chloe--summers

[chloe--summers]

Are spirits real?

When it comes to spirits, there is the question that many dread: What if none of it exists and by exist I mean independently of us. There is a quote from chicken Qabalah that says something like spirits are capable of anything, including destroying the world. That's true in the sense he meant it. Let's say a Satanist made a big bomb and annihilated the entire Earth with it in the name of Satan, well you could say that Satan did indeed caused Armageddon in the sense that if Satan did not 'exist' in that person's mind, he never would've done it. Is this existence proper or rather a narrative that person constructed for himself? He, through whatever means concluded that he was chosen by Satan to destroy God's creation and to do Satan's bidding of revenge. That's true but once the Earth is eliminated, does this Satan of his independently still exist? Are spirits incapable of acting on their own and as such need us to do it for them? At the end of the day, it's the man in question who has built the bomb, learned the skill to build that bomb and gathered all the material needed to do it. Satan did not materially help him at all at any point nor is it the same as claiming that Satan would continue to exist once the Earth is nuked. The Devil would likely 'vanish' with us from that perspective. You could even argue that this Satan is just his own Satan and not 'The Satan' and that this Satan of his would perish if the man died without being successful at ending the world.

Do spirits need to have the ability to directly interact with this world to be real? The answer is no, however if they cannot interact with the world, to be real in a meaningful way, they would have to be able to at least interact with humans in some fashion. If they cannot interact with humans in any way and have no power to influence on this world in any way whatsoever then even if they objectively, empirically existed in some manner that's beyond us, as far as we're concerned it is as if they weren't real.

A topic that's often on my mind is how do I know during rituals, astral travel or dreams if my experience or communication with a spirit is real or simply an elaborate product of my imagination? The process here is to determine independence from your mind. I've elaborated criteria over time that have to be reviewed objectively with a critical mindset and they go as follow:

The spirits is capable of thought of it own that are unlikely to be my own. For example when it comes with profound novel insight on my BtVS mysticism that I haven't considered despite thinking about the path day. Things I just couldn't have improvised on the spot

The spirits does not go along your current or train of thought but rather challenges you

The spirits grant you knowledge that turns out to be valuable that you did not have prior

A ripple effect: intense afterward emotions, a feeling of being shaken to your core

If a spirit through it's message, it's archetypical characteristic, it's mythical deeds works it's way through you, changes & alter who you are, impact your worldview, decisions and everyday life can we really claim that it isn't real? If the spirit will or it's current has sway over you, if you feel beholden to it in some ways and act on it in the mundane world, how can we claim it does not have an impact? How it changed you will naturally change the world around you, affect the lives of those you touch and ultimately like a butterfly effect impact the whole world.

Does that mean that the atheist statement that God does not exist is false?

Not exactly, it's more a matter of us talking past each other. When they say God does not exist, they define real in a different manner. They define it from a positivist, empirical perspective. From that perspective, there are no proof that God, spirits or any of it exist. You cannot demonstrate it, we cannot detect him or gather data on him. You cannot prove that God interact with the world except through laws of physics, coincidences or through human beings. God cannot even make a pencil hover.

They would say I've constructed a very elaborated psychological fantasy. I would say they are utterly blind to the metaphysical realities of the world. Spirits do not need to hover a pencil to touch the world, they can write the most beautiful sonnets or peace treaties with them.

[chloe--summers]

Black pilled Slayer

I just bought the book "The Book of Fours" by Nancy Holder who is somebody highly involved in the Buffyverse. Early in the novel, one of the slayer that came before Buffy has a bleak interpretation on what being a slayer is:

"When he told me I was a slayer, he (her watcher) tried to make me feel special—"one girl in all her generation"—but that's not really true, is it? Because when that one dies, there's another. And another. And another. So much for one per generation. It's just one per lost battle. And we seem to lose fairly often don't we? Still, there is the matter of being chosen. No one else could take my place until I lost my place. As the old saying goes "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." Yeah, but they get the best seat" She says some more on that but the rest is contingent on factors that go beyond the scope of strictly the observation of slayerness.

