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Talkative and tricksy Salamander



Ave,

I've been working feverishly on refining my personal system (based in and informed by the Golden Dawn, with tentacles wrapped about Hoodoo and Bardonian Magic, which are my roots), and in an effort to do so have taken to conducting some experimental Magic. Nothing that's going to blow any minds, just putting things in practice. I think there is a tendency among some magical writers to write about theoretical magic as if they'd put it into practice because the principals upon which their theory is based are sound. I say this because, more than a few times, my own experiences with magical work have come out somewhat different from what the Writer has written, often in subtle fashion but sometimes in a more pronounced way. I'm planning on being extremely thorough, because I'm writing for two very important reasons. One being that this is going to be the manual of instruction I use for my children, who are mostly quite young...but getting close to teaching age. A little bit here, a little bit there....I can't give the entire lot to a 7 year old, but I can start laying the groundwork. Their mother is already compiling a gorgeous and personal grimoire of her own practices that they can inherit(she is a Witch, and so has her own system of practice that is quite different from mine), so if I'm to have my mark I need to get the lead out, haha. I don't want them to have to stumble through, and make all of the same mistakes I did early on. Better they learn from their old dad's folly. So, accuracy and work that has been done is Key. 

The second reason is that I want to have something to offer the Inner when it is time for my own raising into that College. It is such an honor, so meaningful to be included in that Fraternity of Adepts. I've been invited, but have a few important tasks that need to be completed before I can be initiated, which gives me time to prepare.  I don't want to show up empty-handed. While it may be no huge thing, it'll be a lovingly crafted and complete system, a delightful magical curio. Art. 

 I think it's important for me to do now, as there is absolutely no risk of profanation. Once I enter into the Inner, I imagine the Magical practices I learn will permeate and weave into my personal system. That would mean no writing about details, no specific sharing. This way I can write about the Magical and Alchemical practices I have been blessed with to understand without any danger of profanation. A love-letter written to our community, before I move behind the veil of Hermetic silence. 

I've read that a bit of important magical research is often required of applicants to the Inner. I am no researcher, but I am a Magician. So, I'll give them Magic. Which means I have to do a lot of testing and debugging, to use some dev-speak. 

The rite that I use daily to gather Elemental Power uses a combination of techniques that are mostly, if not completely, portable. I use Bardonian pore-breathing and Mudra (which he calls 'rituals') in combination with Golden-dawn incantation and symbol-visualization to create a "Gate" of sorts to the Element's plane, and then use intent to focus on inhalation of the Element into my sphere or exhalation of the Element into a room or area. The ritual proper uses candles that are dressed with element-appropriate herbs that are filled with that element's virtue, and then charged using Golden-dawn techniques. I've done plenty of the inhalation, of course, because that was the whole point of the rite in the first place. I theorized about using it to impregnate a room, but hadn't actually gotten around to it until today on the train-ride in to work. The results were very interesting.

After creating the Gate (I use the Hebrew letter, tone, and Golden-Dawn color and flashing color as the Gate itself) to the Fiery elemental plane (conducting the incantation part mostly silently....yes, people were giving me the side-ways look) I began to inhale Fire into the Gate and exhale it into the train-car proper. I've done plenty of charging rooms and the like using strictly Bardonian technique in the past, and so wasn't unfamiliar with it. I was, however, unprepared for how quickly this worked and to what intensity. The room was, after about five Breaths, swimming in red and all a-tingle. My solar plexus and heart center where dancing in my chest, and I wondered at the time if I would have similar sensation in the appropriate centers when using the other Elements. I stopped for a moment to watch, feeling and witnessing some change take effect among the other passengers. People speaking a bit louder, a few new conversations struck...the place felt a bit like a coffee shop, instead of a train car. A goodly number of them (3 or 4, out of twenty or so) kept glancing in my direction, although that may have more to do with me being a large fellow mumbling to himself with contorted hands than the charging, haha.

