Planetary Spells & Rituals

by Raven Digitalis

  Facing the Sun, raise your arms fully and declare:

  As the Sun swings from day to night and back to day again, so does the pendulum of my life and censor of my soul swing to rebirth. I currently stand in the liminal—the place in between this and that.

  For the next hour or so, perform a walking meditation (see page 142 for an example of this). Fully observe and absorb your environment and slow your senses so you enter a sacred and reflective state of mind. In your own way, communicate with the spirits of the area and leave them offerings as you see fit. Merge with the land.

  During the course of the next few hours (assumably leading to dusk), spend a lot of time with your sketchbook. Sketch a number of pictures that represent various points in your life. For example, you may wish to sketch a picture of you as a baby, in grade school, in high school, working at various jobs, raising children or getting married, practicing rituals, and so on and so forth. I recommend sketching at least 13 pictures. (Don’t worry; no one but you and the spirits will see your doodles!) These sketches should all represent significant phases in your life’s experience leading up to the present. Try to encompass as many experiences as you can.

  When the Sun begins its descent, kindle the fire. Use the sketches you’ve drawn by placing them under the kindling sticks and logs, igniting them to start the fire. Try to gather some fallen branches from the immediate area (if that is allowed in your camping area—be sure to check first!) to add to the fire pit. When the fire gets going, say:

  Entering this terrain, I hold the Sacred Flame! These experiences of my past are transformed by this fire at the down-going of the sun. I offer my past to the mightiest of spirits, petitioning the [Lord/Lady] of Karma to usher me into the next phase of life. Great [Father/Mother] of Time and Transition, I am being transported to your terrain. I welcome your comforting embrace. As the Moon wanes to sliver in due course and the sun wanes to winter as it does, so too do I enter the perceptive and peaceful world of the Aged, Golden, and Wise. Take me in! Let me know and live the Wisdom of the Ages!

  As the fire roars, intermittedly throw the herbal blend to the flame. Use your drum, rattle, shaker, or other instruments to help summon the change. Channel the energy into the fire of transformation, simultaneously heightening your consciousness. Take time to commune with the Aged God and Goddess, as well as those spirits and ancestors that you’ve come to know as guides in your life. Perform work on your energy body. Meditate deeply. Astral project. Divine. Do all sorts of spiritual work, and allow yourself to become spontaneously inspired. After these and any other activities you wish to perform, properly extinguish the fire and go to sleep for the night. As you drift into sleep, repeat “Sage” or “Crone” over and over again until you are asleep. As you get closer to sleeping, simply repeat the term in your head rather than speaking it aloud.

  The moment you wake up the next day, emerge from the tent with a feeling of renewal. Go straight to the Sun, raise your arms, and declare:

  From this day on, I am aligned to my utmost divine nature. This Rite of Passage marks me as a guide; a holder of experience; a Seer. Behold my ascent! Behold my descent! To the timeless [God/dess] of Wisdom I forever dedicate my soul. I hereby enter the world beyond words and invoke the Wisdom of the Ages. Experience has left its mark on this body. These marks, these wrinkles, these thin and gray hairs, are all sacred marks of my Wisdom: a mark of my Beauty and Strength!

  I am [God/dess]. I am [God/dess]. I am [God/dess].

  I am golden. I am purified. I am [Sage/Crone]. Blessed be!

  All magick finds its roots in shamanic and indigenous spirituality from one part of the globe or another. A common thread of virtually all indigenous religious practice is the honoring of ancestors. Those who have crossed the veil before us hold a special place in society. No longer with us on the operative plane, their spiritual existence can be interpreted in many ways.

  Neopaganism honors the ancestors most prominently around Halloween. Still, they can be contacted and connected to at any time. Views of the afterlife vary from culture to culture and person to person. In reality, no one on Earth can possibly know what happens to individual consciousness once life ceases. We have to rely on our own conclusions and experiences to determine our beliefs in the beyond.

  Ancestors should always be called forth with a purpose. In the case of this working, the purpose is up to the practitioner. Many people feel that deceased relatives and beloved friends (or animals) become spirit guides for them once they’ve left the physical plane. If this is your case, you may wish to call upon those guides in order to receive messages and advice. For those who have recently lost someone, it can be beneficial to call upon their spirits to make peace, leave offerings, say your final words, update them on your goings-on, and so forth.

  Keep in mind that, though every culture has a different view, it’s likely that earthbound spirits of the deceased retain “ego/self-identity” qualities that were present in their human form. In other words, death does not necessarily imply increased knowledge or spiritual insight. It’s also good to keep in mind that long-dead ancestors may appear differently than the recently dead. If you follow a belief in reincarnation (or a similar theory), the souls of the long-dead are most likely reincarnated. If they appear to you clearly, is this an act of magickally reaching through time? Or is it a mental projection? Are they “ghosts” (earthbound disincarnates)? It’s good to think through some of death’s most curious questions when considering an ancestral summoning.

