sumerian-magick

[sumerian-magick]

Gordon White’s Headless Rite

Preparation: Headless Rite

1. The only real requirements is a piece of paper or parchment on which to write the words of power:

AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ 2. Be clean. Be in a space that is clean. (Optional if you are doing this someplace atmospheric like an abandoned train tunnel. Whatever floats your boat.) 3. As for candles and incense, these are largely theatrical. Use new candles if you are going to have any and probably stick to frankincense. For the Four Kings component, if you are performing this outside, I recommend some rum to pour out as an offering. If this is unachievable, then carry the incense with you to each quarter. 4. Locate the constellation Orion. I use one of the many available stargazing apps for this. Even during the daytime, just wave your phone around pointing at the ground until you find it. If anything, having the stars under the earth is more appropriate anyway. You will perform the rite in the direction of Orion.

The Headless Rite

Face north, touch your left temple and then your right temple with the parchment, and read aloud what is written on it six times:

AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ

Then say: 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.

(Note: If you invest in a nice piece of parchment and put some effort into the writing, the first part of the Headless Rite can be used in any number of situations, and the parchment itself becomes something of an apotropaic charm.)

Move from facing north to facing the direction of Orion and continue. I summon you, Headless One, who created earth and heaven, who created night and day, you who created the Light and the Darkness; you are Osoronnophris whom none has ever seen; you are Iabas; you are Iapos; you have distinguished the just from the unjust; you have made female and male; you have revealed seed and fruits; you have made men love each other and hate each other. I am Moses your prophet to whom you have transmitted your mysteries celebrated by Israel; you have revealed the moist and the dry and all nourishment; hear me. I am the messenger of Pharoah Osoronnophris; this is your true name which has been transmitted to the prophets of Israel. Hear me, ARBATHIAŌ REIBET ATHELEBERSĒTH ARA BLATHA ALBEU EBENPHCHI CHITASGOĒ IBAŌTH IA; 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. I call upon you, awesome and invisible god with an empty spirit, AROGOGOROBRAŌ SOCHOU MODORIŌ PHALARCHAŌ OOO. Holy Headless One, deliver me from all restraining daimons and misfortune, ROUBRIAŌ MARI ŌDAM BAABNABAŌTH ASS ADŌNAI APHNIAŌ ITHŌLETH ABRASAX AĒŌŌY; mighty Headless One, deliver me from all restraining daimons and misfortune. MABARRAIŌ IOĒL KOTHA ATHORĒBALŌ ABRAŌTH, deliver me from all restraining daimons and misfortune, AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ. He is the Lord of the Gods; he is the Lord of the Inhabited World; he is the one whom the winds fear; he is the one who made all things by command of his voice. Lord, King, Master, Helper, I call upon you, IEOU PYR IOU IAŌT IAĒŌ IOOU ABRASAX SABRIAM OO YY EY OO YY ADŌNAIE, immediately, immediately, good messenger of God ANLALA LAI GAIA APA DIACHANNA CHORYN. I am the Headless Daimon with sight in my feet; I am the mighty one who possesses the immortal fire; I am the truth who hates the fact that unjust deeds are done in the world; I am the one who makes the lightning flash and the thunder roll; I am the one whose sweat falls upon the earth as rain so that life can begin; I am the one whose mouth burns completely; I am the one who begets and destroys; I am the Favour of the Aion; my name is a Heart Encircled by a Serpent; Come Forth and Follow.

At this point, move to face east and continue on with the invocation of the Four Kings. It is worth mentioning that you can effectively cut the performance into two completely separate standalone rituals at this juncture. I use a variant of the Four Kings ritual below as part of my regular offering practice (more on that in later chapters). If you have rum, pour out a quarter of it as you begin the invocation, otherwise take the joss stick or censer with you as you perambulate the directions.

I invoke the Four Kings of the four corners of the earth. Most noble and ancient spirits, be with me now. O Eastern Oriens, most shining, most excellent King, who reigns over and commands the Eastern Regions, whose Kingdom began with the founding of the world and shall endure until the end of All Things. I conjure and invoke thee by the most high and holy Names of God, do thou here manifest, clothed with all thy power. Oriens, I conjure thee, by the virtue and power of the Creator, and by the virtue of virtues.

