acerunejournal

[acerunejournal]

hey CT, any chance you can recommend any particular translations of the greater and lesser keys of solomon?

Tbh most of the European grimoire stuff has been translated to hell and back. Even the old waite translations are admirable. I don't have any particular translation I favor when it comes to euro grimoire stuff.

[acerunejournal]

Entering the Magical Current of the Zos Kia Cultus

Attunement

Spare’s grimoire is a concentration of the entire body of his work. It comprises, in a sense, everything of magical or creative value that he ever thought or imagined. Thus, if you posses a picture by Zos, and that picture contains some of his sigilized spells, you possess the whole grimoire, and you stand a great chance of being swept up and attuned to the vibrations of Zos Kia Cultus.

— Kenneth Grant, The Sorceries of Zos from Cults of the Shadow

The Affirmation Creed of Zos vel Thanatos

I believe: ‘I become the potentialities where I made effort… the funambulatory way between ecstasies: The acceptance of all things, in entering all doors and the by-passing: Unto myself only the law I make–the good and evil I affirm: The relatability of all things to ego, the apotheosis of Knowledge in ecstasy: In the Gods and eternal flesh as all truth: That my way is the only way for me, however devious: That… which I have enveloped from me, shall come forth as a potent elemental to my aid. And I believe without reservation in the preservation of my concepts as the media of Ego, from which all things ultimately become. Amen.’

— Austin Osman Spare, The Zoetic Grimoire of Zos

Praxis and Principals of Aosían Witchcraft

Kia

Vacuity

The Doctrine of Eternal Self-Love

The Death Posture

Sigils

The Alphabet of Desire

Atavistic Resurgence

Automatic Drawing

Arbitrary Transference

Elementals and Familiars

First Formula: The Sabbath

Second Formula: The Formula of Plotinus

Third Formula: The Communion of Auto-Ego of Zos

Fourth Formula: How to return Evil to its Source 

Fifth Formula: Of Fortune Telling by Cards (Foretelling by Familiars)

Alternative Fifth Formula: Technique of Fortune Telling

Sixth Formula: Metamorphoses by ‘Death Posture’

Seventh Formula: ‘Transcendental Perspective’ as a means of mediumship and anoëtic analgesia

Eighth Formula: Formula of Arrivism

Ninth and Last Formula: The Theurgy of Zos

Canon of the Zos Kia Cultus

Earth Inferno

A Book of Satyrs

The Book of Pleasure (self-love): The Psychology of Ecstasy

The Focus of Life

Anathema of Zos: The Sermon to the Hypocrites

The Zoëtic Grimoire of Zos

The Logomachy of Zos

Automatic Drawing

Axiomata

The Witches’ Sabbath

* Locate topics within the linked text by using the CTRL + F or F3 shortcut.

[acerunejournal]

Raising the Black Castle

I refer to my circle casting rite as "Raising the Black Castle" and people seemed curious when I mentioned it in a recent post, so I wanted to elaborate on it a bit more. While I won't be providing the exact rite itself, I will present it's format for those interested.

This rite has 3 parts; the carving of the moat, laying the bricks, and ascending/descending the tower(s). It requires 3 key tools, an object made of iron, a knife/blade, and a receptacle of any kind. Prior to working it a relationship is to be built with ruling spirits of the 4 cardinal directions, and the 7 planets (sun, moon, mars, mercury, saturn, jupiter, and venus). As well as having a name/title for the 3 realms (the chthonic realm, waking realm, and etheric realm). The names you choose will depend on your practice. So the way I raise my Black Castle will be different from yours.

Carving the Moat/Cleansing and Hallowing the Space:

This is done using the tool of iron. Using this tool I mark a circle around me, going clockwise. As I do this I say the following chant,

"Spirit of Iron I call to thee, cleanse and mark this space around me."

I may go around the circle once or many times, depending on how much is needed for me to feel the trance process begin. If I do prior meditation or other ritual work this processes begins faster. I then move to the center of the space I marked out and stand tall raising my iron tool high in the sky. I make a declaration that I am consecrating/hallowing this space, then drive the iron object into the ground. Pushing it into the earth as I repeat my declaration 3 times.

This being done I may sit silently and feel the space, or I may ring a bell and declare the space hallowed that way. I always take a moment to pause in some fashion before proceeding.

