samael's compendium

Btw if there is any chance that you, dear reader, are a beginner witch who is taking this whole warding/protection business seriously and are trying to sort through an elaborate schema of protections:

It is my (perhaps lowly) opinion that you should question if you should be using If/Then statements in your wards at all, if for no other reason than taking time to examine what it is you're really trying to protect against.

[If/Then warding: "All misfortune is kept away from me, but if it's a lesson from my spirits, then it's accepted."]

The reason I'm on this is because A) on a technical level, I believe if/then statements can very easily weaken spellwork, but also B) it's just so much more difficult to properly cover those loopholes, and then you risk delaying warding for months or years while you figure out the perfect set of programming code to specify that you basically don't want needless bad shit to happen to you but you still want to be connected to the world around you and you understand hardship is a part of life sometimes.

(Or even worse, C, trying to make wards so elaborate and finicky that they're never going to work, and then believing you just can't do magic, and get stuck in a spiral of not being able to practice until you're protected but your wards clearly don't work, even though you workshopped your 50 lines of programming for dozens of hours!)

"All spirits are blocked out and unable to enter, unless they already live here and are coming back or want to travel back and forth"

If you don't want to block out all spirits then why say that? Uninvited spirits, malicious spirits, malfeasant spirits might be a better way to go.

"All misfortune is kept away from me, unless it's a lesson to help me grow, but only if it's something I can handle."

What about all needless harm is kept away? All unhelpful harm? All harm that inhibits my current goals? And a separate discussion with your spirits about when and where you will accept potentially harmful lessons?

"I am protected from all misfortune, upset, and angry customers at my job, unless being protected from that will somehow impede my work performance."

What about I'm protected from all misfortune at my job, and the harmful impacts of stressful situations?

You can still experience a stressful situation while being protected from its impacts. Just because vile energy surrounds you does not mean it must have any effect on you. You can be a part of things and have your own agency and do right by yourself, without absorbing the harm into yourself.

"I am protected unless it's against my highest good-"

In creating this path and building a practice around it, I had to pause and understand the things that shape it. In that, I found my own trinity: The Void, The Flesh, The Steel.

My goal is to use it as a map of my own internal landscape, my mind, and the craft I cultivate.

The Void

I see the Void as a spiritual plane. It is the great unmanifested, a cosmic cauldron of raw, unshaped energy.

For me, this is where raw magical energy is found. This is the spark waiting to be fanned into a flame. In those moments of meditation, of grounding, I tap into the Void.

To sit comfortably within the Void is accept uncertainty. It reminds me that letting go and losing myself in potential is the first step to claiming my power. I am adrift, but that simply means I am not yet formed and am waiting for the right moment to find myself.

The Flesh/The Helminth

The Flesh is the realm of biology, nature, and survival. It is represented by the Helminth and the wild growth of the Infestation. In harnessing it in my practice, I choose to step away from the monstrous and the cosmic horror and instead honor the sacred shifting nature of the physical vessel.

In practice, this can be found in the act of creation. It is the connection to the physical world and the ability to change that which surrounds me. It is embracing my body as a living ecosystem, a sacred vessel that requires tending.

The Flesh teaches both adaptability and resilience. I use this energy for honoring the wild, changing rhythms of life.

The Steel

The Steel is the structure on which I craft my world. It represents geometry, law, order. It is the grand, gilded sanctuaries of the Orokin, or the precise engineering of the Corpus. Left alone, the Void is chaotic and the Flesh is wild. Steel is what gives it all boundary, direction, and form.

The Steel is the act of tapping into the raw potential of the Void and giving it specific blueprints to follow. It reminds me that magic requires a vessel in order to direct it toward a meaningful goal.

Creating Balance

Each aspect is unique, and each must be honored to cultivate a balanced practice. Without the Void, my craft lacks that deep, spiritual connection. Without the Flesh, it is easy to become disconnected from the self and the word around me. Without Steel, our will and intention loses their focus and scatters into the wild.

Excalibur, the First Blade

Element: The Steel

Correspondences: Blades, clear quartz, incense smoke

Excalibur governs the raw mechanics of beginnings, mental focus, personal accountability, and cutting away stagnant energy. He is the archetype to call upon when starting a new chapter in your life, when your thoughts feel too cluttered, or when you need the discipline to see a task through to the end.

As the first Warframe created by the Orokin, Excalibur represents the pure, unadulterated origin point. He has no need to carry heavy, specialized complexity. Instead, through Exalted Blade, he demonstrates that true power comes from channeling the raw power of the Void through a single, perfectly focused point. He perfectly embodies the alignment of mind and action.

Excalibur teaches us that the most effective way forward often involves stripping away the noise and clutter and returning to the basics.

An Excalibur Prayer-

Mag, The Weaver of Polarity

Correspondences: Magnets, black sand, compass, bay leaf

Mag embodies the law of attraction, establishing personal boundaries, and hidden potential. She is the archetype to call upon to draw something into your life, to repel negative influences, or to help master the unseen currents in your personal energy field.

