The Raven’s Crucible
Musings on magic, divination, and the occult.
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On Ink and Ink Making
In a previous post I wrote about my fascination with writing as it pertains to magic. An important part of this practice is the creation and use of magical inks. Up to this point, that has involved taking commercial inks and adding my own materia and consecrations to them as appropriate.1 But recently I’ve gotten…
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On Fate and Free Will
I’ve always struggled with the idea of karma. The notion that the universe is cosmically just and balanced, and gives each of us what we deserve.1 At the root of my dissatisfaction is a simple question: why do Bad Things happen to good people? Because, make no mistake, bad things do happen to good people.…
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Materia: Garlic – Allium Sativum
Overview Garlic is pure Mars. Its essence is one of violent, transformative fire – a potent force that cleanses body and spirit alike. This humble bulb hides within it a warrior’s heart, driving out corruption and restoring vitality. Medicinally, garlic is a protector, its antimicrobial action expelling parasites and infections, invigorating the blood, and dissolving…
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On Magical Language
Meredith Graves, occult powerhouse and magical director for Kickstarter, makes a wonderful observation that our own first exposure to magic – whether it comes through fairytales, Disney movies, or stage illusionists – leaves a lasting impression in the way we comprehend and interact with the unseen later in life.1 That initial conception of magic sets…
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Invocation to the Creative Genius
Since I started the Raven’s Crucible, I’ve been spending a lot more time writing, which has given me more of a chance to observe my own creative process. The more time I spend with it, the less credit I feel I can take. The ancient Romans had the concept of a personal Genius – a…
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Glossary of Herbal Preparations
This post is a counterpart to the Glossary of Herbal Actions, found here. In a previous post, we covered herbal actions, this one covers standard herbal preparations. These herbal preparations offer a range of methods for using plants to support health and magical practice. Just as different herbs hold unique properties, the ways we prepare…
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Framing Questions for Divination
In a previous post I discussed the power and utility of divination as a tool for both esoteric practice and life more broadly. One of the most fundamental, and most overlooked, skills required for effective divination is learning how to ask useful questions. A well-formed question leads to a clear, actionable reading – providing the…
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What They Meant Was…
One of my biggest pet peeves with modern analyses of historical texts is when an author states – with authoritative confidence – they have decoded the true meaning of a text, and that it is something only tenuously implied by the text itself. And this happens all the time with magic and occult topics. Things…
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Glossary of Herbal Actions
This post is a counterpart to the Glossary of Herbal Preparations, found here. In addition to my work with magic, I’ve spent some time studying herbalism – a practice I find complements natural magic wonderfully. Herbs not only provide a source for a wide range of medicinal remedies, they also have a long history of…
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On the Importance of Divination
Occult author Jason Miller has said that if he had to keep a single thing from his esoteric practice, while giving up everything else, he would keep meditation. While I appreciate meditation and have seen notable benefits from it, if posed the same question the one practice I would keep would instead be divination. What…