmila invited him to lunch, when they finished Obá Ikú thought:
“I killed Elegba and Iroko, I must now finish with Orunmila as well,”
Obá Ikú raised his scythe to land a blow to Orunmila. But he dodged the blow of Obá Ikú. Who then pursued him tenaciously. And while he was escaping, Orunmila performed sarayeye (cleansing by rubbing a sacred object on the body) using the stick known as Espanta Muerto (frighten the dead). A cleansing to keep him safe from death.
And he arrived at the river. Out of fear, Orunmila leaped into the River. But Obá Ikú absorbed the river to catch him. But Orunmila still escaped. Then Obá Iku, disheartened, walked away.
Leaving Orunmila the victor. The river continued its normal course. And Orunmila came out of the water singing:
“IRE IRE WANWAN LELE ASHE IFA”
(GOOD LUCK WANWAN LELE DIVINE GRACE OF IFA)
Then Orula transforms into a child, to avoid being recognized and starts crying. He stands at the foot of a laurel bush, which had a lot of curujey (West Indian tufted airplant) on top and continued to cry. At that moment he meets two women who were passing through. They prepared a jar and opened one of the jugs. And filled it and leaves, some plants and placed the child (Orunmila) inside and took him to the house of Olodumare. One of them suckled him from her breast.
When they arrived at Olofin’s (GOD’s) house, the child surprises everyone by speaking to Olofin and tells him that he wants Aiyé to take him home. She rejects this, but because it was a direct order from Olodumare, Aiyé accepted and took him. She prepared a mat next to hers. When night came Orunmila returns to her in his normal adult state and says:
“I am Otura Niko and now I am your husband. With these transformations I defeated Obá Ikú. Because I am the foreman of the Egun (dead). But never reveal this secret to anyone,”
Orula
The woman was engaged and they lived happily. Where the fame of Otura Niko began to spread throughout that land.
After some time,
Shango, Egun, and Oshumare come to visit Otura Niko. To receive them all worthily, he tells his wife, Aiyé, to cook great delicacies. She replies in front of Shango:
“I have no time,”
Then Otura Niko threatens her. And she mocks and insults him, saying:
“You are only great because you are the foreman of the Egun (dead) and capable of shape shifting,”
At the moment, Otura Niko took his Irofá and ran after her. She was on her way to Olofin. But before arriving, Otura Niko caught up with her and gave her a blow from his Irofá and killed her. Then he said,
“I killed you for violating your oath,”
(You see, his power was in that he had become the foreman of the dead. And apparently, no one knew that. Nor that he was such a mighty shape shifter. To know the secret was to share in the power. And I suspect that Orunmila also didn’t want Iku, the Orisha of death, to know the secret of his survival).
Shango and Orunmila
Immediately, he made a pact with Shango. Also giving him the secret and the ashé (power) of Otura Niko. He took Aiyé and buried her. Then he put his Ifá next to her tomb and gave 2 black chickens to the spirit of Aiyé. Along with his Ifá.
And put the chickens with Ekó to Egun. They lowered the vultures and ate them. Letting him know the power of Egun that he had.
Prayer of Otura Niko, Otura Ogbe
“Otura Niko adifafun iku alashona oumbo wa ni eshu ishonshon oba lele iroko oba lele orunmila ore lawa oba iku yen ore amaiyekun belele iya lele lokua ariku omi orunmila oun sede otura niko umbo atefa ni egun agboran iku agboran olofin yewe inle oba iku onika ododo sekun iroko segun gbogbo iya kalalu elebo owunko elebo moyeni iku orunmila akue ye akualosiña iya laye oba iku,”
(Otura Niko, the death of our child’s mother, is the God’s faith, the king, the king, the king, the king of death, the king of death, the eternal friend of the mother, the king of heaven, he is the king of heaven).
It’s unknown if Otura Niko was named after him. Since he ritually becomes the “foreman of the dead” after this. Or if the Odu (text) already existed prior to him taking on this title. But that doesn’t really matter at this point. As the Foreman of the dead, Orula is immune to death.
He’s also shown to be a masterful shapeshifter. So he could take on any variety of forms and escape Iku. And foreman is another term for supervisor. Perhaps it even means he could command the dead in this form. Or command Iku to leave him be.
