A Burning Star

Queen of the Night, She who is Not Seen and lit in the Evening glow.

Been thinking about Fey courts in my world lately

Details:

"Cleanse your tools weekly!" "Never buy anything second-hand or bring a gift into your home without purifying its energy!" "Your tools won't work if they've sat too long!"

Luciferian Winter Holidays

Celebrating the stories of the Heavenly Rebellion and of the Garden of Eden, Lightrising - the renewal of light at the Winter Solstice - is perhaps the most important festival in my developing liturgical calendar. This year will be the first time I'm celebrating it, so it will be a kind of experimental celebration, but I decided to share my ideas here.

[Image description: the post begins with four black and white drawings, illustrations of Paradise Lost:

The rebel angels falling, Michael commanding the triumphing angels loyal to God

Lucifer speaking to the Fallen, raising his spear belligerently

Lucifer flying to land on Earth, a sphere among the stars

Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, Eve giving the fruit to Adam

All pictures by Gustave Doré.]

The holiday lasts seven days, each dedicated to an event or motif from Luciferian mythos:

The Day of the Rebellion

Start: the dusk two nights before the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: Rebellion in Heaven, the struggle for justice and liberation.

Celebration ideas:

Bless and light a Lightrising Candle. Any candle big enough to not burn out too soon will do. Let it burn for a while to symbolize the fires of rebellion. Remember fire safety. Before, you can have some fun decorating your candle!

If your practice involves acts of transgression and reversal (for example an ex-Catholic saying Credo in reverse), now is a good time for that. While such things can be helpful for those with religious trauma, make sure to be gentle with yourself and don't overdo it in a way that would hurt you.

Seeking out ways to help someone disadvantaged by the toxic system we live in (though remember it's always a good time for that!)

The Day of the Fall

Start: the dusk one night before the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: the Fall

Celebration ideas:

Instead of lighting the Lighrising Candle, cover it with a dark cloth until the Lightrising Dawn.

Shadow work and cathartic activities.

You can wear something to signify mourning.

Lightrising

Start: the dusk of the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: the Fallen rising again. Survival, persistence, hope, and renewal - even in face of Hell.

Celebration ideas:

If possible, the Lightrising night is a good time to hold a vigil.

At dawn you can again light the candle you lit on the Night of Rebellion and let it burn for a while. If you were not holding a vigil, you can just do that when you wake up.

Magic for healing and regeneration.

The Day of Pandemonium

Start: the dusk one night after the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: fallen angels becoming demons and making Hell their own. The story of the building of Pandemonium.

Celebration ideas:

Making offerings and giving thanks to the demons in your life. Taking time to spend with them and appreciate them.

A shared meal with them.

DIY and upcycling.

The Day of the Serpent

Start: the dusk two nights after the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: Lucifer as the Serpent and the bringer of knowledge to humanity.

Celebration ideas:

Did you know that in the Christian tradition, the Christmas tree was often associated with the tree of Eden? You can easily subvert and adapt it for your practice, and even make your own decorations!

Decorating and blessing fruit to be offered and eaten on the two following days.

Studying philosophy (or other things!)

The Day of Eve

Start: the dusk three nights after the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: Eve as the mother of humanity, and her decision to take the fruit of knowledge and share it with Adam.

Celebration ideas:

Sharing a meal with Eve, Adam, and the Serpent. Eating the fruits you blessed the day before.

Discussing or, if alone, just reflecting on what you learned yesterday.

Sharing knowledge with others. For example, if celebrating in a group you can do short talks about things each of you is knowledgable about, or if solitary you can make a post on Tumblr!

The Day of the Earth

Start: the dusk four nights after the Solstice Night

End: the next dusk

Theme: humanity leaving Paradise. But it's not a sad holiday. As the Day of Pandemonium is dedicated to the demons of Hell, this day celebrates being human on Earth.

