Protection Spell

From the Greek Magical Papyrus- 2nd Century BC

“Taking Sulfur and Seed of Nile Rushes, burn as Incense to the Moon and say, “I call on You, Lady Isis, whom Agathos Daimon permitted to rule in the entire Black Land [i.e., Egypt]. Your name is LOU LOULOU BATHARTHAR THARE’SIBATH ATHERNEKLE’SICH ATHERNEBOUNI E’ICHOMO’ CHOMO’THI Isis Sothis, SOUE’RI, Boubastis, EURELIBAT CHAMARI NEBOUTOS OUE’RI AIE’ E’OA O’AI. Protect me, Great and Marvelous Names of the God (add the usual [i.e., the protection you seek]); for I am the One Established in Pelusium, SERPHOUTH MOUISRO’ STROMMO’ MOLO’TH MOLONTHE’R PHON Thoth. Protect me, Great and Marvelous Names of the Great God! (add the usual) “ASO’ EIO’ NISAO’TH. Lady Isis, Nemesis, Adrasteia, Many-named, Many-formed, glorify me, as I have glorified the Name of Your Son Horus! (add the usual)” [PGM VII.490-504][Source: translations by Hans Dieter Betz (ed.), “The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation Including the Demotic Spells,” Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1986, hermetic.com |+|]

Hera

Phallephoria Festival in Athens

Dionysus fertility festival in the streets of Athens last weekend. Looks like the ancient Gods are finally returning home along side diversity and freedom of religion. I realised this more so with my last visit.

I would love to see some posts from our followers of retuning ancient festivals in their region.

 

The Cosmic Witch Part 9

Written for Coven life

By Priestess Hypatia

30/01/2020

 

The 4th Pentacle of mercury- Seal of Solomon

 

Continuing from the previous post of aligning with Universal Powers for effective magickal practices…….

In this post I will be discussing the ^7th of the Sacred Seven (in no particular order) that I have been mentioning in the previous posts.

Here I will be talking about the final planet of the sacred seven and not in that order, the planet Mercury. Ruling over Gemini and Virgo it is the planet that influences the intellect and of communication and therefore the element of air.

Mercury the planet is androgynous and neutral, it is neither masculine nor feminine, neither positive nor negative, taking on the qualities of whatever aspects it comes into contact with.

The Planet

Distance from Sun: 57.91 million km

Orbital period: 88 days

Length of day: 58d 15h 30m

Mass: 3.285 × 10^23 kg (0.055 M⊕)

Surface area: 74.8 million km²

Wikipedia

The God

In the Ancient Roman World Mercury was the equivalent of the Greek God Hermes. The swift-footed messenger God traversed between the upper and lower worlds and his origins can be traced back as far as 13^th– 15^th Century BCE.

The many associations of Mercury include that of fertility, communication that include writing, messengers, trade, luck, and thievery. He was the patron saint of merchants, business people that were involved in all types of trade. The staff of Hermes, the Kerykeion is recognized as a symbol of trade and commerce and not that of medicine.

As the God of Medicine Aesculapius and His Rod is attributed to the arts of health and healing.

In the ancient Egyptian world he was connected to Thoth that is also connected with communication and responsible for writing the Emerald Tablet.

Planetary Magick Correspondences

Day- Wednesday

Colour– Purple, yellow and sometimes Orange

Element– Air

Gem stone– Opal, aventurine, moss agate, fluorite, and sodalite

Herbs– Almond, Anise, Clover, Dandelion, Dill, Hyssop, Lavender, Lemongrass, Lilac, Mace, Peppermint, Rosemary, Vervain

Number(s): 8, 64, 260, 2080

Archangel: Raphael

Metal: Mercury (toxic), safe replacement used in modern magick is Aluminum, sometimes also Zinc is mentioned

Olympic spirit (ruler): Ophiel

Importance in Alchemy– Spells, ritual and charms

Astrology

Due to Mercury’s speedy elliptical orbit, Mercury often appears to be going backwards, with frequent retrograde motions of about 3-4 every year. The good news is that these retrogrades are short lived, the bad news is that when they are in that motion they can at times wreak havoc in your life. Caution in signing contracts, breakdown in communication, avoid surgery, avoid travel, heightened anger, frustration, anxiety and of course the list of all your insecurities goes on. Now the majority of the time such retrogrades go unnoticed, that is until something happens in your life, then there is always Mercury retrograde if it does.

