The Lords of Yule: The Three Pagan Kings, Magi, Majii, Los Tres Reyes Magos, and Wise men by Jose Prado

Note: The Paranormal Corner is made up of different people of many faiths. Disrespecting the writers and their viewpoints will not be tolerated.

I ask that all things be considered when reading this article and add that if you do not like the subjects of this article, save yourself the time by simply not reading it.

Every year in Miami, Fl a Parade is held on the 6th of January in honor of Los Tres Reyes Magos (The Three Magi Kings). It is a tradition from a much older Christian European tradition aligned with the original date for Christmas and the Epiphany. But who were the Magi? Why is so little spoken about them on Christmas? Why all the mystery? What reasons would modern Christians have to fear their history when it so intricately fits into the old and new testament? The Magi are perhaps the most enigmatic and important people of the Bible with a religious tradition going back since before the time of Christ. To know these things, one must open mindedly search for the truth among not only the ancient records, but the modern mages of today to know the whole story. The story of the Magi is the mostly unexplored history of today's Magicians.

Tradition holds that the Magi were Pagan Kings of Persia (Iran), India, and Babylonia (sometimes Arabia rather than Babylonia). Their names were Gaspar, Balthazar, and Melchior. But there are all manner of contradictory information on the Magi not only from religious tradition but by secular and Biblical scholars alike. Some scholars believe they all came from Persia and were Priests of the Medes. Some scholars even claim much to the shock and disgust of Christians, that the Magi who visited Christ were a secret sect created by the Prophet Daniel during the time that Hebrews were enslaved in Persia.

His apprentice was a Pagan Prophet named Baalam in some sources, who continued the lineage of Hebrew Polytheism (Paganism) inside the Persian Polytheist lineage. It should also be noted that the word Magi from Persian Magus once also was used for a Median tribe. (*) Whatsoever the history, Magi were and are still real as even today there are Kurds who claim to descend from the original Magi and the title is still used by magical priests in other countries and in Pagan traditions including solitary Pagans unaffiliated with lineages. Though tradition mentions the names of only Three (possibly the leaders), they were most likely attended to by larger groups of Priests and possibly Priestesses, apprentices, scholars, philosophers, and many more including warriors. The belief that there were only three Magi comes from their names being revealed in tradition.

Possibly because they were very well known in their day and so when the story of Yeshua would be read or told everyone knew who they were. However their names were not revealed until later centuries though in Folklore (the history of the people themselves carried by generations) the same three names almost unchanged except for being translated, appears over and over again.

Even in the Bible, the number of Magi is never mentioned. They were Mages or Magicians (hence the term Magi), Masters of Witchcraft who knew the Arts well and who were able to foretell things by looking into the Stars (Astrology). The original translation of the word Magi originates from the Indo-Persian 'Magh' which means powerful, wealthy, and gifted.

The reason behind this is simply because they were powerful or gifted in the magical arts and also because they were so commanding politically and culturally that they became their own class of Nobles. They were slightly more powerful than regular nobles as they had the ability later on to choose the King in power in Persia. However, modern Mages have expressed to me that they were not exclusively Persian because a Mage can be found in any religion under various names and in the Middle East, at that time, they say the religious world was so interconnected that Magi were found in different countries. Though Persia was obviously where they were the most powerful, Babylonia was a close second. Baalam recorded the legend of the Messiah from Daniel to pass it down to new generations of Magi for them to prepare for the worship and discipleship under Christ.

So for all we know there may have been Magi in the ranks of Yeshua's own followers. Others argue the tradition is correct and that they all came from three different countries. The sign of the Hebrew God sending down the Messiah was seen by all three in their perspective countries (or same country). But we know from history records that people in many countries saw the phenomenon.

This phenomenon leads them to embark on a quest across the lands and countries of the middle-east to find the Jewish Messiah (1).  They would have needed enough supplies to last them for many days to travel so far and reach Yeshua. This journey may have taken several months. One thing of note here is that scholars today will argue that they were not real Kings; they may have been called Kings because they were Enlightened Masters, living as Saints on Earth such as the Buddhas, Gurus or Saints of the Sikhs and are today regarded by many as Ascended Masters in Heavenly realms. Conversely, if Magi were already a more powerful class of Nobles then the Magi being called Kings may have been a sign that they were at the top of the hierarchy of their order.  Scholars now think they were Zoroastrians, the early forefathers of modern day Gnosticism. Other scholars think they evolved from an off shoot of Zoroastrianism. This would further explain why they were interested not only in meeting Yeshua but in worshipping him.

Gnostics believe that all religions were once one religion (originally a spiritual science handed down to humanity by the Gods), and that in this ancient faith, all Gods were worshiped and all magic was practiced. They believe in supreme Gods known as the Godhead. They further believed that Yahweh also known as Bythos the Creator of all other Gods and creatures was one of the Highest Deities of the Godhead. Zoroastrians identified this Deity as Ahura Mazda (The Wise Lord); the same God as Yahweh or Allah in Muslim tradition.

If these are the forefathers of Gnosticism then they more than likely held similar beliefs. Thus the Messiah was considered to be the Messiah for all religious groups, not just the Jews but even for at least some of the Pagans of the time. This is not surprising as Pagans in many cultures had Messiahs that ranged from; Horus, Dionysus, Mithra, and many others.

Even some Buddhists view Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha) as a type of Messiah brought to free the world from Samsara. This new Messiah was just the most recent in an already long established line of saviors. Clearly, the story of the Hebrew Messiah was also well known to other parts of the Middle East. Because they were Zoroastrian mages, they would've been well educated about many Gods and magic and therefore knew the Christ God was coming to Earth. All followers on both sides who claim that Paganism and Christianity do not mix, must reevaluate in lieu of this information and remember that God sent Pagan Mages and Priests to bestow gifts and worship Christ as a newborn child. He then revealed the signs in the sky to lead them to the newborn child.

