In this latest episode of the Magical Experiments Podcast, I talk about how you can modify existing magical entities you’ve created and share why and when you would want to modify them. I share a couple of personal examples of entities that I’ve created and modified and how doing these modifications improved the efficacy of their work.
How to Fuel your Magical Entities and get better results
Picture copyright Taylor Ellwood 2023
Recently I was asked a question about how I fuel magical entities. The person asked if I relied upon deities, elemental or planetary currents or other traditional forms of fueling that are typically used with magical entities. It's a good question to ask, because there are many different ways you can set an entity up, both in terms of how you fuel it, and in terms of other specifications and customizations you can make to the entity.
While I can and do draw on more traditional methods for fueling entities, these methods are only one part of my process for fueling entities (or doing any other kind of magical work that requires a fuel source). The benefit of drawing on more traditional sources is that they are tried and true. For example if you create an entity that's focused around love, it makes sense that you might draw on the Venusian current or seek the aid of a love deity to help you with empowering the entity to perform it's specific tasks.
On the other hand, one might rightfully ask why not just go directly to the source and work with the love deity or the planetary energy without drawing upon an entity for the purposes of doing the spiritual work? Certainly that's a good question to ask as well.
The reason I choose to work with a magical entity is because I can tailor the entity toward the specific needs of the situation, which can be useful, especially if the situation doesn't exactly fit within the domain of a given spirit's influence. Another reason I might create an entity is because I want some distance from the situation, but I still want a magical working to be done, but through a lens that focuses in on my understanding of the situation. A deity or more traditional spirit may not have the exact understanding of the situation that an entity can be programmed to have...and that can be very useful with specific examples.
Sound baths and audio magic scrying experiments
image copyright Taylor Ellwood
I have been continuing to experiment with scrying, and I recently decided to switch from candles and mirrors to using modern technology.
My initial experiment was inspired by a Gong ceremony I attended. The Gong ceremony put me into a deep state of altered awareness and I ended up experiencing a sensation of time dilation. It was a deeply fascinating experience and it prompted me to consider how I could attempt to replicate the conditions of a sound bath, while using my black mirror and a candle for scrying.
What I did was set up a cd player with two speakers so that one speaker was to the left of me and the other was to the right. I then picked out music that would be helpful for stimulating the mind via biaurnal beats and soundscapes. I used music from Coil, Rapoon and The Anti Group Collective. I played the music and then lit the candle and proceeded to do my usual scrying, but with the music creating a sound batch effect for the purposes of deeper states of altered consciousness.
What I found is that with the right music I definitely achieved a deeper state of altered awareness which led to more visions and experiences via scrying, both for behavior alteration and spirit work. I then decided to move on to another experiment...
What makes a spirit a spirit?
Image courtesy of pexels
I've been thinking about the question, "What makes a spirit, a spirit?"
I'm currently writing Walking with Nature Spirits, and in the writing of this book I've been thinking about this question because of how I approach the work with nature spirits, but also because of the stereotypical imagery associated with nature spirits, which usually has them set up with imagery of gnomes, undines, slyphs, etc., basically humancentric shapes and appearances. The benefit of the humancentric shapes is that it makes easy for us to identify with those spirits. The downside however is that we all too often get stuck filtering our experience of a given spirit on the basis of the human oriented shape we associate with it. This isn't limited to nature or elemental spirits either.
We see this same tendency to humanize the appearance and experience of spirits with Daemonic spirits, angelic spirits, and any other type of spirit out there. This tendency brings with it a kind of entitlement as well: Namely the entitlement that the spirits are really here to serve or work for us. It's a naïve belief that isn't fully accurate and can create potential problems when we adhere too strongly to notions of what we think spirits are or are not.
One of my main purposes for writing the Walking with Spirits series is to present an alternate perspective to spirit work that is rooted in building a collaborative relationship with the spirits, but also recognizes that to experience the spirits we must be willing to experience them on their terms as much as possible.
What does that look like?
Scrying for spirit Communication
Picture copyright Taylor Ellwood 2023
One of the ways I like to work with scrying is with spirit communication.
I already have a strong connection to spirits, having always had a natural proclivity toward communicating with them, but what I'm finding with scrying is that this proclivity is further enhanced when working with the right tools.
In my case, the right tools are a combination of candles and black mirror, along with sometimes using additional tools including a pendulum, Tarot, or cowrie shells for divinatory purposes.
I'll also work with specific spirits around specific themes or areas of interest. In the picture above I have a sigil for the goetic spirit Camio that I'm working with for the purposes of enhancing my skills with candle magic and scrying through flame work.