Spell Against Mercury Retrograde

If you are familiar with spell work you can try this to draw the positive aspects of Mercury during its retrograde. It encourages harmony, balance, protection and healing is such tumultuous times.

Spell work-

1. Purple candle
2. Anointed with frankincense
3. Surround with your choice of crystals and herbs from the magickal correspondences above
4. Light the candle and say:

‘My mind is a fortress, backwards Mercury, shall cause no deceit, nor damage. The light and stones shall save me’.

5. When the candle has burned all the way down, and extinguished itself, take the stones, place them in a mojo bag, and carry with you as long as Mercury stays in retrograde.

Orphic Hymn

Below is a beautiful hymn or prayer to the great God Mercury- Hermes. Use this if you want to invoke the energy of Mercury- Hermes, use the planetary magickal correspondences for extra guidance and remember as with any spell work to understand, observe and respect the energies that you are working and drawing from and with.

Invocation/ Prayer to Mercury- Hermes

The Fumigation from Frankincense.
“Hermes, draw near, and to my pray’r incline, angel of Jove [Zeus], and Maia’s son divine;
Studious of contests, ruler of mankind, with heart almighty, and a prudent mind.
Celestial messenger, of various skill, whose pow’rful arts could watchful Argus kill:
With winged feet, ’tis thine thro’ air to course, O friend of man, and prophet of discourse:
Great life-supporter, to rejoice is thine, in arts gymnastic, and in fraud divine:
With pow’r endu’d all language to explain, of care the loos’ner, and the source of gain.
Whose hand contains of blameless peace the rod, Corucian, blessed, profitable God;
Of various speech, whose aid in works we find, and in necessities to mortals kind:
Dire weapon of the tongue, which men revere, be present, Hermes, and thy suppliant hear;
Assist my works, conclude my life with peace, give graceful speech, and me memory’s increase.”

Orphic Hymn- #27

Who were the Maenads?

Written By Priestess Hypatia

For Coven Life

19/12/2019

Priestess of Bacchus, John Collier (taken from Wikimedia commons), 1886

In Thebes the birth place of Dionysus, the God of wine, the Maenads were born. They were known as the Priestesses who were part of the Dionysus cult and performed ecstatic dance. Roaming the mountains of Thebes, trancing and dancing in fawn skin dresses and panther throws, snake crowns and barefoot. Snakes in ancient times were used as healers.

The list of Maenads is long in history, these women that maintained the Dionysian cult with ecstatic ceremonies were distinct to the Hellenic world. A religious cult unlike no other, the women maintained a frenzied state of ecstasy. Extended periods of dancing (usually to the point of absolute and utter exhaustion) and drinking wine, the Maenads participated in orgiastic celebrations dancing naked through the forests of Thrace.

Dedicated to the God of debauch and fertility the Dionysian followers such as the Maenads experienced states of sexual drunken pleasure that allowed them to become closer to their God.

As members of a respected cult in Hellenic society the Maenads were actually celebrated for their sexual promiscuity, a welcoming change from the ever virtuous virgin Goddesses. Their sexuality gave them power and position more so than many other women in the Hellenic world.

Dancing Maenad. Detail from an ancient Greek Paestum red figure skyphos, made by Python, ca. 330-320 BC. British Museum, London.

The Hymns of Orpheus

By Hypatia

Written for Coven Life

28/07/2019

 

“Sing to me oh Muse”… The Nine Muses of the Greek Mythology were deities that gave artists, philosophers and individuals the necessary inspiration for creation. The Greek word “mosis” refers to the desire and wish. The word museum also comes from the Greek Muses.

The very first Hymn that Orpheus offers in his scared texts is dedicated to the Muses. All the ancient writers appeal to the Muses at the beginning of their work. It is this work that begins the next series of 87 hymns written to Gods, Goddesses, Nymph, 4 Winds, 4 Directions, Demi Gods and Goddesses, those of ethereal and those of Chthonic lineage, Fairy, Daemona and other nature spirits .

