Date: Wednesday, November 22, 2023. Sun Phase: Setting. Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous at 73% Illumination in Aries. Mansion of the Moon: #1, Al Sharatain, which means “the two signs.” In the Tropical Zodiac, Lunar Mansion 1 extends from 0° Aries to 12°51’22″ Aries. Planetary Day: Day of Mercury. Planetary Hour: Starting in the Hour of the Sun, Ending in the Hour of Venus. Activities:Rite of Purification by Water (Ritual Bath), Tarot Divination, Opening Temple, Golden Dawn Phase of Rituals (Rite of Bringing Down the Light, Qabalistic Cross, Analysis of the Keyword, Invocation of GD and RR et AC Current), Solomonic and Hoodoo Phase of Rituals (Candle Magic, Invocation, Astral Work, work with Spirits), Temple Closing.
I began today’s work with ritual bathing and use of my Hoodoo formula for Cleansing and Protection Soap. The Moon was waxing and Direct, in a good place for magical Operations. I donned my Solomonic robe, Lion Belt, Rosicrucian stole, Jerusalem tallit, Abramelin Crown, and consecrated Cross and entered the Temple.
A friend came to me in a desperate state today, saying that she was suffering from both significant emotional distress and physical symptoms that made her feel unable to breathe. She also reported feeling very uncomfortable in her home and having suicidal thoughts. I first advised her to go see a doctor. She said that she had done so and they had been unable to find a physical cause for her breathing problems. She had taken an SSRI to help with her depressive ideations, but it was not enough. She continued to have significant suicidal ideations — thankfully, with no current plan or timeline — but still disturbing to her. She told me that she was “praying for God to keep me sane because I’m totally mentally ruined and had a nervous breakdown…”
From time to time, I try to help out a friend in need in a situation like this as part of the fulfillment of my Second Order Rosicrucian commitment to “heal the sick, and that gratis.” In the past, this same friend had come to me asking for guidance and had almost always completely disregarded the advice given to resolve her magical problems. This resulted in her situation getting increasingly worse. As she was particularly desperate and panicking today and needed an urgent solution, I agreed to do some magical work to help her myself as best I could with my limited ability.
She consented for me to first do a divination to attempt to ensure that I was correctly understanding the situation before intervening. I gave water Offerings and Incense to the Divine in the name and honour of all of the Spirits in my Spiritual Court including my Ancestors, certain Saints, 9 Archangels, and the 7 Olympic Spirits. I then sat down in the Temple and prayed over the cards while shuffling and asking the question “What can X and I do to help improve her physical and spiritual situation?”
The Tarot cards provided the following spread:
To me, the cards told the following story: Out of despair, suffering, disappointment, and feelings of abandonment (Eight of Cups), my friend had listened to a series of magicians who gave her poor and reckless advice, often with ulterior motives (Three of Cups Reversed). I got the sense that one of these was a man who was draining her. She had reached out to them in the hopes of getting some illumination, insight, vitality, and a positive outcome (the Sun). However, as a result, she was foolish in the negative sense (Fool Reversed), took reckless magical actions and trusted the wrong people, and was hit with injustice and the consequences of her own actions (Justice). I asked her if she had ben wronged by a man recently, given the man on the Justice card, and she confirmed that she had just gotten out of a relationship with an abusive man. She confirmed him as the man who had been draining her energies (the image I had was of a vampire, not literally, but energetically and emotionally).
As a result of all of the above, particularly her ill-advised magical actions, she had exhausted and complicated her life and, if the situation remains on its current course, will be doomed to end up completely sleepless and exhausted (Four of Swords Reversed). When I told her this point, she confirmed she was already having difficulty sleeping due to her physical issues and anxiety, as well as the feeling in her home, which was uncomfortable. When I heard her mention having difficulty breathing at night, I recommended speaking with her doctor to rule out Sleep Apnea. The key point was that she had tried many things spiritually to improve her situation, but come up completely dissatisfied and fruitless; she was also low on money and concerned about her financial dependence on her mother (Seven of Pentacles Reversed). The reversed image of the mother and child in the stained glass window on the Four of Swords Reversed suggested to me that she was also exhausted with the situation of conflict with her mother; she confirmed that this was the case.
Her Hopes and Fears card was the Devil Reversed, which, to me, suggested that she hoped to be able to break free from the chains that bind her, both spiritual and physical, and feared not being able to do so. I also asked if she had been experimenting with demonic magic, which she confirmed that she had. I asked if she had taken proper Solomonic precautions as the Fool Reversed suggested she had not; she confirmed she had not and had instead used the reckless and foolish Gallery of Magic books to conjure malevolent daimons.
The cards suggested that if she wanted to improve her situation, she would need to put a complete stop to all of her magical activities based on the bad advice and reckless ways of working and find a new direction (Chariot Reversed). This would involve having to change her belief system and adopt some new ideas, but it would be beneficial to her if she would take the time to do this proper reflection (Ace of Swords Reversed).
I then checked in with my Spiritual Court to see what could be done magically and did a clairvoyant remote viewing of her situation with her consent. I saw a heavy dark weight in her heart area, as if physically pressing down on her heart and chest. I also saw three dark Spirits in her room, but they appeared to be hiding behind a murky blue-black cloud, so I could not see them clearly. Magically, my Spirits indicated that we would need to do some cleansing and uncrossing work, some Road Opening, and some Healing. Then she would have actions to take on her side.
