CHAPTER 9
OCCULTUS MALEFICUM:
THE HIDDEN ART OF
OFFENSIVE WITCHCRAFT
Black magic operates most effectively in preconscious, marginal areas.
Casual curses are the most effective.
–william s. burroughs
This is usually how it starts. Something happened that crossed a line. Perhaps it had been building up for a while … a series of disrespects or even worse … just now finally reaching a limit. Or it could have been sudden, perhaps a violent or cruel act that caused harm to you or someone you love. Or even on a larger scale, a political act that harms the people, the land, the innocent … while billionaires and bureaucrats reap the rewards of a skewed system. You are angry, and rightly so. So what are you going to do about it?
You’re a Witch. Witches have a long historical record of cursing their enemies. From blighting crops to drying up cows to tormenting their victims with their demon familiars, the stories of—and belief in—the efficacy of the Witches’ curse have endured from the earliest stretches of history and into the present day. At least this is true where non-Witches are concerned. For actual Witches, however, the path forward isn’t quite as clear.
In 1954, a public relations campaign began that changed how much of the world saw the practice (and religion) of Witchcraft. That year Gerald Gardner’s book Witchcraft Today was released. This was the first book written by an actual Witch, and he intended to set the record straight when it came to misconceptions of this often-misunderstood religion.
As Wicca took its place in the public eye, it found itself in a position to shape popular opinion, and so it took to the task of presenting to the world the truth about Witchcraft. This truth included certain religious guidelines, most notably “The Wiccan Rede,” which set forth a fundamental guiding principle of the religion that intimated that practitioners should do no harm, and “The Threefold Law,” a magical tenet suggesting that energies raised and sent by the practitioner will be returned upon the practitioner three times over. I have it on good authority that this is not exactly what this means to those actually initiated into the Gardnerian tradition of Wicca (where all of Wicca originates), but whether or not the Threefold Law is actually what it sounds like is beyond the point. What matters is that most people think that is what it means, and because of this it has served what I believe to have been its main and original purpose: to soothe the fears of a largely Christian society so that those who identified as Witches might be able to creep up out of the shadows and stretch, just a bit more. While it very well may have deep esoteric meaning for the initiates of Gardnerian Craft, for the vast majority of those practicing some other form of Wicca outside of the traditional framework of initiatory lineage (as well as those who are just casually informed about the Craft), the Threefold Law is just that: a law. And anything outside of that law is out of bounds, and not “authentic.” This has sometimes proven to be a bit of a wedge when it comes to other traditions of Witchcraft that do not adhere to the publicly accessible version of Wiccan praxis.
This public relations campaign has been largely effective. Especially where Neopagans and their supporters are concerned. I would venture to say that the vast majority of those who identify as Pagan today are at least aware of the Threefold Law and Wiccan Rede, even if not by name. Word on the street is that a real Witch would never violate someone’s free will, and so a practitioner who turned to the darker magic of maleficum would be demonstrating their opposition to an authentic Craft. Some modern Witches might even be afraid of throwing a curse, thinking that to do so would rebound on them “times three.” (Apparently scientific thinking is a rarity in Witchcraft circles today. I’m thinking that Newton would roll over in his grave.)
Modern Witchcraft had set to distance itself from its historical predecessor, which delighted in the very acts the contemporary incarnation would publically condemn. But even still, certain elements have remained, hinting at an older worldview that was in opposition to the now near-official position of the growing movement. Even a central liturgical device used in almost every Wiccan tradition—the Charge of the Goddess—was based on older folklore which explicitly described the Witch as a poisoner who was to torment and kill her oppressors. Those parts were concealed and rewritten, giving us the beautiful poem from Doreen Valiente that we all know and love today. But as beautiful and inspiring as that is, it also quite clearly shows a move (even if perhaps well-intentioned) toward the “Disneyfication” of the Craft, in which a vital part of our heritage and history is whitewashed and those who possess ethics or morality that is different from the established norm are rejected and reviled.
In Leland’s Aradia, we see the original text upon which Valiente’s is based, and we see quite a different picture of the Craft. We are presented a Craft that is a religion of thieves, murderers, wanderers, vagrants, and the poor. Witchcraft is their redemption, their defense against a system that would oppress and disempower them, a system that very probably was the reason for their loathsome state to begin with. Witchcraft gave these people a means to fight back, and often the stakes would be life and death.
Today, we find ourselves in a position that it not entirely different. Certain segments of our own populations are increasingly vulnerable to oppression and violence, even from our own government. As a white cisgendered male, I am privileged in that I do not personally fear when I am pulled over for speeding, for example, where my friends with darker skin do not share in my sense of personal security. They routinely prepare for the worst in a way I had never even imagined, because for them it is a matter of life and death. As a gay person, I have been on the receiving end of discrimination, threats, and even violence, and so I do know something about how the ruling class subjugates its people. And as a warlock, I know the importance of putting my magic where my mouth is.
The Faery Tradition of Witchcraft is decidedly at odds with its more publicly recognized cousin in that we have no stated ethic that would ostensibly prevent us from throwing a curse. No Wiccan Rede or Law of Three exists within our lore and so many have taken that to mean that in Faery it’s free rein when it comes to darker magic. The fact that Victor Anderson reportedly threw hexes at his enemies probably did very little to quell this belief, and soon it became a sort of badge of honor amongst our clan that we had no prohibition against such work. This, of course, was a double-edged sword, but in Witchcraft is there any other kind?
Faery is a warrior tradition. When practiced correctly, Faery is a martial art in that it can provide a means toward self-development as well as self-defense. When we are attacked we do not turn the other cheek, but neither will we mindlessly react with violence, magical or otherwise. A warrior will mindfully respond by assessing the situation and then deciding on an effective course of action. There are times in which that action may need to be aggressive in nature. To illustrate this, I will share my version of a story that was shared with me from Anaar, and which was shared with her from Victor Anderson.
Once, a long time ago, there was a man who lived a simple life on a farm with his family. He had not always been a simple man, for he used to be a samurai, and a very skilled one at that. He had spent many years in military service but times had changed and the samurai were no longer needed by this new world. He chose the simple life of a farmer, and had come to regret the act of killing; and so, hiding away his armor and his sword, he swore never to take another human life again.
Many years passed and he lived a hard but happy life. He loved his wife and his child, and their farm provided all they needed to live. One day word came that there was another ex-samurai who was terrorizing the countryside. He would travel from village to village, challenging the strongest men to fight. If they refused, he would burn and destroy their village, forcing them to do battle. If they agreed, he would best them and then burn the village anyway. He had done this to many villages, and none could oppose him. It seemed that the evil samurai would destroy the entire country.