  Stepping Back & Further Application

  Okay, I admit it: many years ago when I had a television, the show Charmed was a guilty pleasure of mine—particularly the first season. In one of the episodes, the family performed a “Wiccaning.” During this, the ancestral line of familial Witches was summoned to observe the child-blessing. Though the show is far-fetched and silly, some of the information and spells in the program are based on true magick. If you wish to summon your own line of ancestors for a particularly significant purpose, go for it. At the same time, such a thing would take proper planning: look at a family tree, gather information for those ancestral spirits you wish to call (some of the spirits may not be okay with your doing so), and look at old family photo albums.

  For this working, you may wish to only summon one or two ancestors, or you may summon individuals whom you feel are now spiritual guardians of yours. Do as you will, but be mindful of the spirits you’re working with. Plan your intention carefully, and remember to treat them as you knew them (if you knew them) rather than as gods. Don’t supplicate yourself before them, don’t command them to do your bidding . . . just exercise respect and humility.

  Supplies

  • 1 black candle and 1 white candle

  • an image or representation of the being(s) being summoned

  • Mixture 1: a combination of the herbs henbane, periwinkle, poppy, rowan (mountain ash), thyme, tobacco, wormwood, and yew

  • a round incense-burning charcoal disk and sand in a dish or censor

  • Mixture 2: a combination of the (dried) herbs basil, myrrh, sandalwood, and willow

  • a piece of paper with symbol 18 drawn on it

  • a loud bell or chime

  • offerings for the summoned (see Notes)

  • pen and paper (and spirit-recording devices if ghost-hunting is one of your specialties)

  Notes

  • The herbs henbane and yew are optional in this working because of their toxic qualities. As always, don’t ingest, inhale, or touch with bare hands.

  • Think about the most ideal offerings you can leave for the spirit(s) being summoned. Is there a favorite food they preferred when incarnated? Can you bake some bread or prepare something special? If nothing else, apples are a traditional offering to the dead.

  • It’s best to begin this ritual either at the moment of sunset, at midnight, at 3 am,
or at a nighttime hour of Saturn (see page 16).

  Procedure

  Begin by casting a circle, calling the quarters, chanting, or raising energy as you normally would, performing protective exercises, and altering your consciousness. Clear your mind, bring focus to your breath, and meditate for at least a few minutes. When ready, begin the spell.

  Light both candles and place them on the altar. Between them, situate the images or representations of the being(s) being summoned. Sprinkle Mixture 1 around the candles and around the images of the dead. Ignite the incense charcoal and, when glowing, place Mixture 2 on top. Remember to add more incense to the charcoal throughout the ritual. If you have any spirit-recording devices, turn them on now.

  Stand facing the west. Place the paper with the symbol either on the floor in the west or on the western quadrant of your altar. Raise your arms and say:

  Hail Guardians of the watchtowers of the west. Holy Zepherus, Western Wind, rush upon this space. Mighty setting sun—he who guides lost souls—lend your power to this rite. Spirits of water, spirits of change, spirits of the dead, hear my calls! I seek to commune with those who have gone before me. As I, too, will eventually take the hand of death, I seek to converse with inhabitants of the world beyond while I am still in the flesh. Almighty Bringer of Death, I ask that you grant me permission to consult [one/two/some] of those you’ve already ushered forth. Hail! Hail! Hail!

  Ring the bell 9 times. Sit on the floor, close your eyes, and bow to the west. Absorb the energies around you and sense yourself in your body, your physical frame. Sense the western spirits and the soft, peaceful energy of death. Expand your senses, slow your breathing, and become entirely present in the moment.

  When ready, sit before your altar and look at the images or representations of those being called. At this point, say whatever you’d like to communicate with the deceased. Spend a good amount of time stating your intention, speaking directly to the dead, just as you would as if they were still incarnate. Say anything you’d like to get off your chest. Tell them anything you think they’d like to know. Ask for their blessings. Tell them they’re loved.

  When you’ve said your piece, begin communicating open-ended questions to them. Tell them that you may have difficulty understanding them, but that you are patient and will try to understand. Record any sensed responses on the paper if you wish. Don’t allow your rational mind to justify the experience: take what you get and trust your first impulse. Trust the energies you feel, and have a conversation based on what you believe is occurring. The results may be crystal clear or utterly incomprehensible. Whatever the results, you are making contact and can perform this ritual again in the future. Open yourself as much as possible, entirely immersing yourself in whatever you can perceive in the communication.

  When you’ve finished your conversation and have recorded what you’d like, thank the spirit(s), leave them the offerings you’ve prepared, and send them on their way. When ready, face the west again. Say:

  Guardians of the Gates of Death. Holy and venerated spirits of the west. Thank you for allowing this most sacred communication between my world and yours. Please aid me in my life’s quest for Truth. Know that I approach you not with fear, but with love. Thank you for your patronage this evening. Be blessed in all you do. Spirits of death, spirits of the west, Guardians of the Gates, hail and farewell.

  Leave any additional offerings at the west and close the circle as you normally would.

