“To Cure the Sick and That, Gratis:” Successful Healings Using Hybrid Solomonic-Conjure Methods

By Frater S.C.F.V.

A. Introduction: Healing by Fire, Oil, and Herb

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.

Peterson, J. H. (2004). Key of Solomon. [online eBook] Esoterica Archives. Available at: http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/ksol.htm

Peterson, J. H. (2006). The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses. [online eBook]. Esoterica Archives. Available at: http://www.esotericarchives.com/moses/67moses.htm

By Herb and Angel: A Folk Christian Working with Archangel Michael for Three Recently Deceased Souls

By Frater S.C.F.V.

A. Spiritual Work for the Dead: Context of the Working

As some of readers may know, I am a Clinical Social Worker in my professional life, and specialize in palliative care, working with older adults with dementia, cancer, and other serious diagnoses, defending vulnerable people from elder mistreatment, and working with younger people with disabilities.

The people with whom I work with are mostly low-income, socially and intersectionally disadvantaged in various ways, and desperate for help. My mundane calling on this Earth embraces working with them, empowering them, equipping them with tools and resources from the government and community organizations, supporting them emotionally through their challenges, and accompanying them, often until the end of their lives.

And yet, it dovetails with my spiritual calling, for as Initiates know, matter and Spirit are but two sides of the same nondual coin, and death is but a phase of the soul between life and afterlife.

V0017612 – Life and death. Oil painting. Credit: Wellcome Library, London.

Indeed, the deeper I go into the study and practice of traditional Rootwork and Conjure with my beloved teacher Aaron Davis, studying the classic texts, and learning from experienced Rootworkers, the more I see that this style of magic is and always was about community, resilience, and survival. The African slaves who developed Hoodoo, Rootwork and Conjure in conversation with Indigenous Peoples, Appalachian white folks, esoteric Jews and others, developed a way of using what they had access to to protect and empower themselves, as well as to strengthen and nurture their families and communities. Furthermore, they did this often in the face of harsh realities, abuse, antagonism, and death. Hoodoo, Conjure and Rootwork, therefore, not only practices of spiritual resilience, resistance, and resurgence, but also practices grounded in family and community.

In the spirit of these traditions’ history, I strive to be mindful of my social location and yet also to honour the great teachers spiritual ancestors and workers of old by applying what I’ve learned in service to both the living and the dead. Chiefly, like the Rootworkers, of old, I’ve been focusing on those in my care–friends, family, loved ones, community members, and clients. As I came to work more and more for others and less for myself, I came to discover that doing magic for the betterment of others has a purity of purpose and spiritual strength that can be both moving and profound.

Just as my magic has become more community and service-focused, quite like my professional life, so has it also extended to accompanying my elderly and palliative clients into the liminal spaces following their deaths. Of course, working with people as they transition from life to death is by no means new; from the Ancient Period onwards, spiritual workers have often played the role of Psychopomps, that is, beings who strive to accompany newly deceased souls as they transition from life through death into the afterlife.

Icon Depicting St. Michael the Archangel as Psychopomp.

Historically, the Psychopomp role was deemed so important that it was cross-culturally enshrined in our mythologies in figures as diverse and yet similar as the ancient Egyptian god Anubis, the deity of Yama in Sanatana Dharma, the Greek ferryman Charon and god Hermes, the Roman god Mercury, the Norse Valkyries, the Aztec Xolotl, the Slavic Morana and the Etruscan Vanth. Ancient Mystery Religions like the Rites of Eleusis often centered on the Mysteries of Life, Death, and the Afterlife. Similarly, in the Christian tradition, Jesus Christ, St. Peter, and the Archangel Michael were all regarded as serving Psychopomp functions, much like the Angel Azrael in the Islamic tradition.

By extension, folk spiritual workers strove to collaborate with these spiritual powers to assist the dead. Indeed, in European folk magic as well as in American Hoodoo, Conjure, and Rootwork, magicians have often helped to offer the dead comfort, rest, light, and spiritual support in their experience beyond this world.

And so it was it was that I found myself drawn to continue to serve my clients after their deaths and helping them as best I could to brave the Great Beyond that gaped before them.

The working to which we now turn was a product of teachings passed on to me from the Conjure and Rootwork traditions in addition to folk Christian traditions, some elements of grimoire magic (e.g. the use of the Bell of Art), and the guidance I received from my own Spirits.

The purpose of this working was to bring cleansing, purification, protection, good fortune, blessings, Light, and peaceful rest to the spirits of three older adults I served in life after they passed away. Within the span of a few weeks, these individuals, each with their own strengths and limitations, had all died in sudden and unexpected circumstances: one after a sudden heart-attack while walking with his caregiver near his home, one after a major stroke in her residence, and one after complications stemming from COVID-19 in the hospital.

Concerned about the suffering and confusion they might feel after passing away so suddenly and hoping to help them in every way I could, I prepared the following ritual.

B. Setting the Lights on the Tablet: Preparations for the Work

To begin, as I work within a chiefly Christian framework, I offered prayers to God for guidance in the work and asked the Holy Spirit to guide me to select the right ingredients to benefit the three souls at the center of the work at hand.

I also opened up to the Archangel Michael as well as to my Ancestors, their Ancestors, and the spirits of the Herbs to guide me in developing the right formula for the work at hand.

I began by gathering the Herbs, consulting their spirits to see who would like to assist me in this work. In the end, the following 7 curios were included:

• Holy Olive Oil (for spiritual anointing and to carry the powers of the Herbs),
• Hyssop (that their souls might be purified and cleansed),
• Rue (that they might be protected and cleanser),
• Oak (that they might have good fortune in the afterlife and be blessed with protection),
• Cinnamon (to fire up Light to help them progress and strengthen their spiritual progression),
• Mugwort (that they may rest in peace and to enable them to communicate with me in dreams if they should like to do so),
• Loosestrife (that they might have calmness of mind and heart and drive away all evil and worries).

I ground the herbs together while praying over them, thanking each for its aid and asking it what I wished it to do.

I then took up a plate consecrated for the purpose of candlework–which Solomonic magician and Conjure worker Balthazar Van Der Merwe called the “Tablet of Lights”–as well as a spiritually-prepared chalk marker. This chalk had been previously exorcised and consecrated following the Key of Solomon’s method.

With these, I drew a “5-spot” of 5 equal-armed crosses in the form of a larger cross. Hearts were used to finish the Holy Cross, signifying the intention to extend love, care, and comfort to the Souls included in the work. I then included the initials of the three Souls under where I would position their candles.

Using a fresh pin, I carved each of their names into their respective candles. I then dressed each candle with Holy Olive Oil before rubbing the Herbal mixture into it, praying continuously at the same time. Finally, I warmed the bottom of each candle to fix each to the Tablet of Lights, while praying over them.

Next, I prepared charcoal, Frankincense, 3 glasses of water, and an additional candle for Archangel Michael, and brought the Tablet with the fixed candles into my Temple space. I left them there while I took a ritual bath, cleansing and purifying myself with Hyssop for the work at hand. Then, the spiritual work began.

C. The Working: Offerings and Transition Assistance for Three Recently Deceased Souls

I placed Archangel Michael’s dedicated spirit table at the center of my Solomonic Circle in the center of my Temple space. On the table, I placed Michael’s Statue, a water glass for him, the Tablet of Lights and candles, a censer containing charcoal and Frankincense, the Bell of Art, a bread offering for Michael, a torch, and three glasses of water for the three spirits.

I began began by praying in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, while ringing the Bell in the formation of a Cross multiple times over the spirit table, to open the work and “wake up” the spirits.

I then prayed extemporaneously for God’s help, the help of my Ancestors and those of the three deceased, and that of Archangel Michael. I did not do a formal Solomonic evocation of Michael, but simply asked him to be present and to assist with the work and greeted him with water, bread, Frankincense, and a candle offered to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit on his behalf and which I invited him to enjoy.

I then lit the three candles while praying over them. I greeted each spirit in turn, starting with P.D., proceeding to M.TP. and ending with J.W. I explained to them why I had invited them here and offered their candles, Frankincense, and water glasses to the Most High on their behalf before inviting them to partake in them for refreshment, light, and strengthening.

I then prayed for the three spirits collectively and then explained to them the role of each Herb fixed to their candle and prayed for its benefit to be bestowed unto them.

Next, I spoke to the spirits of the Herbs and invited them to partake of the fire, Frankincense, and water offered as thanks for their assistance in the working.

Then I prayed for each spirit one at a time, starting with P.D., proceeding to M.TP. and ending with J.W. I then spoke to each spirit as if they were sitting before me and alive, citing cherished memories of my time with them, thanking them for their strengths, blessings, and the traits I appreciated about them, and again praying for their cleansing, purification, uplifting, illumination, good fortune, care, and comfort beyond their deaths.

At the end of each series of prayers, I addressed the spirit and invited it to communicate any message he or she wished to share with me.

The messages were brief and yet, so meaningful to me. As each spirit spoke, I seemed to see a hint of it Astrally; I saw them appearing from their waist up, looking much as they had looked when I last saw them, or perhaps a little younger.

Their images seemed to emerge out of darkness and hover in a gentle illumination above their associated candle and its flame.

These were the messages I received from the three dead spirits with whom I had worked in life:

From P.D.: (speaking in French) “Thank you for this gesture and for your help. It’s so nice here (Frater S.C.F.V.’s Note: seeming to me, in the “space” in which he now found himself after death)! So beautiful! Thank you!“

From M.T.P. (speaking in French): “Thank you, A., for helping me. How we laughed! Thank you for all you did.”

From J.W. (speaking in English): He appeared stern as he had in life, then seemed to shift into a half-smile and said, gruffly but sincerely, “Sorry I gave you such a hard time. Thanks for your help.”

After each spirit spoke, I shared some private final words to them, which I shall not share here as they are personal to us.

Their candles were burning so still and the feeling in the room was somehow both heavy and light at the same time. The words I spoke seemed to hang on the air… as if time itself had come to a halt.

Attuning to the spirits of the tree, I could feel that they were dead, but they did not seem scared; instead, they seemed content and comforted to be there.

The space in the room was positively thick with energy and yet so still, so clear and yet so solid…

Indeed, I was so touched when I finished sharing and receiving the above messages, that I had completely forgotten to pay attention to Archangel Michael’s candle.

That’s when I noticed — it was going wild.

My impression was that the Archangel was doing some intense work to help the three spirits.

In a startling visual display, Michael’s candle began to sputter up tall bursts of fire, spitting them upwards at a rapid pace, like dragon fire. This rapid bursting would be followed by the flame dropping into a very tall, clear, still flame, and barely moving at all.

Then the flame’s tip would split into separate “tongues” of flame, as if the Angel was working on individual spirits at that time, 2-3 at a time, before returning to the tall flame bursts and swaying. The bursting seemed to indicate burning through impurities; the still hovering to harmonizing and attuning.