On this day, the farmer was out in the field when he saw smoke rising over the horizon and he knew that the next village had fallen to the evil man. Just then a man in dark armor rode up to the edge of the farmer’s field.
“I know who you are,” the evil samurai said. “You were once among the best of the samurai, but you have disgraced your training. You hide away like a coward. Come out and fight me!”
“I will not,” the farmer said. “I have sworn never again to take a human life. If you wish to do battle, just slay me and let it be done.”
“No!” the evil samurai said. “If you do not fight me, then I will burn your farm, I will rape and kill your wife and murder your child. If you do not fight me then I will kill everyone in the village and their deaths will be upon your head.”
Daunted, the farmer agreed. “Because you force me,” he said, “I will do as you ask. Return tomorrow at sunrise and we will do battle.”
As the night grew long, the farmer went to his old hiding place and retrieved his armor and sword. All night he cleaned and polished his armor and weapon, his training as immediate as the back of his own hand. When the sun rose, he stood in his field, the morning sun gleaming off his meticulously polished armor, and the evil samurai approached.
“Now we do battle,” the evil samurai said. “I have waited for this day a long time.”
The farmer bowed in reverence and respect and then drew his sword and they commenced their fight. Swords clashed and armor was struck. Each drew from their considerable training as they lunged and struck and blocked each other’s blows. “I do not wish to hurt you,” the farmer said. “Lay down your arms and let us resolve this peacefully.”
“I will not!” the evil samurai said. “I would rather die than surrender. I look forward to your death and the death of your family!”
“Very well, then.” Knowing that there was no other way, the farmer moved as quick as lightning and struck the killing blow, and the evil samurai was no more. His lifeless body fed the land with his villainous blood and the farmer was filled with a great sadness. He had gone against his solemn vow and had again taken a human life. He was heartbroken—not just for his broken promise, but also for this man, evil though he was. Now that he was dead there could be no change, no healing, no reconciliation. A heaviness sat in the farmer’s heart like a stone, and it weighed on him heavily for many days.
Soon the nearby villages caught word of the death of the evil samurai at the farmer’s hands and they began to rejoice. The many who had been living in fear now could live freely. But the farmer was not happy.
A monk came to visit the farmer to speak of what happened, and the farmer told him of his vow and how it had been broken.
“It is indeed a dishonor to break your vow,” the monk said. “But do you regret what you did?”
And the farmer replied, “No! I would do it again.”
Some choices are like no choice. We may think we know how we should act but life will demand we make difficult choices for the greater good. Was it “bad” to take a human life? Yes. But was it “wrong”? Sometimes there are no good choices. And we are asked to make them anyway.
_____
When we strip away the layers of religion that have been woven over the magical system that is the heart of all Witchcraft, we find that the magical system does not impose an ethical code upon its adherents. We are each asked to do what we believe to be “right,” based on the situation we find ourselves in. “A healthy priest makes all things sound.”53
While many a Neopagan practitioner will cite “karma” as a reason not to engage in martial magic, the Faery Witch sees the fallacy of such an argument. The world is not a place in which all things are fair and balanced and good. If we or our loved ones are attacked, there is no shame in defending them. This, of course, is not an attempt to convince the pacifist otherwise, but to remind the Witch of their heritage and history, as well as the reality of the world in which we live. Like it or not, the universe is a violent place. Those in the Craft who will do what is necessary in times of need should not be vilified for doing so. To assert that those who would engage in cursing are “not real Witches” would be hurtful, if it weren’t laughable. The assertion is demonstrably false, as our very history proves. But even still, to each their own. Some Witches might be fine with giving away their teeth in some misguided attempt at “enlightenment,” but most often what they really find is an artificial sweetness the likes of which causes cancer on a spiritual level.
This idea that we must never cause harm is ludicrous; to eat, we cause harm to the animal or the plant that feeds us. To breathe, we kill microorganisms, and even to clean our house is to harm and kill the bacteria that would invade our bathroom surfaces. Even in our dealings with other human beings, there are times in which we may need to perform actions against another that are, in some form, violent. One would certainly hope that these cases would be exceedingly rare, but for self-defense I for one am in favor of the hex or curse.
If not for self-defense, then what about the defense of one’s family or the innocent? In a warrior tradition, we are asked to mindfully respond to every situation and do what is needed in order to make it right. If a rapist or a murderer were threatening our community, would we sit around and raise a cone of rose-pink love-light in the hopes of converting them to a greater understanding? Over the course of over thirty years practicing the Craft at the time of this writing, I have known several people who have gone exactly this route and I have yet to see this succeed on any level. At best, it leaves the practitioners with the smug sense of having “done what they could” (they didn’t) and at worst it simply enables the evil to continue unabated.
If Witchcraft is a nature religion then we must be prepared to take our teachings from nature and not from some fantasy of how we wished the world to be. If I am struck, it is natural for me to defend, but I will not act in anger or for revenge. I will be calculated, using only as much force as necessary in order to subdue my attacker, and preferably using their own energy against them. Like a form of magical aikido, if they push, we fall, bringing them down with their own force.
My observation is that cursing, like all of magic, is on a spectrum. On the smaller end, we have jinxes—little annoyances that we might place in someone’s path, perhaps to distract them or slow them down. Though there is no traditional distinction in Faery Tradition between a hex and a curse, I personally feel that hexes would come next in our spectrum, being those types of workings that are more than just an annoyance, perhaps encouraging someone to fail at some endeavor or to cause them to suffer in some way. Curses definitely are the “big deal.” These are workings intended to cause harm, more than just suffering. They are not something in which I would engage for a trivial reason. I have rarely found it necessary to cast a hex (though I certainly have done so). If I have come to the point in which I feel I am justified in placing a curse, then things have gotten serious. Both for them and for myself.
Even if we are not intending to engage in the act of throwing curses ourselves, it would do us well to familiarize ourselves with the subject if for no other reason than it would prove useful in learning how to defend against them or remove them from others. Where we are fond of telling ourselves that those who would have enough power to do such a thing should have “evolved” to the point in which they would never engage in maleficum, again we find ourselves living out a saccharine fantasy that bears no resemblance to actual reality. A lot of people throw curses, and a good number of them are at least moderately skilled at doing so. It doesn’t take much, actually. Just some intense emotions and a moment of clear focus. And for some people, magic is a natural talent. And especially if they are untrained (or unaware), then we can find ourselves in the middle of a very messy problem.
Usually the person throwing the curse is a family member or loved one (for only someone who is bound to you in love can hate you enough to throw an effective curse). I have seen this in my clients over the years, and have talked about this at length with my peers who likewise work magically with the public. It happens. And it’s very real.
