Cleanse and Refresh with Water

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Water has a wonderful spiritual power all it’s own. While it often plays a backdrop to many spiritual practices itself, water can be used directly in it’s own way.

One of the main qualities of water that is recognized is that it is cooling. As many people take the opportunity to enjoy a pool or the beach on a hot day, or just seek out cool water to drink when feeling hot from exertion, so that same quality can be used in spiritual work.

A simple way to use the cooling power of water is to fill a glass or bowl with clean water. Tap water is sufficient, but you might find that bottled spring water or water collected from a natural source, like a nearby lake, river, ocean is more effective. Pray over the water to fill it and emphasize the use. Some examples from Psalms that might be effective might be Psalm 65:9 “You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it, The river of God is full of Water.” or Psalm 72:6 “He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, Like showers that water the earth.” or Psalm 104:13 “He waters the hills from his upper chambers. The earth is satisfied with the fruit of his works.” After praying, take the water starting in the back of your home, sprinkle it around you. If you have a device to sprinkle with, use that, but just using your fingers after dipping them in the water is sufficient. Sprinkle the water until you have sprinkled every room of your home. This helps to cool and refresh the home, a simple way to cleanse and bless it, and an excellent addition to any house cleansing, especially after an intense or hot situation, like an argument.

This water can also be used to cool and refresh yourself, just pouring the cool water over yourself, or sprinkling it on yourself. The sprinkle some before you, behind you, and to your right and left, essentially cooling and refreshing in a five-spot around you to cool the paths you might walk or go.

You might be familiar with the folk magic of setting a glass of water near you as you sleep. No, it’s not for drinking, but has often been used as a way to bring restful sleep, as it keeps away nightmares and spiritual forces that might be troubling you, at least on a basic level. I find that adding a pinch of salt, and praying over it seems to give better results if you find that you are prone to nightmares or very sensitive to spiritual forces. When you wake up in the morning, it should be disposed of, either by throwing out the front door of your home (or apartment building) or flushing it down the toilet.

This same glass of water can also be set in a room for a day, as it will also produce a calming influence to spiritual forces and disturbances. One method of making this stronger is to add some camphor to that glass, a crystalline substance often sold in cubes, which has been used for cleansing and purification as well. Camphor also has a cool sharp scent and works well with water for this purpose.

Praying over water before you drink it, is also a very gentle way to help do a regular personal cleansing. Water is used to help the body remove waste that is made from regular functions, so spiritual empowered water can help to remove spiritual debris from within, which can be very useful following a period of intense spiritual work, or as part of spiritual cleansing regime.

A Sugar jar to bring sweetness to a new marriage.

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Recently, One of the members of my immediate family was married for the first time. She was having a very difficult time, as being newlyweds can be romantic and wonderful, it can also have its difficulties, as you are becoming familiar with a person in a new way. It was also be difficult on her husband, as he is a new immigrant, and was still processing the cultural shock of living in the US, and being far away from his friends and family for the first time in his life. Because of these and other factors, they were experiencing a difficult first couple of months.

To help them with this, I put together the following sugar jar, to bring sweetness and affection to their marriage and new lifestyle.

Here are the things you will need

a half pint mason jar and lid
granulated sugar (or other sweetener, I just prefer sugar)
a small piece of paper approximately 4 x 2 inches
a red pen
a bible or “Secrets of the Psalms”

The first thing you will do is make the petition paper. On the piece of paper, lightly draw a circle in the center of the paper with a pencil. In the center of the circle, right the name of one member of the married couple. Turn the paper 90 degrees to the right, and right the name of the other partner crossing over the first partner. The end result should look something like this:

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Take the paper and fold it in half towards you three times, turning it clockwise as you do so.

Then take the paper and put it at the bottom of the mason jar. Fill the mason jar with sugar to the brim. Take your finger and wet it gently and say “As this sugar is sweet to me, so let there be sweetness between (x) and (y).” Stick the finger into the sugar, take it out, and lick the sugar that sticks off. Then seal the jar with the lid, screwing it into place tightly.

