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.
St. George’s Eve is here yet again. The time of the dead.
And of the dark spirits. Demons roam the skies and land. And wicked things are everywhere. Satanists practice their rites to Satan and Lilith on this night. And the Fallen rise once more to plague those of the mortal world.
As soon as the sun set today, the wicked creatures came out to play. Some legends say that you see Will-O’-the-wisps at night and the pathways. 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. Don’t think for a moment that you’re safe in this modern world. You aren’t.
They slip between the cars as you travel at night. Or maybe they’ll enter the cars with you and give you a good fright. Not even police or taxis are safe. Phantom riders are known to hitchhike. Even the police aren’t immune from such mischief.
Ask not for whom the bell tolls…
The Fell Spirits are out and about. Dancing on the tombs of the dead. Waiting to see whom they should strike.
Beware, for the Black Mass shall be tonight. And soon the dead warlocks shall arise. Don’t be caught out when they party though. They don’t like being spied on. Just ask Tam O’ Shanter.
Enjoy your parties this Saturday night. Just be wary of those who appear on the roads……
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.
This year I did not divine on the Eve of St. Mark. Apollo came to me in a vision clad in black and told me there was no need. They would be revealed to me in a few days. And sadly he was right. Because by the next day (St. Mark’s Day) it was revealed that my uncle’s wife has an aunt who had a massive stroke.
And she’s expected to die. Yesterday I was told by my uncle that my great uncle was also hit by a stroke. We were told he’s expected to die within a matter of hours. Despite all of that, I am not upset. Mostly because I wasn’t too close with either.
But also because after my grandfather’s death predicted by St. Mark’s Eve, I am not scared or shocked anymore. It would have to be someone really close to me. Maybe that’s callous but it also happens to be true.
The shadow of death has fallen. In conjunction with Lord Hermès entering his retrograde. And with St. Mark and St. George who I believe are riding the winds in a sort of invisible wild hunt. The energy is changing all around us.
A reaping in Spring is what I call it.
When my relatives pass I might not be able to do readings or magic. It all depends on my emotional or spiritual state. I am also going to ask my high priest what is or isn’t allowed during mourning. For the ancient Greeks, there was a 13 day morning period in which the Gods could not be worshipped. The reason for this is because we are spiritually and energetically unclean during that time.
Not because we are “unworthy” but because death is a powerful negative force. And it leaves a temporary spiritual taint even in people surrounded by death. That lasts at least that long. For the Romans it was 9 days.
I am not sad but I do feel numb. So much death and so fast. Last year there was no one I knew who was going to die at that St. Mark’s Divination. So it’s been at least a year since I didn’t lose anyone. And lately I’ve been thinking about my pain.
And how to make it stop. I keep thinking about going to therapy again. Maybe I should. I think I need to refresh my brain. And truthfully what I really need is a vacation.
A real fucking vacation. Maybe Cuba. Go there and visit the Sierra Maestra mountains and meet the indigenous people there. Get a cleansing done. Visit the other spiritual people there.
Or Haiti. I have dreamed of Haiti since I started practicing Voodoo and Hoodoo. Since I have worshipped the Loa. And even had a strange dream about going there that had a lot of religious significance. I feel like Haiti is as much home as Cuba is.
Write my stories again. Gods know I would love that. If only I could fucking afford it. I just need a day off. A real day off.
At this point the dead have more of a vacation than I do. Hermes is their tour guide. How sad is that?
I have decided to do shadow work again. It’s been a long time since I confronted my shadow self. I need to listen to him again and see what the root of my problems are. And also apologize to him for not being the best caretaker. I care about everyone else but not me.
I think things were better when I was selfish. Then I didn’t need to care about anyone else. Just me and whatever I wanted. I look back on my earlier life. And I started thinking : I may not have accomplished much but damn it I had some fun.
More fun than I’m having now. Ever since I became Mr. Save the world I don’t have as much fun. You know there was a funny fortune cookie that once said,
“Nostalgia is realizing things weren’t quiet as bad as we thought before,”
Or something like that. I wonder if I will look at this time with nostalgia. I have a feeling of impending doom almost. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. The waiting is killing me. And what’s worse is thinking I am crazy for waiting for something bad to happen that might not happen at all.
I need a cruise….whoops, sorry Charon not that kind of cruise
Sorry for being Emo. Its annoying as hell I know. But I can feel a mass reaping coming on. Maybe it’s the war in Ukraine or maybe it’s something else. Either way now is the time to prepare and do rituals and prayers to ward it off.