While Excalibur embodies the direct linear focus of a blade, Mag represents the invisible forces that bind the universe together. With her control over magnetic fields, she reminds us that a quiet, unassuming center can hold immense power that can shape and reshape the world. Mag teaches that we do not always have to chase after things with aggression, and that by embracing our polarities and understanding the power within us, we can do so much.

A Mag Prayer-

something which i frequently forget about and need to constantly remember is to do a little rite before i practice actual spellcasting. when im doing a larger ritual i don't forget because ive written down the steps, including the compass and whatnot. but when i am casually casting a practical spell which i came up with or sourced easily, usually only containing the components inside, i have to remind myself to open and close the ritual. i thought it might be helpful to others for me to share my simplistic opening and closing variations for when im performing spontaneous witchcraft.

opening rite

make the sign of the cross or the pentagram over yourself, using the right hand middle finger.

i dont usually include a banishment unless it feels necessary. if it does then i do a counterclockwise circle over the working space with the left hand.

either after the banishment, or just on its own, perform a clockwise circle over the working space using the right hand.

gesture a cross (or pentagram, six way cross, etc magical symbols of power) and say: "i declare this ground consecrated for [whatever the working is]."

closing rite

thank all spirits worked with in the working, as well as ancestors, land spirits, spirit guides and any others who you thank for every working in your tradition. tell spirits they may or must leave the space.

do a counterclockwise circle over the working space with your left hand. say "i declare this rite complete, and this ritual space closed."

Helps improve the overall health of your local ecosystems and native wildlife.

Allows you to build a better relationship with the spirits of your area.

There is no such thing as overharvesting, so if you worry you’re the type when foraging for ingredients to go heavy handed; go to your invasives.

Inherently these plants when used in spell work will be fast-working, highly adaptive, and dominating.

You likely already have an invasive in your area that has the intentions you want to use in your next spell.

Allows you to not rely on massive monoculture farms that over-farm and hurt the environment.

Gives you the excuse to go outside and get moving which has been proven to have positive impacts on mental health.

Invasives aren’t hard to find. You can find them at the park, school campuses, any patch of grass along the road, etc.

The baneful possibilities are endless, like you can get so creative.

Depending on what exactly is your invasive and where you’re foraging from it’s free food.

Some Important Reminders

Research what are your natives and your invasives and learn to identify them, especially if they are similar to natives or have dangerous look-a-likes.

Read up on your area’s by-laws to ensure you are foraging invasives in a legal and safe way.

When harvesting invasives harvest carefully and be aware of how this specific invasive spreads, so when harvesting you’re not possibly helping it spread.

Don’t compost invasives.

Some invasives are poisonous or toxic, so research and be careful when handling. Please don’t consume or use in any workings that would require burning them or skin contact.

If looking for edible invasives or invasives you plan on using in salves or bath rituals, don’t harvest from polluted areas and ensure it is not toxic.

Start with the gaze, because this is where most of it goes wrong. You are not staring. A hard stare fights you, your eyes water, you blink, you reset, and you never settle. What you want is a soft, slightly unfocused gaze that looks through the surface rather than at it, the way your eyes drift past a window to the street beyond the glass. The surface should lose its hard edge and go a little vague.

Then the surface starts to change, and beginners almost always misread what happens next. Within a few minutes it tends to cloud, go smoky, darken, or seem to breathe. People take that as their eyes playing tricks, snap back to a sharp focus to check, and that ends it. The clouding is the doorway, not a glitch. Part of it is simply your vision softening on a featureless field, and that softening is the exact state you are trying to reach. Let it fog over and keep your attention loose inside the fog.

It also helps to know what a vision is actually like, because the expectation is the thing that blinds you. It is almost never a clear picture floating in the glass. It is shifting shapes, a color that was not there a second ago, a shadow moving against the grain, a face that assembles for a moment and dissolves. Sometimes it is not visual at all, just a feeling, a word in the mind, or a flat knowing. If you are holding out for a sharp image, you will look straight past the real signal, which tends to be quiet and partial.

A lot of what people call a block is really the setup. Work in low light with a single candle placed behind you or off to the side, never throwing a bright reflection straight into the surface. Use a black mirror or a dark bowl of water set on a dark cloth. Sit so you cannot see your own face clearly in the surface, because a sharp reflection of yourself locks your eyes at the glass instead of through it. Fix the light and the angle and half the I cannot scry problem tends to disappear.

On patience, the honest number is that most people need somewhere between five and twenty sessions before a first real impression. The early sittings where nothing happened are not failures. They are you teaching your eyes and your attention to hold the soft state without bailing out the moment it gets strange. Ten quiet minutes a few times a week will take you further than one heroic hour.

There is a discernment line worth holding too. Not everything you see is a message. Floaters, the afterimage of the candle, the surface graying out, that is ordinary eye behavior and it is the doorway, not the content. The scried material is what comes through that state, the shape that carries meaning, the word, the pull toward something. You learn the difference by keeping a log and only trusting what recurs or genuinely lands.

You do not need visualization skills to do energy work, perform magick, be a witch, or anything in between.

