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Techniques of Empowerment: The Angel of your Natal Chart

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Another approach to finding personal empowerment can be found in western astrology. In his 3 books of Occult Philsophy, Cornelius Agrippa explains that all peope have a spirit or angel is assigned to them when they are born. By seeking out your personal angel or good spirit of your natal chart, you bring bring about an increase of good luck and fortune, gain advice, and numerous other benefits.

The key to this is spirit is understanding the nature of this spirit, which falls under one of the 7 Classical Planets ie Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter or Saturn. There are many ways to do this. The simplest method is to look at the planet that rules the cusp of the 11th house. The sign on that cusp, and it’s exact degree can be examined to determine the which planet rules that house. In Hellenic astrology, the name of the 11th house was the Agathodaimon or the Good Spirit. Thus why the Lord of the 11th house is an indicator of the nature of the Good Spirit. The sign that rules this house has a ruling planet. The ruling planet is also the planet that your Good Spirit falls under. So if your 11th house ruler is Libra, then Venus is the nature of your Good Spirit. If the ruler was Capricorn, then Saturn is the nature of the good spirit. This is a simple method, but it can be made more precise with a detailed look into the most influential planet at that degree. For example, in Capricorn, at specific degrees of Capricorn, the planetary ruler of that degree might actually be Mars, as Mars is exalted in Capricorn and certain degrees have more Mars influence than Saturn.

Another method is determining the almuten figuris of your natal chart. This is a bit more complex method as it requires identifying several specific points in your natal chart. Even this method also has some variations. The foundational method is to identify the position of your natal Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Point of Fortune, and Syzygy. While the first three may be more familiar to people, the Point of Fortune and the Syzygy is not commonly talked about. The Point of Fortune is a calculated point. It is determined by looking at the distance from the Sun and Moon. This distance is then applied to the Ascendant, and it’s end point is the Point of Fortune. Depending upon if you were born at or night, the calculation will change, with it starting at the Sun in a day chart, and starting with the Moon in a night chart.
The Syzygy is the position of the moon when it was Dark or Full before the time in the chart. Of course, if your moon is Dark, or Full, in your natal chart, then your moon position is also your syzygy. So, if the moon is waxing in your chart, then your syzygy will be the previous dark moon, and if the moon is waning, it will be the previous full moon.
All of these points are examined, and added by which planets have dignities in them. All the dignities are calculated together, Rulership, Exaltation, Triplicity, Term and Face. In some systems, they will also include the planetary Day, and the Hour as well, and also the house the planet occupies in the natal chart, as some houses are considered to be more influential than others. A planet in the first house is much stronger than a planet in the 3rd house for example. The planet with the highest sum is considered the Almuten Figuris, or the Ruling planet of the Natal chart, and this planet thus also indicates the nature of the angel or good spirit of the natal chart.

With this method, sometimes the ruling planet may surprise you. The influence of day, hour and house can take a relatively weak planet and make it a powerhouse over a planet in rulership, but in a weak house, and lacking day and hour. This is not a bad thing however, and it can indicate that your fortune and spiritual advancement lays with the nature of that planet, which might require you to break out self imposed limitations and see things differently.

Once you know that planet, you can then start to reach out to call that spirit more closely into your life. For your consideration I will include simple connections on how you can construct and personalize the ritual, based upon your ruling planet.

For the Moon – You should start on a Monday, in the hour of the Moon. Moonrise, especially during a full moon, and also when the Moon is at the zenith of the sky during a full moon are also good times to commence or perform this ritual. White candles are recommended, but other colors can work as well, like silver, and pale or pastel colors, especially pastel blues, pastel pinks, pastel yellows, and pastel greens. A good incense to use is Jasmine, but camphor is also a good option. You can also make or purchase a complex incense blend for the moon. I also recommend using a planetary oil of the moon. A camphor oil blend can work well, as well as jasmine, or mugwort, and again there are also complex oil blend recipes online, and many shops sell such blends as well.

For the Sun – You should start on a Sunday, in the hour of the Sun. the first hour is at sunrise, but the 2nd Sun hour is often a little bit after Noon, so also choosing High Noon, when the sun is at the sky’s zenith is also a good choice. Candle colors of yellow, orange, gold, or white are recommended. A good incense is frankincense, but I also find that warm amber incenses draw forth solar influence quite well. A Sun incense blend that you make or purchase is also a good option. You can make a Sun oil with bay leaves and olive oil, or using the essential oil of bay laurel in olive oil that works very well. Other solar plants like St John’s wort works well, Sunflower petals, calendula petals, chamomile and angelica root also make a good solar oil.

