Smoke and Fire: Tweaking Magical Rituals

This post will talk about ritual tweaks and substitutions in general, but then will present some options for Luminarium.

 

A discussion came up on a Facebook Forum, Ceremonial Magic School, in which someone asked about options to use in magic different from incense. Sometimes people are in places where candles, or incense might not be options. For some people, incense may be an irritant.

 

The original poster suggested that incense was a representation for fire, and wondered if you can use a candle for fire, and then oil passed through a humidifier to represent water.

 

This starts at a good place. The question addresses the purpose of the item being changed and what else would change along with it. Anytime we’re changing things in a ritual, that’s the first step. One of the better things grimoire purists say is that we can’t change what’s in the grimoire because we don’t know why it’s there. They’re partially right. If we don’t know why a ritual says to do a thing, or at least what that thing is accomplishing in the ritual, then we can’t change the thing. If we change things without understanding we might remove components that are needed without creating something else that does what the component was needed for.

 

We’ve all seen this with the countless bad re-workings of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram that used to flood the internet, and now still sometimes infect some newer books of Ceremonial Magic. People look at the base thing they think the ritual is for and change things based on that, rather than looking at the specific components and their purpose in context to understand how to tweak those.

 

So, can we tweak the grimoires? If we know how the thing we want to change works and why it’s there, then yes, sort of.

 

Can we know why something is there and how it works since the texts don’t explain that?

 

Well, sometimes the texts kind of do if you really read them. The prayers, the consecrations, the description of how things are used, they can begin to inform us. If we spend years studying a text, studying related texts, studying the texts that led to it and the texts that came from it we should over time develop some understanding. If we study the theology and metaphysical ideas that form the context of the grimoires, the liturgical corollaries, the earlier forms of magic that led to them and later forms of magic that grew from them, we should over time develop some understanding. If we learn other parallel traditions of magic and work earnestly and ardently at the traditions described in the grimoires, over time, we should develop some understanding. If we don’t, what are we even doing?

 

Now, if we understand how and why something works, we can address whether or not it’s needed or helpful or superfluous.

 

If it’s needed, we might not be able to change it. If we can change it, we’ll need to change it to something very similar and we definitely can’t omit it.

 

If it’s helpful, we can probably make a change to something that does something similar. We might be able to make a change to something that helps differently and might be better suited to our goal. We might be able to omit it, but it will probably reduce some element of effectiveness or make the work harder for us if we admit it.

 

If it’s superfluous we can omit it, we can keep it if we like it, we can change it if the change doesn’t impede what we’re doing. I would be least inclined to interpret something as superfluous, unless it really clearly is demonstrated as such there is a possibility you’re missing an element if you’re finding things you want to get rid of to be superfluous.

 

While we can analyze things and figure out stuff that can be tweaked and substituted…we need to understand that those tweaks and substitutions will make a change. If you have a chicken tender, you might sweeten and moisten it with barbecue sauce. If the pepper in barbecue sauce irritates you, then you can sweeten and moisten it with honey mustard, or even just honey. All three will do the job, but they’ll all do it differently. They each bring different things to the table. The result will be different, but they’ll each be effective. You might even prefer the changed result.

 

So, in the example posed in the original question, the incense was being used to represent fire. So, if we’re setting up an altar with representations of the elements, we’re probably not looking at grimoire magic. Something influenced by Golden Dawn magic, or some kind of standard NeoPagan ritual magic would generally have a candle to represent fire, a bowl of water for water, incense for air, and a stone or some physical thing to represent earth. The question is probably being asked in that vein. So, if we’re swapping out incense, we’d need something else to represent air. If we’re looking to just represent air, a fan, or a feather might suffice. It we’re looking for something to bring substance, life, and character to the air, then we need something that more closely mimics incense and provides a scent. If we’re looking to provide a substance for the powers we encounter to use, then incense might need to remain our choice.

 

Some of the options that came up involved using oil, and one poster mentioned plans to try Luminarium with oil, and so I thought it might make sense to talk about some options for tweaks in Luminarium, since one of the points of the text is to be adaptable.