This was quite interesting to me since just a few days ago (July 28th) I've performed a spirit flight (astral travel) operation where I went to Buffy apartment during her "Anne (3x01)" phase. For those who don't follow me and don't know I am a witch and my big project I'm working on is establishing a BtVS mysticism. I wanted insights about a concept in the mysticism called "The Descent" which is defined by the aftermath, damage or ramification on the woman after the accomplishment of an Heroic Act. I figured visiting post-Angelus Buffy was a great time for that. What I got from her was not exactly what I was expecting; it was a very bleak view on what being a slayer is. Her views at the time of Anne echoes those of the slayer from Holder's book. Here's a excerpt of our conversation I wanted to share:

Buffy: Yup. She shrugs. Your acts of Heroism, no one sees them. When Angel died I was all alone in the crypt surrounded by vampire dust & death. There is no glamour. It's thankless and the pain of the Descent is all yours to bear.

Chloé: I do tend to glamorize it I think, in a way. I pause. Now isn't the best time but I view you as somebody who transcends happiness or unhappiness. You might be miserable but as a result you become a hero, a role model, a figure people around you admire and envy. It's sort of ironic... I think that's the right word.

Buffy: Well I'm glad I've at least a fan. She tries her best to smile. Not that I'm craving recognition. What it is without any fancy rhetoric is I go in, I am a Hero, I get damaged and I must recover. Sometimes it's a scratch, other times it will turn my soul inside out. Rinse & repeat until the slayer has either a unconscious death wish and "let" a monster kill her so it can be over or simply until the time the damage in question is your untimely death. She looks down, defeated. You die horribly in a cave somewhere and no one really cares. It all happens in secrecy, in silence. There are no hopes for victory, you do your best until you fail and then the next slayer is called and now it's her turn. Nobody acknowledge or give any meaning to your title. They will think you're crazy most likely. You do it because it's the right thing to do, because nobody else can, hoping the universe notices. She looks at me. It's thankless and the glamour of "the chosen" vanishes very quickly.

Of course it's just one way of looking at it but I believe every angles matter.

[chloe--summers]

I hope in the remake Buffy won't be asking ChatGPT to tell her which kind of demon she encountered last night 😅

[chloe--summers]

[chloe--summers]

Buffy and cross necklaces

In the early seasons Buffy pretty much permanently wears a cross necklace. She seemingly has an endless supply of them! Interestingly in the only "pre-slayer" scene of her we got, she does not wear a cross. While the cross can technically hurt vampires, it is a shoddy defense at best. It only works on vampires (or almost only) and does not protect the neck at all. It's tiny and not in an area where vampires are likely to try to aim their punches at.

Buffy isn't religious that much is clear and BtVS is rife with message against fundamentalism and religious zealotry. She spends no time pondering on that subject or at least not openly. The only time we get a real insight on her views on the subject (and that despite having gone to a form of heaven after her second death) was in Conversations with Dead People (7x7) where the vampire Holden Webster asks her plainly if God exists. She responds with two words: "nothing solid." depicting a disinterested agnosticism and certainly nothing even remotely close to the realms of Christianity.

So why is she wearing one all the time? I believe it has to be out of a psychological self help and pseudo religiosity. She wears it because due to it's cultural significance, it grounds her into her role as the slayer. It delineate her camp she proudly represents in this struggle against darkness, it's a metonym for her faith in the Mission. It might provide her with some courage when she goes alone in the sewers at night to fight who knows what will spawn. She might feel to an extent shielded, protected. This pseudo warrior or the light symbolism might give her a bit more pushing when it's tough, add a bit of juice to her punches, inspire her to go a little further.

[chloe--summers]

In Becoming part 2, the last episode of season 2 where the Buffy vs Angel showdown happens and end up killing him, she wears the cross that Angel gave to her in the first episode of season 1

And here's me shamelessly sharing it's replica I own and will use for various purposes for the BtVS mysticism I'm creating

[chloe--summers]

how do i let people know i'm wearing a cross necklace in a dana scully/buffy summers way and not a i love jesus way

[chloe--summers]

"To forgive in an act of compassion Buffy, it's not done because people deserve it it's done because they need it" - Giles, 2x19

[chloe--summers]

As the slayer you don't have the luxury to be a slave to your passion - Giles, Passion

In 2x17, Giles told a Buffy who was worried about Angel possibly going after her mom & lurking in her room "As the slayer you don't have the luxury to be a slave to your passion." He was speaking here, admittedly a little bit clumsily, of the risks of Buffy reacting too harshly to provocation; to let herself be possessed by her passion and make a unadvised move that could cost her life.

