The Raven’s Crucible
Musings on magic, divination, and the occult.
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St. Cyprian: Magic’s Unlikely Saint
I’m generally circumspect when it comes to naming specific spirits I work with in my own practice. The one exception is St. Cyprian of Antioch, who was one of my earliest patrons. St. Cyprian of Antioch1 is a fascinating figure for those interested in magic, particularly magic in the Solomonic tradition. He was dropped at…
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Thinking Outside the Line: Spirits and Time
I wrote a post a couple weeks ago about how vastly spirits’ existence might differ from our own. That they likely have modes of being and consciousness that would be literally unimaginable to us, confined as we are within the limitations of our human experience. Not one to be deterred by the impossible, this week…
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Materia: Marjoram – Origanum Majorana
Overview Closing out our coverage of the three cleansing herbs mentioned in the Grimorium Verum, this week we’re looking at the properties of marjoram. Marjoram is a close relative of oregano, and its medicinal actions are largely similar. In terms of character, marjoram is a little less bold: lighter, sweeter, and more citrusy than its…
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On the Nature of Spirits
There was a question recently about the nature of spirits. Specifically, how much we should be attributing human-like personalities or characteristics onto spirits. Are relationships with spirits like human relationships? Or are spirits more like forces of nature that we can attune ourselves to? Different practitioners land at different places on this spectrum. Some view…
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Meditation for Magic: Skills to Build
I’ve written previously about how meditation can be considered one of the fundamental pillars of esoteric practice. But meditation is a pretty broad category, covering a ton of different exercises. This week I wanted to walk through some of the most common forms of meditation encountered when getting started in occult training. I consider these…
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Materia: Peppermint – Mentha x Piperita
Overview Continuing with our treatment of purifying herbs, our next entry is on mint. Mint is mentioned in several grimoires – such as the Grimorium Verum and the Greater Key of Solomon – among the herbs used to sprinkle holy water when consecrating implements for ritual work. While the variety of mint to be used…
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Elemental Directions: A Magician’s Compass
I weighed in on a question recently about directional attributions for ceremonial magic. It was a question that resonated with me, as this is something that I got hung up on for quite a while in my own practice. There are four cardinal directions. There are four classical elements. When building rituals, it seems obvious…
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Materia: Rosemary – Salvia Rosmarinus
Overview Rosemary has a fascinating dual nature, associated both with the sun and with the sacred feminine. Like many solar herbs, it has a long history of use for protection and the banishing of baneful influences, sometimes being burned as a stand-in for frankincense. However it is energetically nurturing, rather than combative. This balanced nature…
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Solomonic Magic in Practice: Overview and Index
Over the last four months, I’ve been writing a series of posts that explore the nuances of Solomonic spirit conjuration as a technology we can (and should!) apply in our magical practice. The series has taken turns that I never expected, ultimately clocking in over fifteen thousand words across twelve posts. For folks who haven’t…
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Solomonic Magic in Practice: The License to Depart
We’ve now made it all the way through our examination of Solomonic conjuration rituals. The spirit has appeared and any desired requests or exchanges have taken place. The only thing left to do is close down the ritual. This is where our final step comes in: Licensia, the license to depart. In the Constrictio step,…