Turn around and face west. Pour out some rum. Continue.

O Thou Paymon, King most glorious, who holds powerful dominion in the Western Regions of the Heavens. I conjure and invoke thee by the most high and holy Names of God, do thou here manifest, clothed with all thy power. Paymons, I conjure thee, by the virtue and power of the Creator, and by the virtue of virtues.

Turn back to the north, pour some rum, and continue.

O Thou Ariton, King most strong, whose Mighty Empire reaches into the cold regions of the North. I conjure and invoke thee by the most high and holy Names of God, do thou here manifest, clothed with all thy power. Ariton, I conjure thee, by the virtue and power of the Creator, and by the virtue of virtues.

Face the south, pour the last of the rum, and continue.

O Thou Amaymon, King most noble, ruler of the southern realms. I conjure and invoke thee by the most high and holy Names of God, do thou here manifest, clothed with all thy power. Amaymon, I conjure thee, by the virtue and power of the Creator, and by the virtue of virtues.

Return to face the direction of Orion and finish.

I invoke you all with power and I pray to you with the authority of the One who spoke and who hath made all, and who, with one sole word gave birth to the world and whom all Creatures obey. By the Seat of his Majesty and by the great and august names of the Creator, most noble kings, I ask for your aid and blessing. By the holy name of IAŌ SABAŌTH, whose virtue hath no beginning and will have no end. So be it.

[sumerian-magick]

Hekate’s Open Pathway Spell

This spell is similar to a road opening spell, but uses different herbs than usual and is geared towards Hekate devotees. It calls upon Hekate as Goddess of the Crossroads, the Torch Bearer, and the Keeper of Keys. It is designed for Her to cleanse your pathways, show you the road to take to success, unlock opportunities, and guide you through life. This spell uses herbs and items sacred to Her in order to call upon Her aid.

Decorate your sacred space with keys and other symbols of Hekate. Dress three orange candles with a Hekate oil and arrange them in an inverted triangle. Dress the candles with a mixture of sage, lavender, mayapple/American mandrake, cinnamon, frankincense, dandelion root, and dragon’s blood. These herbs are chosen to bring cleansing, success, and guidance to the witch and are also sacred to Hekate. I also highly recommend adding dirt from a crossroads to the mixture if you can get it, as it is not only traditional in these kinds of workings, but also sacred to Hekate. Sprinkle the mixture of herbs in a line from each candle to the point where the three lines intersect in between the candles. Place a key at this central intersection.

Make an offering to Hekate, this usually can consist of making a libation and an offering of incense. Either one on its own will do, so can candles, food, art, and gifts. Whatever you can afford is perfect. Then pray to Hekate and ask Her to aid you in your working.

Light the first candle and say:

“Hekate Enodia, Goddess of the Crossroads, I beseech thee. Open my roads and cleanse them of blockages, strife, and misfortune. She who guards the many ways, set me on the right path.”

Light the second candle and say

“Hekate Dadophoros, Torch-Bearer, shine your ever-burning lights upon the path to prosperity. Lead me away from evil and misguided roads. She whose flames burn eternal, illuminate the road to victory.”

Light the final candle and say:

“Hekate Kleidoukhos, Keeper of the Keys, open up the doors to opportunity and victory. Grant me luck and good fortune and grant me the key to success. She who is found in every threshold, may no door be closed to me.”

Continue, saying:

“Hekate, Three-Formed Goddess of Witchcraft, hear my prayers. As I light these three flames, whose orange color is bright like the fire of your torches, lend your aid to me. Cleanse my pathways, show me the way, and unlock every opportunity. Goddess Hekate, Bright One, I beg of you, work my spell with all your divine magics.”

Let each candle burn all the way down and carry the key from the spell as a charm. Dispose of any wax or remnants of any kind at a crossroads. When things begin to improve, I recommend making another offering to Hekate to thank Her.

Art by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

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“CONCERNING GATHERING-CUSTOMS OF CERTAIN HERBS.

Traditional herb-gathering methods prescribe certain taboos prior to gathering plants, such as abstinence from sexual activity or alcohol. Both of these prohibitions are of incalculable value, chiefly for the homeostasis of the Aethyric Body as a precondition for the Art Magical, as well as a gesture of devotion and respect. With certain plants, however, additional Tabus form part of their corpus of ancient lore.

