It has come to my attention that a very strange idea is spreading in modern occultism. Because I just don’t have the time or the mental energy to endure most occult groups on Facebook, or WitchTok, or wherever else today’s witchipoos and chaotes hang out, this one flew under my radar! Apparently, according to this theory, you can’t get your Talisman wet – especially with Holy Water! – as it will destroy the Talisman’s effectiveness.
Say what now?
So that threw me for a loop. At first I didn’t even believe this was a thing – but I was shown a heartbreakingly large number of screenshots of occult “experts” saying exactly that. And I can only say this is a perfect example of “I can see how you totally misconstrued what you learned here…” So, if you don’t mind, I’ll put my response on the record – just in case anyone is interested in what I think…
If you have an object with a chthonic spirit attached to it, they are not likely going to enjoy being splashed with holy water. It could even drive them away – at least temporarily. (We’re talking just getting some holy water on it here, not performing a full-on exorcism.)
On the other hand, anything associated with the celestial (or above) can be splashed with all the holy water you want. You can regularly bless and consecrate it.
Just getting something “wet” with regular water isn’t going to do a thing. You can use fresh and running water in cleansings, of course – but, again, we’re talking about just getting the object wet here. And, finally:
NOTE: all of the above applies to objects that won’t be damaged by water! What makes a talisman lose power is damage, yellowing, rust, tarnish, dirt, stains, etc. If it’s something that can be cleaned off, restoring the talisman to pristine condition, its power will kick back up again. (Yes you can even repaint, touch up, etc – so long as everything is consecrated and magical timing is observed. No reason to let your statues become drab!) Damage that cannot be repaired/undone lessens its power permanently.
Of course, this doesn’t even scratch the surface of how different types of Holy, Herbal, Fresh, and other Waters are used in occult practice! But I hope this has at least provided some perspective on the “never get your Talismans wet” nonsense.
Beautiful rainbow-color Mercury Talisman on parchment. (CAN be damaged by water!)
You would be amazed how often I am asked this question. Which technique is the most powerful? Which angel is more powerful? Can we create Talismans more powerful than those in the Key of Solomon? Which material for talismans is the most powerful? Even, which Psalm is the most powerful? And, every single time, my answer begins with the same words:
It’s not about “power.”
Now, to be clear, I’m not suggesting the concept of power has no relevance in magick! Or, to be honest, I think a better word would be “effectiveness” instead of “power.” For example, one can create perfectly workable talismans by observing only the Planetary day and hour. But a more effective technique is to observe a full astrological election. The latter could be called “more powerful”.
Another example might be the Angelical (often mis-termed “Enochian”) language, which I have found exceedingly effective in my angelic workings. So much so, I have in some cases(!) chosen to use it over Hebrew (following what I believe was Dee’s intention for the language). One could say I find the Angelical language (and many of the associated Enochian tools) to be “very powerful.”
Yet… would a Baal Shem agree with me about Dee’s Angelical? Would it be “more powerful” than Hebrew in the practice of Merkavah mysticism? Hardly. In fact, I would dare suggest the Angelical might be less effective than Hebrew in such cases. Because it’s not about which one is “more powerful” – but which one is most effective within its own context.
The same is true of materials – such as choosing metal, parchment, beeswax, or another material for your talismans. On one hand, using a proper material (like gold for Solar talismans) will be “more powerful” than using something unrelated (like a Solar Talisman inscribed on silver). But, choosing between something like metal, parchment, or beeswax is not about “power” – it’s about practicality and context. You don’t want to bury a parchment Talisman! You can bury a metal one – but it could rust. So beeswax is best for burial. But if you want to wear or carry the talisman around, metal is more durable and won’t break like wax or get creased or worn like parchment. (Unless you roll the parchment into something to protect it.) I could go on with examples, but I hope this makes my point: it’s about using what is needed in the context of your work. Not about “more power.”
(And, yes, parchment is MUCH “more powerful” than notebook paper! LOL)
Magick is not like a movie or video game, where you and another worker are going to “face off” and whoever has the most powerful magical weapons wins! Well… ok so maybe it CAN be that way, but the winner of that kind of battle will come down to who has the better-established relationships with their spirits, who has trained them better and for longer, and who has the most ashe‘ built up in both themselves and their tools.
A few weeks ago, I began an unusual process for a client: the consecration of a LARGE number of Planetary (and other) Talismans. These aren’t Talismans that either Carrie or Eli Cohen created, but I was hired to perform their consecrations.
It’s not unusual for me to consecrate objects for people – it’s a standard service we offer at Doc Sol’s. But it is very unusual for someone to invest in such a large number of consecrations! Thankfully, it was possible to do most of them in groups – so that all Jupiter Talismans were consecrated together, then all Venus Talismans were done together the next day, etc. Thus, in the end, the client was only paying for seven consecration rituals – rather than the nearly 20 for each individual Talisman!
