Do What Thou Wilt: Kenneth Anger

Interesting talk from Kenneth Anger just thought I would share it.

The Prayer of Design

About a year or so ago I discovered Andrew Chumbley's "Qutub: The Point". One could write volumes trying to interpret the message and all of the symbolism contained in the 72 verse poem that comprises the main body of the work. However the book ends with a beautiful and simple ritual called the, "Rite of the Opposer".This rite consist of two parts, "The Prayer of the Design", and the "Formula of the Opposer". The Prayer of the design struck me as one of the most direct creeds to encompass the aim of the sorcerer. In regards to the prayer Chumbley writes; "The Prayer of Design may also be used in isolation or as an adjunctive/declaration in other such ritual/meditative procedures." I have begun to use the prayer as part of my own meditations (admittedly not daily as I should) and thought I would share it with those of you who have not yet had the pleasure to read it. May it strike the same chord in you that it has in me.

The Prayer Of The Design

As my words punctuate the silence, and the silence my words
so doth their resonance align and magnify power
sufficent to reify their intent.

As I begin, so doth the design which at my Words shall Become!

My Words encipher me and create reality;
As I speak so these Words ensorcel Possibilities.

That which I shall become will transcend aught that hath been
worshipped.

I will become Other than that which hath been named.

Chaos is the Primogenitor of my Forms--
From whence come my Manifestations.

Existence Itself will be eclipsed by my Shadow.

Chance is my Circle without Circumference;
Fate is my Center without Position.

Magick is my Force: Energy beyond Limitation.

My Body is Transition: From Now unto Now.

My words encipher me and creat Possibilities;
As I speak so these words ensorcel Reality.

As I cease--so doth All--but the design of which I speak.

As I cease--so doth All--but that which I am.

By The Book (A Rant)

I apologize up front because this is about to get ranty. But hell, what's the point in having a blog if you can't vent now and then?

About a week or so ago I posed a question over at Evocationmagic.com . I wanted to know why some Goetic magicians place so much emphasis on summoning spirits to full physical appearance, and assert that somehow achieving this feat ensures a greater chance of success of the goal for that evocation. A few people actually stayed on topic, but like most topics in the realm of evocation eventually it came down to an esoteric pissing match with at least one person proclaiming that they get better results and full manifestation because they do everything "by the book". This person went on to elaborate about his experience with spirits moving objects, breaking things within the room, etc. I am not going to reject that this is all possible, and certainly once you start calling spirits into your working space things will get "weird". But what do those theatrics have to do with Sitri getting me laid, or Bune bringing me some money? Nothing, zilch, nadda, zero.

I think what irks me most about the holier than thou by the book Goetes is that when you ask them if they get by the book results, mums the word. What I mean when I say by the book results is, have they had a spirit instantly transport them from one place to another? Have they had a spirit build them towers and then fill them with munitions and weapons? Of course not. They will then tell you well not everything in the grimoires should be taken literally. It's so easy to pick and chose which things to take literally isn't it, and then pass it off as an initiated point of view?I say screw the books for the most part. Work in a manner that feels right to you, with respect to tradition, and most importantly respect for the spirits. Let your results speak for themselves. If you are not getting the expected results. Go back to the source material, but most importantly ask the spirits. The book won't tell you anything. Results are all that matter. Experiment, and adjust accordingly.

As always...

With Regards,

Brother Ash
"You must have the Devil in you to succeed in the arts." Voltaire
"Don't quote me boy cuz I ain't said shit." Eazy-E

Plant Spirits and Conjure

One thing that I have noticed to be sorely missing from most of the books on Hoodoo and Rootwork is the concept of plant spirits. I honestly don’t know if animism part of the rootwork tradition, but it is safe to say that it is part of both the African and Native American roots of conjure. Most of the conjure books that I come across make it seem as if the simple fact of throwing some dried herbs into a red flannel pouch and then consecrating it is enough to make a powerful mojo hand. In My opinion this is far from being the case. I always like to say we call it rootwork because the roots do the work!

When our predecessors would have gathered their herbs and roots for working or medicine they would have addressed the spirits of each individual plant letting their intentions being known in the process. I feel that this is something that many modern workers have neglected while allowing their ego to believe that all the power in their working comes from them alone. To me a proficient conjurer is successful because of his skill with working with the spirits and not as much because of personal power. Knowing which energies are best suited for a particular situation, how to call them forth and then direct them toward their task is what a conjurer does.

There is no set way for someone to honor the plant spirits so I encourage each worker to devise their own. My ritual is pretty simple. I set all of the items out on the altar and then hold each one in my hand individually and talk to it. I address the spirit, let my desires be known, and then ask that the spirit reawaken and bring energy by to the plant for the desired purpose. I then set that plant on a plate and feed the spirit with a few drops of rum (whiskey also works fine). After all of the plants have been laid out on the plate and given offerings I set out four cups of water around the plate in a “cross” shape. I add a dash of spearmint water to each cup which is used as a way to thank spirits for their service and light a tea light in each cup. Let that sit over night or at least until the lights have burned out and then use them for whatever they were charged for.

Address and honor the spirits and I promise that you will see a dramatic improvement in your workings.

Ancestral Skull Fetish

Recently I crafted an Item for my ancestral altar that I wanted to share here. I had a paper mache skull that I bought around Samhain that ended up just sitting around in my crafts supplies. So my ancestors wanted me to make something for their altar so using their guidance I crafted the skull into a centerpiece.

First I painted it white using acrylic paint. Then to darken the eyes, nose, and jaw area, I crushed up charcoal that had been used to burn offerings on the altar. Adding some water to the dust I made a pigment and applied it by hand. Then I decided one other pigment was needed for this piece, blood. Whenever I make blood offerings to spirits (a topic for another blog) I use a lancet device. I guess I am a bleeder because I can get a surprising amount of blood from one finger prick. Five pricks later and I had added some additional designs including one that is mean to call forth the spirits of the dead. I then placed offerings of Yew needles (For calling ancestors), Hellebore root (for necromantic energies), and tobacco. After a quick consecration is was ready for service on my altar.

I often enjoy the creative process of making fetishes and amulets. I seem to learn so much more about the energies that I am working with and the forces that I want to harness by approaching them artistically and letting inspiration take hold. I am glad that I listened to the spirits and created this piece.

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

Getting My Hands Dirty

St.Balthazar recently had a post on his Gnostic Conjure Blog about the magic of dirt. Like most Hoodoo practitioners I keep a little bit of graveyard dirt on my altar just in case I need it. But I don't utilize dirt in my conjure as much as I could. After reading this last post I was inspired to think of a place in the city that I would want to use dirt from. I rarely do curse work but recently have had just cause to do so. I wanted to collect dirt for a spell bottle and could think of only one place in the city that would be perfect. That place is called the "Site of Suffering".

During the Civil War Belle Isle in Richmond, VA was used as a confederate prisoner of war camp between 1861-1865. Over 30,000 soldiers passed through the prison. Due to poor conditions they died by the hundreds. The site has become known as the Site of Suffering. I was in the area last night at a local club when my friends decided to call it an early night (1:30am for me is still early). So I went back to my car grabbed some supplies and made the 1 1/2 mile walk to the isle. I made a quick offering to the spirits of the Isle, gathered my dirt and got out of there. I may be trained in physical and psychic self defense, but between the homeless squatters and restless spirits I didn't want to linger too long.

So this dirt is going in a bottle with a certain someone's name in it. They know who they are....