The Witching Hour

by Silver RavenWolf

  Shades of my old friends and their dance with Sherlock Holmes paraded before my mental eyes. It suddenly dawned on me that this tearing apart and reconstructing of an author’s intent was nothing new; people have been doing it for centuries. The process of overthinking written and spoken material happens every day and is as common as drinking tap water. It also dawned on me that, duh, many people do not research or read like I do. When I read anything, absolutely anything, I bond with the author as a human being—not an authority, not as a guru, not as a saint. A person. A human who loved to write and loved to share with words. Their work is a compilation of their purpose in the universe and the flow of where they are going, what they have experienced, and how they have processed that information. I have also learned that the prevailing opinion on any subject may not be accurate; that is what you hear right now because the mavens are busy at work, but what is the rest of the story? There is always more. Is it fact or fiction?

  History is rarely correct; we learn new things about the past every day. Researching family genealogy taught me that! I know that there is material that writers don’t add into a particular body of work for a variety of reasons, ranging from PR to “I could get sued if I say that” to the word count is too long and there has to be an ending sooner than later. Sometimes you have so much difficulty trying to put an explanation into words so that the thought can be understood by many (it will never be all) that you just pull a section and move on. This process of writing is no different now than it was in the time of Pascal Beverly Randolph (1875) or Franz Bardon (1958). In the times of those writers you could be jailed—and they both were—simply over what you wrote and the experiments you conducted.

  So…all this interesting trivia rumbles about in the back of my mind when I am researching any topic. My point to my rambling is that I have learned to look closely at the bones of any magickal work or occult theory. “See the structure,” I say to myself. “Go to the base. Go to the foundation. Get to the skeleton philosophy or beliefs on which this information is based.” Follow the threads of the flow, backward and sideways, just like researching one’s family history. For example, I am always fascinated by commonalities in mystical teachings that logically shouldn’t be there, but they are. Today, we have the internet and all the wonderful goodies of information gathering. Not so as we glide back through history, yet we see culture after culture working with the same bones of mysticism with similar methods, whether they were in the Amazon or China or Australia or Alaska. In times when dreams and visions were commonplace, the shamanic heritage we all hold (but don’t often acknowledge) unfolded with the desire of personal attunement to help make the world a better place.

  In his book Clairvoyance for Psychic Empowerment, Carl Llewellyn Weschcke wrote the following before his death:

  Shamans see themselves as intermediaries between the human (physical) and spirit worlds. They enter nonphysical dimensions of consciousness to discover solutions to the problems afflicting their physical (human, animal, and plant) community. Other than induced trances and out-of-body experiences, shamans gain information through dreams and visions. Shamans are almost always in contact with spirit guides who enable their entry into the spirit world and guide them in their journeys, during which they may receive accurate information and instruction as to what is needed to heal a diseased person. It should be noted that such healing is not always accomplished using medicines but often by the performance of acts of penance to balance previous harmful actions. Other times the shaman enters the body (the subtle body by means of his own subtle body) to confront the spiritual infirmity or energy imbalance and banish it from the body.18

  When I open my copy of Carl’s book, the inscription reads: “To Silver RavenWolf, a good friend and fellow traveler in this new age of personal growth and transformation, with appreciation and best wishes. Carl, 7-1-2013.” These words always make me smile. That’s what we all are: fellow travelers. Folks who are trying to tune in to that shamanic essence on a daily basis to make life better for ourselves and our families, friends, and humanity. Trying to motor past our own self-deceptions, hoping to bring clarity and correct vision into form. Dedicating ourselves to learn and grow in an uplifting and spiritual way.

  The unmitigated success of that magick mirror I told you about in the first paragraph taught me a critical lesson. You see, it took me two months to put that mirror together. I made mistakes. I chose products that didn’t perform the way I thought they would. I continued to go back and forth with that mirror, having to wait patiently to fix this or get just the right timing for that or fighting the humidity in the drying process...at one point I almost abandoned the project. I worried that because I couldn’t make the mirror exactly the way those before me had done (the ingredients were toxic so I didn’t want to use them) and because I had gone out on a very teetering limb of my own thought process that even though I might have an excellent occult toy, it wouldn’t work, and wouldn’t that just be a darned irritating thing! Yes, I realize there are lots of ways to make magick mirrors; however, I desperately wanted this to work so that I could share the process with my student (it never occurred to me that this story would end up in this book). Yet I stuck to it, and in its construction I empowered that mirror and the sigil inside it to bring truth, vision, and clarity, and to protect the owner at all times. In fact, the mirror turned from being “just a mirror to see” into a vehicle where energy could be sent or obtained in a variety of practical spellwork applications. I also charged the mirror to have its own radar to let me know if someone was sending nasty stuff my way or if I was doing something stupid that would draw ugly energy forms of my own making—all this from two humble pie plates, a collection of herbs, magickal powders, resins, gems, fluid condensers, wax, stubborn glue, and misbehaving black paint.

