So I have eaten a late dinner. That way I won’t be hungry and can fast from 11pm-1am. I have cleansed and purified spiritually as well as magically. And I have give offerings to Jesus using Christian Necromancy. I am ready.
Traditionally, you are supposed to go to the porch of a church to find out who will die this year. But I have proven that this time of the year is perfect for any kind of divination. So you could find this information out regardless of what divination you choose to use. In retrospect I decided to stick with it. Either way, when I see those phantoms at the church porch, it’s hard to see who they are.
If you don’t want to know, don’t ask
They appear faceless to me. And I think it would be a worse shock to see the face of someone I know. I mean what happens if it’s me I see down there? Plus there are other advantages. Too many churches have security systems now. Or even actual guards sometimes.
Like this, I can pluck the information I need out of the ether. I have called upon the Chthonic forces to aid me in knowing who if any will perish. Now it’s time to take out the trash. Finish watching “That’s my Jam”. And prepare to hold vigil.
We just got through one creepy Saint’s Eve to now enter another. Saint Mark’s Eve. That time when we see the Doppelgängers of living people march to the church. It’s said that if you fast, then go to the porch of a church between 11pm- 1am, you will see phantoms of the future dead. And it’s a sure bet that persons who manifest there will die within the year.
It’s said that those who appear die in the order that their phantom appeared. Those who appear first, die first. Those last on the ghoulish parade die later in the year. The ritual is only for two hours. It’s said, that phantoms who look into the church windows will not die.
But they will get really sick within that year though. Still, better than being dead. This is also known as the Night of Mystery. These are the nights when men and women alike try their hand at divination. The death divinations originate from England.
Specifically, Yorkshire. And see where fate takes them. I know this to be all too true. Though how they came to be is anyone’s guess.
~ Marked for Death ~
During the 2020 pandemic, I wasn’t able to sneak out to a church like I normally did. There was a curfew imposed on the city at the time. You know, the measures for keeping COVID at bay. Sadly most of these idiots in Miami didn’t obey the curfews. And even less bothered to wear the masks.
Which is what led to so many deaths down here. And which is why, contrary to what the news tells you, we still have COVID deaths. Mostly in old people’s homes and in the hospitals. And at the height of the pandemic it was worse. Way worse.
My grandfather was in a home at the time. At midnight on St. Mark’s Eve, I cast the bones instead. And I asked if someone I knew would die. On this occasion, the bones said yes. I asked if it was my grandfather and again yes.
I was so shocked by the answer that I refused to acknowledge it. I called the forces on the other side liars. Even though I had properly vetted the spirits. And used holy names of Gods to activate the bones. But these were good spirits, not evil.
And in my heart I knew what they had told me was the truth. I just didn’t want to believe it. Soon after he got sick. Pneumonia they told us. I ignored the Oracle.
And convinced myself he would be fine. I did some healing work on him instead. And he seemed like he would be fine. And then one day, my mother came home sobbing. And told me he was dead.
Later there was a scandal on the news. The media reported, that over 100 cases of COVID were at that home. And something else bothered me too. They cremated him fast. Which always made me suspicious.
Why did they do it? What were they trying to hide? After all, if he died from “pneumonia” there was no reason to cremate it so fast. Heck we didn’t even know if we wanted to cremate him. And most of not all of the residents of this home were bed ridden. So where could they have gone to get infected? The disease probably came in from one of the workers who was careless. But anyways, there are other rituals for seeking out the future dead.
For example, you have the “riddling of the ashes“. This meant that you would take ashes from the Hearth (fire place). And spread them over the floor.
Everyone in the household, even the dog trying to see if death will come by the riddling of the ashes
In the morning the household would rush down stairs. If there was a foot print that matched a family member, they would die within the year. But I have proven that this time of the year is perfect for any kind of divination. So you could find this information out regardless of what divination you choose to use. In retrospect I decided to stick with it.
When I see those phantoms at the church porch, it’s hard to distinguish who they are. They appear faceless to me. And I think it would be a worse shock to see the face of someone I know. I mean what happens if it’s me I see down there? Plus there are other advantages. Too many churches have security systems now. Or even actual guards sometimes.
Like this, I can pluck the information I need out of the ether.