Rituals, spirit work, spells, divination, and so on have been practiced through so many other means than just visualization since practically the dawn of humanity. There are four other mundane and psychic senses than just eyesight and clairvoyance that you can utilize.

Raise and direct your energy via movement, your breath, and music. Meditate through automatic writing/drawing, or focus on how energy feels in different locations. Hone your intuition by asking for and noticing observable signs or listening to the voices of spirits and discerning them from your own inner voice.

Over the Hedge Flying Salve

This formula is for a salve to aide in spirit walking, dream work, spirit travel, and visions.

This is an intermediate to advanced process. You can undertake it if you're a beginner, but I, personally, would have been slightly overwhelmed when I was a beginner if I had tried to do this right out the gate, so I'll be labeling it according to that.

Herbs needed:

- Olive or Grapeseed Oil - Beeswax pellets/shavings - 3 tbsp Vervain - 3 tbsp Yarrow - 2 tbsp Bergamot - 2 tbsp Chamomile - 1/4 c. Mugwort

Items/Tools needed:

- Amber Jar + Lid for oil infusion - Metal tin to store salve in - Large Pot - Wax Melting Bowl/Pitcher (Any metal thing that can sit in a pot of water safely. Preferably with a classic handle that can resist heat. What I use for reference.)

The Oil Infusion Process:

Start by making your oil infusion by combining all your herbs into your amber jar, and adding enough of your oil to cover them completely. You'll let this sit for 2-6 weeks-- or if you follow the lunar cycle you can infuse it for a time that is significant to your practice. (I like to personally charge this on my altar during the infusion process.)

Once your infusion has set for the allotted time, drain the herbs through a cheesecloth. (While a strainer can work in a pinch, cheesecloth is best as you can squeeze and really get out all that goodness.) Also, you don't have to use all of the oil you make in this salve. There's more than enough to set aside some and use it for other things. It should keep for a year before it's best to simply make a new batch.

The Salve Process:

Using a 1:3 ration (1 part beeswax to 3 parts oil), measure out your appropriate amount of beeswax and add it to your boiler system to begin the melting process. After the beeswax is melted, add it to your metal tin. (Note: hot wax + cold glass = shattering; if you'd like to use a glass jar for this be mindful of fire and heat safety.) Take your infused oil and add the appropriate amount to the beeswax and mix well. Let this cool and set into a salve like consistency. *Remember to test this out on a small patch of skin first to make sure you have no allergic reactions.

Et voila! You have your flying ointment that should last a year, just as the oil.

Method for ointment making derived from The Crooked Path by Kelden. Formula, however, is my own.

While these herbs are safe to use, do your research and make sure none of these herbs have any effects with any conditions you may have. :)

A little for those days when you feel stuck.

1 black tea bag (I am fond of lapsang souchong when I have it because the smokiness is perfect. But use whatever works best for you!)

Cinnamon chips

Ginger root

Orange peel

Adjust the proportions to suit your taste. I tend to prefer a little more orange peel, but my aunt always preferred a more cinnamon-forward note.

As the tea steeps for 5 minutes, watch the steam for a moment. Say, "Heat to the herb, life to the bone. I'm taking back control, I'm taking back the throne."

Adding honey and milk to your tastes and sip your tea, visualizing pulling yourself out of your rut and breaking through obstacles.

SO I made a bunch of little stones out of air dry clay and painted a sigil on each! I also made a taglock stone for myself that I can just whip out instead of carving my name/birthdate into a candle. The colors all correspond to the sigil meanings 🎨✨

[Alt Title: To Return Negativity (Such as "the Evil Eye" or "the Gaze"]

To protect your home from negativity or unwanted attention originating from a jealous or malicious person, create a baneful Witch’s Bottle to return all negativity to its origin in the form of ill luck and poor health. 

Note: This is not a curse; nor is it a hex/jinx. It is a protective spell with a baneful element. This means that the baneful qualities of this bottle will not be activated unless they are triggered by the actions of someone else. You do not need to know the identity of the person to use this spell; nor do you need to focus this spell on one particular person. It is effective for any and all negative energy and ill wishes. 

Gather:

three cloves of garlic or pearl onions

sea salt

protective herbs, optional (pulverized into a powder)

graveyard dirt or headstone moss, optional

nails, pins, broken glass or needles, optional

a small jar with a lid

red thread, optional

candles for sealing

an awl, candle scribe, nail or other sharp implement for inscribing

Step One: Prepare, cleanse, and awaken your items however you normally would. When ready, inscribe an open eye onto each of the cloves/onions. Remove any peel that obstructs the eye from view. 

Step Two: Place the cloves/onions in a jar and cover them with sea salt. Add any extra herbs, dirt or components you desire for protection. Place the lid on the jar and, if desired, tie the red thread around the jar. Seal with wax. 

🌻 sunflower wreath is on the door (anointed with solar oil ofc)

🌻 sunny scented candles around the apartment

🌻 new batch of solar oil brewing & will be ready by the solstice

🌻 starting a new painting as a sun devotional (& hopefully it will be really cute on my altar!!)