Bittersweet Nightshade

Thrjár by Maéna Paillet

Sean Mundy

Cycles, 2020

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When someone blogs about a spell, consecration, ritual or any personal magical or witchcraft work, they usually leave something out intentionally or unintentionally, said or unsaid. My first witchcraft teacher taught me to always add something to my spell work and especially if a spell had an even number of components to make it odd by addition. As a witch you need to make a spell your own, something that you and your spirits add to the mix. While most anybody can use a well made spell without edit to reasonable success, a witch tends to seal theirs with some personal flair. I have not heard this specific advice repeated by any of my subsequent craft teachers; however, it rings so true and perhaps sensible that I have always held it. Of course my subsequent teachers have emphasized making your own spells. So the emphasis on personalized witchcraft holds.

VOCES MAGICAE

I’ve noticed a trend in modern magick that “the words don’t matter, only the intention” and this has never really been something that has sat well with me. If the words in spell craft “don’t matter” then why do we have such a long history of magickal words of power, incantations, prayers, liturgy and charms? The spoken word has always been one of the most potent forms or aspects of my magickal workings.

The last few years of working within Fayerie Traditionalism and the rites within “An Carow Gwyn” and “An Cawdarn Rudh” I’ve come into contact with barbarous names. Also called “voces magicae” these are words that are seemingly meaningless words that are supposedly magickal or powerful in nature. These words were/are usually bastardised words from languages that were not Greek or Latin. Incantations containing barbarous words come to us from The Greek Magical Papyri (Papyri Graecae Magicae or PGM), a collection of spells and rituals and liturgy from Greco-Roman Egypt. The power of these words comes not from any supposed meaning but from their sound of resonance. This can make employing them difficult because the magician must know the proper pronunciation. For this reason I am very thankful to Robin Artisson for giving phonetic spellings of any barbarous names (commonly referred to as “strange words” in the Fayerie Traditionalism material) used in rites and spells.

Other types of magickal words similar to these are ones Robin has given in “The Clovenstone Workings” the words of power given in that book are channeled words taught to him by the fayerie close to him. One such word is the word of the Gateway Ring: NURTANUMO. This word is in itself as spirit as well as an incantation. Speaking it correctly and with the correct ritual actions create a liminal space within which a sorcerer may commune with helpful and “friendly” spirits(I say friendly to mean that the word helps to keep out any spirit that might mean one harm or does not resonate with the purpose of ones magickal working). Along with NURTANUMO and other words of power given in “The Clovenstone Workings” they are accompanied by sigils formed by the letters of the word.

Another form of incantation or words of power that I want to start exploring is charms. I mean by this the spoken charms found in most forms of American folk magic. These re usually rhyming couplets that are believed to contain a power all their own, in some traditions though, one must be born a “charmer” to use them with any effect. Seeing as these come from forms of folk magic, many of these charms call upon the power of God, Jesus, the saints, apostles, or the Holy Trinity. Many pagans within the U.S. are coming into witchcraft and paganism from Christianity and carry with them some level of trauma. This in turn can cause hang ups of one kind or another when employing any types of magick that have any Christian trappings. I personally had these issues early on in my Path. Over time I came to a realisation that helped me (the following is UPG so take it accordingly) Power is Power. I personally believe that charms and and psalms that have a history of magickal use contain their own power that has been generated through belief. Generations of people spoke these words and believed in the power of them and so they have that power. Along that line of thinking is my belief that when I speak a charm it is not just me, but every person before me who spoke it for the same purpose. I am chanting and charming with the Ancestors and they bolster no only my Power but the Power of the charm. You can find collections of charms like this in the braucherei text “The Long Lost Friend”. Another source though not American is the “Carmina Gadelica” a collection of Scottish charms, hymns, prayers and lore. Gemma Gary as also written the “Charmer’s Psalter” a collection of psalms and biblical scripture used in English folk magic. (I do plan on getting my hands on all three of these eventually)

One last note on rhyming charms. I’ve seen a an explanation for rhyming couplets being used in magick as a way to enter into light trances to work magick. You write or find a charm that aligns with your purpose, and chanting it helps to “set your intention’ as you slip into trance. As far as I can tell this is a relatively modern explanation for their Power, it is however no less of an effective method. I have used this technique to help me enter trance, more specifically the level of trance I want when using glossolalia; speaking in tongues (another potent and powerful form of spoken word magick).

Looking back at the idea of belief giving words power. This idea is why I think it is possible to use incantations from media and pop culture in actual spell work. There are cases where a tv show or book will take a pre-existing spell or incantation and reword it slightly to fit the show or scene. In this case the ritual action accompanied by the spoken spell can have great effect. In other cases if you know how the spell operates within the fictional universe, this can signal your own spirit and those spirits you work with what you want to achieve. One personal experience I have with this is using the lost and found spell from Charmed. Anytime I employ this spell I fix an image of the object in my mind, breathe deeply, recite the spell three times, and then set the spell with a sharp clap and a “so mote it be”. In this way I’m not simply reciting the spell and expecting things to appear as happens in the show. I use the incantation in conjunction with real world magickal techniques and have always gotten positive results. Once I do this spell and continue searching I will often find the lost object within an hour, sometimes a day at most.

Regardless of your views on words in magick I think it does our history and Ancestors a disservice to simply dismiss them as an arbitrary or useless aspect of magickal practice.

When you sing a hymn, a chant, a dua, a line from the bible, or if yu recite a Dharani, a Mantra, a scripture - know that it's not just you. There are all the leaves on the trees, all the stones, all the twigs. There are the insects on the floor, the worms, the caverns. There are the spirits of the air, the devas, the asuras, the spirits of the wandering dead. There are the organisms of your body, that reside on your skin and in your gut.