~ Other Rituals of St. Mark ~
Conjuration of Future Husbands
There were other rituals. For example, finding a husband. As strange as this will sound, women left their wet laundry near a fire to dry. And the soul of their future husband would appear in order to turn the clothing. To finish drying it.
Other rituals to learn about your intended spouses can also be learned through this old charm.
Nut Divination for future husbands
“Fast from sunset on St. Mark’s Eve and during the night. Bake a cake that contains an eggshellfull of salt, wheat meal, and barley meal. Set the baked cake to cool on the table and leave the door to your home open. Sometime over the course of the night your future love will come in and turn the cake. You’ll just need to stay awake to see who it might be.
Also, just as at Halloween, there is as well a long standing tradition of divination by nuts on St. Mark’s Eve. Young women would set a row of nuts on the hot embers of the hearth, one for each girl. Each would breathe the name of her intended into the hearth and if the love was to be true, the nut would jump away as it got hotter. But if the nut sat there and was consumed by the fire, the love was not meant to be:
If you love me, pop and fly, If not, lie there silently,”
Then we have the customs of exchanging rosebuds with lovers. It isn’t magical at all. But the story is still worth mentioning.
🌹The legend of Trancedi and Maria 💀
“In Venice on St. Mark’s Day, which is tomorrow, the 25th of April, many rosebuds will be exchanged. This custom actually has little to do with St. Mark; rather, it comes from an old story of love lost: In the eighth century, not all that long before those merchants set sail for Alexandria to steal the relics of St. Mark, there lived in Venice a troubadour of humble means named Trancedi, who fell in love with the doge’s daughter, Maria, and Maria was equally enamored of the troubadour. The doge, however, was not pleased that a man of so low a social standing was wooing his daughter.
And so Trancedi went off to war in a distant land, in hopes of returning triumphant, thereby impressing his potential future father-in-law. And Trancedi did really well for himself, but, alas, just before he was to return home to Venice, was mortally wounded in battle, and in his last moments, fell upon a rosebush. He plucked a single rosebud and gave it to his friend Orlando, who was at his side, and asked Orlando to bring the rosebud to Maria. He did. She received the blood-stained flower, and the news of her love’s fate, on St. Mark’s Day, the 25th of April, and that night, she died upon her own bed, holding Trancedi’s rosebud, a symbol of love eternal. And to this day, rosebuds are exchanged in Venice on St. Mark’s Day.,”
Others will eat a dish of rice and peas.
I intend to make use of these and other rituals I find for my magic. St. Mark’s Eve is perfect for divination and love magic. But also for looking into the wider mysteries of the Universe.
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)
On this night, starting at midnight the spirits come out
Boy, whoo! My ass is tired. If you’re an avid reader of my blog, then you know I’ve been writing almost non stop from these last two days. For Saint George’s Eve and also for Saint George’s Day. I’m too tired to write an in-depth expose on Saint Mark. But I can do the next best thing. I can do a random links of the day!
I haven’t done one of those in a long time. Essentially, sometimes I would get random information on strange things. The paranormal, or weird history. And I thought to myself that I bet my readers would love it. So what happened is I ended up inventing this type of blog post specifically to share articles.
Or even videos etc..
So today I’m making a random links of the day. All will be about St. Mark’s Eve and it’s Folklore. The main thing to know about Saint Mark’s Eve is that churches will have a parade of future dead people. You will see the Doppelgängers of people still alive marching to the doors of a church. And whoever you recognize from that march will die this year.
Sadly I can tell you this is true. I have observed the vigil myself. In 2020 I couldn’t actually go to a physical church due to COVID. But I performed a divination by casting the bones. And the person I knew who was going to die was my grandfather. And a few days after the divination he died.
So this is very real. The whole thing shocked me to my core. I wasn’t expecting it. The reason I tell you this story is 1) Be careful when doing this. Prepare yourself for the possibility it will be someone you know.
Beware of just sitting anywhere on the Eve of Saint Mark. You might see something you don’t want to see. From DeviantArt
And 2) There is an alternate way to find out who is at the procession. Moving on let’s start with my former articles on St. Mark’s Eve :
This was a while back in Seattle. The Religious officials tending a fire on the Vigil of St. Mark. The Light was used in times past as a Need Fire or Force Fire. A spiritual fire used in ancient times to ward off evil.