LILY, the Blossom of Earth and Holy Herb of Calmena, which must be gathered in purity with the naked hand, or else with blades of silver or gold. The same may be said of Betony, Waybread, Burdock, Violet, and Elecampane. Not only must the blade of iron be absent from the presence of these worts, no iron or steel must be worn upon th eperson as well.

FERN, which by good tradition is gathered at either midday or midnight.

HORNBEAM, which must be petitioned in silent prayer, awaiting a sign of affirmation, elsewise curses shall chase those who disregard its solemn law.

GORSE, whose permission for harvest is petitioned by way of earnest prayer, then entering a hedge thick with its spines. If the branches part before he who would gather the plant, and his flesh is not punctured, then the way is made clear for gathering.

VERVAIN, which by custom is collected when neither the Sun nor the Moon are seen in the sky, and always with the Left Hand. Honey and beeswax are its preferred sacrifices.

BELLADONNA, which must be summoned not only by song but also by great flattery and praise of her Beauty, such that the Genius is seduced. By some customs one must dance naked before the plant at midnight to gain its favour. All offerings of a sexual nature, including fornication upon its ground of dwelling, are in keeping with this custom.

WHITETHORN, like the Lily, is beloved of the Queen of the Earth, and like that blossom, requires great respect when harvesting. By custom, prayerful sacrifices of silk and silver are made before taking wood, leaves, thorns, flowers, or fruit from a tree amid a hedge of its fellows; lone Thorns should not be harvested, but instead worshipped.

MISTLETOE, which ideally has been loosened or blown off its tree of habitation by a storm, is collected with utmost reverence. Requiring the work of two simplers, one must knock the tree from the boughs, whilst another must catch it in a clean silk dedicated specifically unto IXIAS, its governing Genius. Following the dictates of certain elder lore, Mistletoe is gathered on the sixth day of the Waning moon, but its virtue is chiefly solar, rather than lunar, so the station of the Sun should be given consideration.

ADDER’S TONGUE, which, when gathered for the work of Cures, should be harvested at the wane of the moon. The same is true of Root of Burdock.

WATER LILY, which should be plucked with ears plugged, so to avoid the bewitching songs of water-nymphs, and death by drowning. Thus, when approaching forlorn ponds in search of the blossom, a coin of silver should be given the waters before gathering. If the flower is to be used for the work of the Love-Charm, it should be gathered on the Full Moon.

MANDRAKE, gathered alone, most usually in the dark hours, the time of Midnight being preferred, or else during the day at such times as the Sun is eclipsed by shadow. By some magical customs it is dug with a carved ivory staff, by others with the tusk of a boar, still others require the belligerent presence of an Iron Blade. By far the greatest tradition associated with its harvest is the use of a starved dog, jaded by the scent of meat, whose death may result from the offence of the Root and its scream of outrage. The same Tabu, to a lesser extent, governs harvest of the Pæony.”

Viridanium Umbris: the Pleasure-Garden of Shadow, Daniel Schulke

[sumerian-magick]

From Practical Egyptian Magic by Murry Hope

[sumerian-magick]

Hexe –Karl Cauer

[sumerian-magick]

Hecate offerings

For larger altars:

Round cakes decorated with candles

Fish (red mullet and salmon) and cured meats

Red wine and mead

Garlic

Honey

Milk

Breads

Crescent shaped sweets

Pomegranates

Raw eggs

Mushrooms

Dandelion tea

Large candles

A cauldron

Imagery of dogs such as statues, toy dogs, paintings, etc.

Incense (lavendar and myrrh are great)

Graveyard dirt (ask before taking! Do your research before gathering please.)

Snake skin

Animal bones

Mugwort

Wands

For smaller/hidden altars:

Almonds

Foxglove

Mint

Sage

Yew

Rose petals

Lavendar

Cypress and willow leaves

Frankensince

Obsidian

Quartz

Seashells

Black dog fur

Dog nail clippings

Images of dogs (pictures, personal drawings, dog plushies, etc.)