I have been on the receiving end of a curse on more than one occasion. The first time was when I was just nineteen. I had a quick and intense love affair with another magical practitioner, who proved to be just a little bit unstable. When I declined their offer to leave my life and family behind me to join them hundreds of miles away, they decided on revenge. Several days after he had returned to his home city I received a letter that was a dark love poem, the sort that implied “if I can’t have you, no one can.” It was striking, but I didn’t think much of it other than it seemed a bit overly dramatic at the time.
That night, while at work, I started to have a strange experience. Out of the blue, I started to get fuzzy-headed, and my vision became impaired, my sight appearing as if viewed through rippling water and a dark, creeping cloud slowly rolling in from my periphery. I also noticed that I was becoming verbally confused, and the formation of complete sentences was becoming increasingly difficult. I had to leave my shift early and make my way home. This proved to be a difficult task, as by this point my sight had almost completely left me, with only a small area of the field of my vision unaffected. By the time I got home I had the mother of all splitting headaches and I immediately lay down. Not ever having had a migraine before, I had no idea what to expect, and the pain became so intense that I was convinced I must have had a tumor. But no matter what it was, there was nothing I could do but bury my face in my pillow in a dark room with quiet music playing in the background.
I passed out and dreamt of this person standing at the foot of my bed. They crawled up on top of me and the experience was non-consensual to say the least. The next day I was still experiencing pain and difficulties, though not quite as intense as the night before. Later that evening, I attended the weekly healing night at the local metaphysical shop. I didn’t talk about my magical experience, as I didn’t want to feed into the fear, and truth be told I was still a bit in disbelief. (Surely I was just being dramatic, no?) What the reader told me gave me chills. They told me immediately that I was under psychic attack, that the attacker was male, and that I knew who they were. They even were able to tell me the direction that this person was from our position, which I knew to accurately reflect the location of their home. They worked their mojo on me, the headache lessened, and I walked away a believer. I went home and proceeded to perform a reversing spell, burning the dark love letter in my cauldron with some reversing herbs and setting up a mirror to reflect the fire light in the direction of their home. I chanted and raised energy and felt it all push outward as I sent it all back to its source. After it was all done, I felt much better and the symptoms did not return.
A few days later I got a call from a mutual friend. She told me that his life had abruptly fallen apart: he lost his job for gross negligence … he was picked up by the police because he matched the description of a criminal … and he ended up having to move, all in the span of just a few days. All of this I took as “proof” that my spell had worked.
Years later I would run into this person once again and I decided to confront him directly about the incident. He confessed and apologized to me for having done it, adding that he had definitely “learned his lesson” when all hell broke loose for him immediately afterward. I decided not to tell him that I had reversed his spell, leaving him to believe that it was the “karmic consequences” of his negative actions. But then, I suppose it really was the result of karma, only karma doesn’t work on its own. It requires agents to act in the world.
Witches, I believe, are among those agents. We are called to look at the world and to act within it, upon it, to make this world a better place. This doesn’t mean that we need to address each and every ill in the world (and certainly not if it means that we would harm ourselves in the process), but we do need to take responsibility for our actions, as well as our inactions. When we see evil and we do nothing, then we are in part responsible for it.
If one suspects that the dark arts are at play, the first step would be to do the Waters of Purity rite or some other personal purification exercise. Then we need to ask ourselves why we think a hex or curse is at play. It is all too easy to jump to the far more interesting conclusion that one has been hexed rather than face the fact that things just kind of suck because of a lot of really boring mundane reasons, not the least of which is that we are depressed, or unmotivated, or experiencing the denial of any number of our own shadow demons. We shouldn’t suspect a curse just because we are having a bad day—or a bad week. If we are having a bad month or a bad year then we might want to do some divination to check things out, but even then, usually there would be other mitigating factors to point in the direction of a curse. Have you been having accidents? Near misses? More than three in a week? What about conflicts with family members or coworkers? Or perhaps it is the area of money. Have you experienced three or more financial losses in a single month that were out of the ordinary? These are not hard and fast rules, but guidelines to get us thinking about how we are viewing the situation. Remember that a large part of magic is perception. If we believe that we are cursed then we might as well be.
DIVINATION: To Diagnose a Hex or Curse
Items needed:
A deck of regular playing cards
This technique relies on reading either red or black cards, and nothing else. It can actually be used for any yes/no questions and has been shared in many places and in many variations. This is my favorite.
Open the Way. Shuffle the deck and ask, “Have I been hexed or cursed?” while you are shuffling. Focus on how you feel: on that which would bring you to even ask the question. When you are ready, stop shuffling and deal out five cards in a row facedown. Then one by one, left to right, turn them over. Black cards indicate a no response while red indicates yes. In this you can see the degree of the curse by the presence of red cards. If all five cards are black then the answer is a clear no. If all are red then that is a clear yes. The degree of red to black will determine the severity of the curse, if it is determined there is one.
The spread can be read as follows:
5 black—0 red = No curse or negative magical energies are present.
4 black—1 red = A blip of dark energy exists in your energy field, but likely your natural defenses will ward it off.
3 black—2 red = There are dark energies present. You may have been jinxed.
2 black—3 red = Sufficient dark energies are hanging around you. You may have been hexed. Do a cleansing immediately.
1 black—4 red = There is significant harmful magic in your situation. You have probably been hexed or cursed. Rituals of purification and protection are in order.
0 black—5 red = There is a hex or curse present. It’s time to bring out the big guns and get a handle on things again.
If it is revealed that there is dark energy, jinxes, hexes, or curses afoot, then you may shuffle the cards again and ask more specific questions. You will want to determine if it is a jinx, a hex, or a curse. You will want to know if you personally know the caster. (If not, were they hired by someone that you do know?) Ask questions that help you determine the who, what, when, where, why, and how. These are all important pieces of information that we may need in order to effectively break the curse.
Other divination methods can be employed, as per your personal taste and practice. Many Witches form a special bond with the tarot and seek certain cards for determining the presence of a curse. Cards like the Tower and the Devil carry a particular charge when viewed through the lens of the curse and may indicate the presence of one if they show up in a reading on the subject. A pendulum is a quick and easy tool for determining yes/no questions, and can be used to redirect the flow of energies. Some who develop a practice of throwing bones may have special bones, stones, or other curios that represent a curse to them, making it a particularly useful tool for dealing with this subject. The White Plate method is a favorite among some conjure doctors.54 In it, they would anoint a candle with oil and then take a white plate, passing it all over the subject and then through the smoke of the candle. If the subject had been cursed, then an image of the tormenting spirit would appear in the smudges on the plate. Many a magical practitioner who deals in this sort of work will have their own preferred methods of diagnosing maleficum.
