Path of the Poison Taster

Usually when someone finds out that I do client work that includes hexing I am confronted with a question about karma. “Aren’t you afraid that it will come back on you?” they’ll ask. The simple answer to that is would be no, because I don’t believe in any form of karma or cosmic judgment or retribution of that sort. That does now mean that I feel that hexing work isn’t without its dangers. I have come to compare the practice of hexing to that of a poison taster. Eliphas Levi touched upon this in his “Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie.” When he wrote:

“There is a story of a jealous and infamous man who, toavenge himself on a rival contracted an incurable disorder and made it the commonscourge and anathema of a divided bed. This atrocious history is that ofevery magician, or rather of every sorcerer who practises bewitchments. He poisonshimself in order that he may poison others; he damns himself that he maytorture others; he draws in hell with his breath in order that he may expel it by hislungs; he wounds himself mortally that he may inflict death on others; but possessed of this unhappy courage, it is positive and certain that he will poison andslay by the mere projection of his perverse will.”

My personal opinion is that hexing can and is spiritually poisoning by nature. To accomplish this task one usually calls in (invokes) and brings forward (evokes) dark, chaotic, or destructive energies. If an individual isn't already acclimated to these types of energies, or skilled in how to deal with them, there can be adverse effects to the worker. Many paths attempt to offset the possible side effects by following up a hex with a spiritual cleansing. I liken the practice to that of a poison taster because I feel that with experience and practice one can become immune to this type of poison. The sure fire way to develop immunity to something is through exposure in some form. Through the practice of ritual invocation a sorcerer can gain deeper insight into these potentially dangerous and powerful energies. I would recommend that they do this before they call on the forces for hexing work. Many people try to avoid the darker forces at all cost due to deeply instilled fear but finally turn to them for the first time when wish to strike out at their enemies. Usually at that point fear combined with guilt and preconceived notions create the self fulfilling prophecy called karma.

The darker natural forces can play just as pivotal a role in one’s personal development as any other forces. It’s beneficial to work with these forces outside of your typical hexing and curse works, thus contributing to one’s spiritual growth while building a much needed immunity if the need may arise for you to use their more destructive aspects. Much the same way as people shouldn’t take a martial art simply for the sake of being able to kick someone’s ass (unless you joined the Cobra Kai Dojo!). You do yourself a disservice by not working with the darker forces for their wisdom that they hold while still learning to kick someone’s ass if need be.

"invoke often" Aleister Crowley