Reversal Candle #3

The third candle for the third phase of the reversal ritual was prepared on April 17th under the Dark Moon, as originally described here at Walking On Fire.

The candle for the third phase of the reversal and protection ritual was prepared during the planetary hour of Jupiter, with the Dark Moon 0% full in Taurus, under the influence of the letter tav. Among the preparatory changes - the candle was dressed with Feminine Clarity from the ruby crystal vessel as opposed to olive oil. תו

The third phase of the reversal and protection ritual will initate later this evening.

Reversal Candle #2

כ"ח באדר תשס"ז

For the second cycle of the 3-month reversal ritual, I have amended Dark Moon preparation of the reversal candle for the second cycle. The candle was not inscribed with verses from Tehilim (Psalms), but with the first and last verse (1 and 28) of Ezekiel 37 instead. The verses for each cycle I am deciding on the day the candle is actually prepared; the decision based upon the inspiration of the particular moment and need.

Ezekiel 37:1 was inscribed in the prescribed manner, with the word atzmaut the only word on line 2.

Ezekiel 37:28 was inscribed in the presribed manner, with the exception that it was inscribed entirely on 1 line.

Song Of The Soul, A Matter Of Providence

I have amended the reversal and protection ritual to include recitation of Tehilim 91, instead of Tehilim 37 as originally planned. It's a matter of Divine Providence (ע) which leads me to do it, as discussed at Walking On Fire, in Shelter Of The Most High.

From Rabbi Pinchas Winston's commentary on parashat Vayeitzei:

According to the Radak (Tehillim, 91:1), Moshe composed this tehillah in honor of the tribe of Yissachar, who were constantly immersed in the joyous song of Torah. What is the joyous song of Torah? It is shirah, the song of the soul, for, just as the angels are constantly singing praises of G-d and His world, so, too, do our souls sing praises of G-d as well, all the time.

Also from his commentary on parashat Mattos:

According to the Talmud (Shavuos 15b), this psalm is called the "Song of the Plagues," because, one who says it and trusts in G-d -- one who takes refuge in the shadow of the A'lmighty -- will be saved in times of danger.

According to the Radak, Moshe Rabbeinu dedicated this tehillah to the Levi'im, who spent their days in the insulated environment of the Temple -- a true "fortress" of G-d. It was composed the day that the Mishkan was completed, and the Divine Glory descended to envelope it, into which Moshe entered to receive communication from G-d.

And his commentary on parashat Devarim:

"Eleven psalms were forgotten after Moshe's death, and these are the eleven Negative Forces of which there are eleven, the underlying basis of the 'eleven days journey.' The Midrash goes on to say that this corresponds to the eleven tribes that Moshe blessed before his death, in order to weaken these forces which are known to the Kabbalists as the underlying concept of the eleven curtains [in the Mishkan], the eleven spices in the Incense-Offering, the eleven verses that begin with the letter 'nun' and end with the letter 'nun' corresponding the eleven Negative Forces which cause forgetfulness ... which is why the eleven psalms were forgotten ..." (Yalkut Reuvaini in the name of Asarah Ma'ameros, Devarim 13)

Tehilim 90 - 100 are attributed to Moshe. Important to note, the shoresh לנן has two letters nun in it, yet it doesn't "begin" with a letter nun. It begins with the letter lamed ל, symbolizing "a heart that understands knowledge" (lev meivin da'at). Thus, the shoresh לנן is the tikun of one of these eleven negative forces.

It is fitting, therefore, that I employ Tehilim 91 instead of Tehilim 37 in my reversal and protection ritual.

Lost Curses & The Wizard's Minion

Paul Huson (Mastering Witchcraft) writes regarding the fate of lost curses and those who cast them:

In matters of occult warfare, passive defense is the most effective type of retaliation.

When a wizard or witch mounts a magical attack, if it happens to misfire or if the victim is in any way adequately protected, as they say in the craft - "an the witch (or wizard) bide the issue!" - the home of lost curses is right back where they came from, the sender his or herself. So, if you can arrange to be ritually well-defended at the time that the dark spell is being cast, the spellbinders will, in fact, be conjuring to their own destruction. Advanced practitioners try to avoid the recoil by enveigling other, less-advanced members of their coven only too glad to try their hand at a bit of cursing (or magic), to do the actual dirty work for them: a well-known expedient in all fields! Regardless of any feelings of compassion for who actually "bides the issue," however, you should proceed with all your means of defense as surely as you would board up your house if it stood in the path of a hurricane.

Storm Raising & Weather Working

כ"ח בשבט תשס"ז

Given the huge midwest blizzard earlier this week (resulting in at least 12 fatalities by the time it moved through the northeast) and the weird hail which fell in Jerusalem this morning, I thought I'd write about the weather, specifically about weather working.

Paul Huson (Mastering Witchcraft) writes regarding storm raising and weather working:

Far back into recorded history, powerful practitioners of the occult have generally been credited with powers of weather working. From Kublai Khan's eastern shamans, to the Druids of the British Isles, they have all possessed one skill in common, the mysterious power of controlling wind, rain, mist and thunderbolt.