With her consent, I proceeded with the ritual work to try to help improve the situation. Opening the Solomonic Temple, I was guided by my Spirits to a set-up on my Tablet of Lights (Balthazar’s old method). I was guided to draw a sigil of my friend’s name at the center in the shape of a Cross. Above this, I was to draw a door opening with two doors to signify Road Opening, with light coming out of the door. I was to draw a Rose Cross at the bottom with Rays extending from it to connect with the letters of the Name Sigil. Then to draw the Sigils of Raphael and Michael from the Heptameron grimoire, diagonally, forming a kind of Triangle around my friend’s Name. I was then shown two Sigils signifying Healing and Uncrossing, which were added by Raphael and Michael’s sigils respectively. Consulting with the Spirits of Herbs and Roots, I was guided to use a combination of Mint, Comfrey and Rue for cleansing and uncrossing along with Self-Heal and Angelica for healing and reinvigoration, as well as to balance out the harsher force of the Rue. A purple candle was anointed with Van Van Oil for Road Opening and Uncrossing and the additional Herbs. An off-white candle was anointed with Healing Oil and the herbs. A central yellow candle was used to represent my friend and dressed with the Van Van and Healing Oil while pulling down the oil and herbs. The statues of Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael were placed in a Triangle around the ritual set-up. The residual herbs were sprinkled along the Triangle for manifestation and protection of my friend.
I then opened the Temple and was moved to begin with a series of Golden Dawn and RR et AC rituals with my Lotus Wand prior to the Solomonic work. These included the Rite of Bringing Down the Light, Qabalistic Cross, Analysis of the Keyword, Invocation of GD and RR et AC Current for aid in the healing work in service of another ahead. After these workings, I felt centered, calm, harmoniously grounded, and energized.
I then moved to the Solomonic and Hoodoo work. I proceeded through Conjurations of Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael and vibration of their names. When the atmosphere in the Temple began to feel noticeably lighter, more refined, vibrant, and spiritually luminous and I felt the presence of the Angels, I ceased the conjuration phase. Patchouli incense was lit and offered to the Spirits as thanks in advance for their help and to provide protection to my friend and the central friend candle was suffumigated with it. Holy Water was sprinkled and the set-up was thereby Consecrated and Purified. Crosses were drawn with the Water to link the Archangels to myself as the Operator on the heads of the statues and my own forehead. I then proceeded through Psalm recitation, multiple petitions, requests, and calling on the Angels to assist with different aspects of the work ahead, from Michael assisting with uncrossing and binding and banishing the dark Spirits I had seen in my friend’s living space, to Gabriel and Raphael helping with Road Opening, healing and physical and emotional restoration to the extent that was possible.
Van Van is an old hoodoo formula for oil, incense, sachet powders, and washing products that are designed to clear away evil, provide magical protection, open the road to new prospects, change bad luck to good, and empower amulets and charms. It is the most popular of the New Orleans or “Algiers style” hoodoo recipes.
As I had explained to my friend, with physical healing, there are no guarantees as there are many factors that shape the development of physical ailments and not all of these are in the hands of the Magician, but we can do our best to assist Nature and the Spirits at-play in a situation.
I went through a phase of singing worship and praise to God and invoking Divine Power. Then I continued to pray and invoke while ringing the Solomonic Bell of Art repeatedly and intensely around the two offered candles and in rings around the central friend candle. The lights of the candles began to swell with great power and vibrance. I then tuned in clairvoyantly and did some Astral work on the situation. I saw positive signs — the heavy ball of darkness that had been over my friend’s heart was gradually weakened, dispersed, and completely lifted. I checked with the spirits and they confirmed that this was actually the product of a curse from another magician; not a male as I suspected, but a female. So, the uncrossing was completed.
I then saw the Angels moving in on the three Spirits in the room. I began to do very forceful and severe bindings on those three spirits to support the Angels from afar. Thankfully, this process was aided by the fact that the waxing Moon was in the Mansion of Al Sharaitin in my Sun Sign of Aries; this Lunar Mansion “provides the impetus to move forward, to overcome inertia and change the status quo” as per Christopher Warnock and Agrippa says it is good for “destruction” and subduing hostile forces.
Thereafter, the miasmatic “cloud” that had been obscuring the 3 dark Spirits lifted and I saw them in more detail. The Spirits were beyond any particular form, but in my Spirit Vision, they presented as being two males and one female. The female had black long hair and wore black. She had a severe expression and had shifting quality that later became clear. One of the “male” Spirits presented as wearing red and a crown with a skull-like face. The other appeared to be wearing a blue or purple robe and thin. After the bindings were completed, I saw and felt these three Spirits being cast out of the place and sealed to be unable to return. I saw the Angels working on my friend’s sinuses, nose, and lungs, but I did not see any certain signs that this problem would be resolved like the others. After doing additional prayers and invocations, I finally thanked the Angels and closed down the Temple.
Results of the Operation:
2023-11-23: After the ritual was done, and without telling my friend anything that I had done or anything I had observed, I asked her to share how she felt while I was away doing the rituals. As she lives in another country, she shared her impressions in a message to me, sharing the following. Interestingly, she immediately mentioned that a problem in her chest and heart area — which she had never mentioned to me, but which I had observed Astrally during the ritual — was resolved as the Vision had shown it was:
“Emotionally, I feel better, warmer like there’s some healing band aid to the open hole of my chest area that was always constantly in pain and made me feel like I couldn’t breathe. I think the chest heart pain is almost gone that’s what I can highlight! I had severe heavy pain like physically hurting out of the energetic pain in the chest area… I couldn’t take a deep breath at all because of the tension. Now, the constant and deep pain that was stored in my chest by the emotional damage and mental attachments I have had for my abusive ex, the confusion and distortions about them and the relationship, are gone finally!”
Interestingly, about this same ball of dark energy over the heart that I had seen, she said “Yes, my feeling of it was as a heavy black or grey sphere of darkness that was stuck and sucking on my heart. Funny enough, I had a dream about this two weeks ago…” She had never mentioned this dream to me.
I then asked if she had been cursed by anyone to her knowledge. She confirmed that she had, by an ex-friend. She was amazed when I asked if this was a female friend, which she confirmed that it was, just as I had seen in the Spirit Vision. This friend even had a sympathetic link to use to curse her and the knowledge of how to do so; indeed, it had been confirmed that she had done so by a mutual friend. I confirmed to her that this curse had been uncrossed, which was why she felt that alleviation over the heart area. She expressed tremendous relief at this news.