Should your divinations point toward a curse, it can be quite alarming. But if you or someone you know is plagued by maleficum, you should immediately perform acts to purify and energize your energy body as well as your immediate environment.
Breaking a Curse
As practicing Witches, we have some natural protections against allowing most hexes or curses taking hold. Just like having a healthy physical body helps fight off disease-causing bacteria, so too a healthy energy body can ward off much if not most of the negative energies we encounter on a daily basis. For a Witch of practice and power this protection is increased, another benefit of psychic tools such as the Iron and Pearl Pentacles; they increase our power and our grace. Severity and beauty—two qualities necessary for the work we do between the worlds. As a rule, we Faery dance with spirits, not harass them. But if necessary, we must be prepared to assert our authority.
This authority is that of our own divine authority; the holy light of the Star Goddess with us all that is the Blue God, the Dian y Glas, the holy daemon. Our own higher self is the consort and other half of the Star Goddess. We literally see ourselves as being part of the living body of God Herself. “I am a cell in the body of the Goddess!” Victor Anderson once said. “And I demand my rights!”
The basic Faery exercises of Soul Alignment, the Waters of Purity, and working with the Iron and Pearl Pentacles form the basis for a series of practices which are aimed at strengthening the practitioners’ magical power as well as their ability to be open to receiving (and sharing) that power. Along with an additional practice of running energy in some form (such as those found in Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Yoga, Reiki, etc.), a powerful method for maintaining psychic and magical health and strength is formed. But even healthy individuals can use an immune boost, from time to time.
EXERCISE: The Violet Shockwave
This is given here as a formal exercise, but it is intended to be a psychic device that can be invoked in an instant, manifesting like a sudden explosion, to cleanse yourself and your immediate environment by scrambling whatever aetheric patterns are present.
As a practice, it should be done sparingly, as prolonged exposure to the particular energy invoked in this exercise can be overtaxing and potentially burn out the practitioner, leaving them unable to sense or move energy, at least for some time afterward. Use with caution and respect.
Open the Way. Orient yourself to the directions. Open yourself to the land and your environment. Even if you are in a building, that building is on the land. Feel the horizon all around you. You stand in the very center of a circle made from the horizon. Feel how you are centered between above and below. Perfectly centered. Our souls aligned, like three lenses, through which you now invoke …
Aetheric bolt to earth from heaven
The violet lightning flame,
Which strikes with serpentine precision
And now the slate is clean!
On the last word of the incantation, a bolt of violet lightning strikes through the aligned lenses of your souls, and this violet lighting strikes a violet flame … an explosion like a liquid bubble of violet fire erupts from within the alignment in our center and moves outward like a shockwave, burning, transforming, scrambling, scrubbing, breaking, tearing, healing, shaping, cleansing everything within you, and as you throw out your arms in a sweeping gesture, now out around you … extending into the whole of the room you are in. Feel your own divine authority; your holy fire ignited by the flame of God Herself. This was the lightning bolt from heaven … the current of heavenly fire afforded you by the Star Goddess, a sign of your royal power as a Witch, consort to the Queen of Witches Herself. Bask in this glory, your glory. The glory of a cell in the body of the Goddess Herself.
End as normal.
_____
If our defenses get low, we might become susceptible to negative energies. When we are sick for a prolonged period, or suffering from depression or anxiety, our natural psychic shields may be insufficient to ward off an actual attack. An effective curse will target a natural weakness and so those who suffer from certain mental conditions may be more susceptible in those areas. But before those without an official diagnosis rejoice their good fortune, anyone and everyone has weaknesses, and so anyone could potentially be infected by maleficum. Everyone has an Achilles’ heel. Bottom line: don’t get smug. Be impeccable.
The first step toward removing any unwanted or harmful energies or spirits should always be the Waters of Purity rite. This should be followed by ritual bathing. Since this is something that most traditions teach early on in magical training I will not spend much time with it here, save to say that in my experience a repetitive practice of it is best. I would usually prescribe thirteen successive nights of said bathing when dealing with a curse, which may or may not be part of a larger series of rites, depending on the severity of the situation. You may wish to incorporate additional energy exercises as a means to keep your energy flowing, lest it stagnate or become “clotted,” neither of which are healthy scenarios.
There is no singular rite to undo a hex or a curse in Faery Witchcraft. Each curse is as unique as its caster, and so it is helpful to know where and how the curse originated. Who cast it? Why? What kind of magic was used in its sending? These are helpful questions because the more information we have about the type of spell used against us the better chances we have to more easily deflect it or render it harmless. Again, we may turn to our divination tools for better insights as how best to proceed. Tools like the Lenormand may provide us insights as to what type of magic may work best. Cards like the Whip speak of the necessity of purification, while the Flowers speak of using herbal magic. The Ship that travels over the sea is magical baths, while the Sun is candle work. The Birds may be chanting or singing. The Ring: a pact with a spirit. The Coffin: ancestor work.
We can also use the suits of the tarot to help determine a magical approach. When doing a reading on your situation look for the four suits. Each represents an elemental power and therefore a type of magic which is making itself known through your reading. Pentacles are crystals, herbs, money, and healing magic. Swords are written word spells, sigils, fumigation, and mental magic. Wands are candle spells and fire magic. Cups are potions, waters, teas, and baths, as well as emotional, astral, and trance magic. A predominance of major arcana cards represents the element of aether and speaks of ecstatic workings, divine possession, and the like. A predominance of inverted or reversed cards may indicate that a Reversing is the best course of action.
A Reversing Spell is one that reverses the direction of the cycle of some energy or otherwise sends back said energy to its source. It can be used to turn around a situation against the predicted pattern, or to cause a spell to rebound upon its caster. Since this is the type of spell that uses the attacker’s energy against themselves, this is my preferred method of ritual defense against magical attacks, should said attacks be able to penetrate my passive defenses. In my experience, this is a great method to use when dealing with prolonged attacks as this will usually stop (at least temporarily) the attacks, giving us some breathing room to set up protections and whatever additional steps we feel are necessary.
To reflect a hex or curse back to its source, this spell is based on that which I learned from Hoodoo teacher and shop owner catherine yronwode.55 It calls for a traditional double-action candle in both red and black. These are usually jumbo sized, and will be black on the bottom half and red on the top half. These candles are traditionally butted before use, a process achieved by cutting off the tip and then carving a new tip on the bottom, making the black end the new top, thus reversing the physicality of the candle. If you do not have access to a red/black double-action candle you may substitute a black candle, also prepared by butting.