Would Yahweh really send people he would view as 'ungodly' or 'blasphemous' to visit his son? To me, that just doesn't make any sense. That's like God sending Devil Worshipers to give Yeshua gifts. He also displayed signs that any Magician would recognize as mystical. That confirms his support for Astrology. Nowhere in the Bible does Yahweh ever say he does not approve of them.

The Magi's original trip was cut short when Yahweh entered their dreams and warned them of King Herod's attempts at trying to Kill Yeshua as a newborn. They stopped the journey in the home of Herod, the Roman appointed King of Israel (2). This is a testament to their importance. Either they were real Kings or they were Kings in their own right for being Magicians and Enlightened Masters. Only someone of that level of importance could have entered the Palace of Herod.

When they communicated with Herod that the Messiah would be born he feared for his rule. The Messiah had to be of pure Royal blood according to the Prophecy. Furthermore, a divinity sent by Yahweh himself would already have more power than the Roman appointed ruler. Herod however was crafty and he told them "When you find the Messiah, please inform me of his whereabouts so that I may worship him along with you."

His ultimate plan was to murder the Messiah and prevent him from ever being a threat. But when Yahweh warned them in dreams, of Herod's plot, they split up and hid for two years so that Herod would not follow them to Yeshua. Here we have a Dream Interpretation that God participated in. If using Magic and Interpreting dreams is a 'sin' that would mean Yahweh participated in a sin willingly. The fact that God did this is proof sorcery is not a sin.

The idea that this activity might be a sin springs from Emperor Constantine when he rewrote the Bible. But I digress. The Magi did not find Yeshua until two years later when he was in his toddler years. When Herod found out the Magi had vanished he flew into a rage and demanded that every newborn male child in Jerusalem had to be killed. The Archangel Gabrielle (Hebrew) or Jibriel (Arabic) warned Josef and Maryam (3) of the slaughter and they moved away to a land called Nazareth.

There they stayed in Nazareth until the holy archangel told them to return. Finally, when they did, the Magi found them. An important thing to note is that scientists think the Star of Bethlehem phenomenon may have happened more than once. There are even ancient records to prove it. Could another such phenomenon created by Yahweh have led the Magi Kings back to Yeshua? Perhaps someday we will know for sure.

Mystical Christians today have formed the Eternal Order of the Magi, where they train and teach disciples for enlightenment. The idea of the Magi and their pre- Gnostic teachings are passed down through initiation and discipleship into the Order.

You can join the society if you are interested. In Europe, Cunning Folk or Witches would advise people to draw the initials CBM near doors and windows to keep out evil spirits as a warding amulet. These initials, CBM represent the following; Caspar (the Anglicized name of Gaspar), Balthazar, and Melchior. In NOLA Hoodoo this is done before or after New Years to prevent bad spirits from entering. I can personally testify to the great power that ensues by using and invoking their names in magic. I have even called on the Magi in several of my magical workings and when I took an apprentice for the first time; I realized my student had a strong connection to the Magi when she prayed, but that is a story for another Yule.

These powerful spiritual beings who rule this time of year, The Magi, are among the sacred Lords of Yule/Sol Invictus/Saturnalia/Christmas. They are known for bestowing blessings upon the needy (4) , ensuring that through the dark time of the year the dead can visit their loved ones (5), and allowing those who must leave this realm to cross over.

The Day sacred to the Magi is January 6th, also known as the Festival of the Three Kings, The Festival of the Magi, or the Festival of the three Magi Kings is celebrated by Christian Witches and by the Cuban Christian community (both by Catholics and non-Catholics) both in North America and Cuba.; Christians Witches are also known as Mystical Christians. In Miami, Florida, the Cuban people have a great Festival with men dressed as the Magi Kings in the streets, reenacting the events of the Magicians finding Yeshua. The festival in tradition does not end until January 11th. Both 6 (Hexagram, Star of David) and 11 (The Master number) are important numbers in numerology.  The feast was clearly an important one for many of the European Magoi. One wonders if they ever suspected the prominent spiritual role they had in store for them 2000 years after their deaths.

Notes:
(*)
I've come to suspect that many tribes started out not as nations or tribes but as spiritual orders. The Gypsies, for instance, claim St. Sara the Egyptian (or Sara La Kali who is a Gnostic Christian Saint and Priestess) is their direct blood ancestor. The Gypsies started out as Christian Hebrews and Egyptian Christian converts who followed Sara and her mother Maryam of Magdala (Mary Magdalene) along with St. Marta and St. Lazarus who Gnostic legend says came to France where they were greeted by Pagan Shamans and became respected members of the community. Centuries later the Jett people from Northern India and Pakistan came to Europe to escape the war between Afghanistan and their own country. They mixed with Shamans who by that time were descended of both Europeans and Sara's people. Because she had come from Kemet or Egypt they were later called Gypsies.

The most prominent genetic marker of all Gypsies is the one linking them to the Jett people. Of course to be fair, Sara and her people were a minority that was quickly absorbed by the French Pagan majority. Jett refugees came in untold numbers, to Europe, based on the genetic evidence from the Gypsies/Rome/Romany. They could actually really be descendants of Egyptians and Hebrews as well. Quite simply, the Jett gene is easier to prove because they absorbed the original two groups.

The point is, we saw how two religious groups merged into one tribe which then merged with another group of people. The reason why some of the Medes may have been called Magi could be due to the possibility that they all started as Magicians who then formed a tribe and became a Magician tribe like the original Gypsies (though many Gypsies of today have turned their back on their Folk Faith and don't even want to be called Gypsies instead preferring Rome).

(1)
The majority of the Jewish community does not believe Yeshua of Nazareth was the Messiah. Although smaller groups known as Messianic Jews or simply "Jews for Jesus" do acknowledge him as the Christ. They practice a type of revival of Yeshua's original Judeo-Christian version of his teachings; although some are more original to the source than others. See Gnostic Christianity, Esoteric Christianity, and the Kabbalah.