For Mercury – You should start on a Wednesday, in the hour of Mercury. As Mercury tends to follow the Sun closely, and is difficult to see against his bright light, those are the best times. Sometimes Mercury is acting as the morning or evening star, and you can time this work to those periods as well, if you want to go to that effort. The candle colors I recommend are shades and tints of purple, brown, orange or gold, or rainbow or mixed colors, or sparkling candles ie glitter coated. I like holographic glitter, but any glitter will work. I find mercury works well with cinnamon incense, mastic resin, elemi resin, or storax if you can find them. A mercury oil can also be made from the same resins or from cinnamon EO. Anis, fennel, celery seed essential oils also make a good oil or incense.

For Venus – The day and hour of Venus works well, as does locating Venus as the Morning or Evening Star. Venus also doesn’t get very far from the sun, but when it is far away, it is often taking the position of one of these stars, and it can work well to invoke your Venusian spirit when those stars are visible above the horizon. The colors for Venus that I recommend are rich Green, rich or intense Pink, White, Turquoise, Blue-Green, Peach. I highly recommend a Rose incense and Rose scent in your oil, but Vanilla also works well, and any floral scent that you can enjoy. Orris oil aka Queen Elizabeth root oil is also a good.

For Mars – The day and hour of Mars. If you want to track Mars, he can be apparent at night and you can time him for when he rises above the horizon, or when he reaches the Zenith of the sky as well. The color of Mars is Red. No other color is really recommended. I prefer using the Pine as an incense, but Musk also resonates well with Mars. If you can afford dragon’s blood resin, that is also favored by Mars in my experience. For the oil, An herbal oil can be made with Basil, known to be a mars plant, but if you want something floral Tobacco flower makes a good scent although expensive essential oil. Just macerating hot dried chilis in oil can also make a good Mars oil.

For Jupiter – The day and hour of Jupiter, and also when Jupiter rises, or when Jupiter is at the zenith of the sky. The colors for Jupiter is royal blue, or cerulean blue, white or gold. The incenses I recommend is cedarwood, sandalwood, fir or juniper, or just burn powdered nutmeg on charcoals. A single scent Jupiter oil can be made from any of the incenses as well.

For Saturn – The Day and Hour of Saturn, or when Saturn rises or reaches the zenith of the sky. The colors for Saturn is primarily black, but shades (that is colors that have some black in them) of Green, dark greys, darker earth tones, and also White. For incense I prefer using Myrrh, but I also enjoying using Patchouli for it’s rich dark earth notes, if you want something unusual, Valerian root also makes a good incense, although it smells like feet in enough concentration. A good oil for Saturn can also be made with Patchouli, or Vetiver, of which the root is used to make the essential oil. Valerian root essential oil also makes a good Saturn oil.

As part of any of the rituals, I recommend making an offering of clean water in addition to the incense. Just about any spiritual being enjoys clean water, as a means to refresh itself. A simple blessing over the water is enough, in a clean glass.

You can call out the spirit through prayers, conjurations to the planets, poetry of the planets etc. A popular form is using the Orphic Hymns, which have hymns dedicated to the Graeco Roman Gods associated with the planets. You can also find prayers and invocations to spirits of the planets and then ask them to connect you with your natal spirit. The Olympic spirits, The Archangels of the Planets, The Planetary Intelligences and Spirits, and more. You can also freeform or compose your own prayer or evocation.

In Agrippa he also gives a method to determine the name of this spirit. It can be done using any alphabet, but Agrippa gave examples using Hebrew and Latin. Essentially each degree is assigned a letter, starting with A at the first degree of Aries, and repeating until the last letter at the final degree of Pisces. Then look to the previous planets and points ie Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Point of Fortune, Syzygy. Those points will give you the letter that make up the name of your spirit. This may not have any vowels in it, so you can use your own inspiration to fill in vowel sounds, or just make your best guess. You can also forgo this method, and just reach out the spirit, until it gives you a name to use.

You should repeat this ritual every week, on the same day and hour, until you feel certain you have made contact with your natal spirit. This can take many forms. It may come with a vision, or a dream. It may come as a knowingness, or as a clairaudient experience where you hear a voice speaking to you, and answering your questions and aiding you. It may happen quickly with just one session. For myself it took 9 months, starting on the Winter Solstice and finishing on the Autumnal equinox. Your mileage may vary.

If you want to know your almuten figuris and other information, I can calculate it for you. Book your consultation here.

Techniques of Empowerment

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Visualization
Using Visualization as means of empowering yourself, here are two simple methods to break restrictions and limitations and empower yourself with mastery and authority.

Visualization #1 – To break restrictions and limitation

See yourself bound by ropes and chains. These restraints are expressions of things, internal and external, that are holding you back.
Begin to breath deeply and relax and see this spark of energy building up in your stomach. With each breath it becomes stronger and brighter, until it begins to rise up and flow into your heart. With each breath the spark pulses and grows at your heart, building up pressure, like a pressure cooker. Keep breathing deeply and relaxing, letting that pressure build and build. If you spend 2-5 minutes doing it.
When you feel this pressure reach a peak, let it explode out from your heart area, like an exploding bomb. It shreds the ropes and breaks the chains into pieces. The piece fly away from you, out into an empty void. You are liberated and free.

