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Chapter Eight

Conjuration in Three Parts

Angels and ministers of grace defend us!
Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn’d,
Bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell,
Be thy intents wicked or charitable,
Thou comest in such a questionable shape
That I will speak to thee.

—

Shakespeare, Hamlet

It was the first time that I was to show her how to conjure a spirit; we had reached that moment in the training process. Tonight was the night I would guide her through the steps of how to summon a spirit familiar.

We marked the faded terra-cotta-colored concrete with chalk—a series of concentric circles that expanded as the eye drew outward from the center, Xs to mark the spot where we placed our prayers and secret offerings, and the sigils of our beloved guests drawn between the lines. There in the dark, under the cloak of a willow tree, we filled the cauldron with fuel, ignited its contents, and chanted.

With our gaze fixed upon the cauldron fire, our hearts grounded in the underworld, and our souls soaring through the shadows, we spoke our sacrament: “And by my will, so must it be! I bid you, spirit, part the worlds and be here now!”

The fire peaked as the space filled with an exotic but familiar energy that felt both comfortable and seductive at the same time. For me it was intoxicating, but as my gaze shifted from the fire to her eyes, I saw that she wasn’t having the same type of experience I was having. This happens sometimes. She had drunk deeply of the energy, and it wasn’t settling into a cool buzz like it was for me. It was making her sick.

She grounded, we moved on, and we made our pact with the spirits we sought, albeit a little faster than usual. By the time we released and the fire died, she was in bad shape and raced toward the bathroom. I cleaned up the ritual space and headed back inside, and after a few moments she emerged bright-eyed.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

“I’m fine now. That was just a lot of energy I wasn’t expecting, but I got sick and then immediately felt better!”

“Well, that’s good! So what type of spirit did you ask to come through?”

She tilted her head to the side and said, “One to help me purge the toxic energy from my life.”

Those definitely can make you puke.

Just in case you might have skipped a few chapters to get to the super juicy stuff, I have to give you a word of warning: the work presented up to this point is critical to the overall success of your future experiences. We can’t just ride a horse without learning what a horse is in the first place! That being said, the rites, rituals, and philosophy presented here will serve you across the board, regardless of the type of spirit you are working with. Certain spirits have specialized talismans and sigils, as well as particular offering requirements and needs; however, the methods employed here will always get you where you need to go.

The thing to remember is that you should take it slow the first few times and focus more on the way you feel during the process than on its initial effectiveness. When conjuring, the goal is to wield power over or in harmony with worthy spirits, and the only way to truly understand is through application. Because of this, we are going to start with the conjuration of your spirit guide, using it as a sort of guinea pig for these first steps.

Your spirit guide already will have been vetted and properly questioned by now, and you will have worked on sensing them in our world. They are trustworthy, and because of their intimate connection with you and their desire to help you in life, these spirits are the perfect starting point for this type of intense magic. Once you have taken work with the spirit guide as far as you can, then start working on the next, eventually following the same process for your teaching spirits, the allies you meet on your spiritual travels, and the spirits whom you enter a contract with.

The story at the beginning isn’t just a funny anecdote that reminds us to be careful of what we summon; it is also a reminder that we will always deal with the effects of the methods the spirits employ as their way of working in our world. Always be very careful of what you summon, and always seek the council of your spirit guides before bringing anything over. We went over several methods of vetting spirits in previous chapters. Be a witch who uses their powers of intuition, discernment, and better judgment, not a witch who just goes with the flow. Remember, you are bridging the worlds and inviting a foreigner into your life and magic; don’t rush the process. Be sure you want to commit.

The Three Stages of Conjuration

There are three unique aspects to conjuration, each incredibly important to the success of the other and the maturity of the relationship between the witch and the spirit. Summoning, possession, and exorcism make up the three branches of magical governance, which rules the process of conjuration and outlines the primary focuses during these special encounters. This chapter and the next go hand in hand with one another, as it provides necessary formulas for the specific types of conjuration available between witch and spirit.

Summoning involves the invocation, evocation, calling, and petitioning of a spirit. We do this each time we pray to our ancestors, light incense at our altars, invoke our gods, and honor a holyday. Most of us are quite familiar with this type of magic, as it is taught widely in contemporary Witchcraft.