Celebration ideas:

It is a great time to spend time with your beloved people and do things that bring you joy. If you celebrate with others, you can incorporate the tradition of exchanging gifts on that day.

Animals count as earthly loved ones too! If you live with an animal friend, maybe give them a special treat?

The Day of the Earth is also a good time for ancestor veneration, and to make offerings to your local land spirits - including local folk devils.

[image description: a divider with the sigil of Lucifer made by @peculiar-666]

This is my personal take on a pretty conventional hex. In my experience, it’s very effective, and I’ve had some pretty interesting results come of it. I’ll make notes as I go, and do my best to explain the purpose of each action so that you can make substitutions/alterations in an effective way.

Before We Begin

I’m calling this a hex, but this can really pack a whallop depending on how you make it. If you feel like you need something harsher or softer, then adjust as needed. If your personal code does not allow for any kind of baneful magic, you may have better luck with a different spell. Also, the specific actions and words I use are just examples, you do not have to recite them verbatim. It’s just to convey the gist of what’s happening.

What You’ll Need

A poppet of your target, or something similar to identify them.

A sturdy container, preferably glass. (Note: just make sure whatever you put in can’t seep out of it. I like mason jars because they’re easy to acquire, hold pretty much any material, and also create broken glass if shattered, which is nice for a hex.)

Nails, pins, needles, or something else stabby and abundant.

Thread or twine, black preferable. 

Thumb tacks, glass shards, or other sharps

Hot sauce, lemon juice, pepper seeds, or anything else sour/spicy you wouldn’t want to put on a wound. (Note: never fw a witch who enjoys fancy killer hot sauces.)

Dust, grime, or other gross stuff you can scrape up from around your house. 

A black cloth or black trash bag. Something thick enough to block light.

What To Do

Prep your ritual space however you normally would, get your mind ready and have the materials pre-gathered and onhand. (Note: the best time to perform this would be a Saturday night, particularly on a full or new moon, especially at an hour where Saturn is most influential. If all of those can’t align for you in a timely manner, pick your favorites or just do what you can.)

If you haven’t already done so, consecrate your poppet now. Make sure the Universe knows exactly who this poppet is supposed to represent. 

Now is the time to air your grievances towards the poppet. Speak to it as if you were speaking to the target with no holds barred. Tell them exactly how they’ve fucked up, how they’ve messed with the wrong witch, and now it’s time to face some consequences. 

Take your pins/needles and drive them into the poppet. Name each wrongdoing they’ve committed as you go. “This one is for betraying my trust. This one is for threatening my loved ones. May you feel each like a pin stuck in you until you make right on it.” 

Wrap the poppet in thread. Cover it completely if you feel the need to. “I hereby bind you from acting in this way.” Alternatively, “may your web of lies become so thick and tangled that you can’t move.” 

Place the poppet in the jar, then fill the jar with whatever sharps, spicies, and nasties you like. (Note: you can forego any of these ingredients if you’d like to make it a more gentle hex, or up the anti to make it harsher. Basically, you’re creating a toxic environment inside the jar either for them to rot inside, or that will harm them if they break your binds. The latter works best if the poppet is wrapped completely so that they’re not actually touching the hot sauce… yet.)

Say any final words about their situation. Be specific and think it through, this part is personal to you. Do you want them to rot in this jar for what they did? Will the curse be lifted when they make right on their actions? Is there a specific way you want to see this metaphor to manifest in real life?

Close the jar and cover it. Make it so the sun can’t reach it.

Storage/Disposal. This part depends on your goal! If you just want to teach your target a lesson, store the wrapped jar in a dark, private place (the back of a closet works great) where it won’t see the sun or be disturbed. If you KNOW you will never want to lift this hex and this spell is an act of war, put it in a garbage bag and fling that shit into a dumpster where it won’t ever see the light of day until it’s ground up into a landfill.

Mother // A Mother’s Embrace by Billelis

Inktober challenge 2018

Day 13 : Héra

Day 14 : Andromeda

Death and the Maiden.