If you are into apotropaic magic now is the time to do special rituals to protect yourself. I would also recommend special cleansings. Since both Saints Mark and George’s feasts passed recently I think I will appeal to them. Well that’s all for now. Take care of yourselves is all I can say.
I have to go Adult and actually treat myself good (damn it)
All manner of Spirits, evil, neutral, and some good wander the night
The feast of Saint George the Dragon Slayer is normally a good Feast. But on the Eve or vespers of a Saint’s day, evil spirits and evil witches gain their strongest powers. It’s their way to mock holiness. But contrary to popular belief it isn’t just evil spirits out tonight. All sorts of beings are out.
Werewolves
Werewolves are out and about on this night. Some of them are good and others are bad. Some of them are shape shifting witches who learned to transform. Some are people who were cursed. And some gained an ability from a relative to enter Wolf form.
Who knows what they’re up to tonight? At least the Romanian version of Werewolves. In North America they’re active on St. Mark’s Eve not St. George’s Eve.
The Blutbad Holly Clark, from the Tv series Grimm. It basically means “big bad Wolf”
Will-O’-the-wisps
A Ghost Orb from Malaysia
Then of course we have Will-O’-the-wisps also known as Ignes Fatui (giddy flames). Also known as Ghost Lights and Corpse Lights. These are spirits that take on the form of the classic ghost orbs you have probably seen or heard of from television. Not only do they exist in European culture. But also in some indigenous American cultures.
But not all Will-O’-the-wisps are ghosts.
In Mexico they are normally Hags or Demon Witches. Practitioners of black magic who delved so deeply into the darkness that they became demons while still alive. In death they get even stronger. This is not to be confused with the title of Hag used by some Covens. This specific hag is not a human witch.
Hags in the form of fiery Will-O’-the-wisps
It refers to a whole class of formally human witches who became demons or demon-human hybrids through sinister practices.
But most of these lights are associated either with Faeries or with deceased human souls. The main belief in Europe, is as follows. When Saint George’s Eve comes around, the dead, and even spirits associated with treasures (which includes a few demons) will appear as flames or lights. These lights will then hover around places where there’s buried treasure. Really brave (or greedy) people will venture out at night hoping to find such spirits.
And then either dig up the treasure then and there. Or mark the place somehow to find it again the next day.
Corpse Lights, spirits of the dead in Orb form
Granted, this is a dangerous practice because the spirit could kill, curse, or even possess the would be treasure hunter. Something I recommend is to never steal treasures from spirits. My Native Shaman had been haunted by a spirit who buried money with her dead father. We never knew how they acquired this money together. But we figured it probably wasn’t legal.
But we let his soul stay with that money. My family had a similar run in with the spirit of a dead land owner from Spanish colonial times. The house they lived in had previously been his property. But the treasure was under some kind of Boulder. And no matter what was done, the rock wouldn’t break.
Not even with drills. My grandmother who practiced magic, correctly concluded that the treasure would never belong to us.
A Faerie creature with its ball of light behind it
Some of these spirits are dead pirates or road thieves who buried their treasures prior to death. Perhaps even being captured and hanged before they could enjoy their stolen bounty. Or sometimes regular people who hid their treasures to feed their families later. But had died before revealing their locations.
The Moroi are a type of Vampire that falls under two distinct categories. One is a physical psychic vampire that drains the energy of the living. The other is a non-corporeal Ghost Vampire. Much like the Asian Hungry Ghost, feeds on the energy of living creatures. Moroi are often the subjects of debate.
In one story they are mortal Vampires. In another a vengeful ghost who feeds off of energy. Sometimes the Moroi are said to be demonic spirits who possess the living. This includes animals such as Bears. Living Vampires also become undead Vampires in death.
This is probably why the Moroi appears as all three types of creatures. In death they may have the option to become a regular parasitic ghost. Or a demon.
Their Parents
StrigoiMort are a type of witch vampire. In fact the word itself is actually for witches. Simply it has become so associated with these vampires that extra terms have been added to tell the difference. From the Latin word Strix for witch. Italian Strega.
And Slavic Shtriga. In order to differentiate from a human witch or wizard they use different terms. Such as Strigoi viu, or Strigele, living strigoi or living witch. The undead vampire witch are called Strigoi Mort or dead witch. In Romania dead evil witches tend to become vampires.