(2)
The Romans had conquered Syria Palaestina, or Palestine as we call it today, (there were many Kingdoms in this land including Israel, the whole country was not Israel) they set up a brutal military occupation (much like Palestine today) and brutalized the population. This continued to the extent of performing mass executions of anyone deemed a rebel. Herod, a noble, who saw his opportunity to seize control appealed to Emperor Octavian, the first Emperor of Rome, convincing him that under his leadership Israel would bow down to the Romans and to their Emperor. Augustus Octavian agreed and placed Herod as the false King. In reality St. Josef, Yeshua's human Father, was a direct descendant of the Kings of Israel. He had the true claim with scrolls in the Hebrew Libraries proving his Royal lineage.

Because he was St. Josef’s foster son (or real son if you do not believe in his divinity) Yeshua would have had the true claim to the throne. This lineage is the reason Herod wanted him dead. Herod wanted to eliminate the competition. The initials I.N.R.I.  are on the Cross of Christ for this reason; The Romans put it on the cross. In Latin the words of each initial are Iēsus Nazarēnus, Rēx Iūdaeōrum or "Yeshua of Nazareth, King of the Jews."

(3)
In this post I am using the actual historical names of the figures and places. Not the Anglicized or modern names; this is to avoid further stealing the people and their significance from their culture. See, Cultural Appropriation and Cultural Misappropriation.

(4)
Santa Claus is really a mixed concept. There is no such thing as just one Yule Lord. Different people expect different beings to arrive to them on this time of year. Some believe it is the Magi and others still think it is La Befana (The Giver of Gifts) their friend who was a Roman Hedge witch. In China they have their own version of a spiritual being that looks upon the sinners and the virtuous and reports what they have done to the Divine Emperor for either rewards or punishments. The Norse Heathens who worship the Aesir (Heavenly Gods) and Vanir (Earthly Gods) believe Odin and Thor are the ones who comes forth baring gifts to the faithful. For Christians, it is St. Nicholas of Myra (Bari) who does this. For Greek worshipers of the Theoi (Gods) it is Poseidon.

Sometimes the Magi or someone else will be the one to bestow the Gifts. Also, the 'gifts' are not to be taken literally. The Yule Lords bestow gifts spiritually. For a witch it may be magic, for a poor family it may be prosperity, for a lonely person it may be love, and for a sickly person it may be health. The Yule Lords, including Nicholas never really gave physical gifts. That tradition of receiving physical gifts comes from giving a person a gift of cloths on Yule to ward off the Yule Cat: a Demonic Black Cat as big as a horse in some stories that preys on the poor.  It's a Demonic familiar of a Hag (demon witch) named Frau Percha.

The act of having a physical gift brings prosperity which wards it off. It also comes from a group of Nuns from France who in the 1100's were inspired by the story of St. Nicholas and the destitute daughters, and chose the 6th night of December (coinciding with Pagan celebrations still celebrated on this day) to feed the poor by leaving them food in their used stockings. These are things humans do, not spirits. These are the origins of the Christmas stockings still used today.

(5)
The Dark Time of Year, starts from October and does not truly end till February. Modern peoples of the world think that the Veil closes after Samhain (Halloween). This is far from the truth. Samhain is where it truly begins. The Interdimensional doorways do not close until the festival of Imbolg in February. The Dead remain with us until then and scores of other worldly creatures remain on Earth until then as well. These remaining creatures range from Faeries, Angels, and even Demons to name but a few. This includes Human souls and the occasional alternate universe creature; not a spirit but an entity such as an animal that does not truly belong in this Universe. There are even stories of people from our world venturing off into other worlds through these unseen boundaries. Sometimes they come back with a hell of a story to tell and other times they simply vanish never to return. This is the time of year ruled by the Winter Court or Dark Faeries.
Read also "Why ghosts haunt England at Christmas but steer clear of America" at
http://theconversation.com/why-ghosts-haunt-england-at-christmas-but-steer-clear-of-america-34629

Bibliography:
Indiana University, “Star of Bethlehem may have been planets Jupiter and Venus”
Article distributed by Indiana University News Room, http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/1203.html Published, December 16, 2003

Pravmir.com - Orthodoxy and the World, “Feasts. Calendar; The Magi”
Article distributed by Pravmir.com - Orthodox Christianity and the World, http://www.pravmir.com/printer_145.html Published, December 31, 2006

D.M. Murdock/Acharya S, “The Star in the East and Three Kings”
Article distributed by Stellar House Publishing, http://www.stellarhousepublishing.com/star-east-three-kings.html Published, January, 2015

Original Christmas Gift, “The Magi”
Article distributed by OriginalChristmasGift.com, http://www.originalchristmasgift.com/gpage.html

Jeanne K. Hanson, “The Star of Bethlehem: The History, Mystery, and Beauty of the Christmas Star”
Book distributed by Jeanne K. Hudson, Published by: Hearst Books Published, October 1, 1994


Bishop Katia, “Mages – The Magi in the Bible”
Article distributed Katia, Published by: Katia’s Esoteric Christianity Blog; Inner Christian Teachings and Mysteries, http://www.northernway.org/weblog/?p=868 Published, October 5, 2013

Bishop Katia, “Day of the Magi, January 6 has Esoteric Meaning”
Article distributed Katia, Published by: Katia’s Esoteric Christianity Blog; Inner Christian Teachings and Mysteries, http://www.northernway.org/weblog/?p=7 Published, January 4, 2007

CBS Miami, “Three Kings Parade”
Articles distributed CBS Miami, Published by: CBS Miami, http://miami.cbslocal.com/tag/three-kings-parade/

"History of the Medes, (Magi and Enchanters of Old)”
Article distributed taroscopes.com, Published by: taroscopes.com, http://www.taroscopes.com/miscellanous-pages/medes.html

Chuck Missler, “Who Were the Magi?”
Article distributed Chuck Missler, Published by: L. Dolphin/Koinonia House Ministries  http://www.ldolphin.org/magi.html Published, November 1999

How to make a Guardian Altar by Jose Prado

From Blogger Nellie, of Paper Blog.com. An Ancestral altar she made from a combination of several traditions including the Day of the Dead tradition in Mexico. Her original post may be found here : http://en.paperblog.com/the-ancestor-altar-87785/

For those serious about working with magick the first step is working with your Guardian Spirits. In many religious systems, this is something that is pivotal to magickal or spiritual workings. The First step if you have not done so is to acknowledge your spirit guides. Many clients have asked me "Why didn't my guides protect me?" It's because our guardians cannot interfere with our free will. We must ask them to intercede for us. First acknowledge them by means of an Affirmation (statement of power you say out loud, the forerunner to a spell) here's a general way of doing it. 

