Hands-On Chaos Magic: Reality Manipulation through the Ovayki Current - Andrieh Vitimus 2009

Creating Your Own Banishing, and Banishing Examples from Andrieh's Grimoire

Every system of magic and religion I have studied incorporates some method of purifying the individual and a space. Clearing a space of external spirits is a very important part of banishing, but so is clearing the mind. Banishing is generally a way of getting into the mindset for further ritual, but in hoodoo and some African traditions, cleansing rituals are important for witches, shamans, and priests to function in a magical capacity (Yronwode 2002).

From the energy exercises, you might notice that your state of mind does have an impact on the character, feel, look, etc., of the energy you are generating, producing, and directing. You might even have noticed that doing the energy work while in a negative state of mind only adds to that state of mind. In practical terms, banishing is a method of clearing the information out of your mind and priming yourself for the act of doing magic. For me, regular banishing has yielded positive health benefits, a reduction in stress, and a stronger auric presence. Banishing helps in sensory imagination training, and it utilizes all of the energy exercises in a more complex way that leads to larger and more complex rituals. A banishing is another ritual to indicate a change and separation from the normal waking world to the magical world, in the same way we used the salt or other procedures to mark a separation from the work mindset.

Making Your Own Banishing (Some Fast Guidelines)

1. Use what you know, metaphysically as well as in the mundane world. For example, I mentioned the one witch I knew who washed her hands to get rid of "evil" spirits. I like anime, so I use some of those symbols and images, as well as concepts from computer science, physics, movies, fiction, etc.

2. A banishing should ready you to do magic and declare the space you are working in as magical or sacred space. Family members should know that you are now in a sacred space. If you usually have the TV on 24/7, shut it off. Music for the task should be specifically chosen with intention. You should mentally and physically be declaring the space you are working in as a different space from the mundane world.

3. The banishing should help you step into the magical persona via whatever symbols are appropriate to that persona or whatever "ideas" work for it. We will talk a little about the idea of a magical personality in the next chapter.

4. The banishing should be fun.

5. It is helpful to involve as many of the senses as possible (that's not always done, as you will see, but initially it is helpful, since it is easier to link in all of the senses).

6. Banishings should clear your mind of mundane worries, help you focus, and get you mentally ready to do magic.

The exercises in the previous chapters of this book stressed developing your own mappings of posture, breathing, meditation, and simple visualizations for no reason but for practice. As with NLP, banishing will combine these elements.

A banishing ritual for you could be a Qi Gong form, a simple gesture combined with a mantra, or even a scent. A banishing should cleanse your body and mind. Spend a few minutes just writing down things that "cleanse the system." These can be scenes, actions, motions, breathing techniques, or any combination therein. Just relax and write down different ideas. Write down any idea, regardless of what you think of the idea at first. Just let yourself brainstorm. All ideas are good. Put the list of ideas aside for a few days.

After a few days, pick something from your list that you might find enjoyable to try to make into a banishing. First, try to relate the idea to sensory input. For example, let's say the idea for a cleansing or centering was standing under a waterfall and having anything bothering you wash away. Imagine what being under a waterfall would feel like, what sound(s) you might hear, what you would see, what the water and air would smell like, etc. Clearly, if the idea was to use a supernova explosion to burn away all the undesired emotions and achieve a state of cleansing, different sensations would be involved.

Write down the metaphor using images, scents, feelings, sounds, and tastes that you can image. What state of mind are you trying to achieve with the idea? Do any of those states of mind correspond with the breathing types you have experimented with? Add breathing to the exercise. For the waterfall example, I might breathe as deeply as possible while standing as if the water were pouring right through me. In the supernova example, I might hyperventilate, simulating a buildup of extreme energy until the explosion occurs.

At this point, figure out if a particular posture or series of gestures might help you with the cleansing. A standing posture might be appropriate for the waterfall exercise. Personally, I'd probably like to put my hands up above my head, creating a channel down into me. The goal here is to get the water flowing through me. In the supernova example, I might either stand with my hands over my eyes (since supernovas are really bright) in a very tense position, or stand in a posture to embrace an impact (supernovas explode), which is again tensing all of my muscles. I have used a gesture where I cover my eyes with my fists, elbows pointed downward, and then, as the explosion is starting to emanate from my body, my arms drop to my sides in a rapid, violent fashion, fists still clenched as the explosion continues. Once the explosion is finished, I would then physically let my body go limp. For the waterfall example, a good gesture would be to draw down your hands across your body as the water flows downward, removing any negativity. In your case, is there a posture and series of gestures that seem to get to the core of the idea you are working with?

Try out different combinations of breathing, mantras, gestures, and postures with the idea you are working with. How do these variations combine with different ideas on your list? Which ones seem to work the best and have the most cleansing/centering effect for you? Be creative and play around with the ideas.