 

Incense. In Luminarium, the incense is used partially to tinct the space and bring it into harmony with the nature of the forces being conjured, and in part it is used so that the fire is transmitting substance into the spiritual to give some benefit to the spirit. It harmonizes the nature, pleases the spirit and helps to empower it, and it creates some link between the earthly and the ephemeral.

 

Three options can help with this. Oil in a diffuser would help tinct the space, although perhaps more slowly and not as potently. It would not have the thick and powerful diffuse presence of smoke, nor would it have the heat to agitate the space. The scent might still be pleasing to the spirit, but the way the incense helps empower the spirit might not be as present here. The link between the earthly and the ephemeral would also be there but maybe not as clearly, you’re not moving something from solid earthy material to smoke by the power of fire.

 

We can offset some of these missing elements. Maybe add a candle for the elements fire would add to the incense. Maybe a shot of alcohol, or an offering of flour to help feed and empower the spirit.

 

Maybe instead of an oil diffuser we use an oil warmer with a candle. The scent might be more powerful, and you’d still have tincting the space. You’d have the warmth of the fire to help agitate the space and bring heat to building the space. The scent would still please the spirit. You might have some of the same empowerment, but you’d still use the substantive nature of the incense smoke, so maybe not as much. The movement between the material and the ephemeral would be more present than with the diffuser, in my opinion, but not as clearly indicated as with the incense.

 

Oil dissolved in alcohol like a cologne might be an option. You could spray some around, but also leave some to evaporate. The alcohol is going to evaporate more readily so the movement between phases of being and the connection to the spirit world that gives might be clearer, alcohol is often used for this purpose in many traditions. The alcohol itself can also be an offering, but something substantive might be good in addition. Adding a candle might still be useful, but obviously, don’t spray alcohol into spaces with flame.

 

Alternative to adding a candle, instead of spraying the alcohol with the oil dissolved in it, some books on witchcraft used to talk about making a blue fire on the altar with cologne. The blue fire being a representation of sacred presence. The fire carries the scent of the cologne. The various benefits of the oil or incense and the benefits of the fire used with the incense would largely be there, but it would lack the smoke and the substance the smoke brings to the ritual.

 

An added element of using a sacred flame would be the option to combine this with the lamp. The light from the fire could be used similarly to the light from the lamp with the Guardian Angel invoked through this flame. If choosing this option, you might want to use your temple incense, or an oil matching your temple incense, to scent this alcohol rather than your planetary scent. You’d still need something for the planetary scent if doing this.

 

We’ve talked previously about using a candle instead of the lamp. This wouldn’t be dissimilar. The only real loss by switching either to the candle or the sacred flame would be the inability to adjust the level of light case by the fire like you can with a hurricane lantern or other adjustable wick lantern.

 

If using this method, using the sacred flame, you might be able to lean into tweaks to make the ritual more pagan. If you’re looking for ways to reduce the Christian components and increase the Greek ones, or even go with some other pagan tradition, or blend Luminarium with Wicca, the fire would more easily fit that structure than the lamp.

 

In some forms of pagan rituals, the sacred flame is the presence of the divine. It is often divine in and of itself, for example, Hestia is embodied in the temple flame and the hearth fire. Some view Bride to similarly reside in the flame in Celtic ritual. The flame in those cases can be viewed as a beacon for the gods as well as the portal through which they interact with us. This is pretty similar to how we use the lamp to interact with the Guardian Angel. The light of the lamp becomes a vessel through which the angel can illuminate us and it is then able to help communicate with us and with the spirit so that we may more clearly see and understand the spirit.  

 

I would still advocate working with your Guardian Angel in a pagan context. The sacred flame can be a vessel for your angel, or you can work with the god of the flame along with your angel for additional sanctification and protection. The god of the flame can also help open the space between the spirit world and our world. This is not dissimilar from the use of flame to provide heat so the spirits can break through the sea between worlds and speak with us. But in this instance the divine power within the flame intentionally opens the space rather than the power of the flame being offered to the spirit to use.

 

Depending upon what spirits you’re attempting to call, this kind of tweak may make a lot of sense. If you’re calling on spirits that remain tied to pagan cultures and beliefs instead of those from Christian, Judaic, and Islamic cultures creating tweaks that lean into the pagan elements present in the ritual may be well suited to your goal. If you’re calling angels it might be less the case.