Next, I asked how the space of her room felt. She said “I feel it’s improved! Before, it felt unsettling, anxious, cold, chaotic, heavy, dark, isolated, lonely all the worst things you can imagine, ugh! Now it’s settled and more harmonized like there’s some invisible cloud of protection here now. Like the crust of the darkness is dispelled and dissolved like those ads for laundry detergent…”
I told her about the three dark spirits I had seen and asked if she had dealt with a female spirit whom she felt did not wish to leave. She told me that “a few days ago, I was led to, take my photo off the wall. I had drawn the name of (the female spirit) on the back of my picture when I worked with her in the past to connect her to me. I had been told by two other magicians — some of those people who gave me bad advice from the Tarot reading — to work with her to improve my situation, but she didn’t help at all. I stopped working with her like 2 years ago, but forgot all about it until a few days ago. At that time, I started to feel like this symbol was holding me hostage almost, and I decided to burn it. I ripped the picture up and burned it, praying to Michael to free me from all her chains and crossed conditions. After that happened, I was in another state of my country and got involved in a big conflict and almost killed. I felt like she was attacking me…” I had not known about any of this before, but confirmed to her that this was the female spirit who had was now gone.
As for the other two male spirits, these were revealed to be Paimon, the 9th Spirit of the Lemegeton’s Goetia and another Goetia daimon, whose name I will not repeat, that she had called upon using Gallery of Magic methods with no Solomonic protocols, Circle, Triangle, or ritual equipment. I reminded her that this is why I told her not to mess with the Gallery of Magic materials in the first place because they are reckless, foolishly conceived in terms of safety and sound magical design, and lack the necessary Solomonic protocols to safely work these notoriously difficult spirits. Clearly, she had failed to successfully execute the License to Depart and sending away of these 2 spirits and they were basically lingering and draining her for their own amusement. She promised me that she would never use the Gallery of Magic methods again and never call Lemegeton’s Goetia spirits again as she is not able to bind and contain them safely. The good news was that they were bound and banished with the help of the 3 Archangels and Rootwork methods, so they would not bother her anymore.
Depiction of the 9th Spirit of the Lemegeton’s Goetia grimoire Paimon as a crowned figure riding a Dromedary.
Finally, however, when it came to the physical symptoms in the nose and sinuses, I had my doubts if the ritual had worked. Indeed, my friend confirmed this — she continued to feel the same dryness and stuffiness in her nose and sinuses. I reminded her that physical healing with magic is extremely difficult — quite like the other thaumaturgic domain of lottery magic. While we can shift probabilities with magic, the results are often not guaranteed, despite our and the Spirits’ best efforts and intentions. I told her that these symptoms might even worsen for a while before she sees any progress; this was predicted in the Tarot reading. However, I told her that if in doubt at all, to not hesitate to go to the hospital, especially if she feels she physically cannot breathe. She agreed and thanked me for my help.
All credit for whatever positive results we had I offer to my Spiritual Court and Ancestors, with special thanks to Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael and all glory to the Lord of the Universe. I assume no responsibility for any of these, only for whatever errors I may have made that negatively impacted the intended results of the Operation. From what I could tell, the Uncrossing, Road Opening, Deliverance, and Spiritual and Emotional aspects of the Working were all successful, but the physical healing results were at best mixed — some of the difficult breathing was improved and physical chest pain was completely eliminated, but the sinus dryness and stuffiness continue to be problems.
The mixed nature of these results, I attribute, not to the spirits, but to the limits of my own abilities and the notoriously difficult nature of physical healing magic as a whole.
After having three people near me require healing in a short period of time and wanting to help them as best I could, I plunged into analyzing 13 different Conjure and Rootwork Formulas for Healing Oil in an attempt to better understand how they work so that I could optimize a Healing Oil to help those around me.
Having created my own 11-Herb formula, I designed a method that would enable me to promote the healing of three individuals within the same working. The method ended up being a hybrid form of Solomonic magic and Rootwork, which, combined with the Healing Oil formula, ended up producing results which, to me, were nothing short of amazing…
B. Talismanic Design: At the Crossroads of Health and Illness
As the base of this method, I opted to use my consecrated Tablet of Lights, which I made following Balthazar’s (2018) Solomonic Conjure method. This method involves consecrating a dedicated surface (e.g. large white plate in my case) using formulae from the Key of Solomon adapted to the task (Peterson, 2004).
In Balthazar’s original method, consecrated chalk markers are used to draw relevant symbols–often Key of Solomon Planetary Pentacles relevant to the task at hand–on the Tablet of Lights. I have previously used such chalk markers, which I consecrated along with white chalk on the Day of Epiphany both in my own home Temple and by Mass at Church using hybrid elements of the Key of Solomon, Carmelite Chalk Blessing, and Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses (Peterson, 2016). However, today, I opted to use consecrated glass markers, that is, markers that are water-soluble, so can be washed off, and useful to write on both glass and ceramic, as well as dry-erase markers. Both ended up tracing very clear and vibrant lines on the Tablet service, which can be helpful information who are looking for a tool for this purpose, that is, to inscribe magical figures in a robust but non-permanent manner.
More and more, however, instead of lifting Pentacle designs for the Tablet from particular grimoires as in Bathazar’s original method, I have been communicating with my Spirits and asking them to guide me to draw the design needed for the ritual at hand. The idea is to continue to work within the scope of the tradition, but enlivened, guided, and tailored by the relationships I have with my Spirits. These designs seem to “flow from the pen,” one part at a time, as if the Spirits were saying “draw this. Now write this name. Now draw this.” Then, looking back at it, the whole gestalt or pattern comes into view, but not from a place or rational forethought, calculating, or planning-in-advance, like an epiphany or a vision.
To quote the Science Photo Library: This is a “17th century engraving symbolizing the search for knowledge in alchemy. The naked figure is the god Mercury or Hermes, the messenger of the gods. In each hand he holds a caduceus, his symbol. The two other men carry a sword with a serpent wrapped around it, and a sword with a cockerel on it; these are both symbols associated with Aesculapius, the god of medicine. The Sun and Moon represent the two alchemical essences. In Greek mythology, Hermes was believed to have power over sleep and dreams. Aesculapius was believed to dispense medical knowledge by using dreams. Image from 1677.”