I asked Michael if I could film this candle flame manifestation and share it with others to inspire them to know that Angels are very real and he agreed for me to share the brief footage below:

I cannot overstate the intensity of the emotions I felt as I watched this scene and felt its impact on the three spirits… I felt overcome with awe, complete wonder, utter astonishment, moved almost to tears…

Even just watching the video back a day later, I feel an intimation of those same feelings. The contrast between the wildly active candle offered to Michael and the very still candles of the dead was so striking to me then and remains so today.

Moreover, I was amazed and surprised by the fact that in this humble little ritual to help these three souls, I felt Michael’s presence more powerfully, more palpably, more viscerally than I ever had before… Including in any of the full Solomonic evocations I had done with him. I didn’t know what to make of it…

Suddenly, my eyes fell closed.

Out of the blackness of my closed eyelids, I saw a face of pure light emerge from the darkness.

It was Michael.

He spoke to me in a voice at once deep, calm, loving, and grounded.

He said:

“This is the work I knew you were capable of, that I was waiting to see from you.
Working to help, working not for yourself.
Whenever you work for the good of others, in love and humility,
I’ll never fail to help you.“

Just like that, his image vanished, and my eyes opened once again.

The Archangel’s candle continued to flicker, sputter, wind from side to side like a serpent, and stretch higher than I thought possible above the candle holder…

Image of Michael’s candle rising high above the rim of the candle holder, with the wick being all the way at the bottom of the candle holder, sitting in a shallow pool of wax. Shared with the Angel’s permission.

I felt so moved and touched I couldn’t think of words to say. I could only pray “thank you… thank you… praise God! Thank you…”

My thoughts drifted back to remembering a Solomonic invocation I completed 4 years ago, in which I had found Michael quite difficult to communicate with. I’ve now come to believe that part of why I had such trouble was that, in that ritual, my heart simply wasn’t in the right place. I was thinking too much of myself and fooling myself perhaps, but not the Angel.

Now I was focused on working for the good of others, asking nothing in return, pure and sincere in my intent, nothing could be easier than receiving Michael’s words… That seemed a profound lesson about Angelic work, namely, that an Angelic Operation is most powerful and effective when we not only respect the protocols for fasting, prayer, abstaining, etc. in the days leading up to the Operation, but also approach it with a clear and clean purpose and a heart centered on extending the Good, on blessing.

Such a heart, such a mind-set, is in harmony, not only with the nature of the Angels themselves–thereby making it easier to attune to them–but also with the Divine Will itself.

For the Divine Will is always to extend the Good, through all manners, through all planes and worlds, to all beings, in all ways; as the great Adepti and Scriptures tell us, the eternal extension of the blood–Supreme Cosmic Benediction–is Love itself in action, Grace itself, and even the very Nature of God.

Photo of the Statue of Michael I took in Saint Michael’s Basilica in Sherbrooke.

Indeed, it reminds me of the words of Christ in Matthew 23:12, in which he says that “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

It now seems to me that there is a profound occult secret hidden here, in plain sight. At least for the Christian folk magician, the more we humble ourselves, the more we keep our self-concern out of the work while elevating the Divine and focusing on benefiting others through the work, the more help we will receive and the easier it will be to attune to the Angelic presence in the work.

Conversely, if our Angelic communications break down, it’s worth doing some soul-searching about our real motives, what we’re really aiming at, and whether that really is what we say it is…

This lesson also reminded me of the words of John the Baptist speaking of Christ in John 3:30, in which he proclaimed that “I must decrease; He must increase.” John devoted his life to paving the way for Christ, heralding his arrival, and drawing all to him in repentance, even unto death. Having so faithfully humbled himself, Jesus said about him in Matthew 11, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.” And yet, even after this, he added a humbling other part for you and me, “…yet whoever is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.“

At this part of the working, I was so moved, I could barely proceed. But I knew I had to carry on.

I prayed for P.D., M.T.P., and J.W and recited Psalm 132 on their behalf, praying the following (Names of God Bible Translation):

“Psalm 132

A song for going up to worship.

¹ O YHVH, remember David and all the hardships he endured.
² Remember how he swore an oath to YHVH
    and made this vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
³         “I will not step inside my house,
⁴ get into my bed, shut my eyes, or close my eyelids
⁵ until I find a place for YHVH,
    a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

⁶ Now, we have heard about the ark of the promise being in Ephrathah.
    We have found it in Jaar.
⁷ Let’s go to his dwelling place.
    Let’s worship at his footstool.
⁸ O YHVH, arise, and come to your resting place
    with the ark of your power.
⁹ Clothe your priests with righteousness.
    Let your godly ones sing with joy.
¹⁰ For the sake of your servant David,
    do not reject your anointed one.
¹¹ YHVH swore an oath to David.
    This is a truth he will not take back:
        “I will set one of your own descendants on your throne.
¹² If your sons are faithful to my promise^[a]
    and my written instructions that I will teach them,
        then their descendants will also sit on your throne forever.”

¹³ YHVH has chosen Zion.
    He wants it for his home.
¹⁴ “This will be my resting place forever.
    Here I will sit enthroned because I want Zion.
¹⁵ I will certainly bless all that Zion needs.
    I will satisfy its needy people with food.
¹⁶ I will clothe its priests with salvation.
    Then its godly ones will sing joyfully.
¹⁷ There I will make a horn sprout up for David.
    I will prepare a lamp for my anointed one.
¹⁸ I will clothe his enemies with shame,
    but the crown on my anointed one will shine.”

Ancient Roman fresco of David as Shepherd.

I was going to end the ritual there, but felt nudged to add a final Psalm 23 as well:

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his Name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

Having finished praying the Psalm, to close the Temple, I prayed an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be, as taught to me by a dear Esperitista friend, while again ringing the Bell of Art.

I gave thanks a final time, said goodbye to the three deceased, thanked Michael, the Ancestors, and the Most High, then declared the Temple duly closed.

I left the candles to burn and checked in on them about 40 minutes later, only to see the following:

My impression was that P.D.’s and M.T.P.’s candles had burned down rather quickly, but with tears of wax running down the sides as they burned, suggesting that pain and other impurities were being processed out of the spirits with help from Michael.

J.W.’s candle on the other hand, burned clean and clear almost to the end, when it suddenly pulled forward in an extension of wax towards where I was standing. How can we interpret the wax from these candles?

C. Practical Carromancy: Wax Remains Readings of the Three Candles

P.D.’s candle wax remains.

The next morning, I took the high-definition pictures of the wax remnants of each candle that you see here and endeavoured to interpret them with some insights from fellow readers with whom I shared the images in order to obtain insights from objective third parties. Much thanks to Cléo and David Domart, my fellow Working the Root students, for their input.

First, as seen above, we have P.D.’s candle. What I saw here was a spirit reposed and relaxed, a face looking to the side, surrounded by comforting and joyful petals. David got an impression of “thank you” from this wax and Cléo got a sense of “petals and playful cherubs.” This seemed very much in harmony with the message I received from P.D., namely, that he was grateful and that he found the space he was in very “nice! So beautiful!” This wax pattern was also very much in harmony with P.D.’s personality; he was a friendly and fabulous man who delighted in fashion and flowing fabrics. I saw his ‘imprint’ in this wax, in this sense, the stamp of the energy he embodied.

The second candle was M.T.P’s and looked as follows:

M.T.P.’s candle wax remains

What I saw here was her face, looking relaxed and content (the wick remains forming two eyes connected to a nose with a mouth below it). Above her, I saw the sweep of her hair, looking flowing and free. There were hints of her ears and perhaps a suggestion of a bosom at the bottom of the wax. Cléo also got a feeling of joy and gratitude from M.TP.’s candle. I was also struck by how much it looked like her; I could almost see her little smile and hear her joyful giggle as if she were laughing in my presence! David, similarly, sensed her free-flowing spirit and noted that he could feel “energy moving fast.” That sounded appropriate to me.

Finally, and most interestingly, we come to J.W.’s candle wax remains:

J.W.’s candle wax remains.

This wax felt entirely different from the others. As it turns out, this was exactly as it should be. P.D. and M.T.P. were both friendly, jovial people. J.W. was cut from a different cloth; he tended to be harsh and suspicious to the point where he refused to answer nearly every question I ever asked him. Part of my work with his spirit in the candle work here involved trying to show him my good will for him and help him relax his walls of suspicion so that he could move on without getting unnecessarily obstructed and encumbered. To hear him say “Sorry I was so hard on you, thank you” was about the nicest thing I could have hoped for from him. I told him all was forgiven and that I was just happy to have had the honour of meeting him and his family.

Looking at his wax remains, I see the wick remnants making up a face once again, a very different kind of face. I see eyes that look suspicious, perhaps a little fearful yet incredulous, but also see the wax sweeping down to the right as an outstretched arm, a kind of “olive branch” to me. I read it this way because the wax is coming towards where I was standing while doing the candlework. The overall message then became something like “yeah, I’m still a little wary of you, but I appreciate what you did for me so here’s an olive branch.”

Seeing this wax pattern, Cléo found it a little hard to read, saying he “seems elusive, like moving on or going through something.” That sounded right to me. J.W. was an elusive person in life, and remained so in death. He was hard to read, evasive as a man, both for people who just met him and for his own family members who had known him the longest. Moreover, he likely was going through confusion because his death came suddenly when we had been preparing for him to go home the very next day from the hospital; we have even put in place a new bed, raised toilet seat, and free homecare services to help receive him more comfortably at home. Appropriately, reading this wax, David saw someone “lost, not quite conscious.” That resonated. I hoped that the Rootwork would help calm, comfort, clear, illuminate, and strengthen his spirit through this transition.

D. Conclusion: Parting Thoughts on Working at the Crossroads of Life and Death

Overall, this was a beautiful working, a working that made me feel at once connected to the roots of the Herbs that powered the work, to Archangel Michael’s profound presence, to my own Ancestors and the Rootworkers who came before me, and to my fondly-appreciated clients at their passing.

I hoped that the working would help them to move on even as the Fire and Herbs helped soothe my own grieving and the bereavement of their surviving loved ones.

At the same time, the ritual cemented for me that magic really can operate at the Crossroads, even of Life and Death itself.

And while moving in that liminal space, a space of terror for many, we as spiritual workers can move in peace, and doing so, help bring that peace to troubled spirits in their moment of transition.

What could that be but an honour and a humbling opportunity for service, to life, death, and the Infinite itself?

Occult Sherbrooke: Adventures with Angelic Cathedrals, Elementals, and Drowned Dead

By Frater S.C.F.V.

A. Introduction: “The Queen of the Eastern Townships”

Following up on the esoteric adventures in Bourcherville that were recounted in the preceding article, my travels next took me to the historic city of Sherbrooke. Located in the Estrie Region of Québec, Canada, Sherbrooke has long been dubbed “The Queen of the Eastern Townships.” Of course, the city of Sherbrooke, like all of the cities in the province, was founded on Indigenous land. First Nation Peoples first settled the region between 3,000 to 8,000 years ago and subsequently referred to it by different names; the Abenaki People called it Ktinékétolékouac (The Large Forks) or Shacewanteku (where one smokes) (Commission de Toponymie, 2022). The first colonial settler in the area was a French farmer named Jean-Baptiste Nolain, who came to the area in 1779.

