Shades & Adders

Celestial Magic




If natural magic concerns the discovery and manipulation of hidden forces via interfaces that we can discover using our material senses, then celestial magic might involve the discovery of hidden forces through our immaterial senses. What are these "immaterial" senses? We are traditionally thought of as having 5 senses: hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch. However, we have additional senses that may not necessarily be directly linked to a particular (or singular) organ. Examples of these extra senses include a sense of balance, relation, spatial position, distance, speed, duration, and time. We might also include different modalities of the 5 traditional senses as "extra" senses. These modalities might include color, texture, temperature, pressure, or vibration.

We can use these senses to describe reality in terms of sensible attributes that lie along spectra of relative intensity: hot/cold, red/purple/blue, smooth/rough, forward/backward, up/down, old/new, etc. From what I've observed over the course of my experiments in celestial magic, we have several systems at our disposal with which we can model these spectra and the relationships between and among them. Systems of relation include the Hermetic Qabalah, tarot, astrology, numerology, alphabets, and many others. Like many witches in the Anglosphere, I've developed a preference for a system that uses the elements, planets, and zodiac. Though I differ somewhat in how I conceive of these components compared to popular usage.

In my practice, the elements describe general qualities or phases of perceivable entities. The element of "fire" might describe a literal fire or any unrelenting expansive manifestation like passion or a new startup. I view the "planets" not as physical objects in the sky, but as latent processes that give rise to manifest reality. For example, Saturn might describe the inescapable process of decomposition that lays down the required fertile material from which we can build new things. I view the Zodiac as a way to conceptualize the interaction of the planets. Like waves interfering on the surface of pond, the planets goes through phases of peaks and troughs that can interact constructively or destructively in complex ways.

Speaking honestly, I think most practitioners can carry on blissfully ignoring this aspect of the craft. The fact is that rudimentary magic will leverage these principles implicitly, whether the practitioner is aware of them or not. I think 70-80% of my personal magical needs can be accomplished without direct consideration for the celestial realm. This might explain why Book II of Agrippa is the shortest of the three. However, for the other 20-30% of my practice, the ability to construct spells and rituals with a higher level of sophistication and autonomy has been very useful. Adopting some model of celestial mechanics can assist with diagnosing issues with spells, identifying more effective combinations of spell components, and finding ways to work with ambient conditions instead of against them.

Elections

Elections for astrological talismans seem to be the standard of practice for employing celestial magic. Popular options entail the application of a calendar to the selection of an auspicious time. This includes planetary days and hours, lunar mansions, decans, and complicated astrological charts that require years of expertise. I've found that these approaches don't suit my personal practice. I needed a method more suitable to an intuitive magical practice based on the personal revelation of occult virtues across space and time.



Here I've drawn five cards to help guide me through the design of a spell to support athletic development. Jupiter in Pisces, Luna in Scorpio, and Mercury. I find this combination well-balanced. Jupiter hints at a cultivated approach. Luna hints at the "astral" or potential body. Mercury might imply the transmission of results from potential to manifest. Pisces and Scorpio make up a water trine. This configuration implies to me a focus on flexibility and steady incremental improvement.

Bringing this down to Earth requires the selection of some material ingredients. What came to me was coffee for Mercury, milk for Jupiter, and a pinch of sugar for Luna. Perhaps this is something I can incorporate into my morning coffee. It sounds like an enchanted coffee cup should do.

Ianvs

Drawing from the Well of Time



The first chapter of my Bed, Bath, and Beyond celestial magic project applied a space-for-time substitution to tweak a sleep spell. In this chapter, I focus on a method that uses historical events to formulate a spell for a healing bath.

Baths of Caracalla

The Baths of Caracalla refers to a Roman gymnasium named for Emperor Caracalla that were probably built in 216 CE and remained in use until the 530s. These baths were among the largest gymnasiums in the ancient world. I'd like to tap into the powers behind these baths to create an amplifying reservoir for healing bath salts. While narrowing down the year of inauguration for these baths is a good start, I will need to employ some improvisation to get a more specific time period.

Many gymnasiums were dedicated to Heracles. The festival of Heracles was often held in late July or early August. Granted, I'm muddying the waters a bit by not distinguishing between Greek and Roman cults. However, my goal isn't reconstruction. When drawing from the well of time in this way, I'm looking for complementary currents that I can weave into something new. From my current perspective, both the Baths and the Heracleia are upstream of the river in which I'm currently standing.