  Losing those we love can be an incredibly difficult experience and can stay with us for the rest of our lives. The term psychopomp refers to a deity or spirit who guides the souls of the dead. This archetype appears in virtually all mythological systems and is seen as one of the characteristics of Saturn. Though psychopomp deities work between the planes and are seen as existing beyond the physical, we can draw upon this archetype and use it from our earthly vantage point. This is a ritual of Crossing Over, helping a dying (or recently deceased) person to the next phase of their experience.

  So what happens to the soul when it leaves the body? For Christian societies, the soul is seen as either having gone to Heaven or Hell. Older cultures didn’t usually make such strict divisions of the afterlife (and indeed the Christian version of the afterlife is a variation of more ancient views). Many of the world’s oldest religions see the soul as traveling through a series of liminal realms of existence following death (Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism calls these bardos). Many have very rigid superstitions regarding proper burial, spiritual conversation, and strict ritual observances following death. These views tend to accompany the perception of ghosts, attributing a very influential sense of power to the souls of the deceased. Some cultures visually mark their mourning for many years (by wearing certain clothes, cutting the hair, and so on). Some erect permanent altars and representations of the deceased. Some practice ritual observances to keep the souls of the dead from possessing those in mourning. The observations and ritual practices surrounding death and dying are vast, varied, and endlessly fascinating.

  Whatever your own procedures for honoring the dead, and regardless of your perception of the afterlife, this particular working is focused on those who are in the process of dying (and can be modified for those who have recently passed on—as in the last week or two). No matter what happens after the moment of death, this working is centered on the transition between physical existence and the next stage. The working is appropriate for friends or family members who are passing due to old age or illness, or for pets who are trying to leave their bodies or are approaching euthanasia to end suffering.

  For those who wish to further research death and dying in a Neopagan context, I recommend The Pagan Book of Living & Dying written by Starhawk, M. Macha Nightmare, and the Reclaiming Collective. Additionally, for those who particularly resonate with magickally working with death energy, I recommend Michelle Belanger’s Walking the Twilight Path and Leilah Wendell’s The Necromantic Ritual Book, among others.

  Stepping Back & Further Application

  A ritual for guiding the dying is a serious and heavy topic. A rite like this should only be performed if the person is medically confirmed to be in the process of dying. It can also be modified to use soon after the actual occurrence of death.

  When guiding the dying, it’s absolutely essential to have your emotions in check. Are you and those around you emotionally okay with the person dying—is it accepted by those around them, at least for the most part? Would the dying person be alright with you helping them leave their body? If your intentions are not aligned to that of the ritual, you shouldn’t perform it. If you know that you must perform the rite, do personal ritual work beforehand to both ground and center your energy and to release emotional ties that may restrict the person from leaving their physical frame. The focus of guiding the dying should be entirely on the dying themselves. Unless you were hired by someone to perform the spiritual work—which Witches, Priests, Priestesses, and Pagan clergy/ministry sometimes are—it’s likely that you have emotional ties to the person. These ties shouldn’t be neglected, because they are part of the dying person’s experience. However, your own insecurities and emotional attachments that are not directly connected to the dying person’s perceptions should be expelled prior to helping them leave their body.

  Supplies

  • a fresh pomegranate (or pomegranate juice)

  • a small, vibrant potted plant

  • a cup of steeped thyme and mugwort tea

  • any combination of the herbs benzoin, rose petals, sandalwood, vervain, and wormwood, all placed in a small black drawstring bag on a necklace cord

  • a raven or crow feather

  Notes

  • This working should never be used unless it’s absolutely certain that the person is in the process of dying. If you’re working with the spirit of a recently deceased individual, simply modify the ritual to fit your
purposes (such as using a picture or representation of the person, and so on).

  • Be certain to communicate to the beloved dying in a manner they understand and appreciate. For example, if you are helping a dying person die who follows a Christian belief system, you wouldn’t want to talk about the Great Goddess as they die—it would simply be inappropriate and disrespectful. Alter your words and modify the actions to that which is appeasing and comforting to the dying individual. This, as it is written, is a Neopagan ritual and can be personally modified to fit the individual situation. The psyche of the dying person is of utmost importance.

  Procedure

  Begin by performing protective exercises and altering your consciousness. Clear your mind, bring focus to your breath, and meditate for at least a few minutes. When ready, approach the dying person to begin the working.

  This ritual should be performed slowly. As a person enters the Otherworld, their body processes slow and eventually cease. Be in a peaceful and comforting state of mind. Put on some music that’s pleasing to the dying. Ensure that their beloved friends and family members are present (if they wish). Make them comfortable. Calmly ensure that all the proper people and institutions are notified of the occurrence. Double-check that everything is in place to peacefully aid in the process.

  Place the pomegranate and the plant near the dying. Take sips of the tea. When ready, put the sachet necklace around your neck and begin speaking slowly to the dying. Notice their experience. Ask if they are comfortable. Quiet any distractions in the environment. See if they are perceiving anyone who has died before them (the known departed are often noticed by the dying). Don’t discount their perceptions of the Afterworld as the two planes begin to merge for them; the distinction between worlds blurs as they proceed to the next plane. Encourage them to discuss visions. Pay close attention to the person’s eye movements and words if they are able to use them. Surround them with comfort.