Possession involves the placement of that spirit into a person, place, or object. Teaching proper possession techniques is not something I can dive deeply into in this book, especially in regard to the possession of a human. If you are interested in human possession, I suggest you start by reading chapter 9 of Witch’s Book of Power. However, we will dive deeply into the possession of objects such as fetishes, stones, bones, and talismans in this chapter. Our goal is to construct a home for the spirits we are bringing forth as well as to give them an anchor in our reality and a base of operations, which you control.

Exorcism involves the art and skill of commanding and compelling a spirit to leave a possessed location, body, or object. Exorcism is not only necessary at the end of an encounter, but it is also essential at times outside of your own spiritual work. Though rare, witches are called upon to expel negative spiritual forces from people’s lives. In the section on exorcism we will explore the rites that are crucial to maintaining power over these spirits and also cover exorcism techniques.

In addition to these three cornerstones of conjuration, the arts of soul flight and mediumship will be required. Once you find a worthy spirit, you will be responsible for its initial retrieval and possession and then the upkeep required to maintain the possession, all of which require the aforementioned abilities and why we addressed them first before diving into conjuration. Never lose balance with these practices; develop them wisely.

Summoning

At this point in your career as a witch, you are likely to have a decent skill set in the arts of summoning and invocation. As I mentioned earlier, these practices are taught to us readily in contemporary Witchcraft, but there are a few aspects of summoning that reign supreme when it comes to the Familiar Craft. Let us not forget that our goal is to be in control 100 percent of the time, and therefore we must evolve our practices to a place where the cultivation of spiritual power and strength are virtues instead limitations.

The most advanced at the art of summoning understand that to wield power over a spirit, we have to have power over ourselves. This is yet another reason why we spent so much time moving through our own complexes and issues (both related to spirits and unrelated to them) prior to taking these final steps. If we feel weak in mind and heart, we simply won’t be able to handle a steady summoning. It is also a good idea to invest in practices that make you feel powerful in life outside of Witchcraft and magic so that you have an exterior ego boost to keep you motivated and striving for excellence. The more you push yourself to succeed both on and off the court, the more you will succeed at both. Remember, spirits don’t like boring, lazy people—at least not the ones you want hanging around!

My focus during summoning tends to be on the language of my body and the projection and tone of my voice, as well as maintaining consistency and presence during the entire exchange. You should always look for your body language to project a powerful image, and you want to dress the part whenever possible. If you are looking and feeling witchy and tuned-in, it will be so much easier for you to project that energy to the world and the spirits you are calling forth. Don’t slouch, keep your shoulders back and your chest raised, breathe slow and steady breaths (even when excited) to maintain a solid personal frequency, and never look down when addressing a spirit.

Your voice should be strong and have both resonance and clarity when you speak. You must project with your tone as if you were speaking to a room of people who are talking amongst themselves and you must get their attention. When summoning, you have to be the tour guide and party host, always able to take control at a moment’s notice and always willing to make adjustments to ensure a good time is had by all. If you can’t command the attention of a room full of people, you will have a difficult time commanding the forces of spiritual entities.

Be charismatic and know your audience; the spirits like a good show! For this reason, I often recommend witches take classes in theater and public speaking. Both have added advantages that can be incredibly useful to us not just in the Familiar Craft but in the arts of enchantment and glamour as well. One of the first things any acting student will tell you is to know your lines! Remember your invocations as thoroughly as possible and try to avoid reading from a script. Think of the spirit as your audience; they will know when you are reading your lines. And like a public speaker, if you have to read your lines, read them with conviction and personality.

The last thing I want to mention about summoning refers to the most overlooked aspect of it: to invite (or command) a spirit to enter the space where magic is being made and waiting for it to arrive so we can acknowledge its presence. One thing that I stress a lot with my students is the need to feel the energy before moving on to the next step. If you summon a spirit but don’t feel it around you psychically, emotionally, physically, or energetically, then chances are the spirit didn’t come. Don’t rush this process! Let it brew like a nice cup of tea. Say everything with command, say it in a slow and discernible manner, and then wait to feel the energy shift. Once you feel the presence, nod in its direction, say hello, do something to acknowledge it, and then move on to the next step.

Sometimes the point is just to summon and we don’t want to take it any further. Summoning can be something that is done to initiate a process or to honor a spirit, but it doesn’t have to be one or the other. We summon to get the attention of a spirit and to draw that attention toward us; it is up to us, however, to tell it what we want it to do with all that attention once we get it.