There are the spirits of trees, the spirits of the animals. Whenever you recite, know that you are praying in front of thousands upon thousands of powers and forces. They begin to sing, and they impact thousands of powers and forces. The seeds for awakening are placed in them.

Mother, Queen, Harlot

I feel the need to state that I am not a Thelemite and that my relationship and understanding of Babalon is informed mostly via direct contact with Her.

 It was almost 10 years ago that I first felt Her presence. She would not give me a name but simply images, symbols, and emotions that represented her. I saw images of sex, blood, fire, blades, and serpents. Feelings of lust, love, passion, rage, sovereignty and feminine power.

 Truth be told I wasn’t in the place to have a spirit like that be active in my life so it would be a few years before I set up a shrine to Her.

Her shrine was simple. An inexpensive goddess statue with a red costume rosary wrapped around it, a red candle, and a letter opener with a crown motif. I would burn incense and meditate on Her, sometimes seeking guidance, sometimes just simply being with her. I began referring to Her as “The Red Queen” while still not having a proper name. I was becoming comfortable with her ambiguity and in turn she was helping me become comfortable with myself.

It was around this time that I began working with a teacher who was helping me with visionary work and spirit flight. It was during one of our sessions that I made a breakthrough and came face-to-face with my Red Queen. She sat on a scarlet cushion in a rooms who’s lamps were draped with red scarves. Her hair was a deep brown almost black, her skin was an inhuman pale white. Her arm was casual laying across one upraised knee. She has gold bangles and armlets, gold anklets and rings, a gold hoop around her neck and in her ears, but ironically no crown. Her clothes were reminiscent of an Indian saree the colour of blood. 

I sat across from her and bowed, placing my head on the cushioned floor. When I raised my head, she locked eyes with me. 

“I am have many names, I am many. I am Ishtar, I am Innana, I am Lilith, I am the Queen of Heaven and Hell. But you, you will know me as Babalon.”

Thats when I returned to my body. I was flooded with joy and exhilaration, She had told me Her name, I had a better focus. 

I knew that Babalon was a goddess in Thelema, but I knew next to nothing about Her other than that. To this day I still don’t really know much about her role in Thelema but I've been considering studying it. I’ve continued to go straight to Her when it comes to offerings, prayers, etc. Reading how others interact with her from time to time. Her shrine has grown but not by much, She’s comfortable with it being simple but beautiful. I have been searching for a new statue for Her though, something that I feel fits her better. 

Babalon, The Red Queen, has been my strongest spiritual ally during my transition. She has held my hand and guided my feet as I find my femininity, rediscover my sexuality, and navigate the world as a woman. I’ve taken her epithet “Mother of Abominations” as a sort of trans mother goddess. Trans people are Her children and Her prophets. We are the drops of blood from Her Grail, we are the swords in Her hands. I doubt this is what Crowley had in mind when conceptualizing the goddess but honestly, I don’t care. 

I’ve come to understand Babalon in three sort of facets or faces. The Mother (of Abominations), The Sacred Whore, and The Warrior-Queen. I don’t know if any other people would agree with me or if there is literature to back it up but this is my personal gnosis. 

The Mother I already discussed above. The Sacred Whore and Warrior-Queen are both reminiscent of Ishtar/Inanna, but the Sacred Whore for me personally aligns with her Lilith aspect. Babalon-Lilith is feminine sexuality embodied, but even more she is the taboo side of femme sex, she is trans and kink, she is queer, she is unbridled and selfish, she is the side of our sexuality that is without limit and free. She’s taught me to not be ashamed of what I like and what I want when it comes to sexual satisfaction. My sexuality is mine and no one else's.

The Warrior-Queen is the aspect I am the least in touch with. I’m a pacifist person and seek non-violence in my regular life as much as I can. I have a rather hot temper that I’ve had to learn to keep under control. My most powerful weapon is my tongue and I’d rather talk my way out of a situation than ever resort to violence. Maybe my disconnect with the Warrior-Queen is that I need to recontextualize what it means for me, personally, to be a warrior. We’ll have to see how it plays out. 

I’ll leave this post with an A.I. generated art piece I made as a devotional act using the phone app “Dream”

Shadowhunters has becoming one of those book series (and tv series) that feels like home. I come back to it again and again when I need to be uplifted. The world that Cassandra Clare has created and the characters she’s filled it with feel like old friends and family. Getting my first mark is a big BIG deal and I wanted it to really mean something. This rune, the iratze, is a rune of healing. I placed it on my inner forearm to remind me of what I’ve survived and that I am constantly healing and growing. It’s fitting that this is also the first rune Clary receives in the books, though that was more of a happy accident. Remember ShadowFam to always keep fighting, for in you is the blood of angels. ~This is the Hunt~ (peep the demon necklace too 🖤) #shadowhunters #theshadowhunterschronicles #angelicrune #mark #rune #shadowhunterrune #iratze #healing #survivor https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck4GSoLhVg-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I decided this year would be the year I took part in “la Neuvaine aux ancêtres” (the novena for the ancestors). From Oct. 24-Nov. 1 I shall pray to my ancestors and then visit who I can at the graveyard when the novena ends. Thank you as always to @courir_le_loupgarou for your resources 🖤 #fcsorcelleriecf #ancestorveneration #novena #neuvaine #cunningwoman #loupgarou #frenchcanadianfolkmagic #witch #pagan #traditionalwitchcraft #folkcatholicism https://www.instagram.com/p/CkILQwgOnIX/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

My friend sent me this today and I thought it was very important to share for all my fellow Viking/Norse mythology lovers. Daily reminder: fuck white supremacy.