Nativity

There seems to be a lot of hand wringing among astrologers about the precession of the equinoxes and whether it's more appropriate to use Tropical or Sidereal astrology. Looking for ancient patterns seems to bring this tension to the fore. I am not an astrologer nor even an astrological magician, so I don't really have a stake in this argument. So instead of backing myself into a corner where I'm ill-equipped to defend my amateurish knowledge of astrology, I'll appeal to my own ignorance and use what works for me.

An additional consideration are the substantial differences in techniques that natal, electional, horary, and mundane astrology employ. Modern astrologers often use the techniques of natal astrology for everything, but this innovation is quite recent. I have a preference for traditional astrology due to its simplicity and consistency, but my knowledge is mostly limited to natal applications. From that perspective, I will often focus on a "birth" relevant to the chart and in this case I'm interested in the likely "birth" of the Baths of Caracalla.

Event: Inauguration of the Baths of Caracalla
Location: 41°52′46″N, 12°29′35″E
Time Period: 25 July to 7 August 216 CE

Planet	Starts in	Ends in
☾	♉︎	♏︎
☿	♋︎	♋︎
♀	♌︎	♍︎
☉	♌︎	♌︎
♂	♎︎	♏︎
♃	♏︎	♏︎
♄	♎︎	♎︎

For the time period under consideration, two big things stick out to me. First, Luna travels from Taurus to Scorpio which would include passing through Cancer where Luna is in its Joy. Second, there's a potential Jupiter and Mars conjunction in Scorpio where Mars is in its Joy. Cancer and Scorpio also form a water Trine, which is a beneficial aspect. Mars, Jupiter, and water seem like good ingredients to use for a Heracleian inspired bath talisman.

The Spell

I constructed a paper script and attached it to a jar of bathing salts to serve as the focus of the spell. This script uses characters and planetary seals to describe the flow of power from Luna in Cancer to Mars in Scorpio via Jupiter. As usual, I punctuate the script with a representation of the elemental realm (because I want a material effect), which in this case is Earth, Sea, and Sky. My normal bathing mix is one part each Epsom, sea salt, and oatmeal. For this working, I added a few drops of cedar and juniper oils for Jupiter. I rummaged through my cabinets and came up with a handful of dried peppermint for the Cancer element and some black pepper corns for the Scorpio element. I also used my Talismans of Illumination (Luna), Cultivation (Jupiter), and Action (Mars) as additional materials.

As per usual, I charged and explained the purpose to each element of the spell. I employed my Charms of Illumination, Cultivation, and Action to tie everything together and declared my intent that anything stored in this jar be imbued with the powers to restore, rejuvenate, and relax. I let the ingredients marinate while a stick of cedar incense burned. While running a bath, I activated the bath salts stored in the jar and added them to the water.

The Result

Minimal! I missed something. I could feel the weight of the jar had increased and sensed a spiritual presence, but for some reason the effect had not transferred to the actual salts. After a tarot session, I came to realize that it would take some additional time for the jar's contents to become infused with the spell. I left the jar and bath salts to mingle for an additional week.

Over the course of the week, I found that my sleep script seemed more effective if I stared at the characters while invoking the powers of Sleep. I also found that making a small daily offering to the bed by making it nicely seemed to amp up the restful effects. I applied these principles to the bath talisman and found the results were way more effective. I found additional power in offering my normal warm-up and stretching routine to this spirit. In short, I enter the bath feeling drained, sore, and tired, but I leave feeling completely recharged and pain free.



Ianvs

Bed, Bath, and Beyond



I decided to follow-up on the natural magic "thesis" project with a series of operations focused on experimentation with celestial magic. Popular applications of celestial magic seem to focus specifically on planetary and astrological timing. I've found these electional methods can be effective, but I wanted to push further into the implication of timing, clocks, and cycles on my magical practice. My primary sources are Book II of Agrippa's TBOP and Picatrix. The systems I saw in these books looked functionally similar to the methods of natural magic and in some cases were identical. What seems to set celestial magic apart from natural magic is an escalation in the amount of abstraction.

From a medieval or Renaissance point of view, "time" does not appear to be something observed with our ordinary senses (that is not directly subject to natural magic). Additionally, divinities and spirits are often perceived as transcending or somehow existing outside of time. I've seen some insist that this means that time isn't "real." This doesn't track with my personal experience. If I smash the mirror on the wall, some change in the mirror's state has obviously occurred even if it technically occupies the same space. The non-spatial dimension over which this change happened is what we call "time." This strange dimension beyond space but not quite fully "divine" is (part of) the celestial realm.