In this case, I was drawn to produce a form that started out with the structure of a Caduceus, referencing healing and Hermes Trismegistus, and therefore, magic. However, this design omitted the serpents. Instead, another “pole” was added to form a Cross with a Rose in the Center, in refence to the Rose Cross. The Fama Fraternitatis, one of the fundamental manifestos of the founding of Rosicrucianism, says that Rosicrucian Brotherhood do not “profess any other thing than to cure the sick, and that gratis.”
As this was a ritual for healing done for free, out of love and a wish to be of service, it seemed appropriate. In addition, in reference to the Caduceus, it is worth noting that I did not know this at the time, but it was revealed to me later that another reason the Spirits had me draw the Caduceus is because the Waxing Moon was moving from the Lunar Mansion of Al-Iklil (the Monkey, for protection) and into the Lunar Mansion of Al-Kalb (the Caduceus – to heal and prevent illness) at the very time I would end up performing the candle working…
The Three 3 Initial Rosicrucian Manifestoes: the Fama Fraternitatis (1614), the Confessio Fraternitatis (1615), and The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz (1616). It’s worth noting, as Samuel Robinson has pointed out, that there is also a fourth Rosicrucian Manifesto, which is the Speculum Sophicum Rhodostauroticum (1618).
In addition, the Crossroads and the 5-Spot pattern of Hoodoo inspired the structure of this Talismanic figure. At the top, a golden Sun was drawn to symbolize both Keter as the Sephirotic Source of Light in the Kabbalistic system and the Light of Healing, itself a reference to the Golden Dawn Neophyte Grade Ritual (“the Light hath Healing in its Wings”).
The Caduceus wings have seven sections, seven for the 7 Planets, 7 Archangels of the Heptameron/ Lucidarium system, and 7 Olympic Spirits of the Arbatel system. When I reached out to the Archangels and Olympic Spirits to see who would assist with this work, the two triads of Raphael-Michael-Sachiel (Mercury-Sun-Jupiter) and their corresponding Olympic Spirits (Ophiel-Och-Bethor) stepped forward.
Therefore, the Angels’ names in Hebrew were included alongside the Olympic Spirits’ standard Sigils from the Arbatel. Finally, a powerful Divine Name of healing, YHVH Rapha (“God of Healing”) was included at the top of the Talismanic figure, to rule over and energize all of its contents, as well as to drive the “energy” of the healing involved in the ritual itself.
The herb “Self-Heal,” a central ingredient in my personal Healing Oil formula.
C. Foci and Curative Aims: The 3 Targets of the Work and Their Ailments
This hybrid ritual was targeted at three individuals, all of whom I know and care about, two here in Montreal, and one, a friend in Nigeria, Africa.
First, J.P., here in Montreal, has been complaining of “muscular pain going down my sides, great nausea making me throw up and making it hard for me to keep any food down, and disrupting my sleep…” His ailment was a physical one that impacted his psychological experience (e.g. by disrupting sleep).
Second, C.L., also in Montreal, has been suffering from “a burning feeling in my mouth, swelling around my gums, redness, pain, and a general lack of energy, like I’m exhausted all of the time and can barely get anything done…” Therefore, her issue was both physical and psychological.
Finally, C.O., in Nigeria, Africa, has been struggling with a debilitating “pain in my waste and stomach which makes me barely able to stand up, it’s so bad…” This is a strongly physical issue that is causing him significant distress.
I advised all three individuals to consult their doctors about their issues and explained that if needed, I would recommend them to consult a doctor afterwards as well. In addition, I explained to all three people that my approach is one of holistic healing, that is, combining (1) Western medicine with (2) herbalism, and (3) the spiritual, magical, and alchemical uses of herbs. They agreed.
D. Fixing the Candles and Preparing the Body: Ritual Preparation and Set-Up
Having already infused and prayed over my 11-herb Healing Oil, I set it out along with 3 light-blue candles. In Rootwork, light-blue is a colour that is used in candle magic for healing, peace, and spirituality. Each of the three people to be healed was designated their own candle. I took a pin with a light-blue head at the end of it, and used this to inscribe each candle with the aim of the working for that person. In addition to their full names, the following specifications were inscribed in their respective candles:
For J.P.: “healing, no pain, no nausea in stomach, good appetite, joy, freedom, peace.”
For C.L.: “healing, no burning, pain, or swelling in mouth, energy, joy, peace, love, free.”
For C.O.: “healing, no belly pain, no waist pain, freedom, peace, joy.”
While carving the candles, I looked at photos of the targeted person and repeatedly focused on seeing the candle as an extension of that person, such that my work on the candle connects back to them. I continued to pray until all three candles were inscribed.
Thereafter, I dressed each candle with some left-over 11-Herb Healing Blend and the 11-Herb Healing Oil, drawing the Oil towards me as I dressed it to symbolize drawing the healing towards the client, and ensuring the Oil and Herbs were thoroughly rubbed into the candles.
The bottoms of the candles were warmed and they were then stuck to the Tablet of Lights to fix them in their positions.
The Tablet fixed with the candles was then placed on the dedicated spirit table I have reserved for Raphael and Ophiel in my Temple Room. As noted above, consulting the Archangels and Olympic Spirits, I inquired who wished to help with the healing work at hand and the Jupiter Archangel Sachiel and Sun Archange Michael and the Arbatel Olympic Spirits Bethor, Ophiel, and Och indicated that they would be willing to assist. Therefore, I included the 3 Angels’ statues and the 3 Olympic Spirits’ Arbatel Sigils on the table as well.
In addition, a candle was anointed with Healing Oil and fixed to be offered up to God on behalf of the Spirits, as well as water to refresh them, offerings of Herbs to energize them, and Sandalwood incense. Finally, stones connected to my work with these different Spirits were also included on the table as loci of their power and symbols to bolster the sympathetic resonances of Jupiter, the Sun, and Mercury to be called upon.