Laying the Bricks/Calling to the Ruling Spirits:

This next step requires having names and seals for the spirits you are about to call. I use one seal for the 4 directional spirits, and individual seals for the 7 planetary ones. To represent the 3 realms I have a single seal for all 3 I utilize for general use, but if I'm working with a very specific realm I will use it's individual seal when I call them. Before taking up this rite, each of these individual powers should be made contact with in some fashion to receive these names and seals.

To begin, face the north and mark out your seal for the 3 realms. Vibrate their names as you do this. Then call to the spirit of the waking/material realm by name and title. Ask them to make their realm open to you, to allow spirits of their realm to come swiftly when called, and to lend their power to your workings ahead. Rotate about 120 degrees clockwise, and once again mark out the same seal in the air. Again vibrating the 3 names, followed by an evocation of the chthonic power. Repeat this for the etheric/celestial realm.

Move from the circle's center to it's eastern edge. Have your blade in hand, or pick it up in the east. Mark out the seal for the 4 directional powers, and vibrate their 4 names. Beginning with the eastern spirits, then south, west, ending with north. Declare the name of the ruler of the eat you are calling with some of their titles, and invite them to open their gates.

Repeat this in each direction, moving clockwise around from east, to south, west, and ending in the north. Calling to each spirit of that direction by their name and title, asking each to open their gates for your work ahead.

Returning to the circle's center face skyward. Using your blade mark out the seal of the planetary ruler of that day and/or hour. Vibrate their name 3 times as you do this. Then call to them like you did the directional powers.

Having done all this, you may now call any specific spirits you will be working with in the next part of the ritual. When doing so you should know what direction they are best called from, or what planetary current they best align with/work under. Call these spirits from their preferred direction, or down from the heavens. Call until you feel the spirit's presence or receive a clear sign. The pressure in the room should be building from all these evocations. As if by calling in each spirit you are laying brick by brick, building the castle walls. So take your time, and enjoy the process. Especially when first developing this way of laying a circle.

Once all the desired spirits have been called in, ring a bell or sound producing device. Make a declaration that all these spirits are welcome to come in power and stay in peace.

Ascending/Descending the Tower(s)/Moving into the Otherworld:

Having brought all these spirits to the circle's edge, it's time to move into their realm and begin your work with them. Depending on the type of work you will be doing will dictate which directional or planetary gate(s) you will be passing through in spirit. Use whatever methods of trance you desire, inhibitory or excitatory trance. Both work in my experience. In the direction you will being you will place your receptacle, this will act as your gate into the Otherworld. If you are moving through multiple gates, either move the receptacle or have multiple prepared.

Moving out of body in whatever means you wish. When passing through the gates into the tower(s) you will move forward beyond the circle and let the passage come to you naturally. The spirit acting as this gate will present itself how it wishes. Once through the gate, descend if you are working primarily with chthonic entities, and ascend if you are working with celestial ones. If you are working with spirits of the earth and land, move right through the tower and into the environment beyond. Let your vision guide you, and try not to pressure on yourself to see certain things.

Once you settle in a "space" in the Otherworld begin the work you planed to do. Speak to your spirits in mind and in body, also begin any psychical acts of ritual you may need to preform. Then return to your circle, and either proceed through the next gate if needed, or return to the body and let the magic settle. Place any psychical forms of your magic by the receptacle, and then proceed to any final things you need to tend to with your spirits. Give and share in offerings, replenish the body and your energy. As well as bask in the presence of your spirits.

Then make a statement of departure for your spirits. Allowing them to consume what they need to do the work ahead, and then send them off in power. Making it known that they will return again when called. Conclude with the sounding of your bell, letting its ringing hang in the air.

Do what you need with whatever physical works you may have done, tho I try to let them rest for at least a night unless they need immediate tending to. I will also leave offerings out for 1-3 days before clearing it off my altar if possible.

Final Thoughts:

Here is a general format for anyone curious. I have my own personal court and names I use for this rite, and I've developed shortened versions. The ritual itself and it's format isn't anything special or unique, as I take a lot of influence from ceremonial magic's ritual structure, as well of from work of dr Stephen Skinner. I have found tho the process of developing your own spirit names and seals for this rite i developed serves as a type of spirit initiation, as it was a long drawn out process that had many ups and downs which ultimately changed me as a practitioner. I high encourage people to develop personal methods of ceremonial circle casting and spirit conjuration. It's been very rewarding.