I think descriptions of "time" as non-real are actually pointing out the arbitrary nature of the methods we use to account for time. We have many clocks at our disposal, including the various astrological systems (signs, faces, degrees, mansions, etc). However, our methods of accounting for space are equally arbitrary (e.g. feet vs. meters), yet I rarely see the same accusation levied against space. I've also seen appeals to the Theory of Relativity as reason to dismiss time, but these arguments often ignore that relativity also has implications on space. In fact, I think this space-time compliment has some useful magical implications.

Space-for-Time Substitutions



Every circle has 360°. The zodiac is a circle in the sky that consists of 12 segments that are 30° each. These segments are the signs. Applying the same assumptions as natural magic, we might assume some hidden force with influence on all circular things. Signs are often expressed as measures of time, but they also indicate coordinates in the sky. Applying the principle of correspondence (quite literally) we might also assume that signs and their effects may be present in any circular thing down here on Earth.



A circular running track for example will also have 360° which can be evenly divided into 12 segments of 30° each. In other words, this running track has signs. Perhaps the starting point of the track corresponds with the first degree of Aries (ruled by Mars). From here, runners move through all the signs in a counter-clockwise fashion. We might imagine they start to tire out around Capricorn and Aquarius (ruled by Saturn), but a few marshal the will to finish in Pisces (ruled by Jupiter).

From the runner's perspective, moving through the signs on the track is both a matter of moving through space and moving through time. Suppose the runner's average speed was 10 feet per second and the circle was 360 feet in circumference. Then, this runner would move through each sign in about 3 seconds (360 ÷ 12 ÷ 10). In other words, moving 30 feet (or 30°) around the circle is the same as running for 3 seconds from the runner's point of view. If we can substitute moving through space for moving through time, then I posit that we can also substitute auspicious locations for auspicious timing.

A Zodiacal Experiment

I initially used the Talisman of Peace as a sleep aid. I found this raw Saturnian power was a bit much for me and resulted in feeling hungover the next morning. I'd like to leverage this power to cast something for sleep that is a bit more balanced.

Spell Design

I'll use a spell triangle model of power, story, and intention to guide design. The source of power for this working is Saturn. Saturn is in its Joy in Aquarius. The cold and dry aspects of Saturn are perfectly balanced by the hot and moist aspects of Aquarius in this configuration. A beneficial aspect with Saturn in Aquarius would be a trine in either of the other air signs (Gemini or Libra). Between the two other air signs, Gemini ruled by Mercury feels thematically appropriate to transmit Saturnian influence (story). Lastly, a Lunar target seems appropriate to the intention of facilitating sleep, so I placed Luna in Gemini. Luna in Gemini maximizes moistness or fluidity, which calls to my mind the link between sleep and neural plasticity.

Harvesting Materials

There's a well-worn path in the forest that makes a loop of about 1.5 miles. I decided to apply a space-for-time substitution to this path for the purposes of collecting materials under the influence of relevant signs. I already had the raw planetary ingredients from the construction of natural magic talismans. All that remained was to collect materials for Saturn in Aquarius and Luna in Gemini.

I measured out the average length of my stride and did some napkin math to figure out the number of paces from the entry of the loop (Aries) to the approximate centers of Aquarius and Gemini. I say approximate because things in the elemental realm are rarely as perfect as they are in the mathematical. I'll still need to use my psychic senses to sniff out specific materials once I'm in the approximate vicinity.

Using a string of beads to help me count paces, I moved counter-clockwise around the loop and arrived at Gemini. I closed my eyes and employed the Charm of Illumination to help guide me to a reservoir of Lunar power. I was guided to a single sneezeweed bloom. I later learned that this flower was sometimes used to expel evil spirits. The official name for sneezeweed is Helenium after Helen of Troy. It seemed the intention for this spell would be to get some "beauty rest" specifically.



As I was exiting Gemini a curious thing occurred. I repeatedly lost count of my paces and had to return to Gemini to start over. After three failed attempts to escape Gemini, I decided to employ the Charm of Discretion and leave a gift of gratitude to Mercury. This seemed to do the trick (or resolve the trick as the case may be).

