Astrea

In Episode 4 of the last season of Game of Thrones, Rhaegal, one of Daenerys’ two surviving dragons, is shot dead by three piercing bolts. The death blow is delivered by a bolt that punctures Rhaegal’s neck from side to side, and a splash of blood pours from the beast’s mouth as he falls tragically from the sky into the sea below. This beautiful and terrible scene struck me as strangely familiar, as if I had already seen it many times before. Something about the imagery of slain dragons is rooted in our collective mind, and awakes memories of ancient tales we thought we had forgotten. But this scene reminded me of something in particular.

Since I first saw it, as a kid, on the cover of some book, I was always hypnotized by Paolo Uccello’s painting of St. George and the Dragon. The magic of this image resides in the details: the circles decorating the Dragon’s wings like those of a moth; the blood dripping from the neck of the wounded beast; its glossy, sorrowful eye; the thin spear of the knight and the even thinner leash that binds the surprisingly peaceful lady to the dying monster. There is something enigmatic, if not just plain confusing, about it: what is the relationship between the lady and the dragon? Why does the dragon have to die? After all, the same questions could be asked about Daenerys and her children. We may find some answers by interpreting Paolo Uccello’s painting – and, possibly, GoT’s last season as well – as an alchemical key.

Dragons have a long iconographical history in hermeticism and alchemy. A few associations that easily come to mind are the Ouroboros, where the serpent or dragon is connected to the idea of eternity and cyclical time, and the alchemical salamander, a mysterious being that can withstand fire without ever burning. This multiple association is not surprising, since often in alchemical texts images and words have multiple meanings. It is the case of Mercury, which is frequently referred to as being double: it indicates the universal solvent, or poison, needed to begin the alchemical Opus, but, in many cases, it is also used as another name for philosophical Gold, the universal medicine or Elixir, which is the coronation of the alchemist’s work. This lexical ambiguity is, in itself, a caveat on the deadly danger of undertaking the alchemical Work; the same substance that could grant eternal life has the potential to manifest itself as devastatingly poisonous.

The same kind of ambiguity surrounds the image of the Dragon; it is both depicted as the ultimate natural power, containing in itself the four elements and being able to grant complete control over matter and time, and as a deadly monster that needs to be slain so that the Work may be completed. Dragon’s blood is mentioned in the Rosarium Philosophorum as the fluid that can dissolve all matter, and, in this regard, is also identified with the first, poisonous kind of Mercury:

“Note this that no silver can be made unless first they be all dissolved. Secondly, that no solution ought to be made but in the proper and appropriated blood, that is, in water of Mercury which is called Dragon’s Water.”

Rosarium Philosophorum

The same association returns later in the text, clearly indicating the necessity of the death of the Dragon so that the Work may be completed:

“[T]he Dragon is born in his blackness and is fed with his Mercury, and killeth himself and is drowned in it, and the water is somewhat whitened, and that is Elixir.”

Rosarium Philosophorum

In this respect, the Dragon represents some kind of primordial matter, imbued with properties of dissolution and disaggregation, that can be unleashed and made available to the alchemist through a ritual sacrifice. This dismemberment is mythologically recurring, as we have noted elsewhere, and it often coincides with the cosmological beginning of order, reason and civilization.

Dragons are, in our minds, associated with fairy tales of young damsels in distress, that are abducted by a monstrous creature and are kept segregated from society until a knight comes along and brings them back into the world of men. This is, on a surface level, the story behind the scene depicted in Paolo Uccello’s painting. But, in alchemical symbolism, the relationship between dragon and woman appears more complex and elusive. In alchemical texts, the virginal quality of Mercury is often mentioned, and the same substance that is referred to as dragon’s blood is also indicated as virgin’s milk. These two aspects of Mercury, that of the virgin and that of the dragon, seem to fade seamlessly into one another. Are the virgin and the dragon one and the same? Yes and no. It seems that womanhood is intended as a transformative power that can bind the primitive, chaotic potential of the dragon into a productive cycle of forces. In a cryptic passage from the Turba Philosophorum, woman and dragon are buried together, so that they may merge and produce the philosophical venom required to begin the Magnum Opus:

“I also make known to you that the dragon never dies, but the Philosophers have put to death the woman who slays her spouses. For the belly of that woman is full of weapons and venom. Let, therefore, a sepulchre be dug for the dragon, and let that woman be buried with him, who being strongly joined with that woman, the more he clasps her and is entwined with her, the more his body, by the creation of female weapons in the body of the woman, is cut up into parts. For perceiving him mixed with the limbs of a woman he becomes secure from death, and the whole is turned into blood.”