Visualization #2 – To empower with sovereignty and authority and protection

this energy that just exploded out of you now also flows through your body. It fills every fiber of your being, flowing down to your toes, and up to the crown of your head, and flowing into your arms all the way into your fingertips, and circulating back before it is pumped out again, like blood through your circulatory system.
However, this energy also starts to flow out from the pores of your skin, and as it does so, it begins to shape itself into clothing around you. This clothing inspires respect, and signifies power and authority.

It could be a three piece business suit in a color that you love. It recalls to mind capable and influential business people who can manage difficult situations and resolve problems with easy. It could be a military uniform of a general or an admiral or captain. You are the top of the hierarchy. The buck stops with you. What you say is a command and people are expected to follow your orders and directives, and be attentive to your every whim and even your presence. Maybe its the robes of a King or Queen, either from history or present day, or from fantasy media, or something you envisioned and drew on a character of your own creation. It looks regal, the indication of sovereignty which commands respect, causes people to recognize your authority, and submit to your commands. Whatever the outfit, it communicates to everyone saying “I’m the boss, I’m in charge, you will respect me”. Around that outfit is a slight shimmer of a golden radiance surrounds you, as though you are touched by the divine, having divine grace or favor.
You are on a dais, raised up slightly from the crowds around you. Almost spotlighting you but it also lifts you up, putting you beyond the reach of low opinions and attitudes. People also just naturally look up to you, seeing you as a leader, a guide, an inspiration.
This energy continues to flow out from you and taking shape around you as a clear wall of force. You can see through it easily, seeing what you want to achieve, the resources you desire, the road ahead that you want to walk. You can clearly see your allies, and good things that can help you. However this wall blocks out evil influences, the gazes of the jealous and envious, the evil eye, hatred of your enemies, and malign influences that restricted and limited you before. Those ropes and chains are blocked by the this wall, unable to make you small and restrain you again. You are strong, capable, powerful, and protected.

If you have problems with visualization as an image, I recommend just writing this down, or reading it out loud when you want to do it.
For the first visualization, if you want to tie in things and make them more physical, you can loosely tie yourself with ropes and chain in order to feel those bindings on your body and breaking yourself free from them.
For the second one, see if you can find a picture of the desired outfit. If you can draw it yourself, great, but you can also write out a detailed description of it to help yourself in connecting with it more strongly. If you can create it or buy it, you might also try that. When you wear it, just practice feeling powerful and awe inspiring in it.
You can also use visualization #1 with uncrossing work. I have found it to be very effective for that. Afterwards when you are blessing yourself or working to bring luck or power, using visualization #2.

E is for Empowerment

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be-your-own-hero-300x280
First some ideas

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empowerment_(Vajrayana)

I like the concept of Empowerment. While it has a more social and political and cultural implications in the west, I also like it’s understanding in the terms that come from Vajrayana. I also found empowerment plays it’s role in modern American neo paganism, both in a social context and in an esoteric way. What I find is that one seems to fuel other, in it’s searching and it’s steps of slowly gaining it.

Of course, esoteric Empowerment has a different name, that is probably much better known, and much shorter. Initiation. Initiation is something that seems to be absent from a lot of contemporary spiritual practice, although it is making a come back. Some people gain it from traditions. P re-exisiting orders, Lineage, passed down from the founder. People seek in it various ways. Other methods of initiation are personal and unique. From the spirits themselves, you can be initiated, by Gods, by Angels, by the Fae, many beings. Some initiations are specific to the spirit giving it. Others might be deep, and require time and many challenges. The major initiation in modern western esoteric orders is the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. Nothing could be more personal, even though the practice of it well documented and worked on by many. I think this practice also shows how Initiation is also an empowerment. It is just access to special club, or the specific rituals, but it is the power, the current of that tradition, those spirits. From the power gained from the initiation, they may be able to move mountains, metaphorically speaking. They have been empowered and so they acted with that power to change things to make them better.

In the USA, Empowerment’s twin streams very much run side by side. In the beginning of alternative spirituality movement it attracted a people of a variety of different groups. This dates back to the late 19th century. While there was plenty of men who were involved in alternative spirituality and occultism, there are also quite a few very famous women. Madame Blavatsky is a key figure that comes to mind. At a time when women had few rights and were very much limited, she worked to create a movement, a movement that continues on to this day, and has influenced much of Western occultism and alternative spirituality. Her books are still published and sold today. She very much demonstrates a power, being empowered through her spiritual aspirations she did more then many other women of her day.