Below I have highlighted the Gods mentioned in this poem and ones that will also be included in the series of 87 Hymns written in their honor by Orpheus.

 

Hymn To the Musæus

ATTEND Musæus to my sacred song,
And learn what rites to sacrifice belong.
Jove I invoke, the earth, and solar light,
The moon’s pure splendor, and the stars of night;

1. 110

Thee Neptune, ruler of the sea profound,
Dark-hair’d, whose waves begirt the solid ground;

Ceres abundant, and of lovely mien,
And Proserpine infernal Pluto’s queen

The huntress Dian, and bright Phœbus rays,
Far-darting God, the theme of Delphic praise;
And Bacchus, honour’d by the heav’nly choir,
And raging Mars, and Vulcan god of fire;
The mighty pow’r who rose from foam to light,
And Pluto potent in the realms of night;
With Hebe young, and Hercules the strong,
And you to whom the cares of births belong:
Justice and Piety august I call,
And much-fam’d nymphs, and Pan the god of all.
To Juno sacred, and to Mem’ry fair,
And the chaste Muses I address my pray’r;
The various year, the Graces, and the Hours,
Fair-hair’d Latona, and Dione’s pow’rs;
Armed Curetes, household Gods I call,
With those who spring from Jove the king of all:
Th’ Idæan Gods, the angel of the skies,
And righteous Themis, with sagacious eyes;
With ancient night, and day-light I implore,
And Faith, and Justice dealing right adore;
Saturn and Rhea, and great Thetis too,
Hid in a veil of bright celestial blue:
I call great Ocean, and the beauteous train
Of nymphs, who dwell in chambers of the main;
Atlas the strong, and ever in its prime,
Vig’rous Eternity, and endless Time;
The Stygian pool, and placid Gods beside,
And various Genii, that o’er men preside;

Illustrious Providence, the noble train
Of dæmon forms, who fill th’ ætherial plain;
Or live in air, in water, earth, or fire,
Or deep beneath the solid ground retire.
Bacchus and Semele the friends of all,
And white Leucothea of the sea I call;
Palæmon bounteous, and Adrastria great,
And sweet-tongu’d Victory, with success elate;
Great Esculapius, skill’d to cure disease,
And dread Minerva, whom fierce battles please;
Thunders and winds in mighty columns pent,
With dreadful roaring struggling hard for vent;
Attis, the mother of the pow’rs on high,
And fair Adonis, never doom’d to die,
End and beginning he is all to all,
These with propitious aid I gently call;
And to my holy sacrifice invite,
The pow’r who reigns in deepest hell and night;
I call Einodian Hecate, lovely dame,
Of earthly, wat’ry, and celestial frame,
Sepulchral, in a saffron veil array’d,
Pleas’d with dark ghosts that wander thro’ the shade;

Persian, unconquerable huntress hail!
The world’s key-bearer never doom’d to fail
On the rough rock to wander thee delights,
Leader and nurse be present to our rites
Propitious grant our just desires success,
Accept our homage, and the incense bless.

 

 

This is such a beautiful hymn to include in the beginning of every New Year, inviting the Gods, Goddesses, Demi- Gods, Nymphs, fairies and Daemona and all other nature spirits.

Note:  It mentions Daemona- however please be aware this is NOT the Demons that are mentioned in the monotheistic religions based on evil origins. The word Demon comes from the ancient Greek word Daemona which actually refers to a lesser deity. These were thought of as benevolent nature spirit guides in the Hellenistic religion and philosophy adopted by many greats such as Socrates, Plato and Procleus. In fact such Daemona are the beginnings of modern psychology. Carl Jung, the famous psychologist named these the ‘Archetypes’.

If I have time at some stage I will do an article. It is through the misconception of the fanatical mass conversions that such words were twisted and misconstrued by clergy of the monotheistic religions for scare mongering tactics. Sadly they have worked………..