Keys

Personal offerings (nail clippings, hair)

Anything relating to the moon (pictures, keychains, personal drawings, etc.)

Crow, raven, and/or owl feathers.

Actions:

Helping and being friendly to dogs

Donating blankets, food, toys to animal shelters in her name

Volunteering at an animal shelter

Devoting time at night to her (meditate, talk to her, just have some silence for her, etc.)

Sharing your expierences, especially painful ones and your anger or sorrow with her

Study herbs and planting herbs in your garden

Having rituals or casting spells during a dark moon and invoking her

Taking care of graveyards and keeping them clean

Holding a feast for her and having all her favorite foods and drinks

Please feel free to add more, these are what i've personally collected and also what i have thought of.

[sumerian-magick]

1: Do you have an experience calling upon Hecate for love related matters? I’ve had a lot of experience with Aphrodite but I was curious how Hecate (who I am now primarily worshipping) would handle such a thing.

2: I can’t seem to find any love/romance-related epithets for Hecate other than Erototokos, which I’m kind of worried about using because it’s used in the PGM for a coercive love spell, and I don’t want to coerce anyone into anything. Would using that epithet be alright if my intention wasn’t coercive? Are there others you’d recommend instead?

Thank you!!! 🖤🔥🗝🐺

So Hekate is not really historically called on for nice love spells, they tend to be kinda scary ones if She is (Simaetha’s love spell on Delphis comes to mind). I personally know many people who intentionally don’t call on Her for matters of love, as that’s just not really a part of Her ancient cult and they don’t think it’s something She really presides over outside of a binding or magical kind of nature. I would not personally take a Hekatean approach to love magic anymore after some messy results, so I’m not sure I can really help you out.

[sumerian-magick]

Hekate, world soul, goddess of the crossroads and liminal places, smokeless fire, patron of witches. Painting by @spiritscraft -Sara Star.

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Prayer to Hekate Witchmother

Hekate, Thea Soteira

Friend of the broken, the lost and outcast

Light our paths with the bright glow of your torches, fill our souls with the warmth of your sacred fire,

 Light bringer

Mother of Witches, stern and Kind, nurture your children, help us grow into wisdom and power, so that we may carry out your will.

Lend us your voice so that we may speak up for those who cannot,

Lift your shadowy veil, lady of prophecy, and let us peek into the liminal.

Mistress of Magic, bathed in the silver light of Selene,

Bless our rites so that we can protect those who cannot protect themselves and serve justice in your name when those in power are too weak-willed to carry out their duties, corrupted by greed and arrogance.

Hekate, Mighty Goddess of the Crossroads

Blessed be thy name and blessed be thy will!

[sumerian-magick]

Hekate depictions on etsy: she wears a dark hood and black robes and her boobs are out for religious reasons

The Greeks describing Hekate: her dress was fucking yellow

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 […] Circe,  for  example,  does not give Odysseus’ comrades the usual food prescribed by the code of hospitality,  namely  meat  and  wine.  Instead  she  gives  them  a  mixture  of  cheese,  barley  and  honey,  and  Pramnian  wine  (which  is  not  really  wine  but  a  strange  brew;  see  Od.  10,  234–5).  All  this  is  food  more  appropriate  for  the  dead.  By  offering these items, Circe consigns these men to the realm of the underworld.

 - Petropoulos, Greek Magic: Ancient, Medieval and Modern.

Want to curse someone? Give’em cheese.

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It is time for self-reflection and work on oneself. Not the time to look for external validation. Doesn't mean that you can't have some teamwork and a set of people who improve your life.

Make yourself comfortable giving orders and sitting on that throne.

[sumerian-magick]

any suggestions for celebrating walpurgisnacht in isolation?