[acerunejournal]

astronomical/astrological diagrams

from an astronomical-astrological composite manuscript, alsace, 15th c.

source: Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Pal. lat. 1370

[acerunejournal]

Occult emblems from Mellon MS 72.

[acerunejournal]

Do you mind if I save a copy of this for my personal server? Thanks for doing this!

i have scraped culpepers compleat physician and made a database of the plants mentioned and their planetary associations as given in the text.

it is available as a single html page for offline reference in a browser:

and JSON (more formats soon) on github:

[acerunejournal]

Do you have like a guide to sending your spirit out? I've really been wanting to try it. I've looked online but I can't seem to find anything...

Any astral projection book will help you with this. Sarah Lawless also has a hedgecrossing ritual that is a nice guide for a more traditionally minded witch. 

Again, as I say, I have not been able to do it consciously just by sitting down and doing it. Mostly because I just haven’t taken the time to do so, if I’m being honest. I have to use tools to do so. Detaching the self from the body takes time. Some are naturally gifted with it, and others need to get a little high. 

[acerunejournal]

Obscure Herbs

Here’s a list of rare or lesser-known herbs and their magickal correspondences, many of which are overlooked in modern witchcraft and occult practices.

1. Cock's Comb (Alectorolophus)

• Magickal Uses: Protection, strength, and victory in battles (physical or spiritual).

• Element: Fire

• Planet: Mars

• Associated Deities: Ares, Sekhmet

• Use: Burn as incense before conflict or challenging situations for courage.

2. Asarabacca (Asarum europaeum)

• Magickal Uses: Psychic visions, breaking hexes, uncovering hidden truths.

• Element: Water

• Planet: Moon

• Associated Deities: Hekate, Thoth

• Use: Place under the pillow for prophetic dreams or use in a tea for divination.

3. Balmony (Chelone glabra)

• Magickal Uses: Healing, emotional cleansing, renewal.

• Element: Water

• Planet: Neptune

• Associated Deities: Oshun, Brigid

• Use: Burn in purification rituals or use in healing baths.

4. Birthwort (Aristolochia)

• Magickal Uses: Transformation, banishing negativity, aiding childbirth.

• Element: Earth

• Planet: Saturn

• Associated Deities: Ereshkigal, Demeter

• Use: Used in ancient childbirth rituals; can be burned for removing stagnant energies.

5. Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)

• Magickal Uses: Feminine power, protection of mothers, fertility.

• Element: Earth

• Planet: Venus

• Associated Deities: Hathor, Freyja

• Use: Carried as a charm for protection during pregnancy.

6. Calamint (Calamintha)

• Magickal Uses: Clarity, focus, preventing deception.

• Element: Air

• Planet: Mercury

• Associated Deities: Hermes, Odin

• Use: Burned to enhance mental acuity or added to charm bags for clear thinking.

7. Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea)

• Magickal Uses: Psychic awareness, third-eye activation, dream recall.

• Element: Air

• Planet: Jupiter

• Associated Deities: Apollo, Isis

• Use: Used in dream pillows or burned to enhance trance states.

8. Dittany of Crete (Origanum dictamnus)

• Magickal Uses: Spirit summoning, astral travel, love spells.

• Element: Fire

• Planet: Venus

• Associated Deities: Aphrodite, Hades

• Use: Burned to enhance spiritual contact, especially in necromantic rites.

9. Figwort (Scrophularia nodosa)

• Magickal Uses: Protection against hostile spirits, shapeshifting, banishment.

• Element: Earth

• Planet: Saturn

• Associated Deities: Hekate, Anubis

• Use: Worn as an amulet for protection during spiritual work.

10. Fleabane (Erigeron)

• Magickal Uses: Exorcism, warding off pests (physical and energetic).

• Element: Fire

• Planet: Mars

• Associated Deities: Thor, Sekhmet

• Use: Sprinkled around a home to drive away negative energies.

11. Goat’s Rue (Galega officinalis)

• Magickal Uses: Strength, endurance, prosperity.

• Element: Earth

• Planet: Saturn

• Associated Deities: Pan, Cernunnos

• Use: Carried for perseverance in long-term endeavors.

12. Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea)

• Magickal Uses: Wealth, success, protection of one’s legacy.