Items needed:
A butted black and red “double-action” candle (alternatively, a black candle will do)
Reversing oil (a traditional blend might contain powdered crabshell and camphor)
A nail or other sharp, pointed instrument to carve on candle wax
A small mirror (alternatively, a small sheet of aluminum foil)
A photo or other “personal concerns” of the target (optional)
Open the Way. Breathe and charge yourself up with wraith force. With the nail or instrument, carve the name of the person who has sent the curse your way onto the black end of the candle, but do so in “mirror writing,” that is to say that if held to a mirror the reflection would appear as normal writing. Concentrate on them all the while.
Next, dress the candle with the oil using exaggerated outward motions as if you are throwing or pushing the negative energy outward with each stroke. If you have personal concerns you may add them to the now-oiled candle. If you have their picture, dress it with the oil as well and then place facedown on your altar and place the mirror over it, faceup. If not, just place the mirror on your altar. Now place the candle on top of the mirror or foil. You may wish to melt the end of the candle first to give it added stability. Light the candle and say, with absolute conviction:
Candle turned against itself
I conjure you to now repel
The darkness and invading force
By light reflected to its source.
Spend a few moments in that state of Enchantment, feeling the wraith force of your spell reversing the flow of energies away from you and back to their point of origin, the mirror assisting in their reflection. When you are ready you may end as normal and allow the candle to burn all the way down.
The remains are traditionally buried at a crossroads, but the mirror may be reclaimed as long as it is intact and you do not look at your reflection within it. Wash it in salted water to which you have added hyssop and a bit of rosemary, then wrap and keep for any future reversing spells you may perform.
_____
The beauty about this type of spell is that in the event that you are incorrect about the origin of the curse there will be no ill effect upon the one mistaken for the culprit. In this case the spell would likely do nothing, though it may actually find the one truly responsible in spite of your mistake, if your spirits are powerful and clever enough, that is.
This is my version of a traditional Faery spell to reverse the direction of a tenacious situation, or when working against a recognized impetus.
Items needed:
A candle (your Star Goddess candle will do)
Your ritual blade
Open the Way. Light your candle and cast a circle. Invoke the Iron Pentacle into your body and then from that space invoke the Pearl: Love, Law, Knowledge, Power, and Wisdom. Allow the Pearl to move you into a space of open acceptance.
Feeling this state, call up the situation you wish to change. Feel it here with you in the circle. Feel the flow of its energy moving clockwise in the circle. It is natural for it to move this way.
Now, take hold of your blade in your left hand. Hold the knife in the flame of the lit candle, feeling it charge up as it heats. Say:
By heat of fire and cold of steel,
A march toward destiny, although:
Widdershins reverse the flow!
I now turn the left-hand wheel!
Silently, move to the north and stab your blade into the energetic band of the circle. Feeling the blade enmeshed with the energy of the circle, drag the circle counterclockwise a full 360 degrees, feeling the entirety of the circle beginning to spin like a top. Building energy with your breath, send this spinning power flying off to disrupt the natural direction of the energy. End your circle as normal.
Occultus Maleficum
Despite the negative press the art of cursing has received, the ways of maleficum in traditional Craft have boldly continued, if often quietly under the surface. A common saying in the Craft is “A Witch who cannot hex cannot heal.” This is a reminder that magic in itself is amoral; it does not possess some inherent ethical or moral quality. It is simply a force of nature. It can be no more “good” or “evil” than a river, or a forest fire, or an earthquake. Certainly, we might drown in the river, or be burned in the fire, or we might lose our home in the earthquake, but these things are not moral or immoral … they simply are. We would not waste our time blaming the river or the fire for what it had taken from us. We would work to rebuild, to heal. Magic simply is. What is positive or negative is the intention behind the working. Just like the electrical current that is used to power your home or to execute a murderer, the magic behind both is the same.
Our intention is a type of current that we can tap into, as are our emotions. In fact, we need to bring the two together as one in order to effectively petition our daemon for the power to do effective magic. This is another facet of the soul alignment which we have been working with thus far. Once talker and fetch are in harmony then petitioning the daemon for a magical working becomes increasingly easier.
All magic requires some level of skill. But magic for, let’s say, prosperity, doesn’t carry the same level of danger that a curse would. Certainly, there is risk in all magic, for we are engaging the intricate web of universal possibilities and it is nearly impossible to see all the potential outcomes of the spell we may wish to cast. This is why it is generally taught that the first step to any spell is divination. When we use our divinatory tools we are given a deeper perspective, which (hopefully) we will then use to better steer the direction of our magic.
In Faery Tradition, it is often taught that one must first be “clean” in order to throw a curse and remain unaffected. This is only a half-truth, as in reality there is no way to be unaffected by any spell that we cast. The energies of every spell we cast move through us first, and so what we mean by “being clean” is having no energetic blocks that could potentially and adversely affect the flow of magic, thus impairing the spell. When dealing with energies of a more negative nature, the stakes are raised to the next level. Those blocks are potential weaknesses, and if we have weaknesses within ourselves that can give that negative energy a then we may suffer accordingly. Imagine a biologist handling a deadly poison. If they are trained and take the proper precautions then they can do so unharmed. But if they are careless, perhaps forgetting to wear protection clothing or working while they are fatigued, they might make a careless mistake and may end up killing themselves. Cursing is dangerous work.
There is one emotion more than others that makes one vulnerable to the dark powers of a curse, and that is guilt. If we are harboring feelings of guilt then this is like a hole in our natural psychic armor. This is what often gets exploited in a hex or a curse. If we wish to be safe from being cursed we must be free of guilt, making purification work essential to our magical survival. We work to minimize the negative effects that the curse we cast will have upon us. But rest assured there is always a price to pay.
One famous story concerning this price is from early Wicca concerning World War II, in which the then-secret coven performed a rite in order to prevent Hitler from invading Britain. They gathered at night to dance skyclad around a fire to raise a Cone of Power, implanting the telepathic message in the minds of Hitler and his army: “You cannot cross the sea, you cannot cross the sea, you cannot come, you cannot come.” The magic apparently worked, and Hitler never invaded. The price was paid, according to Gardner, when some of the more elderly coven members died shortly after the working.
This is obviously an extreme example dealing with a large target, but it serves as a clear warning. To effect change requires energy. The larger the change the greater the need for energy to achieve it. With this in mind it should come as little surprise that one of the secrets to effective cursing is to use as little of one’s own energy as possible. With workings such as the Reversing, this is relatively easy. But for heavier workings we need to find ourselves an external source of power.
