How long do wards last anyway?

That's the question which started an intense and very engaging discussion between three practitioners this evening. If we hadn't been standing in the dark, in the parking lot, shivering in the cold, it would have been glorious. It was the kind of discussion that I like having in a secluded booth in a pub, or in a comfortable island of armchairs at the coffee shop. Some people might want such a conversation in the privacy of their home, or in some other non-public venue, but I actually enjoy the shocked, curious and disturbed looks from "the norms" when a group of diverse and comfortable energy workers start "taking shop". Tonight wasn't quite a "you should have been there when X..." exchange of metaphysical fishing stories, but it was just as fun. But I digress...

The question had been a serious and quite legitimate one. And my initial answer was not particularly helpful, "that depends..." Discussion of wards,their longevity and their maintenance wasn't really the meat of the conversation that followed... magickal paradigms was. You see, what may be a magic that requires constant refreshing and recharging in one paradigm can be as solid and unchanging as a concrete block in another. To know which kind of paradigm you exist in requires that you monitor your spell work and figure it out... unless, of course, you are in a long standing, traditional paradigm, in which case your teachers will probably have those answers for you when you are a neophyte.

From fueling of spells and monitoring of wards we wandered to the difference between magick tied to natural cycles and magick anchored in human patterns. We talked about kabbalah, rune crafting, spirit calling, essential oils, wiccan initiations, druidism, casting circles, banishments, lay lines and more. I've missed having conversations like that. They used to be a regular thing in my life and I can feel the lack.

A shaman, a witch and a dowser walk into a bar...

Wearable Blessings

Haircomb - Amulet

One of the reasons I love making jewelry is because, if it is a practical accessory as well as beautiful, it can be worn almost all the time. Enchanting jewelry, or making amulets and charms in the form of jewelry, is almost my favorite form of magick. Today I've started on a new amulet. It uses visual symbology of spring, colors of growth, and two sigils crafted from Futhark Runes. I call this kind of amulet a "Harvest of Spring's Joy".

My practice of runic magick is based off of the a combination of vibrational theory, sympathetic magick, and the idea of cognitive circuitry. For this discussion I will focus on the vibrational theory aspect of my practice. I will probably talk about the other two aspects of runic magick in other entries.

To me the use of runes is the composition of spiritual music utilizing 25 notes. You can play a single note, strike a chord, or construct a song. The first, a single note, is to put an individual rune onto a purposeful item. When carved in, sanctified and empowered, this allows the item to function with a single/simple purpose. Like a spiritual tuning fork, when set to vibrating any nearby essence with a similar frequency will begin to vibrate, producing the desired effect. I consider these items charms or minor amulets. They are quick, simple and effective.

My second way of working with runes is construction prose or poetry into linked lines of runes. Think of these spells as spell songs or bardic ballads. These are longer, more powerful, and are usually tied to sentimental or emotional items, places or events. I have used this method of spell casting primarily for complex ritual spells in which I want to empower or imbue something with the runic power with a very specific and possibly complex purpose. I do this usually by writing on something to be burned or consumed, or at times temporarily tattoo the runic spell onto myself (usually henna). I use this method for long, LONG term magickal enchantments, such as my wife's and my wedding bands.

My third and most common use for runes is constructing Sigils. Runic sigils are like chords, more complex and powerful than charms or single runes, but not as all encompassing or specific as spell songs. I generally craft my runic sigils from 3, 5 or 7 runes. These constructions, unlike my spell songs which are usually horizontal, are usually vertical in design and are something similar to oriental kanji. The most powerful of my sigils are when I combine runic spellcraft with celtic knotworkings... those take an inordinate amount of time and I have done very few in my life... all of them have been full fledged talismans.

As for the Amulet Haircomb, the two runic sigils repeat five times (for the 4 physical elements plus spirit), one sigil repeated on each tine. The first sigil is composed of the runes Algiz, Wunjo, & Mannaz. Its purpose is to protect one's sense of self, strengthen self esteem, and shelter the inner child. I call this trirune, Alwunjaz. The second sigil is composed of the runes Jera, Gebo, & Wunjo. Its purpose is to make visible the beauty of others, create a sense of community, and empower compassion. I call this trirune, Jerowyn. The trirunes are distributed three on one side and two on the other side of each tine. This means that from either side of the haircomb five trirunes are visible.

Once crafted, the amulet is grounded and energized by being placed in a bowl of salt (tines planted downward), with at least one quartz crystal (preferably 3+) also set in the salt, and set out in the light of the waxing moon for 3 nights. After the three nights, call upon your divinity(ies) and bless/sanctify/empower/seal the amulet. It is now ready for use.