Turba Philosophorum

Of course, a deep, troubling connection between dragon-like creatures and holy virgins recurs in christian iconography. One of the most commonly reproduced images of the Madonna shows her radiating in the sky as she steps over a snake, echoing the Apocalyptic virgin and the seven-headed dragon from the Book of Revelation. While we could understand this symbology as a representation of the Holy Virgin triumphing over evil, some authors, namely Peter Grey in his Apocalyptic Witchcraft, have argued that the conflict between the Virgin and the Serpent consists in a false dualism, and that their mysterious alliance is the key to access the alchemical universal medicine. Similarly, Eliphas Levi underlines the role of the Virgin in directing the blind forces contained in the original serpent:

“She who is destined to crush the serpent’s head is intelligence, which ever rises above the stream of blind forces. The Kabalists call her the virgin of the sea, whose dripping feet the infernal dragon crawls forward to lick with his fiery tongues, and they fall asleep in delight.”

Eliphas Levi, The Doctrine of Transcendental Magic

But this alliance, while it can result in a productive polarization of forces, clearly constitutes a deadly danger to civilization if not accurately balanced, as the tension between pious, fertile womanhood and destructive, sterile monstrosity is always unstable. Quoting Nyx, “[t]he path of heterodoxy and disintegration into infinitely many individuated particles begins with woman, Binah. This paradoxically makes it not merely that the weak Eve was tempted by the evil Serpent, but rather that the origins of Evil lie in Eve. Or rather, in woman”. The awareness of this danger is intrinsic in alchemical symbolysm, where the productive nigredo or putrefaction of the ancient dragon, activated by the catalyzing power of womanhood, can set off the unstoppable disintegration of all matter into fire and blood.

Daenerys’ arc in Season 8 can then be intended as an alchemical experiment gone terribly wrong. The Dragon Queen’s destructive madness is a testimony to the dangers of the Great Work; her ultimate sacrifice is the only way to save the world from devastation, and to guarantee the reproduction of civilization so that the wheel can keep on turning. Just like in the ancient tales of damsels and dragons, in the end the monster is slain, subversive femininity is aborted and patriarchal order is restored. If we wish for a different ending to this story, then, we need to experiment with a different kind of alchemy.

“In everything In nature there are three from two: the beginning, the middle, and the end. First the needful water, then the oily tincture, and lastly, the faeces, or earth, which remains below. But the Dragon inhabits in all these, and his houses are the darkness and blackness that is in them.”

The Golden Tractate of Hermes Trismegistus

Sorry if I've disappeared for a while. It's a very rough period for me as I'm trying to keep up with university stuff and also trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my life after graduation. Lots of huge changes are coming my way, and I'm not really sure I feel ready. I'm planning to leave my home country for a PhD abroad and even though I think that's what I really want and need to do, the thought of going away is just terrifying. I'm still not sure about anything, and my tarot readings just keep predicting abrupt and unexpected change.

Nonetheless, I've been researching and reading a lot concerning magic and the hermetic tradition. I promise that I will soon return with a post about symbolism in alchemy and ceremonial magic, since a lot of you have been asking for some more information on this topic.

Also please let me know if you have any magical advice on how to deal with change and anxiety towards the future!

Love is the law, love under will

A spell to be like the storm.

Dear Witches and Occultists. 🌙

I decided to start my series of posts on the topic of Demonology by giving my perspective on a simple, yet crucial question: what is Demonology? As many things within the domain of the Occult, there is no unique definition of Demonology. It can be intended as that branch of Magick that is concerned with Demons, which are, in the minds of most of us, infernal creatures and evil spirits. Demonology is traditionally concerned with the art of summoning and enslaving these inhuman creatures in order to get them to work for us for a specific goal.  

But looking deeper into the concepts behind Demonology, one can discover that the practice of Demonic Conjuring has a much broader meaning and can be considered a foundation for many different magickal applications.

In order to understand why and how Demonology is so significant, I would like to start from one of the most common questions that people ask when confronted with the idea of working with supernatural, extra-dimensional and/or divine entities: “are they real?”