After a long while, I arrived at what I thought was Aquarius. However, the energy did not feel right. I had gotten harassed by horseflies in Scorpio (ruled by Mars) and it was possible I miscounted paces. I decided to return to Aries and traverse the loop retrograde to find Aquarius. After some careful counting I arrived at a location that I felt more confidently embodied Aquarius. I once again employed the Charm of Illumination and was guided to a spent and well-dried pine cone. I later learned that the pineal gland that produces melatonin in the brain is shaped like a pine cone. This seemed like a good source of power for my spell.

The Script

I like using symbols to help arrange and activate materials for my spells. Experimentation during my natural magic project resulted in a method using a paper script. The script has four sections. From top to bottom, the first section is for the Greek letter associated with the planetary source, according to Agrippa Book I. The next section uses the seals or characters of the transmitting planet, also from Agrippa Book I. The third section is the Greek letter or letters of the planetary intention. The final bottom section is a representation of the elemental or material realm.

For this working, I decided to experiment with the Phoenician alphabet which is upstream of both Greek and Hebrew. I devised my own system of symbolic correspondences that made sense to me. I used 𐤌𐤊 (kap, mem) for Saturn in Aquarius and 𐤒𐤂 (giml, qop) for Luna in Gemini. I used the seals of Mercury as the transmitting planet. I used the same Greek based elemental symbol I've used before. To summarize, Mercury carries power from Saturn in Aquarius to Luna in Gemini where it manifests in the material as a good night's rest.

Activation

I arranged the harvested materials with my Talismans of Peace, Discretion, and Illumination according to the order described by the paper script. I then used the Charms of Peace, Discretion, and Illumination to activate each ingredient. I activated the paper script itself using a modification of the elemental based Charm of Healing. As always, I leave the spell ingredients in this configuration for as long as a stick of incense burns.



Use and Results

I taped the paper script to my bed frame in an inconspicuous place. That night before sleep, I re-activated the script by repeating the modified Charm of Healing. The use of words felt like an appropriate way to employ Mercury as the primary transmitter of this spell. I felt a wave of pleasant relaxation pour over me almost instantly. The next morning I did indeed wake up feeling very refreshed after only 7 hours of sleep. I slept through the entire night and woke up with no bags under my eyes for first time in months.

Ianvs

Natural Magic



As my natural magic "thesis" project nears completion, I wanted to reflect on my understanding of natural magic as presented by Agrippa in TBOP Book I.

What is Magic?

Magic is the study, prediction, and manipulation of hidden forces, also called "occult virtues." This definition is rooted in pre-modern notions of philosophy and the occult. Philosophy preceded the sciences as the application of reason and empirical observation to the study of the universe. Natural philosophy concerned itself with the rigorous investigation of manifest reality in the sensible world, in other words physics (and chemistry, zoology, biology, geology, etc.). Therefore, occult philosophy, or magic, concerns itself with the rigorous investigation of manifest reality in the insensible world. Consider that at one time effects such as magnetism or static electricity may have fallen under the purview of the occult, which just means "hidden." So, perhaps one way magical practitioners can conceive of the hidden forces with which we work is as underlying the material universe (like electromagnetism) instead of above it.

Magic is an art. The ways in which hidden forces reveal themselves to magical practitioners are myriad. Where one person sees a leopard, another sees a jaguar. The jaguar camp may eventually concede to the leopard camp's version of reality, but this concession implies nothing about the hidden force behind both versions of the story. The only fact on which we can rely is that both leopards and jaguars are faces of the universal force known as Danger, and that Danger may yet be another face. This inherently subjective nature of reality offers practitioners a lot of leeway when it comes to the application of creative expression to the study and execution of magic.

Reality Maps

The subjective nature of the universe allows the adoption of many possible models of reality. We can test the utility of these models through magical experimentation, but not their veracity. The consistent application of a particular model can be beneficial, so long as it doesn't devolve into unquestionable dogmatism. A dogmatic witch is a willfully blind witch. Dogmatism unnecessarily restricts us to a handful of models among an infinite universe of possibilities.

Any practitioners claiming to know the true nature of hidden forces is lying, either to us or themselves. The inherent subjectivity of the universe precludes direct access by normal waking consciousness. This does not mean that hidden truths are "unknowable," but that any attempt to pass along hidden truths, by any means other than direct experience, will be confounded by a requirement to resort to analogy. The true nature of things is inherently mysterious.