So here I am, going back to work for the same client day after day for an entire week. (It’s nearly done as I type this, just before the Moon begins to wane again, but I still have a few to consecrate the next time the Moon waxes.) Each time, I have to read the rather lengthy list of Psalms over the Talismans – essentially performing a “service” over them, if you will. And this has led me to a brand new AHA! moment:
I decided to alter the Psalms I was praying to include the name of my client. More specifically, any time a Psalm spoke in the first person, I would change the pronouns to make it third-person (except, of course, where it’s God speaking!), and where appropriate I would change “I” to the name of the client.
Now, those of you who are my students, or members of my Solomonic Group on Facebook, have likely seen me talk about this very thing before. Altering the wording of a Psalm to make it more specific to your needs is a practice found in the grimoires – often done when adopting portions of Psalms into longer invocations. But, for some reason, I just never thought of doing it for the longer “service-like” lists of Psalms required for many Solomonic consecrations – and specifically when doing these for clients! (When doing them for yourself, all the first-person makes more sense.)
So, let’s just say Something “urged” me to make that very change this time. And it wasn’t easy! A big part of “ritual magick” is repetition – you establish “astral grooves” and settle into them, and that’s where the real magick happens. But, sometimes, your Familiars and/or Guardians will teach you, give you suggestions, tell you how to make things better. So, even though I struggled and stumbled over my words a few times, after a couple of days I was able to establish and settle into a whole new groove.
And, let me tell you, it was like flipping a switch! It instantly changed the entire ritual I was performing from a generalized church service to a very intimate ceremony dedicated to that one single person. The Psalms address every aspect of what the Talismans should do, the spiritual state of the person you’re praying for, and a whole lot more. It took everything those Psalms have ever meant to me and shot it out like a laser beam directly to the client! It has been a pretty mind-blowing experience.
And, now, I will be doing this every time I consecrate objects for others. 🙂
The following is a clarification about Solomonic Talismans I recently posted to Facebook:
Apparently there is some confusion over the subject of Solomonic Talismans, how they are made, and exactly what I’m teaching about them. So let me clear up a couple of points.
When someone mentions the “charging” of Solomonic Talismans, I tend to point out there is no mention of “charging” such Talismans in the texts. There is simply no point where the practitioner is instructed to direct their personal energy at a Talisman and “empower” it. This is a modern concept (specifically energy-model magick), not found in the grimoires.
So, how do the Solomonic Talismans work? Primarily, they are empowered by the time they are made. Just as you were born and took your first breath – thereby setting your natal chart for life – so too is this true of Solomonic Talismans. After it is fashioned, you consecrate it – either on the day/hour of the Talisman’s Planet, or on the day/hour of Mercury. (Think of the making of the Talisman as birth, and the consecration as the Christening.) One could argue this consecration is the “charging” – and that’s fine. (Actually, you do give the spirit its “charge” – that is its instructions – at that time. So there you go.)
But some folks are getting confused, thinking I am making a blanket statement about ALL Talismans ever. Or even that I am stating this is how it MUST be done, even with Solomonic Talismans. That is not the case.
First and foremost, the Key says its Talismans are not just for use during evocations, but can also be carried for various kinds of protection. Now, honestly, it probably assumes you know to perform the evocations with the Talismans first, THEN carry them for protection. But, that phrasing in the grimoire has given rise to several extra-Solomonic Traditions making use of the Talismans in their own way. Hoodoo being one great example – wherein a Talisman can be charged by merely placing it next to a relevant Psalm in a Bible for seven days. Or, even better, the methods developed by our own Balthazar Van Der Merwe (def. check out Balthazar’s Conjure on YouTube!).
EVEN the Key of Solomon agrees that an election isn’t always necessary:
Key of Solomon, Book II, Chap. I: “So exact a preparation of days and hours is not necessary for those who are adepts in the art, but it is extremely necessary for apprentices and beginners, seeing that those who have been little or not at all instructed herein, and who only begin to apply themselves to this art, do not have as much faith in the experiments as those who are adepts therein, and who have practiced them.”
So, the more adept you are, the less you are restricted by the magical timing. (Andreas Erneus points out this may apply to evocation instead of Talismans – but I’ve generally taken this passage to heart for everything.) And, indeed, when I do work for myself, I rarely bother with elections (unless I’m making a full Talisman). That is to say – as I have years of experience AND altars here to every Angel I work with, then I don’t have to worry so much if the Moon is waning, or Mercury is Rx, or even if I’m working in the proper hour. Because those angels live here, I’m not calling them long-distance.
But, for clients, I follow all the timing every time – because they are paying me to do things RIGHT, not for my personal theories on how I can do it quicker and easier. To me, that’s just honest business practice. You do NOT half-ass a Talisman or other magical tool and fail to inform your clients you are doing so.
Having said all of that – if YOUR Tradition tells you to point at a Talisman and direct energy into it, or breathe life into it, that’s fine. (The GD does that – and guess what Order in which I’m an officer?) I’m not telling you that your tradition is wrong, nor am I suggesting charging Talismans “doesn’t work.” Simply stating the facts of what is and is not in the Solomonic texts is NOT an attack on your Tradition.