As I have stated several times before, I define myself as a Nihilist Witch. This means that I don’t worship any God or Goddess as the creator of this world, I don’t believe in their physical existence and I don’t believe that the Universe has an ultimate purpose or meaning. I am a materialist and I have a solid faith in Science. Therefore, most people would be surprised if not outraged to know that I support and practice Demonology. Here’s my reply:

“I believe that the question of whether a certain God, Demon or Supernatural Entity is real or not is ultimately a meaningless question.”

This idea stems from the consideration that many things that are devoid of physical existence still have a huge impact on the lives of people. In order for them to have power, it’s sufficient that a certain number of people believe in them and enforce them in society. 

Here are some simple examples of this. The pieces of paper, or the virtual transactions, that we use as money, can function only because people believe in their inherent value. The same thing could be said about gender roles, which are completely meaningless and don’t have any material justification for their existence, but have become so strong that they rule the social behaviour of millions of people all over the world. I am a non-Christian person, but being raised in a Roman Catholic environment, I would be lying if I said that the Christian God didn’t have a huge impact on my life, regardless of whether I believe in him, or not.

Our society can give a massive amount of power to invisible things, by feeding them through the collective belief in their existence. In this sense, these things are Demons that are constantly conjured and reinforced by our behaviour. When these things become powerful enough to have an impact on the material plane, the question of whether they exist or not is inessential.

This is the idea behind Demonology. 

If you want to interact with a demonic entity for whatever reason, my advice is to stop asking whether they are real or not. Instead, when it comes to practically conjuring a Demon, there are two core ideas that you should consider:

Time is non-linear. You live with the illusion of the existence of the past, present and future but these concepts have no meaning outside of your experience. My personal way to put it is that when you summon a demon, what is actually happening is that the specific entity you’re working with is calling you through the fabric of spacetime and conjuring themselves into existence through you.  Everything is connected. Even when you’re doing a summoning ritual in the privacy of your room without anyone being aware of it, it will still have an impact on society and the cosmos as a whole. There can be no action without reaction. You can never fully predict the consequences of your actions, and, to put it in thermodynamic terms, there can be no reversible process in this universe. So take your conjuring very seriously, even if you’re working with a lesser entity.

These concepts may require a lot of meditation to be fully understood. My suggestion is, as always, to take your time to deeply ponder these ideas and give them personal meaning before engaging in any summoning ritual. In my next posts, I will give you some practical tips and directions on how I put together a conjuring circle, and what to keep in mind.

I hope that this post will be useful to anyone interested in this topic. If you have any doubts you can always write me a message and I’ll help you to the best of my knowledge.

Dear witches and magical creatures, 🌙

This Christmas I decided to make some special gifts for my friends. I prepared an enchanted amulet for each of them, based on their personality and what they’re going through. I used the process of Alchemical Enchanting, which I have explained in more detail in this post (so please check it out before trying out any of these!). In this post, I’ll explain the meaning of each enchantment, I’ll show you the Alchemical Circles that I have used and the stones that I have chosen to go with them.

🌙  “I find the balance.” 💎 This enchantment helps dealing with the extremes in one’s personality, and helps with not being overwhelmed by positive or negative emotions. It favours introspection and self-control. For this amulet, I have chosen Amethyst, for its calming and balancing properties.

🌙  “I believe in myself.” 💎 This spell is useful for anyone that suffers from low self-esteem and self-doubt. Using this amulet will allow the wearer to find the courage to face any challenge without fear. For this amulet, I have chosen Carnelian, as it brings strength, vitality and courage.

🌙  “I love myself.” 💎  This circle can be used to help those who are often overwhelmed by guilt, anxiety and fear of the judgment of others. This amulet will bring peace and relief from extreme stress, and induce the wearer to take more care of themselves. For this amulet, I have chosen Rose Quartz, the stone of love.

🌙  “I am focused on my goal.” 💎 This enchantment is perfect for anyone who is facing a great intellectual challenge and needs the motivation and the determination to succeed. It helps with overcoming obstacles with strength and clarity of mind. For this amulet, I have chosen Fluorite, because it enhances creativity and focus.

🌙  “My dreams come true.” 💎 This amulet will bring good luck and success to the wearer. It will help anyone that has been a victim of injustice or bad luck, encouraging them not to lose faith, to be brave and to follow their ambitions. For this amulet, I have chosen Avventurine, the stone of good luck and prosperity.