All of this is to say that the descriptions of the universe presented by Agrippa may be flawed, but that the hidden forces he describes are nonetheless "real." Practitioners may benefit from adopting a poetic perspective while reviewing models of reality. Let's not mistake the map for the territory. A reliance on literal interpretation is a sure path to dogmatism.

Agrippa's Universe



The universal model proposed by Agrippa is largely informed by traditional astrology. This model entails a transcendent divine realm that transmits effects to our natural realm through successive celestial realms. These effects take on four poetic qualities: hotness, coldness, dryness, and moistness. Hot refers to effects that are expansive or rising, whereas cold refers to effects that are contractile or sinking. The interaction of hotness and coldness gives rise to dryness, which refers to rigidity and a resistance to change, and moistness, which refers to flexibility and a tendency to change. These four primary qualities are transmitted through the celestial realms to the natural realm where they mix to form the four philosophical elements of fire (dry hotness/constant expansion), air (moist hotness/erratic expansion), water (moist coldness/erratic contraction), and earth (dry coldness/constant contraction).

Agrippa further postulates that everything in the manifest sensible world must originate as a potentiality in an insensible hidden realm. This is because the universe contains everything by definition, including everything that does, did, or will exist. Since the world of senses is limited by Time, everything in the past and future must "exist" in some insensible realm. Ergo it stands to reason that because the natural world contains living beings with some level of intelligence that the hidden realms contain the same, but in a more abstract fashion. In other words, the universe is alive and intelligent because living and intelligent beings exist and these beings are a part of the universe. Consider that when we look at images of the early universe from space telescopes, that a piece of the universe (us!) is literally looking back in time trying to remember where it came from.

If the universe is alive, it must contain individual actors analogous to the cells, molecules, and atoms that make up our physical bodies. Much like how the group dynamics of cars and livestock can give rise to the more complex entities of traffic and herds, the constituents of the hidden realms give rise to more complex hidden entities. The overarching animating principle is called the World Soul and its constituent animating souls are known as gods, titans, nymphs, dryads, naiads, sylphs, undines, gnomes, salamanders, primordials, demons, angels, daimons, daemons, and other types of "spirits."

Our bodies and minds operate according to some observable principles, and so the universe must operate according to hidden principles or hidden reasons. We observe that if you drop a rock into a pond it sinks according to the interaction of gravity and buoyancy. If you are alive, your breath oxygenates your blood according to the principles of physiology. In other words, the processes described by physics reflect a rationale or "mind" of the sensible world. Analogously, the spirits that make up the World Soul interact according to their own principles the summation of which acts like the "mind" of the universe. Agrippa calls this "mind" or set of rules the World Spirit.

"Natural" Magic

Most authors post-Agrippa seem to limit natural magic to the magic of non-human materials such as herbs, stones, and animals. This limitation seems rooted in a misunderstanding of what constitutes "nature." As alluded to by the pre-modern study of natural philosophy, "nature" relates to anything in the sensible world. So, "natural" magic concerns the discovery and manipulation of hidden forces via interfaces that we can discover using our ordinary senses. Natural magic works because there is a two-way connection between the hidden forces that give rise to the material universe and the material itself.

For example, if you wanted to run faster you could use things that interface with the hidden powers that give rise to speed, legs, feet, and/or stamina in the sensible world. This might involve the collection of items related to speed like a falcon's feather, a sailfish's scale, or the sweat-drenched towel an Olympic sprinter used just after winning a foot race. For all magical intents and purposes, the speediness of these items originates from and is equivalent to the same hidden force. These items offer access to hidden forces other than "speed," owing to the mixed up nature of the elemental sphere. We might extract Success, Stamina, or abstract Stench from the Olympic sprinter's towel. The discovery of connections to hidden concepts using our ordinary senses and logic is the origin of concepts like the "Law of Correspondence" and the "Doctrine of Signatures."

Language

The last piece of the magical puzzle is the practitioner. Intelligent life has the particular ability to transform its personal occult virtues. The power of thought, emotion, and instinct can inspire a change in the individual that brings them into alignment with certain hidden forces or out of alignment with others. Human beings can accomplish this feat in the natural realm through the use of spoken incantations, written words, and symbols. For the right person, a good poem or song may yield more energy than a cup of coffee. The words and symbols themselves are also imbued with inherent virtues, just like other sensible components such as herbs and crystals.