One of the influences (or resonances, depending on how you look at it) of early Faery Tradition is the practice known as Huna. Originally sold as the rediscovered survival of the nearly lost spiritual and magical practices of the precolonial Hawaiian people, it is now quite evident that it is a creation based on the personal research and subsequent practice of the late Max Freedom Long (1890–1971), a white man who appropriated pieces of Hawaiian language and culture to inspire and inform a new spiritual system of magic. Victor Anderson had long claimed to have been one of the last Kahuna,56 and so his use of Hawaiian terms was no more surprising than when he mentioned practices and myths from the Celtic, or South American, or Basque cultures. He claimed to be racially connected to many cultures in this life, while also drawing from his remembered past life experiences.
While there is a body of lore that is passed in the oral tradition that uses Hawaiian terms and supposed practices, I, as a non-Hawaiian, will refrain from appropriating their culture further and so direct the reader to the invented system of magic, stripped now of its cultural window dressing, which forms the basis for some strains of magical thought in Faery Witchcraft tradition.
Early works regarding the system of Huna described the “Death Prayer,” in which the magician enlists the aid of “evil spirits” in order to magically kill their victim. This is necessary for this type of work because the higher self of the magician is the usual source (or at least conduit) of power for their workings, but it is not interested in actions that are not in line with the evolution of the magician’s soul development. Without the assistance of one’s higher soul, the magician must turn to an alternative power source.
This is not unlike other magical practices, such as Palo or Ceremonial Magic, that harness spirits for their magical power. These spirits are often housed and fed, or sometimes even trapped against their will, depending on the need and the temperament of the individual magician. Indeed, we have even opened the door for that ourselves by working with our Demons as the Witches’ familiar. A cautionary word, however, for those who may feel emboldened at the possibility of being able to inflict such a heinous attack on another without fear of retribution or reprisal: a magician’s spirits, like the proverbial chickens, always come home to roost. Or feed. Should you ascertain how exactly to enlist the aid of the kind of spirits that both have the power and the inclination to engage in such work, consider that even engaging those types of spirits has a tendency to slowly corrupt the magician over time. How quickly depends on how often and how powerful these types of workings are. But like all magic, we become aligned to what we invoke. While I am a defender of hexing and cursing in principle, in practice one must be aware that doing this work will change the magician. I have seen those who engage in maleficum somewhat frequently and they become twisted, anxious, and paranoid, seeing magical attacks and heretical infractions around every corner. It’s a downward spiral. The more they curse, the more they feel they need to curse … or they feel the need to fend off non-existent curses coming their way. In their way lies madness. Sometimes literally.
This is yet another reason why it is often stressed that one must do purification rites immediately after engaging in “the dark arts.” We don’t want to get stuck in a negative mindset, for that will only manifest more stress and negativity in our lives. We need to switch gears, so to speak. In Hoodoo, it is sometimes taught that one should wash their hands with Florida Water after doing this work. This is both to spiritually cleanse the magician from any lingering negative energies and effects, but also serves to physically wash away any residual (and potentially inflammatory) oils that may still be present, even after washing with soap and water. Either way, it’s a good idea to wash your hands after Witchcraft.
The Righteous Hex
Before exploring some of the techniques to cast hexes and curses I wish to take a moment to speak on the subject of righteousness. This is often the state of mind in which the Witch or magician will find themselves when considering throwing magic offensively. These emotional fires often rise quickly and can be a considerable fuel for darker workings and are sometimes sufficient for bypassing the aid of the daemon altogether. This is primal magic, the magic of raw rage and the clarity that this emotional fire can sometimes bring.
But there is cause for caution; righteousness can be a twisted lens through which to assess our situations. When in that seemingly elevated state we may believe that we are the only ones who are seeing things clearly and that it is our “duty” to punish those who would draw our condemnation. Here tread carefully, for these are deceptive flames and through them we may believe that we are seeing the face of evil, when perhaps the truth is not quite as luminous.
So how do we determine if our perceptions are true? Again, we should turn to our divinatory tools. And our journal.
DIVINATION/JOURNALING: Cursing and Clarity
This is an exercise consisting of both divination and journaling, allowing us to gain a greater clarity on the subject of cursing and our motivations one way or another.
Items needed:
Your tarot cards or other divination system
Your journal
A pen or pencil
Open the Way. Focus your attention on the one you wish to jinx, hex, or curse. Ask yourself what it is that you really want to accomplish with this working. Are you looking to hurt someone? Why? Justice? Is this really justice or is it just to make your ego feel good? Is this really about revenge? How will this action bring a greater harmony to the situation? If you are feeling justified in a working then this means that you have a sense of moral balance. How does this action align with that balance? Do a reading (or series of smaller readings) with these questions in mind. As you do, journal your findings. When you are done, continue to journal for about five to ten minutes on any related feelings or thoughts you have on the subject.
_____
When I am considering throwing a hex or a curse I have certain personal rules that I follow. These keep me focused on what is important and also help prevent me from potentially going off the deep end of things.
1. Do it for justice but never revenge.
Justice is an important thing to fight for. The oppressed are starving for it and our heritage as Witches is intimately entwined with its seeking. But if we cannot see the difference between it and revenge, then we are victims of our own anger and denial and have no business throwing a curse.
Revenge is the lashing out at and hurting of someone in order to make us feel better in the short term. We may feel that our revenge is really justice, but if we look closer we will see that only true justice will right any wrongs that have been committed while revenge will bring about more imbalance. Revenge initiates a never-ending cycle of retaliation, whereas justice will provide closure. Justice is about bringing balance to a situation; it will provide closure and healing, restoring balance and righting (as well as it can) the original wrong. Revenge is nothing more than just lashing out, plain and simple. In a warrior tradition, the difference is that our actions are used to bring balance and healing. Justice is stopping further hurt from being done and doing what we can to heal that hurt that exists. Nothing more. Revenge is personal. Justice is impartial.
2. Wait at least three days between deciding to throw a curse
and actually performing it.
This prevents us from committing a “curse of passion” and potentially doing something that we would regret later. If they are truly deserving of a curse, then they will still be so three days from now, when cooler heads have prevailed. Fiery anger is a dangerous and deceptive power. It distorts our perception just as a real flame distorts our vision around a campfire. If you are so mad you are seeing red (outside of the cursing rite), then this is not the time to be casting a curse. While you very well may have the emotional power necessary to pull it off, you more than likely do not possess the necessary mental focus to do it effectively and safely. Wait until your anger has grown cold. Hot anger is messy and unpredictable. Cold anger is a focused anger, and is excellent for strategic workings.
