Cleansing & Banishing Week 3 : The Subtle Sorcerer

Female Jinn,
by Cjb1981
This was drawn on 9/11, 2023 of all dates.
Perhaps it’s fitting

Here we are. The final stage of the account helping that idiotic family. I really wanted to smack all of them in the face. And I swear if that moronic husband in the family kept opening his mouth, he was going to lose his teeth. So let’s finish this chapter of me working for morons again.

If you want to see the chronological decent into my case with this family, the first account is here. And the second account is here. This is the third and final account.

Spiritual War

Angels Vs Jinn,
during the Jinn War

If you read the first two accounts, you know that this was a pain in the ass. It’s a pain in the ass even to write this. I still mentally and emotionally tired recalling this and writing it down. The spirits helping me had succeeded in driving out the last of the fallen bastions in the house. Mr. Hippie is I call him, helped me ward everything.

He had a really strange experience in the house that initially made him question his sanity. He had seen a doppelgänger of the father of the family. Walk right in front of him out of no where. And vanish into the bathroom. He really did believe it was that man.

Only when he walked after him to ask him if the rest of the family was okay, did he realize no one was there.

So whatever skepticism he may have had of me before, was gone now. Now he believed. He ran down to me shaking like a leaf. At this point I just got tired of the bullshit. So I called on the Angels.

In fact I should have done that from the very beginning. I went to a spiritually clean place. And I did my own version of a burnt offering. With a bonfire made by the hippie and a roasted animal. We burned the animal for Adonai.

Again, this creature was already dead. We asked the butcher for the most recent animal. One who still had all the blood.

Adonai likes blood with his offerings. I felt a presence come down like a ball of lighting. I knew it was Adonai sending his Holy Spirit through the fire and smoke to eat. Then I did a Bibliomancy and asked if my sacrifice was accepted. The Archangel Metatron said it was.

And I asked if they would send down Angels on our behalf. Metatron responded,

“No sooner have you asked this, than the Lord of Hosts shall send down his luminaries to bind the Jinn with fetters. And drag them into the dark abyss. But this family will need more,”

I asked him out loud.

“What do I do?”

“Speak to the child,”

I already knew what he was talking about. The girl who I suspected was behind this whole mess. The one the family seemed to not want to discuss. I felt the ball lighting depart once the flames had finally died down. We took the remains of the animal offerings to a cemetery.

And we left it there with proper offerings. Specifically I had Mr. Hippie dig a hole under a tree that was tipped over. Apparently when the hurricane winds came here last time, it partially ripped this tree from it’s roots. The animal was buried underneath. And the tree was forced back on top of the grave.

To act as a marker. It was was hard to do. Even small trees can weigh a ton. But finally we got it done. In the Torah, remains of offerings had to be taken to graveyards or wastelands.

I blessed the animal ghost in the name of Asherah, or God the Mother. And by the time we got back to the house, things were better. We walked around the house. But I couldn’t feel anything. Even he said it felt like someone had used bleach to clean the home.

I did a divination with the Bible but Metatron stopped me. He told me what I already knew. His troops had swept the home clean as promised. I technically didn’t have to cleanse the house. Because his angelic flame burned everything out.

But just in case, I did a cleansing with lavender oil. I blessed the house. And then I used an ancient Sumerian barrier. Christians aren’t the only ones who use sealing prayers. And due to these beings being middle eastern, I used the oldest sealing I could find.

“Talisman, talisman,
boundary that cannot be taken away,
boundary that the Gods cannot pass,
barrier immovable,
which is opposed to malevolence!
Whether it be a wicked Utuq,
a wicked Alal,
a wicked Gigim,
a wicked God,
a wicked Maskim,
a phantom, a spectre,
a vampire,
an incubus,
a succubus,
a nightmare,
may the barrier of the God Ea stop him!”

Incantation against Demons,” from Book of Shadows

For this, I used incense to create the etheric barrier. Since the Sumerians believed some evil spirits, traveled by wind. Wind is both corporeal and incorporeal at the same time. I used the incense stick as a wand to command the directions in the name of Ea. I also asked that once here, anyone living here be they animal, human, or even animistic spirit, be protected and shielded.

That way nothing could enter the Dream world either. We cleansed and washed up. The Dumb ass husband called to see how much longer this would take. Apparently moving to the hotel didn’t work all the way. They slept better.

But were still being harassed. I took the phone away from the hippie and said,

“You can come in today if you like. Just finished erecting the last barrier for your home,”

The condescending dipshit laughed, and asked who talks like that.

“Anyone with an ounce of education. That’s why I don’t fit in with most people in Florida. You clearly don’t have that problem,”

He started to curse over the phone until his wife took it away. And I gave her the good news. She was ecstatic. So were the others. I could hear this moron whining and complaining at the other end of the room.

And his eldest told him to be quiet that at least I got the job done. I kind of chuckled to myself. This guy isn’t even respected by his own kids. He’s that much of a douche. I wanted to leave and go home.

But they wanted me to stay for one more night just in case. Even El Douche wanted that. He tried to pretend to be calm. But I could tell he was still shitting bricks being in his own home. So I agreed and slept on the couch.

And this time, the family dog did stay with me. That made them all smile. And a look of relief washed over the husband. As they walked around the house, they seemed to expect something to jump out at them. But were always relieved when nothing did.

They said it also felt quieter. That they heard noises similar to foot steps before. But they thought it was the house settling. Now they didn’t even hear that. Lord Metatron had done his work at the command of Adonai.

Now it was time for the uncomfortable part. I asked the family to sit down. And I said,

“Before I say anything. I need all of you to be honest with me and tell me what the hell was done by her,”

I pointed at the girl.

“I know you know, that this started with her. And I sensed it by myself. And then it was told to me by the spirit who cleaned your house today. So please tell me what it is. There’s no point in lying or doing cover ups,”

The husband fixed his wife a nasty look. Not because of me. It was more of an I told you so look. So I thought, it was your idea to hide this from me, not your husband. Now I understood why he was so aggressive and stressed all the time.

It wasn’t me. It was his misplaced anger towards his own wife. Still, he kept his words to himself. Instead he waited for her to speak.

“We didn’t think it was necessary to say out loud,”

(I tried to keep my mouth shut but)

“Lady, are you fucking shitting me? Imagine someone telling General McArthur they needed him to fight a force of invaders. But didn’t specify who they were. Or telling a doctor you’re sick, but not saying what the symptoms are. You had me chasing my own ass this whole time when you could have simply told me what was going on. And you!”

I pointed to the Hippie.

“You knew this whole freaking time what was happening didn’t you? And you didn’t see fit to tell me,”

He looked away from me.

“Now stop evading the question and answer please,”

Now the husband had this big shit eating grin on his face. It’s as if he wanted to say all those things before but couldn’t. Now he felt validated. I could tell, he was going to hold that one over her for a very long time. Good luck trying to win an argument with him now.

Despite the tension in the room, it felt good to know I was going to get the truth. So finally she explained. And man what a doozy this one was.

A Ghost Hunt Gone Wrong

From the article,
Protecting Florida’s Historic Cemeteries,”
via
The Florida Trust

Florida has an epidemic. One the whole country is suffering. Disrespect to our old cemeteries. To our graveyards. To our tombs and places of rest.

There’s a whole number of cemeteries in Florida that have been abandoned. And our local government is shit. They don’t even care about the living, much less the dead. It’s the price we pay for so called “freedom” under our mini Republican oligarchy. They didn’t mention the name of this cemetery.

Although I could probably guess which one they went to. It’s a historic black cemetery. Sacred especially to the Haitian community. It isn’t just famous because of how old it is. It’s famous because it’s falling apart. Graves are cracked wide open.

Exposing the bones of the dead. And to make it worse, there’s people who take advantage of this to perform rituals in the cemetery. Haitian Vodou. I practice American Voodoo (religion) and Hoodoo (magic). But I also make sure I respect all the spirits. And people shoving magical spells into open graves is not respectful.

I doubt they even leave proper offerings at these sites. I’m just an amateur necromancer. There’s still so much I have to learn and have not done. So I am not an authority on anything. But I view Necromancy as a divine obligation to the ancestors.

To protect them. To aid and help them. That’s why I am studying death midwifery. And working with ancestral spirits. I can’t fathom using people, even if they’re dead, like they don’t matter.

And doing so in a way that hurts their living families too. And sadly, that’s where I have to say that education begins at home. Because that was how this whole mess got started. This girl and her friends wanted to do a ghost hunt at this particular cemetery. They knew no one would be there.

And decided to go in the late afternoon. From 4pm till sunset. They figured they had less chance of bumping into someone that way. And they didn’t want to be caught out there at night. Now cemeteries are naturally liminal places.

But being there in the waning hours of light is pretty stupid. There are times of the day and the night that are Liminal. Where the whole world experiences a break with normal reality. And things can pass from place to place seamlessly. In Santeria, from sunset until dawn, these are the hours of the dead.

That’s why rituals and magic are forbidden at night time. Unless you’re trying to curse someone. There are some magics that are okay to do. But the Yoruba people in Nigeria, see it as a time when you cannot be involved in such things. Because it isn’t just the dead who roam the night.

But the spirits of evil. And your magic could attract, or become perverted by such spirits. So imagine being at a cemetery, a crossroads, or even the woods at night. You’re right at the gates of the spiritual world as they are opening up. And to make it worse, she was actively communicating with the dead.

Without protection. Without special prayers and rituals to act as a filter. Just bare bones naked in the spirit world. She might as well have been wearing neon lights and carried a sign announcing her presence. It was near sunset.

When they freaked out at a voice. They didn’t think it was a ghost. They thought it was a living person in the cemetery. That voice was loud. They said the voice and manner of speech sounded like a southern African American woman.

She and her two friends hid behind a tomb stone. And waited for whoever it was to go. It was then that they noticed there was something off about that voice. They couldn’t actually understand what she was saying. They said it sounded like a “vocal intonation”.

But they didn’t know where it was coming from. Or what was being said. Only that it was unsettling. They moved out of that cemetery slowly. But they heard something behind them.

Like someone was crushing a piece of tombstone under their foot. When they looked behind them there was nothing there. Finally they said they heard movement all around them. And they made a break for it. And when they turned around for the second time, they saw a dark shadowy silhouette of a woman.

Soon after that, things started happening to all three of them. Little things at first. Things accidentally falling and breaking. Arguments with friends. And horrible nightmares the three seemed to share.

Her friends ignored her out of the blue.

And she also saw and dreamt of this woman as well. The rotted woman as I have come to call her. The Ghul. I had asked if there was anything else that needed to be said. She said no, that was everything.

I needed rest. So I decided to do that. But also to explain the situation as I had seen it. I told them everything you have already read about in my other posts. They looked to the hippie for confirmation. He told them all he had witnessed as well.

I had mentioned how she tried to trick me into letting her in through the door. The hippie freaked. I forgot I never told him about that. He now knew he wasn’t being paranoid that night. That something really had been trying to get inside the house.

He confirmed to them that he had felt that. And stayed on guard all night. He looked at me nasty.

“Ah I see, the only who isn’t allowed to hide pertinent information is me,”

He fucked off after that. So now, the husband was finally convinced I wasn’t full of shit. Too many things I knew. And none of them had told me a single thing. The girl was silent.

And looked very humiliated. She was expecting a yelling. Instead, I told her we all needed some sleep. We’ll find out the truth in the morning.

Revelations

How to make a scrutiny mirror,”
from Sacred Wicca

Next day, as soon as the Hippie cooked for us all, I got my ass out of there. They kept trying to guilt trip me that I wasn’t done yet. I informed them that to finish my investigation, I needed to be in a more controlled environment. So I left.

I rested for most, if not all the day. Ate light, food that would be considered sacred. Watched tv. Got my mind off of everything. The Terminalia had come. And all the really serious magic work was over.

I needed to wait for the night to come. Once I was well aligned, I took out my scrying mirror. To find out what the fuck was going on. And eventually I came to several conclusions. Chief among them, the spirits in the mirror reminded me that West African Vodoun, is often mixed with Islam.

The mystical variants of it like Sufi Islam. Fuck me. The woman was a Ghul as I had suspected. And the dark spirits the tree protected me from last time, were Ifrit. Those are a type of Jinn who live in the underworld.

There seem to be two different kinds of Ifrit. One version, are the original fallen jinn of Iblis. They have charred black skin due to the fires of Hell when they fell. But some humans who are murdered, come back from the dead as Ifrit. The exact process isn’t fully detailed.

But it’s mostly believed that the Ifrit sense the deaths of people. They know who is murdered. And they go to the bodies of the murdered dead. And attempt to curse their souls. So that they will become Ifrit.

Another interesting thing. The spirits in the mirror told me that Beelzebulb is the lord of the Ifrit. I did some independent research. There is nothing in books that confirm he is in charge of them all. But indeed, Islamic Demonology states that he is an Ifrit himself.

I remembered the black demonic flies on the first night who attacked me in my dreams. I remembered what his name means, “lord of the flies”. And I have been told before by spirits that Beelzebulb rules the dead. That he is a necromantic demon. Almost nothing online supports that.

I only found once source that confirmed it. And now I can’t remember where it is. But the spirits have never lied to me. And it all fits. Especially if Islam says he’s an Ifrit.

It stands to reason that he’s not just a demon of plagues and diseases. He really does rule the dead. After all, what transmits infectious disease faster than a rotting corpse? So far it all fit. I think someone left a cursed item in that cemetery. Or God forbid actually cursed the entire grounds.

Maybe offered up those souls to the demon. Combine that with an amateur ghost hunter. A broken down and possibly hexed cemetery. And all this happened around sunset. The time when the dead start to rise. Something kept echoing in my mind.

I heard a word, Māntrik. The word was familiar. It took me a while to realize I had read about it before. It took me forever to find the article. Because I kept spelling Mantrik without the ā.

But finally I found it. Here’s the best article on them. From the spiritual research foundation.

“The subtle-sorcerers (māntriks) are the topmost echelon in the hierarchy of ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.). They are forever working towards their goal of establishing their supremacy, (i.e. an order of unrighteousness) in all the subtle-regions as well as on the Earth region (Bhūlok). To achieve this, they are engaged in subtle-battle with the highest evolved beings from all the positive regions, including Satyalok. They work through the medium of other types of ghosts whom they use as slaves. They have an excellent subtle communication infrastructure in place wherein all the various types of ghosts are interconnected.

The moment any (evil) ghost is in need of spiritual black energy, it is automatically provided by the next order of ghost and so on. It is only towards the end, if the highest slave ghost is at the losing end, that a subtle-sorcerer would come into the picture. And that too only a lower level one and only in the capacity of providing more black energy. As subtle-sorcerers are an elite class of (evil) ghosts, they do not bother affecting average human beings on Earth region. Subtle-sorcerers reside in the regions of Hell from the 2nd region onwards.