• Element: Earth

• Planet: Jupiter

• Associated Deities: Fortuna, Lakshmi

• Use: Used in prosperity spells or worn to attract wealth.

13. Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)

• Magickal Uses: Luck, secrecy, invisibility.

• Element: Air

• Planet: Mercury

• Associated Deities: Loki, Hermes

• Use: Carried to avoid detection in magical workings.

14. Ladies’ Bedstraw (Galium verum)

• Magickal Uses: Love, protection, attracting kindness.

• Element: Water

• Planet: Venus

• Associated Deities: Aphrodite, Freyja

• Use: Placed under the bed to attract love or harmony.

15. Lungwort (Pulmonaria)

• Magickal Uses: Breath control, speaking the truth, strengthening the voice.

• Element: Air

• Planet: Mercury

• Associated Deities: Hermes, Saraswati

• Use: Used in spells for eloquence and clear speech.

16. Masterwort (Peucedanum ostruthium)

• Magickal Uses: Power, dominance, authority.

• Element: Fire

• Planet: Sun

• Associated Deities: Zeus, Helios

• Use: Worn as a talisman to strengthen personal influence.

17. Moonwort (Botrychium lunaria)

• Magickal Uses: Unlocking hidden doors, breaking barriers, lunar magick.

• Element: Water

• Planet: Moon

• Associated Deities: Hekate, Selene

• Use: Used to enhance lunar rituals and to aid astral travel.

18. Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium)

• Magickal Uses: Banishing, repelling unwanted influences, protection.

• Element: Fire

• Planet: Mars

• Associated Deities: Ares, Lilith

• Use: Burned for spiritual cleansing or carried for warding off manipulation.

19. Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris)

• Magickal Uses: Healing, self-improvement, resilience.

• Element: Earth

• Planet: Venus

• Associated Deities: Brigid, Isis

• Use: Used in healing rituals or teas for emotional restoration.

20. Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris)

• Magickal Uses: Warding off curses, preventing deception, protection.

• Element: Fire

• Planet: Sun

• Associated Deities: Apollo, Ra

• Use: Carried to prevent betrayal or used in warding spells.

21. Alkanet (Alkanna tinctoria)

• Magickal Uses: Protection, prosperity, hex-breaking.

• Element: Earth

• Planet: Saturn

• Associated Deities: Hekate, Pluto

• Use: Used in protection sachets and to anoint tools for grounding energy.

22. Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia spp.)

• Magickal Uses: Spirit communication, trance work, crossing between realms.

• Element: Water

• Planet: Neptune

• Associated Deities: Hekate, The Morrigan

• Use: Placed on an altar to enhance dream work and astral projection. (Highly toxic—do not ingest.)

23. Azedarach (Melia azedarach) – Chinaberry

• Magickal Uses: Warding off evil, breaking toxic attachments, commanding respect.

• Element: Air

• Planet: Mars

• Associated Deities: Ares, Kali

• Use: Leaves are carried in a sachet for personal empowerment and protection.

24. Bistort (Persicaria bistorta)

• Magickal Uses: Fertility, purification, emotional healing.

• Element: Water

• Planet: Venus

• Associated Deities: Brigid, Freyja

• Use: Used in fertility rites or healing spells for emotional wounds.

25. Bog Myrtle (Myrica gale)

• Magickal Uses: Psychic enhancement, dream work, repelling negative energy.

• Element: Air

• Planet: Mercury

• Associated Deities: Odin, Hermes

• Use: Burned as incense to enhance lucid dreaming and divination.

26. Bugloss (Anchusa officinalis)

• Magickal Uses: Courage, strengthening the will, truth-seeking.

• Element: Fire

• Planet: Sun

• Associated Deities: Apollo, Thor

• Use: Carried or worn as an amulet to boost confidence and resolve.

27. Carline Thistle (Carlina vulgaris)

• Magickal Uses: Warding off disease, exorcism, strength against enemies.

• Element: Fire

• Planet: Mars

• Associated Deities: Ares, Sekhmet

• Use: Hung in doorways or carried as a charm to ward off malevolent forces.

28. Celandine (Chelidonium majus)

• Magickal Uses: Success, legal matters, prophetic visions.

• Element: Air

• Planet: Jupiter

• Associated Deities: Hermes, Zeus

• Use: Used in court-case spells or placed under the pillow for prophetic dreams.