I’m not sure yet. I have to ask my Babalawo about his knowledge concerning the text. And see from there what happens. Take care of everyone. And as usual, be safe.
– M
The Eggun or dead, looking at their own corpses on a battlefield
Yes this is a year ruled by Obatala and Oshun (or by Exu and Oxum if you practice Quimbanda). But the sign of the year is what seems to truly be reigning this year. Already, it seems that the Ajogún are on the move bringing with them misfortune and death. Yesterday, my friend got into a car accident. A little while later, I learned that my great uncle had died suddenly.
Between yesterday and today, some of my magical charms for protection against death, started to become overwhelmed. I had to call on the spirits to reverse whatever it was that was sending death this way. And I had to cleanse, re-bless, and recharge all of my charms. And right now as I am writing this, I found out that my neighbor whom I always talked with, died from a heart attack recently. Either just before or after New Years.
I didn’t want to ask the date because that’s disrespectful and insensitive to his poor wife. But it was recent. So either just before or just after New Years. This year is not a good year. It’s not a year that we should all be cheering for.
It is the year of Otura Niko, the Foreman of the Dead.
Friends, things are only going to get worse from here. Before in 2020, COVID was the force used by the Ajogún to spread terror and disharmony. But this year they are mixing the tactics up. Now it’s more like a mix of 2020 with 2019. In 2019 it was more personalized attacks sent to different people.
Personal problems. And 2020 was a massive problem that struck us all. This seems to be a hybrid of both those years. It has all the force if not more, of 2020. But disseminated in ways that will effect us directly.
A friend of mine who has mixed white and native ancestry told me something recently. Now his magic is strong. He works with indigenous spirits. And when my ass has been in danger, he’s protected me. But he has this thing.
And he had the feeling before I even knew it, that this year would be bad. And now here we are. But it gets worse. Last month a fellow blogger named Librarian of the Multiverse had also had a conversation with me. That she sensed that death would be coming this year as well.
In my head I was like, fuck because that’s really what we need now. Maybe it is. Because clearly humanity refuses to awaken from this walking coma we’re all in. I wonder if we have fallen so deeply asleep that the Ajogún have seen us as easy prey. That we’re being targeted now because they see us as dumb sheep that are easy to take out. But now I want to move on to something else.
The Divination (letter of the year) says to stay away from lakes and rivers and even rain water. A friend of mine who is a seer told me something that spooked me. You see, she had no idea what the letter of the year had said. I didn’t have the time to tell her. But she said that something is in the water.
That something is in the water that’s going to kill people this year. No, she’s not a nut job. No, she doesn’t normally say stuff like that. For the very first time in my life, I understood the true meaning of the term “my blood ran cold”. Because I felt ice in my veins hearing her say that.
I feel a rising death wave like in 2020. But this one is worse. Part of me feels like I’m on a roller coaster. I want off of and I am screaming my head off into the void. But no matter what no one is going to save me.
So with that said, I think I am going to give you all a simplified version of the Ebbos or karmic cleansings for this year. Along with some additional advice that may come in handy.
The Ebbos given for this year include animal sacrifices. Which I am against. But I also understand traditions and what not.
I am no one to judge my people and how they follow the ways of the ancestors. I just don’t like or agree with all the ways of our ancestors. I don’t always follow those ways. I actually considered saying nothing for fear of being rebuked by other Santeros saying I am “exploiting our religion”.
Or some other horseshit that the zealots in my faith come up with to silence dissent.
My spirits and my Orisha do not care about whether or not I kill an animal. They accept fruits and vegetable offerings. But they also accept cooked animals. In other words, instead of giving them an animal that is being sacrificed and discarded I give them food. If the Ebbo asks for a roaster, I go out and find a cooked roaster.
It’s not impossible to find. There are some animals that are sacrificed in Africa that don’t exist here. So with divination and research I find what they would accept and grant them that dinner. In places that are sacred to them. I also add the fruits and vegetables anyway as an added offering.
If blood is what they want that isn’t a problem either. There are butcher shops that are willing to grant the meat and the blood. As long as they get paid they don’t care. Again, this is how I do it because my Gods and spirits allow me to. Because my Orisha allows me to.