Please DO NOT confuse the 2. I have provided a link for better understanding.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_(classical_mythology)

Time to Put on Your Thinking Cap and Have Some Fun

Below is a printable sheet with the names of different Greek Goddesses and Gods but the letters for their names are jumbled up. Start out seeing how many you can unjumble without doing an internet search for the Greek Pantheon. When you have done all you can without help than use this general search for the Greek Pantheon to help you finish

Greek Pantheon

Please do not share your answers until Thursday to give everyone that wants to a chance to solve the jumbles on their own. Thank you and good luck. Yes, I am going to do this jumble by the same rules as everyone else. It should be interesting because I have not work very much with Greek Goddesses or Gods. 

The Cosmic Witch Part 2

Written by Hypatia

For Coven Life

21/ 07/  2019

Continuing from the previous post of aligning with Universal Powers for effective magickal practices…….

So how does the Cosmic Witch connect to the Universal Powers and why?

In order to understand the true essence of the Witches’ Power, it is important that we at the very least try to understand where this power is drawn from.

As I have mentioned in numerous previous posts, everything is made of energy, frequency and vibration and I mean everything. These 3 words define the entirety of our universe or multiple universes.

Thoughts that are set as intentions and become actions are also described as energy frequency and vibration. When these energies are somewhat grasped, one can truly perform what is called by some miracles and by other magick!

“If you want to understand the secrets of the Universe you need to think in terms of Energy, Frequency and Vibration”

-Nikola Tesla

So how do you picture this Universal Power?

This is where you require a little imagination, and I suspect if you are interested in Magickal practices and the Craft, you won’t be short of one. However for some it just takes that little bit more help to try and understand.

Just imagine………..

We are all made of Star Dust.

The ancients have always known this.  As above so below, as within so without, describes the origins of our existence. We don’t need to travel to other planets and out into the Universe to see this. We have this very map inside of us. It runs through our veins and into every bodily system that keeps us alive. It runs through our very being as this is the stuff that created us and the very stuff that takes us away. It is embedded in the Great Earth Mother in what they call the Doctrine of Signatures. Her streams are our veins, Her Earth that feeds and heals us is our body, Her air our breath that fills our lungs, and Her fire (the sun) is what illuminates our spirit and brings it all to life. The Great  Earth Mother joins with Father Spirit to make The One.

Fact– did you know that there are 98 known elements that compose our entire Universe. These are the same 98 elements on Earth!

“From the elements we came from to them we shall return-

Our body to Earth,

Our breath to Air,

Our blood to Water,

Our heart to Fire”

-Empedocles

The 5th element belongs to the quintessence that is spirit.

Every galactic influence including that of the sun, the moon and all the stars and planets in the universe are inside of us. You may find it hard to believe, however we are all made of the same stuff and moving to the same rhythmic energy that is created by the very powers within and without.

Fact– did you know that humans share 60% of the same DNA as a Banana! In North America the native peoples of the land say Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ (All Are Related), clearly they have always known something modern science has just found out.

The ancient Egyptians and Greeks that include such greats as Plato and Pythagoras tuned their musical instruments to 432Hz.

Why is the question?

The answer may once again surprise you. They too knew the connection between all that is. You see this is the very Frequency that Tesla was speaking of, it is the Frequency that the Universe is said to Vibrate!

How did they know this?

This frequency is in every sound that is made by nature, in a frog, the whirling of the wind, the song of a bird, the rumbling of a volcano, the sound of running water. It is in ALL of nature’s sounds. Science calls this the Schumann resonance and the Heart Beat of the Earth.

When we begin to attune ourselves to these natural frequency’s we begin to move to the rhythms of the Earth Herself. Exposing ourselves to a natural environment we naturally fall into this rhythm. For instance a menstruating woman can synchronize herself to the moons cycles and other women around her.

Nature can be healing and therapeutic, it’s because we are tuned to Her Frequency, She who is connected to the essence of the Universe and the Great Father Spirit. We are NOT connected to synthetic foods, synthetic materials for clothes, virtual work environments and virtual relationships. We need that physical and natural interaction with another human to feel their friendship, love their essence. Such things as Skype, Facebook and other social media and synthetic environments DO NOT offer that. In fact the frequencies omitted by your communications devices throws our natural rhythm right off and are in fact known to be very toxic! They release BFR and PVC, chemicals that can accumulate in the human body and cause great harm- Yes I do in fact limit myself on the computer as much as possible.