  Midmorning on July 21 I sealed two pie plates together and finished the empowerment process. I hadn’t done any of the pretties I’d planned for it. The idea was to finally get that mirror together and see if it would work. Not five minutes later I received a text message that there was a person in our community who had purposefully cursed me and a friend earlier in the year and that this individual appeared to have met with a recent unfortunate circumstance. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was the forty-second anniversary of my mother’s death. I don’t know if that has anything to do with it, but I thought I’d mention it as it was actually two mediums who texted me in that time window with the same information—one of those odd notes that you pay attention to now and then. Ya know? There is no such thing as a secret. Ever.

  So my response was What?—as in why the heck did that individual feel they had to target me, let alone my friend—and What? as in an exclamation of the universe giving that person a metaphorically bloody nose. (My actual reply is not fit for print.)

  However, the mirror, made with the formula I am about to give you, absolutely did its job with bringing the information to me, and it wasn’t done! Whenever I needed to know anything important, I would be drawn to the mirror. It got to the point where I only had to talk to it and, sure enough, within a few hours or days I would have my answer. Eventually, I named it “the bat mirror.”

  As Carl said, we are all travelers on the path of spirituality. It doesn’t matter what religion you are or what occult order you are in or what title you hang your tools on. I don’t care. The universe doesn’t care. What counts is what you do, who you help, and what you create. That’s our task, to raise the vibration of love.

  It is my hope that you take the information in this book and run with it as fast and as hard as you can. Allow the shamanic transcendence to be a part of your being, use the work as a platform to create your own unique, loving vibration. Trust your instincts. Be creative! We all will be better for it.

  My magick mirror isn’t fancy at all! It is made out of two glass pie plates that I spray-painted black on the backs nine times. Between each coat of paint I brushed on my divinat
ion liquid fluid condenser formula. Once it was completely dry, I placed a sigil I’d created on a large bay leaf painted with the fluid condenser in the center of one of the plates. Then I glued a piece of copper on top of that. Next, I added crushed crystals and a powdered form of the same herbs listed below along with wormwood, poppy, and morning glory seeds and a pounded-flat silver necklace. Finally, I placed the other pie plate on top of that one and glued them securely together in a nested fashion, gluing only around the rim. Okay, so that didn’t work extremely well because of the glue I chose, so I had to glue it again. Once the glue dried, I affixed black felt to the back of the bottom of the double plate so that the paint wouldn’t scuff off during repeated use.

  My magick mirror would win no prizes in a beauty contest, but it works amazingly well! The magick mirror fluid condenser formula I used was created with the following ingredients:

  dandelion, tobacco, bay, bladderwrack, eyebright, marigold, saffron, thyme, borage, lemongrass, orange, damiana, orris

  The timing for creating the liquid fluid divination condenser was the key to the mirror’s success. I chose the summer solstice, as close to the Sun entering the sign of Cancer as possible and still catching the full moon energy of Sagittarius and Gemini in the planetary hour of Venus (an energy traditionally used for creating magick mirrors). I empowered the formula in the woods under the beams of the moonlight, using a circle of tiger’s-eye gemstones, quartz crystals, my divination formula, tealight candles, and a ritual bell. It was awesome!

  Cornucopia Liquid Fluid Condenser

  attraction magnifier

  This condenser uses only fresh fruits either picked by yourself or purchased at your local fruit stand. I live in the Northeast United States, so the ingredients listed here are those fruits that are easy to obtain in my area. If you reside in another part of the world, feel free to choose fruits that are popular in your own locale. The cornucopia liquid fluid condenser lends itself well to attraction, good fortune, and happiness enchantments, and it is one of my favorites because it vibrates so sweetly. The resulting color is a lovely burgundy. Slice all ingredients and cover with water, then follow the liquid fluid condenser instructions given earlier in this chapter.

  Apples: Venus—healing, love, long life, plant communication, stress relief

  Apricots: Venus—love, sweet character, grace, inner strength, balance

  Blackberries: Venus—protection, prosperity, healing, cleansing, peace in the self, enhance memory

  Blueberries: Venus—cleansing, protection, boost intellect, peace in the home, happiness, strength

  Cherries: Venus—love, intuition, healing, pain relief, sleep aid

  Grapes: Moon—mental ability, fertility, prosperity, healing, cleansing

  Peaches: Venus—long life, fertility, prosperity, wishes, love

  Plums: Venus—protection, love, balance

  This formula contains eight ingredients; seven correspond to Venus, one to the Moon. Where Venus attracts the energy of the formula, the Moon ingredient stores it. This formula is best made during a first quarter moon in the hour of Venus. Venus energy is most happy in the signs of Taurus and Libra. Try to find a day when Venus is happy in her dialogue of the other planets, particularly with Mercury, the Moon, or Jupiter.

  [contents]

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  10. Mageia Sexualis, pages 71–76, first published in French in 1931 by Robert Telin fifty-six years after Randolph’s death. It is highly possible, as asserted in my copy of the book, that Randolph did not write the work on fluid condensers or on volts, that this was the co-author’s handiwork, who produced the material well after his death. In Randolph’s biography, Paschal Beverly Randolph, A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician, written by John Patrick Deveney, the author writes: “The only significant parts that cannot be traced directly to Randolph’s works are the section on animated statues, the astrological references, and the systematization and antiquarian elaboration that were obviously added by de Naglowska” (page 364, appendix C). Long story short: the co-author (de Naglowska) severely tinkered with the original work.