Subtle-sorcerers are very cunning and highly skilled in scheming. They can get any activity done just by concentrating on the relevant thought during meditation. They strive constantly to establish total control on people in places that are conducive for furthering their objectives. Knowledgeable in illusory (māyāvi) science : They generate their illusory forms through meditation.

  • Subtle-sorcerers can acquire any form depending on what they are trying to achieve and how much they plan to expose themselves. They can also manifest in the physical form and take human or animal form.
  • Due to their immense spiritual energy they radiate an aura about them that is similar (equal) to that of a Saint,”
Subtle-sorcerer,” from the Spiritual Research Foundation in India
The description of what some of them look like, based on psychic descriptions

So I went back to the mirror and asked,

“You’re saying the Ghul is also a subtle sorcerer?”

“Yes” the spirits whispered.

Now the high level haunting made sense. This wasn’t your typical spirit. They picked up a damn Māntrik at that cemetery. It’s a place that such creatures would use as a base of operations. And they spend all this time engaged in spiritual warfare.

In Hindu demonology, like the demonologies of many religions, human souls can become demons. And Jinnis in Islam can be either of human or non human origin. So the Ghul was once a human. And in death it also achieved the status of a Māntrik. These may seem like contradictions.

Because these are two different religions, but spirits in the region can belong to several faiths. They’re indigenous spirits after all. But why would something so high, be involved with regular humans? I asked that question. And I saw an image of dark shadows that were trapped in vessels of some sort. I couldn’t tell what they were right away.

But I had one thought.

“Did they take something from that place?”

I heard them say yes. I checked the time, and I had been staring into the mirror for two hours. It was time to stop. It’s very dangerous to do this for too long. I dismissed the spirits.

Cleansed the mirror with an infusion of holy water and mugwort. As two of my former masters had taught me. I smudged the house clean. And did aspersions of holy water everywhere. I grounded and cleansed myself.

Then did a final cleansing with a uncrossing bath. When I got out, I felt like a thousand pounds had left me. I took copious notes on the whole thing so I wouldn’t forget. Then I headed for bed. The hippie texted me,

“Yo! You haven’t been in touch all day,”

“That’s been on purpose. I needed to relax and regenerate,”

He took a while to text back. I was about to turn the lights off when he did.

“We need to know that you finished,”

“No I haven’t. And I need them to stop riding me. Don’t you think I’ve done enough already?”

Now he was quiet. And let me sleep.

New Day

Yeshua or Isa (Jesus) driving out the Demonic Legion from the possessed man in the graveyard. It sort of looks like an Ifrit. Image is from Liberty Cygnus

Next day I woke up at 12pm. They woke me up. Being annoying as hell. I ordered breakfast. And took out my dog.

They called again.

“You people really have never heard of email or text have you?”

“Look we know you’re stressed but they just want closure,”

“You got time to listen?”

“Uh sure,”

“Are they there with you?”

“Yes” said the mother out loud. So I was on speaker. This family really annoys me. So they wanted closure, I gave it to them alright. After I got done explaining everything, I could hear a pin drop on the other side.

“So my breakfast is here, and I need to eat. Talk to you later,”

I clicked that phone hard. And turned my phone off. Basically forced them to have to email. And I took my sweet ass time doing it. Finally, around 4pm I emailed back.

Asked them if they had found whatever it was the children brought back with them from that cemetery. That was what the dark spirits were using. They kept trying to get me on the phone or even back there. Hard pass. They kept saying they took nothing.

I did a minor divination with simpler tools. And asked simple questions. Namely I asked,

“Did they take objects with them?”

The divination didn’t make sense. They kept saying that they had taken spirits with them. But without an object, how would they have taken a spirit? They weren’t witches. Or psychics. They were mayo as hell.

Then a thought entered my mind. Probably from the spirit I was asking,

“Are you saying they captured entities using a recording device?”

The divination then said,

“Devices” and “many”. Fuck. So this time I called the hippie from someone else’s phone. And I told him not to put me on speaker or tell them shit. Then I told him to ask the girl and her friends whether they used recording devices.

Without asking, he informed me that they did. And one of them had a picture of the strange silhouette that they saw before they left.

“Destroy the machines,”

“But their phones,,”

“They got money, they can afford it. They need to do a binding ritual with a preacher from a church. He has to bind the entities inside the objects so they can’t escape. Then destroy them. Smash them with hammers.

And state that as the cursed objects are smashed, they cannot return. Their tether to this world is broken,”

“How will their pastor do that?”

“If he’s any kind of religious authority, he will more or less have a prayer or some training in spiritual warfare. He’s got to bind the objects first. It’s the same thing they do when destroying any cursed object. Send the remains to be melted down somewhere afterwards.”

“Where are we going to find someone to do that?”

” That’s your problem. I’ve told you what you need to do. All of you then get blessed by the priest. And go to church for a while. You should be fine.”

That was the last day I had spoken with them. I recently got a message from them. They said it all went away as soon as the pastor (who did know the rituals) had bound the objects. In many cultures, spirits can be captured on film. As in literally.

It’s why many people don’t allow pictures of themselves to be taken. In really old cultures, the dead and other things could be trapped on film. Or even in audio recordings. One kid did a ghost box session with an app on his phone.

The girl didn’t know that one until she finally contacted them. The other one had been snapping weird images on her camera. And she herself had recorded everything on her phone. With the voice captured. I warned her against saving any of this shit for evidence.

So three phones were smashed to hell. But it all stopped. It’s not enough to destroy a spirit vessel. You have to bind the spirits so they don’t seek revenge once it’s done. The spirits were released and banished.

And the family got blessed. The Pastor had gone to their homes and done another blessing on top of mine. No biggie. That’s always good. They nailed wooden crosses on all corners of the house.

And added holy oil to the doors and windows. And it was done. Nothing came back to bother them. The Pastor was kind of annoyed they came to me for help. But I think even he knows he wouldn’t have been able to pull this off without help.

None of us have seen the rotted woman ever again. And now I’m trying not to help anyone ever again. I don’t know how I allowed myself to get wrapped in someone else’s bullshit. Again. I just don’t fucking learn.

Oh well, the Hippie paid some of my debts for me. And he said he was no longer skeptical. That now he would learn to protect himself. So all in all, not bad all the way. At least something good came of all of this.

Cheers,

– M

Random Links of the Day : Eclipse Edition

The eclipse comes this Monday, April 8th. I have to say that I usually love eclipses. They’re great for recharging amulets. Banishing spells. Exorcisms.

Basically anything that would require some force. But something about this eclipse is troubling me deeply. And I can’t put my finger on it. I read the cards and the Gods reminded me of what my Godmother in Santeria reminded me of. That natural phenomenon like full moons and eclipses or planetary conjunctions are doorways.

Openings to the spiritual world.

Watch it live on YouTube here

Normally, this is a good thing. I welcome eclipses. And messengers from the other side. But I feel really bad about this one. The spirits told me to beware of bad spirits coming through the eclipse.

A Conjunction of Darkness : Eclipse, New Moon and Mercury in the sign of Aries, and Mercury Retrograde on April Fool’s

Eclipse Art

Mercury Retrograde started on April Fool’s Day. Which added more power to the God Mercury in his reaper aspect. Mercury has always been a trickster. So this just makes him worse. He was playing tricks on everyone.

But then we also have the dying of the moon. And it’s happening at the exact same time as the dying of the sun. Because on the 8th of April, this Moon’s Day we have a curious phenomenon. A total solar eclipse combined with the New Moon. A total solar eclipse is symbolic of the Sun God’s dying.

The Sun in the reaper aspect. The Moon is also exalted on Máni’s day. Máni being the Nordic moon God. And New Moon’s and Lunar Eclipses are the moon in its reaper aspect. So this rare “double death” as it were, is almost like twins dying.

Máni and Sol the Deity of the sun, are siblings. Twins and even regular siblings, can act as doors into the spiritual world. With one looking inward and the other outward. Like a double gate. So I think the bad feeling I am getting is that.

The exact time of the new moon is at 2:23pm. The eclipse follows the new moon.

And to make it worse, it’s a new moon in Aries. Aries is a fire sign. And Mercury itself is in the sign of Aries and will remain so until May 15th. Not all of it is bad however, according to magical recipes online,

But also a warning,

There are many supernatural beings across cultures who try to end the world via eclipses. It makes me wonder if something like that is out there right now. Maybe not literally end the planet. I doubt somehow that is going to happen. But bring forth more chaos and destruction.

Another warning : all barriers including the veil are going to drop. Now how much they will drop I don’t know. But if you live near a crossroads or a cemetery or any body of water you should take extra precautions. Because all of those are naturally portals. Same with hills and mountains.

But regardless, here’s the random links for this day

In Mesopotamia, being the King could be deadly. Especially during an eclipse

Total Solar Eclipse April 8th

SOLAR ECLIPSE AND LUNAR ECLIPSE DATES FOR 2024

THE REAL DIRT ON THE GREAT APRIL ECLIPSE

Exploring the Solar Eclipse

MARCH WEATHER FORECAST WITH 2024 ECLIPSE OUTLOOK!

Don’t tell Icarus: Hanuman Tries to Eat the Sun

Video – Eclipse Lore – New World Witchery

Sun 101 : A Look at the Sun ahead of the Eclipse

Eclipse Images Throughout History Capture Shock and Awe

Planetary news this week: The euphoria of shattered paradigms

CRYSTALS FOR THE NEW MOON IN ARIES

Sunday inspiration for the total eclipse: Here’s to something new

Symptoms of the Solar Eclipse

Why the Eclipse Equals Doom in so many Stories

Free Total Eclipse Pre Show

Five Monsters Messing with the Sun and Moon

Solar Eclipse Folklore, Myths, and Superstitions

Eclipse Lore | New World Witchery

How to View an Eclipse Safely

So I am going to start blessing and re-warding ahead of time. But in the meantime, I am going to post these random links

The strangest, scariest eclipse myths throughout history

Fiery Folklore: 5 Dazzling Sun Myths

Mars is causing whirlpools on Earth, and it bothers scientists, what would this mean about the future of our climate?

Eclipse History: Total Solar Eclipses in the United States

Eclipse Images Throughout History Capture Shock and Awe

Podcast: Total Eclipse of Our Hearts

The 1922 Eclipse Adventure That Sought to Confirm the Theory of Relativity

Was the First Eclipse Prediction an Act of Genius, a Brilliant Mistake, or Dumb Luck?

⬆️ This one bothers me a bit. It presupposes that the ancients were all stupid and wouldn’t have been able to even predict a damn eclipse

Why Doomsayers Think the Eclipse Will Bring Disaster to Illinois

Stephen King, Shakespeare, and Many Writers Agree: Eclipses Are Doom

The Atlas Obscura Crossword: Eclipse Special

Eclipse Day!

Indigenous Solar Eclipse Stories From Across Turtle Island

Behold Rahu, the Beheaded Asura, and Other Eclipse Monsters of Yore

The Halloween Full Moon and the Lunar Eclipse in Taurus! Astrological Forecast for October 2023

⬆️ (My old blog post from last year)

Harnessing the Power: Exploring the Ring of Fire Solar Eclipse in Witchcraft Rituals

Burnt Offerings : A Dark Cleansing Fire of Scorpio

and

Major Reaping for the Earth this Thursday : Solar Eclipse, New Moon, & Mercury & Juno Retrograde

and

The Superbloodmoon Eclipse Wednesday May 26, 2021

⬆️ Old Blog Posts, but still relevant to a dark conjunction

Teaching Kid’s about the Solar Eclipse

Eclipse Folklore | The Hutchinson News

8 Ancient Myths about the Eclipse

Indian myths and superstitions around the solar Eclipse

Myths, Stories and Historical References of Total Solar Eclipses

ATLAS OBSCURA’S ECLIPTIC FESTIVAL

How will the April 8th Solar Eclipse effect your pet?

The Magician’s Notebook – Let’s talk about Eclipses

April Predictions

Death by Eclipse and other coronal curiosities | The Victorian Book of the Dead

New Moon April 8, 2024 & Solar Eclipse

How a Total Eclipse Alters Your Psyche

Preparing for the solar eclipse

Total eclipse 19ºAries, April 8.

Astro-Tourism’s Dark Delights

Total solar eclipse forecast shows who has best chance for clear skies on April 8th

Total solar eclipse guide 2024: What time it is, where the path of totality is, how to watch it safely and more

It’s Happening: Total Solar Eclipse 🌞 Predictions

500+ Perfect Spots to watch the eclipse

The Deadly Role Eclipses Play in Film

How Invasive Moths Improved 19th-Century Astronomical Illustrations

Where to experience the 2024 Eclipse in Arkansas

Something Huge Appears to be Buried Under the Antarctic Ice

Immerse yourself in the eclipse at the Farm Sanctuary for animals!

Book a stay at a small place in the Farm Sanctuary

Planetary news this week: Mercury retrograde and the time between eclipses

Sunday inspiration: Sharpen your resolve at the Libra eclipse

The Best Way to Watch the Solar Eclipse

Eclipse Magic

Ludger Sylbaris’ Doomsday Prison

The House of Nicolas Flamel

The Beans That Foretold Death

Planetary news this week: Portals of insight at the Equinox and lunar eclipse 🌎

A Century of Eclipse Watching, in Photos

Watching it live from Orlando, Florida

The Golden Age of Eclipse Maps

Take an Epic Ecliptic Road Trip

The first film of a total solar eclipse

7 Great Eclipse Books to Inspire You

The Zodiac and the Eclipse

The Squirrels That Ate the Sun and Other Eclipse Tales

I leave this with a final eclipse legend.

The Frog & the Moon

Painting by,
Kristina Lim

The folktale tells of a giant frog that tried to eat the moon. This in reality is how the people of Laos explain a lunar eclipse. The disappearance of the moon is taken as a bad sign. So the people made a great effort of frighting away the frog from the moon. They fired their guns into the air and made as much noise as they can.

The frog is then frightened by the noise. And it releases its grip on the moon and it is restored to its original shape. The story comes from the Frog and Moon blog.

Night everyone,

– M

Eclipse Map

Some notes on practical religion : Preserving your food offerings

I wrote this as a small side note in my previous post about the faerie house I built. And a bunch of people reached out to me and said I should write more about that. Everyone from novices to more skilled elders (who know way more than me) wrote. This is an example of what I call practical religion. How to practice easier and more efficiently.

Basically, work smarter and not harder.

So here’s an example : preserving your food offerings. Or any other kind of offering that can go bad. In this case, I put my offerings all inside an old medicine pill bottle. I re-use these bottles for offerings. Such as small fruit.

Or even wine or water for libations. Easy to store.

They keep the items fresh. Protect them from bugs. And also protect your nose from the offerings beginning to rot. They fit great with your altars and shrines. And you can carry them in your pocket. 