Our body’s natural rhythm is connected to that of Nature, once this is interfered by unnatural devises, the electrical currents in our body, the very frequency, rhythm and energy that makes our heart beat becomes faulty.

We are a Heliocentric Universe after all.

Without this ball of energy that is made of Frequency and Vibration we would not exist!

So for the next post I will begin with the first of  what the ancients called the Sacred Seven Planets namely the Sun……

In the meantime…..

It is important that you begin to attune yourself to natures rhythm, to the Great Mother Earth Herself and Father Spirit….

Swim in natural water ways, eat whole organic foods. Avoid toxic clothing, cosmetics, and unnecessary toxic medications (if you can). Drink clean natural water filled with natural spring minerals, minimize your time on the computer and other electrical devices. Spend more time going for nature walks, making yourself herbal teas from Herbs that you have grown, observe nature and all her other living creatures, they have naturally attained themselves to Her rhythms. Talk to trees, keep a moon diary that showcases the monthly cycles of the entire earth that include her seasons, people, animals and plants.

 

Many Blessings

 

The Hymns of Orpheus

To Hekate

“I call Ækáti of the Crossroads, worshipped at the meeting of three paths, oh lovely one.
In the sky, earth, and sea, you are venerated in your saffron-colored robes.
Funereal Daimohn, celebrating among the souls of those who have passed.
Persian, fond of deserted places, you delight in deer.
Goddess of night, protectress of dogs, invincible Queen.
Drawn by a yoke of bulls, you are the queen who holds the keys to all the Kózmos.
Commander, Nýmphi, nurturer of children, you who haunt the mountains.
Pray, Maiden, attend our hallowed rituals; 

Be forever gracious to your mystic herdsman and rejoice in our gifts of incense.”

 

I was talking with a fellow coven member just today about this incredible Goddess, one that predates the Olympian Gods and of possible Thracian origins.

She is the Goddess who rules over heaven and earth, the one who holds the keys to the cosmos and the rights of fertility. A triple Goddess who you encounter at the cross roads, the guardian, one that is part of the cosmic creation story and looks over funeral rights.

She is born of Asteria (Stars) and the Nihta (Night) therefore represents the primordial creation of all that is.

May the Great Goddess look over you and protect you.

 

Blessings to one and all

The Hymns of Orpheus

Hymn To Earth (Gaia)

The Fumigation from every kind of seed, except beans and aromatics

 

O Goddess, Earth, of Gods and men the source,
Endu’d with fertile, all destroying force;
All-parent, bounding, whose prolific pow’rs,
Produce a store of beauteous fruits and flow’rs,
All-various maid, th’ eternal world’s strong base
Immortal, blessed, crown’d with ev’ry grace;
From whose wide womb, as from an endless root,
Fruits, many-form’d, mature and grateful shoot.
Deep bosom’d, blessed, pleas’d with grassy plains,
Sweet to the smell, and with prolific rains.
All flow’ry dæmon, centre of the world,
Around thy orb, the beauteous stars are hurl’d
With rapid whirl, eternal and divine,
Whose frames with matchless skill and wisdom shine.
Come, blessed Goddess, listen to my pray’r,
And make increase of fruits thy constant care;
With fertile Seasons in thy train, draw near,
And with propitious mind thy suppliant hear.

 

The beautiful Prayer above is dedicated to the Great Mother who in Orphic theology is known by many names such as Gaia, Rhea and Vesta.

Earth is said to be the mother of everything, of which Heaven is the Father.

As the primal Mother Goddess she created all the other Gods. Alongside Eros and Chaos these 3 deities emerged from the cosmic egg of creation that is also referred to as the Orphic Egg.

Gaia arose from Chaos to give birth to Ouranos (Heaven or simply translating as the sky) who she took as a consort. It was an immaculate conception of the Great Mother Earth that gave birth to the sea and the mountains.

Take the time to honor Her through this beautiful Prayer anytime you feel like it. Set up an altar out in nature somewhere to pay your respect and gratitude for all that She gives and does.