Planets

What are these hidden forces that underlay the material world? Agrippa hints throughout Book I that these forces are the planets of the celestial realm. The planetary seals given in Book I are hidden within the material universe. These seals transmit planetary influence through different materials with varying efficacy, analogous to how different objects have different resonate frequencies. Agrippa does not elaborate greatly on what the "planets" actually are in Book I. However, he hints at a 7-fold system of categorization that we can use to organize sensible virtues as we discover them. I personally use "key words" for each planet to indicate the general flavor of the planet and its magicks.

Moon - Perception
Mercury - Transmission
Venus - Motivation
Sun - Generation
Mars - Action
Jupiter - Organization
Saturn - Dissolution

If I were to categorize the virtues of a tree I might say that the tree's color, roughness, and scent are Lunar. The tree's rate of growth or ability to spread pollen is Mercurial. The direction of the tree's growth (up towards the sun) is Venusian, as is the way the tree makes me feel. The oxygen the tree generates is Solar. The tree's ability to displace soil or shade the understory is Martian. The rings that make up the tree's structure are Jovian. Finally, the tree's ability to uptake water, CO2, and minerals and transform them is Saturnian. We could leverage any of these virtues for all kinds of magical operations. The fact that someone else might assign an entirely different set of tree virtues to completely different planets is a feature of the universe, not a flaw.

A Promotion Spell



I earn a fixed salary, so most money spells take the form of "promotion spells" for me. I'd like to inspire my boss to promote me to a higher earning position in the company, but I'd also like to avoid too much extra work. I'm a bit of a "Type A", so I do enjoy having something to occupy my time. In the context of the above description of natural magic, I might begin by tapping into the hidden forces behind my boss. He has a habit of biting his nails that reminds me of the way some people mindlessly eat sunflower seeds and spit out the shells. He also has a dry sense of humor and a pallid complexion that reminds me of wood ash. He's also human in form like a poppet or doll.

Step 1. I placed some sunflower seeds, wood ash, and a slip of paper with my boss' name on it into a poppet. From now on I treat the poppet as if it were my boss, calling it by his name, and talking to it as I would my boss. These actions turn the poppet into a portal to the hidden forces behind my boss. What happens to the poppet happens to my boss.

I'd like to ingratiate my boss to me and motivate him to promote me. I know there's a position in my company very similar to my current role that pays more money that is about to open up. I've already worked the mundane side of things by telling my boss that I want the job and plan to apply. My boss would much rather hire someone new than engage in internal churning. Since my focus is motivating my boss to promote me, I determine that the required working is essentially Venusian.

Step 2. I start bringing the poppet little gifts. Perhaps a flower, a piece of chocolate, a cup of coffee, or shiny stones. Each time I bring it a gift, I whisper in the poppet's ear things like "Ianvs is trustworthy, Ianvs is a hard worker, Ianvs deserves the promotion, you want to promote Ianvs." I also write these phrases on slips of paper and place them in the poppet's head. I'm bribing my boss in a very Venusian way without having to compromise my mundane reputation.

At every step along the way, I use my ordinary senses to identify patterns or make connections between things I can easily manipulate (a poppet) and the thing I want to change (my boss). The implication I read from Agrippa is that both the poppet I create and my boss are two ends of a hidden thread. After an easy interview, I get the promotion.

Step 3. Now that my task is done, I'd like to undo the connection I created. I don't fuss over it, I just declare that the poppet is no longer connected to my boss. I disassemble the connection by disassembling the poppet and its contents. My preference is to burn the separated materials and scatter them back to nature.

Ianvs

Talisman of Health



The 4th installment of my bones to talismans project concerns the sun.

The Plan

My sun bone took the form of a brooch that I could potentially wear. I decided to turn this brooch into an item that boosts the efficacy of cultivation practices. I find it easy to memorize these little charms, so prefixing a regular yoga or qigong routine with a little spell should not be a challenge.

I chose to harvest sun energy by focusing first on plant spirits as obvious reservoirs of solar energy (via photosynthesis). In particular, I chose dandelion which was a plant I worked with regularly. My local neighborhood is dominated by thick forest which is anathema to sun-loving dandelions. I would need to find a well-kept meadow. Luckily, I knew of such a meadow around a certain Jupiterian temple. Unluckily, this meant I would need to venture close to hostile territory.