Worth noting that at the end of the episode, Giles has done exactly what he had warned Buffy about. Upon witnessing the gruesome death of miss Calendar, he went on what amounts to a suicide mission to avenge her by going to Angel's lair alone to kill him. Of course he knew Angel wouldn't be alone and somewhere within him he knew that his chances of beating Angel alone are near 0 but he did not care; he wasn't seeing clearly and ended doing in spectacular fashion exactly the opposite of what he warned Buffy about; to not let her passion get control of her. Giles advice to Buffy remains a valid warning no doubt. Good for everybody and even more for the slayer for is often dealing with higher stakes situations. The topic of falling for your passion is much broader than life & death scenarios, it can be as silly as going all-in in poker the very next hand right after you've lost a big pot or becoming affection dependent. The episode had more to say on the topic however.

At the beginning of the episode, Angelus gives us a monologue on passion. His tone is very different from Giles. He states that passion is in all of us and despite not wanted it will make you it's slave. "Passion rules us all and we obey. - Angelus" We can see here the stark contrast between Giles takeaway and Angelus. It is unsurprising that a vampire would have that sort of view on passion. Demonic entities are mostly creatures of permanent wants, enslaved to their passion who are more often than not of a low naturalistic kind. When looking at the Qliphoth (demonic realm) inhabitants, you notice that demons are often of a vampiric nature in the broad sense of the word; feeding their addiction at the expense of others. It's not always the case that they take pleasure in hurting others, it's just a side effect of their complete enslavement to their passion. To them, passion is their master and they have no choice but to obey.

Unrelated here but I have a pet theory that since God's light is absent from their realm, demons have to rely on other form of sustenance to subsist and vampirism is their way to be self reliant. A form of twisted godhood they sort of manage to replicate since they would be technically capable of living without God due to their vampirism. God here in a general sense, I preach no religions.

In reverse, Angelus himself is also sort of a victim of passion. Cordelia pointed out why did Angelus go to Buffy's room to draw a portrait of her instead of just killing her right here right now? He had a clear easy shot to end her and yet he did not. Later Buffy tells Willow that she cannot believe Angel and Angelus are the same guy. Willow responds "Sort of, except you're still the only thing he thinks about - Willow"

Giles in that episode represents the fallible nature mankind. Our struggle with losing control to passion, that mankind will sometimes get the best of it but sometimes also fall for their passion and in Giles case he has let sorrow, anger & love rule him and it would've cost him his life if Buffy did not intervene. Giles even warned Buffy early in the episode that Angelus would do that sort of thing to taunt her into making a mistake by create big provocation. He knew all about the idea to the point of spelling it out, yet he still fell for it. We generally try to not fall for our base instinct but sometimes we fall short despite often knowing better. It's not always high stakes like in Giles instance, it can be simply trying to not binge on food or dealing with a gambling problem. We try our best but sometimes we fail. While we all have aspirations and passions, it is important to keep a cool head and not let ourselves be dominated by our desires. Ironically the best course of action is often keeping a dispassionate attitude toward your passion. "If we could live without passion maybe we know some kind of peace, but we would be hollow - Angelus"

[chloe--summers]

Finalizing the Buffy Shadowcasters :-)

[chloe--summers]

Currently doing the Buffy Shadowcasters :-)

[chloe--summers]

Words used to open the gateways between Buffyverse and this world

24 hours before the initiation proper to become a slayer in this BtVS mysticism, there is a ritual to open the gateways between the Buffyverse and this world. That gateway allows the energy of the Shadowmen to enter your realm so all can be ready for the initiation. There is an entire ritual attached to that with sigils, decoration, sage, offering and all the rest. Those are the words

[chloe--summers]

Requirement before proceeding to the Slayer Initiation

Before taking on the Slayer Initiation for this BtVS mysticism I'm constructing, certain demands are to be met. All of them are either essential for a slayer to master or are important to be able to interact with the spiritual aspect of the work. Depending on the practitioner, these can take a few months to over a year to finish. While it can seem long, traversing that difficult first step successfully despite the hurdles will be proof that this person was indeed called by the current to become a Slayer.

