Category Archives: wisdom/knowledge/mind spells

C is for Cenaz

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Lewes_Bonfire,_discarded_torch

The rune I like to attribute for the letter C is Cenaz, or just Cen. The symbolism associated with Cenaz is the torch, a piece of wood or metal, that often has some kind of extra fuel source attached to one end, with that fuel source is often some kind of textile that has been soaked in some kind of accelerant or flammable chemical. This allows the torch to be carried around to shed firelight in dark places, either inside buildings that didn’t have windows (and thus no natural light) or in caverns.

As indicated by the symbolism of a torch, this rune is about fire, and light, and things being revealed. In this case though, this is the fire that has been tamed by humanity (unlike qweorth), the light that is wielded by humanity (unlike sowilo), and what is revealed is what is sought by humanity. This colors my interpretation of Cenaz as being the light and fire of humanity, our inspiration, our drive, our passions, that which makes us burn, ignite and shine. While a common symbol for learning, knowledge and education is the lit oil lamp, a symbol that is very Mediterranean, the northern European equivalent would be the torch. You could also extend it to the forge as well, as that is the fire that is harnessed and controlled to create and make things for use by humanity, from basic metal tools to weapons. But that flame is also metaphorical, the flame of passion, the fires of creativity, that spark of an inspiration that sets people on the path to making, making anything from prose to computers.

As I’m writing this, I’m alternating with videos on YouTube, and it occurred to me that these things, music videos, lectures, comedic gags, are that spark of Cenaz at work. Someone had that idea of creating something that would be filmed and made into a video, to express something, or share information that is important to them, or even just to create a laugh, a moment of joyous catharsis. The flame of Cenaz is shining there, revealing something from the creator, but also revealing something to the audience.

My own experience of the spirit of Cenaz was that he was a slim figure, with bright red hair and pale skin, with features like fantasy elves. He was elegant, but crafty and clever and quick with words.

A ritual for Cenaz

what you’ll need
-a red candle
-a candle holder
-any kind of oil that is scented with cinnamon
-a small slip of paper
-red pen

take the slip of paper, and with the red pen, draw the Cenaz rune on it. Then take the red candle, and with a metal implement (pin, needle, nail) carve a Cenaz rune also into it. Anoint the candle with the chosen oil. Some options could be Fast Luck, or Abramelin oil, or a personally made oil that uses cinnamon. Place the candle in the holder, and set the holder on top of the paper. Light the candle, and as it burns chant to your self the name of the rune Cenaz (the C is a hard “k” sound) 9 times. Imagine the flame of the candle beaming it’s light into your eyes and our third eye, and that light sparks a flame inside you. That flame reveals things inside you, revealing your passions, revealing ideas and thoughts for things to do and make, revealing artistic pursuits of all kinds, to forgotten knowledge, events or memories that could be of a benefit to you know. Do this for about 15 minutes. Then snuff the candle with your fingers or a candle snuffer. Repeat this for 7 days in 15 minute increments, until the last day when you should let the candle burn out completely, although before you do so, take the paper form underneath, and burn it in the flame, putting into a fire safe container to burn until it is consumed. Dispose of the ashes by the entrance to your home or building of residence.

A is for Aegishjalmur

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I’m sure most people who are interested in this sorts of things will be somewhat passingly familiar with the aegishjalmur, and it’s also most common appearance.  However, there are quite a few variations on that form, and they were used for a good number of things from looking at various spells and entries in Icelandic magic of the middle ages.

This particular version, shown above, is one of my favorites.  The name  of these is aegishjalm arnirniu (I’m sorry, I don’t quite know how to put accent marks in there, so I apologize for their absence) which is translated as the Nine Helms of Aegir.  The text associated with them says “These are the nine helms of Aegir that everyone who deals with knowledge cannot do without. Each of them should be used.”

 

Following these directions, I put them all down on a piece of paper, in red ink, and proceeded to use that as petition paper that would I burn candles on (thus the waxy circle on the paper, yes this is a photo graph of the actual talisman).   As there is no further directions given, I just laid them all out as I felt was aesthetically pleasing, and using oils and incense with them as it relates to wisdom, knowledge, and mind empowerment.