That way when the time comes to place the offerings in nature, you don’t attract attention to yourself. When no one is looking I go to a secluded spot. Usually one of my outdoor shrine-altars. And I quickly toss them out of the bottle to the appointed spot. Then put the bottle back inside my pocket. 

Same for liquids like water or wine. Just make sure it’s properly sealed. Pill bottles are more or less for liquids. They can leak. I should also say that you can buy empty pill bottles online at Walmart for $11.95. 

They’ll ship it to your house. Of course for me it’s just easier to walk to a Walmart and get it there in person. I think it’s a waste of money (if you pay shipping) and time to wait for the mail carrier to get you the pill bottles. You can also buy labels for your bottles. In this bottle, eye of newt. 

In this other bottle, dragon fly tail. And so on and so on. You can also go to the Bottle Store and order any kind of recycled bottles you want. If an offering is too big, use zip lock bags. Again you can order those anywhere.

The container store is also a good place to get them.

Don’t make it hard on yourself. You don’t need an infestation of roaches in your property to prove your devotion. My last neighbor who practiced Santeria did that all the time. It was gross. I was the one who introduced them to using sealed bottles and bags. 

I was taught to do that by Wiccan friends. They taught me that you don’t need fancy sticks and idols to do practical magic. Some of them used their emails as their “book of shadows”. So that their families would never find physical copies of them. Prove your devotion by being creative.

It’s more fun too,

– M

The Faerie House

Sheelah Ni Gig,
The Celtic Hag or Crone Goddess,
Image via Etsy

I actually wrote most of this on Sheelah’s Day. And yesterday. I was tired as hell. And I had already posted the random links of the day. So I figured I would wait till today to post this.

Both yesterday and today something interesting happened. I was blessing some idols to hide on the property of the apartment complex. I spent a lot of time in the sun today. I felt a surge of energy around me when I walked outside. Like someone else was laughing and dancing around me.

But from the other side of the veil.

It was one of the elemental spirits I’m friends with here. I mentally wished him a happy Sheelah’s Day. This one was an immigrant spirit. One of the Celtic beings who followed the Irish and other groups into this country. He (or is it an it?) sort of looked like this.

I think it was a male spirit. But one that looked like the Sheelah. I started feeling that odd buzzing in my head. Which usually happens when Fae are tuning into me. It’s kind of how they “talk”.

And I began to remember the post about helping the Fae have a home. But I felt like there was something else that I missed. What did I miss? I asked. I had a lot of signals. And it gave me a headache.

So finally I decided to do an offering of fresh, cold water to a tree. And then I asked them to show me the way. To tell me what it is I needed to know. So I went about the rest of my day doing offerings. And I went to my earth and astrology shrine on the balcony.

I was gifted this white translucent candle box.

There was a large green candle in it originally. A jar candle. But I’m burning that for Queen Asherah, the Great Creatrix. God the Mother, who was renamed “the holy spirit” along with her daughter Sophia. Or Chokmah in Hebrew.

I’ve been doing a major spring ritual for the Great Queen herself. And for her daughter. Then I added Gaia and the Virgin Mary and a whole host of other Goddesses. Mostly to do a massive healing on me after the events of the battle with my last client. And yes I worship Mary as a Goddess.

And the Saints as either ascended spiritual masters (who are ascended dead). Or as Demi Gods. Because I have Catholic readers. And I know a lot of you are gonna get triggered by that. Getting back to my point, I saw the empty candle box.

And I remember the outdoor shrines or saint houses as I call them. That you find outside many households. Not only in Florida, but wherever there is a large Catholic population.

I found this image originally on Pinterest but then I read the caption and saw that it originally came from Crows of Arroyos blog here on WordPress.

I tried using it as a place for Gaia to use as a throne. But she didn’t like it. She let me know that it felt like a prison of sorts. She’s the creator of the Earth. The living source of all nature.

Just like Asherah.

She had no interest in being stuck inside of a glass case. But then it hit me……now I knew what I was missing. All my outside shrines were protecting and giving shelter to spirits. But I forgot to give hospitality to the earthly spirits who visit my balcony. Which leads me to today’s post.

I had written an post titled spirits need warmth and love too. I talked about how the Tuatha Dé Danann were preparing me to truly be a caretaker for the land. By learning from them, I have grown closer to nature spirits of various cultures. As you might remember, I had read a post from the British Faeries blog. About whether or not Faeries feel the cold.

There were many techniques and traditions for doing this. The original tradition, was if a storm came, you had to abandon the main room of your house. Then go to bed early. So that the Fae would have a place to sleep if a storm came in. And they couldn’t get home on time.

The Irish extended their hospitality even to the spirits. The Tuatha let me know that I needed to do something similar. What I learned was that many people would also hang mistletoe over their doors. And the Fae would transform into their energy or spirit forms. And enter the plant.

That would be their resting place until they could reach home.

A sprig of mistletoe from the Temu shopping app

So the Gods spoke to me. And said I needed to do something like that for the local Fae of the spirits of the Niiji. The native or First Nation people. I knew what to do almost immediately. I cleaned the candle holder.

And I began to add magical prayers to it. A few holy incantations stating that it was now a house for the spirits. Be they Ghosts, Fae, or any other type of spirit who needed a home for the time being. That it was only temporary. Only the Fae who already visited me as well as my spirit guides could stay there permanently.

I had a magical stick that didn’t really fit in with my usual works. I couldn’t use it as a wand. And it didn’t work as a normal totem. It was too wild. But it wanted to come home with me.

So last year I took it. I figured I would find some use for it. I now designated the stick as a totem for the spirits outside. I took a feather from a shrine to one of the Orishas (Yoruba Gods of Nigeria). I promised that I would replace the feather with a new one.

If this God would only lend their ashe (divine grace) to the totem for the spirits outside. The Orisha said yes. I also gave this Orisha a gift as an offering in the meantime. They were very happy. I should state that magic feathers belong to all cultures.

Not just Niiji. It really pisses them off when some white guy wants to learn about,

their culture and the magic feathers!

So this feather I added to the totem was African magic. Because Hoodoo is a mix of different forms of magic and includes some Niiji magic, the Niiji spirits didn’t mind. Yoruba magic uses a lot of magic feathers. Druids too actually. In my research I learned that a lot of Druids made masks and even cloaks from the feathers.

From whatever birds they had in their natural surroundings. So after finishing the incantations I set up the Faerie House.

Gaia and the Faerie Shrine

The thing is, it was pointed out to me that the candle holder would rust. With all my daily water offerings. That’s not counting the rain. So I had to move it away to where there was more shelter. It made sense.

After all this is supposed to be a place where they would be dry if it rains. Also while Gaia is one of the Queens of the Earth, she isn’t Niiji. So I moved the shrine to its own space.

Too many libations, but my plants love that shit. So do the Fae usually

The first of Fruits from trees of the land. The staff of the complex pluck them out of the trees. To have a nice treat. I wrote some things in practical ways to practice religious ritual. I realize now that I wrote a lot about this without intending to.

Clearly someone wanted me to share this. So I put this little section aside. If you want to skip all the lecturing, please do. And move on to the images of the shrine.

Some notes on practical religion

Anyways I put my offerings all inside an old medicine pill bottle. I re-use these bottles for offerings. Such as small fruit. Or even wine or water for libations. Easy to store.

They keep the items fresh. Protect them from bugs. And also protect your nose from the offerings beginning to rot. They fit great with your altars and shrines. And you can carry them in your pocket.

That way when the time comes to place the offerings in nature, you don’t attract attention to yourself. When no one is looking I go to a secluded spot. Usually one of my outdoor shrine-altars. And I quickly toss them out of the bottle to the appointed spot. Then put the bottle back inside my pocket.

Same for liquids like water or wine. Just make sure it’s properly sealed. Pill bottles are more or less for liquids. They can leak. I should also say that you can buy empty pill bottles online at Walmart for $11.95.

They’ll ship it to your house. Of course for me it’s just easier to walk to a Walmart and get it there in person. I think it’s a waste of money (if you pay shipping) and time to wait for the mail carrier to get you the pill bottles. You can also buy labels for your bottles. In this bottle, eye of newt.

In this other bottle, dragon fly tail. And so on and so on. You can also go to the Bottle Store and order any kind of recycled bottles you want. If an offering is too big, use zip lock bags. Again you can order those anywhere.

Don’t make it hard on yourself. You don’t need an infestation of roaches in your property to prove your devotion. My last neighbor who practiced Santeria did that all the time. It was gross. I was the one who introduced them to using sealed bottles and bags.

I was taught to do that by Wiccan friends. They taught me that you don’t need fancy sticks and idols to do practical magic. Some of them used their emails as their “book of shadows” so their families would never find physical copies of them.

The Shrine

These are mostly pictures.

Enjoy!

Shrine wall

The wall of the shrine was decorated by family. I gotta admit they added a nice touch.

This was once an in door shrine. With crystals, semi precious stone, hag stones, regular rocks, and shells I use for magic. They told me they wanted them for their faerie house. I hadn’t realized they were already lining up for the house. Figured I would have to do a ritual or something.

What can I say? They love shiny stuff. And then there was this.

They chose this spot for their house. It took me a while to figure out what they wanted.

It’s a tree house. I practically facepalmed myself to death. Of COURSE they would want a tree house. The pot was once dried, empty earth. It suddenly has little green plants in it again.

I had watered it before to no avail. Originally, my sister had brought a plant that died there. I blessed the poor thing’s soul. Purified the spirit of the plant. They’re using it as a bed to take a dirt nap now.

The above plant is being used by them as another section of house. The candle holder is a house but more like a front door to this complex. They’re telling me they want either animal statues or bones to represent the animal spirits. An image of a dead native person to represent the local indigenous ghosts. Problem with that, is that I have to do some more research.

And I doubt I will find an image of someone from the local First Nations. It’s not like stuff like that grows on trees. Or perhaps there is a traditional representation for ancestors of the Niiji. Particularly Florida’s Miccosukee. But for the moment the immortal spirits of nature have their home.

I’ll update you all on my progress.

– M

Happy Sheelah’s Day! Random Links of the Day : European (UK) Edition

Today I am doing a special random links of the day, for our friends in the United Kingdom. From England to Ireland. I know the UK is way bigger than that. But I would spend years trying to find something from every square inch of the land. But since I have so many readers from Europe and a few other places I figured I would dedicate this to you.

As a sort of love letter. Some of my favorite Irish and English writers. Or people who aren’t necessarily European but follow a pantheon associated with the United Kingdom in some fashion. But first, I’m happy to share this news with you today! From our friends at History of Ireland,

Site logo image

Read on blog or ReaderStair na hÉireann | History of Ireland

#OTD – In the old Celtic calendar, today is Sheelah’s Day.

Stair na hÉireann

March 18

In the old Celtic calendar, today is Sheelah’s Day. In ancient Ireland, it was an annual festival to honour the fertility Goddess known as Sheela-na-gig. Naked Sheela-na-gig figures appeared in Irish churches constructed before the 16th century, but most were defaced or destroyed during the prudish Victorian age.

According to some sources, the origins of ‘drowning the shamrock’ have also been traced to this date. In the eighteenth century, William Hone reported on the celebrations surrounding Sheelah, who has been variously identified as the wife, mother, or other relative of St Patrick – noting that, the people of the day ‘are not so anxious to determine who ‘Sheelah’ was, as they are earnest in her celebration. All agree that her immortal memory is to be maintained by potations of whiskey.’ At the end of the day, the faithful would then take their shamrocks and drop them into their respective glasses before downing the contents.

Why a Goddess Pilgrimage?

Faery Fauna III : Horses

Golden & Silver Apples : Divine Feminine Fruit

The Magician, Spring Equinox, Hares, and Mercury

Happy Spring/Autumn Equinox, Folks!

The Strange Account of the Cry of the Banshee in 1887 – The Victorian Book of the Dead

A Spring Meditation by Sara Wright of Feminism and Religion Blog

Spring Equinox and Magpies

Spring Equinox in the Ancient Irish Calendar

Fairy songs

⬆️ From the Old Farmer’s Almanac which you can read about here.

Brigid’s Garden: Brigid Champion of the Poor

Swans, Birds of otherworldly enchantment

Inclusivity and Faeries

Do Faeries feel the cold?

Dame Alice Kyteler, a Medieval Witch

Let’s talk about Animism

Irish Superstitions

The Traveling People

Winters in the world : a Journey through the Anglo Saxon Year book review by Neptune’s Dolphins

Dancing with the Good Folk

The above video comes courtesy of Hidden History on WordPress.

Celtic Mythology : The Five Guardian Trees

Rathcroghan, Cruachan Aí

The town where the feast of Samhain originated from in Ireland (this is why I love this blog)

Fáilas

One of the four cities of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the ancient Irish Gods

The Giant’s Grave

Sheela Na Gig Project

The Sheela Na Gig Project is an attempt to collate information about Sheela Na Gigs in the UK

Donn Fírinne

The Dark One

The Superstitions of the Sailors (one of my favorites)

Historic Graffiti and Protection Marks on Worcestershire Churches

Site logo image

Irish Myths

Is The Banshees of Inisherin Based on Irish Folklore?

I. E. (IrishMyths.com)

Brittany’s Tormented Tailors

To Break a Spell and Lift a Curse

Both of the above are from : Bonjour From Brittany

Dion Fortune with Professor WHAM

Ash Tree Month in the Celtic Tree Calendar

Ash Tree Buds

Source: tree2mydoor.com

Osatara Ritual

(okay so Ostara is technically Germanic rather than from the UK, but the Celts and Germans had a lot in common and many Wiccans and other traditions celebrate Ostara as well)

Vernal Equinox loading…

purpleraysblog

March 18

*

Happy Vernal Equinox! A Time for Renewal and Celebration of New Life!

As the Equinox arrives on March 20th in the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the beginning of Spring and has long been revered as a time of regeneration and rebirth in nature. This sacred moment brings a harmonious balance of day and night, light and darkness, prompting us to seek balance in all aspects of our lives, including the nurturing of both feminine and masculine energies.


In many ancient traditions, spring is linked with the East direction, where each sunrise signals the dawn of new beginnings. It fills us with renewed optimism, inviting us to embrace fresh opportunities and positive energies. As we emerge from the quiet introspection of winter, it’s a time to kindle our inner light and focus on nurturing the seeds of our dreams and aspirations, ready to blossom into fruition.


Let us commemorate Mother Earth’s renewal and our personal growth by honoring the light within each other, engaging in purifying rituals, lighting candles, making offerings to the Earth, and mindfully appreciating the emergence of new life. Together, let’s celebrate the beauty of new Life!


❤ Rivers in the Ocean ❤

Landscape Stories by Nemue Brown

Brigid’s Garden: Brigid the Healer

Eostre and Easter

Pioneering with Birch

The Medicine, Magic, and Spirit of Trees: A Druid’s Garden Guide

Can you really learn Druidry?