Situated at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers, a fur-trading center developed in the area which developed into a full-blown settler colony by 1802 when American pioneers from Vermont built several mills. To quote the Canadian Encyclopedia, “the village took the name of Governor General John Coape Sherbrooke in 1818. The city owes its initial urban growth to industrialization, which occurred in waves from the 1840s. It became a textile centre with the establishment of Canada’s first cotton manufacturing plant in 1844 and a large wool plant in 1867. The town’s success in the 19th century is due as much to its dynamic anglophone businessmen, who established a regional bank and promoted railways and new industries, as to its francophone population, which supplied much of the industrial manpower. The development of agriculture and mining in the region also enhanced Sherbrooke’s role as a wholesale trade and services centre. Since the 1950s, the city has had difficulty attracting new industry and has experienced a decline in its textile and clothing industries. The founding of Université de Sherbrooke in 1954 and the decentralization of the province’s administration have helped restore much of the city’s dynamism.”

Map of Sherbrooke from 1881.

I came to the city to explore its rich history, culture, attractions, and sandy beach, but was equally interested in its spiritual riches. I expected Sherbrooke to be a city so steeped in Christian tradition that the chances of finding an occult shop there would be slim; indeed the 2011 Census found that 79% of Sherbrooke residents identify as Catholic. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the city plays host to a surprisingly well-stocked esoteric shop called Wiccan-Trinity (18 Rue King O, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 1N8, https://www.wiccan-trinity.com/herbes-et-sauges-herbs-and-sage?page=2). There, I picked up a variety of curios and herbs for use in my ongoing studies of Hoodoo, Conjure, and Rootwork with my fantastic teacher Fr. Aaron Davis. The prices were surprisingly fair; indeed some were half the price of what one would pay for the same item in Montréal! I enjoyed the small-sized minerals they had available, of which I purchased Tiger’s Eye, Jade, Aventurine, and Howlite, and which I intend to integrate into Rootwork Condition oils and Mojo bags.

I also picked up a Medal of Saint Christopher, Patron Saint of Travelers, which I exorcised, consecrated, prayed over, and anointed with Protection Oil before affixing to my backpack for protection while traveling.

Many things could be written about the wonderful memories I formed here. However, for the purpose of this article, I will focus only on the occult adventures that transpired at (a) the Magog River Gorge, (b) the Basilica of Saint Michael the Archangel, and (c) the Cathedral of John the Baptist.

An 1840 sketch of the Magog Gorge waterfalls in Sherbrooke, courtesy of the Eastern Townships Archives Portal.

B. Communing with the Flow of Forces: Attuning to Elementals and Drowned Dead Above a Waterfall

With its rich colonial history spanning hundreds of years and thousands of years of Abenaki oral before that, Sherbrooke is replete with the spiritual traces of countless beings, both human and not. Those who have esoteric eyes to see and ears to hear–to paraphrase Isaiah and Christ in Isaiah 6:10 Matthew 13:9-16–will find many subtle energies at play here from the ruins of old houses to the spans of nature and the ”forlorn and isolated spots free from all interruption” where daimons roam (Le Grand Grimoire, Peterson, 1999).

One such place to which I felt drawn was the series of rapids and waterfalls, both natural and man-made, that make up the Magog River Gorge. Here, a promenade takes one directly over the main waterfall where the river above plunges into the gorge below. The elemental energy here was palpable, with beautiful green trees flanking a deep pool, which cascaded down with the power of falling water.

Magog River Gorge Waterfalls, photography by the author.

I decided to pour a libation of alcohol directly into the waterfall, offering it to the Most High on behalf of the spirits of the area, and inviting any local spirits to partake of it. The practice of alcohol libations has a rich history; Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey both feature libations of wine being poured out to various spirits, from the dead to the Olympic gods and similar practices were also well-attested in Babylonian engravings (Klingbeil, 2018).

The practice also occurs in the Hebrew Bible, for instance, in Genesis 35:14, in which the Prophet Jacob pours a drink offering on a pillar that he erected at the place where God appeared to him as he was fleeing to Haran. I was taught it in the Hoodoo context, as it was used by African Americans in the South of the United States of America. Like many Hoodoo practices, however, this practice was carried into North America by West African slaves. As Smith (2004) notes, alcohol libations marked major events in Akan, lgbo, Kongo and Arada societies, including birth, and naming and marriage ceremonies and were often used in religious offerings. In later Hoodoo applications, it was common to provide an alcohol offering to spirits in a graveyard before collecting grave dirt for use in Rootwork.

Magog River Gorge Waterfalls, photography by the author.

In this instance, I poured the offering, closed my eyes, and tuned into the ”signatures” of the spirits who came to partake of it. I was interested to see that a variety of spirits took interest and partook. On the lighter side, I detected at least two kinds of Water Elementals. One kind moved quickly and rapidly; these were smaller and appeared to me in flashes of a woman and of a quickly-waving fish tail. These seemed curious about my presence and playful in nature. They reminded me of Ancient Greek Nereids or Paracelsus’ Undines.

Another kind were completely opposite; they were large and slow and appeared to me like dark blotches underwater that reminded me vaguely of whales. These seemed entirely uninterested in me and eminently focused and mature.

Spirit Of Deep Water canvas print by Andrey Narchuk.

In addition, I observed the presence of a sprightly kind of Air Elemental that appeared to me like a fairy-sylph. These flitted about quickly also, but appeared to be enjoying dancing over the water, especially near the waterfall, where mists were being kicked up. These reminded me of the Ancient Greek descriptions of Nephelai nymphs who appear in plumes of vapour and rain. These appeared entirely absorbed in their playful activity, delighting in dancing on currents of air and water.

Roman mosaic depiction of Eros and Nephelai Nymph from Antioch, House of the Triumph of Dionysos, Date 2nd – 3rd Century C.E.

Off by the shore, I sensed some Earth Elementals, silently watching the Water and Air spirits at play. These appeared to have different personalities. Some appeared more jovial and to be enjoying the mirth of the spirits. Others appeared sterner and stared with flat expressions.

A final type of spirit I sensed here was darker in nature. This was a Drowned Dead spirit, the spirit of a man who had drowned in the Gorge. I could not tell when, but his clothes appeared to be in brown and tan tones and rough in nature. To me, he did not appear to be wealthy, but more of a common worker who might have worked in a nearby farm or been a worker in one of the Sherbrooke mines. His energy was heavy and dark. He appeared lost and sad. My heart sunk for him. I prayed for him, that he might feel free to leave this place and transition on. As a wise Espiritista once taught me, with spirits like this, it is best to pray for their luz y progresso y paz (light, progress, and peace). So, I took time to do this for a while. Eventually, the dark presence seemed to lift and a lighter feeling pervaded. I am not sure if this was because the spirit simply left the area or if he was finally able to move on towards the Other Side. I’d like to believe it was the latter.

Magog River Gorge Waterfalls, photography by the author.

C. Into the Archangelic Sanctuary: Tuning into Relics of Blessed Marie-Léonie Paradis at the Cathedral of Saint Michael

Sometimes, our Spirits guide us in ways we cannot always foresee. This happened to me on another day in Sherbrooke. I looked on my map for the nearest store where I might be able to purchase a towel for my planned trip to the Michel-Blanchard beach. Unfortunately, it would be quite the walk to get there, and all uphill; Sherbrooke is a city of many hills, quite like San Francisco, California. However, I felt a prompting from one of my Spirits to go this route anyway, so I did.

As I rounded a curve up a hill, I was stunned by the sight of a great Cathedral, which turned out to be the massive Basilica of Saint Michael the Archangel, who happens to be one of my Patrons and a Spirit with whom I have worked in the past. It was as if he wanted me to enter this beautiful edifice over which he presided. I thanked him for his guidance and was happy to oblige.

This Church was striking in its features. To quote Destination Sherbrooke (2022), ”The Basilica-Cathedral Saint-Michel is the seat of the Archdiocese of Sherbrooke, which covers the dioceses of Sherbrooke, Nicolet and Saint-Hyacinthe. It was built on the heights of the cliff Saint-Michel, close to the city center. Perched on a kind of acropolis, it dominates the city and the surrounding area of ​​its massive, robust silhouette, which is complemented by the more aerial lines of the archiepiscopal palace, looking like a castle. Archbishop’s palace and cathedral form today an imposing masonry complex, which reveals the evolution of the thought of the principal architect of this work, the architect Louis-Napoleon Audet.”

Saint Michael Basilica-Cathedral of Sherbrooke, photograph by the author.

Particularly striking to me was the monumental stone image of the Crucified Christ that towers over the Cathedral doors:

Saint Michael Basilica-Cathedral of Sherbrooke, photograph by the author.

The lower-half of the Cathedral was constructed from 1914 to 1917, but a lack of funds resulted in a tragic thirty-nine year pause in construction. The the upper-half of the Cathedral was finally finished in 1957. The interior of the Basilica features some ornate artwork, such as Archbishop Chapel artwork by the great Canadian painter Ozias Leduc. However, it was the images of Archangel Michael that attracted me the most. One such image was a painting, displayed upon a wall, depicting Michael standing on the head of Satan:

Saint Michael Basilica-Cathedral of Sherbrooke, photograph by the author.

Another image was an illuminated statue of the Archangel spearing the Dragon of Revelation 12:7–10, with a French prayer on the wall beside him:

Saint Michael Basilica-Cathedral of Sherbrooke, photograph by the author.

Saint Michael Basilica-Cathedral of Sherbrooke, photography by the author.

The atmosphere in the Cathedral was light, pleasant, and yet solemn at the same time, in a quasi-Kabbalistic blend of Divine Mercy and Severity.

As it turned out, the Cathedral also contained relics of the Blessed Marie-Léonie Paradis (12 May 1840 – 3 May 1912). In 1854, at the age of fourteen, and while her father was seeking gold in California, she joined the Marianites of Saint-Laurent in Montreal, a female branch of the Holy Cross Congregation, despite her frail health (Meenan, 2022). She received the name of “Marie-Léonie”, formally known as “Marie de Sainte-Léonie.”

She taught in Montreal for several years until, in 1862, she was sent to the Church of St. Vincent de Paul a parish for French speaking Catholics in Manhattan, where the congregation ran an orphanage (Meenan, 2022). She remained there until 1870, when she joined the Sisters of the Holy Cross, the American branch of her order, located at Notre Dame, Indiana. There she taught French and needlework to the sisters training to become teachers. In 1874, Paradis was appointed Mistress of Novices at the Collège Saint-Joseph in Memramcook, New Brunswick, and supported the Holy Cross Fathers there in their educational ministry (Meenan, 2022).

Blessed Marie-Léonie Paradis and Nuns of her Order.