In terms of ritual preparation, it is worth noting that 3 days of Cleansing Herbal Baths were completed followed by 7 Nourishing Herbal Baths each night. No alcohol was consumed during this time. No drugs either. Abstinence from masturbation, etc. was also strictly maintained. Food was eaten in moderation.
On the day of the Ritual, I took a purifying Herbal Bath while praying and cleansing myself with Hyssop, Rue, Basil, Mint, Rose, Lavender, and Cocoa Butter. Donning my standard Solomonic regalia, I put on my white robe, Lion Skin Belt, priestly stole, a white cloth wrapped around my head, with my Abramelin Crown over that. Under the robe, I wore my Medallion with the 7 Archangels and 7 Olympic Spirits upon it, anointed in Fiery Wall of Protection Oil. I was nudged to also include the Bell of Art, my Solomonic Wand, and a Wild Turkey feather foraged during my time in Ontario. I brushed my teeth and put on cologne to remove any unappealing odours that might displease the Spirits, a method inspired by Dr. Stephen Skinner. Then I entered the Temple to begin the work.
D. By Invocation, Oil, and Flame: A Hybrid Solomonic-Rootworking for Healing
Date: Wednesday, August 31, 2022. 10 PM to 2:30 AM. Planetary Timing: Oil and Powder made in the Day and Hour of Mercury. Consecrated and empowered and candlework for healing done in the Hour of Jupiter given work to be done with Sachiel and Bethor. Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent in Libra, good for bringing balance and harmony to situations magically (e.g. health to bodies imbalanced by symptoms and disease). Lunar Mansion:Al-Iklil (the Monkey, for protection) on cusp of Al-Kalb (the Caduceus to heal and prevent illness).
Having completed my Ritual Bath and put on my ritual clothing, I entered the Temple and begun the ritual by delivering a battery of knocks on the Raphael spirit altar and on my Ancestor altar. I asked my Ancestors to assist in the healing work to be done and asked for the Ancestors of the three people in question to also come to their aid.
I then picked up the Bell of Art and rang it repeatedly in a Cross Formation while saying “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…” I then proceeded through a series of extensive prayers to God as Adonai Rapha, the Lord of Healing, asking for His aid, that He might be glorified through the miracles of his healing work in these three people’s lives and cited multiple healing miracles in the Bible as testaments to Divine Power and asking that similar works be done here. As a side note, the method of citing relevant stories or historiolae (a kind of incantation incorporating a short mythic or scriptural story that provides the paradigm for the desired magical action) as precedents in magical work is discussed in detail in Agrippa’s Third Book of Occult Philosophy.
Next, through prayers by the Divine Names pertaining to healing (YHVH Rapha, Adonai Rapha, and El Elyon Rapha), I called the Angels and Olympic Spirits and throughout used Divine Names of Healing, Adonai Rapha, YHVH Rapha, El Rapha. I lit the Spirit offering candle and 3 Sandalwood sticks symbolizing 4 different triads of 3: One candle for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; One candle for Michael, Sachiel, and Raphael; one candle for Och, Bethor, and Ophiel; One candle for J.P., C.L., and C.O. I offered the candle and incense to the Most High God in their names and then invited the Archangels, Guardian Angels of myself and the 3 targets, the Olympic Spirits, and the Ancestors of myself and the three people to find in them sources of power, refreshment and fuel for their work. The herbs in the Oil and glass of Water were similarly offered with additional prayers said over them.
Next, I cleansed all of the tools and myself with a combination of Solomonic Holy Water made by myself according to the method in the Key of Solomon and some Holy Water consecrated by a Catholic priest and gathered from a Cathedral.
I then asked for the Angels’ and Olympic Spirits help to empower the Healing Oil in the bottles on the altar and anointing the candles, as well as the Healing Sachet Powder also on the table, with the virtues of healing as specified by the Roles of the spirits of the Herbs included in the Healing Oil (please see my article on Healing Oil for more details). I asked for God’s healing power and will to extend the Good and Love to enliven and empower the Oil and Powder as well. I then anointed the heads of each Archangel, my own forehead, and the Sigils of the Spirits with some of the Oil to create a connection between them, myself, the Oil in the bottles, and the Oil on the candles symbolizing the three people to be healed.
Next, I lit the candles for the three people to be healed and prayed that they be linked to their human targets in order to benefit and heal them. I picked up the Turkey Feather I had personally ceremonially gathered while out in a forest, holding my Solomonic Wand in the other hand, and began to use the feather to rhythmically and repeatedly waft the exorcised and consecrated Sandalwood spoke over the Angel statues, Spirit Sigils, Bottles of Healing Oil, Jar of Sachet Powder, myself to cleanse me as the practitioner, and the Tablet of Lights and three Candles of the people to be healed.
While doing so, I prayed personalized prayers for J.P. C.O., and C.L. in turn, praying about exactly which aspects of their bodies and minds needs healing (e.g. for J.P., his belly pain, nausea, and appetite to be healed, and for peace, joy and a feeling of comfort to come to his mind; for C.O. for his waist and belly pain to be healed and for his mind to be filled with peace, joy, freedom from worry and physical pain; for C.L. for her mouth to be free from burning, pain, and swelling, for her lethargy to be enlivened with energy, and for peace, freedom from physical and mental ailments, and a feeling of comfort to fill her mind).
Next, I recited prayers for the Sick from Agostino Taumaturgo, as mentioned in the Healing Oil Article. This was followed with praying Psalms 147, 46, and 27 over the Oil, Powder, and Candle work.
