Landscape Alchemy
Jan. 22nd, 2024 04:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lostianvsLandscape Alchemy
Every so often on my excursions, I'll find a place in the forest with a natural abundance of magical energy. These spaces often occur at notable boundaries in the landscape. These may be along fault lines, forest clearings, abandoned cemeteries, or odd river bends. In one particular case, I happened upon an escarpment overlooking an interesting river bend close to where mountainous terrain transitioned to coastal plain. The area was split by high-powered electrical lines, flanked by a bridge with a storied past, and littered with abandoned mines. The river itself had managed to attract the attention of a local conservationist that served as a its caretaker. He was, for all intents-and-purposes, the priest of this stream (though he had yet to realize the spirit of the river had recruited him in this way). The whole area was a curious nexus of liminal sites and would make a nice location to harvest spell ingredients with some reorganization.
The Plan
Opening the nexus would involve marshaling the energies already present and strengthening the hidden connections (AKA "Occult Virtues") between and among them. My plan was to identify 7 natural sources of planetary energy in the landscape, rarefy these sources by establishing fonts, and link all these fonts. It's important to note that my agenda was not to block the natural flow of energy, but to temporarily divert and reconfigure the energy. Like in the body, blocked energy nexuses in the landscape may be prone to "explode." My alterations should dissipate with the nexus as the Saturnine forces of plate tectonics and weathering do their thing.
The Method
I spent several weeks scouting the location using a combination of bone-throwing, tarot, and on-site energy reading. I eventually found a place to site Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Luna, and Saturn. I decided to incorporate Terra by harvesting soil from each location. This left Sol and Mars, which were conspicuously absent. During my walkabout, I happened across a tribe of Fae in residence in a very remote part of the forest. Readings indicated a strong martial bent (as did an encounter with some curmudgeon ferns). Readings indicated the tribe's home could serve as an anchor for martial-like energies, but I was advised to recruit an intermediary spirit to strike the bargain, which I did.
This left the Sun, which would need to be fabricated and installed. I obtained eight fresh red chilies and hung them to sun-dry with instructions to absorb solar energy. I also obtained a garden statue to act as a solar focal point and consecrated it in the same way as the chilies.
Over the course of two weeks, I visited each site selected, buried a chili, and retrieved some soil. The method I used to install each planet closely resembles the method I use to charge sigils and talismans, but using each chili as a focal point. The locations for each planet were:
Venus - The entire left bank (looking downstream) of a section of river. She refused to be limited to a single location and demanded flower petals be spread.
Mercury - A pile of rocks adjacent to a prominent gate to a parking lot. I had initially sought to install him next to a road approaching the bridge, but he insisted upon the gate. I later found that though I thought I installed Mercury, Hermes showed up.
Luna - The top of a cliff overlooking a natural amphitheater of sorts. The cliff face is full of natural holes that look like votive receptacles. The location appears to be a popular hangout for teens to drink and do drugs. Her presence should enhance the experience.
Jupiter - He demanded to be installed at the highest point in a clearing overlooking the entire forest next to a high-power transmission line.
Saturn - I found an area where there appeared to be ruins of a burned down house. A landed spirit was in residence and agreed to the installation, but preferred it to be off the path on the approach to the ruins, not in the actual ruins.
Mars - I collected a bouquet of a wildflowers. I gave most of them to the intermediary spirit mentioned above along with one of the chilies. The flowers I kept would have to replace the soil I would normally collect, since the intermediary spirit would deliver the chili to the Fae serving as the Martial substitute on my behalf.
Sol - Installing the Sun took a bit more effort, as there wasn't an obvious source of pure solar energy present to round out this solar system. I consecrated a garden statue with solar energy in the usual way. With the soils and single remaining chili, I set off into the forest in the general direction of where I felt the Sun needed to go. I could see the location on the Astral, but didn't know exactly where it was on the physical. I just knew I was looking for a rocky outcrop bathed in sunlight.
The journey took me through a new part of the forest, including a natural "grave yard" of sorts, which included an adjacent sanctuary "temple." The journey was marked by significant levels of strangeness and coincidences, such as dogs howling, roosters crowing, unnatural shadows, and winds seemingly blowing from nowhere. Along the way, the forest bestowed me with a ritual whisk in the form of a small pine branch with needles. I instinctively knew to use this branch to consecrate myself, my assistant who was carrying the Sun, and the entire path to the site. I shook the needles to make noise and the trees shook as if in refrain.
After about an hour's hike, I finally found the rocky outcropping in my vision. It was bathed in sunlight on the other side of a steep ravine. I scaled the ravine and installed the sun on the outcropping. The Sun installation included two chilies (one for Sol and one for Terra), as well as all the soil I collected from the other sites and the flowers from the intermediary's bouquet.
The Result
In the weeks that followed, I returned to the nexus multiple times. I found the nexus had stabilized and found no evidence of blockages. The overall energies had amplified. I would describe the site as being in high definition. The leaves are a bit greener. The animals are a bit more expressive. Even the alien faux-Martian energy of the fae seemed to be working as intended.
During one visit, I was surprised to find a spring had sprung at the Lunar temple. Incredibly clear water poured out of the earth above a shallow cave in the cliff-side. The water was strongly tainted with Lunar energy. I collected some water for future experiments and left a token of my gratitude.