Meenan (2022) notes that ”Sister Marie-Léonie felt called to found a new religious order with the specific task of supporting the priests and seminarians, dedicated to service, which would be home-grown Canadian. Thus was founded on August 26, 1877 the ‘Little Sisters of the Holy Family’, without whose help many colleges and seminaries would not have been able to survive, as was also the case for many hospitals.” The kind Sister died in 1912 at the age of 71, after a brief battle with cancer, and was beatified by Pope Saint John Paul II on his pilgrimage to Canada, on September, 11, 1984.

To quote the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (2022), ”By ensuring the training of the young women who wanted to collaborate in her work, the founder was also ensuring their well-being. Most of these women came from poor families, and religious life was their hope of contributing something meaningful and getting a better education than their families could provide. As she wrote in 1899 to a priest at Suncook, New Hampshire, “The community of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family was founded to give poor, uneducated young girls the advantages of religious life.”’

Icon of Blessed Marie-Léonie Paradis.

The Conference (2022) writers go on to add that ”Bishop Paul LaRocque would say that she spent her life giving herself away: “She always had her arms open and her heart was transparent. She was always ready with a hearty, open laugh, welcoming each person as if they were God himself. She was a woman of the heart.” Her generosity was not limited to her religious family. No matter how poor her community might have been, she responded without hesitation to all needs. She helped the sick who came to the door or a family that she met in her travels. She hospitably received several religious who had been forced to leave France. She even adopted a young Berber woman, whose son became a priest.”

“Our mission in the Church is to help the priest on the temporal and spiritual planes,” she wrote. “But what it really demands as a supreme witness is for us to love one another and to love all people, not with just any love, but with all the love that God wants to give them. We must therefore repeat without tiring that our principal work is to give love.”

This 1976 pamphlet from the Centre Marie-Léonie Paradis contained a prayer ”to obtain a favour” through her intercession, a prime example of Catholic folk magic through intercessory prayer.

The Saint Michael Cathedral-Basilica features, in addition, to items that belonged to the Blessed Marie-Léonie, also a shrine in her honour, complete with relics belonging to her over which one can pray while kneeling:

Saint Michael Basilica-Cathedral of Sherbrooke, photography by the author.

I felt drawn to kneel at one of these reliquary stations and to tune in psychometrically with my hand on the relic to see if I could get a sense of the Blessed Marie-Léonie.

Her spiritual presence was eminently loving and radiant. With my hand over her relic, I saw a vision of her smiling face, with love in her eyes, and nurturing and benevolent intentions in her heart. I could sense that she would have made an effective teacher because her sincere commitment to her students and love for their well-being. I prayed and gave thanks to God in her honour and asked for her to guide me in her ways of love, service, pedagogy, and kindness. At the end of my prayer, I saw her luminous face, smiling once more…

Saint Michael Basilica-Cathedral of Sherbrooke, photography by the author.

D. Astral Signatures Embedded in Stone: Psychometry at the Church of St. John the Baptist

As fortune should have it, the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Michael should not prove the final church I would visit during my time in Sherbrooke. From across the river, I glimpsed the shining silver towers of yet another towering Cathedral and climbed a hill to get to it. This was the Église de Saint-Jean Baptiste (Church of Saint John the Baptist). As it turned out, I arrived at his eponymous church in the weekend of his Feast Day, which is celebrated all across Québec for he is also regarded as a Patron Saint of the Province of Québec itself.

The Saint-Jean-Baptiste parish built this monumental Catholic church between 1905 and 1908, and was very typical of the religious architecture of Quebec at that time. A first chapel, transformed into a parish hall (300, rue du Conseil), was first built in 1884 to serve the faithful of the parish of Saint-Michel living east of the Saint-François River. Autonomous since 1890, the growing parish at last embarked on this grandiose project, known as “the cathedral of the East”. The project was entrusted to the young Sherbrooke architect Wilfrid J. Grégoire and to Raoul-Adolphe Brassard of Montreal. Louis-Napoléon Audet would first be Grégoire’s intern on this project before becoming his associate in 1907. The inauguration of this “temple to the glory of the Most High” in 1908 gave rise to numerous celebrations in the city. More than a century later, the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church still stands in the heart of Eastern Sherbrooke.

The Church of Saint John the Baptist, photography by the author.

Here, I undertook to do a session of psychometry, by resting my hand on the stone of the church and then on its massive doors to sense what I could of what had transpired here in the past and whether there were any current Spirits still lingering here.

Psychometry at l’Église Saint-Jean Baptiste.

As a refresher on this practice, I will quote my previous article on weather magic and psychometry in Boucherville:

For those who may not be familiar with the term, the word Psychometry (from the Greek: ψυχή, psukhē, “spirit, soul” and μέτρον, metron, “measure”) was coined by American physician and Professor of physiology Joseph Rodes Buchanan (December 11, 1814 – December 26, 1899) in 1842. The term came to refer to the metaphysical practice of obtaining information about the history of an object or place by “tuning into” it while touching it or placing it to one’s forehead (New World Encyclopedia, 2007).

As I understand the practice, what we essentially do with Psychometry is open up our astral senses and then attempt to tune into the the region of the Astral Plane that corresponds to the physical object or location. Then we attempt to surrender to the reception of images, sounds, smells, touches, and other impressions that sometimes show “snapshots” or, as it were, “movies” of things that happened there in the past (I call these “psychic history traces’“), and at other times allow us to tune into the spirits of the dead who still have a connection to the place or object in question (I call these “connected spirits“). I had no success with it at all for years until I started to develop my astral senses and also improve at spirit conjuring, divination, and scrying, after which I found it to be a very similar practice. Psychometry is almost like doing a divination and reading, assisted by touch, of an object or place instead of a set of Tarot cards, Runes, Geomancy markings, etc. combined with the kind of reception of spirit impressions that we experience in an evocation.

Psychometry at l’Église Saint-Jean Baptiste.

On this particular occasion, and in contrast to the Magog River Gorge area, where there were connected spirits like the Drowned Dead who had drowned in the river, I did not detect any connected spirits here.

However, I did detect an abundance of ‘psychic history traces’ here, that is, impressions of events that unfolded here in the past. Over the many decades of the church’s history, many people passed through here. I saw images of happy families celebrating marriages with black-clad grooms and white-dressed brides. Images of christenings came through as well, with crying babies being baptized and proud parents looking on. There were also images of a variety of people, some poor, some more wealthy as evidenced by their clothes and fine hats, who had come to the church over the years for ordinary Sunday Mass. The energy here was overwhelmingly positive, although I’m sure many funereal tears and penitent sinners with heavy hearts had also passed through here over the years. One women, clad in a green dress and green hat, stood out from the others. I thought at first she might be a connected spirit, but she was not. This woman was still alive and had passed through here recently.

The Saint John the Baptist Church has a rich history, but its history is still being written. I was grateful for my chance to peer into the Astral traces of some small portion of that history, which is a legacy of people celebrating the milestones of their lives, the connectedness of their community, and the glorification of their God within these massive stone walls.

The Church of Saint John the Baptist, photography by the author.

E. Conclusion: The End of One Chapter, Beginning of Another

My time in Sherbrooke was eminently positive, despite its steep hills reminding my legs just how out of shape they are. I was grateful for its kind people, great restaurants–such as a Steakhouse and an Indian Thali restaurant run by a man and woman who are a couple and poured their love of food into twin establishments that run in parallel–and historic sites. May the Spirits of those who reside here be blessed with all manifestations of the Good, warmed by love, soothed by the kindness of Marie-Léonie Paradis, and cradled in the Divine Presence that carries them to Glory. B’shem Yeshua. Amen.

References

Klingbeil, G. A. (2018). Libation Rituals in the Ancient Near East. Khirbet Qeiyafa Vol. 4, 219. Retrieved July 1, 2022 from shorturl.at/pwJRT

Meenan, J.P. (2022). ”Blessed Marie-Leonie Paradis.” Catholic Insight. Retrieved July 1, 2022 from https://catholicinsight.com/blessed-marie-leonie-paradis/

Peterson, J. H. (1999). ”Le Grand Grimoire.” Esoteric Archives. Retrieved July 1, 2022 from http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/grand.htm

The Canadian Conference of Bishops (2022). ”Blessed Marie-Léoni Paradis.” Retrieved July 1, 2022 from https://www.cccb.ca/the-catholic-church-in-canada/saints-blesseds-canada/canadian-blesseds/blessed-marie-leonie-paradis-1840-1912/

The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (2022). “Sherbrooke, Quebec.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved July 1, 2022 from https://www.britannica.com/place/Sherbrooke

“Sherbrooke”. Commission de Toponymie. Retrieved July 1, 2022 from https://toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/fiche.aspx?no_seq=59493

“Sherbrooke.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 1, 2022 from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sherbrooke

Smith, F. H. (2004). Spirits and Spirituality: Enslaved Persons and Alcohol in West Africa and the British and French Caribbean1. The Journal of Caribbean History, 38(2), 279.

Evocation of Archangel Michael: Cyprianic Warnings, Cleansing Miasmatic Tools, and Breaking and Reflecting Back Curses

By Frater S.C.F.V.

Date: Sunday, September 20, 2020.
Sun Phase: Set.
Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent at 19 % Illumination in 19 Degrees Scorpio.
Mansion of the Moon: #5, al-Kalb (the Caduceus)
Planetary Day: Day of the Sun.
Planetary Hour: Hour of the Sun.
Activities: Ritual Ablutions after 6 days of Daniel-fasting with no sex, alcohol, or meat; Prayers; Opening by the Bell of Art; Conjuration of Angels of the Lord of the Four Directions as per Heptameron; Conjuration and Evocation of Michael to visible appearance; Ritual cleansing of miasmatic contaminated objects; Curse-Breaking and defensive reflective magic against past and future curses; License to Depart; Prayers.

After 6 days of Daniel-fasting, no sex, no alcohol, and no meat, I felt an inner nudge to call on Michael for assistance in the current work on which I have been focused for the past week. It was the Hour of the Sun on the Day of the Sun with the Moon waxing in the Lunar Mansion of Al-Kalb, the Caduceus. This Mansion is very much in harmony with some of the work with which I would seek the Angel’s help, particularly, as Christopher Warnock notes, for defensive work. In addition, as Volguine notes, al-Kalb “exerts an especially favourable influence for exposing enemies,” and as Agrippa indicates, is useful for ” revenge from enemies” and “frees captives.” All of the above were highly appropriate for the work at hand.

I cleansed myself with ritual ablutions for purification, garbed myself in a white robe, my L-skin belt, and my Sacred Magic of Abramelin Crown, and picked up my Key of Solomon Wand. After sounding the Solomonic Bell of Art three times before entering the Circle, as per the Hygromanteia, I enterered the Circle then sounded the Bell to each of the full Quarters, as per the Key of Solomon.