Finally, I asked the Angels and my own Guardian Angel to coordinate with the 3 targets’ Guardian Angels to coordinate their healing, and for my Ancestors to work with their Ancestors to effect their healing as well. I asked each of the 11 Herb Spirits included in the Oil to assist with each of their roles and the 3 Olympic Spirits to help assist the healing in each of their spheres (e.g. Mercury – changing illness to health, governing the crossroads of sickness and health, assisting communication with doctors as needed, etc.; Sun – bringing healing light into the situation, illuminating the causes of the illness and obstacles to health so that the Lemongrass can clear them as a road-opener; Jupiter — expanding health and joy and peace of mind) working in concert with the Archangels. I then prayed more prayers to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit again praying for the healing with total confidence that it would come about and giving thanks in advance for the wonders to follow.
I then recited a final series of prayers, closed the Temple, and invited the spirits to continue to enjoy the Offerings while completing their work.
E. Carromancy: Reading the Wax
Examining the candles the next day, I was surprised to see that J.P’s candle was still burning, many hours longer than usual. This suggested to me that the Spirits were still working on him. In addition, I I noted winged forms in the wax that reminded me of Angels, suggesting their work in intervening in the situation. The wax flows that were circular were largely clockwise, suggesting that the work was being done and the healings were progressing. Some substantial wax floods had appeared near C.O.’s candle on the left, suggesting that the impact of the work might be more significant than expected. Finally, some petal-shapes were observed near all three candles, suggesting positive results would flow out of this work. The days that come brought results greatly in harmony with these ‘pictures in the wax.’
Appearance of the wax the next morning, with J.P.’s candle still burning.
E. Astonishing Results: Documented Healings in Action
The next morning, I woke up feeling grounded and a deep and sustained sense of well-being that stuck with me the whole day. I did not remember the last time I felt this clear, joyful, and at peace… I wondered if this might have been an outcome of the ritual, being in the presence of the Angels and Spirits, Divine blessing, the power of the Herbs in the Spiritual Baths, or a combination of all of the above. Either way, I was grateful for it.
I reached out to C.O. first in the morning and asked how he was feeling since I completed the ritual on his behalf. As he was so far away, I could not get some Healing Oil to him, at least not as urgently as he would need it, so the results that he would share could only have come from the candle working, prayers, and intervention of the Spirits.
I was filled with awe at what he shared, for the Lord and Spirits had acted quickly… C.O. said that “My condition has improved tremendously–l can now sit and stand freely! Just little pains which l know will clear up within the next few days. Whatever you did worked like a miracle. I thank the Triune God for using you as a vessel to get me up and running again. I am grateful, brother. May God meet you at your point of need, just like he has used you to meet me at my point of need. I feel born again in mind, body, soul & spirit. I even slept like a baby too!” I told him that I was so happy to hear this and gave glory to God for this blessing. C.O. said “This is the fastest healing ever. God bless you…”
I went to see C.L. and gave her some of the Healing Oil. I instructed her to rub some of it into her cheek over the area of her mouth that was burning, swelling, and reddening. She agreed and rubbed some into her cheek in my presence. Not even minutes later she said “I can’t believe it but… the pain is really going down… wow… what’s in this??” I explained the 11 Herbs in the formula and what role each played as well as how I had spiritually prepared them and which Spirits I had called upon. She said she was “so grateful…” and had tears in her eyes. I checked in with her again in the afternoon and she said she had just applied a little more of the Healing Oil and that “my pain continues to be much lower… and my obstacles to contacting a doctor seem to be gone too… I already got a dentist appointment! Thank you!” Glory be to God! This was the second successful healing.
Finally, after work, I took a vial of Healing Oil and went to see J.P. I asked him how he had been feeling since this morning. He said “I woke up already feeling better… it seems like I had been very constipated. Today, I finally had gas and was able to go the bathroom… My nausea is gone. The pain in my belly area is significantly lower.” I praised God once again and thanked the Spirits for this third healing miracle… I instructed J.P. to keep rubbing some of the Healing Oil into his belly area over the parts that hurt. He said he would also rub it into his painful shoulder and see if it helps with that as well. I wished him all the best and he thanked me for my care and attention in this matter.
On the second day after the work, I checked in with C.O. to see if the healing remained stable or if the situation had changed. C.O. reported “I feel 99% better. It is only minor aches and pains now…” Praise God and the Spirits for their work!
When I checked in with C.L. She reported that when she used the Oil, rubbing it in to her cheek, she felt “a wave of comfort wash over me, not just my mouth, but my whole body… My mouth pain continues to be gone. The burning feeling is gone. I have an appointment with my dentist just to be safe, but I feel so much better.”
Finally, to my surprise, I received a phone call from J.P., the most skeptical of the three, who does not believe in magic; J.P. never calls me, so this made his reaching out even more striking. He said “not only am I feeling better with my stomach pain and nausea and eating better, but there’s something else. I have been rubbing the Oil into my really painful shoulder and… it feels much better. Like I can lift my arm in ways I haven’t been able to for a long time… So thank you..”
Healing candle for M.D.A.
F. Additional Healing Work: More Complex and More Intensive
With the above work thus completed, I thought I was done with healing work for a while. However, shortly after the above work was completed, my dear friend M.D.A., who has taught me a great deal about Esperitismo and often helped me with spiritual work when I was in need, fell very sick shortly after I did the above workings.
I asked if he would consent for me to do some work for him and he agreed as he was truly struggling with everything from fever, soreness, cramping, diarrhea, loss of taste, irritated red eyes, a weight on his chest,, coughing, and fever chills… He tested for COVID-19, but tested negative. To make matters worse, his immunosuppression made the illness, whatever it was, hit him even harder.
In an attempt to help M.D.A., I followed essentially the same procedure as above, inscribing and dressing the candle with the Healing Oil, calling on Michael, Sachiel, and Raphael as well as Ophiel, Och, and Bethor in the same way as before, giving the same offerings, and even using the same Psalms. Checking with my Spirits, they did not require me to do a complete new Tablet of Lights set-up for him, saying I could use the same plate set-up as I had used for the previous work, simply placing M.D.A’s candle at the base of the Cross structure inscribed on the plate. This, I did.