Banishing can also be used to set the tone and ambiance for a ritual or to set up a personal mindset. Just know that different banishings are more effective for different situations. Some banishings will seem to go with the mood and flow of a particular ritual more than other banishings you might read about or even create. For instance, the Golden Dawn's Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram might not fit the ambiance needed to invoke Set, the Prince of Darkness. Try out a variety of banishings and experiment. To give you some ideas, here are some of the banishings I have developed.

The Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Banishing

If you are working in a group, clasp hands together in a circle. Visualize a pulsing white ball of light in the middle of the circle or right in front of you. See the white light change to a sliver bomb with an Air Force pilot facing you as the bomb is about to fall. He is wearing a white cowboy hat and sitting on top of the bomb. Watch the bomb start to fall in the center of the group or in front of you. Scream out "Yeeeeeeh haaaaaaaah!" as the bomb and cowboy start to fall toward the floor. As the bomb hits the floor, visualize the start of a thermonuclear explosion being set off right at your feet. Feel the heat and force shock wave spreading through you and filling the entire room. See, feel, and hear the explosive fires consuming any emotional or negative energy in the room.

After an explosion like that, well, there is nothing left.

Spiral Swordplay Banishing

Visualize yourself surrounded by a dark, sticky, weblike substance. Imagine the black web substance impeding your movement and trying to constrain you.

Visualize a sword in your hand (or use an actual sword for this). Visualize the sword as glowing white (or your favorite color). Push energy into the sword using the general energy flow technique we covered earlier in the adventure.

Use the sword from underneath and spiral up through the web. As the sword swings, notice that it leaves a trail of light (of your favorite color) that does not fade. Spin around and spiral upward, leaving a DNA-like double helix of light around you as you travel further through the web. Then proceed to spiral down. Notice that the light does not fade as you cut through the dark web.

Face a direction of your choice and then cut a straight line from the point where the first spiral started. Cut through the web to the top of the spiral. As the web is cut, you will notice huge chunks of the web around you falling away. Continue the strike up and around you to the opposite direction down to the bottom of the spiral.

Turn 90 degrees to the left and repeat the previous step.

Visualize the pure color around you, and then let yourself bask in its light. I personally like doing this using a rainbow, with all the colors swirling around me.

Three-Ring Banishing

This is a really simple banishing that is very good for getting rid of negative thoughts or negative feelings. Imagine three glowing rings moving in different orbits on all sides of you, bouncing off each other and burning with blue flame. Try to add what a blue flame would feel like to you. (Is it hot? Is it cold?) As you are imagining this, record what sound the rings make (if any) as they bounce off each other. Does the flame have a sound, or does the flame have a smell? Take the thoughts that are troublesome and give them form. An annoyance might be imagined as looking and feeling like a black blob or a squidlike thing. Throw the glob into one of the rings so it gets burned up. When things get burned, they generally make a sound, cause a smell, and release more energy (perhaps burning brightly). After you get through annoyances, try to do this with any thoughts. See if you can push your thoughts into the rings until you have a quiet mind.

Burning the Garbage

It's good to come into this exercise with an idea you want to get rid of. This is very similar to the campfire exercise we were working with. Maybe it's something like, "I am ugly" or some other self-loathing comment. Breathe like we have been for a few minutes. After a few minutes of relaxing, visualize a nice campfire or just a barrel fire in front of you. Visualize that unhelpful idea or that desire that makes no sense and throw it into the fire. Feel yourself releasing the idea, want, or desire that you have no use for. Some ideas might take multiple settings to fully get rid of. Relax. Each time you do this, the idea or desire will have less and less impact on you.

I AM

Just intone the phrase "I AM"-forcefully, directly, and with authority-extending your will across the room. Place your arms at your sides and tense your arm and leg muscles while looking straight ahead.

"I AM'>

Do it three times. Envision your aura and power filling the room as you do it. Continue to repeat this as needed till you feel the room filling with your power and will. There is a tremendous amount of power implied by the statement "I AM," since the statement refers back to the Christian name for god. For me, personally, it is an assertion of my own will and my right to do magic because I myself am god of my own universe. Often, I will combine this with imagining and seeing myself as a completely golden being to give the banishing a more solar feeling.