In the Circle, Michael’s spirit Table with his statue was placed in the current direction of the Sun as assessed with astronomical software. The Table also featured offering candles; a glass of fresh water offered to God on behalf of the Angel; a vessel filled with a cleansing mixture of Holy Water, Florida water, and waxing Moon Rain Water; my Black and White-Handled Knives as well as Lemegeton’s Goetia Pentacle to be cleansed from recent miasmatic contamination; the Black Mirror of Art; the Heptameron Sigil of Michael, and other tools.

For the Evocation of Michael, I began a new method emerging from a synthesis of methods of Conjuration from the Arbatel and Heptameron Grimoires. After practicing a method for sealing the Spirit Body I learned from the Esperitista, I began the prayer from Arbatel Aphorism 14, modified to include the name of Michael:

O Lord of heaven and earth, Creator and Maker of all things visible and invisible; I, though unworthy, by thy assistance call upon thee, through thy onely begotten Son Jesus Christ our Lord, that thou wilt give unto me thy holy Spirit, to direct me in thy truth unto all good. Amen. Because I earnestly desire perfectly to know the Arts of this life and such things as are necessary for us, which are so overwhelmed in darkness, and polluted with infinite humane opinions, that I of my own power can attain to no knowledge in them, unless thou teach it me: Send me therefore thy Spirit Michael, who may teach me those things which thou wouldest have me to know and learn, to thy praise and glory, and the profit of our neighbour. Give me also an apt and teachable heart, that I may easily understand those things which thou shalt teach me, and may hide them in my understanding, that I may bring them forth as out of thy inexhaustible treasures, to all necessary uses. And give me grace, that I may use such thy gifts humbly, with fear and trembling, through our Lord Jesus Christ, with thy holy Spirit. Amen.

After additional prayers, I prayed a modified version of the prayer from Arbatel Aphorism 21:

Omnipotent and eternal God, who hast ordained the whole creation for thy praise and glory, and for the salvation of man, I beseech thee that thou wouldst send thy Spirit Michael of the solar order, who shall inform and teach me those things which I shall ask of him; Nevertheless not my will be done, but thine, through Jesus Christ thy onely begotten Son, our Lord. Amen.

As per the Heptameron, I proceded with the Conjuration of the Angels of the Quarters for Sunday:

At the East. • • Samael. Baciel. Atel. Gabriel [*Fabriel]. Vionatraba. • •
At the West. • • Anael. Pabel. Ustael. Burchat. Suceratos. Capabili [*Capabali]. • •
At the North. • • Aiel. Aniel, vel Aquiel. Masgabriel. Sapiel. Matuyel. • • At the South. • • Haludiel. Machasiel. Charsiel. Uriel. Naromiel.

Finally, I proceded to the Heptameron Conjuration of Michael for Sunday, holding the Wand of Art, with my Solomonic Sword linked to Michael near at hand:

I Conjure and confirm upon you, ye strong and holy Angels of God, in the name Adonay, Eye, Eye, Eya, which is he who was, and is, and is to come, Eye, Abray; and in the name Saday, Cados, Cados, Cados, sitting on high upon the Cherubin; and by the great Name of God himself, strong and powerful, who is exalted above all Heavens; Eye Saray, maker of the World, who created the World, the Heaven, the Earth, the Sea, and all that in them is in the first day, and sealed them with his holy Name Phaa; and by the name of the holy Angels, who rule in the fourth Heaven, and serve before the most mighty Salamia, an Angel great and honourable; and by the name of his Star, which is Sol; and by his Sign; and by the immense name of the living God, and by all the names aforesaid, I conjure thee, Michael, O great Angel, who art chief Ruler of the Lords day; and by the name Adonay, the God of Israel, who hath created the world, and all that therein is, That thou labour for me, and fulfil all my petitions, according to my will and desire, in my cause and business.

I performed additional prayers and Conjurations, additional purifications and sprinklings with the Holy Water mixture, offerings of Candles and Water to God on behalf of the Angel, and sat down.

I began to gaze into the Mirror while continuing to vibrate and chant the name MICHAEL. Then I entered a free-flow rapid stream of prayers and free-form Conjurations, while gazing into the Mirror. I continued and continued until the room began to fade darker and the Spirit Table appeared to shine brighter. Mysterious lights and streaks began to drift around the Circle, indicating the presence of the Spirits.

Then the offered candles dimmed down before flaring up again and I heard an infinitely warm and rich voice speaking into my mind while a light seemed to concentrically glow and fade into the center of the Mirror. I recognized the arrival of Michael with an immensity of warmth and light, a terrifying power but a comforting loving presence…

M: “Greetings Adam, Son of Adam,” the warm voice said, playing on the familiar title “Son of Adam” for humankind and my literal name.

I greeted the Angel with love and respect and asked if I could ask both his insight and his assistance with things in harmony with the Will and Nature of God. I began by asking the Angel for his impression of the cessation of my work with “St. Cyprian of Antioch” and the processes involved with ending that work such as severing the pacts, destroying the ritual tools, burning and smashing the statues, etc.

M: “You have done well. Did I not warn you that that “Saint” was no Saint, but a legion of Liars and Impostors? Did I not warn you lest you fall into a pit of deceit? This, you did. But now, at least, you shall be clear of your folly.”

I repented of my foolishness in believing the spirit’s lies about who it was and what it claimed to be doing and that I had not listened sooner.

M: “Be comforted, you are not alone. This legion of “Cyprians” draws new fools every day by the force of their greed, lust for power, gullibility, and arrogance. Some of these impostors mean well, but most are dark and intend nothing but deception and destruction to their own gain. Being Sons of Hell, they turn those who follow them into even worse Sons of Hell than they are. Fools under their sway among you humans propagate their lies and illusions and catch more souls in the web of their deceptions. Many are those who fall into their snares. Many are those who are puppets in their clutches. Many are those who are food on which for them to feed. Many are those who stumble into the pit alongside them. Truly, they will reap the fruits of their folly in destruction worse than they imagine. Tell your humans to beware lest they be prey for Liars more cunning than they!“

After hearing these chilling words, I asked how I could possibly express this to them when they so fervently believe the opposite about “Cyprian.”

M: “It is not for you to make them believe or disbelieve. You can put point to the cliff towards which they stumble and warn them that they are in danger of a terrible fall. Some will listen. Most will not, and ignoring all warnings, plummet off the cliff to their destruction. Then their “Cyprians” will abandon them, laughing at their demise. And they will be shocked, but it will be too late. The Jaws of Evil gape wide to catch, devour, and consume the unwary. But you humans trust lies and ignore the truth. You take darkness to be light and light to be darkness, but some among you, might, by Grace, understand.”

I explained that I had already destroyed all of the statues, implements, and tools of my work with “Cyprian and Justina” and dismantled and cleansed the Table on which those tools and statues had once stood.

M: “You did well, but have more to do, as I see, you know. Pick up your Knives and Pentacle. Wash them in the Water (Holy Water, Florida Water, Rain Water). Then press each in turn to the head of my Statue. Three times through flame. Then ground them against the blade of your Sword and leave them on my Table.”

I did as I was instructed for each item in turn. When I touched each item to the head of the Statue, I seemed to feel a flush of energy, like a vibrating wave of warmth flooding through my forehead.

I thanked the Angel for his help with this and asked if it was acceptable to use the Mirror of Art with him, as I had never done so before, and had many who cautioned against using the dark Mirror with Angels, favouring instead, the Crystal.

M: “Is my name not upon the Mirror’s back? You can use it. Next time, use also the Triangle with it. I will help you with the Triangle to focus on my Presence and those of others whom you Call. Fear not the Triangle will offend. Is it not my Sigil inscribed three times upon it? Should I be offended by my own name, when the concentrating power is mine by grace of His (God’s)?“

I was surprised to hear him invite me to use the Triangle for communicating with him as I had only ever seen it recommended for malevolent daimons, but I was remembered of the Table of Art in some grimoires, which employs a triangle shape. His logic was sound, and who was I to argue after all?

I asked him if he could give me a visual of his face in the mirror.

M: “Have I not shown you before? Why do you ask for a Dream when you could have Reality? My face is no face. My wings are no wings. But focus anyway and see.”

As the room darkened once again, I seemed to see a vague outline of a face in the Mirror. Resembling a man. Strong. Mature. Wise. And then it faded out.

M: “Dreams upon Dreams. Symbols upon Symbols. Your kind hunger for these, but they are pale substitutes for Truth.”

I asked the Angel about another matter about which I had been wondering and never asked, Heaven and Hell. I asked “is there really a Heaven and a Hell? The answer that came was cryptic and enigmatic, but profound and incisive:

M: “Heaven and Hell are both metaphors and literal. They are metaphors for your feeble mind to relate to that which you can neither understand nor relate. Their literal Truth is more than you can understand and not what you imagine. You think in time and space but they are neither in time nor in space.

Do not confuse imagination for Truth or image for Being. Is it your business to know all things or that of the One who made all things? Some things will not fit in terms your mind can grasp. Your reason is a pale light, like a candle in the dark. Yet you expect it to light up the whole universe. How can a candle light the universe?

The Mysteries of God are beyond conception. And Heaven and Hell are Mysteries of God. Yet you humans try, in vain, to conceive despite this fact. And then you cling to the models you have made, the shades of your ill-conception, and call them God’s. How are they God’s? You made them.

They are like children’s drawings. Yet you take them to be accurate maps of the entirety of Being. Would you navigate by the crayon map of a child? Of course not. Yet you try to navigate the Unknowable by your mind’s crayon maps and call that “knowledge.” That is not knowledge, but make believe. Instead of make believe, simply believe. In what? What God will give you to know.“

I was reminded of the Espiritista’s recommendation that I drop the overanalytic machinations of my mind and lean more on sensation and experience. I asked the Angel if he had any recommendations for working with the Cuadro Spirits that the Esperitista had shown me:

M: “You will learn in time. Trust the one I sent to teach you and whom I sent you to learn from. He will show you the way. He is a friend — was his name not a hint from me? Continue with your baths and prayer. More will be revealed in time.”

I asked if the Angel had any insights or guidance to offer to better serve my Social Work clients:

M: “Continue to learn and listen. Humble your heart, listen well to criticism and suggestions, and trust in God. He will give to you what you are to say and do. When they speak to you, those in your care, listen to them as if God Himself were speaking to you. For how will you know when he is or is not? You cannot. Therefore listen with a humble heart and have faith.”

I turned to the final matter about which I was concerned. I asked if others had indeed worked malefic magic against me as the Esperitista had indicated and I had already suspected:

M: “Yes. Two men, in fact. But I will help. God nurtures and protects those who choose Him, who are those whom He has chosen. Their curses will be sent back upon their heads, magnified threefold in accordance with God’s Justice to the ones He loves and calls His own. I will tend to that. For you, forgive them. Leave it to God and do what I tell you now.”