The Three Realms of Celtic Cosmology & the Zodiac Wheel

Everyday Druidry and divination

Wild Daffodils

Stonehenge Spring (Vernal) Equinox. Managed Open Access: 20th March 2024

Ancient Roman Mosaic Found in England

Let’s Talk About Changelings

By Maranda Wabik

Children and the Fae

Annwn – A Land of the Living or the Dead?

THE WICCAN CALENDAR: OSTARA (SPRING EQUINOX)

Embracing the Spring Equinox and the Mystical “Worm Moon”

The Three Stages of Wizardry (Part 1 of 2)

Cat Mint, Growing Mushrooms, Cycle of our seasons, and spring risotto

Blooms of Blodeuwedd

Druidry and the equinox

This last addition doesn’t have anything to do with the UK but I thought it was fascinating regardless!

Miriam Speaks by Janet Maika’i Rudolph

Well that’s all for now!

From Spanish,
“Happy Night, may the silence of the night whisper to you dreams of hope”

– M

Cleansing & Banishing Week 2 : The Rotted Woman

Her eyes, if she had any, were dark like the empty void of space,”

I apologize for not having written this sooner. But I’m still in deep recovery from what was going on in that house. Not since my very first haunted house (that I lived in) have I ever uncovered activity this bad before. So we last left off with me encountering a nasty force in the client’s home. What we discovered was that it seemed to be an entity that was connected to plagues and death.

It took the form of flies in my dreams. I thought that would be the worst of the infestation. I was wrong.

The Spirit Guide

Tree Spirit” by Pauline Moss

I entered the world of dreams again. This time I went a little farther. I felt I still wasn’t getting to the heart of the matter. I entered the dream realm by actual sleep. But I only entered at the surface level.

I felt like I had reached the limit I could go by myself. There was some kind of fire wall in there keeping me out. I had to go deeper if I was to confront and remove whatever this was. I decided to lower my protections. To lower the barrier between my mind and the astral realm.

Let something come attack me. My spirits weren’t too happy about that. But they know me only too well. So instead they advised me on how better to prepare for the situation. And for that, I needed a guide.

So there’s a sort of mini forrest nearby. It’s not a forrest by our standards. It’s a park. With a lot of foliage. But there’s a tunnel like grove of trees there.

“There, that park. Find a parking spot and let’s go,”

My new hippie friend was acting as my chauffeur. This was the closest location to the house.

“Bro, no offense, but don’t you witchy types find spirit guides in the glades? This is kinda low rent don’t you think?”

“There’s energy everywhere friend,” I said. “But if we go all the way to the Everglades, we’re not likely to find a guide who is well versed with this area. What we need is someone from here,”

He shook his head. But I wasn’t sure if he understood. Or if he was still skeptical. We walked into the small grove shaded by the trees. Some lady looked at him (looking like he walked out of an Ali Baba and the 40 thieves movie).

For all of you readers, that comment is going to be so ironic and so telling of the future.

And me just randomly carrying a big ass bag with me. And him a huge water container. She probably thought I was his dealer or something. She would be more scandalized if she knew what we had actually come there to do. I took a water bottle and dropped a libation of pure, clean, water.

I asked the grass to guide me to the right tree. The hippie looked at me like I had lost my shit. Which made me chuckle.

“Bare with me,”

From :
Napi Remeny

I kept hearing the voices of the grass. Leading me all the way to one specific tree. It looked different than the other trees. In fact I could tell that this must be the last of the trees that must have grown here naturally. The others were a newer and non native species.

“We’re here,”

The hippie didn’t like the tree. I kind of understood, because there was something odd about it. It was all withered and alive somehow. Alive almost the way a human can be. I can’t really explain it.

This is what the tree sort of looked like,

An ancient oak tree in Safety Harbor Florida, it’s been here since before European colonization of the land

In Yoruba religion, we’re taught that some trees like the Iroko tree have human or non human spirits in them. Spirits that are separate from the trees themselves or even a part of them. Even Gods could live inside of them. Or Gods that are them. Imagine a tree that was also a God.

I mean it makes sense doesn’t it? The Abrahamic God has appeared as a burning Bush. Or a fire in the sky. Or a voice or even a dove coming down as the holy spirit. Gods can be anyone. Be anything.

Iroko was killed by Iku, the Orisha (God) of death. And Iku cast a spell on him, that brought him back to life. As the first Iroko tree. Our Yoruba tree of life. And a brand new Orisha.

That’s why no one in Nigeria goes near that tree or tries to chop it down. It’s spooky. They say you can hear his voice if you get close enough to the tree. And the Iroko Man will come out of the tree and drive you crazy or kill you. This tree did feel odd.

And the truth was, I couldn’t tell if it was alive or dead by looking at it. I just knew that it exuded a kind of power. So I sat with my spine against the trunk and grounded. And then did the meditation my medicine woman taught me. I entered the spirit world.

Gradually the world around me vanished. And I saw a whole grove full of trees that looked just like this one. Only they were younger. More beautiful. I saw the day the city destroyed the grove.

I felt the sadness of this tree. I was in it’s mind. Experiencing its memories. And then heard it speak.

“How dare you enter the spirit with me? You are unworthy just like all your species,”

I felt anger and grief inside this poor tree. So I replied,

“I can’t debate you on that. Because you’re right. Humanity is unworthy. Except maybe those who try to live differently. I’m not here to grovel. I have come to ask you what kind of offerings you like,”

He/she/it seemed confused. As if it was expecting me to try and hurt it or exploit it.

“It’s true that I have come to ask for help. But I am not here to use you against your will. If you don’t want to help me, simply tell me what you like as an offering. And I will give it to you. And then take my leave,”

I felt an odd vibration. Which I assume means the tree was meditating on it. Then I saw images of what I had brought with me for the tree. The tree was looking into my mind. Seeing what I had brought.

It really wanted a drink. So before it could finish, I asked my hippie friend to feed it water. Till I told him to stop.

“Damn this shit is heavy,” he said. “Was it necessary to bring a damn water cooler?”

(I chuckled at that)

“Yes”, I could hear the tree, “It is,”

I could feel the tree illuminate. I had blessed the water before hand. Infused it with energy and holiness. So that not only would the cool water feed the tree. But also it’s spirit.

And in doing so feed the spirits of the trees and soil there. I performed a serious dedication ritual over the water. Stating that whatever was watered with it, would be dedicated to the Gods and their spirits. And also the original indigenous spirits of the land as well. When all was said and done, I could feel the tree spiritually regenerate.

As if burned flesh were being renewed before my eyes.

Stop,” it said this word with force. With such authority. There was gravity to his command now. It choose the voice of a man to speak this time. Before it was just a myriad of voices. Or perhaps I was hearing it’s guardian spirit.

“Go and feed the others,”

I said to my companion. Though I can’t tell you if that was really me talking or the tree through me. Or some weird hybrid of both. I think I was beginning to annoy the hippie. Not that I blame him. That water cooler was heavy.

He fed all of the trees. I could tell the tree wanted to ask me for the other offerings. But he was kind of embarrassed. He didn’t need to. I had not come to be a leach.

“Brother, I know I annoy you. But do you think you could put the pebbles on every tree. Including this one?”

He said nothing. Just did as I had asked. The pebbles you could get in any dollar store. They’re small bags. Raw stones that people polish down into pebbles.

It’s better than stealing rocks from other places.

I individually cleansed and blessed each bag for a week. And then prayed over them. Asking that whatever God or spirit the trees or places serve, use the stones as avatars. We helped make a tree sanctuary. They would have been happy with the stones themselves. Trees like to be decorated and fussed over.

But this was better. It would allow the spirits and the Gods to transmit whatever help or blessings these trees needed. By acting as the antenna for the divine. As talismans and amulets for them to act. I wanted to bring red mulch as well but I could tell my companion wasn’t in the mood for that.

When it was done, I could feel the divine powers descending from their world. And entering those stones. And simply by being there, the native spirits and the heavenly spirits began to emerge. Meanwhile I prayed outloud. Declaring that as these stones were laid down, this place was now a sanctuary to the Gods.

I could feel the peace there. Though my friend didn’t seem to notice a change. I think he was just tired. I bet he never expected spirituality to be so active lol. I was about to leave the tree behind after saying my goodbyes.

But the tree stopped me.

“You came here to ask for help, tell me what you need,”

Piercing the Veil

He entered my mind. And I felt myself get dizzy. I felt as if he had entered my skull. Going under the scalp itself. Burrowing deeper and deeper into my psyche.

It was a tree root. One massive spiritual tree root. It touched my entire nervous system. Hippie asked me if I was okay. I told him not to pay any attention, just to let me do this.

I felt myself almost falling asleep. But I remained in that level between sleep and waking. Then he stopped abruptly.

“I don’t know why you decided to enter this place. But I will grant you safe passage. Tonight as you rest you will enter the spirit. But you must beware. This won’t work all the way. You need to be on your guard,”

I felt my head bow down in rest and I said,

“Thank you,” and woke up.

“Who were you talking to?” Hippie asked.

“The spirit guide,”

I was tired. That was good. I needed to be tired to enter an exhaust trance. And get to work. I didn’t tell him the spirit guide was the tree.

I wasn’t going to bother telling him that everything is a spirit. We went home and I bathed and cleansed. He made sandwiches for us both. When I finished the cleansing bath, I showered afterwards.

The Rotted Woman

I ate lightly. Then slept on the bed again. Wrapped in a comforter I had brought. I was so tired. I said all of my protective prayers ahead of time.

And put some charms on. I asked my spirits silently in prayer to shield my body while I entered the other side. The hippie came in the room with me.

“What made you change your mind?”

“I think I can handle Casper,”

(Dumbass 🤦‍♂️)

I think he was skeptical of me after today. After all he witnessed me listening to grass and talking to a tree. Must have thought I was a burnout or something. And that nothing would manifest because it was all in my head. Big mistake.

“At least use some spiritual protection,”

He took out a cross from around his neck. I tried not to smile. Okay brother, if you think that’s enough, then enjoy. “Let’s get go to sleep then,” And kick over a bee’s nest while we’re at it. I thought.

The void of dreams

I can’t remember when I fell asleep. Only the vague sensation of leaving my body. The spirits protected my physical form. I took flight into the other world. And I saw the tree.

Actually it was weirder than that.

It looked like a barn inside of the tree. Jesus I thought. This is what the spirit guide really looks like on the other side. This is how big it really is. How much more powerful it is.

It was beyond my power. Beyond my comprehension. We see something on Earth. And we judge it by its size here. By what it can or can’t do in our reality.

Completely unaware of its true power. Of what it truly is. Or what it can do. Compared to this being, I was as insignificant as the minerals in the soil. Probably less than that.

From :
fineartamerica.com

It was night. And I was being ushered into the tree barn. By a man and a woman. They screamed at me “hurry!”. And I flew into the window.

They sealed the window as fast as they could. Though the window was heavier on the inside. Like iron, so they had trouble forcing it down. They were afraid. And after I looked behind me, I could see why they were so scared.

Shadows. That’s the only thing I could think of.

These things were right behind me. And I couldn’t hear them much less see them or sense them. And somehow they hadn’t reached me either. I had no idea who these two people in my dreams were. If they were spirits, or other dreamers like night workers.

But whoever they were, they protected me. And sealed the window shut. I could hear and feel the pounding on the window. But the iron remained unmoved. Then I felt the tree move.

Not physically but some other way. Almost like it teleported. Or perhaps phased out of existence. And the pounding stopped. I knew that we had departed.

Gone elsewhere else. Looking back now, I think the tree sent these people to me. They kept me shielded. I also think, that this wall of shadow people, was what blocked me from entering the spirit world. They must be the soldiers for whatever the master spirit is.

I remember thinking in the dream. The main theme of these spirits seem to always be plagues and dead things. All of this keeps coming up. The same themes. Decay.

Death. Desolation. How did such a white bread family end up with this? The husband is as spicy as mayo. And the rest of the family was so (seemingly) normal it was painful. Then I remembered how shady the family was.

They clearly hadn’t told me everything.

I remember speaking to several spirits inside the barn. The barn looked like an opera house on the inside. And there were lots of people I spoke to. But I couldn’t remember what it was they had told me. What I knew is that the place was a bunker.

Nothing could get inside. When I finally left, I was teleported out. Or rather it was the tree who left me behind. It felt like it teleported without me. I was somewhere familiar.

Little Havana here in Miami. I saw a tall woman, legs so long that I thought they were stilts at first. Until I saw that she wasn’t falling or losing balance. There was something really weird about them. Disturbing, like the legs were only half created.

Leaning Woman Ghost

She looked like Yemaya. But I was dead wrong. This abomination in front of me was not the Orisha Yemaya. That was just a trick to deceive me. And I fell for it.

This thing was able to send spirits to attack me. The attacks lasted days after this encounter. Later I realized from one of my masters that a portal had been opened. One similar to a Quija board. I had a “dream gate” that allowed things to come to me.

It wasn’t inside of me but outside of my body. I had to be put into a meditative state and allow my friends to cleanse me from the inside out. Close the doorway and banish what was there. I was so pissed. But not as pissed off as this thing was.

Once it tried to come back. And found the door was closed. It took me a few days to finally figure out what had deceived me. But I finally got it. It was a Si’lat.

A female ghul. One of the Shayateen. Jinnis who are demonic. Ghuls are snatchers, spirits who lead you into a trap and then take you. After I broke her connection, she tried to come at me again.

The Hippie had some bad nightmares in that room with me for days. And finally went back to the couch. He couldn’t handle the worst of the attack. I’m surprised he resisted as long as he did. I’m not sure I could have without my backup.

This monster forced me into a nightmare she could control.

In Islam demons are not fallen angels. They’re fallen jinn. Islam teaches that angels don’t have free will. So they can never rebel against God. The Jinn were created from a substance called vril (smokeless fire).

And like humans, they can rebel. Their civilization on Earth was misled by Iblis (Satan). Who was the first evil Jinn. He caused a civil war on Earth when God created humanity and declared Adam a superior creation. So he commanded his other creations to bow before Adam.

As a sign of respect towards his new creation. But neither Iblis nor any of the other jinn were happy with this. They felt betrayed by their maker. Furthermore, Iblis scoffed at the idea that Adam was superior. Stating that Adam was made from clay, and thus inferior.

Iblis also known as Shaytan

He claimed their powers alone made them superior to humanity. And so he led a rebellion. He was named Shaytan which comes from Ha-Satan (the adversary) or enemy of God. His followers called themselves the Shayateen (the Satans) in his honor. So he called himself Iblis (The Satan).

The original adversary against God. They led an armed assault against God’s armies. But mighty as they were, they still fell. Angels are naturally stronger than jinn. So they defeated them easily.