 Kidding. I stopped mumbling well before all the glances.

Then, to my surprise, what I assumed to be a Salamander formed out of the red haze. An entity with a man-ish shape, a red human core consumed in dancing flame. A fellow named "DH****". I am used to having to request that sort of appearance.... I suppose opening a gate to a plane is like throwing a block party, everyone from the neighborhood gets to make an appearance. He wandered about at first a bit manically, flitting here and there in the train car. Then he saw me, and sat across from me to speak. I strove to not look like a nut-job while speaking with the thing (in the mind, of course), but even if you don't talk aloud it's difficult to appear completely together when staring intently at what appears to be empty space. Good thing this was public transportation, and everyone assumed everyone else was crazy anyway.

The entity was beyond excited. A little too excited. It wanted to go about touching people, it was quite strange. We spoke for a moment about the train car, with it asking me if I would leave the "atmosphere" when I got off the train. He made an effort to make that happen, going so far as offering me his service if I would do so. What that service would be was unclear.  It was obvious to me that he wanted to stick around, and that he required the charged environment to do so. 

All around me people are fidgeting about and talking; this car has become full, while the second car remains quite. 

I was still holding the Mudra, which seemed sufficient to keep the environment as it was. The Salamander-like figure (I was not entirely sure at this point, after it showed up without direct invitation and struck up a conversation that it was simply a Salamander) continued to plead for me to leave the environment as it was. It was articulate and subtle. I asked it why it wanted that, and it gave me a complicated answer involving image and word that pointed toward it wanting a foot of influence in the World. That it could project power by gently influencing the people it touched on the train-car. A little push here, a touch there. 

......this wasn't sounding like a great idea. My personal Deity, with whom I have the strongest connection with, made a quick "appearance" (this was more like a mental text-message) to advice against that, with a little smirk on his face. He has a somewhat dry wit. 

I asked the entity if he was a Salamander, and he gave me one of those complicated spirit-answers, that are simultaneously "yes/no/of sorts". He was an entity of the Fire realm, which made him a sort of Salamander, but he wasn't of the simpler ranks of Elementals. I thanked him for the visit, and then--much to his disappointment--performed the Mudra for dissipation of an elemental force. The red fire-haze cleared away in a couple of breaths. 

It's worthwhile to have reminders that spiritual beings have their own lives and agendas, and aren't monolithic. One Salamander is not necessarily like another.

Took a couple of things away from this experience: one, (yay!) the rite works as expected. Hell, better than expected. 

Two, that not every oddball you find on a train is of the human variety. Fitting that I have my strangest experience with an Elemental entity riding public transportation. 


In LVX,

AIT


Comments

  1. Fascinating!

    I just have human spirits annoy me in public places. ;) And usually, they want to go home with me, and I have to give them a firm "no".

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  2. Hahaha, well, that's a problem I haven't had to deal with, being a dude. That's gotta be a pain in the rear.....a little creepage goes a long way.

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  3. How interesting. I find myself wondering if people would have started to get antsy or aggressive if you'd let the force linger longer.

    You've mentioned before that the main thrust of your writing efforts are on your children's behalf (bravo, by the way; I'd have loved to grow up with that sort of guidance), but I have to ask if you're planning on releasing any of your work to the public? There are plenty of us who would be wildly interested in it =)

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  4. @ Fra Pallus Renatus

    I'd wondered that myself...I didn't want to push the experiment too far that first time. Tomorrow morning I'll perform the rite earlier in the ride, and we shall see.

    I do plan on publishing the small book once it's finished; I haven't decided whether I'll go through a publisher or simply make the books myself. I have some ideas about binding and illumination I want to put to work....I may just do all the fancy bits in a PDF version, and publish a simple small book without the bells and whistles. Hopefully it comes out well; I'm pretty excited about what I have so far, but want to keep things realistic. One page a day, that sort of thing. I'm thinking I'll be done before spring, but you never know with books... Thanks for the compliment, Frater!