While Buffy and indeed the slayers had (mostly) no contact with forms of occultism or Witchery, it will indubitably be an important aspect of this work. A potential must have experience in the occult of roughly 'intermediate' level as this mysticism is uncharted territory and unpredictable. As such, it requires a good level of improvisation and demand a certain eclecticism. On top of that, having a good understanding will allow her to have a good idea of where this path is leading and why things are as they as. What is of course required to be a slayer is to be a woman, to be healthy both mentally & in term of weight, to subscribe to a form of martial art or combat style that is mainly unarmed & to possess a good knowledge of this mysticism.

The potential slayer must to have a certain basics in said martial art (example: a belt of an higher color than white). She does not require to be a very advanced fighter to launch the journey; merely some basics she internally believes will suffice are enough for the initiation. Higher skill level of combat will be required later however, always improve & never stop practicing. A form of divination has to be learned, it will be the vehicles through which the chosen communicates with her watcher. I suggest tarot, even better if you can purchase the Buffy tarot deck. In the end she can choose the divination technique she believes will fit best for this path & herself. And lastly she is demanded to work on her ability to manipulate, recall dreams & lucid dream. The reason is slayers such as Buffy are often communicated messages during their dreams and while they get that gift naturally in their world (the Buffyverse), the slayer in this world must work to obtain that skill. One the potential slayer has achieved all that is listed and feel ready, she can proceed to the 72 hours initiation.

[chloe--summers]

More "appropriate" Slayer magical path?

We're not here to debate the legality of magical paths of this BtVS mysticism. If BtVS has shown us anything, it is that your magic should focus on a pragmatic route rather than a principled one. There isn't really practices that are against this path as long as it's use do not transgress established Higher Principles. We are focusing here on a track that's outside BtVS or Buffy the myth of the Slayer as this world requires her slayer to very frequently practice magic. Buffy herself only very sporadically used magic and the other slayers we managed to have a look into never practiced any magic either. The Slayer is a warrior path that is known & self evident. This mysticism is a right hand path philosophy focused on transcendence, purpose, duty and merging with the supra-individual entity known in this mysticism as "Finished Slayer" or it's lower counterpart "Finished Buffy the slayer."

As such, magical traditions who focus heavily on the worship or high reverence of 'Mother Nature' that goes beyond a civilized respect for the environment, a heavy focus on Earthly elements that gets you dirty such as roots, herbs & plants or dabbling into animism are at odds with this spirituality. Those religions are religions of the Earth, worship of the body, nature and complaisance in the animal aspect of the self. An evident push back here will be the apparent hypocrisy that I do use herbs for this path, including in the Slayer initiation itself. What is stated here isn't a blanket condemnation of herbs, rather how you treat these elements of nature in your practice. It is a warning against an inappropriate philosophical outlook when engaging with these elements of nature. Against treating the Earth as a metaphysical endpoint. It is a caution against relying too much on gris-gris & superstitions to accomplish yourself. Against debasing yourself to the level of the primal, or viewing all of life "as a cycle" where a tree and yourself are equally a part of.

None of this is technically forbidden, but what can be stated is the watcher council curriculum & philosophy would not be teaching or encouraging it. If a slayer takes part of that worldview, that would be part of what we referred to as "the personality of the Slayer" through which a slayer can problematically deviate a little from conformity if she can responsibly marry the contradictions with the path.

[chloe--summers]

Helping others as the slayer

What differentiate this Mysticism of the Slayer I'm creating from others is among other things is it's multi faceted role not only on a spiritual level but also in it's very active participation in the mundane. Many spirituality are directly or indirectly only focused on the ego and are inherently self helping & self serving in nature.