There will be times when you will want to use an invocation that has already been drafted and holds some history to it; so be it. But if you want to summon a spirit using your own invocation, it should contain three elements, regardless of how it is constructed: a formal and direct calling of that spirit’s name, an acknowledgment of its attributes, and lastly an instruction. Essentially we are tuning in to the frequency of the spirit and then directing the flow of its energy. For example: “I call to the angel Samziel, keeper of the ways and befriender of witches! Be here now!” or “Azazel, Azazel, Azazel; fallen one and fiery breath of the unhallowed art. Engulf us with your presence and enter this space!”

A summoning can be just as long or as short as you see fit. I do tend to think in poetics as much as possible, and, once again, try to remember who the audience is. The more superficial your relationship with the spirit, the more likely the summoning is to be short and direct, but the deeper your relationship, the longer and more descriptive it should become.

Possession

In order for the spirit to exist within the physical plane, it must have a vessel to possess. The vessel can be anything from a necklace to a poppet to a dried root to bodily remains to houses and everything in between. Living plants are possessed with the plant spirit; that’s why it is so easy to tune in to the spirit connected to a living thing. However, dried herbs are a little more difficult to use when connecting to the plant spirit because they no longer possess the herb. Our souls possess our bodies; that’s why it is so easy to communicate with one another—you get the drift. So when we think of possession, relate to it more as a different way to bring about life, albeit a different kind of life, to our plane. Not all spirits will make the cut to this stage of the game. I take a lot of time when considering which spirit is going to make it this far in the process; the majority of them don’t.

When it comes to this step, it is always important to have a predetermined location for the spirit to go. For the most part I prefer statues, fetishes, and spirit bottles for this work; however, crystals, jewelry, and art work very well too.

Statues come ready for possession. Already carved or molded into the perfect shape or likeness, they are easily found and readily available. Cleanse the statue by washing it in spring water, then smudge it with fumigation herbs, and finally consecrate it by rubbing appropriate oils, teas, or elixirs onto it. For example, to prepare a statue of Diana for possession by her, I would cleanse it in spring water, burn cedar and lavender to smudge, and then when it came to the consecration I would pour milk over the statue, followed by pouring a tea made from rue, mugwort, and a few drops of honey. The entire time I underwent this process I would sing and chant and think of Diana. This same process, altered to the specific tastes of the spirit in mind, would work when preparing any statue. Obviously, make sure the statue is finished and not porous before preparing it for possession.

Fetishes are perhaps my most favorite of all the methods when creating a vessel for a spirit and are basically any doll or idol made in the image of the spirit (or the vessel the spirit inhabits). Fetishes can be made by a varying number of methods and tools. You can easily get on YouTube to discover a million different types of ways to make fetishes, some of the most popular forms being poppets, spirit dolls, and carvings. I primarily stick to materials such as clay, fabric, wild-
harvested curios and oddities, animal bones, and the seals related to the spirit I am working with. The key with fetishes is to ask the spirit what it wants the fetish to look like before you make it. Ask them or your spirit guide for guidance as to the overall aesthetic. Some spirits like super colorful fetishes, some like them to be monochromatic, and others have specific color profiles, so be sure to include the spirit in the process! I visit them and negotiate the creation of a fetish as part of the process to determine if I want to continue to work with them or not. If their demands regarding the creation of a fetish are too extreme and they won’t negotiate, I take that as a sign that either that spirit ultimately isn’t for me or I am not in a place to work with it right now.

Consecrate your fetishes by passing them through sacred smoke three times while chanting the name of the spirit before possession. Be sure to ask the spirit where it would like the fetish to go around your house if you have the ability to give it that option. Spirits sometimes like to be up high, off the ground, and sometimes super low to the ground and near a door. It all depends, so find out where they will be happiest.

Spirit bottles are similar to fetishes but have an altar-like feel to them as well. Generally a jar is painted in the colors and patterns specific to a spirit, and then herbs, curios, images, and objects that are also specific to the spirit are all placed in the jar as well. There are some incredibly elaborate examples of this out of the Vodou tradition, as well as in American folk magic. The bottles are placed on altars (and sometimes in locations where altars are not possible) and are often displayed in plain sight. Just like with fetishes, the spirit should be involved in the process of making these bottles and the location of their placement.

There are many ways to ensoul a spirit into an object for the purposes of Witchcraft and service. My preferred method involves working with the Keys of Hecate, as described in the next chapter, specifically the Forge of Hecate, which is used to both prepare and place a spirit from another plane into a vessel or object so that it can reside within the physical plane. Following the methods outlined in the next chapter you will be able to work with any type of spirit.