The Angel instructed me to proceed with working defensive spiritual work to reflect back all past and future curses from this point on, such that they will be magnified and strike back three times as severely as what they intended for me. He did not permit me to share everything involved in this, as it was private and so that those men who sent the curses, one of whom reads this blog, could not counter them. He prevented only for me to share this:

M: “Take up my Mirror. Reach into… [redacted] and trace three times [redacted]. Cast… [redacted] in each direction in turn, saying… [redacted]. Pick up the Sword, trace a Cross in each direction, then stab that direction, proclaiming [redacted]. Call on God by the Names… [redacted] and recite the incantation “The curses thou send now to me, / Turn back around and go to thee, / The curses thou send now to me, / reflect back to thee now times three.” Continue with [redacted] and [redacted]. All will be taken care of. Your Father is a loving and faithful. He will protect and nourish you with all you need to know and do. My Sword will cut through all according to His will.“

This charm will remain in place going forwards from now on as an enduring Ward and defensive work against any who would work malefic witchcraft against me again.

I thanked the Angel again for his wisdom and insights, as well as his much-appreciated help. After a series of final prayers, I prayed the second prayer from Arbatel Aphorism 21:

“Forasmuch as thou camest in peace, and quietly, and hast answered unto my petitions; I give thanks unto God, in whole Name thou camest: and now thou mayest depart in peace unto thy orders; and return to me again when I shall call thee by thy name, or by thy order, or by thy office, which is granted from the Creator. Amen“

I thanked Michael once more and proceeded with more prayers then gave the License to Depart to the Angel and the other spirits previously Conjured. Just as suddenly as he had come, he was gone.

I sounded the Bell to the four Quarters in reverse Order and formally closed down the Temple.

2018: A Magical Year in Review

By Frater S.C.F.V.

View inside a Vigil offered to Archangel Sachiel dressed with Solomonic Holy Oil and Basil.

As we move into 2019, I’d like to take a few moments to reflect on all that has happened in my life in the whirlwind of a year that was 2018.  It has been a tumultuous year in world events to be sure, but in my own little human life, it has been a massively important year.  I share these life and magical achievements and strange tale of bizarre events and poltergeist phenomena not out of arrogance, but in the hopes of inspiring others to work harder to achieve their own goals and to humble myself with the recollection of the giants on whose shoulders I was able to stand this year.

We are all the Divine dancing in the lila (Divine play) of manifested human lives; as this human action figure named Adam, however, I could not have done anything were it not for the amazing friends, family, and colleagues who have so blessed and inspired me with the relationships and time we’ve shared together.  May we have many more years together on this mysterious planet that races on around the Sun! So mote it be with all thanks and glory not unto me, but unto the Most High, amen!

Major Life Events in 2018

• I worked hard to support some truly inspiring students with special needs at McGill University as a Note-Taker, Mentor, and Life Coach. Their own hard work and progress in achieving their goals were so beautiful and inspiring to watch and I feel so lucky to have been able to work with each and every one of them.
• Because of how many blessings came my way this year, I was able to give more to charity than I was ever able to give in the past.  I also gave more offerings to spirits and animals this year than in any other previous year of my life.

• I completed the penultimate year of my clinical social work degree at McGill with a 4.0 GPA and served older adults with mental and physical health issues both in long-term residences and living in the community.  I am now on track to graduate in 2019 and excited to officially begin my clinical social work career.After my prior careers as a certified Chef and high school teacher I am beyond grateful to have finally found my true calling.  Social work offers a vehicle through which I can strive to live out the Rosicrucian ideal “to cure the sick and that gratis,” and where I cannot cure, at least to support individuals and families to empower them with resources, services, and psychosocial support to maximize their well-being.

• I suffered a concussion in July from which I completely recovered in only a few months (thank God!).  More on that below.
• I went to see the Beach Boys live in concert, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

• I also got to attend my first ever professional comedy show, The Nasty Show at the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival due to a kind gift from my friend Randy! Robert Kelly, Brad Williams, Ms. Pat, and Mike Britt had us in stitches from laughing so hard.

• I was called back to the mystical Christian faith of my youth with a newly integrative perspective and began to attend a beautiful local Church. The members of my congregation and I managed to put together gift boxes for kids from the ages of 1 to 14 in 9 different countries: Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Senegal, Guinea, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Glory be to God!

• I published a series of articles on Solomonic magic with which I am very happy to have been able to contribute research on lesser-known topics such as Solomonic Bells and Trumpets and Consecration by Mass.  In addition, I was honoured to have my Bells article featured in the 2018 edition of my esteemed colleague Nick Farrell’s Hermetic Tablet – The Journal of the Western Mystery Tradition.

• 2018 was by far the most successful year for Light in Extension for worldwide views, and overwhelmingly so:

• I was also grateful when the article was recommended by a Frater, magician, author, and friend whom I deeply respect, Fr. Aaron Leitch in a recording of a lesson in his fantastic Secrets of Solomon – Grimoire Magick Classes 101 class.
• I had the honour of being interviewed by the kind, inspiring, and eminently professional Alexander Eth on the Glitch Bottle podcast.

• I was blessed to meet and become friends with many amazing occultists, some of whose books I have been reading and cherishing for the past 14 years or so. I have learned so much from my amazing Fratres and Sorores to whom I remain deeply indebted and grateful. I am humbled to have gotten to have some amazing conversations with not only such masterful occultists, but also such beautiful and amazing people as Aaron Leitch, Jake Stratton-Kent, Dr. Stephen Skinner, Frater R.C., Frater YShY, Joseph H. Peterson, Frater Ashen Chassan, Nick Farrell, Jason August Newcomb, Dr. Tony Fuller, Pat Zalewski, Christine Zalewski, and many more. I also learned a great deal from and enjoyed the friendship of many others whose names I won’t share out of interests of their wish to keep their occult involvement concealed under the Sign of Harpocrates. To all of them and to those I have not mentioned, you know who you are and I love and appreciate you very much.
• I was honoured to become a Moderator in Aaron Leitch’s amazing Solomonic – Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires group.
• I participated in multiple McGill University research studies, received EEGs, got paid to receive electric shocks inside of an MRI machine, and marched in the largest strikes for paid student internships in the history of Montreal. I also improved my skills at engraving, drawing, and painting, attended my cousin Julie’s wedding, and joined the wedding party of my sister’s wedding planned for 2019.

Magical Achievements in 2018

• After receiving a concussion in July, which occurred after I slammed my head into a ceiling beam causing it to burst out in blood, I was forced to leave my job working as a cook in an amazing Montreal restaurant on St. Laurent. The concussion resulted in brain damage to my frontal lobe which was associated with distressing symptoms like slurring of speech, forgetting common words in conversation, damage to episodic memory, and mood swings.Within a few months,  despite not receiving any form of medical treatment, however, I recovered all of my impaired cognitive abilities and my head healed almost completely, leaving only a tiny scar.  I attribute this nearly miraculous healing to God Almighty, whom I petitioned for help with healing the devastating effects this concussion had on my psychological functioning.
• I coined the term cryptoconsecratio and developed the method of secretly consecrating magical items by Mass, which I performed countless times in the past year on objects ranging from Jupiter Pentacles to Wands, Burins of Art, my statue of Saint Cyprian of Antioch, my Cyprianic Rosary, and many other tools.

• I manifested my vision for my ideal home and was blessed–glory be to God!–to be able to equip it with everything I had ever hoped it would have in terms of appliances and electronics. I also read many amazing occult books and massively increased my esoteric library.  Divine Provision can be humbling indeed.
• In 2018, aside from the Christian Trinity, and Saint Cyprian of Antioch, I was honoured to work with the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Samael, Anael, Cassiel, Uriel, and Sachiel, as well as the Angels Netoniel, Devachiah, Tzedeqiah, and Parasiel. I learned many interesting things from these spirits, such as about how limitations and discipline can be forms of freedom rather than simply obstacles freedom from Archangel Cassiel, learning about keys to prosperity from Sachiel, and much more.
• I also did some deep work with the Papyri Graecae Magicae or Graeco-Egyptian Magical Papyri this year, especially the Headless Rite and PGM Lecanomancy.

• I made some serious progress with Pathworking in the past year and met and learned from many other spirits in the course of the resulting astral work.  Qabalistic Paths explored in 2018 included Peh, Tzaddi, Malkut, Resh, Qoph, Shin, and Tav.
• I secured a dedicated and permanent Temple for the Ordo Aurum Lucerna. Our Order also increased its Archives of copies of G.D. manuscripts to be  exponentially larger than it has ever been thanks to the kindness and generosity of some truly amazing Fraters and Sorors from other G.D. Orders to whom we remain deeply grateful.

W.B. Yeats’ drawing of the Hermetic Rose Cross.

• After a series of strange experiences, and encouragement from my dear friend Chijioke, I began magically and devotionally working with Saint Cyprian of Antioch. I formally assumed the great Saint as my Patron after an intensive 9-Day Novena to him in September, 2018.  During my time of working with him, my magic has radically improved and deepened in all of the three traditions with which I work: Solomonic, Cyprianic, and Golden Dawn.  May the credit for that not be unto me, but unto Saint Cyprian, God Almighty, to the Spirits, Angels, and Archangels, and to the kind friends and colleagues who made this possible.

• Our Golden Dawn Order, the Ordo Aurum Lucerna, of which I have been Imperator for the last 9 years, has grown larger, stronger, and more active than ever before.  I am so grateful to my brethren in the Order for the beautiful work we do together, for our democratic power structure, for how much we have all grown in the past year, and for how much we have to look forward to in 2019.  Khabs am Pehkt, Konx Om Pax, Light in Extension!
• I performed a controlled experiment that seemed to find some empirical support for the claim that food offered to Archangels tends to last longer and resist mold longer than the same food not given as an offering.  I tested the claim using muffins prepared from the same batch of batter and kept in the same temperature, moisture, and storage conditions.

• This past year, I have gone deeper into Solomonic magical practice than ever before.  I crafted the Circle from the Lemegeton’s Goetia, as well as consecrated Holy Oil, Holy Water, Incense, and Candles, crafted a new Wand and a Solomonic Bell of Art, several Burins of Art, a new Aspergillum, a consecrated Chest for materia magica, and several other items for use in my Operations. I also wrote a series of articles on Solomonic topics, as previously mentioned.

• This past year saw some fruitful results with Planetary magic, particularly with a consecrated Saturn ring I was kindly gifted by my friend Sarah Wreck and with Jupiter. I crafted the 2nd Pentacle of Jupiter from the Key of Solomon after waiting nearly an entire year for a solid election and also consecrated a Ring of Jupiter at the same time.This Pentacle and Ring have produced some amazing results, such as over 8000$ of my student loan being converted into a bursary I do not have to pay back, saving 400$ on a new TV and large amounts of additional money on appliances and a guitar, receiving much favor, and many other astounding results such as Soror C.R. gaining a promotion and me obtaining an amazing job right out of graduation from my Clinical Social Work degree.