 

Here is a spell.

 

What you’ll need

-a purple candle

-a wisdom oil (King Solomon’s Wisdom, or just Wisdom etc…)

-incense (wisdom incense if you can, but just frankincense or copal will do in a pinch.  You can could also burn sage leaves)

-a candle holder

-piece of paper

A piece of solomon seal root

-red pen

 

Take the piece of paper (something about 2×4 inches will be fine) and using the red paper, write the 9 helms of aegir on the paper. Put it however you want, but there should probably be a helm in each corner and a helm on each side with one helm in the middle.

 

Using the Wisdom oil and your finger, dab a small amount of oil on to each helm.

 

Take the solomon seal root, and fix it with the Wisdom oil.
Take the purple candle, and anoint it with Wisdom oil.  Do this however you prefer anoint candles. Set the candle in the holder, and place the holder on top of the piece of paper. ( I find a good brass holder is good for this purpose.) If you can, place the Solomon seal root under the candle holder, on top of the paper, or place it next to the base of the holder.

 

Light some charcoal, and put it into your censer, brazier or whatever you burn charcoal in.  Put a good pinch of incense on the charcoal and let it smoke.  Light the candle wick and let it burn.

 

As the candle burns, you should pray.  You might recite mantras for wisdom, recitations from Psalms or Proverbs.  You can also pray silently, and allow the Wisdom of God or the Gods, or the ancestors to come to you and fill you.  You could also meditate.

 

You can do this spell in one day, by letting the candle burn down. You could also repeat it for 7 days, burning the candle in 15 minute increments, snuffing it each day with your fingers or a candle snuffer, until the 7th day, where you should let it finish burning.

 

Take the solomon seal root, and put it into a flannel bag of either white, purple or red, along with the paper with the nine helms on it.  Carry it with you, or place it under your pillow as you sleep, keep it on a secure place on your altar or wherever you keep your altar.  Whenever you are doing your daily practice of prayer, you should take it, and wear the bag, or sit with it while you do your daily prayers or meditation.

Cup of Runes

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One of my favorite tricks is to place runes on a drinking cup, disposable or reusable, as way to incorporate helpful magic into a daily action. I actually came up with this trick during my college years, as a way to help with study, research, and paper writing. It is a great way to turn any liquid into the mead of inspiration.

Items you will need:

A cup or mug (in college mine was solid insulated large plastic mug, with a snap on lid)
A red marker or sharpie

Optional
paper
clear adhesive tape
red enamel or paint
paint brush
home made stencil

I highly recommend that you choose the runes you wish to place on the mug. You can choose based upon meaning or symbolism, or by asking the runes for their suggestions. If you can write directly on the cup, just take the marker and write directly on the cup. If you decide to repeat the rune combination, traditional numbers of 3, 8, or 9 are recommended, but you can use any number combination you want. You can also write out each rune separately, or create a bind rune incorporating all of runes, which also be placed singly or in repetition across the mug.

If the mug you choose is not one you can write directly on (finished ceramic, glass, horn, finished wood etc…) you do have options on how to get the runes on there. You could place the runes on a piece of paper, which you affix to the bottom of the cup (at least, that is where I would put it) using clear tape, which you could use to cover the paper completely, thus sealing pretty well to the mug. You could also paint the runes on, using a paint that would be difficult to remove from the item, like long lasting enamel, or creating a stencil of the runes; you could even spray paint them on, very carefully if you wanted.

You may notice that I indicate red as the color to use. This is a historical shade (in the ancient past it would have been blood or red ochre). You can use other shades, but from my experience, using red produces the best results.

As far as suggestions for what runes to use, there are a lot of possibilities. From a certain perspective, you could use the ALU formula, often considered to be alerunes or olruna. Ale-runes are often considered to be runes of spiritual power and protection, and potentially also for inspiration. This is a formula that appears often in runic inscriptions and is often considered to be magical. If you consider the runes of the formula A – Aesc L – Laguz and U – Uruz, it is a formula with great potential, as well as the word together ALU, suggesting ale (a type of alcohol, comparable to beer or mead) it also ties to the mead of inspiration. I also think you could use a variant OLU (Oss, Laguz, and Uruz) for similar purpose.