29. Centaury (Centaurium erythraea)

• Magickal Uses: Strength, breaking bad habits, healing emotional wounds.

• Element: Fire

• Planet: Sun

• Associated Deities: Chiron, Asclepius

• Use: Brewed into teas for spiritual cleansing and breaking negative patterns.

30. Cudweed (Filago vulgaris)

• Magickal Uses: Spirit communication, necromancy, ancestor work.

• Element: Earth

• Planet: Saturn

• Associated Deities: Anubis, Hel

• Use: Burned as incense during séances or placed on ancestral altars.

31. Dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris)

• Magickal Uses: Love, attraction, enhancing charm.

• Element: Water

• Planet: Venus

• Associated Deities: Aphrodite, Freyja

• Use: Added to bath rituals for attracting a lover or enhancing beauty.

32. Elephant’s Head (Pedicularis groenlandica)

• Magickal Uses: Dreamwork, expanding consciousness, energy flow.

• Element: Air

• Planet: Uranus

• Associated Deities: Thoth, Morpheus

• Use: Used in rituals for astral projection and dream enhancement.

33. Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis)

• Magickal Uses: Exorcism, purification, breaking hexes.

• Element: Fire

• Planet: Mars

• Associated Deities: Hekate, Kali

• Use: Burned to cleanse a space or added to baths for spiritual protection.

34. Great Burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis)

• Magickal Uses: Strength in adversity, courage, endurance.

• Element: Earth

• Planet: Saturn

• Associated Deities: Odin, Athena

• Use: Used in talismans for resilience and overcoming hardship.

35. Hound’s Tongue (Cynoglossum officinale)

• Magickal Uses: Binding, loyalty, controlling gossip.

• Element: Water

• Planet: Mercury

• Associated Deities: Hekate, Hermes

• Use: Used in spells to stop malicious talk and encourage faithfulness.

36. Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium caeruleum)

• Magickal Uses: Divine connection, wisdom, accessing higher knowledge.

• Element: Air

• Planet: Jupiter

• Associated Deities: Zeus, Thoth

• Use: Used in meditation to enhance spiritual insight.

37. Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

• Magickal Uses: Peace, balancing emotions, calming conflicts.

• Element: Water

• Planet: Moon

• Associated Deities: Kuan Yin, Selene

• Use: Burned or carried for emotional balance and conflict resolution.

38. Mouse-ear Hawkweed (Pilosella officinarum)

• Magickal Uses: Clairvoyance, invisibility, sharpening the mind.

• Element: Air

• Planet: Mercury

• Associated Deities: Loki, Hermes

• Use: Used in vision-enhancing spells or to increase focus.

39. Pellitory of the Wall (Parietaria judaica)

• Magickal Uses: Breaking barriers, removing obstacles, gaining access.

• Element: Earth

• Planet: Saturn

• Associated Deities: Janus, Ganesha

• Use: Used in road-opening spells to remove blockages to success.

40. Scabious (Scabiosa columbaria)

• Magickal Uses: Protection against deceit, uncovering hidden enemies.

• Element: Fire

• Planet: Mars

• Associated Deities: Ares, Nemesis

• Use: Carried as an amulet for protection in matters of secrecy or deception.

[acerunejournal]

life is beautiful

[acerunejournal]

If you're looking for additional information on working with the weather as part of your practise, I recommend having a look at Debra L. Burris' 'Weather Magic: Witchery, Science, Lore'

You can read a bit of it for free on Google Books to see if you're interested but it covers how to work with:

Whistling Up a Wind

Ocean Currents

Weather Fronts

Clouds

Rain

Snow / Sleet / Hail

Thunderstorms

Lightning

Tornadoes

Hurricanes / Cyclones

And a whole bunch of exercises and activities to do to build your understanding and confidence in doing weather related witchcraft.

[acerunejournal]

I'm working on a 2.0 of the dataset for generating incantations. Mostly cuz the first was a very low effort experiment to see if copying the methodology of TinyStories could be a feasible path to more complex functions in sLMs. And it can! So now I'm distilling a new, human corrected dataset, from spell intentions in order of ascending silliness, and since I'm doing the effort, other humans had to see these before its all dropped into a file and never seen again. Especially fond of the socks one. and the way any one of them can be split in half and still makes its point.