Approaching Jupiter, I found many yellow flowers along the forest trail, but no dandelions. I did collect some yellow flowers that appeared to have hybridized with dandelions, but no true dandelions. As I approached the glamour hiding the entrance to the trail that led past Jupiter, I found two random red and yellow trumpet flowers laying on the path. There was no sign of any trumpet vine in the area, so these blooms were well out of place. I decided to collect them and leave them as a sort of offering at the trailhead to Jupiter. Despite this gesture, I had no luck finding dandelion.

I eventually found a patch of dandelion in a field along a random road. I also later found loads of dandelion waiting for me along the creek adjacent to my home. At least I got some exercise.

The last few ingredients I collected were things I personally relate to health and healing. This included roasted dandelion root and my personal bathing mix of ground oatmeal, sea salt, and Epsom salt. I decided to separate the petals from the dandelion to create a pile of "dandelion down." The preparation of the seal was pretty straight-forward. I used Greek letters to signify the sun as the source of power and the elements as the destination. The Seals of the Sun from Agrippa Book I laid a path for the Sun's "rays" to travel to Earth.



The Spell

I laid down the seal, then placed the brooch on the Earth section. I sprinkled the dandelion down, root, oatmeal, and salts all around the seal. I lit a stick of incense and suffumigated all the ingredients. I don't suffumigate every time, but felt compelled to do it this time. I adopted a gesture of greeting and spoke the first stanza of the charm below. Once I felt the presence of solar power, I proceeded with the second stanza while adopting a gesture of prayer. Once I felt the solar energies had entered by personal energetic space, I held my hands over the ingredients and spoke the last stanza. I knew something was happening because I heard a disembodied buzz pulsating around my head. As I held my hands over the seal, I guided the energies into the brooch.

I maintained this position until I felt a familiar "pop" that indicated the spell had worked. This "pop" is difficult to describe but seems to be particular to my solar workings. It's like the energies concentrate into a point until they ignite and become self-sustaining; like a little star. I left the items until the incense had completely burned out.

The Result

This time the item did not feel heavy like the other talismans, though it did emit a soft buzz like a static charge. I spoke the charm above and attached the brooch to my shirt around the center of my chest. I performed the qigong practice of the eight brocades as normal. I often have to abbreviate practices due to knee pain, but this time I completed the entire routine. I ended by repeating the charm and focused on drawing solar energy into my body.

The next day I woke up feeling refreshed and had no knee pain. The effect is similar to how I feel after using my elemental-based healing charm. It's not super dramatic. I'm not suddenly 10 years younger, but with regular use I expect the effects to compound.

Ianvs

Talisman of Discretion



Continuing my plan to turn my bones into natural magic talismans, I chose Mercury next.

The Plan

The Mercurial seal was prepared in a similar fashion to the Lunar seal. I heard an interesting anecdote that "seal" implies a symbol that blocks planetary energies. This was not my read on Agrippa. My understanding is that these symbols are "seals or characters" that embody the presence of the planetary influence in "natural" things. The planets are "sealed" into objects in a similar way to how souls are "sealed" into human bodies. Neither human bodies nor other natural things can exist without these subtle energies to support them.

I chose a more rectangular linear design for this seal. The layout of the seal is meant to reflect the transient nature of Mercurial energy. The energy shoots like an arrow from the sphere of Mercury, ricochets off the Terrestrial world, and flies back to the Mercurial realm via alternative path.



Again, I tied the planetary characters together using Greek letters. The character Υ (upsilon) represents the Mercurial sphere, the seals of Mercury are conduits for power from the Mercurial sphere, and the characters Θ, Ξ, Φ, and Χ represent elemental receptacles in the Terrestrial sphere in the center. I used green paint for the characters and chose to embellish the symbol of Earth to reflect the various ways Mercury can manifest.

For power sources, I "winged" it. I knew of a library nestled next to a forested trail. I wasn't sure what I wanted to collect, but figured I would use my senses and intuition to find items along the way. I'll admit I had visions of winged sandals in mind, so I secretly hoped to find a feather. Something told me to go in a certain direction and I just knew there had to be an eagle or raven's feather waiting to be found! Imagine my surprise when I turned the corner on the path and found a purple feather from a feather boa. This wouldn't be the last of Mercury's tricks.