The Moon remained waxing in the Lunar Mansion of Al-Kalb (the Caduceus to heal and prevent illness), which was fortuitous for the work at hand. The only difference with this working is that I rubbed some of the Healing Sachet Powder I had made on the outside of his candle as I did not have any of the herbal mixture left over. I prayed that all of his symptoms would disappear and that he would be heal again and that even his fibromyalgia pain would decrease. I poured my heart into this ritual for my dear friend and closed the Temple. I called on his Guardian Angel and his Ancestors, as well as my own, to assist in the work.
At the end of the night, after leaving his candle burning, I saw that it had burned in a very interesting way. The candle burned down the middle, but an outer shell was left. Also, a skull-shaped hole had appeared on the right side. Divining from the wax, my sense was that this healing was not going to be as easy or as simple as the others. The Spirits were “drilling down the middle” into M.D.A’s core bodily issues and symptoms of the illness, which were affecting his internal organs and assailing his immune system. His wax pool was pulled over the Sigils of Och and Bethor as well as the Name of Raphael, suggesting that these spirits in particular were working on him. The skull hole did not strike me as implying he would die; instead, it suggested to me that an Ancestor spirit would help in the work.
The next morning, I checked the candle again and the “walls” of wax had melted down, but two points of the wax folded in, pointing at the center of the candle. This suggested to me that the illness was still hitting him, “stabbing” him with symptoms as symbolized by the wax points. Another image that came to me was that the illness “had its teeth or claws” in him and was not going to let go easily. Still, some progress had been made with help from his Ancestor, as seen in the melting down of the wax walls.
I checked in with M.D.A. on Messenger and he confirmed my suspicions; not only was he not feeling better, but he was feeling worse! All of the above symptoms had intensified… He was definitely getting “stabbed” by the illness, with more suffering than before. I explained to him that sometimes, healing work brings results that come quite quickly, and other times, for more complex situations or more serious conditions, the work can provide more strengthening, clearing obstacles to healing, and facilitating communication with the right professionals, through the process. This can especially be the case when the odds are stacked against the healing, such as in the case of immunosuppression. As much as we try to ease the work of combating illness through magical means, Nature, Divine Will, and the work and abilities of the spirits also can affect the outcome. As a result, I mentioned above, “nothing is guaranteed” with healing work and the help it brings does not always come in the form we expect.
Nevertheless, I pointed out that there were good signs and it looked like an Ancestor of his was going to assist in the work. He told me about his great-grandmother who was apparently an extremely accurate diviner with tea leaves and had some magical abilities. I suspected she might be the “skull-shaped hole” I saw in his candle wax. M.D.A confirmed that she was actually one of his working Ancestors in his Espiritismo work and he thought “she would definitely step in.” Magic can be truly amazing sometimes and sometimes things will happen that we could not have made up as they seem too perfect. However, as we were talking about M.D.A’s grandmother and great-grandmother, he suddenly stopped and said the following:
What’s more, he had a feeling he was going to receive assistance from an Ancestor, because that same day…
The next morning, I checked in with him again and he confirmed that his pain level remained significantly lower than it had been to the point that he was able to “go to sleep pretty comfortably.” I noted possible impacts from Rosemary and Thyme, two Herbs in my Healing Oil formula, which were included to help ease sleep and facilitate sound dreaming. He also noted that his fever had gone down to 36.6 degrees, which was strange to him since he still felt feverish.
Healing Candle Work set-up for M.D.A., myself, and R.C.
G. “Physician, Heal Thyself!:” Three More Candle Workings for Healing
I was not finished working towards my dear friend’s healing, however, nor were the Spirits. In fact, I got a nudge that I had to another candle working for M.D.A to strengthen the work already being done.
What I was not prepared for however, was the impact that all of this healing work done in a short period of time was going to have on me as the worker. I found myself dreadfully sick with a bad cold: sore throat, coughing, and higher body temperature, but still under fever. I was COVID-negative, but still feeling awful.
At the same time, another friend, R.C., messaged me to say that she was also feeling quite sick with a cold of her own and asked if I could help. As she lived in Montreal not far from where my plans were taking me today, she consented for me to pick up some personal concerns (e.g. some of her hair) to use in the working, which I did. We both were masks and maintained social distancing while I picked up the hair. I gave her some of the Healing Oil too to rub on her throat, chest, and forehead while saying prayers to help connect the Healing Oil I was going to use on her candle to her as well. She agreed to do so.
My plan was to do a healing working for M.D.A, myself, and R.C. at the same time.
For my work on myself, I started by making a hearty chicken soup with lots of pepper as well as Thyme, Rosemary, and Basil. I prayed over the Herbs, asked for their help in bringing healing, and then recited Psalms 49 and 50 over it before eating it.
That night, I made the following Healing and Sleep-Supporting Spiritual Bath, including and requesting the aid of the following Herb spirits:
Chamomile
Self-heal
Althaea
Angelica
Thyme
Mint
Rosemary
Lavender
Honey
I also made a chamomile tea to go with this. I prayed Psalms 49 and 50 over the tea and bath, while they both steeped. I drank the tea, did the bath, and went to bed immediately after air-drying.
The next day, on the Day of the Sun, I consulted with my Spirits as to how to proceed. This time, I was to use a different Talismanic design on the Tablet of Lights:
This time, the Heptameron / Lucidarium sigils for Michael and Raphael were to be drawn in a Cross, forming an ‘Angelic Crossroads.’ Sachiel’s sigil was included over the Cross, with Yeshua (Jesus) written in Hebrew underneath. The standard Arbatel Sigils of Bethor, Ophiel, and Och were included in the bottom right ‘quadrant’ of the plate.
Finally, YHVH Rapha (God of Healing) was included along with four crosses marking the points of the Angelic Cross. The three candles for M.D.A, myself, and R.C. were placed on the middle arm of the Cross.
All three candles were inscribed with a yellow-headed needle, as it was the Day of the Sun, with the full names of those included and the following words:
M.D.A. “complete recovery, full healing, freedom, peace”
Myself: “no pain, no fever, no cough, full healing”
R.C.: “no pain, no fever, no cough, full healing.”