I have argued before that Buffy's personality and being had massively improved as a result of becoming the slayer. Although Buffy did not consciously choose to, she flipped her entire life around and rejected huge chunks of her past 'superficial' personality akin to Cordelia to adapt to that new identity while also keeping a part of herself intact. Just like demons or angels, the Slayer embodies a transcendent archetype that comes from beyond and has also a personality of her own. However this was a collateral effect of the sacred duty in it's integrality, not the main objective. This mysticism aims at a similar phenomenon. Through accepting the Mission and submitting to the tradition, the slayer incidentally become a being of a higher quality. The chosen is in a way be no longer human; rather the embodiment of the mythical Slayer in the flesh while still retaining vestige of her Earthly personality.

The Mission is in part on a spiritual level, focused on the inner world of the slayer. An extensive exploration, using eclectic magic, of the Self & the many facets of the Slayer through friends and mostly foes. The slayer is also encouraged, if she wishes to, to explore the demonic realm of the Qliphoth.

The Slayer busy herself just as much in the mundane world. Through martial art training, the "curriculum of the council" which touches both worlds and indeed her task to help others, she is just as much the slayer in the spiritual than the material realm. How exactly is a slayer supposed to be helping others? There are two main ways the slayer helps others as the slayer. I specify this because although being conventionally kind is nice and the proper way to behave as the slayer, it isn't obligatory nor is it what is meant from a Mission perspective. The help the slayer provides is in this world is the same as in the Buffyverse; she fights against the forces of darkness.

The first way is by 'lifting up' others spiritually and the second is to have the competence to provide spiritual defense for someone who may be in need of it. Through the watcher curriculum, the slayer learns all manners of protective spells, dispelling of hexes, exorcism, cleansing and all sorts of similarly themed actions. The 'lifting up' of the spirit is a much broader and impersonal aspect of that task. There is so far no clear delineation on how that's supposed to look like and maybe there shouldn't be one. As long as 'lifting up others spiritually' does not devolve into ridiculously loose interpretations there isn't a reason to be restrictive on how to perform that task nor does that task needs to be a chore. Me as an example, I plan to write articles on various occult & spiritual topics to nourish the spiritual side in a positive direction for whoever reads it. This is something that qualifies & that I enjoy doing. If need be, the chosen can ask herself "does this activity directly combats the forces of darkness, metaphysically speaking?" to figure out if your way of lifting up the spirit of others is valid.

[chloe--summers]

The Order or Taraka assassin card Drusilla drew in What's My Line? Part One

[chloe--summers]

The treatment of demonic elements during an invocation

In this BtVS mysticism I've been slowly creating from scratch, I've been wondering how to, as a slayer, treat demons in a magical setting during an invocation. The circle of protection although ethical and recommended for potential slayers, goes against the slayer archetype who fights and fully 'experience' the body, soul & spirit of demons in close combat, mostly without weapons. The slayer does not plan on evoking demons to do their bidding like the Goetia either. Rather, the Slayer invokes demons for their gnosis, to wrestle with her own inner demons and ultimately destroy them in combat on the astral realm. On the flip side, fully allowing a demon who will rightfully view you as a life threatening foe unrestricted in your body and spirit can prove to be problematic to say the least. The Slayer isn't hidden behind a circle nor is she completely vulnerable. She fights demons, she is prepared & ready to receive them.

The appropriate method as a slayer would be the 'shield and armor' type protection. The most classic method is the Slayer necklace. During the Slayer initiation ritual, there is a necklace you are tasked to bless with the Shadowmen demonic energy as it permeates your being. This necklace, briefly charged up by the Slayer current, is used here as a mobile shield that grounds you in your purpose & protects against negative energy. This necklace also works on non-BtVS entities such as Qliphotic spirits. There are other valid methods that serve a similar purpose who may or may not work in the BtVS universe. As I get more experience myself I may be able to be more specific here. Should you choose to use them for whatever reason, you will have to test them by invoking weaker demons (a generic vampire as an example) and see if that helped. Other methods, include but aren't restricted to, talisman herb satchels, drawing protective sigils on your skin & the less recommended spiritual or holy armor. For particularly powerful foes such as Glory or Qliphotic demon Belphegor Lord of the Dead, should you choose to, you can combine two protective component such as the Slayer necklace and protective sigils that are relevant to the universe in question. BtVS sigils (that I will be creating in the future) won't work in the Qliphoth.

I have not yet any tips on how to deal with BtVS "The First" and for the moment I will simply not summon it.