Surely. If you have a ritual room, lucky you! If you do not, wait until the home is quiet. If you have access to a fire pit, again, lucky you! If you do not, make use of a candle.  If you have access to go to some wild place, lucky you! If you don’t, your living room will have to do.  You might try the Sabbat ritual I have outlined here. But what you might change is that your dancing turns inward, and you lay down in your circle, continuing to chant a transvection charm. Focus your will on flying to Brocken Mount! Lift out of your body and go forth.  You can also do this as you lie down to sleep for the night, if you’re unable to hold any sort of physical ritual. As you lie down, chant internally the lifting charm. Perhaps you slather some ointment on yourself, or drink a tea made from vervain and mugwort. Drift into that between state, between waking and sleep, and observe as your body becomes as one who is dead, while your mind remains awake. Lift out of your body as a spirit, and fly toward the Mountain.  A couple things may happen: You might have strange dreams, you might experience out of body travel and have a very vivid experience of a Sabbat, you might wake up with no memory of anything -- but feel tired.  It is important if you use this latter method that you put protections in place to guard your sleeping body. A bowl of salt water by the bed is very useful, and you may even go so far as to cast a circle around you. If you have a mandrake root, they provide a powerful protection for the wandering witch. 

[sumerian-magick]

The Witching Gods: The Devil and his Faery Dame

Introduction

“The witching gods are the gods who made the gods who made man.” I don’t know where I first heard it, but it rings true: our gods are old…some might say…old as balls.

Who are these eldritch forces of witchery? How did they come to be associated with witchcraft and witches? It is my belief that these old forces have been with us since the beginning, since man first became conscious of the spirits that roamed the universe, and were able to commune with them. The forces were those that struck us in the depths of our mind, mainly the forces of Life and Death, and some darker power behind both of these forces.

These forces were not always associated with witchcraft, of course. This came much later. Before this, they were great spirits of nature, usually worshipped outside of the established, civilized religion of a given society. They had their own folklore among the common people.

In modern traditional craft, these forces tend to be personified as the Devil of the witches, and the Faery Queen. The Devil is associated with death, initiation, transformation, ecstatic dancing and liberation. While the Faery Queen is associated with mirth, mystery, the moon, madness, illusion, divine drunkenness, prophecy, and sexuality. The Devil is usually depicted as a half man-half beastial figure, while the Faery Queen is a beautiful maiden, but sometimes also an old hag.

They have been known by many names throughout Europe and the British Isles. Sometimes these names are regional, and sometimes they relate to classical myth. Naturally, Christianity subsumed these names into quite simply the Devil, but earlier on the Catholics did keep records of some of the names given by the witches and heretics who went on night flights through the air with a host of spirits.

I shall take you through what I know about these gods. However, it is important to go out and meet these great spirits for yourself irrespective of what I write here.

That Spry Old Goat

The Devil of the Witches is the anthropomorphic spirit of death, transformation, and liberation. With his ever-erect phallus, he is also the god of sex, and the rising serpent power of the Land. He often appears as some black beast, most commonly as a goat, but also sometimes as a black dog or cat, and even a toad in certain bits of lore. He also appears with a flame shining between his horns.

He has many names, many of which you, dear reader, already know. Lucifer, Andras, Bucca, Old Horny, Nick, Scrat, Herne, Pan, Cernunnos. He makes his presence known by a whipping wind, and a winding horn, the baying of hounds and the creeping of flesh. When he touches those who pay him homage, one can not help but dance in ecstasy.

He is the Lord of Death. He dies to rise again, shedding his serpent skin, his horns, his leaves, and then returning resplendent when the sun shines bright. He is the Master Turncoat who is able to traverse through many different forms. He can not be caught for if caught he often turns into a pile of dead leaves.

He was there when we first crawled out of the caves, and drew his images on the rocky stones. He was there when we danced with strange nymphs in the hills Greece, dancing to his piping tunes. He was there when we were lifted out of our beds to dance about his effigy in a grand circle under threat of fire and rope. And he is here now. Calling to us, howling for us to join his Faery Rade across the night sky, to revel forever in the halls of the Sabbat Mound.

He is the Two-Faced Janus and Janicot who gazes into the past and to the future, his four horns branching off into the four winds. The Light Between His Horns he can give to his witches who play for him, filling them with his mastery over Death. The light crystallized in the blood so that they can be as gods and live forever.

Queen of the Fairies

The Queen of the Fairies is a major spirit in earlier witchcraft lore of Europe and Great Britain, but during the early modern period the focus of the leader of the witches shifted to simply the Devil. However, there are a few witches who mentioned her, such as Isobel Gowdie and the Andro Man. She is a spirit of the stars, the moon, illusion, sex, and the good folk. As the faery are often associated with the dead, she is also the Elfen Queen over the Dead. She lives within mountains and faery hills, and rides a white horse with silver bells.

