A Devotional Spell

Dusio and I have once again been conspiring. He's trying to inspire me to post more "low" magic. The blog takes me where it takes me. Tonight tho, I'm starting to get into that groove. So thanks, Dusio. This dovetails nicely with his latest post on devotion and why, I think, I was moved to post it.

While I am not at liberty to post the entire ritual here, I have been given the go ahead to post this part of it; a devotional prayer, invoking Diana as Queen of Witches. It can be used as a novena, it can be used to invoke Her presence and aid in spellwork, to bring Her power in the heavens down into the materials, and to carry the intention of the materials into all realms where they can take effect. You can use this for most work, including healing, revealing, and appealing.*

If it fits your fancy, you can change the first line to Ave Madonna (My Lady). It's important to keep the rhyme, otherwise I'd say use whichever title or name you're most comfortable with. I've posted it in Italian because that's how it was given. If you want a pronunciation guide I suggest translate.google.com. You'll be able to click an icon and have a listen.

Ave Diana!
Angeli si corona.
I tuoi figli ti adoro.
Dammi quello che chiedo.
(your request goes here)
Ti offro fiori,
rose e gigli,
Sotto la luna
le stelle ei pianeti.
Con la mia volontà e il tuo
Questo sarà il mio!


Hail Diana!
Angels crown you,
Your children adore you.
Give me what I ask.
(insert request here)
I offer you flowers,
roses and lilies,
Under the moon,
the stars and the planets.
By my will and thine
This will be mine!


*(revealing = divination, appealing = love or glamor)

Tempestas Roman Goddess of storms.

Dear Goddess Tempestas,

I realize that this is the 1st time we have conversed together. For that I am sorry. I have a rather unique request of you. With Irene on the way, my basement is sure to flood dangerously high. It always does at such times. I have two sump pumps standing guard just ready and waiting to pump out the onslaught of water. The last time the heavy snows of winter melted and we had a long hard driving rain, I woke up to a foot of water in the basement. It almost killed my furnace and it did snuff out the pilot on my hot water heater. Luckily my plumber was able to save the hot water heater.

My worry this time is that if we lose power, my sump pumps will not be able to do their jobs. Thereby killing my hot water heater, furnace, and quite possibly my artesian well pump. This would in turn cost me thousands of dollars which I do not currently have. I have home owners insurance but I believe they like to call these mishaps an act of God, which God I'm not quite sure, but in any event they don't care and they just refuse to replace these much needed items in my home.

So now that Hurricane Irene is barreling up the coast it looks like I am in perfect alignment with her path. I pray that you can either give her a little nudge out to sea or somehow let my little house please not lose it's power. I do have one particularly huge tree in my front yard that I also asked be spared. It is a beautiful old maple that has supplied years of protection to the house. Should that get uprooted, it surely will take out all of the power lines leading into my house. So as you can see, I certainly am in quite a predicament here. I promise to leave the light on for you, I pray that you will leave them on as well. Hail Tempestas!

Your humble servant,
Dusio

Requiem for a Mercurial Man

Most of you don't know that I'm a big gaming nerd. MMORPGs were how I spent my time for a while, as well as the wonderful worlds of Table Top games and internet RPGs. If you don't know what those letters mean, it's really ok. When my son stopped nursing I stopped having the time to play. I made so many wonderful friends, many I still keep in touch with despite no longer having the game as our anchor. A few days ago one of those friends, who I had lost touch with, sent me a message and a friend request on facebook. I accepted it and we started chatting, picking right up from wherever it was we had left off. Last night he was killed in a car crash. I'm just plain grief-stricken for his family and for his close friends. And I'm really fucking angry that we just picked up our friendship again and now... Why? Shit. I want to kick something.

Tonight I said a prayer to Mercury, asking him to escort Andy to the other side. I realized that the way in which I knew him, what our friendship was like, was very Mercurial. He was sharp-witted, quick-witted, funny, fast and industrious. Even in the silly on line game we played he was the one to go to for equipment and items and trades- a master merchant. He was also one of the fastest leveling players. He was clever and slick with words and could find a loophole in anything. He was genial, kind, funny, flirtatious without being vulgar, and come to think of it, he could be vulgar too when appropriate! He could also unleash a world of shit against his enemies or someone who had done his friends wrong. One of our first interactions was during the internet radio show he hosted. I became the host of my own show on the network as well. We traded gentle, playful barbs, and had a good time. Wonderfully fond memories of him. I'm glad we crossed paths.

So that this isn't entirely a brain dump (which I'm sure you'll forgive under the circumstances) I'm going to share my prayer to Mercury with you.


Great God Mercury, Messenger, Opener, Guide of Souls heed my prayer!
Deliver the soul of a departed dear to the other side with loving care.
Akaketa, hear my plea*
Please do this service now for we
who are left behind to wonder why.
Bring comfort now to all who cry
I pray for dreams through gates of horn
To comfort all of us who mourn
a true blue son of your design.
Let this be done
By your will and mine.

Burning frankincense, lighting a candle and offering wine. I hope to dream of Andy tonight or in the next few nights. I will look to see that he finds his way. It's all I have to offer him, along with prayers and energy for his family.

Apologies again for the brain-dump. Back to our regularly scheduled blog tomorrow.


(*Akaketa, according to Kerenyi, means gracious one, or painless one)