With the second occult flowering in the USA in the 60’s, which brought with it the spread of Wicca, it then also picked up more of the cultural empowerment. Many minorities found the idea of Wicca, witchcraft and alternative spirituality as means to find their own empowerment, to pursue their goals of empowering themselves socially, culturally, and politically. Some minorities have always had their spiritual means of getting one up on the Man. The role of conjure doctors and spiritual workers in African American communities was often not only spiritual, but also physical, as they cared for clients physical needs with their knowledge, helping them when they were sick, not only from being hoodooed but also from colds, illnesses and injuries. The same for Appalachian folk magic, and Pennsylvania pow-wow practitioners. The Mexican curandera or curandero would be consulted for herbal knowledge for sickness just as much spiritual ailments. While not all of them are minorities, in a sense, they are often limited to specific communities, and often derided by outsiders for their “backwards superstitions” by others.

Among the gay civil rights movement, there were quite a few people and groups that embraced alternative spirituality to gain empowerment both spiritually and also to help them in their fight to gain temporal empowerment. One figure was Eddy Buczynski, the founder of quite a few American witchcraft traditions including the Minoan Brotherhood. At a time when gay men were standing up and going out, he created one of the first spiritual traditions for gay men. A magical practitioner and gay man who was also a major activist was Leo Martello, who founded a Witchcraft Anti Defamation League and Alternative Religions Education Network, who was also very active with Gay liberation during the time of Stonewall. Another significant figure was Arthur Scott Evans, writer of “Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture” in which he asserted that the Witch mania of Europe also targeted people who may have been accused of engaging in homosexual acts. All of these people in some way found the empowerment of alternative spirituality and practices, which gave them the force and power to pursue empowerment in the physical world.

As I watch and read the events of the day, and the responses of people, and the responses of the wide neo pagan community in the USA, I feel I notice how spiritual empowerment helps to give fuel to the physical empowerment that people pursue. There is great inequality still existing in the world. Women, people of color, GLBT people and others. Yet I am aware of many of these minorities finding power for themselves, what some might call “power within” to work to make changes, to empower others like them, and work to create a planet where we can all live together, with justice, with liberty, with equality and maybe as a global family.

thetimetobeawesomeisnow

Mirror Box Spell for Protection and Empowerment

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This was a spell I did for client, who was under continuous spiritual attack for being gay.

The things that you will need are:

A box
Four mirrors
Modeling clay
Paint (white and red)
White vigil candle

Protection incense
Protection Oil

Gay Power Oil
Blessings Oil
A personal concern

Granulated Sugar
High John root pieces
Queen Elizabeth root pieces
Solomon seal root pieces
Calamus Root Pieces
Black Sampson root pieces
Safflower
Lavender

The firs step is preparing the box. Any box will do. In the photos given, the box I used was a photo box that can turn around. Paint the box white from top to bottom and the inside. White is a color of protection and spiritual power. Once the box has dried; paint on the outside, on each side of the box a symbol of protection. The symbol pictured is taken from Icelandic magic and is the Sign of Solomon, but any protection symbol will do. The symbol should be painted in red. Using the red paint, paint a symbol of power, strength or mastery on the inside of the box, on each inside wall. For my client, I painted the lower case greek Lambda, a symbol for the Gay Rights. Once the paint has dried, fix the four mirrors over the symbols on the outside of the box, so they are reflecting outward. The mirrors help to strengthen the protection, but reflecting the harmful forces away. With the box I used, I slid the mirrors into the picture frames.

Once that is completed, take the modeling clay, and shape it into a figure that resembles the person being protected. Once the figure is shaped, take a pin and carve into the chest of the figurine the name of the client. Once that is completed, baptize the figurine saying “I name you (client’s name), (Client’s Name) you are to me. At this point, integrate in the personal concern of the client. The concern I had was a piece of paper, with the client’s name written on it seven times, by the client himself. I wrapped the paper around the doll, and then proceeded to oil the doll with the Gay Power oil, stroking the oil towards me, to draw power, heal, and strengthen him. I then placed the figurine in the box. Mixing together the sugar and herbs, I prayed over them, asking for strength, wholeness, power and mastery for the client. Once it was thoroughly mixed, I poured the combination over the figurine, surrounding him with sweetness and power. I then sealed the box.

On the outside, I anointed the corners and top and bottom of the box with protection oil, and smoked the box in protection incense, praying for the client to be protected from harmful influences, and that the mirrors reflect the harm back up on the sources, causing them to see only what they wanted to see. As I did this, I turned the box on its pedestal, so the mirrors reflected all the directions. I then took the white vigil candle; fixed it with protection, gay power, and blessings oil, praying for the client to be protected, and that blessings and power fill the client.