Many of you have already read my post on my Grandfather departing from this world. I had promised you I would give you an account of what had taken place on Saint Mark’s Vigil. And how this was the night of the year where people would see the spectre’s of those who would die before the year ended. As a Necromancer, I have a professional use for this. I would copy the energies of those who were to depart and I would ask for people to either be protected, or crossed over at the moment of their deaths.
But personally, I had a child-like awe of seeing this strange yet solemn procession. Like my Grandfather before me, I was always fascinated with the spirits. With places of rest and with the Occult. Although he would pretend to be an atheist or an agnostic. I don’t think I entirely appreciated the severity of what I was seeing all these years.
That these weren’t just “ghosts”, these were the doppelgängers of living, breathing people who were going to die. Not those who were already dead. And while I do all that I can to try and change fate, I know there were will be a large group that my rituals cannot save. I would go to my local Catholic Cemetery, I won’t reveal the location as I have had to sneak onto the property to perform this vigil now. In the old days, there was a Catholic Priest who sympathized with my Paganism.
Since I am a Christo-Pagan and believe in Jesus, he saw me as one of his flock. And I loved him for it. He was supposed to help me get baptized, but passed away before I could. He would wait with me on the vigil. He never told me if he believed in my visions or not.
I suspect he just wanted to keep me company. And he was just supporting me in my faith. When I called him “Father” I truly meant it. As he was my friend and mentor. And like my grandfather, was one of the few good male influences I had in my life.
The new administration wasn’t quite so liberal minded however. And while they didn’t out right say I was unwelcome, they didn’t allow me to get baptized possibly for my beliefs. Something that goes against Catholic Law because the Church recognizes Santeros as members of their faith. And they have people of various faiths get baptized. There is even a branch of Catholicism called Buddhist Catholicism.
Because of the Quarantine, I couldn’t head to the Church. Number 1, because breaking quarantine in the middle of a Pandemic for religious rituals is beyond stupid. Like all these idiots in Texas who refuse to close their churches for the pandemic. And by idiots I also include the Baptist Pastors who don’t organize or prepare like the Catholic Church did. Right now the Catholics won’t even give out communion to avoid spreading the infections.
My own Greek Pagan Temple, is doing rituals via Zoom. Santeros are even more flexible because we can also do things on Zoom and each Santero is trained to do magic or religious observances in our own homes. Say what you will about the Catholics, the corruption of their system that functions almost as a monarchy, or the other filthier things they have done. Since after Jesus’ death, they have known how to deal with persecutions and pandemics. During the Black Plague, Pope Clement VI was working with doctors of his time to figure out how to stop the plague.
He even surrounded his own abode in the Vatican with candles to purify the room. It was a precaution against whatever unseen pathogens which may have been in the air. A precaution that even in modern times is done. He also gave mass remission of sins for all who died during the plague. As a way to ensure that the many victims would make it to Heaven.
He also wrote edicts against the persecution of Jews. At the time people thought Jews were poisoning wells which led to the plague. He’s one of the few Popes I do more or less like despite the persecution of Pagans like myself. And these were the people that lived in the underground cities of the dead in Ancient Rome when they were persecuted. They know emergencies and how to deal with them very well.
Heck, even the Jehovah’s Witnesses closed their churches down and have all their meetings via Zoom now. Why these fools in that state are ready to sacrifice their lives needlessly is beyond my understanding. I can only call it madness and fanaticism. But I digress. I could not make it to the church for this reason.
And, there is also a curfew at 10pm where I am. Which means I could not go there regardless. It would be useless because the ghostly procession appears at midnight onward. So I had to improvise. Instead I called on St. Mark the Evangelist and the Gods of the Dead as well as other Saints involved with the dead.
And I did a good old fashioned Bone Casting session. I asked the Gods and Saints to empower the bones to tell the truth and only the truth. I also called the Fates and Healer Gods and all other Gods who protect (Apotropai) from evil. This is what I do to try and save those who can be saved even through a small changing of fate. Once this was done, I called the Gods to see the procession.
I waited a few minutes. And then when this was done, I asked a question.
“Can you see clearly, those who will depart Divine Ones?”
They said, “Yes,”
“Will anyone I know perish among this year’s dead?”
Again they said, “Yes”
My body suddenly tightened. In the past I have seen a few Phantoms of people I knew. But I always knew ahead of time. Sometimes years ahead of time, when death was coming for them. This time, I truly had no notion of anyone’s death.