I took the path to the forest behind the library. Along the way, I felt a particular pull down an unfortunately overgrown path towards a bog. Hidden among the dense forest I found a wall with random lettuce and onion peels strewn about. Not wanting to dally, I picked up some onion peels assuming these were what I was supposed to collect. However, on the way out a tree limb literally reached out and grabbed me! I took this to mean that I had erred. I returned to the site and carefully walked along the wall. At the apex, I found some vines had made a perfect triangle that pointed at a beautifully twisted vine just barely within my reach. This seemed like a Mercurial object!



Circling around the backside of the library, I exited the forest next to a wooden pedestrian bridge. Again, I felt a pull. I walked out onto the bridge and found a place where the railing was worn and splintered. I collected a splinter from the bridge. Finally, I made my way to the library entrance. It occurred to me that I had yet to honor Mercury's reputation as an acquisitions expert. I browsed the library shelves looking for an object I could misplace without drawing too much attention. I eventually found that a library card from one of the books had made its way into my pocket. With my items in-hand, I proceeded with the spell.



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 vine would "find the path." The feather would "accelerate the transmission." The splinter would "bridge the gap," and the library card would "use discretion." Unlike with the Lunar Talisman, I would not use the Orphic Hymn to Hermes for this working. I found the Orphic Hymn to Hermes was a bit bland and not reflective of my personal relationship with these types of spirits. So I wrote my own incantation (though not without obvious inspiration).

For the incantation, I chose a three stanza format again and used the same gestures. The first stanza alludes to Hermes Chthonios and contains a double entendre that alludes to how your mouth can get you into trouble. The second stanza continues this theme. The last stanza specifies what I'm really after with a bit of tongue-in-cheek.

After speaking the incantation, I left the talisman on the sigil until a stick of incense had completely burned.

The Result

Again, I knew it had worked given the weight of the talisman. It was also cool to the touch. I performed a bit of "inspired" reading by letting the talisman guide me to a random page in Agrippa Book II. I landed on "Eight and its Scale," the chapter discussing the occult virtues between the corporeal world, the celestial world, and the notion of divine "justice." I re-read the chapter while holding the talisman. It occurred to me that there is an interesting rhyme between the balance of forces required to build the corporeal universe, the idea of "making someone whole" that has been wronged in some way, and the infernal rewards listed in the table at the end of this chapter. Agrippa also notes the relationship between the eight essential qualities of astrology and the elemental cycles embedded in the Orphic Hymns. It's an interesting application of elemental theory that could lend itself to both healing and hexing. 

Ianvs

Trust Glamour



My mundane job involves reviewing the work of others. In an ideal world, everyone would be faithful archivists and witnesses of their own work. In reality, important details are often left undocumented and people are reluctant to reveal "how the sausage is made" for fear of judgement. I usually need to conduct face-to-face interviews where I try to get the details I need to conduct a fair and honest review. One issue with this is that interviewees are not always forthcoming and often omit important details about their processes. This deception is not always conscious. I've found a perception of trust and confidence can facilitate the extraction of information. Hence, a glamour that makes me seem more worthy of their trust.

The theory of glamours I use is based on the passive manipulation of lunar elements. The keyword I associate with Luna as a planetary power is "Perception." My goal with glamours is to alter how other's perceive me. In this case, I want to be perceived as more trustworthy. To this end, I constructed an audible sigil and focused my intent on a tube of vanilla lip balm.

I started with three phrases that summarized my goal in the present tense.

I then eliminated repeated letters and evaluated the numerical value of each word using the table below. I used the numerical value of each word to construct a syllabic component made of a consonant and a vowel using basic numerological arithmetic. In the case of words that evaluated to 1, I assigned a single letter and rolled it forward or backward into a neighboring syllable.


These new syllables became the components of a set of magical phrases (AKA "barbarous names").

Note, that conjunctions using "&" become a single word. For example:

HUGS & KISSES → HUGS&KIE = 8 + 3  + 7 + 1 + 9 + 2 + 9 + 5 = 44 → 8 = "KO"

Letter Values

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I
J	K	L	M	N	O	P	Q	R
S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z	&

Method

I stood in front of a mirror while holding a tube of lip balm. As I stared at myself, I tapped into lunar energies. The tube in my hand glowed faintly with silver light. The smell of vanilla bean and cocoa butter permeated the space. I repeatedly chanted the phrase, "BA JUT. BA JEM. BA JUL." Each time I spoke the words, I felt the lip balm become infused with the appearance of trustfulness and safety. Once the tube was sufficiently imbued, I applied the lip balm and felt the appearance of trustfulness radiate from my face.

Ianvs