Reflections from the Black Stone

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Via-Serpentis.com

All essays from this blog and the now-sunset Voces-Magicae site will be archived in a new home: www.via-serpentis.com FB Page: Via Serpentis Instagram: @via.serpentis

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Authentic Spirit Contact: Navigating the Unseen

Authentic Spirit Contact: Navigating the Unseen

Did a spirit come to me last night in a dream? Was the message I heard from a spirit or is it all in my head? How can I be sure that I am reallycommunicating with spirit X, Y, or Z? Ok, I think I made contact, whats next?  These and similar questions regarding the ability to discern authentic spirit contact whether through dreams, meditation or full-fledged ritual is something we all struggle…

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Reclaiming the Language of Magic

Reclaiming the Language of Magic

Language is the vehicle through which we transmit culture. It is the manner in which we package and exchange information, ideas and concepts and is the most basic symbolic unit upon which we can progress and grow as individuals, as a society, and ultimately as a species. The oft-quoted statement by Isaac Newton that “if I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants” doesn’t…

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PGM IV 154-285: A complete Magical System

PGM IV 154-285: A complete Magical System

This is the first post, on a series of posts I intend to make on PGM IV 154-285, “Nephotes to Psammetichos letter concerning bowl divination.”[1] The intent here is to introduce the passage and present it as a complete and workable system of magical practices. Future posts will delve deeper into the individual rituals of the passage and document my personal progress.

As the title suggests, the…

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Piango Piango: First Steps in Palo

Piango Piango: First Steps in Palo

Palo Mayombe is a path that my ancestral spirits have intended for me to walk. Following more than a year of intensive working with my ancestors this has became undeniably clear to me. I was initially hesitant to commit to Palo because I was very comfortable, successful, and happy with my existing magical and spiritual practices. But the second I set foot in the Cuban wilderness everything…

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Pact-Making in Palo & Bakongo Religion

Pact-Making in Palo & Bakongo Religion

Over these past winter months I have dug deep into my personal spirit work. My focus has been on the ancestors and through them I’ve been led back to the Afro-Cuban traditions that were sprinkled onto me as a child. I have thus been exploring these paths and, in particular, the tradition of Palo Mayombe. However, let me be crystal clear. I am writing this post purely as a research piece and…

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Los Angeles Day of the Dead

Los Angeles Day of the Dead

Tradition is: 

: a way of thinking, behaving, or doing something that has been used by the people in a particular group, family, society, etc., for a long time

: the stories, beliefs, etc., that have been part of the culture of a group of people for a long time

This definition (from Merriam Webster online) hits the basics. It identifies tradition as a source of cultural identity and something…

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Why the PGM?

I write a lot about the PGM, clearly it is very important element of my magical and spiritual practice; however, despite working very closely with some of their spirits and gods, I  do not strongly identify with the Greek or Egyptian “religions.” So why do I place such high value on the PGM? This is a question that I have only recently begun to dig into and attempt to understand for myself.  But…

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Into the Ancestral Cave The ritual is concluded, the candles flicker while the smoke from the burnt offerings lingers as a ghostly witness to the incantations spoken into the night; the journey however, has just begun.

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Elemental Quarters

Across the magical traditions of the world we find evidence of a primordial practice of mapping and anchoring the spiritual realm to the physical landscape. For most, this act of hallowing space begins by defining and honoring the four cardinal directions, the sky above, and the underworld below. Through these a physical, mental, and spiritual center is established from which to perceive and…

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Honoring the Ancestors and the Dead

Honoring the Ancestors and the Dead

From our earliest origins we as a species have kindled a sacred relationship with our dead. Fueled by a belief in the continued existence of the soul and the ability of the dead to influence the lives and events of the living, the cult of the ancestors arose as our most primordial and universal tradition.  Our ancestors are our strongest allies, teachers, and guides unconditionally looking over…

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PGM IV. 2708-2784: Invocation of Hekate

PGM IV. 2708-2784: Invocation of Hekate

‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’, surely this idiom borders on the cliche. Yet, it speaks to an undeniable truth – one that those of us experimenting with the Greek Magical Papyri should keep in mind as we leaf through this rich collection of spells. Spells with titles that rarely appeal to our current and modern lives. Seriously, how many “love spells of attraction” does one need? The shear…

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New Blog

Greetings friends and readers of Reflections from the Black Stone.

This is the new home of my blog, I hope you enjoy the new add free layout and future content to come.

– Leonardo

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Blog is Moving!

Greetings friends and readers of this blog,

After over 8 years at wordpress.com, Reflections of the Black stone is moving!  

I’ve decided that that the time has come to move my blog over to a self-hosted server and change the name.

Please update your bookmarks and look for new posts from me here:

http://voces-magicae.com/

Leonardo

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Planetary Magic Squares

This  is a brief introduction into Planetary Magic Squares. My intention is to set the stage for a later post in which I will describe my methods for working with these Magic Squares to construct and charge sigils. The mathematical definition of a Magic Square is an arrangement of distinct integers in a square grid in which the integers of each row, column and diagonal all add up to the same…

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Solomonic Circle: Lesser Key

Solomonic Circle: Lesser Key

[Download  Hebrew Font] Few occult symbols evoke the sensation of a magical operation like the circle of the art. The circle defines the sacred space of the Magician. It is a veritable microcosm of the universe centered around the operator and functions as a divine fortress that protects those inside from all negative spiritual forces. Of all the circles used in occult work, that of the Goetia…

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PGM IV 154-285: Phylactery of 100 Letters

In the Greek Magical Papyri (PGM) the term 'phylactery' describes an object that is worn by the practitioner as protection from the gods, daemons and other spirits. Unlike amulets and talismans, a ...