However, it’s all confusing. Because some argue that a Strigele is like a Moroi. That it is unholy and will become a vampire witch in death. But to me that’s just Christian bias. They think witches are all satanic.
Obviously not all Romanian Witches become these creatures. There are several types of benevolent witches that use sorcery to fight these creatures. And even create talismans and amulets for protection. In several legends, Romani people (Gypsies) have played key roles in fighting and defeating vampires and other demons. There are legends of Gypsy vampire hunters as a matter of fact.
But that’s a rabbit hole for another day.
Strigoi Mort are immortal and also have magical powers. They are said to control the Moroi. Some legends state that the Moroi are the living children of two Strigoi who mated. So these vampires are interrelated. Why the immortality isn’t passed on isn’t explained.
Because they are also witches, they have a wide variety of powers. From invisibility to shape shifting. The Strigoi are thought to originally have come from Dacian religion. The belief that these are condemned souls. They were unworthy to enter the heavenly Kingdom of the God Zalmoxis.
And thus spend their eternity as vampires. From the Dacians, the Romanians inherited these creatures.
Conspiracy
From LP Bestiary
It’s said that the forces of evil meet at the boundaries of their cities or towns at sunset. These could be vampires, evil human witches, evil werewolves, or straight up fallen spirits from hell. Here they plan and plot what they are going to do to people until next St. George’s Eve. The Vampires steal life essence from people and animals to power themselves up. When doing this, they also steal skills or abilities the animals or human has for themselves.
For instance, if they feed on the energy of a venomous snake, they will produce the same venom. And the poor snake is left with nothing. If they feed on a computer programmer, they will gain his or her knowledge of programming. And the knowledge will vanish from the minds of their victims. And still yet it can be something else too.
Let’s say your talents are something else. Maybe you have a special charisma with someone of the opposite or same sex. This vampire can take away your charm for themselves to mate. And you’ll be as charming as a penny on the road.
“May.—I found that my landlord had got a letter from the Count, directing him to secure the best place on the coach for me; but on making inquiries as to details he seemed somewhat reticent, and pretended that he could not understand my German. This could not be true, because up to then he had understood it perfectly; at least,
He answered my questions exactly as if he did. He and his wife, the old lady who had received me, looked at each other in a frightened sort of way. He mumbled out that the money had been sent in a letter, and that was all he knew. When I asked him if he knew Count Dracula, and could tell me anything of his castle,
Both he and his wife crossed themselves, and, saying that they knew nothing at all, simply refused to speak further. It was so near the time of starting that I had no time to ask any one else, for it was all very mysterious and not by any means comforting.
Just before I was leaving, the old lady came up to my room and said in a very hysterical way:
“Must you go? Oh! young Herr, must you go?” She was in such an excited state that she seemed to have lost her grip of what German she knew, and mixed it all up with some other language which I did not know at all. I was just able to follow her by asking many questions. When I told her that I must go at once, and that I was engaged on important business, she asked again:
“Do you know what day it is?” I answered that it was the fourth of May. She shook her head as she said again:
“Oh, yes! I know that! I know that, but do you know what day it is?” On my saying that I did not understand, she went on:
“It is the eve of St. George’s Day. Do you not know that to-night, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway? Do you know where you are going, and what you are going to?” She was in such evident distress that I tried to comfort her, but without effect. Finally she went down on her knees and implored me not to go; at least to wait a day or two before starting.
It was all very ridiculous but I did not feel comfortable. However, there was business to be done, and I could allow nothing to interfere with it. I therefore tried to raise her up, and said, as gravely as I could, that I thanked her, but my duty was imperative, and that I must go. She then rose and dried her eyes, and taking a crucifix from her neck offered it to me.
I did not know what to do, for, as an English Churchman, I have been taught to regard such things as in some measure idolatrous, and yet it seemed so ungracious to refuse an old lady meaning so well and in such a state of mind. She saw, I suppose, the doubt in my face, for she put the rosary round my neck, and said,
“For your mother’s sake,” and went out of the room. I am writing up this part of the diary whilst I am waiting for the coach, which is, of course, late; and the crucifix is still round my neck. Whether it is the old lady’s fear, or the many ghostly traditions of this place, or the crucifix itself, I do not know, but I am not feeling nearly as easy in my mind as usual.