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  5. I suspect I'll enjoy these entries and updates greatly!

    I've often theorized that "manifesting" spirits have a parimutual relationship with the environment they're in, and the way you described the synchronization of the environment with the spirit would indicate that to me. I've never figured out how far the relationship extends, however. I'd hoped blundering about looking for Genius Loci would give me ideas, but all it really did was piss off a third of what I wanted to find. So... What you're writing here is highly interesting to me.

    Thanks, mate! Keep up the good work!

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  6. @ Fra Jack

    Thank you much; some interesting ideas you've brought up! I haven't thought too deeply about how the Elementals related to the physical location in which a work is conducted before this....most of the Magic I've worked has put little importance on the physical place. Now I'm wondering how the Genius Loci and their character affect the magic that is done in a place. Feels like taking a more geomantic perspective--an art that is sorely underappreciated these days, I think.

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  7. @AIT: I happen to think that location matters to a degree. Consider for a moment: as you were performing your mundras, you were also in an environment that was based on "movement" (while you're stationary, the train itself is movement) - likewise, the spirit manifested with a room buzzing with discussions (another type of dynamism), and wished to remain as-is. (Chances are, it found someone it really jived with, and wanted to get to know them "better" without you interfering...)

    I've also performed a few rituals on a location where I was not welcome, and the affect was enough to make me extremely nervous about any work performed there... But banishing and making sure to clear astral space seems to negate that just fine. I imagine it's possible there are places that would resist such things, though, even if I've never physically found one yet.

    I don't think there's a lot of importance on the physical space, but I think there might be enough to make a difference. Could it be that one of the hurdles to successful evocation to physical manifestation is finding "the right spot"? I have no idea. I have thought about it, though. My typical conclusion thus far, however, is that I'm likely overly complicating things.

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  8. Very cool! Coming from an espiritismo point of view - this fiery spirit could well have been something from your tableau. Which is to say one the many spirits that spiritists have hanging around them interacting with them and their world in very subtle ways. They vary in evolution and motivation, but many are trying to be helpful and can 'get' evolved by interacting with their human.

    You kind of build each other up because being embodied gives you certain experience of time and space and embodied experience that they don't have and you can share that and influence their development positively, and they on the other hand are unconstrained by physics and can manipulate things on a causal level. The author Nickolaj Frisvold (an espiritista) has ascribed elemental natures to these sorts of beings in his writings which i think is an interesting link to what you are talking about here in this tradition of yours. Anyway, just a random thought.

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  9. @ Fra Jack

    Now, I've yet to Work in a place that was actively against me; that must have been a little terrifying, bro. Interestingly, one of your posts about wandering about and dealing with the Genius Loci in your area was what got me hooked onto your blog. Inspiring stuff.

    I'm beginning to think that location might just be very, very important--most of the daily magic I work is elemental, and it's beginning to seem as if the nature of the Element's manifestation in a given area is directly related to the nature of the Elemental entities within that area. I'm theorizing that places of Power that contain exceptionally powerful elementals will give stronger result, and that perhaps the Elementals themselves Are the manifestation of the element in that area, that there is no such thing as entirely undifferentiated, purely elemental without intelligence LVX.

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  10. Care Fra. A.I.T.

    this was most fascinating and also fun to read. I already said before that I love th idea of creating some sort of a manual for your children. What I find most interesting from your blog is that you are somehow unconventional in your way of thinking and working, like including other traditions like Bardonian etc into your daily practice. I know some people who would call oyu a heretic for that haha. Seriously, since you are specific enough, it is clear that once one knows what to do, it can be a huge benefit to include other techniques into the work without creating a whole mess of a bit of thi sand that. It is also encouraging (to continue) working in that way. So thanks for this,

    in L.V.X

    Arcad

    ReplyDelete

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