(Actually, I may or may not have offered my one and only mortal soul to the Devil the other night. But that’s a story for another time.)

A lot of thoughts and ideas are coming to me. I’m thinking a lot about how the time has come for a renewal of Satanism. How we need a New Satanism that can actually represent the radical political and cosmological antagonism that is embodied in the figure of Satan. 

Dear Witchy Friends. 🌙

I’ve been requested this post various times and finally I’ve had the time to write it. Many of you have asked me for some advice for beginner witches.  There are countless posts and books and articles out there that talk about this topic, written by people way more experienced than I am; this is just my personal take on the subject. My advice is based on my personal experience with magick, and, of course, it’s not the absolute truth.  Nevertheless, I hope that this post will be helpful to anyone who wants to approach witchcraft.

Every witch is a real witch. I can’t count the times I found myself asking the question of whether I was a “real” witch or not. All the energy and time I spent thinking about this, was energy and time I didn’t spend progressing in my craft. If you choose to be a witch, you can be one, no matter your level of experience and no matter what your beliefs are. There is no such thing as a “natural” witch; you don’t need to have witches in your family or ancestry to be one.

No Gods, no masters. While all forms of religious magick are perfectly valid and should always be respected, not all witches adhere to a specific religion or worship specific deities. It’s easy to be persuaded that the only way to do magick is to work with a certain God and Goddess, especially since the vast majority of the witchcraft community online is formed by Wiccan witches. As a witch with an atheist upbringing, this was a big problem for me, since I could not (and I still can’t) bring myself to worship a God. You don’t have to force yourself into beliefs that don’t resonate with you; many forms of magick don’t involve religion, such as Alchemy and most of The Left Hand Path.

You are your own temple. Magick can be done anywhere, anytime. As a beginner witch I always thought that I had to go to specific places in order to be inspired. I guess I had this stereotypical idea of the witch that walks through the forest and becomes one with Nature. While it’s ok to do this if it’s your thing, it’s important to remember that you are all that you need and there isn’t a place inherently more magickal than another. When casting a spell or doing a ritual, especially as a beginner, it’s better to be comfortable and relaxed in a place you know well and that makes you feel safe. 

Expect and welcome change. Witchcraft is a transformative experience. You will find yourself believing one thing one day and completely changing your mind the day after. As you go through your first year as a witch, you will probably end up challenging all the beliefs that you had in the beginning. It’s fine to try out different forms of magick and shift between different belief systems; as your ideas evolve, you will discover what is really significant to you. Regret nothing; every experience you made is a part of your spiritual journey and it won’t be wasted. 

Today I’d like to talk about enchanting: the practice of charging objects with a magickal purpose. This can be done in many different ways; it is not required to follow complicated rituals and use specific ingredients to successfully enchant an object, but rituals are a great way to focus one’s will during the process.

This is the way I do it. 🌙

Start with meditation, trying to reach a very deep and focused meditative state. You have to feel your own power grow inside of you. I find that listening to music is a great way to make this process easier. 

Focus on your goal: in the case of a protection spell, you can try to visualize a protective bubble around you, or a shield that repels unwanted energies. Take your time to make the image very clear in your head.

Pick the object you wish to enchant. In this case, I used a round black onyx stone, which is known to have protective properties (but you can use whichever object you have on hand, as long as you feel a positive connection to it). Cleanse and bless the object however you see fit (I use New Moon Water and Chaos Water).

Draw the enchanting circle on a piece of paper. I start with a basic alchemical circle: I draw the three symbols of mercury, salt and sulphur around the circle and I draw a six-pointed star inside. Then I start drawing inside the circle, trying to remain focused on my goal as much as I can, and leaving a blank space where I will place the object I want to enchant.  

Surround the enchanting circle with salt to protect it from any external interference. I also place obsidian, clear quartz and carnelian around it as a representation of the alchemical transmutation. If you want, you can light a candle that matches your goal (for protection, use a black candle).

Place your object inside the enchanting circle and leave it there to charge for as long as you want. You either can remain focused on your enchantment, or you can leave the circle alone to do its magick. (But please, never leave candles unattended!)

Here’s a closer look at my protection circle. You can copy it down and use it as it is, or you can change it to fit your personal spell. 

If you feel that the object is losing its charge after being used, you can just put it back on the circle and leave it there overnight.

If you’d like to know more about the ideas behind alchemy, check my previous post on the topic here.