Now available for pre-order: Walking with Elemental Spirits
In Walking with Elemental Spirits I share the modern system I’ve developed for working with elemental spirits that gets you consistent results while helping you build collaborative relationships with the elemental spirits.
The elemental spirits can be potent allies to work with and in this book you’ll learn how the practical magic skills that you can use to forge strong relationships with the elemental spirits that allow you to work with them as allies. In this book you will also learn the following:
The classic Hermetic and Taoist systems of the 5 elements, and my modernized system of elemental magic.
How to connect with elemental spirits using evocation portals and experiential embodiment
How to do internal work and health magic with the elemental spirits.
How to work with the elemental spirits to get practical results
and much more!
If you’re ready to learn a new approach to elemental magic, this book will teach you how to work with the elemental spirits and use elemental magic to get results that transform your life.
Can Spirits help you with your mental health?
I share some thoughts on whether or not spirits can help you with your mental health and why I actually don’t advise working with spirits for that purpose. I explain the potential pitfalls and also emphasize the importance of getting help from the right resources.
How to recognize Humanocentric limitations in our spiritual work
The other day, in the magical experiments Facebook group, a really good question was asked about what people consider a deity to be, versus what a spirit being is. One of the respondents noted that non-physical entities really don’t care about labels attached to them, and that the labels are mainly used for the convenience of humans, as a way of providing context and categorization for them. when working with spirits. The person went on to note that such categorizations are subjective. I agreed with the person’s response to the question, because in a very real sense the categorizations that occur with spirits are rooted in a humanocentric perspective.
A humanocentric perspective is a perspective rooted in the human experience. It brings with it set expectations around how spirits are encountered and worked with. For example, one such expectation is the expectation that a spirit will appear before a person in a form that makes sense to the person and speak in a language that the person understands. Such an expectation is based around the human need to control and label the experiences we have as much as possible.
Spirit relationships and the magic of writing with Stephanie Connolly
In this interview Stephanie and I discuss how spirit relationships based on respect and how to work with spirits. We also discuss writing about magic and what goes into writing a book, and how books speak to us.
Learn more about stephanie and her books at http://sjreisner.com
Learn more about Demonolatry at http://www.demonolatry.org
Learn how magic works: https://magical-experiments.teachable.com/p/home
Get free e-books: http://www.magicalexperiments.com/free-books
Become my patron: https://www.patreon.com/TaylorEllwood?fan_landing=true
My Encounter with She Who Watches
A few years ago my partner and I decided to go on a spiritual pilgrimage and explore the Confluence Trail project monuments, which are Native American art installations at parks in Washington and Oregon that call attention to the indigenous tribes and how they were impacted by the Lewis and Clark expedition. While we were on this pilgrimage to learn more about the history of the land we live in, I ended up encountering the spirit of the Columbia river, She Who Watches and since then have had a connection with that spirit that is solely based on a mutual recognition of each other, and in my case a recognition that I am fundamentally rooted to the Columbia river area.
Even before I went on this pilgrimage I felt a connection to the Columbia river. When I first moved to the West coast and traveled through PDX, I felt a sense of connection. I thought initially it was to Portland, but I eventually realized it wasn’t. Within a year I moved down to Portland and while I like living here, I found myself drawn to explore the Columbia valley gorge. There was something about it that drew me in.
Walking with Magical Entities is now available
Walking with Magical Entities is Now Available!
Learn how to Create and Work with servitors, egregores, and thought forms to get consistent results.
In Walking with Magical Entities, I share my streamlined approach for creating and working with magical entities that enables you to get consistent results. I’ll show you how to design and launch entities in three phases, and how to work with them to get better results that transform your life.
Creating magical entities doesn’t have to be a complicated operation. All you need is a simple, but effective guide for determining how your entity will work and how it will get you results. This book is that guide, and in it you’ll learn the following:
What magical entities are and why we have a symbiotic relationship with them.
How to define and create your entity using the desired result as your starting point.
How to program the entity with the right fuel source, actions, and abilities so it can accomplish your result.
How to troubleshoot and revise your entity if it isn’t producing the results you want.
How to develop an effective relationship with your entity, where you get better results and enhance the overall quality of your life.
Case studies and examples of created entities with commentary on why I created them and what worked and didn’t work.
A magical entity can be one of the most powerful magical tools available to you. Learn how to create and work with magical entities, so you can get consistent results that transform your life.
Corona Vaccine Inspiration entity (CVI)
This is an entity that was brainstormed in the Magical Experiments Facebook group. It is designed to inspire and support health care professionals actively working on the corona virus research as well as health care professionals working in the hospitals.
Note: No guarantees are made if you choose to work with this entity. You should still follow quarantine protocols and still wash your hands and take all the other pre-cautions. This entity is provided as a possible resource that may help combat the virus.