Nicnevin is her name, and Diana, Titania, and Herodias, Habondia and Hulda, Anis, and Bride. She appears as a beautiful, alluring maiden whose skin is as white as the moon, and other times as a old hag, who is hollow when seen from behind. She is a tamer of wild beasts, and a granter of strange visions induced by soporific unguents. She makes love to mortal men, and snatches up dead knights whom she fancies.

She is the Lady of Fate, often associated with the noose tightening around our neck and dragging us into Hell. She is there when the red blossoms bloom on the trees, heralding the return of the summer and the time for planting. She is there when the first winds of winter begin to howl through the trees, turning all to death and decay. She is there when the stars shine, and when the moon moves through her phase. She is found in the sweet perfume of roses, and the rotting smell of henbane. She is there the draughts of love, and the poisons of despair. She is there in the sexual yearnings, urgings, and moanings. Every pleasurable orgasm is her delight.

Our Lady of Twilight is the protector, but also the all-devourer. She will consume your mind, and you will write poetry to her (or is it poetry to you?). She will grant you the power of prophecy, and the power to doom kings, and raise kingdoms. Hers is the screech of the owl, fortelling terror. She is also the beauty of the green earth, and the refreshment of the rippling waters. She is what IS at the end of Desire.

A Merry Round: The Sabbat of the Witches

The Sabbat of the Witches is an old rite. I do not mean that the rites that we have passed down are old, rather that the concepts and imagery and effect the rite produces is very old: that of communing with the forces of life and death and the universe. The Sabbat is a convocation of spirits and man and beast. All is ONE within the Sabbat round. Call it a Bacchanale, a Sabbat, Communion, the effect is ONE.  

The Sabbat was sometimes a physical event, and other times a visionary ritual. It has been my experience that both may occur at the same time. That is, if one is a Seer, they may See the One Sabbat occuring while one is performing the rites of the physical Sabbat.

What -is- the Sabbat? The Sabbat, as I have gathered, is a celebratory event of communion between witches and the gods. This consisted of offerings of wines, animals, as well as sexual intercourse and drug offerings (the ointment). Today, these Sabbats are usually (in a British context) held on one of the Old Festival days of Celtic origin. Now we also have added the four equinoxes which have festival occurrences in various cultures of antiquity. In my tradition, we are of both Celtic and Scandinavian descent, so we combine the two (any excuse for a party!).

I will now give a method for participating in the Sabbat based on various sources. I tried to make this as simple as possible, but of course you can make it as elaborate as you like. It is important to note that the imagery you use, the cultural milieu you’re accustomed to, and the folklore you study will affect any visions which appear to you. It is up to you to discern what is truth from these visions. While I write this for the use of one person, the ritual works all the better with more people involved.

A Ritual to Participate in the Sabbat

Lay a circle in whatever way you are familiar with. Have with you in the circle an instrument which you can easily handle while dancing, such as a drum or tambourine. If you’re inside, you might play some music that conjures up Sabbatic imagery to you, but I know a lot of witches who don’t like to use any modern technology in their circles, and that’s fine. Have with you also some representation of the witching gods, which can be either photographs which remind you of them, or statues, or even just a stone or horn to represent the Horned God of the Witches, and a mirror or sea shell to represent the Witch Queen. You can even draw sigils of them with flour on the ground. A traditional symbol for the God is a skull and crossbones, and for the goddess a symbol of the moon.

If you are using a flying ointment or some entheogen, make use of this now. As you do so, whisper an old transvection chant over the substance, such as: “Horse and haddock, horse and go, horse and pellatis, ho ho!”, “Emen hetan, emen hetan!” or “Tout tout a tout tout throughout and about.”

Lay the circle with a candle lit at the center (or, if you are outside, a fire), and when you’re ready to call up the gods of Witching, you might strip yourself of your clothing. This is not strictly necessary, but it certainly gives an old witch feeling to the rite, and hearkens to a time of dancing nude in the forest with strange gods. For me, it divests me of the “civilized” culture of man, and brings me closer to the beastial nature of reality.