Ianvs
Every so often on my excursions, I'll find a place in the forest with a natural abundance of magical energy. These spaces often occur at notable boundaries in the landscape. These may be along fault lines, forest clearings, abandoned cemeteries, or odd river bends. In one particular case, I happened upon an escarpment overlooking an interesting river bend close to where mountainous terrain transitioned to coastal plain. The area was split by high-powered electrical lines, flanked by a bridge with a storied past, and littered with abandoned mines. The river itself had managed to attract the attention of a local conservationist that served as a its caretaker. He was, for all intents-and-purposes, the priest of this stream (though he had yet to realize the spirit of the river had recruited him in this way). The whole area was a curious nexus of liminal sites and would make a nice location to harvest spell ingredients with some reorganization.
The Plan
Opening the nexus would involve marshaling the energies already present and strengthening the hidden connections (AKA "Occult Virtues") between and among them. My plan was to identify 7 natural sources of planetary energy in the landscape, rarefy these sources by establishing fonts, and link all these fonts. It's important to note that my agenda was not to block the natural flow of energy, but to temporarily divert and reconfigure the energy. Like in the body, blocked energy nexuses in the landscape may be prone to "explode." My alterations should dissipate with the nexus as the Saturnine forces of plate tectonics and weathering do their thing.
The Method
I spent several weeks scouting the location using a combination of bone-throwing, tarot, and on-site energy reading. I eventually found a place to site Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Luna, and Saturn. I decided to incorporate Terra by harvesting soil from each location. This left Sol and Mars, which were conspicuously absent. During my walkabout, I happened across a tribe of Fae in residence in a very remote part of the forest. Readings indicated a strong martial bent (as did an encounter with some curmudgeon ferns). Readings indicated the tribe's home could serve as an anchor for martial-like energies, but I was advised to recruit an intermediary spirit to strike the bargain, which I did.
This left the Sun, which would need to be fabricated and installed. I obtained eight fresh red chilies and hung them to sun-dry with instructions to absorb solar energy. I also obtained a garden statue to act as a solar focal point and consecrated it in the same way as the chilies.
Over the course of two weeks, I visited each site selected, buried a chili, and retrieved some soil. The method I used to install each planet closely resembles the method I use to charge sigils and talismans, but using each chili as a focal point. The locations for each planet were:
Venus - The entire left bank (looking downstream) of a section of river. She refused to be limited to a single location and demanded flower petals be spread.
Mercury - A pile of rocks adjacent to a prominent gate to a parking lot. I had initially sought to install him next to a road approaching the bridge, but he insisted upon the gate. I later found that though I thought I installed Mercury, Hermes showed up.
Luna - The top of a cliff overlooking a natural amphitheater of sorts. The cliff face is full of natural holes that look like votive receptacles. The location appears to be a popular hangout for teens to drink and do drugs. Her presence should enhance the experience.
Jupiter - He demanded to be installed at the highest point in a clearing overlooking the entire forest next to a high-power transmission line.
Saturn - I found an area where there appeared to be ruins of a burned down house. A landed spirit was in residence and agreed to the installation, but preferred it to be off the path on the approach to the ruins, not in the actual ruins.
Mars - I collected a bouquet of a wildflowers. I gave most of them to the intermediary spirit mentioned above along with one of the chilies. The flowers I kept would have to replace the soil I would normally collect, since the intermediary spirit would deliver the chili to the Fae serving as the Martial substitute on my behalf.
Sol - Installing the Sun took a bit more effort, as there wasn't an obvious source of pure solar energy present to round out this solar system. I consecrated a garden statue with solar energy in the usual way. With the soils and single remaining chili, I set off into the forest in the general direction of where I felt the Sun needed to go. I could see the location on the Astral, but didn't know exactly where it was on the physical. I just knew I was looking for a rocky outcrop bathed in sunlight.
The journey took me through a new part of the forest, including a natural "grave yard" of sorts, which included an adjacent sanctuary "temple." The journey was marked by significant levels of strangeness and coincidences, such as dogs howling, roosters crowing, unnatural shadows, and winds seemingly blowing from nowhere. Along the way, the forest bestowed me with a ritual whisk in the form of a small pine branch with needles. I instinctively knew to use this branch to consecrate myself, my assistant who was carrying the Sun, and the entire path to the site. I shook the needles to make noise and the trees shook as if in refrain.
After about an hour's hike, I finally found the rocky outcropping in my vision. It was bathed in sunlight on the other side of a steep ravine. I scaled the ravine and installed the sun on the outcropping. The Sun installation included two chilies (one for Sol and one for Terra), as well as all the soil I collected from the other sites and the flowers from the intermediary's bouquet.
The Result
In the weeks that followed, I returned to the nexus multiple times. I found the nexus had stabilized and found no evidence of blockages. The overall energies had amplified. I would describe the site as being in high definition. The leaves are a bit greener. The animals are a bit more expressive. Even the alien faux-Martian energy of the fae seemed to be working as intended.
During one visit, I was surprised to find a spring had sprung at the Lunar temple. Incredibly clear water poured out of the earth above a shallow cave in the cliff-side. The water was strongly tainted with Lunar energy. I collected some water for future experiments and left a token of my gratitude.
Ianvs