I dressed each candle with Healing Oil, while drawing the healing from top of the candle to the bottom. I added my own hairs, conveniently collected from my beard trimmer to my candle, R.C.’s hair to her candle, and as I had no personal concerns for M.D.A, I simply did prayers for him while anointing the candle and gazing at his picture. I asked that each candle be linked to the healing of the person whose name was carved into it and used to eliminate their pain and illness and replace it with health and wholeness.
The Moon was waxing in the Arabic Lunar Mansion of Al-Balda (The City or The Desert), which Christopher Warnock points out is a a good time to “end a situation,” in this case, by bringing illness to an end.
Before I started this working, I refreshed the water glasses of all of the Angels, Saints, Ancestors, and Olympic Spirits with whom I have active spirit tables in my Temple room. I asked each to aid the work according to their abilities. I knocked on my Ancestor altar and asked my Ancestors to assist the work, also calling on the Ancestors of M.D.A and R.C.
The Operation proceeded as above, still working with Archangels Michael, Raphael, Sachiel and Olympic Spirits Bethor, Ophiel, and Och, still offering 3 sticks of Sandalwood, but with different Psalms; this time, I was nudged by my Spirits to use the potent combination of Psalms 3, 67, and 77. I invited the Spirits to pray the prayers with me for added efficacy.
This working produced a deep feeling of peace, reverence, and thick spiritual presence in the room. The energy felt comforting and reassuring. The candles burned strong and clean during the ritual and the Spirits’ candle did as well. My final prayers addressed Christ as the Master Healer, and played on the wording in Luke 4:23, in which Yeshua muses that the people would surely say to him “Physician, Heal Thyself” (Ἰατρέ, θεράπευσον σεαυτόν), or healer, heal yourself. I asked that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit help me to do just that.
H. Carromancy: Interpreting the Candle Wax
The next day, I went to interpret the wax from the three candles and saw the following. First, in M.D.A‘s candle, I saw a fairly clean burn with minimum pooling. One of the “points” that was previously pointing towards the center of the candle after the previous working, suggesting the illness still had its “claws or teeth” in M.D.A, was now pointing away from the center and off to the left. I interpreted this to mean that the illness was ‘opening up’ and clearing, but still affecting him. Finally, I also saw that some of the wax was “bending over” away from the center of the candle, suggesting that the illness is starting to submit. But it will take more time before it’s fully resolved.
Second, my own candle appeared a series of happy petal-like shapes, suggesting a positive result would be coming for me. No issues, just a flowering of results that would likely come surprisingly quickly.
Finally, R.C.’s candle showed that her own issues were “standing up” to the attempts to heal them, suggesting it might take a little longer than expected for her healing to come through, but she would get there. There was a wall of protection around her that was assisting (small wall of wax on the right); at the same time, this wall of wax could also suggest that the illness itself was “putting up walls” and resisting the work. As it turned out, the results of the Operation were in many ways fully consistent with what the wax suggested.
I. Health in Abundance: Results of the Final Candle Working
The next day, I felt remarkably better. My throat felt much less painful, my coughs were few and far between, I had no fever, and my drippy, runny nose had returned to normal, such that I was breathing easily again. By the end of the day, my symptoms were all down by about 95%. it was the fastest recovery from a cold I’ve ever had.
It’s worth noting that when I discussed the healing work I had been doing with my Hoodoo teacher Aaron Davis and how I had become sick in the process, he noted that he had also experienced this and decided, as a result, not to do healing work for more than 2 people per day. He also recommended that after every healing work I do in then future, I do a strong cleansing bath. He also pointed out that in my Clinical work, I am also “outputting a lot of healing energy as it is,” so doing magical healing on top of that can drain us and make us susceptible to illness. I noted his advice and plan to practice it going forwards.
Thereafter, I checked in with M.D.A and he informed me that there were significant improvements and he had tested negative again for COVID-19:
He had some lingering symptoms, but it was clear that the worst was behind him and he was on his way to a complete recovery.
Finally, I checked in with R.C. and she reported that a number of her symptoms had improved as well. She agreed to continue to use the Oil until her condition was completely healed and thanked me for my help.
All I can do is quote Psalm 115:1, “Not to us, Oh Lord, not to us, but to Your Name be the glory glory, because of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”
H. Concluding Thoughts on Magical Healing in Practice
Healing work is being of service. For those on the Rosicrucian path, it is a central feature of their spiritual work and approach. If we make ourselves available to heal, drawing on help from our Spiritual Allies and the Herbs given to us, we can sometimes witness true miracles, miracles that inspire humility, reverence, and bolster faith in a big way, just as Yeshua’s miracles did to many in his own time. For the Christian mystic called to the “Imitation of Christ,” prayers and work for healing can be a vital practice that brings wholeness, health, and love to the suffering and the ill. However, healing is a universal human concern and people on many Paths will also feel a call to it. If so, I hope that reading the workings above will yield some helpful ideas for how to approach healing in a way that harmonizes with your own tradition.
By way of closing reflections, I can say that I I feel so grateful to have been a part of these workings and to be blessed by witnessing people getting helped, both with access to the Oil and locally and without directly even being able to access it, in another province (M.D.A) and even in another country on another continent (C.O.). What’s more, I felt truly awed by the power of the Divine, of Angels, Spirits, and Ancestors, working together through the means of magic and prayer to work wonders. Some of these healings were nothing short of miraculous and helped bolster my faith that I am on the right path and doing the work I am meant to do to be of service.
Of course, suffering and illness are perennial human realities and, as such, the work of healing will never be done. Healing, as I humbly see it, is part of an ongoing path of service to the community and co-labouring with the Source of All healing to soothe the sufferings and symptoms of injury and illness. Individually, our own healing as practitioners is also never done, as we strive to work through all of our own shadows, sufferings, and issues; bringing spiritual work into those dark inner spaces can be a fruitful avenue for light in extension.
I. References
Balthazar. (2018). Solomonic Candle Magic. Course Bundle purchased from the author, no longer available online.
Light in Extension: A Magical Journal 