Now, not all jinn were Shayateen. But because most of them hadn’t tried to stop Iblis either, God destroyed their civilization. Regular jinn were forced into exile in an alternate earth. The ones who stayed behind, were forced to live in ruins. And other desolate, abandoned places.

Some even live in cemeteries or broken down houses. But the Prophet Muhammad came to the jinn many years later. And preached the Koran to them. So those jinn who were not evil, were given a second chance to enter paradise like humans. And so there are the faithful or good Jinn loyal to God.

The Shayateen

And then there are the infidels that serve Iblis. Among the Shayateen, there are a type of demons called Ghuls. The original ghouls actually predate Islam by thousands of years. They were Sumerian, called Gallu, and were all male demons. Lustful.

Jinn are beings of smokeless fire, they’re master shape shifters, they can appear as humans, human animal hybrids, or in some cases they can mutate their forms like this. The image comes from Harold Davis on his Digital Field Guide website. Titled Spirits of the Night, this is disturbingly close to how some Jinnis have appeared to me. Primarily, demonic jinn

Constantly wanting to mate with human women. But in Islam, some ghuls are female. I’ve heard some people claim they’re the spirits of dead sex workers. And others who say that they are completely non human in origin.

In the original hadiths, ghuls were not human at all. They were a species of jinn called marids. Who were burned when trying to enter Heaven. They became deformed and insane. And their skins were charred black.

The many forms of the Jinn

Other people claim that the Jinn can recruit from among humanity.

So the idea they might be dead women may actually be accurate. Some became vampire-like creatures in death. Many being similar to succubi though not always. And while they are sent to feed on the dead, they can and do feed on the living. The Si’la are referred to as “Hags”.

Which also means they’re witch-like demons. Evil witches. Not good witches. And some are so human like that they can pass themselves off as living people. Even marry and bare children.

Obviously, these female demons are very alluring. They’re said to be children of Lilith. When they feed on living people, it’s usually soldiers dying on the battle field. Or refugees crossing borders. Lots of food for them.

And no one the wiser. They have other ways of luring prey. Often exuding a supernatural pheromone. Which only the most righteous people are immune to. This is how they lead men and women to their deaths.

But like all spirits, and especially Lilith’s children, they have great psychic powers. And they can distort perceptions of reality. Jinn good and bad are specialists in this case. So she must have probed my mind. And saw that I’m a Santero.

Another example of the forms they take

And took Yemaya’s form to fool me. My Niiji friend who practiced magic, was the one who figured her out. He said she was a strange entity similar to La Llorona or the wailing woman. An entity that died in a river somewhere. And then rose from the dead as this thing.

From the Islamic perspective, she could be both types of creatures at once. As for Muslims, all Supernatural creatures could be considered jinn. And a Llorona could fall into the jinn archetype just fine. Ghuls aren’t mentioned in the Koran. But in the hadiths which are the folkloric tales of Islam.

She paid me a visit. And she wasn’t happy with me.

Do you know what a Yurei looks like? It’s a Japanese vengeance ghost. They look like the girl from the ring. I saw something similar to that. Only she wasn’t Japanese. Right from the start the dream was off.

It was in black and white. I dreamed that I was with the whole family and the neighbor. Even the dog was there. I was sleeping on the couch when the family woke me up. There was a radio broadcast warning people to seal their doors and windows.

And not to let anyone in their homes. Because a strange woman and other people were coming. They were knocking on doors trying to get people to let them in. And I think there was mention of hypnotic powers. They used this to sucker people into opening the doors to let them all in.

And that’s when I heard the knock at the door. No one made a sound. Not even the dog. Everyone was petrified inside. Including me.

They were all freaked. But the 15 year old more than anyone. I tried to bury my feelings and not show I was scared. Though I’m sure I didn’t do a good job of it. I walked gently to the door.

I looked through the peephole. And I saw the shadowy silhouette of a woman.

A brunette. Or at least I think she was a brunette. The truth is her hair could have been any color. But it was so pitch black out there I wouldn’t have been able to know for sure. And I couldn’t tell at first if she were a demon or a ghost or something in between.

She was a half rotting corpse of a woman.

This is actually an image of the Goddess Hela I found online, but it was the closest depiction I could find to what this woman in my dreams looked like. Of course the “real” world version of her is more terrifying than a mere picture could depict.

She was beautiful in life. That was obvious from the part that wasn’t rotting. Her lower jaw was either missing or covered in so much blood I couldn’t see it. Couldn’t tell. Or maybe it was the shadow that cloaked her.

Her eyes, if she had any, were as dark and empty as the void of space. She kept talking in this creepy voice trying to get me to let her in. But I wouldn’t. I was able to look through the peephole without putting my feet on the mat. Because somehow she could look inside through the cracks on the door.

And like an idiot I accidentally looked into her eyes. It was as if she were willing me to do it. By planting a suggestion in my head. That I was curious and wanted to see if she could control me. Thoughts I would never think.

My spirit guides spoke in my mind and said 

“She can’t enter because of the hearth cross you placed in the kitchen window,”

It’s true. For this family, I made a hearthe cross. I wasn’t sure why I did it. Basically, in Gemma Gary’s book The Black Toad, I learned that the English witches made crosses from whatever was in their kitchen. They would create and bless a special cross to protect against black magic.

Because the hearthe is the center of the home. So if you ward the hearthe, the home is likewise protected. The one I created is stronger. I put the St. Benedict exorcism prayer on it. Even her hypnotism seemed to be weakened to the point of being nullified.

All she could do was make me look into her eyes. But apart from that, she could t force me to open the door. I suddenly woke up. It was pitch black. But otherwise, I was fine.

Now I had to work. I had the strongest feeling that this “woman” or thing, whatever she was, was at the door that night.

My Hippie chaperone said that he was paranoid that night. He covered all the windows and made sure the doors were locked. He had the odd sensation that someone was watching him. And he was afraid of a burglary. I didn’t tell him of the night’s events right away. He clearly thought it was just regular paranoia.

Divination

My Catholic confirmation Bible. This has been my faithful friend for years. As the pages have fallen off, I use the Bible paper for all manner of spells.

I won’t bore you with the details. I’m sure I do that already. Bibliomancy is a form of divination that uses books to know answers. Specifically, Bibliomancy is the use of sacred books or spell books. Or books on a spiritual subject matter.

So I did a Hebrew-Catholic ritual. Cleansed and uncrossed myself. And asked for divine revelations. I asked what this abomination was that came to me in my dreams. What I got was this,

When I read that, I got all sorts of strange feelings and visions. Concerning the Succubi. Daughters of Lilith. I asked if I was right concerning that this thing is a Si’lat and not just a normal demon. And I got Isaiah 34.

I won’t quote the whole thing. But long story short, it mentions Adonai being angry with nations. And unleashing his wrath upon them for rebelling against them. Which led me to believe someone in this family had done something bad. But then it talks about how he leaves civilizations in total desolations.

Like cemeteries. What really caught my attention was this part.

It’s said that this part of the Bible (according to Hebrew scholars ) isn’t talking about animals. But demons. The main belief is that when Adonai (or any God or Goddess really) abandons someone, they become forsaken. And evil spirits can haunt them. And in the Bible, demons and even angels can sometimes appear as animals or animal headed humanoids.

Which is a common theme in a lot of middle eastern civilizations. A small note from the Hebrew scholars concerning this text.

The “screech owl” is another name for Lilith herself. Because in ancient Sumer, and even Palestine owls are sacred to her. And she frequently takes this form when she hunts for human blood. I got my confirmation that she’s a ghul from that text. But more importantly, I believe this whole thing was alluding to someone pissing God off.

That someone had purposely invited something dark into the house. And that is why I have been having such a hard time driving this shit away. As I continued the Bibliomancy, they began to give me more details. I’m certain the 15 year girl is responsible somehow. She did something.

Spirit of the Night
From
Fine Art America

Concerning the ghul and the dream I had, spirits told me that she projected herself into the front door and tried to enter. But couldn’t because of the hearthe cross. That’s when she tried to get my “permission” in the dreams to enter the home. Because if I allowed her entry there, the barrier would have fallen. But my spirits were with me.

I did a targeted banishing with help from some friends. Including a friend who is a dark mage. Well, calling him a “friend” is an overstatement. We’re allies when it’s convenient. He takes cursed objects off my hands.

He likes to use them for his temple. In this case he helped me extract this thing. He wanted to use it as his demonic familiar. His servitor. He astral projected and hunted her down with his animal guide.

Meanwhile I performed a closing ritual. And I reversed whatever was done to bring this shit in. The hippie kept getting his ass kicked for a week. They kept making him break stuff. At first he said it was just coincidence.

But little by little random occurrences stopped being random. At one point he went outside. And the wire fence started to fall apart. Now you probably think oh well it was probably old and not kept in good condition. You’d be wrong.

The husband in the family is a freak about home repair and decor. And this fence like everything, was kept in good condition. And relatively new. And it only broke in the places where this guy was walking. Imagine that he walked from point A all the way down to Z, and as he walked along the fence, it started to unravel.

Finally, the entire thing fell down. I told him not to walk so close to it. Because whatever was on him was tearing shit apart. And he just told me to stop being superstitious. Then his phone screen broke inside his pocket.

And his hand was bloodied from the glass. He hadn’t felt or heard anything pop. That was enough for him to admit something was off. He finally agreed to do a banishing ritual with me. I smudged again, and cleansed with aspersions of holy water.

We also did a physical cleaning of the house. He managed to repair the fence. And after looking at it, admitted there was no reason for it to fall apart like that. I burned the sage on the abalone shell and prayed,

“In the name of the Great Spirit you are hereby forced to leave this man. Leave his body. Leave his soul. Leave his mind. Do not enter his dreams anymore. I command you to depart, go to the foot of the Great Spirit, who is Lord over all,”

It took a while longer for the evil spirit to leave. But when it did, he said he felt a thousand pounds lighter. And the surroundings also felt lighter. He was so tired he didn’t want to take a shower.

“You should, cause bad spirits love it when people and places are dirty,”

That’s all it took. I gave him some lavender oil to bathe in before showering. And when he came out he was in better shape. His personality went back to being nice and chill. He stopped acting like an ass.

Looking back on it, we both agreed he was being influenced. The banishing was fine. So was the reversal. Now we just needed to do an intervention with this family and see what else was needed. And here I end this chapter of the account.

It was long just to write this. Even longer to try and edit it. I apologize for the typos. But just reliving this in my writings is tiring as hell. I’ll come back with the final chapter another day. Take care,

– M

The Greek Anthesteria Day 1 : Pithogia (Opening of the Jars)

I consider this to be a companion to the Parentalia. Even though it’s a Greek Holiday. Because while both pantheons are different, they are also inextricably linked to each other. There are even some like me, who worship both Gods and work with them together. Nemesis and Fortuna work especially well with one another.

When this celebration begins, I use it as the beginning of the end of the Parentalia. Like the Parentalia, the dead roam the streets. But, they have something else to add. In the Greek Anthesteria, it’s believed that not only are the dead walking.

They believe that the Guardians of the dead, those spirits and Gods that cross them over, are also among us. Particularly the Keres. The Keres are children of the Goddess Nyx, the Goddess of Night. And Erebus, the God and personification of darkness. Especially the night mist.

The people rejoice and drink of the vine,
image from Malvus

This festival is very fun to do. Like the Parentalia, they honored their ancestors. But unlike Parentalia, chthonic Gods could be honored. Dionysus has many underworld characteristics. People often overlook that aspect of him.

But the original Dionysus was called Zagreus. And he was the child of Persephone and Zeus her father. Since Hades couldn’t sire a child, being the embodiment of death and all. He was eventually killed by the Titans in the underworld. Only to be reincarnated as a child of Zeus and Hera.

Dionysus in his cthonic aspect rules this day. And he demands merriment rather than mourning.

Opening of the jars of Wine

From :
Mythcrafts

On this, the first day of the Anthesteria, we observe the Pithoigia or “the opening of the jars”. Last year’s jars of wine are ceremonially opened. The people ward their doors from evil by smothering tar on the door ways. They chew hawthorn and buckthorn leaves to protect themselves from the shades of the dead. Then, they party.

Everyone, including the slaves, have fun.

Businesses as usual is suspended as in the Parentalia. Everything is topsy turvy. Libations are sacrificed to Dionysus. Spring Flowers decorate the rooms of the home. To invite the spirit of spring.

I also personally think that the flowers are a type or cleansing. Flowers and plants are natural cleansers. Not just medically but spiritually as well. I have been shown floral cleansing rituals. Where a faith healer will arrange a bouquet of roses or other flowers in a home.

The purpose is for the flowers to absorb the bad energy. And release the good natural energy of the earth into the home. This provides both a cleansing and a blessing.

Spring Violets,
image from Dreamstime

The flowers would decorate all drinking vessels. As well as children older than three years of age. The first and last day of the festival were both considered bad luck. Hence all the apotropaic rituals. Expiation rituals were also done.

A libation offered at a symposium, image is from a red-figure cup ca. 480 BC

For those who don’t know, expiation is a type of ritual, sometimes involving a sacrifice. It’s where a person will do a ritual to remove sins. Or sometimes bad luck or bad energy in general. Particularly it’s for the redeeming of sins. In Roman rituals I would say it’s sort of the removal of both bad luck and bad energy.

So by offering to Dionysus and the ancestors as well, we’re in effect protecting ourselves from harm. Other than that, this day is just about relaxing. Having fun. And being with friends and family. A perfect companion to the Parentalia.

Cheers everyone,

Dionysus
Olympian Series

Sources :

1) Anthesteria: Ancient Festival of Dionysus, the Wine God

2) The Anthesteria

3) Anthesteria (Greek festival)

4) Celebrating the AnthesteriaBaring the Aegis

5) The Greek Day of the Dead: the Anthesteria of Dionysus

6) Libations And The Ancient History Of Pouring One Out

“Forget the Dead at your Peril” A Parentalia Ghost Story

Animas placate patterns

The sun is setting outside right now. The rays of warmth leave for the night. And while it isn’t chilly in Florida right now, one can sense a feeling of foreboding if you pay attention. The shadows seem extra long this year. Is it a new influx of souls?

Maybe it’s from all the new dead we had from this year and last year already. It actually feels more like Halloween in this Parentalia than it did in October last year. So with that, I wanted to share with you a Roman Ghost Story. It was an event recorded by Ovid in his Fasti.

And allegedly it actually happened. This was one of those few times I was genuinely surprised with a new nugget of knowledge. I had never heard of this account before. This came from one of the articles I used to write my post on the Parentalia. It records an uprising by the dead in the festival due to neglect by the people.

Here’s the account, courtesy of Archeology Online,

I had never heard of this before. But it makes sense. Even good ghosts, can get pissed off. I was inspired to write my own ghost story. I wrote it as if were a legend.