 

Again, whatever tweaks you make will change elements of how it works. So the flavor will shift a bit. That can be good, or it can be bad, it depends on what you’re doing and what effects you’re looking for.

 

Now if you read through this and thought “this is getting really eclectic and is starting to move further outside of the grimoire tradition,” that’s good. These examples are drawing on sources from a few magical strands. It’s good to be aware of that. Depending on what you’re doing you may want to keep things tighter. You might be better off going a bit wider in your influence though. Again, it’s going to depend on the system with which you’re starting and what your end goal is. It’s going to depend on the character of the communication you want, the types of spirits you’re calling, and the type of effect you’re looking to get from working with them. It will also depend upon your needs.

 

Doing things by rote isn’t understanding or mastering them. Changing things needlessly or willy nilly is also problematic and may not be effective. The balance is developing understanding and negotiating reasonable changes when they make sense. Negotiating can be a matter of exploring your needs and desires and making informed choices suited to those. Negotiating can also be approaching the spirits, working with divination, or working through a diviner with a relationship with the spirits, and grasping what changes and substitutions they are willing to accept…as has been done in traditional cultures with traditional magic throughout the world.

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A Bowl of Hellfire – Using Luminarium for Demons

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the key elements of my new book, Luminarium: A Grimoire of Cunning Conjuration, is that it is modular. The book presents an approach to preparing for and developing for conjuration, and then gives a system of conjuration. That system is presented as a means of working with angels and aerial spirits, but the system is also modular. Modes of connecting with magical powers can be adapted to different symbolic and mythological language based on your religious or spiritual leanings. Each part contributes a piece to what is being done, so you can identify areas in which you can do something similar and make a substitution.

 

Like in other areas of magic, a substitution does not necessarily do the same thing as the original piece, but it might accomplish the same goal in a different way. These ways might be related or unrelated. The substitution can possibly adjust the over all course of what you’re doing. For example, I can vanilla frosting by mixing powdered sugar, shortening, and vanilla, or I can mix powdered sugar, butter and vanilla. The consistency and the flavor will be a little different between the two but I will still have a sweet vanilla flavored icing for my cake. The shortening and the butter will do similar things but they aren’t quite the same. They’ll each serve the same purpose in the recipe, but accomplish the goal with their own style.

 

The same logic applies in magic. If we know why a tool, or a rite is present, sometimes we can substitute something that accomplishes the same need by doing something similar. They won’t be the same. Diverge too much and you might get something recognizably different. Sometimes you just change the tone, or the way the connection comes through. Sometimes you might change the approach enough to direct the work in an altogether different direction as far as what sorts of spirits are being reached. Sometimes, but probably not most times, you might break the thing altogether and need to go back to the drawing board.

 

With Luminarium you could change out pieces because they don’t connect with you. For instance, if you don’t connect with your ancestors through a Greek influenced lens like the one that I present in the book you could substitute a rite which does similar things in so far as drawing your ancestors to be present and empowering them to work with you in the world. This probably wouldn’t change much of the over all ritual, but it could have some effect depending upon how your ancestors are encountered.

 

Alternatively, you could make changes built around working with different sorts of spirits through this structure. In our previous post we talked about recontextualizing to focus on building your space with nature spirits. Today we’ll talk about conjuring demons.

 

The book presents options for conjuring angels and aerial spirits, but there is no reason you can’t…and no reason you shouldn’t, use this for work with devils, the dead, and the fair folk as well. Each might need its own tweaks or additions, but it’s designed to accommodate that.

 

In the case of working with demons or devils we don’t need to change the ritual so much as add to it. The book already presents the option to conjure an angel and then conjure an aerial spirit under the authority of that angel. We can do the same with demons.

 

Now if we’re conjuring the demons under the authority of an angel, how do we know under which angel we should work?

 

There are a few ways to answer this, but none of them are definitive. You can try various options.

 

If you decide to go with the Testament of Solomon as your Liber Spirituum the demons provided Solomon with the names of the angels who “thwart” them. Beelzebul describes this process as being adjured by the oath. We often take the thwarting angel concept of one in which the angel is called to smite the demon, but Beelzebul’s description is one in which the angel is the power by which the demon is conjured. When working with the Testament of Solomon it provides the names of the powers by which the demons are bound in conjuration.