Apart from the direct application of witch power, whether inherited as an inborn trait or learned in a coven, the actual methods of accomplishing the feat of weather working are about as varied an assortment as you are ever likely to encounter. To one familiar with the weather working practices over the centuries, at least nine different processes of rain making, for instance, will come to mind.

(Most of the rain-making processes are) categorized as sympathetic magical gestures, processes designed to effect their aim by reason of the magical axiom that if you perform an action symbolically, that which it represents may in fact occur, due to the oneness of the universe, the interaction of the microcosm with the macrocosm. This, of course, is the basic working thesis of witchcraft.

One thing that differentiates a child's game of make-believe from a genuine witch's magical operation, is that vital occult factor of the deep mind's part in the work. Unless that underlying stratum of psychical coexistence here designated as the deep mind is penetrated, the "magic" remains totally within the personal sphere of the operator, at best remaining an exercise of surface autosuggestion; at worst, a fantasy game to be taken to in refuge from a hostile outside world. Only when the "deeps" are contacted, only at that point does any real witchcraft take place.

This principle applies as much to the process of weather working as to any other magical field.

Mr. Huson goes on to discuss weather working and storm raising in the book. I've never attempted to do any weather working or anything similar, but I find it interesting that such a storm occurred here in the midwest this week. We haven't had a significant snow all winter, but the week I plan to initiate my reversal magick, something like this happens - as if the "powers that be" think they can stop me. But, I'm already set to go. I have all my supplies for the entire sequence of rituals and need nothing more to carry it out than to be alive.

Snow or no snow, the ritual is good to go.

Into Mitzrayim, Breaking The Curse

ג' שבט ה'תשס"ז

In my previous posts regarding preparing a reversal candle and performing the reversal and protection ritual, I didn't mention the trial run I performed of this rite saturday evening. I didn't mention it because when I was placing the prepared reversal candle into the holder, the candle broke cleanly in half a few inches up from the base (the original top). The place for the candle in the candle holder was too narrow for the candle to fit into easily.

It was at this point I decided that saturday's rite would be The Trial, and that the ritual proper would be performed over 3 consecutive dark (preparation) and full (implementation) moons. It became clear to me, with the sudden snap of the wax, that I was working with powerful forces. What I was doing was no game. Any lingering doubt suggesting that magick is all foolishness vanished.

Yet, I was not perturbed against seeing the ritualwork through to completion. The unanticipated breaking event did, however, heighten my awareness and infuse greater seriousness into what I was doing. My kavanah is fully alert and engaged toward completing what I have started.

I decided to wait before publically writing of it. To protect its purpose. Now, I feel it is safe to add this account of what transpired during the trial ritual to my public blog BOS/grimoires.

I splinted the wick, which was still intact, and the wax, which still fit together nicely, with silver masking tape. Then I more gently worked the candle into the holder that I had already begun to use, deciding that I would use a larger candle holder for the final 3-part ritual over 3 full moons following the next dark moon. But, for some reason, using this particular narrow candle holder at this particular time was important. Perhaps it is because the holder is a "narrow space" the reversal candle must enter, like mitzrayim - and we are in Shemot [1], the book of the Exodus, in the Torah cycle.

After splinting the candle and saying some unique blessings, I lit the candle. It burned cleanly and evenly. I allowed the candle to burn down to the edge of the tape. At that point, I snuffed it out, allowing it to cool. Sunday evening after working in the nursing home, I removed a portion of the tape down to right above the break, lit it, and allowed the flame to burn past the edge of the tape into the break, where I again snuffed it out and allowed it to cool.

This afternoon, I removed the final portion of tape and lit the candle. It's burning it's last inch or so right beside me on the desktop where my computer is located as I type this entry. The flame is straight and moves little. It's not deviating to any side, dipping or guttering at all. The flame does reshape the outer edges of its form, but that's about it. It's a quiet peaceful flame. Good. This is good.

The curse was completely broken in the supernal realms before I even lit the candle. The rituals I have and will complete will bring it completely down.

Footnote:

[1] Last saturday evening, and the Torah portion for this week is Bo (Shemot 10:1-13:16), which includes light amidst the the plague of darkness and redemption of the firstborn.

Reversal & Protection Ritual

ב' שבט ה'תשס"ז

Reversal & Protection Full Moon Esbat Ritual

1. Take bath or shower. Put on Jewitch pentacle with blessing.



2. Perform ritual bath with blessings.



3. Set up altar.



4. Carefully unwrap prepared reversal candle and place original top into holder.



5. In the center of the altar, on a round mirrored surface (upon which a pentacle has been made with thin strips of black tape or inscribed with an inscribing tool) place a slip of paper upon which has been written: May the curses cast upon me by my enemies return midah kneged midah, measure for measure, back to those who have cast them.



6. Place the reversal candle on top of the piece of paper.



7. Call quarters [1] (athame-N, light black quarter candles; light charcoal for incense-E; water-S; wood-W) and cast circle [1].