Visualization and Affirmation of your spirit Guides

Visualize not only your Guardian Angels, but your Ancestor Spirits, Nature Spirits, Animal Familiars and Totems. Everyone has a small Army of different spirits to help them out not just one species or race but many. Even Guardian Ghosts. Like Ancestors, or people who died in the same hospital you were born in, people from another life that knew you and loved you and so on. But since most people are grounded in just one faith they tend not to see all the different Spirit protectors and helpers they have. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge them all. Once you visualize them around you, say out loud: 

"I call upon thee my
Guardian Spirits, Animal Totems and Familiars, Celestials, Elementals, Guardian Dead, Animal Guides and Totems, Familiars, protectors, teachers, and all Benevolent and Loving Spirit sent out to me by the God and the Goddess to help and take care of me. By the Benevolent Rulers of the Multiverse I acknowledge you, awaken you, and activate you into service and ask the Divine Masters of Heaven and Earth to give to you instructions, powers, energies, and strengths to help me out in any way, shape, or form I may need or is available to me. By the God and the Goddess, Amen."

You should feel a surge of energy being released once you do that and then you'll see and feel them not to mention hear them. They will help you in all you need. Just be sure to visualize a cloak (a wall of energy that makes you invisible) hiding you when you do it, imagine it is also a wall of silence and shadow that blocks out anything that is not your guides. That way you won’t attract any un-wanted spiritual attention. You'll be fine. Once you do that, it's time to make an Altar. Make an altar specifically for them. 

Type in your birth date on this site and you'll know the name of your Ruling Angel. It will tell you who that Angel is and what he does. It will also tell you how to make an altar for that Angel: 

http://www.angelhaven.com/aod/

This will tell you which Archangel of the week (Saturday, Sunday etc) is your guide. Once you do that, look up your Star Sign or Zodiac sign Angel here:

http://www.sarahsarchangels.com/zodiac.html

Then finally, your Angel of the Month you were born in here:

http://www.mysticfamiliar.com/library/angels/Angel_of_the_Month.html

If you know the hour that you were born, go on here:

http://www.circle-of-light.com/Angels/angelsnthings.html

All the way at the bottom of that page you’ll see which Angel rules the hour you were born on.

Once you make the Altar, place a glass of water there and out loud say:

“I dedicate this Creature of water to the service of all my spiritual Guardians. In the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, Amen"

Or modify according to your beliefs.

Clean the Altar and replace the Altar’s water every Sunday or
Monday. Before night. This will make you strong. Never, and I mean never tell anyone the names of any of your Guardians. Doing so puts you in danger. People can cast spells on you and even control you if you're not careful.

Don’t even tell them the nicknames you’ve given to them. And when you are going to commune with them in front of other people do so telepathically or empathically. They can read your minds and emotions and will be able to know what you want them to do. Offer your Guardians white candles (Tea Lights or Church candles depending on the Altar) and incense every night. This candle’s energy will feed them every night.

The reason you need the water is because it's a spiritual conduit. Some of your guides will be stuck as compressed energy, unable to move or asleep until you offer them the conduit. This will allow them to awaken and move about to do their job better. The water also cleanses and blesses you and them. So it is important to clean that Altar and wash the glass and refill it with new water every Sunday or Monday before 12am. That way you won’t be full of compressed or dirty energy since the water also soaks away all of the negativity you’ve accumulated since the past week. 

Now, in Santeria (Cuba’s version of Voodoo and Hoodoo) we usually use a special stone called Piedra De Alumbre (Rock of Illumination) to feed and give light to the Dead and to the Guides by placing it in the Altar’s water. However, it dissolves in water and then you have to go out and buy more. So on that first website Angel Haven.com which told you the name of the Angel of the day of the week you were born on it will show you the incense, colors, and stones that are sacred to that Archangel. Those are some of the main components of your Altar. Use whatever stone is sacred to that Angel to feed and give light to your guides. 

Cheaper than buying Piedra de Alumbre and far more effective. But, if it's a metal oar like Michael's (hematite) use Angelite, it’s a stone that facilitates communication between a person and their Guardians. Put a few rocks in there for them to Ground themselves as well. Let them know that's what the rocks are for. Grounding is a technique for connecting to the Earth to drain un-needed or impure energy that you are filled with.

It is also used to stay ‘grounded’ or connected to the Earth in special rituals or spells to help protect you from spirits that may seek to attack you while you are in a trance. So this will allow them to be safe in case someone tries to steal your spirit guides (yes that is possible) and the loss of one’s spirit guides leads to insanity among other things). More on grounding later.

Put in 4 rocks for Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. The Illumination Stone you choose will represent the 5th Element, Spirit. You need to place a small dish of Sea Salt to represent the Earth, A white feather for Air, the Conduit takes care of water, Candle takes care of fire, and incense will be Spirit and as before use the incense sacred to your Archangel. Now you have a balanced Altar. Make, the dish a bronze, gold, or silver plated dish. You should also look up the Deities who rule the day you were born on.