 

If you go with the text now called The Book of Oberon, a section of the Book of the Offices of Spirits describes several demons under the rulership of the Kings of the Four Directions. If working with that spirit list you could call upon the angel related to that king.

 

If not working with that text, you can take the same approach if you find some other means by which to accord the demonic hierarchy under the four kings.

 

Another option would be to look at the powers and appearance of the spirit, or the direction from which it comes if that is listed and try and determine a planetary association for the spirit. Once you have a planetary association you could call it under the angel associated therewith. If you work with spirits from the Hygromanteia planetary correspondences will already be available for many of them.

 

Once the angel is conjured you will instruct it to help retrieve the King and the demon and to aid in ensuring your safety and the safety of any of your concerns while the demon does its work. Then conjure the King, and then request that the King give access to the spirit and that the King or his messenger retrieve the demon in question and aid in its conjuration.

 

Then conjure, constrain, and bind the demon. If there any offerings or gifts to be given to the demon this would be done now along with any questioning and bargaining. Once this is done license it to depart.

 

You can obtain all the needed additions pretty easily, but we’ll provide some here as well.

 

Once you’ve picked your demon, and the angel you intend to call the next step is to select a conjuration for the appropriate king. Here are examples.

 

Oh great and potent spirit Oriens, King of the East, who rules the Eastern region of the world, I adjure you, I call upon you, and most powerfully and earnestly I urge you by, in, and through the virtue power and might of these efficacious and binding names, YHVH+, EHIH+, Adonai+, AGLA+, El+, Tzvot+, Elohim, of the Almighty, Immense Incomprehensible and Everliving God, the omnipotent Creator of heaven and Earth. I call you in the name of the Most High, whose name all the Celestial Angels honor and obey, and before whom all the holy Company and Choir of heaven, Incessantly sing Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, and at whose Divine and inestimable name, all Knees on Earth give homage and bow, and all the aerial terrestrial and infernal spirits do fear and tremble and now by all these names I do now again powerfully adjure, call upon, constrain and urge you Oh great and Mighty spirit Oriens, King of the East, in the holy name YHVH+, within the presence of Michael+ that now immediately without further tarrying, or delay the spirit, you appear visibly, plainly, peaceably, affably in all serenity and humility here before me, and positively effectually faithfully, and fully aid me in all I request and answer all questions I ask, especially those things which accord to your office, without any delay guile or deceit or other illusions whatsoever. And I call upon you, Oh you powerful and regal spirit Oriens, by the power of YHVH+ in the presence of Michael+ to appear plainly visible before me, in pleasing form, in all mildness, peace, and friendliness, without any hurt, disturbance, or any other evil whatsoever, either to me, or this place, wherein I am, or any other place, person or creature whatsoever, but that quietly courteously and obediently you fulfill my desires and do my commandments in all things which I earnestly urge and command for you to do for me, Oh Royal and Potent spirit Oriens, in the name of YHVH+.

 

 

Oh great and potent spirit Egyn, King of the North, who rules the Northern region of the world, I adjure you, I call upon you, and most powerfully and earnestly I urge you by, in, and through the virtue power and might of these efficacious and binding names, YHVH+, EHIH+, Adonai+, AGLA+, El+, Tzvot+, Elohim+, of the Almighty, Immense Incomprehensible and Everliving God, the omnipotent Creator of heaven and Earth. I call you in the name of the Most High, whose name all the Celestial Angels honor and obey, and before whom all the holy Company and Choir of heaven, Incessantly sing Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, and at whose Divine and inestimable name, all Knees on Earth give homage and bow, and all the aerial terrestrial and infernal spirits do fear and tremble and now by all these names I do now again powerfully adjure, call upon, constrain and urge you Oh great and Mighty spirit Egyn, King of the North, in the holy name Elohim+, within the presence of Gabriel+ that now immediately without further tarrying, or delay the spirit, you appear visibly, plainly, peaceably, affably in all serenity and humility here before me, and positively effectually faithfully, and fully aid me in all I request and answer all questions I ask, especially those things which accord to your office, without any delay guile or deceit or other illusions whatsoever. And I call upon you, Oh you powerful and regal spirit Egyn, by the power of Elohim+ in the presence of Gabriel+ to appear plainly visible before me, in pleasing form, in all mildness, peace, and friendliness, without any hurt, disturbance, or any other evil whatsoever, either to me, or this place, wherein I am, or any other place, person or creature whatsoever, but that quietly courteously and obediently you fulfill my desires and do my commandments in all things which I earnestly urge and command for you to do for me, Oh Royal and Potent spirit Egyn, in the name of Shaddai+.