[acerunejournal]

today in public domain books of witchy interest:

[acerunejournal]

Like honestly to my Classical paradigm drawing from the PGM as the source of pretty much every one of the grimoires I work and refer to, an unclean spirit might be as cleanly defined as any spirit that generates miasma. Why would that be? What’s my reasoning for this? First, it certainly doesn’t mean miasma prevents a person from retaining a tight relationship with these spirits or having a beneficial relationship with them. Unclean spirits in my opinion can’t be defined by hostility. They really in my humble opinion be judged as clean or unclean by miasma, as the nature of that word and the root of its usage refers to health and cleanliness. (“Bad air”.) Going back to the reasons for cleanliness procedures and some kinds of phylacteries in particular.

But then we’re getting lost because that term doesn’t carry post-Papyrus and the Demotic Spells. But even if the nomenclature stops that doesn’t mean the phenomenon of miasma does. As the wellspring of the goetic current, the progenitor of almost 99% of magic trads in the Western World (right down to ATR with clear shared heritage in infernal grimoires and necromantic practices as well as folk magic) the idea of miasma has to be related in some way to the categorization of what is clean and unclean.

I also feel like miasma is biased toward referring to only chthonic entities in how people prefer to use the word and is rather rigid and inflexible in that context. A ghost may be perfectly fine until it degrades into something like restless dead, which does generate miasma. I’m not saying ghosts are celestials by any means, but they are chthonic spirits that vary in their levels of “chthonic radiation” if you will.

There’s also a clear distinction between chthonic spirits and sub-lunar spirits. And that has roots in the PGM too! There’s far more categories than the current as it becomws more Christianized. Just look at the protective orison from the Stele of Jeu:

“Subject to me all daimons, so that every daimon, whether heavenly or aerial or earthly or subterranean or terrestrial or aquatic, might be obedient to me and every enchantment and scourge which is from God.” (PGM V. 96-172)

Now, it’s arguable that these are included to sort of organize elementals which are far more accurately segmented and diverse. But they can’t just be referring to elementals. This is clearly a catch-all and is very plainly written. And while some elementals (like fae) may generate miasma, it depends on the crossover between what fae might be versus genus locii. Are genus locii elementals? To me, especially with later tomes like Agrippa and especially Bardon, I feel that elementals are more like enlivened and animated portions of Akasha. (Which is a kind of energy divided by elemental correspondences and what drives the practices of basic Classical Hermetic magic and the spiritual sustenance that can be imparted into food, drink, and air.) It’s a building block of magical universe and ecology. You could argue things like fae are degraded elementals but that’s…just weird to me. Perhaps degraded isn’t the right word, but instead more corporeal. Degraded would imply a bit of a Gnostic and/or Platonic bias in regards to materiality.

And surely basic elementals (not fae) wouldn’t be described as “devils” or even unclean spirits. They are pretty fucking neutral before they are harnessed in specific ways by the Exorcist. And genus locii are an entirely different kettle of fish as a broad term that could cover things like bare bones elementals but also things like The Little People.

Just goes to show you I guess it really depends not only on your paradigm but how things actually turn out in your praxis. And It’s why you shouldn’t go by theory alone while sorting things of this nature out. Some things really just be determined and grappled with based on what happens actually out there with a wand in your hand.

“Unclean spirits” really could mean just about anything depending on where you’re standing and what you’re looking at. Just goes in a zillion different directions. And this isn’t even touching later Medieval practices like infernal evocation and Sabbatic or folkloric trads dealing with the Man in Black. Both of these things, in my opinion, would qualify for being miasmic despite lying outside the paradigm of the Papyrus. But the Papyrus is essentially the “Master Key” to the West which is why it could still be taken at least into consideration!

And the thing is–these spirits are old. Goetic demons are ancient which is why they’re so strong. They’ve just amassed so much power and energy for being around since the literal dawn of creation as fallen angels. And you can’t even be sure these spirits didn’t exist earlier than popular and singular trads picked them up and started harnessing them, maybe even by different nomenclature. But in general the nature of the spirits I’ve just described don’t change and I have to assume that also applies to the state of their cleanliness.

Maybe @ofwoodandbone has some thoughts. Sorry I’m also a bit ill so I could be talking nonsense. Unclean as a method of description for hostility I think is only a cultural byproduct of exoteric Christianity and does not necessarily hold true for spirits as engaged with by the Exorcist. That must be taken into consideration when relating “devils”, miasma, and the spiritually unclean.