Do a divination, meditate, and find what works for you. And if any Santeros out there have an issue with how I approach our faith, I don’t care. It has served me well up until now. And until they (the Orishas) or my spirits tell me otherwise I will continue. I am accountable to them, not to you.
Now the offerings in IFA, you can skip because that’s for the order of IFA. The practitioners of IFA divination and magic under Orula. I am going to give you a simplified version of the regular Santero offering. A medium rooster and seven colored strips.
The seven colored strips symbolize the Seven African powers. The other ingredients are only for Santeros. So this simplified version is to ask the Seven African Powers for help. Tie them into different parts of the house. Such as door knobs and in windows to ward off death.
In fact consider making a bracelet of these seven strips for yourself. As an amulet. The cooked roaster is the sacrifice that will empower the charms. They will work against death. Which will be very important because there is an article I wrote which is about charms against death.
In addition to that :
– Honey for Oshun, Brandy for Eshu, Incense or anything holy for Obatala because he’s the King of Heaven. And because Santeria is mixed with Catholicism, Christian things like blessed white candles or incense for him will do.
– And you could get another roasted chicken for Orula, his wife Odu, and the spirits of IFA and ask for their blessings and protections. If you approach them with respect, they won’t care what faith you belong to.
Leave these offerings at a crossroads with three pennies for Elegua so that he will send the offerings to the Orishas. Also this is very important, to a point even more important than the offerings mentioned before.
You need to use any form of protection the dead can give you. Sacrifice to your ancestors. Light candles and incense to them, give them Hades Money, etc… don’t be stingy. And if you don’t already have an ancestor shrine to them, now is the time to make it happen. Because our primary protection comes from the dead.
And also our non human spiritual guides such as Angels, Nature Spirits, etc..we need all of their protections. So when you have a chance give offerings at a cemetery to Oya.
– Nine Purple Grapes
– 9 Red Roses
– Nine Pennies
– A Bottle of Red Wine
For her and for all the dead. You don’t have to enter the cemetery. Oya brings the dead to the front gates. Leave the offerings there and she will share it with the dead. Ask them and her for protection and blessing.
And for mass purification in all its forms. And dedicate that entire cemetery to her and the Gods of the Dead. You should feel different. As if something negative left your body when you pray to her. When you are done, leave a candy offering to Elegua in his Eshu form.
And ask him to send these offerings to Oya and the dead. And then leave without looking back.
Now it’s important to also work within your own religion. If you don’t believe in Santeria but want protection, research these Deities and find someone in your own religion who matches them. For instance, if you’re Christian, the Archangel Gabriel is the Messenger of God (Elegua is the Messenger of the Gods) and he’s one of the Angels of Death.
So he’s perfect for this. And instead of a crossroads or all these offerings, you make a massive donation to your church for him in Jesus name. And Jesus died and rose again. So any offering to him works. And he’s the intercessor between humanity and God which makes him a messenger as well.
Any offering you give to him, give with an open heart and perfect love. If you’re Hindu, do this with Ganesha. And look up who the God of the Dead is. One you are comfortable with and work with them instead. If you are Celtic, work with Morrigan.
She hangs out at the crossroads and she’s associated with the dead. There’s so many options out there. Protect yourself well. But most importantly of all is this.
– Personal offerings to your spirit guides
Whoever your guide is. A God. An Angel. A Faerie. A Ghost. As well as all of your ancestors.
Whoever it is, divine with them and ask what they want and keep giving it to them all year long. By feeding your spirit guide, you are keeping yourself safe. And sacrifice to your loved ones Spirit guides as well. Even do it for your pets. I am.
Finally, I leave you with this. These were special warding rituals I did when the pandemic hit. They kept me and my family safe at the height of the pandemic. We survived 2020 without getting the disease. Even though my Mom is a healthcare worker and she had to enter places that weren’t safe.
Meanwhile people around us were dropping dead. Even those who were supposed to be safe. This protected us. So please, read this old blog carefully. And adapt the rituals for what’s happening now.
Just like on that blog I will keep you updated on events with updates here. Do offerings to all those spirits and Gods. And make the same kinds of charms. Do the same things I did back then. Just adapt them to whatever fresh hell we are going to suffer this year.
Adventures of A Mage In Miami 