Patronus Charm

The Patronus charm is a banishing from J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, particularly important in The Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). The methods I am going to use are heavily adapted, because magic seems to work slightly different in our world than in the Harry Potter world. The first step is to breathe deeply a few times, regardless of what is going on around you. As you relax, switch your breathing to the reverse Taoist breathing described earlier. Simply expand your chest and diaphragm when you are breathing out, and contract your chest, back, and diaphragm when you are breathing in. Feel the chi energies flowing into your body. Ignore anything around you, and begin to focus solely on an extremely positive memory. Try to bring as many sensory details of the experience into conscious view as you feel your body filling up with energy from the memory and the breathing. When it feels like you cannot pull in any more energy from the breathing and the memory overwhelms you, point your wand toward the target you desire to banish, and on exhalation loudly shout or scream, "Expecto Pa- tronum!" Visualize, feel, and hear the energy in your body rapidly leaving through your wand. At the tip of your wand, see and feel a guardian form rapidly, extending out from you. In the context of Harry Potter, each person has a different Patronus. You will have to experiment and try to find what guardian shape seems to work the best for you. My Patronus is a dragon (a bit of useful trivia).

We can do this without a wand as well, and this is how I usually do this exercise. Start with your arms in front of you, and bring your hands together. Have both palms touching in a tensed position, and draw your hands back to one side of your body. As you are breathing and experiencing your memory, continue to tense your arms as if you are about to release an explosive amount of energy. Try to imagine with all your senses what would be associated with an explosive amount of positive energy. When you are ready, extend your hands forward-palms still connected in a forceful, striking way-while screaming the "Expecto Patronum!" (Which, for the Latin buffs out there, roughly translates to "Summon my guardian!" but Rowling doesn't officially know any occult things, right?) At the end of your extended arms, visualize your Patronus appearing from the energy you have put out. This is the motion from the Kamehameha wave from Goku of Dragon Ball Z. Yes, I was quite serious that anything can be used for magical work.

This banishing has particularly been tested by the BATW methods (listed later in this chapter) against Necronomicon spirits, demons, Choronzon, and other denizens of the otherworld. Personally, I love this banishing because people think it's a joke until I actually perform it.

Pre-made Banishings

For more examples to draw ideas from, do some research on banishing. Try to obtain a copy of and perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, which is a Golden Dawn ritual, and do a search for Peter Carroll's Gnostic Pentagram Ritual. Both banishings are more complicated than the simple banishings I have presented here, and both will give you some ideas for combining gesture, sound, and symbols. Most of these banishings, as written, do sort of work. Try to combine and add as many sensory details to each banishing as you can. Map out the pre-made banishings to your five senses, and see if they work better.

Banishing a Space or an Entity

Banishing external spaces requires confidence that your banishing works. You can only get that confidence through practice. Entities and spaces can be more or less difficult to banish, depending on the situation, but as you get better at focus, energy work, control, and confidence, banishing will get easier.

The simplest way to banish an area is to perform the banishing while imagining it occurring across a full space. Some banishings like the Patronus charm might be more effective at banishing a presence, but other metaphors will work better depending on the situation. Extend your perception (and energy) to fill the area or room you are working in. Practice is the key, but once the "internal thoughts" are cleaned up, then you can mirror your internal state to the external area. Several exercises in the rest of the book will help you to develop those skills. If you get into a situation where someone is paying you to banish a ghost or poltergeist (I have been paid for this service), you had better have confidence that your banishing works.

BATW Testing

BATW (pronounced "baa-twa") is an acronym for Banishing Against the Wall, and it is about as bad as it sounds. This exercise really gives you a good idea of what I expect if you get a chance to perform regular magical work with me in a group setting. What good is a banishing you cannot rely on under pressure? A banishing should work for you regardless of the external or internal state that you are focused on. The BATW is a method of testing a banishing in a more aggressive and simulates a probable ritual situation. The BATW training is listed here only to give you a taste of what is coming later, so that you keep going forward.

The BATW training is laughably simple but very effective. It can be done with as few as two people or with as many people as needed. A triangle is drawn on the floor. One person stands within that triangle, which I usually place against a wall. The other members in the group stand in a circle, facing the triangle. The members in the circle either evoke a pre-chosen spirit/concept or summon a random entity or concept. The spirit is called forth to annoy the person inside the triangle or otherwise make its presence very well known to the person in the triangle. Depending on the level of skill of the participants and the general intent of the training, the entity may well be called forth to cause damage to the person being tested by the BATW. I have had some very insightful but difficult sessions with this training. The person in the triangle has the simple purpose of banishing the entity. When people agree that the entity is gone, the testing is over. If the person cannot banish the entity and asks the group for help, the entire group will conduct a banishing together to dismiss the entity. Everyone should then sit down and discuss what went right and what went wrong as well as any internal states that complicated the attempt to banish the entity (or evoke the entity).

Depending on the skill of the participants, both circle and triangle maybe considered optional. Evocational techniques will be covered later in the book. In my BATW work, I forced everyone to go through a formal ritual opening of the BATW testing session and a formal closing of the session, followed by intense debriefing sessions. Having opening and closing sessions is a good way to separate the BATW space from normal space in the same way we separated ourselves from our workspace earlier in the adventure.