 

Oh great and potent spirit Amaymon, King of the South, who rules the Southern region of the world, I adjure you, I call upon you, and most powerfully and earnestly I urge you by, in, and through the virtue power and might of these efficacious and binding names, YHVH+, EHIH+, Adonai+, AGLA+, El+, Tzvot+, Elohim+, of the Almighty, Immense Incomprehensible and Everliving God, the omnipotent Creator of heaven and Earth. I call you in the name of the Most High, whose name all the Celestial Angels honor and obey, and before whom all the holy Company and Choir of heaven, Incessantly sing Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, and at whose Divine and inestimable name, all Knees on Earth give homage and bow, and all the aerial terrestrial and infernal spirits do fear and tremble and now by all these names I do now again powerfully adjure, call upon, constrain and urge you Oh great and Mighty spirit Amaymon, King of the South, in the holy name Adonai+, within the presence of Uriel+ that now immediately without further tarrying, or delay the spirit, you appear visibly, plainly, peaceably, affably in all serenity and humility here before me, and positively effectually faithfully, and fully aid me in all I request and answer all questions I ask, especially those things which accord to your office, without any delay guile or deceit or other illusions whatsoever. And I call upon you, Oh you powerful and regal spirit Amaymon+, by the power of Adonai+ in the presence of Uriel+ to appear plainly visible before me, in pleasing form, in all mildness, peace, and friendliness, without any hurt, disturbance, or any other evil whatsoever, either to me, or this place, wherein I am, or any other place, person or creature whatsoever, but that quietly courteously and obediently you fulfill my desires and do my commandments in all things which I earnestly urge and command for you to do for me, Oh Royal and Potent spirit Amaymon+, in the name of Adonai+.

 

The conjurations could also be used if working with the King was your end game. You could use an abbreviated form if you’re conjuring the king to aid with calling another spirit, particularly if you’ve worked with the King previously.

 

Here is an example:

 

Oh great and potent spirit Paymon, King of the West, who rules the Western region of the world, I adjure you, I call upon you, and most powerfully and earnestly I urge you by, in, and through the virtue power and might of these efficacious and binding names, YHVH+, EHIH+, Adonai+, AGLA+, El+, Tzevaot+, Elohim+, of the Almighty, Immense Incomprehensible and Everliving God, the omnipotent Creator of heaven and Earth. I call you in the name of the Most High, whose name all the Celestial Angels honor and obey, and before whom all the holy Company and Choir of heaven, Incessantly sing Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, and at whose Divine and inestimable name, all Knees on Earth give homage and bow, and all the aerial terrestrial and infernal spirits do fear and tremble and now by all these names I do now again powerfully adjure, call upon, constrain and urge you Oh great and Mighty spirit Paymon, King of the West that you might bring the spirit [NAME] and grant us peaceable access to his presence.

 

The others can be modified in this same way.

 

Then you would call the spirit. I will provide an example using Hoistros from the Hygromanteia. A ritual for conjuring him appeared in my book Living Spirits:

 

I do invoke and conjure you Hoistros by Beralanensis, by Baldachiensis, by Paumachia, and by Apologia Sedes, by the most mighty kings and powers, and the most powerful princes, genii, Liachidæ, ministers of the Tartarean seat, chief prince of the seat of Apologia, in the ninth legion, I invoke you N, and by invoking, I conjure you Hoistros and being armed with power from the supreme Majesty, I strongly command you Hoistros, by Him who spoke and it was done, and to whom all creatures are obedient; and by this ineffable name, YHVH, which being heard the elements are overthrown, the air is shaken, the sea runs back, the fire is quenched, the earth trembles, and all the host of the celestials, and terrestrials, and infernals do tremble together, and are troubled and confounded: wherefore, forthwith and without delay, shall you, Hoistros, come from all parts of the world, and make rational answers unto all things I shall ask of you; and come peaceably, visibly and affably now, Hoistros, without delay, manifesting what we desire, being conjured by the name of the living and true God, Heliorem, and fulfill our commands, and persist unto the end, and according to our intentions, visibly and affably speaking unto us with a clear voice, intelligible, and without any ambiguity.

