Psychic Talisman
Mar. 15th, 2024 08:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lostianvsPsychic Talisman
I recently completed a complete cover-to-cover reading of Eric Purdue's translation of Agrippa's Three Books. It is true that nearly all of our contemporary esoteric systems are laid out in these books. The few details Agrippa missed can be filled-in from a handful of astrological, alchemical, and cosmological texts; and it's possible the details are actually in Agrippa's material, but are currently hidden from my "profane" mind. The material is dense, sometimes tedious, but is laid out so that magical illumination is gradual and metered by the reader's individual virtues. I also found Agrippa's alleged Christianity was over-stated (mostly by non-practicing academics, also known as "arm chair magicians"). The biblical references come across completely differently if you read the material sequentially, as Agrippa himself recommends you do.
Nonetheless, I came away from this reading inspired to put the material to practice. I thought it would be fun to start by turning my set of bones into actual talismans. For this first project, I decided to limit myself to Book I of Agrippa as a challenge. So, I'll be making "natural" magical talismans, the first of which will involve the Moon.
The Plan
I decided to turn my Lunar "bone" into a psychic talisman. I'll hold this object during readings to amplify my natural psychic abilities. Many witches may start a Lunar working by looking at Earth's physical moon and its phase. I'm going to ignore that for this working because those concerns seem more like Book II issues. For this, I'm going to focus on the "threefold nature of the elements," their extraction from the Lunar sphere, and combination in the Terrestrial (or "inferior"). This process is encapsulated in the sigil below.
This sigil consists of Greek characters with correspondences described in Book I, Chapter 74 and the seals of the Moon found in Book I, Chapter 33. I tend to prefer Greek over Hebrew due to familiarity. The concept is that Ω represents the Lunar sphere, the seals of the Moon are conduits for power from the Lunar sphere, and the characters Θ, Ξ, Φ, and Χ represent elemental receptacles in the Terrestrial sphere in the center. I used silver paint for the characters and added some embellishments in purple.
For natural magic operations, Agrippa recommends including natural sources of power. I went with my intuition. A visit to the local river turned up a small piece of translucent quartz. A visit to my kitchen turned up some dried peppermint leaves. Rummaging through my "occult cabinet" turned up a white candle and a stick of jasmine incense. I arranged the materials as shown below.
The Spell
I started by holding the sigil and explaining its purpose and function, as described above. I then negotiated a role for each of the physical objects. The quartz would "filter out the noise," the peppermint would "awaken the senses," the incense would "transmit the signal," and the flame would "illuminate the mind." Agrippa also recommends the use of incantations and specifically cites the Orphic Hymns as a good source.
For the incantation, I chose a three stanza format. The first stanza is meant to get the attention of the Lunar sphere. The second stanza is a supplication that invites the lunar energies into the caster. The last stanza is a declaration of intent for the spell. The epithets in the first two stanzas are taken directly from the Athanassakis translation of the Orphic Hymn to Selene. Agrippa also discusses the use of gestures. During the first stanza, I adopt a gesture of greeting. For the second stanza, I adopt a gesture of prayer. Finally, I touch the talisman with both hands while saying the last stanza.
The Result
Holding the talisman consistently gives me chills. I did not expect to be so greatly affected. It really does work like a psychic amplifier. So far, I've only tested it with remote viewing. I'm currently planning further experiments to see how it works with tarot and of course throwing bones.
Ianvs
I recently completed a complete cover-to-cover reading of Eric Purdue's translation of Agrippa's Three Books. It is true that nearly all of our contemporary esoteric systems are laid out in these books. The few details Agrippa missed can be filled-in from a handful of astrological, alchemical, and cosmological texts; and it's possible the details are actually in Agrippa's material, but are currently hidden from my "profane" mind. The material is dense, sometimes tedious, but is laid out so that magical illumination is gradual and metered by the reader's individual virtues. I also found Agrippa's alleged Christianity was over-stated (mostly by non-practicing academics, also known as "arm chair magicians"). The biblical references come across completely differently if you read the material sequentially, as Agrippa himself recommends you do.
Nonetheless, I came away from this reading inspired to put the material to practice. I thought it would be fun to start by turning my set of bones into actual talismans. For this first project, I decided to limit myself to Book I of Agrippa as a challenge. So, I'll be making "natural" magical talismans, the first of which will involve the Moon.
The Plan
I decided to turn my Lunar "bone" into a psychic talisman. I'll hold this object during readings to amplify my natural psychic abilities. Many witches may start a Lunar working by looking at Earth's physical moon and its phase. I'm going to ignore that for this working because those concerns seem more like Book II issues. For this, I'm going to focus on the "threefold nature of the elements," their extraction from the Lunar sphere, and combination in the Terrestrial (or "inferior"). This process is encapsulated in the sigil below.
This sigil consists of Greek characters with correspondences described in Book I, Chapter 74 and the seals of the Moon found in Book I, Chapter 33. I tend to prefer Greek over Hebrew due to familiarity. The concept is that Ω represents the Lunar sphere, the seals of the Moon are conduits for power from the Lunar sphere, and the characters Θ, Ξ, Φ, and Χ represent elemental receptacles in the Terrestrial sphere in the center. I used silver paint for the characters and added some embellishments in purple.
For natural magic operations, Agrippa recommends including natural sources of power. I went with my intuition. A visit to the local river turned up a small piece of translucent quartz. A visit to my kitchen turned up some dried peppermint leaves. Rummaging through my "occult cabinet" turned up a white candle and a stick of jasmine incense. I arranged the materials as shown below.
The Spell
I started by holding the sigil and explaining its purpose and function, as described above. I then negotiated a role for each of the physical objects. The quartz would "filter out the noise," the peppermint would "awaken the senses," the incense would "transmit the signal," and the flame would "illuminate the mind." Agrippa also recommends the use of incantations and specifically cites the Orphic Hymns as a good source.
For the incantation, I chose a three stanza format. The first stanza is meant to get the attention of the Lunar sphere. The second stanza is a supplication that invites the lunar energies into the caster. The last stanza is a declaration of intent for the spell. The epithets in the first two stanzas are taken directly from the Athanassakis translation of the Orphic Hymn to Selene. Agrippa also discusses the use of gestures. During the first stanza, I adopt a gesture of greeting. For the second stanza, I adopt a gesture of prayer. Finally, I touch the talisman with both hands while saying the last stanza.
Queen of Illumination,
Marshal of Lights,
All-seeing and Vigilant,
Mother of Time.
Grant wisdom and insight,
to those that delight,
in the quiet and richness,
of your Domain of Night.
Bestow this standard-bearer with,
eyes to see that which cannot be seen,
ears to hear that which cannot be heard, and
hands to feel that which cannot be felt.
Reveal all secrets to me.
After speaking the incantation, I left the talisman on the sigil until the incense had completely burned.Marshal of Lights,
All-seeing and Vigilant,
Mother of Time.
Grant wisdom and insight,
to those that delight,
in the quiet and richness,
of your Domain of Night.
Bestow this standard-bearer with,
eyes to see that which cannot be seen,
ears to hear that which cannot be heard, and
hands to feel that which cannot be felt.
Reveal all secrets to me.
The Result
Holding the talisman consistently gives me chills. I did not expect to be so greatly affected. It really does work like a psychic amplifier. So far, I've only tested it with remote viewing. I'm currently planning further experiments to see how it works with tarot and of course throwing bones.
Ianvs