Once you know the day of the week you were born on, you can look up the God or Goddess who rules that day of the week. There are, many all over the world so it will not be possible to know them all but to know the Norse and Greco-Roman Deities you fall under (based on the Day you were born) please visit this site.

   http://www.crowl.org/lawrence/time/days.html
 

To see which Orisha or Santero Deity/Deities you may fall under please visit this site:

http://webspace.webring.com/people/af/fraterthiosalp/theorishas.txt

In Santeria it’s a little more difficult to know the Orisha you fall under and you usually need to pay a Santero High Priest or Babalawo (Father of the Mysteries or Father in the knowledge of things material and spiritual.) $50 to do a special Divination with cowry shells to know which of the Deities you fall under. You might have a strong kinship with one Orisha and then it turns out that you fall under a totally different Orisha altogether. 

Now for the best piece of information: Your Guides can do almost ANYTHING as long as you remember to ask. Spirits can’t intercede on our behalf because we have free will. The only way they can do things for us is when we ask them to like:  I need help; this is what I need you to do. They are your family, friends, body guards, and army. Ask of them as you will but beware. Never ask them to do evil. Just as we have good guides, we also have neutral and Evil guides as well. 

Asking for something selfish or evil will awaken the bad ones. If that, happens you almost certainly have automatically pledged your allegiance to Hell which means they own your soul after that. You won’t find that in any book. I found that out because one of my first teachers was an ex-Satanist and that is what the group he was once a part of told him. Also my Godmother in Santeria told me that it was true that we had bad guides as well and that she would never even mention the name of hers because he was so violent he could actually cause physical harm to a person she was angry with. 

Never use the bad guides and if you ever seek justice, ask your Deities and Archangel to handle it directly, never your guides. When you need something like a job, or something low level that does not require the aid of a Divinity, ask your guides to help you and then light the candle as an offering. I frequently ask them to intercede for me to have help in finances, speaking to the spirit guides of potential employers to put in a good word for me, or just getting me things I want that do not violate free will. I won’t always get what I ask for however so I always ask that if I do not get what I want that I be given the equivalent or something better. It works.

It’s all a matter of faith and asking your guides to intervene for you. I also evaluate whether the problem I have is an important matter that I need to pray to the Gods and Goddesses for or if it’s something not so important that I can just ask my guides for. It’s always important to ask yourself if it’s a matter for your guides or Gods and if you’re not sure pray and meditate until you know for sure.

You can now fully communicate with them in visions or visualizations, or in dreams. Sometimes you'll hear and see them so clearly it's as though they were physically there. This is a special meditation to help you meet and access them, at anytime that some of the Lightworkers (Magick users who devote their life to helping the world) have developed :

http://thespiritualway_lightworkers.m.webs.com/site/mobile?dm_path=%2Fangelicrealms.htm&fw_sig_session_key=a972888895ab9c6a7f794e3f512e863e8c2d28d710e843fafe625a71346ec139-11461023&fw_sig_is_admin=0&fw_sig=3aab5e8ee66187f3bf061be70c3b8072&fw_sig_premium=0&fw_sig_api_key=522b0eedffc137c934fc7268582d53a1&fw_sig_time=1347987023576&fw_sig_permission_level=0&fw_sig_social=1&fw_sig_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freewebs.com%2Fthespiritualway_lightworkers%2F&fw_sig_site=11461023&fw_sig_access_token=755e3fa4a7e0e884f935ea47772c616a0489e26&fw_sig_tier=0&fw_sig_permissions=none&fb_sig_network=fw#3323

Guardian Stones

A Guardian stone (a stone that for whatever reason matches your energy vibrations) is a type of Nature Guide to protect you) you won’t find that in any  book that I'm aware of, my stone spoke telepathically to me and compelled me to buy him when I first met him. Your Guide Stone will be multipurpose to you and you alone unless you bump into somebody who coincidentally has the same kind of guide. That means this stone or stones will do things for you that for another they wont do. They become multipurpose stones as far as you’re concerned. You can use them for anything. 

I do not know whether or not there are more Guide Stones out there. So far I have only felt that connection with one. Again, tell no one which of the stones matches your vibrations for that information can be used against you. From what the spirits told me it’s hard to use your own stone against you but I like to take caution in all things. You can use them for just about everything there is for you to do magickally.

 Last but not least you need to learn Grounding, Cleansing, and Sealing. 

After all Magick Workings

When you have just cast a spell or done a powerful ritual like a spirit summoning or exorcism, you have generated a large amount of magickal, spiritual, and physical energy that you now need to dispose of. If you don't the consequences are many but here are the three main consequences I have encountered: 

1) Too much un-used energy in your body will light up you like a Roman candle and spirits and other magick users, will be able to see you. I don't think I need to explain further what the ramifications of this is. It is dangerous, very dangerous and you would remain open to other spirits or energies. And even the nice ones can play nasty tricks on you sometimes. 

2) All this pent up energy can cause physical conditions like the body over heating, being too hyper, heightened emotions where you can say or do something you'll regret later (like being drunk on power) and when you sober up you'll realize it only too late. This can also cause mild to severe headaches, nausea and diarrhea, not to mention insomnia. 

3) You can accidently hurt someone and yourself. When that much power is coursing through your veins, literally anything can happen. If you say "Go to Hell!" You might actually curse someone or even hurt them because of the level of power you currently hold. Likewise if you are jealous of someone else, even without saying anything your subconscious mind will channel that power within you to hurt someone else. Maybe break them up with their significant other, or try to cause them to commit suicide and many other terrible things. 

And if you are naturally paranoid, keeping that energy bottled up can cause you to become more paranoid and even curse yourself by accident.

That is why one must be careful when using magick and never use it if you are sick, emotionally unbalanced, or under stress. When you are super charged with that much power even making a joke can speak something into existence and alter your reality. So Grounding is Paramount. To do this you go bare foot under a tree, place your feet on the dirt of the tree and ask the tree to remove all un-needed and impure energies or substances from you. Then imagine your toes turn into tree roots (alternatively you can do this with your hands too) and connect to the Earth then say "All un-needed energies and impurities, be sent to Mother and Father Earth for purification so mote it be!" This will drain the energies from you.