• Besides the more spectacular concussion recovery, I also experienced some additional interesting healing results this year.  These included Archangel Raphael healing me completely of a cold within 1.5 days; to place this result in perspective, it normally takes me 7 days or longer to get over a cold.  In addition, I experienced having scars, redness, and dark patches completely healed within days of asking YHVH for this result.
• This year, I performed more professional Tarot readings than ever before and was honoured to have been able to read for clients all around the world. I am so grateful for the trust which people have placed in me by allowing them to do readings for them. What sets my approach to professional readings apart from others is that for the 50$ per reading that I charge, I not only include the reading itself, but also give offerings on behalf of the client and their family, and write a detailed report for them complete with HD photos of all of the cards in the reading so that clients can refer to it in the future.I noticed that most Tarot readers do their readings orally only, so clients do not have a record of the reading and often quickly forget it. In this way, they have a detailed record of the reading, which is incredibly comprehensive; as an example, the last such report I wrote came to a whopping 43 pages! Feel free to contact me on Facebook or by email should you be interested in arranging a reading.

• After Soror C.R. and I independently saw visions of the Archangel Sachiel wearing a red vest after invoking him via the Heptameron conjuration, Soror C.R. had a vision of him giving her a red vest to wear. The next day, while carrying the 2nd Pentacle of Jupiter consecrated by Sachiel, I was directed to a store where I found a red vest exactly like the one she saw in her vision, which I purchased for her. The price tag said only 9$, but I ended up paying only 6$ due to an additional 30% reduction.

• I performed more professional natal charts for clients around this world this year than in any other year of my life. These are also 50$ per chart and yield a similarly detailed and comprehensive written report explaining all of the Aspects to what I produce for my Tarot clients. Please feel free to contact me by email as well should this service be of interest.

• I was honoured to have had the opportunity to spend some time learning from members of the Order of Saint Cyprian of Antioch.  I met some beautiful and amazing people in that Order, to whom I am very grateful, but have since retired from that particular group in order to focus on the Ordo Aurum Lucerna and my other magical projects, writing, and research. I am particularly grateful to Ms. Sfinga (pseudonym) at the OSC from whom I learned a great deal.  It was Sfinga whom I commissioned to sew my scapular of Saint Cyprian and who kindly gifted me a beautiful amethyst and tiger’s eye bracelet.  She is an absolutely amazing human being, kind and genuine through and through as well as an amazing esoteric practitioner and a brilliant scholar. I have nothing but fond things to say about her, as of many other members of that esteemed Order.

• After asking St. Cyprian to guide me to a vessel in which to store my magica materia, he led me to a shop I never visit where I found a fascinating hand-carved antique chest that was exactly what I had been hoping for.

 

• I performed a formal exorcism of a daimon-possessed woman this year.  The spirit in question turned out to be a subservient spirit of Alloces, the 52nd spirit of the Lemegeton’s Goetia.  I am indebted to Sarah Wreck for her help with identifying the entity and advising me on how to proceed with the exorcism.  8 months later,  I’m happy to report that the woman in question remains in very good health and has not been troubled by any other spirit.
• I was guided by Saint Cyprian to a store I had never been to in a part of the city I had never explored which, to my amazement, happened to be the only store in Montreal that sells Oil of San Cipriano.

Strange Phenomena and Poltergeist Activity in 2018

• July 6, 2018 – I experienced the most powerful and unmistakable physical manifestation of an Angel that I have ever seen.
• Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 – Around 8:35 PM. While standing in the kitchen speaking with Soror R.A. about working with Angels, a small white physical feather appeared seemingly spontaneously in the air.  Both of us saw and were shocked and amazed by this.  The feather drifted slowly and gracefully to the floor, which we both witnessed.  Then when we looked for it on the ground, it had vanished… Weeks later, Soror R.A. was called to work with Archangel Sachiel and developed an intense relationship with him.
• Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018 – In a dream, two daimons, likely Jinn, suddenly appeared in the midst of the dream narrative.  They had pitch-black skin, but extremely white eyes.  I could sense their malevolent intent so I immediately bound them by the Sign of the Cross in the manner of St. Justina of Antioch and they backed off and vanished.

• November 8, 2018 – 9:45 PM – A fellow Magician gave me a consecrated ring of Saturn containing a large piece of led. This ring works very well for its intended purpose, but it seems to spontaneously vanish, be gone for a period of time, and then reappear somewhere I did not put it. It has vanished several times from the bureau near my bed and reappeared in pockets, in my backpack, and in other places. This night, I went to do a Rune reading for Soror R.A. and the Ring fell out of the Rune bag! Neither I nor anyone else had placed it there…
• I experienced some interesting cases of telepathy where I stated something very specific (e.g. referring to Track II of the Monster roller-coaster in Montreal, QC, Canada) that another person had been thinking about before they said it.  Only to be told by the other person that this was precisely what they had had on the mind.. Other cases included messaging people about topics moments before they were going to message me, and other such events such as in some cases publishing articles on topics people had been thinking of asking me about. All of this made me feel “in-flow” and rather “plugged in” with the larger Mind of the One appearing as many body-minds. This even occurred with people who live in very distant countries.
• I experienced multiple moments of minor precognition (e.g. accurately predicting the contents of sealed boxes and envelopes as well as their arrival dates when they had not even been specified).  This happened 4 times in a week period.
• Dec. 9, 2018 – 4:25 AM – My cat was sitting staring at the Temple door. Suddenly, he meowed loudly and ran down the hall. Then a mysterious knock was heard within the Temple room although there was no one in it. This same sequence of events happened again a few weeks later.
• December 8, 2018 – 6:37 PM – A door spontaneously opened before me without anyone touching it. Witnessed by Soror R.A.
• November 8, 2018 – 7:35 PM – TV spontaneously turned on with no one in the room.
• December 1, 2018 – 3:30 AM – While I was sleeping, my cell phone was suddenly knocked off my bureau. Half-asleep, I picked it up and put it back on the bureau. Then my watch was knocked off the bureau. Beginning to be annoyed, I picked it up and put it back on the bureau. Then my cell phone was knocked off the bureau again. Tired of this spirit’s antics, I called out into the silent room “In the Name of YHVH, cut that out!” No further objects fell to the floor that night.
• During the formal exorcism, a heavy stack of paper was violently thrown to the floor with no breeze in the room.
• One evening, the Enochian Tablet of the South spontaneously fell off the wall. Another night, the Tablet of the West fell off the fall. And still another night, the tablet of the North fell off the wall of its own accord. I had expected the tablet of the East to one day follow the same pattern, but it did not.

• As a final point, some interesting manifestations of spirit activity during ritual magic this year included a Crucifix hung around Saint Cyprian’s statue’s neck swaying in response to questions asked of spirits, strange knocks being heard in the room, incense smoke and candle flames being asked to move in response to questions as answers and the results happening immediately, sparks flashing out of an offering candle when Archangel Michael was conjured, and appearances of images and words spoken by spirits in crystal balls, water in lecanomancy bowls, flames scried into, and in the field of the mind.All in all, I believe it is safe to say that this has without a doubt been the most magical year in my life.  Happy New Years, dear friends! May you and your families be blessed with abundance, love, laughter, and growth in the coming year! So mote it be, amen!

Frater S.C.F.V on the Glitch Bottle Podcast

Glitch Bottle #033 – Solomonic Bells, Wands & Consecrations (Oh My!) with Frater S.C.F.V.

By Frater S.C.F.V

I recently had the great pleasure and honour of appearing on Alexander Eth’s fantastic Glitch Bottle podcast.  We discussed my own multitraditional spiritual background, Solomonic grimoires, Dr. Stephen Skinner’s interesting typology of magic, Mystery, and religion, Wand traditions, Bells and Trumpets of Art, Circles, binding, Consecration by Mass, scrying, cryptoconsecratio, Angelic invocation, and a host of other fascinating topics of magical theory and practice. Please feel free to share any comments or questions you may have. Thank you!

In LVX,
Frater S.C.F.V.

Hybrid Cyprianic / Solomonic Consecration of Amethyst Runes

By Frater S.C.F.V.

Date: October 22, 2018
Sun Phase: Set, Showers Nearby
Moon Phase: Full Moon in 11 degrees Aries
Mansion of the Moon: Sharatain
Planetary Day: Day of the Moon
Planetary Hour: Hour of the Moon
Activities: Casting of a Natal Chart; Solomonic Ritual Bathing with Hyssop; Preliminary Prayers; Offering to God; Solomonic Bell Sounding to the Spirits of the Quarters; Offerings to Saint Cyprian and Gabriel; Second Phase of Prayers; Invocation of the Divine; Invocation of the Trinity; Exorcism of the Runes and Purification by Holy Water; Solomonic Consecration of the Runes with Frankincense Suffumigations, Holy Water Asperging, and Saint Cyprian Oil Anointing; Invocation of Raphael, Gabriel, Michael, and Uriel to empower the Runes; Invocation of the Trinity; Canticle of Saint Cyprian; Rite of the Crook of Saint Cyprian; Psalms Recitation; Recitation of al-Fatiha and al-Adiyat; Gifts of Rune Divination and Tarot Divination for a friend; Temple Closing

Today was a busy day.  In the morning, and very appropriately, I received, on this Full Moon on the Day of the Moon, my new set of hand-carved Amethyst Runes. I, therefore, decided to plan to consecrate the new Runes this evening in the Day and Hour of the Moon.

Appropriately, the Full Moon is in Aries, a great time for work on powerful new beginnings, as well as in the al-Sharatain Mansion of the Moon.  As Christopher Warnock points out,

The warlike ardor of Aries the Ram, ruled by the planet Mars, is necessary for all beginnings. It provides the impetus to move forward, to overcome inertia and change the status quo. The Mansion is auspicious for beginnings, journeys and for taking medicine, as here the Moon transmits the force and power vital to breaking the hold of illness over the body. Keywords: Divine Mind, primal transmission and the power of creation/destruction, active energy and dynamic force.

As a side note, while Agrippa ascribes Amethyst to Mars in his Three Books of Occult Philosophy and Crowley ascribes it to Jupiter in Liber 777, I tend to side with the folk magical tradition that ascribes Amethyst to the Moon, which seems more consistent with its properties to facilitate reflection, clarify the mind to see into Mysteries and hidden virtues, and so on, as attested in Ancient Greek lore.

With purple also being linked to the Sphere of Yesod, the Sphere of the Moon, in the Queen Scale of the Golden Dawn and also being linked to Saint Cyprian, Amethyst seems to me to be a very appropriate choice for a set of Runes.  With that said, even if we take into account the Mars valences of Amethyst as per Agrippa, the connection is nevertheless auspicious since the Luar Mansion of Al-Sharatain is a strong time for Martian and Aries-like bursts forward with new creative energy and endeavours.

The day flew by with my clinical research course and doing what I could to encourage support for the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal, helping a woman with directions, and casting a Natal Chart for a friend. I decided that I would do three magical acts of service today as service-based Offerings, since I believe service is not only intrinsically valuable, but pleases the Divine. In addition, I find that Saint Cyprian seems to be far more happy to help with my magical operations when I do acts of service for others as Offerings to him. As a result, I resolved to cast a Natal Chart for my friend Pil., and a Rune and Tarot reading for my friend Nik. who has a big decision to make in relation to whether to begin work in the Palo Mayombe tradition and requested some insight from me and Saint Cyprian on the subject.