Of course, if you try to tell me that “everyone knows” you are “supposed to ‘charge’ Solomonic Talismans”, I’m going to inform you that you are incorrect. 😉
Some time ago, I made a video discussing these exact same matters:
The time is drawing near for the Florida Pagan Gathering Samhain Festival! And I have once again been offered the honor of attending as a “headliner.” That means I’ll be hosting three lectures/workshops over the course of the festival – in between sessions of drumming and generally cavorting like a heathen. 🙂
My last experience at the FPG turned out to be a deeply moving spiritual experience that took me back to my Neopagan roots – besides being one helluva lot of fun. My fellow headliners were some of the top names in their various fields and practices, and I made more than one new lifelong friend while I was there. I expect this trip to be no different.
So I am inviting each and every one of you to come and join me for this awesome event! You can attend my workshops, ask me questions and then we can hang out in the various campsites and around the bonfire late into the night. I dare say we will not be disappointed by the experience!
Here is the info on the Festival:
Samhain 2012 – Out of the Darkness
Oct 31- Nov 4, Camp Ocala, Altoona, Florida
Welcome to the Forest! Set up camp, commune with nature, relax, visit the vendors, attend workshops, and evening events.
This is a full-fledged festival – with an entry fee – so make sure you contact them to register today! Then get your camping gear together and enjoy a few days out in nature away from the modern world. Or, just come by for a day of lectures, food, shopping and fun!
Here is the info on the workshops I will be hosting. Right now I don’t know exactly when these workshops will take place, but I’ll update this post as soon as I find out:
Working with Spirits and Ancestors
Working with lesser spirits (jinn, demons, familiars, etc) and the spirits of our ancestors are two of the most ancient forms of witchcraft. (Properly called “goetia” – but not to be confused with the medieval grimoire of the same name!) However, the practice fell into disrepute after the rise of the urban “city-state” in the Classical era – and was outlawed entirely after the rise of mainstream Christianity. This resulted in a cultural break in our mystical Western heritage that has remained with us to this very day. Even in Wicca and other Neopagan traditions, spirit-work is often frowned upon, and ancestors are merely recognized at specific times of the year.
However, that doesn’t mean the practice was lost to history! Folk magickal traditions around the world have preserved these mysteries, and an ever-growing number of today’s Pagans and occultists are reviving these ancient and often misunderstood practices in our modern systems.
This workshop will focus upon *what* spirit- and ancestor-work really is, and *how* to go about doing it yourself to empower your spells and your spiritual path. We will cover the benefits and the dangers, how to erect altars, build spirit pots, invoke the spirits, make offerings and more.
This will be an open discussion workshop, so bring your own ideas and opinions and be ready to share them with us!
Magickal Offerings
One of the foundational practices of the most ancient forms of magick was the Ritual Offering. While this included the sacrifice of animals (and in some cases humans!) that certainly isn’t the whole story. Offerings were made in many fashions – from food to toys to tools and weapons, to incense and fire and much more. Such offerings were made to feed and empower the spirits and, in many cases, to provide the spirits with necessary tools to accomplish the magickal goals of the shamans who provided them.
Sadly, the art of the Ritual Offering was all but lost in the West after the rise of Judeo-Christiainity. Sacrifice and offerings were declared a form of devil-worship, and misrepresented as a method of “appeasing” angry and vengeful spirits who would otherwise harm the humans who invoked them. Even today’s modern occultists often hold to this erroneous idea.
This workshop will bust the myths about Ritual Offering, and explain its true meaning of magickal empowerment. We will cover how to properly make offerings to various classes of spirits and gods, along with the “do-nots” and “why?” behind the practice.
This will be an open discussion workshop, so bring your own ideas and opinions and be ready to share them with us!
Making and Enlivening Talismans
Quite often, when a modern occultist says the word “talisman”, he or she is talking about a piece of paper with symbols drawn upon it. But the art of Talismanic Magick is much broader than that! And the power of a talisman goes far beyond the inscription of the right names, properly colored inks and the recitation of the right prayers.
In the Old Magick, talismans were living beings in their own right. They were physical houses for spiritual entities who actively participated in the rituals with the magician. And they weren’t just jewelery or inscribed disks or scrolls – they were also the magickal tools, the robes and regalia, the furnishings of the temple and more. A true magician’s sacred working space is a thriving environment of spirits, angels and even gods who each play a vital role in the magick worked therein.
Likewise, magickal tools and furnishings are not merely “props” or objects we find convenient to use. Each and every physical object utilized by the magician is a living symbol of something greater – either a reflection of something in the outer universe that the magician wishes to “draw down” into his or her temple, or an embodiment of something deeply personal and powerful to the magician – or both.
In this workshop, we will discuss these aspects of talismanic magick. Plus, we will cover how to find and/or create your own talismans and “bring them to life” to work for you.
This will be an open discussion workshop, so bring your own ideas and opinions and be ready to share them with us!
Ananael (The Secrets of Wisdom) 