 Just be sure not too drain out too much you can make yourself sick and tired like that. That's why you ask only for those un-needed and impure things to be driven from you. But those pure and needed energies need to remain or you could die at worst or be sick at best. Once this is done the roots will turn back into your fingers and toes again or you'll know in your heart that it's done and you will be able to change them back into fingers and toes using pure will without another visualization. Make sure you have water to offer the tree when you're done and thank him or her with it. 

On another note those energies will be purified by Earth and sent to someone else when the time comes to help them. So you're also helping someone across the world which brings you good Karma at the same time. Now go drink a glass of water as a Seal to help close up those channels you opened up with your ritual or spell.  In Santeria as well as Trinidadian Folk Magick its customary to drink room temperature water after finishing a magickal working to seal or close it, pray over the water like this: 

"Sacred water of healing and life by (whatever divinity you worship) be blessed to cleanse, heal, and bless me and to close whatever doorways or channels I have spiritually or magickally opened until the time comes when I need them opened again. Amen." 

Once you drink it, you will be cleansed, blessed, healed, and those doorways and channels you’ve opened will be closed all at once. Until you need to open them again that is. That way nothing will be able to get at you via those channels or doors now closed. There are many ways to do this but I like to do it like that because its more efficient and gets the job done right. The first time you Ground do it under a tree but after it's been done once under a tree you can ground anywhere. 

But the traditional way is the best way to do it. Blessing the water you’re going to drink should be done before you even start grounding. That way you're not powering up again for another spell because you did it before hand. You can ask three of your Guardians to aid you in this too. One will ground you, the other cleanses you, and the third will close the un-needed spiritual and magickal doors for you.

 It's always important to do these before bed. It will make you safer in sleep. Be sure to bless the water against harmful entities, energies, and intentions so it can protect you also. And visualize the water being enchanted with positive energy to replace the negative energy you removed from yourself for whatever you banish you must replace with something. Otherwise if you banish negativity and leave the void open that negativity will return to you three fold or more.

 So positively charge the water when you bless it with your prayers or affirmations. And you should be set on your journey to the Craft. 

The Spring Festivals of Imbolc

This entry is from Jose Prado, thank you Jose for another most interesting entry in the Paranormal Corner. Note even though this entry contains instruction for a spell The Paranormal Corner do not endorse uses of spells and are hear by not responsible for any effects or use of the instructions in this entry.

The ancient Celts (peoples of Scotland, Ireland, and even some parts of England and the Iberian Peninsula) believed the year and seasons (like all things) existed as a Circle. A Cycle of life and death with no end similar to to the Gnostic concept of the Ouroboros, the serpent who devours his own tail. The Celtic wheel of the year is symbolized by the eight armed sun cross, a symbol sacred to many cultures from Native Americans, Norse peoples, to Gypsies. In fact the Gypsy flag is an eight armed carriage wheel representing their caravans from times past when they (as well as other mystic nomads like the Irish Tinkers) used them for travel.

Currently we fall under Imbolc, the Celtic spring festival. Now, the day changes by year based on atmospheric conditions, but many modern Pagans who do not have time (or in my case, lack the skill) to determine the proper conditions for when to celebrate this feast choose the designated St. Brighid's day (February 1st). St. Brighid is the Christian name of the Goddess who's original names some say were Brigantia (the most high) and Briganti, an ancient Goddess worshipped by the Celts and Gauls (ancient French peoples) and eventually adopted by the Romans.

The word Imbolc is old Gaelic for "in the belly" the season when various animals including the Ewes became Pregnant. In our Cosmology, this is because the Horned Lord (the God force, creator of all) and his wife the Radient Lady (The Goddess, Creatrix of all) mate and upon Imbolc gives birth to Spring. Similar to the idea of the New Year being symbolized by a new born baby. This is where it comes from. Many have tried to synchronize the Horned Lord with Kerrunos or Pan, the Radiant One with Persephone or Brighid but in reality we don't know much about them.

Though future advances in Archaeology and Anthropology could yield fruit in the days to come. And if that fails we have no shortage of Re- constructionists who zealously attempt the recreation of the Old Religion. While Imbolc is popular among Celtic oriented Pagans, one can find various Spring holidays dedicated to many Deities other than Brighid.

The Norse Goddess, Idun and the Greco-Roman Goddess Persephone. Not to mention (we must not leave out) the male aspect to the season such as the Kemetan (ancient Egyptian) God Khepri who brings about renewal and rebirth , or Leshi the Slavic God of nature from the Ukraine. The Eastern European version of the Green Man. One needs both the male and female aspects of nature to understand and correctly channel the energies of this day.

This is also the time to say farewell to the dead as Samhain (sow-en) and Yule (the Winter Solstice) are now over and it is time for the dead to rest and return to their own realm for us to move on with our lives. It is because off this, that doing a little spiritual spring cleaning (as well as the physical variety) is in order. Remove all you find that you do not use and has no sentimental value to you. Which includes former ways of thinking and old energies you no longer need.

This is where spring cleaning comes from. So get out a trash bag and be sure to throw out anything that can not be used or recycled or donate it to charity. By doing so you are clearing yourself of old, unwanted energy. Just be sure to ring a bell nine times over it or pass it through incense smoke (if it's cloths, wash it) to loose the old energy up and make it nice and clean before giving it to someone else. You do not want to give someone bad or stale energy.

Once you've done that now is the time to clean your home which includes moping and sweeping the floors. In magical tradition, Pagans would use enchanted besom brooms and use them to clear out negative forces. The fact that they were once made with stalks of Lithe only made them stronger. After sweeping the negativity out of your home it's time to mop the floors with a consecrated liquid. In Hoodoo (the folk magick of Voodoo) we use a variety of different potions or plant extracts. The most used is called Chinese Floor Wash and will cleanse and bless the area. Another option is holy water mixed with sea salt, lavender, and white flower petals.