Anyway thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

[acerunejournal]

"How can I be a witch/pagan without falling for conspiracy theories/New Age cult stuff?" starter kit

Posts & Articles

Check your conspiracy theory. Does any of it sound like this?

Check your conspiracy theory part two: double, double, boil and trouble.

QAnon is an old form of anti-Semitism in a new package, experts say

Some antisemitic dogwhistles to watch out for

Eugenicist and bioessentialist beliefs about magic

New Age beliefs that derive from racist pseudoscience

The New Age concept of ascension - what is it?

A quick intro to starseeds

Starseeds: Nazis in Space?

Reminder that the lizard alien conspiracy theory is antisemitism

The Ancient Astronaut Hypothesis is Racist and Harmful

The Truth About Atlantis

Why the Nazis were obsessed with finding the lost city of Atlantis

The Nazis' love affair with the occult

Occultism in Nazism

Red flag names in cult survivor resources/groups (all of them are far right conspiracy theorists/grifters)

The legacy of implanted Satanic abuse ‘memories’ is still causing damage today

Why Satanic Panic never really ended

Dangerous Therapy: The Story of Patricia Burgus and Multiple Personality Disorder

Remember a Previous Life? Maybe You Have a Bad Memory

A Case of Reincarnation - Reexamined

Crash and Burn: James Leininger Story Debunked

Debunking Myths About Easter/Ostara

Just How Pagan is Christmas, Really?

The Origins of the Christmas Tree

No, Santa Claus Is Not Inspired By Odin

Why Did The Patriarchal Greeks And Romans Worship Such Powerful Goddesses?

No, Athena Didn't Turn Medusa Into A Monster To Protect Her

Who Was the First God?

Were Ancient Civilizations Conservative Or Liberal?

How Misogyny, Homophobia, and Antisemitism Influence Transphobia

Podcasts & Videos

BS-Free Witchcraft

Angela's Symposium

ESOTERICA

ReligionForBreakfast

Weird Reads With Emily Louise

It's Probably (not!) Aliens

Conspirituality

Miniminuteman

Behind The Bastards

[acerunejournal]

Someone asked "hey CT you said you recognized pages from an occult text in the background of Eggers Nosferatu?"

This one specifically:

This is a page from Mundus Subterraneus by Athanasius Kircher. The occultist character had this page hanging over his mantlepiece.

Kircher is basically impossible to describe without writing a whole essay. Suffice to say he is one of the strangest and most unique thinkers in western history. Mundus Subterraneus, published in 1665, is a geological text. Kircher conceptualizes the earths core as a delta of elemental currents, intertwining rivers of concentrated elemental earth, air, fire, and water, that shift and interact like terrestrial rivers to produce things like earthquakes and ore veins. That is what we see pictured in the page.

The text has a reputation for being visually striking, and it's conceptualization of the interior of the earth was of particular interest to post-paracelcian alchemists like Albin, who spent a lot of time thinking about how gold and silver are produced.

Heres some other images from the text.

[acerunejournal]

Do you have any good book or grimoire reccomendation for using planetary hours in witchcraft and magic? - from someone who is very tired of seeing ~✨new age✨~ "magic" books everywhere

I would point to the key of Solomon which is the source of where most people obtain information on planetary hours. It can be found online for free but if you want a good version go for the veritable key of Solomon by Skinner and Rankine.

I personally use the hours as focal points. So, if I am doing a strictly jupiterian working I stick to the hour of Jupiter on a Thursday. If I was performing a working to attract a masculine male for love I would probably opt to do the working on a Friday at the hour of Mars.

In truth, and this is slightly naughty of me to say, I don’t think planetary hours matter as much in the scheme of things. They are a nice additional factor. Other grimoires such as the sacred magic of abramelin the mage even refute the use of them writing them off as nonsense.

As a busy magician I can’t say my workings have been negatively impacted by working in a different planetary hour.

A good book as an introductory primer to ceremonial magic from the grimoires until Thelema is the complete book of ceremonial magic edited by shoemaker and duquette. The reading lists in that book are also great. It may be worth checking that out if the new age sewage is leaving a poor taste in your mouth.

[acerunejournal]