– Excerpt from Chapter 1 of Abraham “Bram” Stoker’s Dracula
Things to watch out for
Beware of the things that hide in the deep shadow
There will be an influx of Calling Ghosts or Calling Spirits. This is an umbrella term for paranormal entities across a wide spectrum that are well known for calling out your name. Sometimes they even make themselves sound like people you know, women and children or animals in trouble. This is all to lure you away to a secluded spot for nefarious purposes. Don’t fall for it.
In Cuba we’re even warned to never answer a voice calling your name unless you know who it is. During this time, there are vampires who call out your name to try and get you to answer. Avoid being outside especially on the road or sidewalk. But as stated before, this is a time when evil spirits congregate and plan out what they are going to do for the rest of the year. So watch out.
This is the first Eve of Saint George. But there’s another in May. So be prepared. The best way to protect yourself is with garlic which wards off evil spirits. I use garlic salt.
Best of both worlds. Spirits try to enter homes through every nook and cranny. Vampires for instance can enter through keyholes. So make sure you have warded your home and yourself. If you think all of this is old superstitions and nonsense, then good luck.
– M
Sources :
1) Vampire Universe : The Dark World of Supernatural Beings that Haunt us, Hunt us, and Hunger for us by Johnathan Maberry (2006)
Happy Feast of St. George the Dragonsayer and St. Mark’s Eve! Today we commemorate the Warrior Saint who defeated a wicked Dragon to save the People of the land. Modern Christians say the Dragon is just symbolism for the Devil. I leave you to make your own conclusions. St. Mark the Evangelist is one of the Apostles of Jesus Christ. And like George who is shown with a Dragon, he’s shown with a Lion.
This is connected to the story that John Mark was traveling with his Father and two Lions had found them. The Father begged his son to go save himself. He was prepared to die for his son. But Mark told him Christ would save them. He prayed and both Lions fell dead in front of them.
What’s interesting is that he is linked with Pagan iconography where the Lion has wings (a Sphinx). Others say the Winged Lion motif looks a lot like the Shedu or Guardian Spirits from Babylon. The prevailing Christian argument is that it’s an Angel with the head of a Lion. And yes there are Angels like that. But they also seem to be related to these entities.
Now I could go in and make a longer history. But that’s not what I want to talk about now. The best time to do magic of any kind, positive or negative alike is on the Eve of a Saint’s Day. St. George and St. Mark’s Eve are prime examples of that. And all sorts of weird folklore is associated with these days.
For example Werewolves on St. George’s Eve. Or Divination done to know the future on both George and Marks’s Eve. The Eve of John the Baptist is said to be when Werewolves in Louisiana congregate and have a ball on the Bayou. So I am announcing that for those interested I am doing a divination today and tommorow. I will be channeling the awesome powers of these days to divine things even from the past.
The Eve of St. George is said to be a scary time. It’s a time when evil spirits seem to be ready to come out of the woodwork to terrify humanity. Even Bram Stoker, in his novel Dracula, had mentioned it. People also used it to divine. They would venture out at night, knowing the risk of the wicked spirits coming at them to find treasures.
It was believed that Will-O’-the-wisps would appear and hover above lost treasures buried deep within forests and lands. Some say those are the Ghosts themselves of those who buried the riches. Others don’t know what’s going on. My belief is the Veil becomes thin during this time time as it does on Halloween. Which makes it perfect to see things that normally are hidden. That’s why I focus on Divination.
Others talk about St. Mark’s Eve being even stronger. In the old days, people would hold a Vigil for St. Mark’s Eve. And those who were brave enough, would venture to a Catholic Church and see the Ghosts of people who hadn’t died yet. People who would die before or by the end of the year. There are still Paranormal Groups who do this to try and get evidence.
Technically, St. Mark’s Eve won’t start until the stroke of Midnight on Friday. But, today is the day after the New Moon. This is the original Astrological Nones of this Month. The Nones in Ancient Rome were originally calculated like that rather than having set days. The Nones are considered bad luck because as with other cultures, the New Moon is the time of the dead.
And wicked or dark spirits can be out to play in our world. What makes it worse is that the Nones were not ruled over by any Heavenly Deities. Unlike the Ides and the Kalends of the month. So we have a strong Cthonic Pulse from which to draw from if you know Necromancy. To make it even Stronger, St. George’s Eve was yesterday.
And Saturday which comes right after, is a day ruled by the Dead and Gods of the Dead. There are lots of possibilities for magic here. So for those who wish, I’ll divine for you. In the meantime, please enjoy these links!
Adventures of A Mage In Miami 