 

Once the spirit arrives it must be constrained to appear in a particular spot, in a particular manner, and in a way which is not harmful to the magician:

 

By the seals which are present, by the Great Seal of Solomon, by the names which have been aforesaid, by the name of John the Baptist I command Hoistros that you appear in pleasing form in this bowl and answer honestly all questions and expediently provide for all requests bringing no harm upon those of us who have called you.

 

Finally, the magician binds the demon by whichever divine and angelic names are appropriate to the agreement which they have come to. This agreement will include what the demon is to do, and any proscriptions on how, as well as what the magician is willing to pay the spirit for this work.

 

You could also make these adjustments without working in the context of calling an angel. In that case the ritual would open as normal up until the point of calling the angel. If you’re working in a planetary context then you would proceed with some other prayer accorded to the day of the week, or the hour in which you are working. If not working in a planetary context and electing to work under the auspices of the chiefs and princes of Hell, then invoke the appropriate chief followed by the appropriate prince as provided in Agrippa’s table of four. Then the king and then the demon.

 

One of the test team for Luminarium referenced using the method given for work with a demon. The method in Luminarium was originally tried in a group ritual for conjuring a demon which provided several people with several large manifest results involving jobs, property, and money.

 

Have you tried using Luminarium for working with demons? Or for something other than angels? Let me know about it!

 

Would you like to Follow us for Updates or Support our Work?

 

If you enjoyed this please like, follow, and share on your favorite social media! We can be followed for updates on Facebook.

 

If you’re curious about starting conjuration pick up my new book – Luminarium: A Grimoire of Cunning Conjuration

 

If you want some help exploring the vast world of spirits check out my first book – Living Spirits: A Guide to Magic in a World of Spirits

 Sign up for our free online publication: Minor Mendings Magical Magazine

More Opportunities for Support and Classes will show up at Ko-Fi

 

The Great Outdoors

          One of the things I have commented on several times about Luminarium, and which my test group noted as well is that it is, to a degree, modular. The texts presents at once a system which can be used, more or less, as a stand-alone approach to magic or an example of adaptation which allows for additional adaptation.

          The entire system of preparation is presented ala carte with an invitation to bring your own. The tools are somewhat minimalist, but they can be adapted. The system presents conjurations for angels and aerial spirits, but with a little adjustment it can be used for other purpose as well.

          If you sort out what each piece of the conjuration ritual is doing, you could easily substitute equivalent functions from a preferred spiritual system or a preferred magical text.

          It’s setting up a model for a system of conjuring – a framework; as much as it is presenting a grimoire you can roll out of bed and chat up some cosmic powers with.

          My intention over the next few posts is to present some of these adaptations. The first one is inspired by a friend, who was one of the testers, who is spending a few weeks out in the wilderness. While thinking about him out there I considered suggesting he try out Luminarium in a more natural context, but realized he might not have some of the stuff he would need for the standard context. This got me thinking of how to change things.

         

The Ancestors

          The big thing that would be missing if someone were on the road or in the great outdoors and wanted to use Luminarium is the ancestor altar. The shrine to the ancestors essentially consecrates a temple space and becomes our in between space for working in the spirit world without needing a circle set up. It also sets the grounds for a particular sort of spirit leverage and connection.

          In my case I have a handmade rosary consecrated to my ancestors, Mary, Hekate and St. Benedict. If I wanted to work in a context similar to working at my ancestor shrine I could wear the rosary or I could place the rosary on the ground and put the bowl and other implements within the loop of the rosary. The space it outlines would be a hallowed space dedicated to those powers so long as the rosary was laid open in that spot.