8. Perform incense offering ritual.



9. Inscribe marks to distinguish 13 portions of the candle.



10. Light prepared ritual reversal candle.



11. Recite entire 91st Psalm [2].



12. Recite blessing – Beruchah shem kevod malchutah le-olam va’ed. Amen. (ברוך שם כבוד מלכותה לעולם ועד, אמן) So mote it be.



13. Let candle burn out over 13 days, 1 portion per day [3].



14. Save any wax remnants and scatter in a wooded area.

Repeat ritual for 3 consecutive months, each time with the reversal candle prepared on the dark moon and the ritual performed on the full moon surrounding midnight.

Footnote:

[1] calling quarters and circlecasting procedure (basic, may be adapted)

[2] In Hoodoo, the 37th Psalm is recited. Given my intimate connection to Psalm 91, I will recite this Psalm instead.

[3] use candle snuffer or pinch between fingers to extinguish, do not blow out candle

Reversing Curses, Candle Preparation

ב' שבט ה'תשס"ז

Given the dramatic change in nature of my circumstances since my return to Torah over a decade ago and this vision last week of diverting a metaphysical attack, I've decided to create a ritual to reverse curses and to return them back to sender, whomever that may be. While my circle indeed protects me now from being psycho-spiritually struck, the new ritual is more than protection, it is an active defense. I have resisted doing this for years, but clearly, my enemies have chosen to persist. I am left with no alternative. To follow in the next two posts are the candle preparation and the ritual itself which others may individualize and incorporate into their own protection rituals.

Prepare Reversal Candle On Night Of Dark Moon

1. Use 10 inch black Bella Candella candle with white musk scent.



2. Butt candle [1]. Cut off the original top flat end (approximately 1/8 inch of wax).



3. Carve a second flat tip on the bottom end. Save cut wax in sealable container.



4. From original top, inscribe down (in 2 lines) Tehillim 37:1-2 (aleph-א) in Ivrit (Hebrew) preferrably [2] using block script. The word MHRH (מהרה) ends the first line. Do not “shake off” any wax clinging to the candle as you inscribe.



5. From the new created top, inscribe down (in 2 lines) Tehillim 37:39-40 (tav-ת) in Ivrit using block script with the following changes if you are female: tzadikim (צדיקים) to tzedeket (צדייקת) with 2 letters yod, YHVH (יהוה) to YHYH (יהיה). YHYH ends the first line. [3]



6. On the top of the original end, inscribe a 3-headed shin (flames pointing away from the wick, with central point proximal to the wick).



7. On the new created end, inscribe a 4-headed shin (flames pointing away from the wick, with central point proximal to the wick).



8. Dress the candle. Using each finger beginning with the left hand thumb, anoint the entire surface of the candle by rubbing pure virgin olive oil from old top to new top stroking away from yourself, saying – Baruch dayyan ha’emet (ברוך דיין האמת). Repeat using the right hand.



9. Sprinkle oiled candle with trace ashes of incense used for Shabbat.



10. Cover surface of oiled candle with “absorb negativity” incense blend.



11. Pass entire surface of candle through smoke of a lit smudge stick (containing sage).



12. Take hold of candle by wicks at both end, the original end with your right hand and the new created end with your left hand, and hold it horizontally opposite your heart.



13. Recite the following: I hereby dedicate, consecrate, charge and empower you to fulfill that for which you were created.



14. Recite the following: Beruchah shem kevod malchutah le-olam va’ed. Amen. (ברוך שם כבוד מלכותה לעולם ועד, אמן) So mote it be.



15. Kiss the candle.



16. Wrap in clear saran wrap and silver foil. Store within altar chest until the next full moon.



17. Perform reversal and protection ritual on next full moon esbat.

Footnotes:

[1] using boline or small ritual inscribing knife dedicated to the purpose of preparing and inscribing ritual candles

[2] may substitute English or other magickal language if unfamiliar with Hebrew

[3] the taper candle itself represents the conversive vav of the tetragrammaton

Mishkan, Circle Of Protection

Ashnistrike commented regarding my entry Athame & Mezuzah (also posted on my blogs), writing:

I'll just say that as someone who uses both an athame and a mezuzah, I'm interested in the possible connections that can be drawn between them. Do you integrate this connection into any of your practices?

In practice, I only use the athame presently. My mezuzot are stored away in a chest. When I became a ba'alat teshuvah over a decade ago, my professional livelihood was deliberately destroyed. I've stayed with relatives for the past several years. I can't put up a mezuzah.

Of course, I'm sure my enemies are quite pleased with the fact that I can't put up a mezuzah. Nevertheless, I don't need it. It's like all the other rituals tools - the only real tool a witch needs is herself. I truly know this now.

A few days ago I had a vision of a metaphysical fist being flung toward me, and of it being deflected by an invisible shield around me. I was only able to "see" the shielding force by the "reverberations" in spacetime and shapeshifting coming off the dark light (which the shield was made of) as the striking fist impacted against the field which surrounded me. I never take my circle down. It goes with me wherever I go.

And every shabbat and with every ritual, I reinforce it.