Anti-Corona Entity (ACE)
This is an entity that was brainstormed in the magical experiments facebook group. It’s created as a way to combat the Corona virus while protecting the person from getting infected, or helping an infected person get better. We’re still brainstorming other magical solutions as well.
Note: No guarantees are made if you choose to work with this entity. You should still follow quarantine protocols and still wash your hands and take all the other pre-cautions. This entity is provided as a possible resource that may help combat the virus.
How pop culture spirits evolve
I’m always fascinated by how pop culture spirits change with the times. Older spirits are more set by the context of the cultures they originated from, so although they may change somewhat through the lens of modern culture, pop culture spirits are more flexible and fluid in some ways. Yet they too can become fixed and set to some degree by the expectations of the fans that enjoy the pop culture they originate from. And yet sometimes a spirit can break out of the mold in unexpected ways.
Recently I went to see the new Joker movie. I saw it once and I went back and saw it again in the theater (something I normally don’t do). Why did I go back? Because the Joker movie isn’t really a movie. It’s an experience of a person becoming the Joker. The second time I saw the movie, I watched how Joaquin Phoenix used his face and eyes to convey the gradual evolution of Arthur into Joker, but what I also saw was a dynamic rewriting of the pop culture spirit of Joker, in a direction that no one else had taken him.
My work with Planetary Pentacles
I recently acquired two planetary pentacles, The Second Pentacle of Jupiter and The Second Pentacle of Mercury from Alison Chicosky, of Practical Occult. I acquired them because I was curious about how I could apply them to my own ongoing work with planetary magic, as well as for other purposes and so far I’ve been very pleased with the pentacles. I want to share here how I’ve applied them to my magical work, but I also recommend and vouch for Alison’s work.
When I first got these pentacles, I spent a few days just working with them. I kept them on my person during the day and put them under my pillow at night. I had vivid dreams the first couple nights, where the spirits of the pentacles came and instructed me in the basics of how to activate and work with them. During the day I’d touch them and soak in the experience, not just of the metal, but also of the planetary powers the pentacles represent.
The Second Pentacle of Mercury connects you with the planetary spirits of Mercury. It has a feeling of quickness to it, and a quirky eccentric appeal that provides odd insights and unusual perspectives, perfect for someone like me, but it also helps with communication and information gathering.
The Second Pentacle of Jupiter connects you with the planetary spirits of Jupiter. It has a feeling of expansion to it, a sense of opportunity and potential that can be explored and uncovered, if you’re willing to do the work. It’s helped me with some wealth workings and other related matters.
So how have I applied these pentacles to my own workings?
Frequency Manipulation
I’ve treated each of these pendants as dials, that I can use to either increase or decrease the amount of planetary essence being applied to a situation. The dial function also serves as a modifier, in the sense that it applies the planetary power in a way that modifies the situation through the particular lens that the pentacle channels.
Example: I’ve used the pentacle of Mercury to dial down the hostility of customers at my work, coming in hot because of the problem they’re dealing with. In this situation, Mercury has served to cushion and gentle the customer, making them cool down quick so we can focus on solving the problem. Mercury, in this context, has also helped stimulate unconventional perspectives for finding solutions to the problems being deal with.
Example: I’ve used the pentacle of Jupiter to dial up interest in the ads I’m running on Amazon, basically acting as attractor to those ads. Since applying the pentacle for that purpose, I’ve noticed more impressions and clicks, which is useful for increasing sales. I’ve also used Jupiter to enhance an existing wealth magic working I’m using to get more leads at work.
When I use the pentacles as dials, I treat the holes as the dial indicator (see picture) below. Left is used to lower the frequency, while right is used to raise the frequency. I must add that sometimes lower frequencies are better than higher ones, so if you take my approach you’ll have to pay close attention to your desired result and think of the frequency manipulation in terms of that result. For instance, I might lower the Jupiter frequency if I’m doing a working where I don’t want expansion. By lowering the frequency I can actually mitigate or even negate a planetary influence I don’t want at the time. You can apply this approach to any magical working you’re doing where you want to either modify the planetary influences you’re working OR use them to modify a magical working you’re already doing.
Left is less, while right is more
Answer Generators
I’ve also used each of these pentacles as divinatory tools, around their specific realm of influence. For instance, I posed a question to the Mercury pentacle and then slept with it under my head. That night I had a vivid dream where I got the answer I needed, which allowed me to make a crucial decision around some internal work I’m currently doing. That direction was very helpful and I imagine I could do something similar with the Jupiter pentacle.