Magick Craft, Art or Tool?

This month I've been reading and re-familiarizing myself with the creation of magickal tools. It is interesting to refresh my understanding of the different category of tools and how they're made/utilized. As with most of these things, different traditions define them different ways... and different "experts" have their own points of view. That is making the reading even more challenging because I am having to rethink my definitions and use of terms, and then make the various paradigms fit together as a workable whole. That's nothing new for me... I'm not exactly a devout traditionalist when it comes to magick.

I draw upon several traditions to do my spellwork. In many ways that weakens the total effectiveness and power of my workings because I don't have a concentrated tradition at my back to fuel my spells. That sounds weird to me at times, "spells", but I could easily replace the term with "intention" or "prayers" or "energy" and it would mean the same thing. I suppose I like using the term of spellcraft or magick-craft because I find it isn't so close to hubris as saying I "bless" or "sanctify" items through prayer and divine will.

As with most faith based effects, the longer and stronger one is steeped in the tradition, the more you can draw upon the combined belief/will/intention of the entire group to fuel your intentions. So, when you're a spiritual, magickal hodgepodge like me, you don't get the benefit of a large faith base to draw upon. Instead, I work with what feels right and resonates with my intention.

That's why I do so much of my working in physical items. I love to make amulets, talismans and charms... and before we go into what the difference of these things are, lets just agree that what we're talking about is the difference between a piece of chalk, a pen and a brush... they all can be used to write with, but they progressively require more refined materials and skill and the results are equally more precise. I can do beaut
iful work with chalks, but creating crisp fine lines isn't something that comes natural to the medium. Pen work is awesome because it allows me precise, crisp work that is exact but lacking in variability and play. Then there are brushes, which must be meticulously maintained and require a lot of practice to use well, but can give me results ranging from the soft blur and blend of chalk to the crisp details of a pen and nearly anything in between. That's how I look at talismans, amulets and charms.

For me charm is something simple, quick, and though effective is not extremely powerful or precise. Charms can be something like a piece of hematite you put in your pocket to ground out negativity. They require little skill to make and even less to use. They aren't, however, very useful for specific intentions or tasks beyond the basics (grounding, focusing, deflecting, attracting, etc).

An amulet, to me, is more purposeful, crafted using specific techniques and with very focused intention. It might be carving protection runes into a pendant, or might be writing all the names of the arch angels on the hem of a stole to help discourage evil influences, or it might be an entire inlay of knotwork around the rim of a bowl to help focus intention during divination. Like pens, amulets create very specific results which are strong, clear and intentional.

Talismans are the top of the line magickal tools. They require a combination of the skills and materials one uses for charms and amulets, but then go beyond it. Depending upon the practitioner's paradigm, they may require the infusion of personal power, or the housing of a spirit, or maybe the awakening of the item itself. Talismans rock, but aren't something to be created and discarded or ignored... to me, creation of a talisman is like the adoption of a pet or the nurturing of a garden... it should not be done callously and is a responsibility once created because for a practitioner, it has a kind of life or essence all its own.

I primarily work at the amulet level. Something with a specific purpose or intention that required my skills to create... but is, in the end, just a pen or cell phone or article of clothing. But, occasionally, I do create talismans... as you might think by my prior explanations, I don't do this lightly. Most of my "talismans" were not, in fact, made by me... but by others who either did so specifically for me or created them in hopes another practitioner would recognize them and adopt them (or be adopted by them). Thinking back, I believe I've only made 3-4 all total in the 30+ years I've considered myself a practitioner. I still have all of them... even the guardian talisman I made for my first home... it has moved with my family and will move to any place we call home until it is either destroyed or I die. My latest talisman is my summoning drum, which, again, will travel with me for the rest of my life.

I haven't done a lot of magick craft for years... but I'm returning to it... and I already have a few amulet designs crowding in my head. I love making amulets which function as something more than magickal tools... I like to create art and practical items that live a double life... kind of like Bruce Wayne & Batman... what most people encounter is the Bruce Wayne persona of my items... but the people in the know get to work with Batman! My favorite creations are hair pieces. Yep, you read that right, hair pieces. I love making hair combs, pins, clips, etc. Items which serve all three purposes... they are pieces of art which serve a practical purpose and happen to be crafted with some spiritual mojo to top them off. I', sad that I no longer wear my hair long (because it has thinned too much as I approach 50 to look good long) because I loved wearing hair wands. These days I only make them for my wife and friends... but that's fun too, because I get to see my creations enriching the lives of others... and that rocks!