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While holding the mason jar, pray aloud Psalm 139 and Psalm 140, with sincerity and fervency. Psalm 139 is said to preserve and increase love among married couples, while psalm 140 is said to remove enmity between a married couple.

If you keep a Love Altar, you can keep the jar there, with a quick prayer of praise and thankfulness to the powers of Love, or you can place the jar in a location where the married couple will pass by it on a regular basis, or (if you can) have the jar hidden in their home. Hiding the jar in the pot of a house plant as a gift is an excellent idea.

A Simple Uncrossing Bath

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When I am feeling down on my luck, and the world has seemed to turn against me, one of my favorite things to rectify the situation is to perform a cleansing bath for myself. This simple bath is one I use for myself, and sometimes I just use it because I find that it is highly relaxing, refreshing and recharging.

For the cleansing bath you will need these things:

1 cup of Salt (table salt, sea salt, kosher salt, rock salt, pink Himalayan salt, celtic sea salt whatever)
1 cup of Epsom salts (easily found at the local drugstore)
1 Laundry Blueing (Either liquid, or in a form of a square or ball)
A bowl (large enough to hold 2 cups of salt)

Take the ingredients, and mix them all together in a bowl. If you are using liquid blueing, you will only need a single use (about a table spoon), and if you using a square or ball, just press it down into the salt combination at the end.

In a clean tub, draw up a bath, like you would any other time. If you desire, you can pray over the water as it fills the tub. Once the bath is drawn, pour in the mixture of salts and laundry blueing, and mix it around to help the salt dissolve. Put the bowl next to the tub and get inside. Using the bowl, or your hands, scoop up some of the water and pour down over your head, and continue doing this, pouring the water down, over your body. If you are sitting in the tub, rub your legs with your hands in the water, starting at your thighs and moving down towards your feet. As your bathe, pray that harmful influences are removed, and that good things come into your life. I often find that using Psalms is helpful in this regard. The idea is that you are washing and cleaning away all the uwanted and harmful influences that maybe present. You can stay in the tub for as long as you want, letting the blue salty water neutralize the influences. When you are finished, take the bowl and scoop up some of the water, and set it aside. Stop out and let the tub drain. Allow yourself to air dry, put on some clean fresh clothes, and take the bowl of water, and throw towards a tree outside, towards the rising sun.

I find this bath effective for a few reasons. Salt is well known as a all around beneficial mineral, and is used often in cleansing and purification, as it neutralizes and blocks harmful and unwanted influences. Blue is a spiritual color, long associated with protection, benevolent influences, Laundry blueing was the method of keeping white clothing white before the mass production of bleach, and as white is the benevolent and spiritual color, the laundry blueing also helps to fill you with benevolence and spiritual power.

Beginnings

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This is a new blog, after the group blog I belonged was deleted. It’s time to begin a new, and maybe fly solo.

I go by the name Brother Christopher. I’m a practitioner of magic, and a fan of folk lore. I’m all about helping people when I can and making the knowledge that I have available, especially as it helps me understand and grow more. Welcome to Runeworker.

Grieving for a great friend, man and spiritual brother

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Today the my world lost a little bit of light.  My friend Eddy Gutierrez passed away suddenly and unexpectedly.  He was a spiritual brother of mine, as well as being a spiritual seeker, who walked his own path, as well as worked tirelessly to create a new one, and to be spiritual worker for others.

Me on the left, a friend in the middle and Eddy on the right.

For Eddy, May eternal light shine upon you and bring you peace

Bune

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Recently, I did a conjuration of Bune, using the method laid out in Strategic Sorcery by Jason Miller. As part of a deal made in that conjuration, I am broadcasting the name of the Bune far and wide, and just how awesome he was. He fulfilled my desires with no problems, and brought me the finances I requested. If you are looking to conjure a spirit and need help with monetary issues, you should go and conjure up Bune.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bune

Up and Down

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This week I finished a lengthy process of ascending and descending the ladder of lights, which is the say the planets. It was a lengthy process mainly because of the structure that I used to approach this work of following the Chaldean order of the planets starting with the Moon and working my way up until I reach Saturn, which is a two week process of skipping days, and then following the order back down, with Saturn at the beginning until I reached the moon again, which was a six week process. However, I found the whole experience to be worth while, as I was more able to see the work of the planetary spirits and energies of a specific type manifest in my life and shape the blessings. I also feel that for a moment I touched at the gates of the 8thsphere, the sphere beyond Saturn, the starry realm.