There are some beautiful invocations of the gods which can be found in Doreen Valiente’s Witchcraft for Tomorrow, or you can make up your own. Or just simply say names of the gods which you are drawn to in a rhythmic way which may turn into a song you sing as you dance. As you say these invocations, light a candle before each representation of the witch god. Then dance around the icons of the gods you have placed in the center, howling up their names to the heavens. What follows are some traditional calls I know of:

Eko eko azarak Eko eko zomelak Eko eko KERNUNOS Eko eko ARADIA!

O IO PAN O IAO IA IA ARADIA IO EVOE KERNUNO IO EVOHE DIANA

IO DIO HU HAR HYA

Har har hou hou Danse ici, danse la, Joue ici, joue la, SABBAT SABBAT HO!

Dance around the circle, or alternatively something I have found to help, as dancing alone can be rather tiring, sit down and sway in a circle or rock back and forth. This may give way to a visionary trance, and you may lay back and experience this, and possibly lift out of the body to fly to the Sabbat at which point the rest is up to you (you can return with the words I give below).

When you feel the gods and their attending spirits are potently with you (which may manifest as visions of being surrounded by other similarly dressed people upon a hill or mountain, or possibly inside of the hill or mountain. You may feel as though other people are with you, and you might hear other people talking with you. It can manifest in many ways I have discovered), you may begin to commune with them for a time. Share in the Red Meal, and pour the offerings over their icons. If you feel sexually aroused, you might offer your sexual fluids as an offering to the gods. After this sharing of the senses, you might dance again to celebrate your union, dancing and singing, or perhaps you take the time to perform some divinations, or some other form of magic.

You may end the rite with final offerings as you respectfully dismiss the gods and return to physical reality. Run once around the circle and leap over the fire with the words: “Rentum tormentum in the Devil’s name!” to return.

This simple ritual may be done on the full moons, the dark moons, Fridays are also traditional, or upon the traditional festival days. Find what works for you. The Sabbat is always occuring, it is we who join in the dance.

[sumerian-magick]

How do you feel confident in what you believe in? Lately, I feel my connection in astrology and tarot readings have been distant. Maybe it's my own self doubt. 😞

For every step you take towards the craft, it will take a dozen steps towards you.

But for every step you take away from it, it will take a dozen steps away from you too.

Keep enough distance for a while, and it will be too far away to ever be glimpsed again by your eye.

That is why the craft is just a phase for so many. Because it withdraws from you entirely if your commitment is no longer fiery.

Anyone — religious or not — can see fault in a person who calls out to his god only when he is suffering, while the rest of the time, forgetting about praying.

It is the same with the craft. One cannot neglect her tarot deck while in a happy relationship, only to pick it up again after a breakup happens. Her deserted cards will understandably feel uneager to reveal any truths to her.

Do not treat the craft as a hobby, but rather, as a way of life.

Only then will it embrace you and never tell you a word of lie.

[sumerian-magick]

Hi Diana! How would you interpret the Nine of Wands in answer to someone wanting kids?

How to Detect People’s Desires in Tarot

It is the simplest thing. Just look at the card. Observe what the portrait is feeling to know if the person being asked about is eager or unwilling.

Question: Does he want to have kids?

The Fool: About to leap forward. Arms are open. Bravely looking towards the sky. Indeed, he really wants to have kids.

The High Priestess: Looks unimpressed. Arms are crossed. No hint of excitement. No, he does not want to have children.

Ace of Cups: Fountain flowing. Lilies blossoming. Hand offering a cup. Yes, he would like to be the father of your child.

Five of Pentacles: Leaning on crutches. Tattered clothes. Suffering from the cold. No, he feels far from equipped to have kids.

Eight of Cups: Leaving something behind. Moving on. Red clothes for passion. Yes, he wants to have kids. But not with you.

Queen of Swords: Hand open. Sword raised. Looking towards the future. Yes, he is ready for the challenges of being a father.

Nine of Wands: Looks anxious. Is wounded. Holding a weapon. No, he thinks having kids will only bring more difficulties.

[sumerian-magick]

Details from Idill Pompejiben, ca. 1879.

József Molnár (Hungarian, 1821-1899)

Oil on canvas