Protection

When I was a kid, I had an overwhelming fear of things, people, spirits and/or aliens that lurk in the dark. I would imagine invisible people wielding chain saws and cutting through walls, stealing me from my bed or the bathtub. Aliens, spirits or strangers, breaking in during anytime of the night or day and kidnapping me, before committing terrible and violent crimes to my body. I would lie awake at night in fits of frozen terror, sometimes going to sleep at the foot of my parent’s door, when they wouldn’t let me in. I could almost feel, smell and see strangers hiding in corners outside my window, demon like creatures waiting to clasp the edges of my feet from under the bed. Who knows exactly from where these fears could have been sourced? All I remember are the rituals I would go through to try to calm myself. After a certain point, my parents didn’t offer much sympathy- telling me to “get over it,” “go to bed,” “it’s all in your head,” yadda, yadda, yadda. Unsurprisingly, these words were less than calming. One day my sister and I were staying with my grandparents and I was having my usual relationship to the still of a night, and my grandma gave me a talisman, some sort of coin with a sculptural relief of a patron saint on it. I can’t remember which saint it was… I want to say St. Christopher- but I’d rather it have been St. Michael the Archangel.. just for symbolic purposes. My grandmother handed me the round, gold coin and told me that if I held it tightly in between my fingers whenever I felt really scared, and prayed to God and to the saint for protection- that I would always be watched over with love and grace and strength, and that I needn’t worry- for even if I wasn’t praying or holding the coin- God was already with me, watching me, protecting me.

We weren’t Catholic – but were raised with a loose relationship to the church. We would definitely show our faces round the holidays and occasionally more regular bouts of attendance would occur. Even though I already sensed some level of hypocrisy by way of which I witnessed people practicing their faith around me, and questioned what seemed like contradictions in stories and lessons that were taught in Sunday school- this offering from my grandmother resonated with so much power inside of me, that I kept it with me for years. I held onto this coin during the night, and even in the day when I would become filled with fear, and frozen with dark thoughts, I would rub the coin with my thumb and forefinger, and pray for protection. After I lost the coin, I soon replaced it with worry stones, and then with pieces of silk, and then with just the thoughts in my head.

As an adult who has found some other kind of relationship to whom I believe to know as God- A vital and pure source of inspiration, energy and love found and worshiped in ever-expanding and vast kinds of belief systems and practices- I see a deep legitimacy in most kinds of religious and spiritual practice, and personally tend to align the idea of prayer with a pagan kind of ideology. Prayer being this beautiful practice where we can focus our energy and direct it toward any given set of circumstances, desired outcomes, people or even things. The power of manifestation, centered within our own ability to focus a thought, and direct it to some divine source outside of ourselves.. even if that divine source is the center of ourselves. Without a doubt, we are by definition, creative beings and prayer is a powerful tool that lets us align with the forces of God, nature and ourselves, however you know those relationships to be in yourself and/or the world. At some point, my practice of prayer was conducting Wiccan spells, at some point, it was praying to Jesus, and at some point it was sincere meditation. And these days, it might be a combination of all of the previously stated methods, and seems to be ever-growing. I don’t actually feel that the path by which one gets to where they are going is that important… so long as the path feels aligned with the person. So as we change, so might our paths. I value my friends who practice prayer in their lives and that we can share in the practice of inner knowing, and absolute faith in the divine- whomever, whatever, however that might be.

And now, I will share a collection of objects, practices and prayers that are in the name of protection.

xoxo

Chrys

Pentacle. For protection from the earth and all of her elements.

The Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, royal power and good health.

The hamsa (Arabic: خمسة‎ khamsah, also romanized khamsa, meaning lit. “five”) is a palm-shaped amulet popular throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and commonly used in jewellery and wall hangings.[1

Worry stones are smooth, polished gemstones usually in the shape of an oval with a thumb-sized indentation. They are also known as thumb stones or palm stones. They originated in Ancient Greece.Held between the index finger and thumb, rubbing them is believed to lessen one’s worries.

The legendary Griffin symbol is a fascinating creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Variations of ancient lore say the griffin builds a nest, like an eagle (female?) and lays sapphires instead of eggs, and protects the gold. The feather of a griffin and the talon both are supposed to have medicinal properties so powerful that it can even restore sight to the blind!

Divination

Cheesy or not- I remember learning the ultimate metaphor for so many things I’ve experienced in life, during fishing trips with my dad. In some odd hour of the morning, after a midnight hunt for night-crawlers, pointing flashlights in the grass and muscling them out of the ground with pliers outside our home, we would bundle up, truck out onto the middle of a lake inside a tiny dingy sized boat- just big enough for the two of us. His end of the boat always ended up weighted dangerously close to the water, and we would sit with lively worms on the end of extended fishing poles, and wait. And wait. And wait. A cup of hot cocoa for me and a double mocha for him- we never talked too much during these trips.. just a bit about what was happening in the moment- and as a young woman in a house full of feminine imbalances, I craved these moments.