The Pentacles and the Sphere of Art
I’ve also applied these two pentacles to the planetary influences I’m workings with in the Sphere of Art, using them to further enhance and refine the alchemical essences that are part of the working. I place the pentacle beneath the respective alchemical essence it represents and what happens is that both the alchemical essence and the pentacle charge and enhance and refine each other further. It’s basically a symbiotic exchange I’ve created and I can then apply to any working I’m doing in the Sphere, but also outside of it. I plan to get other pentacles and do the same thing with them as well, but that’s down the line.
Conclusion
For the moment what I’ve shared above is what I’ve done with the pentacles. but I know I’ll continue experimenting with them, both in conjunction with other work I’m doing and in working with them as singular entities in their own right. They’ve become an invaluable part of my work. If you want more information about these pentacles or others that Alison creates please visit practical occult.
Explore related entries in the Library
How to internalize your connection with spirits
I discuss how to internalize the connection you have with spirits and how that can be used in your magical workings.
Magical Entities and life design
I share my continued work with magical entities and how the work is continuing to evolve and change, especially around work with entities for creating a proactive life design for my life.
The Spiritual and Practical Ecology of Offerings
In The Spell of the Sensuous, the author shares that when he was visiting Indonesia and learning from some of the Shamans there, he would observe that people would leave offerings outside of their house for the spirits. One day, curious as to what happened with the offerings, the author followed someone, saw them give the offering and then he waited a while. Then he walked over and he saw that ants were carrying off the offerings.
What the author came to realize is that making the offerings had a spiritual impact, but also an ecological one. The ants didn’t show up in the homes where offerings were being made, because the offerings were set far enough away that the ants could get the food and go on their respective way.
Are the 4 quarter Archangels the same as the Guardians of the Watchtowers?
Photo by Luke Stackpoole on Unsplash
I was recently asked if the Guardians of the watchtowers are the same as Archangels. The reason I was asked is because a lot of Magicians call angels to their circle or the Guardians of the watchtowers. It's a good question to ask, and since I've been doing my own work around the archangels of the quarters, I thought I would answer it.
The short answer is that the Archangels aren't the same as the Guardians of the watchtowers. They are each their own distinctive set of beings. Frater Barrabbas has an excellent book out about this very topic called Spirit Conjuring for Witches: Magical Evocation Simplified (Affiliate link), where he explores this topic in depth.
My own experience with the Archangels also doesn't suggest that they're the guardians of the watchtowers, but rather that they have their own distinct roles which should be explored in depth. In fact, this is why I always recommend doing thorough research on what spirits you'll work with so that you don't create this blending of function, which isn't accurate.
For example, one of the reasons you develop a correspondence table with a spirit you work with is because the correspondence table speaks to the relationships and associations that are relevant to the spirit. For example if we work with the archangel Raphael, what we're initially doing is learning about who that spirit is and what functions/associations/attributes etc are aligned with Raphael.
What happens as a result is that we build a profile that we use every time we work with Raphael. That profile allows us to not only evoke or invoke Raphael, but also connect with the powers that are associated with Raphael. We learn what those powers are by taking the time to build a relationship, but the benefit we get is that when we call Raphael up, we're also connecting with those powers. What Raphael does for us is mediate those powers so that we have access to exactly what we can handle and no more than that.
Circling back around to the initial question posed above, the reason its important to have a distinct understanding of the spirits in their own rights, as opposed to blending them together is because of what they represent and mediate. By understanding the function/role of Raphael in a separate context from that of a guardian of the watchtower, we can readily appreciate the role/function of each and employ each appropriately in our magical workings.
Now it could be argued that if a guardian of the watch tower and Raphael occupy the same quarter, won't they have the same associations? We shouldn't assume they will, because although they may share a quarter and some associations in common, there may also be specific differences. There's also the simple fact that if I work with Raphael that's who I'm working with. Blending the identities of spirits for your own purpose disrespects the spirits you're working with and also takes away from the potency of the connection.
I recommend that whatever system of magic you work with or create that you remember that the relationship you form with a given spirit is really a discovery of that spirit and what it represents, as well as how that relationship can be applied to the other spiritual work you're doing. Don't try to force connections...simply discover and be open to learning. The rest will reveal itself as needed.
Explore related entries in the Library
The Creative Genius as a Spirit
One of the books I'm currently reading, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear offers an intriguing idea about the nature of creative genius. The author shares that the ideas a person gets and acts on are the result of the genius, but the genius is a spirit working through you.
Kind of like A Genius Locii (a spirit of place), but instead its a spirit of creativity.
I think its an intriguing way to look at one's own sense of genius, because instead of claiming something as you're own, you acknowledge its a gift that's been given to you, an offering that you've been allowed to express (should you take it up). It's an opportunity to be humble and recognize how your creativity is inspired.