Exorcism

Exorcism is a hot button topic for many who have a difficult time digesting the darker and heavier aspects of our work. Conjuration would not be possible without exorcism, and exorcism would not be possible without conjuration. They are two sides of the same coin. In truth, they are so connected that some traditions refer to those who work with the spirit world as exorcists, and the term covers both the compulsion and expulsion of spirits.

Exorcism is the art of expelling a spirit or spiritual force from a person, place, or thing. There are many ways to exorcize a spirit, each with their own benefit and main objective, but there is one commonality that reigns supreme throughout the entire gambit: to exorcize requires divine authority. Every degree of exorcism, be it a house smudging or the exorcism of a person, is dependent on the exorcist’s ability to channel the authority of the divine source and direct it in such a manner that it trumps all other carried frequencies or vibrations.

Most witches are great at calling spirits up, but only a select few witches are known for putting spirits down, as the advanced aspects of exorcism are daunting, to say the least. True exorcists, regardless of their religious practice, undergo intense psychic trauma and strain, and not everyone is cut out for that. For the most part, though, we won’t have to do the intense stuff, and if we do, we don’t have to do it alone.

When Is an Exorcism Needed?

Exorcisms are performed all the time, but we don’t often think of them as exorcism. When we think of exorcism, images come to mind of a Catholic priest trying to save a demonically possessed young girl who keeps vomiting pea soup all over her duvet cover. We don’t tend to connect a house cleansing with an exorcism, but, in truth, they are exactly the same thing, and a skill in one will certainly lead to a skill in the other. Think of an exorcism like a cleansing and it all gets a little less daunting.

At this point in your career as a witch, I suspect that you have a fine grasp of the concepts of cleansings and how to perform basic smudging practices, prepare waters for asperging, how to perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, and how to do all of the general maintenance required of a spiritually adept person to stay level. Each of those skills are required tools in the bag of tricks the exorcist must have. If you have questions about these essential practices, check out the recommended reading list at the end of the book. I have some really great books listed there that will get you where you need to go.

Because I assume you understand those basics, I will share with you an exorcism ritual that I think is essential beyond those basics. It was taught to me by Malach. This ritual is designed to take on the larger spiritual forces that enter our life or the lives of our clients, and it should be done with the utmost respect and caution.

Remember to cleanse and align yourself before and after each of these rituals. Watch out for any strange energies or shifts in your psychic perception over the following days, and drink lots of water. These types of rituals will likely leave you feeling tired if you are unaccustomed to the energy, so treat yourself with kindness and keep an eye on yourself during the process. Also, ask your guides and familiars to be present as you perform this ritual.

The White Flame Exorcism

In Sacred Fires we work with the energy of the white flame to represent our sovereignty and willpower as well as to be a symbol of our divine authority. It is the purest of frequencies, most in resonance with the part of us that is connected with the divine spark of God Herself, and it is the ultimate guiding force of the souls both in and between lifetimes. Because this part of our soul has command over the other two parts (the primal and the ego souls), which are both seen as viable souls capable of functioning on their own, we can also deduce that that same soul carries with it the ability to compel other souls and spiritual forces in a similar manner.

As I stated before, in order for an exorcism to work, the exorcist must channel the authority of the creator, and we know through diligent study that the higher self, or holy soul, does just that. To successfully perform this exorcism, you must be skilled at channeling the power of your higher self, which requires a lot of practice and frequent alignment.

You will need to do two things before doing this ritual. You will be using the first and sixth seals from the Keys of Hecate, which can be found in the next chapter. Second, you need to make sure that you have identified the specific spirit(s) that you will be exorcizing and know their name or a name that is used by them.

To perform this exorcism, you will need:

1 burnable charcoal disk

White Flame exorcism incense

Cauldron

White chalk

Rue water

Salt

White Flame Exorcism Incense Recipe 

½ part asafetida (aka “devil’s dung”—as it’s quite
pungent smelling, this is a fitting folk name)

2 parts white sage

2 parts cedar tips

2 parts rue

2 parts copal resin

2 parts frankincense resin

White wine

Powder all dry ingredients and then pour in just enough white wine to make the mixture doughy. Warm this under full sun (preferably on a Sunday or during the hour of the Sun) until it is dense and dry. Break off chunks and burn over charcoal. Store in a dry airtight container.