And I call this story…….

~ The Mournful Wail ~

Open the door boy!

The people ran in fear. Even the drunkards and the homeless on the streets ran for shelter. Sealing themselves up in government buildings that had been shut closed for the festival of the parents. The screams of the Romans filled the night all over their city. The Ancestors rose from the tombs at nightfall.

Their anger were like waves of heat in the night. The air was filled with their angry voices. Can you imagine that? An endless throng of shades rising up to haunt the living? Some of them were the military dead.

Arisen to haunt their comrades for forgetting their votive offerings. Some were citizen dead. Most were spirits. Strange confusing creatures. Some were as fog in the night.

Others were spheres of light. Some were shadows. Others seemed to be like water and fire. And some still appeared as humanoid light without discernible features. They were able to float to the top of houses and wail to be let in.

But that wasn’t the worst of them. The roads were being blocked by legions of the angry dead. Some are even reanimated corpses. For then such things happened. What we once mocked in the taverns as silly stories, were now before our very eyes.

It was nothing to laugh about.

The people couldn’t go back to the temples. They were locked up for the Parentalia. Soldiers were trying to fend off the non-corporeal beings at first. Then upon seeing the ones that brought back their rotted bodies. And soiled themselves.

Zombie Legionnaire

Families were locking their doors and sealing the windows. Maybe blocking all exists and entries. Preparing as if for an invading horde. And in a way it was. A horde of our own dead.

But now hearken to me. As I tell you the tale of those brave Romans who fought off the hordes. And saved their city.

Behold, there was once a well known family of farmers. In the countryside they tended to horses and other animals. And were well known to be hard workers. The father Claudius and his wife Aelia were well known for their charity. They even allowed the poor without homes to work in the fields for them for money.

With time their small farm became a mighty latifundium. And they shared all that they had. Not forgetting their humble beginnings. Not wearing fancy clothing as many of the higher classes did. Just the night before, they thought that their worst problem was the war.

And now they and they workers were sealing themselves up in their own home. Closing every single opening.

Why? Why did we waste so much time with war, They were thinking. Why didn’t we pay attention to the ancestors?

The workers and children could hear the animals screaming outside. They didn’t have enough room for all of them. The children began to cry. Claudius, Aelia, and their workers lit candles and torches. And began to illumine the darkened corners of their rooms.

When they were interrupted by a deep, sharp, knock on the front door. And what they heard was both terrifying and disheartening. A terrible wailing.

The terrified household hid behind Claudius. The Paterfamilias (father of the family). After all, the head of all families are the Priests of this festival. The Paterfamilias was putting on a strong face for his family. When another long, sharp, knock hit the door.

And a mournful voice spoke through the cracks. The household could tell someone, a woman, had been crying. Claudius spoke in a stern voice.

“Who dares disturb our rest this night?”

Aelia was not pleased that he spoke. The priests of the temple often warned of the dangers of speaking to strange spirits. Even speaking to your own ancestors could become dangerous if not done properly. He had not long to wait for the answer.

“Claudius, let me in my son. I am so cold. And so hungry,”

Claudius went pale as if all the blood had been spilled from his body. Everyone else in the house is stunned into silence. Even the animals outside can not bare to make noises now.

“Claudius,” she speaks again, “Why did you forget me this year? Why did you make no offerings of bread and wine? Was it too much for you to even visit?”

Claudius couldn’t believe what he was hearing. But it was real. The workers and his family can hear it too. It was his dead mother. He had not heard that voice for many years.

It was a voice he had missed for so long. A voice that once comforted him as a child. He tried to remember the lullabies that she taught him. The ancient magical spells she would sing to protect him. Why hadn’t he paid more attention to the customs?

All he had before was faith that such things could be. What he had behind that door now was truth. A truth more frightening and more terrible than any of the legends could describe.

“Claudius!”, now a deeper voice spoke. And a more aggressive knock assailed the door. “Open up boy!” The voice was far deeper. It was a man. A man who had a stone cold heart in life.

Unforgiving.

He had died when he was just 17. But even on his death bed, he never lost his spiteful tongue. His venom and contempt for life. His stern voice. A voice that demanded to be respected.

Or else. But his father’s old voice when he was alive, was gentle compared to this one. It was the voice of vocal chords that had long rotted past their use. The voice of something that should not have been able to speak. The voice of a spirit reunited with it’s dead body.

It suits him, Claudius thought. He was barely a human when he was alive.

It brought out the venom and bile of his soul more than his old voice did. He wondered how long it would take the Vigiles Urbani to come to their aid. Then he cursed at his own stupidity. The watchmen were probably busy dealing with their own angry ancestors. Another, louder knock hit the door,

“Boy, I have commanded you to open this door…. now,”

The children openly cried now. They no longer tried to be silent. They held onto their mother’s legs for support. And she began to hush them. And place her protective hands on their shoulders.

Aelia was frightened at first. But then she closed her eyes. Took a deep breath. And centered herself. She laid a gentle hand on her husband.

And calmed his tremors. Claudius hadn’t even realized he was shaking before. Or that his eyes had shed tears. She looked deeply into his eyes. He’d always been confident in all that he did.

Perhaps too confident sometimes. But right now the person standing before her seemed as a frightened child. Her heart sank at this. The voices outside kept wailing louder. The winds howled with their voices.

Then she gently squeezed his arm. “Claudius”, she said. That back into himself. As if by art of magic. He gazed into his wife’s loving eyes.

He knew without words what she was saying. She was saying, I believe in you Claudius, now believe in yourself. He smiled at her. He felt his inner strength returning.

“Daughter in law!”, the voice outside screamed. “Let us in Now! Your Paterfamilias commands it!”

Claudius who before was frightened, was now angry. Angry that his household was under attack. Angry at himself and all the other men of the city who had told their wives that they had to focus on the war effort. Rather than taking care of their ancestors. Angry that these people he had taken in from the streets, and now his own family, were in danger here.

And finally, angry that his father insulted both him and his wife. Screaming out commands as if he were still in charge and they were the children.

Silence! I am the Paterfamilias. Not you. You are nothing but a shade of the dead. With a sour tongue and empty threats. And I as Priest of this household, Adjure you by the Gods to be silent,”

The wailing and the wind stopped. The animals outside began to make their noises again. Silently, but calmly. Aelia was always a lot more spiritual than he was. She was the one who often stayed in the temples after every celebration.

Asking questions about the nature of life and death. And how to protect oneself from the spirits. If I survive this, I will strive to be as spiritual as she he said to himself. Something she had told him once stayed in his mind. That every believer is a priest in their own right.

And if you command the spirits, they must obey.

“My family,” he spoke addressing the workers as much as his own blood family, “We must treat them as if they were Larvae (evil ghosts). Go and get the pots and the pans. And begin banging them and making noises all night. Light the torches using carmen (spells). To make the fires holy.

And place them in every corner we can,”

“Where will you go?” Asked Aelia. “To fetch black beans for the rite of expiation,”

Aelia understood now. They performed this ritual in the month of Maius every year. Not the month of Februa. But right now they needed help. The men broke into two groups, one group began banging the pots and pans.

And screaming at the ghosts to leave now. The other, kept the doors and Windows sealed while the Paterfamilias did his work. Aelia began to light the torches. Using a carmen or charm over each of them. Consecrating them as best as she could.

She may not be the father of the family, but she’s still the mother. And she knows much from her priests. Then came Claudius. He studied the door frame. And he noticed a crack, large enough to throw things outside.

First he took salt and then seeds that he had blessed with prayers to Lupercus. And he said,

“Accept these offerings my Parentes, accept them and be comforted, and depart from us,”

He slowly threw the salt and seeds outside of his front door. Little by little he chanted the carmen. His living family made the house inhospitable to the spirits. This would serve a double function. He would comfort the shades and feed them.

But they would bless the inside of the estate and banish the spirits. So as not to encourage them to stay. Outside he heard a sickening sound. It was of long tongues, licking the salt and swallowing the seeds from the floor outside. The fetid stench of those long dead mouths filled the air.

By Savaged Gamer

And it crept through the same cracks in the door. Aelia wished she could burn the sacred herbs. But refrained from doing so. It was not proper to do this in the time of the dead. Claudius understood what his wife was thinking and said,

“Use lavandula infused lustral waters. And wash the floors in the name of Lupercus,”

Aelia smiled. That was the Claudius she knew. Always quick on his feet. She ran to the herbs, took lavandula, and broke them into pieces. She heated the water to strain their essence into it.

Lavandula as you know, is sacred to the people of Rome. It could break curses. And ward off evil spirits. But it was also a sweet smelling herb. It would serve the purpose of consecrating the floor to protect them.

And the smell would blot out the stench of the corpses outside their door. Albus and Alba, their children, looked at what they were doing and had an idea. They would would do the same thing.

“Go get a sprig of unbroken lavandula,” said Albus, “I’ll prepare the water,”

Alba made her own aspergillum. Like the priests. Except the priests use a stick with horsehair to cast aspersions of sacred water. This would have to do. They made their own lustral water.

Copying what their mother had done, Alba and Albus started flicking the waters at the animals outside. Like her father, she used the cracks in the back doors. Begging Lupercus who is lord over all animals, to protect their livestock. The animals started getting quieter. Calmer.

But whatever was out there began to moan in pain. They didn’t like the blessed waters. Whatever was back there scaring the livestock, started to leave. The adults smiled. Not bad for common worshippers.

They would make it through the night. But it would not be easy. The formless shades were flying near the top of the estate. Hovering above them. And creatures who had ensouled their corpus outside the door.

They could hear them outside. Hungrily devouring salt, and pieces of blessed seeds. Now accompanied by small pieces of bread. They long stopped wailing and speaking. The great mob of the dead grew larger.

He cursed under his breath in Latin. The offerings were attracting the other dead. But he couldn’t stop now. Suddenly, he heard a voice from one of the other houses.

“Claudius! Aelia! Can you hear me?”

It was their neighbor Marcellus.

“Marcellus, we hear you!”

He shouted from their door.

“The dead stopped assailing the rest of us. Why are they going to you?”

“Listen very carefully,” said Claudius. “I need you to write down these instructions. And pass it on to our other neighbors. Because I can not keep this going for long,” he stopped as the dead began to complain that he was taking too long.

“I the Paterfamilias adjure you, silence! Or I will cease my offerings,”

Now they all quieted. He began again slowly. And he told Marcellus what he and his family were doing. How they were both warding off the dead and feeding them. He told Marcellus they can keep it up for a longer period of time.

But he needed him to send instructions to the rest of his neighbors of how they could replicate this. Marcellus wrote everything down. And one by one he began to shout to the neighbors. Eventually making a hole in his roof and standing atop a ladder to shout it to everyone at once. He instructed them to also make holes and listen to him speak.

It was safe now, as the formless phantoms from above were at the Claudius and Aelia’s estate. Just one time he was able to give them all the instructions. One by one, each Paterfamilias and their households began to first bless and consecrate their homes as Claudius had done. And then prepare blessed offerings and carmens for the dead. Since Claudius had drawn all the attention to his land, they were able to open their doors and leave offerings on the roads instead.

They screamed to the dead that their offerings were there. In large groups all at once, they began to file out of Claudius’ door way. The Phantoms above too began to leave. Until only his parents and other ancestors were there. That was still too many.

But it was old Marinus who had the best idea. He instructed the Paterfamilias of each household to prepare a large bonfire away from the houses down the roads. They would have to work fast. And exit their homes via the posticum. And take whatever they could find to perform one mass carmen.

They would enchant the fires and command the shades to appear before the flames. And the holy flames would provide them with both warmth and sustenance. And when they had their fill, they would be adjured to depart from the living. Back to their tombs for the night. Because Marinus himself had come up with this idea, he was chosen as the “high priest” for the event.

The old man had no idea how he was going to do this himself.

“You can do it Marinus,” shouted his neighbor Livia. “I know you can,”

Suddenly, Marinus was filled with courage. And more ideas formed in his mind. He exited his own posticum first. Luckily, the old man had the bad habit of collecting things. Like sticks and old dried leaves.

They would be perfect for the fires. He had chanted a carmen over them. Then he was surrounded by the other men.

“Let us begin,” he said.

They began to pile up the wood. Each of them had offerings for the dead they would toss inside once the fire was started. One of them took a blessed torch from the inside of the house to light the bonfires. One by one they began to make sacred fires. Marinus told them,

“Build the fires. I will chant the carmens by myself at first,”

As each of them built other fires away from the neighboring houses, he began to call the dead.

“I call you di Parentes, of all Rome, congregate here before the flames and accept these offerings on behalf of all your people”

He hoped this carmen would be strong enough to attract all the dead everywhere. Vestal virgins were supposed to be doing a collective offering for all the dead. So he asked for just a single virgin to appear, someone young. And from one of the houses, a child of no more than thirteen came to assist him. To pray to Vesta to bless her even though she was not consecrated.

The girl swore in prayer to become a Vestal when all of this was over. If she would just help her now. As the old man summoned the dead, the girl spoke a carmen as she sacrificed the offerings into the fire.

“These old clothes we sacrifice to you. To clothe you in the afterlife. This fire be blessed by Vesta to feed you warmth. These pieces of food and wine we throw into the fire to bless the flame with substance for you,”

She continued drawing on divine inspiration to do this. As Marinus commanded more and more of the dead there. More bonfires were lit. “Come girl,” he said. “This fire is blessed enough for them.

Now we need to do the same for the others,”

They took the rest of the offerings to the second bonfire. And she repeated the ritual. Feeding the flame with blessed offerings for the dead. They did this until all the bonfires, were blessed. And she commanded that the fires should become a common sacrifice for all of Rome.

All of Claudius’ ancestors had now left. They were all by the bonfires. Drinking in the warmth as if it were food. Marinus and the girl had realized all they needed were small offerings to bless a fire. So they began to ration them out to each of the bonfires.

More fires were made. And Aelia had an idea.

“Claudius, join the other Paterfamilias in this work. Take the men with you. The children and I have work to do,”

Claudius raised a brow at this but did not press her for details. The men left. And Aelia, Albus, and Alba had knocked on every single door. And told the women and children, to prepare sprigs of lavandula and vessels of lustral water. The children would also take pots and pans to make noise.

And little by little they all began to make a large enough noise to frighten the dead away. They began to cast aspersions of lustral water everywhere. Blessing the roads and outside of each domūs to create a sanctum. Although the Paterfamilias usually did this next part, the women took bags of black beans. And then began to pellet the dead who tried to linger.

And cast the carmen together,

Haec ego mitto; his redimo meque meosque fabis,”

(I send these; with these beans I redeem me and mine)

The Lemurian exorcism rite. Driving away the angry and dark dead. This made the spirits of the ancestors uncomfortable. When they had gained enough energy from the bonfires, they slowly left. Returning to their tombs.