As night came, I performed Solomonic ritual bathing using hyssop as per the oldest-known surviving manuscript of the Key of Solomon proper, Sloane 3847, The Clavicle of Solomon revealed by Ptolomy the Grecian, (“And sprinkle thy self with the water coniured one such manner as it is sayd after of water and Isope upon thy face sayinge, &c.”).

As the Hour of the Moon began on this Day of the Moon on a potent Full Moon, I took up my Solomonic Bell and ringing it as per the Hygromanteia, entered my Circle, dressed in my white robe, stole, and carrying my Solomonic Wand. I arranged Saint Cyprian’s Altar with his Statue, which I recently consecrated by Mass, as well as exorcised, and Solomonically consecrated after a 9 day Novena culminating on his Feast Day, when I took him as my Patron. I also had on the Altar, my Solomonic Holy Water, San Cipriano Oil, my Solomonic Bell, my brass ‘Cauldron’ filled with white sand and containing Frankincense, a glass of Red Wine as an Offering, Cyprian’s water glass Offering, an Offering of Church wafers for Cyprian, and the complete set of Amethyst Runes.

I lit a candle as an Offering to the Most High and asked for His blessing and that he send the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation (Ephesians 1:17) to aid me in this Operation. I sounded my Solomonic Bell to the Four Quarters as per the Key of Solomon’s instructions for the Bell/Trumpet, blessing the Spirits and Angels of each Direction in turn and requesting their aid in the ceremony.  As I did this, I began to feel the presence of Spirits drawing to the Circle, curious as to what I was up to, as tends to happen. I blessed them and asked them to aid in the Ceremony as they could and bound them not to interfere with it adversely by the name of יהוה I then gave formal Offerings to Saint Cyprian of a glass of water, a glass of wine, Church wafers, and Frankincense.

After preliminary prayers, I stated the Intent of the Ceremony and then began the formal Solomonic exorcisms and consecrations of the Runes. While praying over them, I washed each one in turn with Solomonic Holy Water, asperged them with my Aspergillum,  suffumigated them with Frankincense, and anointed them with the Oil of Saint Cyprian while invoking his aid to empower them for use in divination. I then invoked Raphael, Gabriel, Michael, and Uriel and asked them for their aid in consecration and empowering the Runes as well. I had such a feeling of holy joy after their Invocation that my heart felt much at peace and brimming with love for the kind and inestimably powerful Archangels.

I then performed the Rite of the Crook of Saint Cyprian that Cyprian had taught me, adding the goal of the Ceremony into the petition section. This was the first time I’ve applied the Rite in practical magic since I first tried it after Cyprian revealed it and I found it quite powerful. After I performed it, the Crucifix hanging around Cyprian”s neck began to sway as it sometimes does when he’s actively assisting in a ritual.

Thereafter, I proceeded to a series of prayers over the Runes, the OSC’s Canticle of Saint Cyprian, other prayers from the Saint Cyprian Orisons book, and the recitation of a series of Psalms over the Runes to consecrate them as per the Solomonic tradition. I finished the consecration by reciting two of my favourite Surahs from the Holy Qur’an, namely al-Fatiha and al-Adiyat over the Runes. I was amazed at the deep sense of silence that came over the Temple as I finished the Qur’anic recitations. They never cease to amaze me with their power and depth.

I then took up the Runes and asked for Cyprian’s help to use them to perform their first Three Norn reading as a gift to my friend Nik. for guidance in whether or not he should pursue initiation into Palo Mayombe followed by a ten-card Tarot reading on the same subject. Thereafter, I blessed and greeted the Spirits in the Four Quarters with the ringings of the Solomonic Bell, gave the License to Depart, released any Spirits that may have been captured in the ceremony with the blessings of Yeheshuah Yehovashah, and formally closed the Temple.

When I picked up the consecrated Runes, I already began to feel a deep connection to them. They will remain on Cyprian’s Altar for the next 9 days to complete their charging and final consecration phase, and then I will consecrate them by Mass 1-3 times to finalize their preparation.

Novena of Saint Cyprian 2018 Day 7: Invocation of Archangel Michael

By Frater S.C.F.V.

On this Seventh Day of my 2018 Novena to Saint Cyprian of Antioch, September 23, 2018, I arose and performed a ritual bath and worship. I listened to a sermon and attended Church, where I encountered an amusing synchronicity — the same passage from Micah that I had prayed the night before turned up in the morning’s sermon! I was even more amused when a passage cited immediately after that in the Church sermon then turned up in the Orison work in Dr. Mal Strangefellow’s Cyprian Orisons for the day!

With my stomach aching with fasting, I went on with the day’s activities. As the Hour of the Sun on the Day of the Sun ruled by Michael approached, I took another ritual bath and fixed the offering candles for the ritual to come. For Cyprian, I fixed a candle with San Cipriano Oil, cinnamon, and all-spice:

For Michael, the candle was fixed with Holy Oil, clove, and cedar, the latter two of which are both included in Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa’s Book I, Chapter xxiii. How we shall know what Stars naturall things are under, and what things are under the Sun, which are called Solary.

In addition, I placed fresh cedar leaves, reverently picked from a local tree on my walk home from Church under the scrying Crystal in order to receive their sympathetic “occult vertue,” to quote Agrippa. Additional cedar was included in the brass cauldron of Offerings as well as in pieces in the fixing of Michael’s candle.

At last, I entered the Temple, where I began, as usual, with offerings to God and prayers. I picked up my Solomonic bell, sounded it three times before entering the Circle as per the Hygromanteia and then, from within it, sounded the Bell thrice to each of the Quarters, greeting the Spirits of the East, South, West, and North with great love, respect, and blessings of Adonai. I proceeded to give Offerings to God and to Saint Cyprian and began to pray and recite Psalms while holding my Solomonic Wand of Art.

I then used the prayer from the Heptameron to ask for God’s help in calling Spirits and proceeded to a formal Invocation of Archangel Michael, Angel of the Day of the Sun and of Sunday.

After prolonged additional conjurations and vibrating Michael’s name while gazing into the crystal with his candle burning behind it–pyrocrystallomancy, as shown to me by Archangel Raphael–I felt the Angel’s presence as his candle literally began to spark in explosive little pops. It was the first time I had ever seen this happen and it was definitely a highly solar mode of appearance, which reminded me of solar flares.

Michael’s presence felt strong, but gentle, fiery, but composed, secure and unwavering, and above all courageous and ready to act at a moment’s notice. Upon his arrival, I greeted him with great love and respect and Offerings of his fixed and dressed candle and Musk incense, sacred to the Sun as per Agrippa, as gifts of friendship.

At first, I greatly struggled to communicate with Michael. It felt like trying to tune into a radio frequency that kept going in and out of focus. I would ask him a question and get a hint of an answer, but then it would trail off… I would re-ask the question and again the same would happen.

Frustration began to arise because of all of the Invocations in this series for Saint Cyprian’s Novena, Michael’s was the one to which I was most looking forward. However, I remembered Saint Cyprian’s advice from a prior ritual session, “persevere!” And so I did. I tried scrying into Michael’s candle directly (pyromancy), but it was not of much more help. After an hour of trying, and completely at my wit’s end, I asked Saint Cyprian for guidance as I held my Solomonic wand in one hand and the miniature Crook from his statue in the other.

As I pressed Cyprian’s Crook to my forehead, out of the mists of the black space of my mind, Cyprian slowly began to walk into view. I asked him how better to communicate with Michael since I seemed to be so out of sync with him today.

His answer was exceedingly strange to me and was one which I had never before read anywhere. He told me to “take two sprigs of cedar and place them behind each of your ears. Place another under your tongue.” I didn’t understand why at first, but I trusted him and did it. After some time remaining like this, I took the piece of cedar from under my tongue and placed it on top of the scrying Crystal.

I then resumed scrying into the Crystal and lo an behold, I finally broke through into being able to speak with Michael. It was as if the cedar had harmonized me with his solar nature and ‘tuned’ the Crystal so that he could more easily communicate through it and through me. Ah, the power of Agrippan “occult vertue” and sympathetic resonance! And great thanks to Saint Cyprian!

I asked Michael about his station and office and as I gazed into the flickering Crystal, he spoke words into my mind in a bright and friendly voice without the formality of Cassiel:

“Mine is a role of illumination and protection, of might and defense, of aid and swift action.”

I asked him if he might share with me something about the key to the courage he so embodied and his reply was:

“True courage comes not from trusting oneself, but from trusting the Source of all courage. As He Wills, I act. And if I act as He Wills, what cause is there for anything but courage? What can be lost when the Source of all is behind us? What is there to fear when the Source of all Might lights our way?”

When asked if he could offer guidance on building inner strength, he said:

“Fortitude, too, comes through trust. Remember past victories and take encouragement in them now. Trust not your own strength, but God’s infinite Might. Cast your weakness on Him and let His strength guide your next steps.”

I asked him if he might show me a vision to better appreciate his nature, and closing my eyes, an ethereal scene emerged:

An Angel with a face that shines like the golden Sun, stands clad in red robes, streaming like flames. A sword that blazes as bright as the core of a Star, is licked by tongues of pinkish-red flame. The figure swiftly courses to action. No hesitation. Only acting as ordered, as Willed. No reluctance, only execution. Pure efficiency, fiery might.

I thanked the great Archangel for the gift of this vision and asked if I could share what he had shared with me with others for their edification and our mutual growth.  He said yes, but only if I added also this final exhortation, the last thing he shared with me:

“Be quick to act with strength, slow to believe you are weak.
Be quick to do the courageous, slow to cower and wait. 
Be quick to do the Good, slow to do the evil.
Be quick to trust in God, slow to distrust yourself.
Be quick to listen to counsel, slow to offer your own.
Be quick to learn from others, slow to begin to teach. 
Be quick to strengthen hope, slow to surrender to doubt.
Be quick to build up others, slow to knock them down.
Be quick to speak to empower, slow to weaken resolve.
And quick to reach for wisdom, slow to cling to old ways.
Act before cowardice can take hold–
Let courage quicken you, and be quick to act with courage.”

Having said these final words, his candle flame abruptly went out, much to my surprise, as that had never happened before with any other Spirit.

I sensed he was preparing to charge off out of the Circle, so I thanked him for his presence and asked him to come again in friendship to share his wisdom. I received a warm feeling of–how appropriate–encouragement, after which his incense burned out. Just like that, as swiftly as he had come, the great Archangel was gone.

I said a final set of prayers and closed the Temple. Hail to thee O Michael! May we act with courage like you! Hail to thee O Cyprian! May your mastery of mystery grow in us! Praise to thee O Source of Strength, Adonai, may we learn to trust in You!