The Ritual

Activate the first Key of Hecate and summon the indigo crown (as outlined in the next chapter), and then draw the sixth key around the possessed vessel. After preparing the incense in the appropriate fashion, draw the symbol for the Sun around the side of your cauldron three times and place the lit charcoal in the center. As you circle the vessel you are exorcizing, you want to envision that the sixth key is rotating counterclockwise with you and that with each pass it grows stronger and stronger with intensity in both vibrancy and vibration.

To begin, circle the possessed person, place, or thing two times counterclockwise. During the first rotation, sprinkle the rue water and say:

Hear me! I call out to the spirits that dwell here in peace—to the helpers, the allies, the spirits of the land. Aid me as I exorcize this place of all ill and harmful frequencies. Stand by me as I quench the fires that wreak havoc or move aside so this work can be done. So say I!

Pass the second time while sprinkling salt and say:

Hear me! I call out with divine providence; let all things witness my voice and the heavens quake in fear. Let no one stand in my way! I turn the wheel and unbind the spirit(s) (identify the spirit or spirits you are exorcizing here) from this place! Angels, demons, hear my words and break this bond!

Next you will want to circle the possessed another five times counterclockwise, this time carrying the cauldron of smoking incense. Place the incense on the charcoal and then carefully avoid inhaling the smoke; it won’t taste good, I assure you. As you travel deosil around the possessed, either continue to command the spirit to leave, if you find yourself inspired, or otherwise chant, “I am the holy flame of God Herself, the eternal flame, the white flame! By my will, I exorcize this vessel and make it whole unto itself once more.”

Circle around the possessed two more times, again with salt and rue water. The next pass after the cauldron is placed somewhere safe should consist of you sprinkling salt and saying, “By the Goddess above and the power within, by my authority and my divine will, I cast the unclean spirits out! Relinquish the vessel; know that you are unfit to dwell here! Begone! Begone! Begone!”

On the final pass, sprinkle rue water once again and say, “Ever flowing like an ocean, white fire and pure devotion. I am the holy flame of God Herself, the eternal flame, the white flame!”

Once you have completed the final pass, stand where you began and say one final time, “I am the holy flame of God Herself, the eternal flame, the white flame! By my will I exorcize this vessel and make it whole unto itself once more!”

And as you finish, visualize the sixth key bursting with divine white pearlescent energy that fills the space within it and around it with brilliant light and intense energetic reverberation. Visualize this like a shockwave echoing through all things on all planes, so powerful that in that one instance you produce a nuclear blast. Visualize that as the energy settles, the spirit you were exorcizing has now gone, and you can tell this because the Seal of Hecate will have disappeared along with the spirit. If you perceive that the seal still lies beneath the vessel with your psychic senses, check with your guides, as this would indicate the need to start from the beginning of the counterclockwise rotations and reattempt the exorcism. If you do feel that this is necessary, remember to have power in your voice, command in your heart, and to visualize each step as intensely as possible. Remember to try feeling the sensation of the key charging as you pass with rue water, salt, and the sacred incense. If you feel that the spirit and the Seal of Hecate are both gone, then you can assume you’ve been successful.

Putting Them Together

In the next chapter I present to you the Keys of Hecate, a new magical system that Malach and I received from Hecate that makes the art of conjuration much more streamlined. Combining the three components of conjuration—summoning, possession, and exorcism—we can work with this set of nine keys for almost every aspect of the Familiar Craft. You will also notice that there are binding sigils for certain classes of spirits presented later in this book, in part 2; those, too, came to me through way of Hecate and Malach in this system.

If I could impart one piece of advice to you at this juncture, it would be to work a lot with your spirit guides and familiars—more than you think is necessary. Develop your skills in mediumship and soul flight as much as possible. Perhaps above all else, have a little fun testing your abilities and conjuring spirits. Spirits don’t like boring people, so be bold in all that you do and see that as part of your work as a conjurer. All too often we relinquish our wild and inquisitive spirit for the sake of playing it safe. At the very least, if you are responsible in the magic you do in regard to the forces you summon and keep your allies close, there is so much more to enjoy when working with spirits than one can even imagine.

Conjuring allows us to bring forth spirits from other planes; it gives us command over those forces and teaches us to direct our witch power so that it influences the spirit world. It is one of the essential practices of the Familiar Craft and a cornerstone in every powerful witch’s practice.

 

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