They had to be careful. Some of the dead were tricky. They tried to stay behind. So the women and children began to investigate every dark corner, every crevice. And secured the areas.

But the formless dead still hovered in the air above their homes. Livia had an idea.

“Let us tie sprigs of lavandula to each place we have cleansed. To ensure the dead do not return to these places,”

Aelia thought the idea inspired. When they had finished warding all of their properties with fresh new carmens, they sent the children back to each domūs. And instructed them to continue making noises. And only to answer the doors if they saw that it was them. The children decided to have one child bang the pots in the house.

And another up a ladder through the holes in the roof. In order to keep watch. And communicate among themselves. Their mothers approved and they did this. Then the children atop the ladders asked for sprigs to be thrown to them.

And using them as scepters, they pointed to the shades above. One child invented a carmen for all of them to say.

“Lupercus, by these sprigs, cast away the shades, send them away!”

As the dead exited the streets, they thanked the living for their offerings. Claudius and Aelia decided to expand to the rest of the city. One by one they recruited whole families to join them. They gave bigger and bigger offerings. And as the hours of the night passed, the dead departed to their tombs again.

The shapeless entities began to screech. And one by one, they flew away. Made uncomfortable by the great carmen spoken by the children. It took long hours of the night before they reached the Vigiles Urbani. When the watchmen heard what they were doing, they quickly sprang to action.

They sent word to all the politicians. To the priests and high priests, and to the Legions. With their help they had finished before dawn. And then began to ward the inside and outside of the city with not just with lavandula or other herbs. But with special amulets blessings of lustral waters.

The entire city was warded now. The boundaries and other liminal spaces strengthened. Cleansings and blessings for Lupercus were given. The Luperci, Lupercus’ priests had apparently already done something similar to all of them. Chasing the dead away with aspersions of blessed waters.

The Luperci
by Ad Maiora Vertite

But they had not thought to do the offerings. They were going to wait till daylight. They were all exhausted. But none of them slept. Instead, all the families, even the children, went to the tombs outside the city.

And gave homage to their ancestors. As had all the families of Rome that day. And at nightfall, there was only peace. Never again sense, had anyone doubted the old ways. Not forgotten their dead kin.

– Finis –

I have dedicated this story to a friend. I won’t mention his name out of privacy. He’s a good man. A great writer. And above all, a brother.

Good night my friends, sleep tight. Don’t let the dead ones bite,

– M

Time to honor the Ancestors this Spring : The Roman Parentalia, the Lupercalia, and St. Valentine’s Day

Romans mourning one of their dead

As of yesterday, Tuesday the 13th of February the feast of Parentalia and the Lupercalia began. And today is the feast of Saint Valentinus. We got a lot to cover so let’s get started.

– The Lupercalia ~

Lupercus himself

The three day Roman festival of the God, Lupercus. Every year I honor him by doing spring cleaning in my home. In his name, I wash the floors of the home with holy water. And I clean out things I no longer need.

Contrary to popular belief, Lupercalia had nothing to do with “pagan sex orgies. The entire holiday, was dedicated to Lupercus. In Greek religion he is often compared to Lycaean Pan or “wolf Pan”. Pan in his lupine form. Of course not everyone agrees they are the same person.

That’s not a debate I am going to have here.

Rites of the Lupercal

Married women led by Cupid toward the Luperci, the Priests of Lupercus

Lupercus is the wolf incarnation of Faunus. A God similar to Pan. During his month of Februarius, he takes the form of Lupercus to drive out the winter spirits. Specifically shades of the dead. As winter for many cultures is said to be the time of the dead.

The Luperci (brothers of the wolf) the priests of Lupercus, would perform purification rituals for the community. They would use holy water to wash clean all floors and homes. Aspersions of water were used to purify and drive away the dead. And the other spirits that appear during winter. Send them back where they belong.

The brothers of the wolf would wear wolf masks.

Romulus and Remus fed by Lupa the she wolf

Some rituals included remembering Romulus and Remus, the twin brothers who founded Rome. And were raised by the she wolf Lupa. Also known as La Lupa Capitolina (the capitoline she-wolf). She’s very popular in Roman culture as a totem of Rome. The Luperci would go to the Lupercal.

Which is said to be the cave at the southwest of the Palatine Hill. Legend says that this is the cave where Lupa was feeding her milk to the twins. Before the shepherd Faustulus found and adopted them. In the Lupercal, the sacrifices of animals were done for the honor of Lupercus and the twin heroes. Usually goats or dogs.

The one and only thing that I could find that sounded like it was “sexual” was a fertility rite.

So in this picture you see an image on the right of men I assume are supposed to be the Luperci. They don’t have the special masks but whatever. The point is just like the more accurate picture, you see them with thongs called Februa which were cut from the flayed skin of sacrificed animals. This is spoken of in the Topography of the Lupercalia by Dr. Krešimir Vuković. The classicist, ancient historian, and philosopher.

Apparently it was believed that if they slapped a woman on the wrist with the februa, pregnant women were protected during child birth. And women that were sterile, would conceive children. That’s it. Yes it was playful because the priests ran around naked and hit anyone they could. It was a fun festival.

And a bunch of people got hit with those februa. But no sexual acts were performed. Let alone “orgies”. This was a holiday for spring cleaning and spiritual cleansing. And a holiday for blessing people.

This holiday goes on for three more days. Ending on the 15th. The reason people mistakenly believe it’s connected to St. Valentine is due to a coincidence. His day just happens to be in the middle of the Lupercalia. But it is not a christianized holiday.

And the original holiday was not about sex orgies. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. No kink shaming here.

The Feast of St. Valentinus/San Valentino/Saint Valentine

Sometimes he’s portrayed as clean shaven. Other times as bearded like right here. I decided on bearded. I’m not going to add the whole history of this man here. Because we have a lot to cover.

I will say that he’s a mystic saint. And he’s actually really good to call upon in magic. For a variety of things. Including,

– Beekeeping

– And all Diseases, including mental disease, epilepsy, and fainting

-Couples especially those are either married or betrothed to be married this also includes love and happiness in marriage

– And Lesbians!

No, it’s not what you think. Lesbos or Lésvos is an island in Greece. So the Lesbians here, are the people of Lésvos. He’s their patron Saint.

Valentinus healing a man afflicted by epilepsy

So here’s a short story about why he’s associated with love. This small history comes from the History of Ireland (Stair na hÉireann) blog.

There are many versions of the Legend of St Valentine. But a few things are known. That he was a priest martyred (as in beheaded) on 14th February. In either 269 AD or 270 AD by the Roman Emperor Claudius II. Also known as Claudius the Cruel.

Among Valentine’s crimes was secretly marrying Christian lovers.

Claudius, being a sexist as well as a tyrant, decided that those pesky women were the reason he was having so much trouble getting soldiers for his armies. His reasoning was that men didn’t want to leave their families, wives, or girlfriends to go to war. (Apparently it never occurred to him that they might not be all that willing to die for an emperor they detested.) So his solution was to ban engagements and marriages. An edict Valentine, who had a warm place in his heart for all lovers, ignored.

Many churches claim to be Valentine’s final resting place. Including the Carmelite Church on Whitefriar Street in Dublin. According to the story told there, the Saint’s remains were given to Father John Sprat by Pope Gregory XVI. And a shrine still exists there today,”

Relics attributed to Saint Valentinus

Shrine of St Valentine, Whitefriar Street Church

Let’s forget the fact that his feast is almost completely about love and couples. It adds to the chthonic energy already present. Because a Saint is a dead spiritual master. A member of the Mighty Dead. So that adds to the ancestral power of all three of these festivals.

Plus him being an occultic saint, with mystical powers just adds more magic to the next few days. Finally, the Parentalia.

Dies Parentales (days of the ancestors) The Parentalia

Image taken from
Novae Romae (New Rome)

The Parentalia officially started today at 12pm. When this happens, all images of the Gods must be covered. Beginning February 13, it begins a nine day festival dedicated to the ancestors. The Roman people truly revered their ancestors. Almost as much as the Gods.

Most ancient cultures were like that. In our modern world, most of the faiths and communities have abandoned their ancestors. Even the more modern witches are like that for the most part. I was. It took me a while to learn that the spirits must be honored. And not just human spirits or your relatives.

During the Parentalia, there is no worship to the Gods. All reverence goes to the ancestors. All of them. The first part of the ritual was to be done in public.

The Tomb of Tarpeia

From Wikipedia,
Tarpeia the betrayer she betrayed Rome to the Sabines, and they betrayed her in turn

Tarpeia was the daughter of an ancient Roman commander. She was a Vestal virgin. But she was far from holy. She betrayed her own people to the Sabines. Believing that she would receive jewelry payment, she not only betrayed the other virgins to the Sabines.

She actually opened the gates for them to enter the city. When they came in, instead of paying her, they killed her slowly. By crushing her with their own shields. Then tossed her body off of a rock. Which to this day is called the Tarpeian Rock.

The very first part of the Parentalia, was to go to the tomb of Tarpeia. And give an offering to the collective di parentes (dead of the family). On behalf of all of Rome. Traitors and criminals were also ceremonially thrown off the same rock her body was tossed off of. This was seen as a collective sacrifice.

Ancient Roman tombs image taken from Archeology Online

The Mānēs or spirits of the dead, were given offerings at the familial tombs outside the city. Wine soaked bread was one of the most favored offerings. Garlands, salt, sprinkled corn, violets, and wheat was also acceptable to them. Which is kind of weird because salt normally repels the dead. But then again, using spices from the kitchen to feed certain spirits is well documented. The Paterfamilias (father of the family) or head of the family, acted as a sort of high priest of the family.

The Paterfamilias leading the family in veneration to the ancestors, to the far right of the picture you can see the ancestor shrine with small figurines of them

Performing these rituals on behalf of everyone’s ancestors. Presumably I assume that would also mean the mother’s side of the family. But I wasn’t able to find any info online about that. According to the Alchetron site,

” From Parentalia to Caristia all temples were closed, marriages were forbidden, and ‘magistrates appeared without their insignia,’ an indication that no official business was conducted. William Warde Fowler describes the Parentalia as ‘ practically a yearly renewal of the rite of burial,‘ “

Lighting lamps at the tombs was also a good offering for them. So the practice of burning candles to the dead is actually older than we think. For all we know, the church may have adopted such practices from our Pagan ancestors. Every family had their rituals to their dead in secret. And while they did visit family shrines, they also had household shrines.

When they didn’t visit the familial tombs, they would use a red brick as a makeshift street shrine. And leave food offerings there. The dead weren’t just in the tombs. They would wander the streets and re-visit the living world as well. The living also visited the dead in their tombs to have picnics.

From History and Archeology Online,

It reminds me of modern traditions today. With the day of the dead in Mexico. American families who prepare banquets at wakes of their loved ones. Or Southern Appalachian and Liberian families who go to the cemeteries every Decoration Day. Which is the original holiday memorial day was based on.

This is a time of personal meditation. Of contemplation and self reflection. We meditate on our ancestors. On their effects on our lives. This festival is for quiet contemplation.

Trying to reconstruct this feast is hard sometimes. For one thing, the original opening rituals and prayers were done by vestal virgins. And while I have a good relationship with Vesta, I am neither female nor virgin. But I work with gatekeeping and liminal magic a lot. So I explained to her a long time ago, that while I am not a consecrated virgin I wanted to work with her for special prayers.

She accepted. The Gods are reasonable. And they can be flexible with those who love them. The next problem I encountered was I am not in Rome. This is clearly a Roman religion.

Based on the country side and cities. I am no where near the tomb of Tarpeia. So instead I used a shrine to Janus, the God of the double doors. I won’t say where it’s located. But I also use it as a public vault of the dead.

For dead neighbors. But also Roman departed. And random ghosts who roam the streets and need a home can live there. I also have buried dead animals there. Even nonhuman spirits (faeries mostly) who associate with the dead live there.

Especially those who protect the dead.

I usually offer a roasted chicken. But any dinner left over is given to them. Steak, fish, etc..even vegetables and bread. Recently I started leaving them cookies. When all else fails, libations of water, fruit juice, and wine or brandy.

In traditional practice this was an initial offering for all of the dead. And then you focused on just yourself. Problem is, not all neighbors honor their dead. Even in Florida, with all the Santeros and other groups, most people are still in Christian churches. And they have the belief that the dead are fine and don’t need help.

That they’re automatically with God. That they are “protected by Christ”. All this despite the fact that Christian, Jewish, and Muslim lore all mention ghosts. And souls that need help. Or worse, they don’t believe at all.

Which is bad for their poor ancestors who need that love and support in the afterlife too. So my modern practice is split into three : Offerings for the Living, immortal spirits (non humans) to help the dead out. Offerings for the public dead which is everyone. Which I do outside at special shrines. And finally personal offerings at home for my own dead.

Because they do like to have their own rituals done for them. So I honor pretty much any spirit who needs the help right now. And I do it for the community. Sometimes talking to them is sad.

Lonely Ghost
from Fine Art America

They tell me how much they wish their own relatives would help them. But they’re grateful for any help they can get. So I try to go all out for them. I give them feasts. I give them offerings and spirit homes.

And above all, I give them love. Especially love.

Roman memorial tablet, from the article
Numina Romana – Spirits in Roman Religion

The offerings were done daily. And it served a dual purpose. One was to strengthen the blood bond between ancestor and descendant. Specifically the protective powers of the ancestor. And second, it’s an Apotropaic ritual to drive away enemies of the family.

Be it a spirit or a human. Or even disease and bad luck. It ends at midnight in the 21st of February. On the ending feast known as the Feralia. There’s a bunch of stuff that has to do with holidays that end this day.

But for now that’s about it. But first one final thought.

Astrological Forecast

Pluto
Mars

Finally, we have a new astrological update from Lynn Hayes. Mars (God of War) enters Aquarius (Water Bearer) on February 13th (Tuesday). The union of fire and water. Perfect for a Dragon. And then immediately joins with Pluto (God of the Underworld).

Which increases the power of this chthonic time. From Lynn herself,

Now that’s just part of what she said in her newsletter. But I thought it bared mentioning. Seeing as this is a conjunction of the Gods Mars and his uncle Pluto. Happy Parentalia, Lupercalia, and Saint Valentinus day!