Just noting what was around us, what was happening before our eyes. I remember holding the fishing pole and trying to envision what was happening on the other end, plunged so deeply in the water. I would picture it swaying to and fro in the deep lake and little fish families traveling close to the delicious looking worm, but swimming quickly away, because they could surely sense the energy line that flowed through the line and the pole from my hands up above the surface.

I would wait and wait. The currents most often caused by a passing boat, or our own- swaying atop the water would tug on my line. I would be *sure* I got a bite. “Just wait for the tug, and rip your pull upward. Don’t let ’em get away!” My dad would say. “Like this,” and he’d show me how to pull the pole upward in a quick jerking motion and reel in the day’s catch, pretending to fight some kind of inhuman strength on the other end of the line. “How would I know it was really a bite?”I would always wonder outloud. Dad would always respond with, “Oh- you’ll know. You’ll know.” So I would feel these subtle tugs on my line and be so sure I had a bite and I would jerk the pole up and furiously reel in my line and sometimes there would be nothing- the worm intact and looking sad for being relentlessely dragged through the water for no apparent reason and sometimes there would be handfulls of seaweed or underwater plants caught up on the end, the worm having escaped in the underbrush. I would feel so dissapointed.. thinking “I really thought I had one, I really thought so this time.” And then usually at some point, I would get a real live fish bite. My pole would get yanked with a vibration that could only be caused by the mouth of an animal and I would jerk that pole up, reel in the fish and we would eat well and proud that night.

And I’m remembering this story today as I think about my lover. And how I have had so many dates and fallen in love with so many beautiful souls and how I always hoped and dreamed and would convince myself that maybe we would make something beautiful together. And how I would feel sideswiped when they fell apart, but knew deeply, they were never quite fit. When I met Dylan,  I really just knew. His bite was ferocious and gentle and hilarious and pure and trusting and the first open heart that I had ever met that seemed to meet me with openness despite its previous injury.  He seemed to be made of my same building blocks. I remember thinking, “I match this boy’s apartment. I match this boy.” And I remember spending days with him in the black rock desert just when we first met, and going to the temple and sitting down and being visited by my unborn children, (I was sober, I swear) and having them tell me, “you’ve found him, we are coming now- it’s time. And they were overjoyed and I was filled with love.  And I talked to them for a while and told them that I knew this was all true, and I asked them to hold off for a while.. I prayed that if indeed it was right and that he and I were to build a life together, that I would be given the tools to do it beautifully- to not run from him, to trust the body of us and to be able to find lightness and laughter in everything for ever.  7 months later- I am pregnant with his child. Neither one of us thought it would be now- and I think both of us wanted some pieces of it to be different- like for moving in together to be a romantic gesture and plan, rather than a logistical one- but we are finding the romance in it all, and the beauty and gift and rightness of it all.

At the end of the day, when things feel a little bit more crazier, out of control than I’m comfortable used to ( which I’m actually pretty used to..) I am remembering, that I knew. That I am in deep, deep love with a man who is made from the most beautiful materials, who is the most honest, dignified, fun, hilarious, creative, loving, sexy, supportive and present person I’ve ever been in relationship with, and we are having a baby. And we are both ready for it in our hearts, and we are both capable of moving through all of it together- for we found each other and be made a life together, and I don’t think either one of us are going to let each other get away. Really, awesome, catch.

And onward, to today’s topic. In relationship to a deep sense of “knowing,” I want to spend some time with divination. A purposeful attempt to gain insight into a situation or question by way of an occult process or ritual. Sometimes when you don’t know- a little guidance can clear up the currents in the water.

from Wikipedia: Divination (from Latin divinare “to foresee, to be inspired by a god”,^[2] related to divinus, divine) is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual.^[3] Used in various forms for thousands of years, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a querent should proceed by reading signs, events, or omens, or through alleged contact with a supernatural agency.

Scrying.

Mirror scrying is an evolved form of water scrying. When it became possible to build mirrors they were regarded as being like water that was fixed into one place.

The early mirrors were made of polished copper, brass, marcasite, tin foil or mercury behind glass, polished silver and obsidian. All types of mirrors may be used for scrying and the size is not important.

Because mirrors are linked to the moon mirrors should be backed with silver. Try and use a round or oval mirror instead of a square mirror.

Scrying- illustration by Indigo Deep

Runes, Ogham Sets

The Ogham alphabet consists of twenty letters to which a further five were added at a late stage in its development, probably later than the 8th century. The original twenty letters each consist of from one to five straight lines or notches intersecting a stem line. There is clear evidence for the magickal and divinatory use of the Ogham alphabet from the literature of medieval Ireland. Historically the symbols were used for divination by the use of four Yew wands, although more recently, the ogham alphabet has been used for divination by inscribing it onto small wooden staves or onto discs of wood. One symbol is added to each piece and they are used in a similar way to the runes.