The main spirits that I called up for this extended working were the 7 Olympic spirits named in the Arbatel of Magic. I have always found these spirits interesting, and their method of summoning and communion very accessible, as it requires only some spiritual authority and a prayer. As I climbed the ladder I asked for blessings and initiations into their respective planetary realms to better connect with the forces and to grow in understanding them. It also felt like the right thing to do, as each step was followed by another step up, seemingly passing through gates leading higher and higher. The passage down was slower, and more about gaining specific directions and guidance from the spirits about my life, about things I can do and how I can help manifest each influence more concretely into my life. A process of enlightenment and empowerment.

The method used in ascending was starting at the hour of the day, usually in the morning, a simple tea light was dressed with planetary oil and some planetary incense was burned. A recitation of the relevant Orphic hymn, followed by the prayer to call upon the related Olympic spirit, whose seal was already present with the candle. A moment of communion and the request for blessing and initiation, followed by resting in the experience, and then thanking the spirit for their aid and asking for their continued favor as they depart.

The method on the descent was a little more involved. This also took place on the day and hour, often in the morning. Along with the tea light, a large candle in a related planetary color and fixed with planetary oil, and planetary incense. This was followed with the Orphic hymn, and other various prayers and evocations to the planets from a mix of sources. Then the conjuration of the Olympic spirit and a period of communion with them, asking for guidance and instruction. Some gave instruction for further personal work, others made suggestions about current event in life and how best to navigate them, others offered enlightenment and inspiration about life in general.

In some ways the blessings gained from this work continue to manifest in small ways. From simple things like feeling aligned with the rhythm of creation on a daily basis, to coming across further knowledge that points me in directions to continue to deepen and expand my spiritual practice.

If you have never climbed the ladder of lights, I highly recommend it, no matter what your tradition or practice comes from. I think it can only ultimately bring blessings on good fortune to you life.

Why East isn’t Air

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or why not to confuse the finger pointing at the moon with the moon

Recently I had read some posts discussing that age old topic of elemental associations and directions. For perhaps some unfamiliar readers, the elements that I am talking about are the classic elements of Earth, Water, Air and Fire (and occasionally Aether). The directions I am referring to are the basic directions we are all familiar with IE: North, South, East and West.

A good many readers are probably familiar with some practice that makes a correspondence between the two, with a great number of variations based upon traditions that one practices within the sphere of Western Esoterica. A common one, used by many Wiccans is the following:

East – Air, South – Fire, West – Water, North – Earth

It is a handy way to work and to have the symbols drawn up so that when you face a certain direction, and you can invoke that element. The thing that I see people getting stuck on is the pushing of the rightness and absoluteness of one set of correspondences over another. What my own practice has lead me to is this. East isn’t Air. South isn’t Fire. West Isn’t Water. North Isn’t Earth. East is just East. It is the direction the sun rises. Depending upon where you live, it might be towards the ocean. If you are very euro-centric you might consider it the exotic East, where cultures and values very different from the Europe are to be found. But it isn’t Air. It’s only a symbol. A useful symbol perhaps, but still just a symbol. You can just as easily call up Earth from the East as you could any other element. You could turn west and evoke fire. You could in fact not have to face and specific direction and call up the elements, either as an energy, or an intelligence, or as primal and archetypal force that symbolizes something specific to you. The exacting debate over directions, elements and other correspondences of place and time, well, they are all just symbols. And while symbols can be useful building blocks help construct a practice, they can also become the bricks of the wall that hold you back and keep you from moving forward.

Rather then turning South and experiencing Fire, why not turn South and experience South. Whatever experience the spirits and powers of the South want to give, what message, guidance, or awakening they can bestow, without being locked into a specific element or other value.
While the needs of tradition continues, and if you are within the tradition, you should continue with the symbol set given, especially if you are conveying that tradition to others, for your own practice, you might try moving outside of the limitations of tradition.