          Another approach I might take is a spirit candle. While I light candles on my ancestor shrine to help make contact with them, I also have a pillar candle which I used for working with a particular ancestor before setting up my ancestor shrine. Once I began working with the shrine regularly I used that candle to ask that ancestor if I could work with him and his candle as a link to my ancestors over all if working in an instance where placing the candle in my working space made more sense than working at the altar.

          So if you have some tool along those lines which is portable and which you take with you then you could simulate the space of your ancestor work while working away from home.

The Nature Spirits

          The possibility of not having some sort of ancestral link – other than yourself – could easily come up during unplanned workings while exploring the wilderness for an extended period. So, with that being the case, maybe recontextualizing amid the spirits in your locality makes sense.

          I think if you approached from the perspective of engaging the nature spirits it would kind of shift a few things. In my experience, nature spirits are good at connecting you with other nature spirits and spirits who interact with them closely, but perhaps less so with a broad range of spirits. So, their ability to create leverage to help call upon spirits and bring spirits to work on your behalf might not be the same as when working with ancestors. Nature spirits also are not human, so they don’t have the same inside track as to what human needs and experience are like. They’re not your family so there is not the same natural investment.

          On the flip side there are benefits to nature spirits as a context to engage for this work. If your goal is to work with some natural or elemental spirit, or to conjure a faery or a dead person then nature spirits might be very useful in helping facilitate that connection. Nature spirits have influence over the spaces they protect and the areas of nature they connect with. So, while they might not guide things from a human perspective, they may be able to help influence what will and will not easily manifest within their spaces. Nature spirits are sometimes depicted as frightening and dangerous, but other-times as loving caregivers, guardians, and providers for the human communities within their environment. I believe a lot of this has to do with what kind of relationships humans are maintaining with them. With this in mind they may have an investment in your – albeit of a different sort than your ancestors – if you’re maintaining a good relationship with them.

Building a Relationship

          If you’re going to work with nature spirits as your context, which makes a lot of sense if you’re working out in nature, you need to build a relationship.

          The first step in this process is going into natural spaces and introducing yourself. Once you’ve introduced yourself, sit and listen. Appreciate the space. Be a part of the space and accept and adapt to it rather than trying to make it adapt to and accept you. Once you’ve done this, make offerings. Water, incense, appropriate food. Be mindful that your offerings don’t damage the space. Be a good steward, clean things up, take care of things in the space, don’t be part of the problems damaging the space. Make more individual introductions, meet the rivers, the trees, the rocks, the wind, whatever else makes up the space. It’s not just the spirit of the overall place, or an over all guardian spirit of the place, but the lives of the myriad pieces that make up the environment with whom you will need to engage.

Place

          If you’re working in nature, find a spot that seems conducive to your work, get to know the spot and anything in it. Build a connection. You don’t need to consecrate it so much as you need to awaken your awareness of its life and bring that awareness into engagement. You could build up ritual structures, but if you can find a place that is naturally suited that’s better. If you’re building, ask permission to do so, and ask permission to use the natural materials you need. Ask those materials to be your working partners and part of what you’re doing.

Tools

          You might streamline the tools some. Maybe just the lantern instead of the candles. Maybe a natural pool of water instead of the bowl. Maybe a spot on the ground or a rock instead of a table. You’ll have to look at what you have available, what the space provides, and what feels right and make those three influences work together.

The Ritual Itself

          Most of the ritual would remain the same. The ancestor service might be replaced by offerings and work with the spirits of nature, but there should still be a point where you at least call on and acknowledge your ancestors. When you get to the conjuration that might shift if you’re shifting what you’re conjuring. Maybe you want to talk to the guardian of that space? Maybe you want to call on a faery, or a dead person connected to that space? The conjuration prayer you write would focus on the powers of nature and show respect to those as well as to whatever you’re calling. If calling angels, aerial spirits, or demons, you might not have to adjust anything except using the rite for the nature spirits instead of the ancestor service rite.

Try it out and let me know how it goes!

If you’re curious about the method being discussed pick up my new book – Luminarium: A Grimoire of CunningConjuration

If you want some help exploring the vast world of spirits check out my first book – Living Spirits: AGuide to Magic in a World of Spirits

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