3. Be free of the quality on which you are focusing in your target.
In other words, don’t be a hypocrite. We must remember that the magic we are directing to our subject must first be channeled through ourselves. If our intent is to “punish” our subject for, let’s say, gossiping, then we might find ourselves feeling some of the negative effects of the curse if we are likewise engaging in gossip. This is similarly true of any inherent weakness in the subject that we may wish to exploit, such as a specific fear or physical ailment. If we also possess those same weaknesses, we may find ourselves negatively impacted by the magic used to exploit them. This too is a good reason to perform purification work immediately after engaging in cursing.
4. Make sure the punishment fits the crime.
Sending someone a death curse because they slandered your name isn’t exactly bringing balance to a situation. In a religion of poetry, I think we can do better, both morally as well as artistically. If they are speaking falsehoods, then the curse might include the truth taking center stage, perhaps a truth about the slanderer, or exposing them as a liar. Or perhaps a taste of their own medicine? In the case of a rapist or domestic abuser perhaps the curse is for them to be sloppy and get caught—and convicted—of their crimes. May justice guide your hand and wand.
5. Give them an “out.”
If I am doing this work for justice and not revenge, then this means that this curse is a means to a greater end. And that end must be the correction of the overall problem or some level of restitution. It is a way of making amends. If I am cursing someone to experience some torment, I will want that torment to end should they accept responsibility for their actions and make their own restitution. In fact, sometimes I even tack on a blessing at the end in the hopes that this will help solidify the work toward restorative justice. As long as justice is served it does not matter who serves it.
_____
Once you have cleared the way for your work, you will want to decide what level of maleficum you wish to impart: jinx, hex, or outright curse. A jinx you could do on your own; a sufficiently charged fetch can accomplish as much. Possibly your fetch may even be able to pull off a hex, though that is more difficult. But a curse will likely need to have outside spiritual assistance, since your holy daemon may not participate. I say “may” not participate because while some of the old lore stipulates that the daemon/God Soul will not contribute to the throwing of curses, in my experience this is not always true. Sometimes a righteous curse can even be a divine one. And to this I offer another personal story.
It was many years ago and I had been an initiate of Faery for not quite two years. An Elder in our Craft, now deceased, who carried a long history of venomous attacks and sexual predation, publicly stated that he was going to curse me. Referencing “black candles and pins” on an internet forum, he described just how he was going to throw such a curse, for the crime of sharing a personal story of how he had attempted to manipulate my husband and myself into an unwanted sexual relationship, using his eldership in the tradition as a stick and the promise of “nearly lost queer lore” as the carrot. After watching this person verbally abuse many in the community to the degree of attempting to get entire lines of our shared tradition “invalidated” in the eyes of others, and hearing so many other stories of how this person had sexually abused his own students, I decided to speak out. This obviously upset him and inspired the accusation that I was now an “oathbreaker” because I was not “protecting” this person who was a brother of the Craft. Upon first hearing that he was planning this curse (a friend in the tradition gave me a “heads-up”), I honestly didn’t think anything of it. I figured they were blowing off steam as I believed (naively) that actual initiates of our shared tradition would not behave in such a foul way (I have since been relieved of that particular blissful fiction). So, I did nothing.
A couple days later, I was visited by a strange energy and sensation. I was at home, walking upstairs, and I suddenly felt both light-headed and a bit dizzy, as if I were standing on the deck of a moving boat. My aetheric sight showed me what I can only describe as an energy form that was like seaweed, slowly undulating in a trance-inducing rhythm, all yellow-green and feeling somewhat sickly. I was surprised! I had expected my passive defenses to have taken care of it, but this was, after all, an initiate and an Elder in our tradition. They had many years to grow in the Power and I was feeling the effects of that in the most eerie and off-putting way. I knew what I had to do. I gathered my materials, a candle, some salt, Uncrossing oil, some hyssop, some dragon’s blood resin, and my incense burner, and I set to draw myself a bath. I smoked myself with the dragon’s blood, and then added the salt, hyssop, and oil to the bath with a prayer of empowerment and purification. As I bathed I felt the “seaweed effect” lessening, until it was no more. I got out of the bath and had a most striking experience.
I can only describe it as my daemon descending upon me and I was completely self-possessed. I was filled with a sense of complete calm, focus, and power. I also was experiencing a very clear vision of an ornate and beautiful harp, the kind that this Elder was known to have played with considerable talent. I was filled with the knowledge—as if it were a certainty in my bones—that if I wanted to send this curse back to its source, then all it would take would be for me to reach out and pluck—and break—one of those visionary harp strings, but to do so would have meant the death of that person.
I will admit that I considered it. This person had gone very far to fabricate stories about myself as well as others in an effort to discredit us and had caused a lot of people a lot of pain over the course of thirty years. But I decided against it. I would not be brought down to that level. That punishment did not fit the crime as far as I could see, and so I would not be part of it. I sat down on my couch and aligned my souls and calmly waited for the vision and sensations to leave me.
Even later I would feel the presence of that visionary harp in my mind and knew that I could use it, if I wanted to. I never did.
_____
There are very few hexes or curses that are passed down in Faery Tradition outside of individual covens or lineages. Perhaps one of the better-known curses (amongst Faery initiates) is the “Medusa Mirror,” which details the creation of a magical device that is aligned to a particular Olympic spirit, as well as to various Dark Goddess forms, and used to repel magical attacks or even to kill your enemy by getting them to look into it. Created during the total eclipse of the sun or moon, certain sigils are placed on a mirror’s back, and an herbal mixture is used to “smoke” the mirror before placing it in the magical triangle and focusing all of one’s hate, anger, and terrifying mental images into it. Much care is given in the text to ensure that the practitioner never looks into the mirror themselves, before, during, or after its ensorcellment, even specifying that a special bag should be used that indicates which side is the back of the mirror (and therefore safe to behold), as the mirror will need to be recharged every month during the full or dark moon.
For those who have read this chapter in the hopes that I would spell out exactly what to do, step by step, in order to cast a hex or a curse, you will be happy to know that I have already done so. Assuming that you are already experienced in magic, if you have read this book from the beginning, and practiced the forms that I have given, then you will have the tools necessary to devise a hex or a curse on your own, which would be far more effective for you and your situation than any “stock curse” I would provide. If you are not yet magically experienced, then me telling you step by step wouldn’t really help you much anyway, unless your goal was to curse yourself—in which case have at it. Sometimes the most potent magical lessons are those learned when everything blows up in our faces. I can personally attest to this. It is largely because of my magical failures that I am an experienced warlock. Nothing will grant you power and skill without having first done the work. There is no substitute for experience.
Should you decide to attempt throwing a hex or a curse, I hope that you consider employing my methods and guidelines. We have enough sloppy magical practitioners running around throwing hexes like so many monkeys flinging feces from the tree-tops. While the hex and the curse have a definite role to play in a Witchcraft that seeks justice for the oppressed, we should refrain from using it in a knee-jerk reaction to perceived or even actual attacks. Faery is a warrior tradition. We hold ourselves to a higher standard. If you seek Faery you need to be aware of that.