  11. John Patrick Deveney, Paschal Beverly Randolph, A Nineteenth-Century Black American Spiritualist, Rosicrucian, and Sex Magician (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1997).

  12. Bardon, Initiation into Hermitics, 245–250 (first published in German in 1956 under the title of Der Weg Zum Wahren Adepten by publisher Verlag Hermann Bauer).

  13. Leek, Cast Your Own Spell, 139–150.

  14. Ibid., 144.

  15. Adapted from Storms, Anglo-Saxon Magic.

  16. This is from the Rune Mysteries book I wrote with Nigel Jackson.

  17. See http://hrafnar.org/articles/dpaxson/asynjur/holda.

  18. Weschcke, Clairvoyance for Psychic Empowerment, 227.

  chapter five

  Silver’s Magickal Secrets

  This section of the book contains several formulas and magickal techniques to enhance the process and use of your magickal powders and blends. I have included personal thoughts, ideas, and a little history that may be helpful to you.

  Beeswax

  The use of honey and beeswax in human society can be traced back as far as 3,000 BC in ancient Egypt, where it was employed in a variety of religious and medicinal practices. Honey was offered to the gods and applied to wounds, and the wax was used in embalming and candle making. From ancient Roman market stalls selling wax tablet talismans to modern times, beeswax has provided light, aromatic delight, and pharmacological assistance for man and beast. In candle making beeswax burns slowly and is delightfully sweet. With its organic properties (and the right wick), beeswax candles provide a 98 percent smokeless burn. Approximately eight pounds of honey is consumed by the bees to create one pound of wax; one pound of wax yields about six votive-sized candles.Therefore, it takes about 1½ pounds (roughly) of honey to create a single votive.

  To make spell disks, talismans, amulets, Yule ornaments, etc., any type of magickal powder (unless the powder contains a combustible material such as saltpeter) can be added to melted beeswax, and then the wax poured into square, circular, or rectangular soap molds to approximately ¼-inch thick. During the warming process (follow package instructions), stir the warm wax and chant your desire. Remember to sink the matching glyphs of planetary power into the wax. After cooling, the wax disc is removed. If you are having a problem getting the wax to release from the mold, simply pop the mold into the freezer for a few minutes. You can inscribe your charms, spells, and sigils with a heated stylus on the wax disk or carefully use a wood-burning tool. To enhance the indentations you have made, distress the surface using burnt sienna and umber acrylic paints, wiping the wet paint off quickly with a soft towel so the paint primarily adheres to the patterns in the wax. Allow to dry overnight. Small medallions of beeswax can be created in the same manner and used in conjuring bags, sachets, and herb pillows.

  Due to its natural color and strength, beeswax is associated with the sun. As beeswax is made by bees from the nectar of flowers, additional correspondences include Venus (society and partnership) and Saturn (organization and structure). In my opinion, a beeswax candle in magick enhances the overall power of the working, ramping it up because of its all-natural makeup. Beeswax candles can be used for magnetizing a desire or banishing negative energy as they are both drawing and repelling in nature. Medicinally, beeswax is used for lowering cholesterol, relieving pain, and reducing inflammation—therefore, if a situation is “out of control” in your life, you might burn a beeswax candle in a ceremony to assist in relieving emotional pain and stop the problem’s advancement. You might want to fine-tune your working by choosing a Saturn hour (to limit the problem). Conversely, if you wanted to gain (or make sticky) your ability to attract money or good fortune, you would burn a beeswax candle in the hour of th
e Sun on a Sunday for success or in the hour of Jupiter (expansion) on a Thursday. For love, burn a beeswax candle in the hour of Venus (or the Moon) on a Monday or a Friday.

  Beeswax can be colored black by adding soot or activated charcoal after it is melted and before it is poured. These candles are used to banish negativity or send evil to the grave.

  Wax Balls or Jack Balls

  You can use your herbal blends and powders by rolling them in balls of warm beeswax or you can melt the beeswax first to liquid, then stir in the herbal blend or powder, adding other ingredients such as bits of torn paper as you roll the cooling wax in your hands. Once the balls are at room temperature, empower them and add them to sachets, conjuring bags, or throw them in a ritual fire. I don’t recommend burying them or putting them in water as they could kill wildlife.

  Beeswax Sheets for Rolling Your Own Candles

  Natural or colored beeswax sheets can be purchased at a local hobby store or you can buy them in bulk online. Your candles will perform better if you keep the following tips in line:

  Cut the sheets lengthwise in half so that your candle stands about 4 inches tall. This size seems to burn better and longer. You can use the entire 4 x 17-inch length to roll your candle or you can cut the 4 x 17-inch piece into smaller pieces for chime candles: 4 x 2½ inches makes a beautiful chime candle with the same burn time as purchased paraffin chime candles.