And I suddenly felt cold deep within myself. It was a glacier like chill and a panic that suddenly rose in me. I suspended the session, calmed myself, grounded and centered, and I asked the question I did not want to ask. There was only one person I knew who was near death. Despite the assurances of the Doctors that it was only pneumonia and not coronavirus.
My grandfather Juan. My family worried it was the virus. His symptoms mirrored the virus. And moreover he lost his appetite. Let me tell you something : before he had Alzheimer’s he barely ate anything.
Unless he was really hungry. But Post Alzheimer’s he gained a whole new gusto for food. Possibly because sometimes he would forget he ate anything. But he had an insatiable hunger and loved his food. So when he got really sick and wouldn’t eat we knew we had to worry.
He also had issues breathing and slept a lot more than before. Finally, his Alzheimer’s got worse. And soon he forgot my mother’s face. At this time we were still waiting for him to get his Covid test. So I asked the inevitable question,
“Is it my grandfather?,”
And the Bones said “Yes,”
I was in total shock. As if someone had paralyzed me. I had no idea what to feel. Suddenly I snapped out of it and did some Ave Marias and Padre Nuestros and rebuked whatever foul spirit could be lying to me. I had convinced myself it was something nasty fucking with me.
It couldn’t be real right? And this time the Bones said no. You see, that’s the problem with magic. We have more control than we think. I closed myself off to the possibility that perhaps he was going to die. And because of that, I biased my own reading.
When I asked again the Bones said no. And I had relief. Of course he’d be fine. The whole place is shut down. Only doctors and nurses are getting in or out.
It will all be fine I assured myself. I even did more biased readings to make myself feel better. Something I thought I had learned never to do again. I had done things like that before in my novice years. I thought I learned my lesson.
But in less than a few minutes all my years of training fled me. And I was again a novice. And so, time passed after that and my grandpa was ‘supposedly’ tested as you all know. And then we were told it came out as negative. In the time that St. Mark’s Vigil passed, I had done rituals to keep death away from him.
I had sent him healing spirits and all manner of magics. Even an experimental magic I developed that saved others in the past. So when these people from the home claimed he tested negative, my Mom sighed in relief. And I finally thought I could take a break. “I’ll watch him,” I said to myself. “I’ll track his progress, he’ll be fine,”.
I fooled myself into thinking I had succeeded. That I had saved him. Now I just had to keep him safe. And you know the rest. The next day, my Mom got the call that he had died.
I should have heard the truth the Gods had shown me. That the Saints had shown me. Maybe then instead of trying to keep him alive in his mortal coil, I would have prepared a funeral mass for him so that when he died he would instantly cross. But I did not do that. And so you see, even witches, versed as we are in the secret and arcane knowledge of the Gods and their spirits can be wrong too.
I should have listened. But I let myself get too close to this. I should have asked my spiritual teachers and masters. They would have told me if the first reading was right and the subsequent readings were wrong. Even my mother dreamt omens of his death.
All the signs were there and I didn’t want to see them. Why? Because I was blind. Why didn’t I listen to them? Why did I just deceive myself? Because in the end, I am bitch slapped with the same goddamn karmic lesson. I am not superman. I am just a man.
I get so caught up in my work that I forget that. I want so badly to change the world for the better, to save people. And it has consistently been my downfall no matter what. And here, in the face of this great change, I thank the Gods. They tried to tell me.
They helped me even when they knew my magic wouldn’t be enough to save him. That the medical care wouldn’t be enough. Though truth be told, the medical care was shitty as hell. Thank you my Gods and Holy St. Mark the Evangelist. Thank you for once again showing me your power to see the unseen and lift the veil from my eyes.
So that I could see truth. Even though I immediately blinded myself the moment I received said truth. I learned once more that we are our own worst enemy sometimes. Even with the knowledge and the resources, what is meant to be is meant to be.
“Yahuah, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps,” – Jeremiah 10:23
This is truth, even for those with the sight. Even for those who know what the truth is. I still couldn’t face it. I should have known better. Another painful lesson learned for my journey in this life.
There’s a Santero meme on the internet in Spanish. It shows a creepy man with his eyes rolled to the back of his head and it goes,
“The dead man says,
‘I will open your eyes. But I can’t respond for what you will see,’ ”
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 