Change is the law of life.
And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.
—john f. kennedy
It is a poetic truth passed as sacred lore: to be initiated into the Faery Tradition of Witchcraft is to become a racial descendant of the faery race. As such we have “eaten of the fruit” offered us in their realm and are forever changed by the experience. Where this newfound identity leads some to retreat from this world altogether into one of tribalism and secrecy (much as in the old folktales of the little people receding away beneath the hills and mounds), for others (as is also depicted in the old tales) it is a call to action, to stand one foot in each realm and exist fully between the two, working toward reestablishing the sacred relationship between humanity and the living planet. In this we are charged with shifting the collective consciousness of humanity toward the magical once more.
Regardless of specific tradition, the spread of magical paths such as the Craft is an indicator that this shift is happening and has been for some time. More and more people are turning toward spiritual worldviews that affirm, rather than deny, the living divinity in all things. But this shift has come quite late in the game. The powers of industry and greed have overwhelmed the fragile ecosystem and we are all beginning to see the terrible price for such avarice. The first thing sacrificed on our altars must therefore be the bliss of our own ignorance. We must look into the mirror, individually as well as collectively.
The shadow work presented here begins with the hunt for our personal complexes and demons. But it can go so much further. Once we have a handle on our personal demons, it becomes time to start trying to tackle the collective ones. One need only turn on the news to see how these transpersonal demons of racism, misogyny, homophobia, and the like are rising up and threatening human rights. We see how once-trusted governments are turning to the techniques of fascism to suppress opposition to the state. These are troubling times. And troubling times call for Witchcraft.
But in all of this what can we as individual Witches do? It might be tempting, especially for the Witch who is also a political activist, to take up magical arms, cursing and jinxing all who would oppose freedom and environmental sustainability, and indeed it may be necessary for some of us to do just that. But for others, their magical calling will be in the areas of healing—to mend the bodies, minds, and hearts of those who have been injured by the machine of the oppressor. Still others will be called to make music and art, to help sustain the movement in its myriad of possible forms. And throughout all of it, we are each reminded that we need to do everything in our power toward our own self-possession and self-care.
As someone who has engaged in political actions and who has many friends who are activists, I can say with certainty that what is really necessary in maintaining our ability to bring justice to the world is remembering to practice self-care. We simply need to take time off from our big W (Work) and give ourselves time to relax, regroup, and integrate. As we move into an uncertain future (for is there really any other kind?), we must take steps to ensure that we are getting what we need. “All work and no play makes Storm a dull Warlock.” We need to find what nourishes us. What gives back to our souls? What makes us laugh? Makes us feel powerful? What helps us heal? What does our fetch want? We must make a real effort to ensure that we are able to provide these things, for ourselves and for others, so that we do not burn out.
But neither can we get stuck here, trapped in a comfortable prison of bliss. It is still a prison—and one of our own choosing, because it feels so much better than when we look at the real work outside. Denial often starts because we can’t deal with everything all at once, and so we break down … we retreat into ourselves, blocking out the rest of the world. It’s almost always meant to be temporary, but sometimes we just conveniently never seem to make it back around to dealing with our (anxiety- and depression-inducing) issues.
We need to live more fully in the present, but also we need to make real plans for the future we want to create. Each of us is being called to make a contribution to the future. These need not be grand gestures. The future is built with the smallest and most insignificant-seeming choices that we each make every day. Most of those choices are unconscious or unknown.
Witches, Warlocks, and other magical practitioners have a series of tools that we can use in order to help guide our culture in a direction that is more open, more inclusive, more intelligent, more compassionate, and yes, even more prosperous and safe than what we have had thus far. Magicians are architects of reality, shifting perception and drawing down inspiration and power from higher (and also lower) planes, impregnating the fertile mind of our collective being with new possibilities. While our traditions offer us the foundations necessary to engage the mysterious otherworlds (and interact with their inhabitants) we must be willing to explore beyond those foundations, expanding our knowledge of magic and the Craft as we do. We cannot expect to engage this new world with the dogmas of the old one. Traditions offer us much in the way of outer forms. These forms may lead us to the threshold, but it is we—stripped bare of all convention—that must take that final leap into the unknown.
As we deal with our own shadow, learning more about our own power as we do, we find ourselves in new territory; no longer chained by our fears, we have faced them down and watched them change before our eyes in an attempt to dissuade us from our mission. But we have held fast, prompting the transformation of our fears into power. We have championed our demons and we have set them toward the realization of our own will, deepening our magic and then, hopefully, using that magic in a way that helps strengthen the spiritual alliance between humankind and the rest of the earth’s inhabitants.
We are the ones who stand between. We are being called to fearlessly bridge two worlds together, merging them within ourselves as one: the magical and the mundane. Light and dark. The spiritual and the physical. The beauty and the horror. Not opposing worldviews, but two sides of the same coin, our beloved Twins at play once more, guiding us toward this “radical holism,” within and without. Magic isn’t something that only happens when we stand at our altars brandishing a blade, or chanting spells, or miming arcane sigils by candlelight. It is a consistent practice of attention, breath, and spiritual awareness that we carry inside of us wherever we go. In this our whole world is transformed, ignited into holy flame by the fires of magical consciousness and inhabited by beings and powers beyond the realm of the ordinary.
Once inaugurated into this expanded universe, we must learn to work with the powers that present themselves to us, each in our own little corners of the world, so that we can do our part to participate in the sacred marriage of the land and the spirits. Wherever you are, go outside. Get to know the land, the major natural features of your area. Talk to those spirits. What do they have to say? Journey into the underworld and build your relationships there. Know that to do all of this we must look deep into the black mirror of our souls, the dark abyss which houses our deepest terrors but also offers us the prize of the true initiation—not into any human lineage or priesthood, but one of union with the soul of the universe, if we are able to conquer our demons and claim our power back from deep inside them. Only then does the true journey even begin.
53. Faery oral tradition, credited to Faery initiate, teacher, and author Francesca DeGrandis.
54. See Chas Bogan The Secret Keys of Conjure, Llewellyn.
55. catherine yronwode. “Reversing Spiritual Supplies in Hoodoo Rootwork,” accessed August 3, 2017, http://www.luckymojo.com/reversing.html.
56. This is the traditional Hawaiian name for a wise-person or shaman. Since we have determined that Huna isn’t actually Hawaiian, and with respect for Victor’s use of that term to describe himself, I will now use the culturally neutral term “magician” instead.