They are often stored in a bag and a person will randomly pick out a certain number of the ogham sticks or discs whilst focussing on an issue or question. Ogham symbols can also be used to magickally empower an object or spell, for example they can be added to talismans to draw particular energies to the carrier or engraved onto candles prior to spellworking. More information on the meanings of the ogham symbols can be found here.

Read more: http://www.spiritofold.co.uk/divination/ogham.htm#ixzz1qGGU7M5c

Pendulums:

Pendulums can be made of different materials, some people using a simple necklace with a crystal or charm at the end. Be sure the bob or bobber – or weight on the end – is not too light or too heavy. It should weigh less than half an ounce. The best shape for the weight – or point – is something that comes to a point. The best length for the pendulum is six inches. You can make your pendulum or buy one.

Pendulums are a simple way to communicate with the other side. I have seen people in stores use them to select products such as: books, food, clothing, just about anything.

The most common types of pendulums are:

– a crystal tied with wire then suspended on a chain or cord
– a chain necklace with some kind of charm suspended at the bottom
– a chain with metal pointer at the bottom – these are usual store bought
– the human body

Acutomancy is a form of divination by means of sharp or pointed objects, such as needles. The diviner allows a number of these sharp or pointed objects (usually seven) to fall onto a table or any other appropriate flat surface. He then reads from the patterns they make.

Another method, also known as Acutomanzia, uses thirteen pins, ten straight and three bent. They are shaken in the hand and dropped on a surface sprinkled with powder. The patterns in the powder as well as the positioning of the pins are then read.

The Tarot

Various contradicting suggestions have been given to explain the original meaning of the word Tarot. They range from old Egyptian origin to a cardmaker from the French village Taraux who may have produced the original Tarot cards. Tarot cards and playing cards are different, yet have certain similarities that one can easily observe.

The origins of Tarot are somewhat obscure, the most common theories go to ancient Egypt and Thoth and the connection to the ancient mystery school teachings. There is a common myth that Tarot was brought to Europe by the Gypsies.

Some believe that a form of Tarot goes back to ancient China. I believe that all ancient civilizations developed their own systems of divination based on the same symbolism and archetypes.

As early as 1540, a book entitled The Oracles of Francesco Marcolino da Forli shows a simple method of divining from the coin suit of a regular playing card deck.

Manuscripts from 1735 (The Square of Sevens) and 1750 (Pratesi Cartomancer) show rudimentary divinatory meanings for the cards of the tarot, as well as a system for laying out the cards.

A. E. Waite (1857-1942), the English Christian occult philosopher, broke from the Order of the Golden Dawn and founded his own school of mystical thought. Working with the artist Pamela Coleman Smith – who was also a member of The Order of the Golden Dawn – Waite created a “rectified” deck featuring images and scenery on all the cards, Minor as well as Major Arcana. They produced the 78 card deck that we use today.

The tarot has been studied by many adepts and has been shown to be directly relating to the Qabalah. The Order of the Golden Dawn in 1890 made a deck for its members, utilizing the knowledge of the Qabalah in its symbolism. This was not the first deck, but the research done by the golden dawn and its members helped shape the views of the Tarot and the western philosophies of the mysteries. Together, they produced the 78 card deck that we use today. The tarot has been studied by many adepts and has been shown to be directly relating to the Qabalah.

Aleister Crowley, too, founded his own occult school, the Ordo Templi Orientis, which had to do, among other things, sex magic. Working with Freida Harris, he created the colorful Book of Thoth Tarot. He considered identifying with each card more important than trying to guess about origins.

Paul Foster Case, who formed the Builders Adytum, thought the Tarot from Morocco. According to him, 11th century philosophers designed it to both to preserve knowledge after the Alexandrian libraries were burned down and to furnish a universal language. He, too, designed a deck, a black and white one. It strongly resembles Waite’s.

Other theories:

• the cards are allegories of Sufi masters;
• Grail legend depictions;
• the Indian game Chaturanga, a forerunner of chess;
• Indian holy texts;
• Gypsy imports;
• Hebrew lore;
• Greek philosophy;
• ancestors of Mesopotamian copper cylinders;
• symbols handed down from prehistoric oral stories;
• symbols from ancient Central American Indian cultures;
• wisdom of prehistoric matriarchal cultures;
• teaching aids of the Waldenses, a persecuted Christian sect;
• surviving lore of the Order of Knights Templar, founded in 1188 to protect pilgrims and guard the ways to the Holy Land;
• creation of the 13th century alchemists, the Tarot containing hidden alchemical imagery

Speculation aside, we don’t know, and perhaps will never know, what the original Tarot cards looked like. Nor do we know where they came from or who created them. We don’t even know how many were contained in a deck. It has frustrated Tarot experts and inspired countless origin theories. However they came to be, the images of Tarot, like all true symbols, resound spontaneous self-expressions from the psyche’s deepest springs; and for that reason they hold up magic mirrors to whatever reactions we bring them. Like all authentic artistic creations, Tarots are ultimately a mystery and will remain so.

 

I’ll keep adding to the list as I collect images and sources of inspiration. Bye for now,

xoxo

C

To Pray