Image from the article,
Appeasing the Ancestors: The Parentalia and Feralia in Ancient Rome
Wolf God of Light,
by Rampant-Dreamer
Image from the article,
Parentalia – Imperium Romanum
From,
The Victorian Book of the Dead

– M

Sources :

1) Parentalia – Alchetron

2) Topography of the Lupercalia by Dr. Krešimir Vuković

3) St Valentine | Stair na hÉireann

4) Mars and Pluto Conjunction

5) Numina Romana – Spirits in Roman Religion

6) Parentalia – Imperium Romanum

7) Appeasing the Ancestors: The Parentalia and Feralia in Ancient Rome

8) Appeasing the Ancestors: The Parentalia and Feralia

9) Parentalia – Nova Roma (New Rome) Novae Romae

10) Decoration Day (tradition) – Wikipedia

It begins, The Year of the Wood Dragon is here : Random Links of the Day & Astrological Forecast Combo

Image from the New York Post

Happy Year of the Wood Dragon everyone, Kung Hei Fat Choi! Losar Tashi Delek! 🀄️🐲🐉

We are now in Year 4722 according to the Chinese Calendar (thank you for that info Ferrebeekeeper). Here we have some amazing links to share to read.

An explanation of the Wood Dragon from Ferrebeekeeper here.

The Year of the Wood Dragon is coming — what it means for your zodiac sign

2024 YEAR OF THE WOOD DRAGON CHINESE HOROSCOPE FORECAST

2024 The Year of the Dragon: Newcastle celebrations

Key Traits of the Wood Dragon Chinese Zodiac Sign

The 2024 New Year’s Report : The Most Violent Year yet?

lucky colors of this year

Lucky and Unlucky Days to cut your hair

Feng Shui Astrology Calendar

Buddhist calendar for important spiritual days in January

Flying Stars Chart of 2024

Paht Chee Forecast for 2024 – Year of the Wood Dragon

The 24 Mountains Stars of 2024

Lucky Colors to Wear in the Year of the Wood Dragon 2024

Tai Sui 2024 – General Li Cheng

Your Luck & Lucky Symbols for the Year of the Wood Dragon 2024

Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) 2024/2023: Feb. 10, Animal Sign Dragon, Horoscope

Flying Stars in January 2024: Sum-of-Ten Indicates Great Productivity

Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) 2024/2023: Feb. 10, Animal Sign Dragon, Horoscope

Good & Bad Days to Cut Hair for January 2024

Flying Stars in January 2024: Sum-of-Ten Indicates Great Productivity

Feng Shui Astrology for January 2024

Significant Spiritual Days for January 2024

Happy Lunar New Year! Learn All About This Celebration

Welcome to the Year of the Wood Dragon!

Year of the Dragon 2024 Predictions

A Wonderful Hello Kitty Wood Dragon Salute! (This is my favorite, don’t judge. I love cute stuff)

Khapse- Tibetan New Year Deep Fried Cookies

Tibetan Buddhist Butter Sculptures

Wonder Is Everywhere: A Jumping Japanese Cryptid, Ancient Amazonian Cities, and More From Around the Web

Astrological Forecasts

The Wood Dragon

First we start with the predictions of Geomancer, Master Joseph Chau. I tend to agree with his divination more so than others. He said that in terms of economics, this year is a mixed bag. He says that,

“Industries such as construction, real estate, information technology, and restaurants are poised for growth, while others, including banking, tourism, and trading, may face challenges,”

He warns against not just political conflict, but personal conflict. Including backstabbing and jealousy. What really caught my attention was this part,

“Health-wise, attention is drawn to respiratory issues, digestive problems, and potential accidents involving cars and airplanes. Natural catastrophes such as typhoons, floods, fires, and earthquakes are also predicted in various parts of the world,”

If you recall, in the New Year’s Report the Santeros warned of diseases of the lower body this year. The stomach mostly. In fact, almost immediately I’ve noticed a rise in stomach issues among women particularly. As well as womb issues. Also in Florida, we have non stop had airplane accidents.

Just yesterday another plane fell. Now I can always say, “well it’s the crappy infrastructure Florida has now,”. But this slightly goes over the top. So infrastructure aside, I wouldn’t even get on a private jet right now. In fact, the plane that fell yesterday in the middle of the road was a private jet.

So far it seems the spiritual people of the world are on track. The rest of his article is an explanation by him of what this year means for your zodiac sign. So just click on his name above. And you will be able to access the article. Next is is Tsao-Lin Moy.

She’s the founder of various spiritual businesses. And is very well versed in religion and metaphysics. She says that the element of wood will effect all the zodiac signs. So no matter what your primary element is, it will be effected by Wood. She says,

“Wood is the element of Yang. It is the energy of spring, of reaching toward the light while deepening roots into the soil. The Wood element is associated with the liver and gallbladder and relates to planning and execution. A sign of vitality and vibrance, Wood is responsible for the smooth flow of Qi or Chi (circulating life force) and blood within the body. When emotions are out of balance, Qi does not flow and there is stagnation.

If left untreated the results are irritability, anger, and poor decision-making.

Dragons tend to have careers where they can share, articulate, and express their wisdom. Generally healthy, they run the risk of running fast and running on adrenal fumes. The ‘fire’ in their bellies can manifest as stomach and digestive issues such as acid reflux. Drained resources can lead to problems with circulation and body aches, while poor sleep can result in impatience, moodiness, and melancholy for Dragons.”

I would also like to add, that such a stagnation would cause health problems in anyone. If this is true, that would explain a lot. Such as why so many people are getting lower abdominal diseases. The ones that we were forewarned about. The root chakra which is our spine, legs, bones, pretty much our power body, is where our chi comes from the earth.

It’s how our life force gets into our bodies. So now we know a lot more about what’s happening this year. It makes sense why we need to focus on water. In order to feed the earth element. Water is often seen as our life force as well as the Earth.

The running on fumes adds another explanation. It means we’re overusing our chi and burning ourselves out. Because the Dragon influence of this year drives us.

Dragon with the Pearl of Wisdom,” from Julie T. Gouge

Continuing on,

“Dragons are Yang in nature; enigmatic, intelligent, spiritual & wise. Dragons are curious. They’re independent thinkers and love to gather knowledge. Apropos of this, the symbol of the Dragon holds the Pearl of Wisdom. They have intense focus; setting goals they will dive deep into a subject gaining expertise and mastery.

Above all Dragons value intelligence, wisdom, and loyalty. Dragons don’t tolerate stupidity and can be unforgiving if cheated. Never try to manipulate or trick a Dragon.”

She advises that we balance the energy of the Dragon (Yang) with the Earth (Yin). Because then you could use the combined energy to enhance your prosperity. And anything else you want to accomplish. You don’t need a ritual for that. Just your will and focus.

Though a good ritual wouldn’t hurt. Her final recommendations are as follows,

“Use your divine wisdom to make health a priority. Pay attention to hunger pangs; eat at regular intervals, chew slowly, and don’t skip meals. A springtime liver detox can clear out metabolic waste. While meditation may not be appealing to Dragons, breathing exercises and sound baths are great for Dragons. Taper excess caffeine and other stimulants that interrupt sleep. Consider substituting dandelion, burdock, and stinging nettle teas for coffee,”

For her forecasts on what happens via your zodiac sign go here.

From the Flying Stars Website,

You can read the rest of their prediction here. I don’t want to take away from their website. You can just read it there. Next we have the Paht Chee Forecast for 2024 – Year of the Wood Dragon. And again, we are seeing the same thing from the Letters of the year (in my new year’s report), pop up in Chinese Feng Shui.

Next we have the The 24 Mountains Stars of 2024. The Mountain Stars are powerful in Feng Shui. Click the link above to see what you need to do to increase your luck. Finally, are leaving Period 8. The era of the number 8.

And we are about to enter Period 9.

It should also be noted that in Western Numerology, the number 9 is slow, but long lasting prosperity. The Nine Periods each last for 20 years. So it’s time to take advantage of this number and gain our power. But it will also be a more tumultuous period. Possibly marked by Revolutions.

But it’s also a time of prosperity. So it depends on who and what will be effected.

The Spiritual Drought

From the world atlas article : 
What Are The Effects Of A Drought On The Environment?

In this Chinese New Year, the world will enter the year of the Wood Dragon. And with it, a massive imbalance in our world. Too much earth, and not enough water. That’s the ruling theme for this year. The world is not being nurtured by water.

Too many dreams are being sacrificed in the name of what we think is practical (a perversion of the earth element). Or what we think is reasonable. And we’re not nurturing each other or ourselves like we used to. Grounding is great. Earth is great. 

Earth lends power to all of us. It makes us invincible in any almost situation. Especially battles. The problem is, we have too many battles. Too many of us are stuck in defensive or offensive strikes. 

Normally, I would say this isn’t bad at all. Because most of the time, people lead a sedentary life style. Too many are wasting their energy and time on social media. On pleasure. And on feel good stuff. 

Especially this time of the year. So I was happy with the more aggressive magma energy of the underworld stirring our world up. More and more people becoming conscious and educated on things they weren’t before. And no longer standing for it. No longer being passive.

But if there’s no water, you’re grounding with desolate earth. And your soul becomes desolate as well. In resisting the cement of the establishment, we’ve all entered overdrive. Even after we broke our selves free (or free enough). I have felt it too. 

I don’t think we should stop resisting evil. Far from it. But it’s time to change tactics. We have already used our raw power to break free from sedentary state. From the cement of apathy and ignorance. 

Now it’s time to wash what’s left of the cement from our bodies. Gently. To flow with water. Bruce Lee actually talked about this many times. 

Yin and Yan

Imbalances are cured through spiritual counter balance. What this means is, spend the first six months of the year meditating only with water. Then, on month 7, you can re-incorporate the Earth. This should balance you out. Ask your spirits how this is to be done. 

Something wholesome and loving for the new year 

You could also work with spirits of water. Or spirits who are associated with water. Learn to redirect your energies towards nurturing yourself. And your dreams. Just don’t totally lose yourself in the water either. 

You don’t want to accidentally create a new imbalance. 

The strength of water, is also it’s weakness. It opens up your mind to visions. Which is why Neptune Retrograde is good for spirit work. It even allows you to enter the spiritual world. However, that’s also its weakness. 

Too much water, leaves you ungrounded. And then your mind floats the same way the air signs do. When the astrology is ungrounded. So if you notice that water energy leaves you ungrounded like that, don’t wait to re-incorporate the earth. Everyone reacts differently. 

Lucky Colors & Their Meanings

According to the flying stars site, the lucky colors of this year are : blue & black (wealth), white, gold, & silver (intelligence), red (support and authority), green (recognition of your talents), and finally yellow (fostering of good allies). Wearing each of these colors is supposed to personally stabilize your energy for this coming year. Next we talk about who the ruling Chinese God of this year is. 

The Tai Sui of 2024

General Li Cheng

Every year the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Chinese God, chooses someone from his court to rule that year. He has sixty divine generals. And one of those generals is anointed as the Grand Duke of the planet Jupiter. Jupiter you see, is seen as a planet of wealth and power across cultures. In Rome, Jupiter was the Supreme God. 

So this is a very important planet in Astrology. Even astrologies from different cultures. Whatever God or spirit is in charge of this planet, is very important. And obviously very powerful. So it’s important to stay on the good side of whoever will be in charge. 

For this year, the being in charge is General Li Cheng

The sacred direction of the Tai Sui this year is going to be the South East direction of your house. That is the direction where the wood dragon spirit will be. So that direction should be kept quiet at all times. Don’t ever face that direction. Because doing that is a challenge to him. 

You should burn incense or candles and leave fruit offerings to both the Tai Sui and the Dragon. Divine with your spirits or ask a specialist on the best way to do this. The sign of the dog directly conflicts with the Tai Sui. So anyone born under that sign will be afflicted. The sheep and ox are afflicted indirectly by the Tai Sui. 

Taken directly from the website :

Now that sounds good and all. And it is don’t get me wrong. But there is a down side. One, if the Jade Emperor chose him to rule us this year, that means there is going to be a massive overhaul. Imagine having a forensic accountant audit you. 

Making sure that all accounts are balanced. Now this is for our own good. We need balance. And we desperately need to redo how we are living our lives. So that’s a good thing. 

And he will give us support. 

But remember that a Mercury retrograde is kind of like that too. We have our lives in an upheaval to change something we wouldn’t change on our own. So there’s no telling what kind of upheaval there will be this year. We are being told that good leaders will emerge to rise up and help us. But over all I think you should learn to rely on yourself. 

Because for some signs, leaders won’t help at all.

Trouble for Zodiac Signs

Please pay attention. If you were in the following. It comes from the China Highlights.com site.

“Recent/upcoming years of the Dragon are 2024, 2012, 2000, and 1988. If you were born in one of the years, then you are a Rabbit. You will experience your zodiac birth sign year (benmingnian) in 2024, which is considered bad luck,”

So expect the ride to be particularly bad for you. The sign of the Dragon, Goat, Dog, and Ox are also considered unlucky this year. Because they directly oppose the ruling Tai Sui. The luckiest zodiac animals are Monkeys, Roosters, and Pigs. Anyone falling under those signs shouldexperience good luck. 

The same article mentions important things you should do on specific dates. And other important tidbits and details you may need. Another important thing I wanted to bring up. There are days that are lucky or unlucky for cutting your hair. Most Westerners don’t know this, but there are days where it is bad to cut your hair. 

Why? Because hair is on the crown of the head. And the soul lives in the mind. This is actually a common belief among the ancients. Even in Yoruba religion, we are cautious with who touches our heads. Even barbers, because evil sorcerers and spirits can attack the soul directly through the head. 

It’s the chief center of power for the whole body. So evil spirits and certain types of bad or enemy witches, will attack that area first. That’s why you shouldn’t just allow anyone to touch your children. Or you. You don’t know with what intentions they are doing this. 

Now, we aren’t going to delve into the intricacies of this. There’s too much information and cultures to cover. This specifically comes from a Buddhist text. Tibetan Buddhist. So every year there is an updated calendar done by Tibetan Buddhist Monks. 

These calendars detail exactly when the spiritual essence of a person is weak. So you actually need the extra hair as a natural shield. Cutting it on the wrong day, opens your mind chakra to foreign influences. And bad spirits, who will see you leaking your energy through that chakra. And go after an easy meal. 

The good news is, even after a hair cut, it only takes about a day or so for the mind to adapt. It can adapt the flow of its own energy to the new hair length. And as long as you aren’t being attacked that day by someone, you’re good. And the flip side is, cutting your hair on good days brings prosperity. That means you’re opening your soul and mind up to prosperous energies. 

Which it will naturally feast upon. The calendar for these days is here.

Zodiac Signs

Image from GreetingsAndWishCards.com from an old 2020 Zodiac article 

Now, for positive stuff about your signs. And opportunities you can read this article instead. Now for a mix of good and bad info go there following. This is a Feng Shui Astrology Calendar which means it balances both concepts with the zodiac signs of each person. For some it will be bad. 

For others, good. Speaking of good, the normal Feng Shui calendar for this month is extremely good. And this is a normal Buddhist calendar for important spiritual days in January. It tells you who is in charge of what day. And the special kinds of rituals you should do for success.

Well that’s everything. Cheers everyone!

– M