Then to purify the air one must light either a stick of Uncrossing incense or Frankincense-Myrrh to banish the old energy and bring in good energy. Now you are ready to perform your ritual for Spring. The following ritual can be applied to any religion. Mine (since I am Gnostic) combines Celtic religion with Vodoun religion. I see all faiths as one so I don't need some fanatic coming in to annoy me with their Gospel of what they were raised or taught to believe 'genuine' Celtic or Vodoun practices are. This also contains Witchcraft so you will be practicing magick from both religions.

If you are a male, use only female Deities because as a man one have the energy of Gods inside. But women doing this should only call on Gods since they have Goddess energy in them. You can either call on the Cailleach Bheur (old blue lady) or Maman Brigitte to send away the old energy. The Cailleach is the old Crone Goddess of Europe, Maman Brigette is the Goddess of Healing and Death. Wife of the Cemetery God, Baron Samedi (or Ghede). You can also either call on Brighid or Asherah (the Canaanite nature Goddess, feminine aspect of God) or whoever you like to work with in general.

Ingredients : Mortar & Pestle, Crossroads dirt, a white votive candle, Frankincense-Myrrh for the Cailleach and Rose scented incense for Brighid on a white oil burner.

Instructions : Write down what you want to manifest on a piece of paper and with Brighid's candle burn it and send it to the Universe to manifest. Ask the Cailleach Bheur to remove the old, unneeded things from your life while Brighid brings in the new.

Place Crossroads dirt in a Mortar to banish it. The Mortar will represent the womb of the Goddess and the Pestle laid across it the God, to seal it all away.The Crossroads dirt acts as a gateway to banish the old and seal the door closed (based on intent) so that nothing comes back, while the white candle ushers in the positive energy of that which is new to fill in the void.

An easier, less ceremonial way would be to write a letter to the Universe asking what you want it to manifest and what you want it to get rid of and burn it on midnight before Imbolc or at 1:11 am (111 in numerology carries the power to manifest). Plus the Archangel Metatron rules over Thursday and holds the power to manifest thoughts into reality so you can go ahead and ask him in prayer to help you out with this.

Have fun and although this is solitary ritual, you can easily use it for a larger gathering of Witches or even just to be with friends or make merry.

Enjoy.

Spirit Activity on Old Hallow's Eve & Common Misconceptions

 Illustration in courtesy of Wikimedia commons 

"Halloween Lantern" by Carole Pasque 2004

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Halloween.JPG

This entry was written by Jose Prado, Thank you Jose for sharing your insight on the topic of Halloween.

One of the biggest problems in the struggle for tolerance for people whose religious beliefs differ from that of Christians and other monotheists, is that of ignorance. For years now, preachers like Pat Robertson and other members of the self proclaimed 'christian' Right have been preaching about how Halloween is 'satanic' and how demons will enter the bodies of children who dress up in costumes. Some people have gone to the extreme of trying to ban children from wearing almost any Halloween costume from Mad Scientists to Vampires because they fear it will summon devils into their bodies. Members of the pseudo-christian Right cite examples of Satanists who practice arcane rituals on this Night and of spirit possessions and demonic attacks occurring around this time. So what is real and what isn't? Let us briefly examine the origins of Halloween.

Origins 
While Halloween is a modern American name invented by Candy companies, to make a fortune off of children who nag their parents into taking them trick or treating, it does stem from an Occult source. There are many festivals of the dead all over the world on different dates, but Halloween mostly stems from Samhain, the Celtic festival of the dead and New Year that is celebrated in October. It is also called Ancestor night, since the spirit of the dead ancestors rise on this night. It should be noted however, that certain holidays like Samhain are never celebrated on the same days, the day changes according to the position of certain celestial bodies or other factors. Only the month stays the same. October 31st is just the day that the Catholic Church designated as All Saints Day and All Saints Eve, the Christianized version of Samhain.

This was due to the Church's policy of taking Pagan holidays and renaming them in order to make their religion more attractive to Pagans for the purposes of conversion. 

Samhain was a holiday dedicated to respecting the spirits of the dead, particularly one's own ancestors. This was a day for ancestor worship. In Mexico on Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), the day is dedicated to the Aztec goddess of the dead, Mictecacihuatl who is also worshiped as La Santa Muerte(Holy Death) or La Santisima Muerte (The Most Holy Death). In the Greco-Roman pantheon this same goddess would be equated with Atropos or her Roman name, Morta (Death). She is the third sister of the Fates, the goddesses who literally control destiny.

Atropos was the Fate who decided when, where, and how someone would meet their end. She is also referred to as La Señora de la Muerte (The Lady of the Dead), On Dia de los Muertos. Parties at the cemeteries are common place, where family members visit their dead loved ones in their tombs and give them offerings of alcohol and candy as well as the traditional flowers. Singing and dancing occurs for them to always know that they are remembered and loved no matter what. Because these are sacred days, 90% of the spirits encountered at these times, were a mix of ghosts with other spirits.

Such as Faeries and Trickster spirits of all kinds. So a person would have a better chance of meeting up with a departed loved one, or even an Angel from Heaven rather than an evil spirit. This is not ignoring the reality of demons however. Demons and other nasty spirits, such as spirits of the dead who seek revenge or who were full of hate in life, are always on the look out for escape holes to roam the Earth and torment people. Halloween provides them with an excellent way to do this.

Some spirits were not always evil, but in their desperation to live again, to feel again, they would do whatever it took to return to Earth. Even if that meant causing some kind of harm to an innocent person. However, they can usually only stay with you until Halloween is over. Unless of course they are riding you, that is to say, possessing you or have bound themselves to you to resist being returned to their plane of origin after it is over. Now at this point you are probably wondering why an evil spirit would use this day to cross over into our world. After all, if Halloween is not inherently evil, why would they choose this day then? The answer lies in the opening of the Veil.

The Veil
The Veil is a term invented by Philosophers and Witches to describe the invisible inter-dimensional Wall that separates different realities. It doesn't just separate this world from the spirit world, it separates all dimensions. Albert Einstein wrote about this in his little known String Theory to explain it. In String Theory, Einstein theorized that there are dozens of parallel universes that are separated by a natural, inter-dimensional wall. Some scientists and Occultists believe there are some spots in the wall which are so vulnerable, that creatures from other worlds could theoretically cross over. Magick users always speak of the Veil being at its thinnest when Halloween approaches. 

The veil is always thin on Sacred days. But it has always been at its thinnest in October because Samhain falls on this month. The veil grows ever weaker with the fall of another festival of the dead on Nov 1st in the Aztec and Mayan pantheon. It is not however, the only time. There are several festivals of the dead. The Veil will always be thinnest on days where Festivals of the dead take place because spirits are not like living beings. It is easier in theory for a living being to cross over into other dimensions with the proper magick or technology. But, even if a spirit crosses over from another plane, in ours they are still just spirits. On Festivals of the Dead, the veil is so thin that a dead soul can actually walk amongst the living and even feel and look corporeal enough for people to mistake them as living persons. The reason for this many believe, was because the gods made it so, for spirits to be reunited with their loved ones. 

The Souls of the Dead from every corner of the spirit world, Heaven, Hell Purgatory, and all other worlds in between come flooding the gates of the spirit world and human world to reach us

Or to take care of unfinished business. So if a spirit were to cross over, there is a variety of different ways they can accomplish this. They can appear in their true ghostly forms, they can appear as flesh and blood people, or (if powerful enough) they might jump back into their corpses and have the option to fully regenerate their former vessels to achieve a living form again. Or they could come back as decomposing corpses as is the case with the infamous Halloween spirit, Stingy Jack. Some possess the living or hold on to them in order to resist the pull of the veil sucking them back into the spirit world upon the end of Samhain.

But, upon a festival of the dead's end, the spirits that cross over must return to the other side. Those who remain here, will usually no longer be able to manifest a strong enough presence for anyone to notice them at all. Some are so weak after the veil becomes strengthed again, that they can barely muster the strength to make a voice audible enough for the living to hear. And very few would be strong enough to retain possession over a person. At this point, you would need a recording device to hear them if you were not already a clairvoyant. 

Espanta Muerto (Dead Banisher or Banisher of the Dead) a sacred herb used in Santeria (The Cuban version of Voodoo) to ward off evil ghosts or ghosts who aren't necessarily evil but are causing harm with their actions. Also used to ward off Demonic entities at times though for that, Palo Santo (Holy Wood) would be the more preferred Warding charm.

But in either case, it is always a good idea to have wards (charms to repel evil) ready, always cleanse and bless your home and yourself, and do not stay out too late at night unless you have protection, are accompanied by others, or are strong enough as a magick user to handle yourself in any situation. For those who argue it is satanic, let me remind you that Satanists celebrate a satanic holiday on May 1st which is a Pagan and Christian Holiday (Beltane for the Celts and Walpurgisnacht or Walpurgas Night for Roman Catholics in Europe dedicated to St. Walpurga). They chose this as a feast night to Satan for the purpose of mocking White Witches and Christians and attempting to siphon off power from the veil on that sacred day for sinister purposes. Evil witches or Warlocks as English speaking Pagans refer to them, pervert good magick for the purpose of empowering themselves by draining power from something that was good. The easiest way for them to pervert good magick is to invert things.

For example, Satanists use Crosses too, but they use Black Crosses or upside down (inverted) crosses in order to pervert magick that stems from Jesus of Nazareth and Yahweh his father. Yet another example is how Aleister Crowley took holy magick used by practioners of the Kabbalah and perverted Hebrew prayers and symbols in order to empower his own black magick. Which is why the Guild he founded known as the Golden Dawn, used holy symbols such as the Star of David and invoked the names of God in Hebrew in order to make their power stronger. In the Satanic ritual of the Black Mass, Roman Catholic prayers are spoken backwards to mock God. The Pentagram was also stolen from good magick users such as Wiccans and perverted it in order to give them greater power.

Note* Just because a Pentagram is inverted does not mean it is satanic. An inverted Pentagram is used for summonings or calling energy to yourself. How you use it defines whether or not it is good or bad.

Conclusion
To conclude, Samhain or Halloween as it is referred to in modern day America, is not a 'satanic' or demonic holiday. An evil spirit can come to you on any sacred day when the veil is thin .A demon could just as easily jump into you on Valentine's day or Christmas as they could on Halloween. Samhain, Dia de los muertos, and other festivals of the dead are days when the dead can return to finish projects or do things they never did in life. To feel the air and breeze on their skin once more, and for loved ones to be reunited once more after having been separated by death. The examples above prove that it is not that Samhain is satanic, but evil witches and evil spirits alike pervert holy things in order to draw strength from them.

To say that Samhain is satanic because of the behavior of warlocks and evil spirits is akin to saying Christians are satanic and evil because Satanists use crosses and dedicate Walpurgas Night to the Devil. All that proves, is that there are a lot of irresponsible people out there who misuse Occult symbols, knowledge, and blaspheme sacred days just to give themselves a little bit more power on certain occasions so that they can flaunt it to others and boast about their power. That's all it is. An Occult pissing contest of evil spirits and adherents of evil religions Vs. good spirits and adherents of good religions. But there is nothing demonic or satanic here. In fact, this is not even to say that Satanists are the only Warlocks that pervert sacred days or knowledge to grow stronger.

There are other demon gods out there too, Satan isn't the only one. So let's not throw it all on Devil worshipers either. And in any case, I don't think a couple of people who dance around naked in grave yards or have orgies in Lucifer's name are in any way more demonic on Samhain, than the so-called 'christians' that bomb abortion clinics on regular days. An old Asian proverb said "you must think with an open mind, hear with open ears, and feel with an open heart," so on this Samhain when you hear non sense about 'satanic wiccans' and how it is all 'devil worship', please kindly correct them.  

Keep your Jack-O'-Lantern lit to ward off Stingy Jack!


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