Original Magic: The Rituals and Initiations of the Persian Magi - Michael M. Hughes 2018

Magical Tools
Toolkit for Magical Activism

If you’re going to do magic, you’ll need to gather some tools. Luckily, resistance magic has grown from folk traditions that use simple, easy-to-find items. A basic toolkit is all that is required to accomplish very powerful magic. Any items you don’t have already can be acquired cheaply and with minimal effort (especially now that things like resin incense, colored candles, and specialty herbs are easily ordered online).

Candles

Ever since our ancestors gathered around communal fires to tell stories and stay warm and safe from predators lurking in the darkness, the dance of flames has held us entranced. Fire creates, destroys, changes food, and turns liquids and solids into vapor and smoke. Of all the classic elements, it seems most alive, as it eats, grows, and spreads warmth.

The manufacture of candles of various shapes and colors in the early twentieth century allowed us to bring the magical aspects of fire into our lives in a controlled, safe manner. There are entire systems of magic built solely around burning candles of various colors (the classic The Master Book of Candle Burning: How to Burn Candles for Every Purpose by Henri Gamache is still in print seven decades after it was originally published).

Candles come in an enormous variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. If you can’t find the type or color you’re looking for in a store, you can easily order it online. I generally use freestanding candles (cylinders or tapers; many tapers, however, require holders) and glass-encased candles (also known as prayer or novena candles). Glass-encased prayer candles are my favorites because you can affix photos or images to them, turning a plain white or colored candle into a symbolic, radiant powerhouse. They’re also safer than freestanding candles because the flame is enclosed (although the glass bottom can get hot when the candle burns down).

My preference is for unscented candles. Many scented candles are made with artificial ingredients and, frankly, smell horrible and disgustingly fake when compared to natural oils and fragrances. Your main scents will likely come from incenses and oils deliberately employed for their qualities anyway.

Most of the spells in this book utilize candles. If you absolutely cannot have open flames in your living space, battery-powered candles and tea lights that mimic a flickering flame are now available. You can paint them the color required for the spell.

Cauldron

A cauldron or other fireproof container or ashtray of some sort is a necessity in resistance magic, as a number of spells in this book require you to burn paper and other items. If you get one with a handle, you can carry burning incense around in it for suffumigating (smudging) an area. But any fireproof container filled with sand, such as a large seashell or dish, will be fine.

Incense

Let me start by saying I have nothing against smudging with sage. It is an all-around excellent purifier and does a superb job dispelling negative energies. But please allow me to introduce you to the dynamic duo of magical incenses: frankincense and copal.

If you grew up Catholic, as I did, you’ve likely smelled frankincense. This resin, extracted from trees of the Boswellia genus, has an unmistakable scent and has been used in spiritual practices for over five thousand years (and was one of the gifts given to the newborn Christ by the magi). Recent studies have shown evidence for frankincense’s utility as an antidepressant.²⁹

Copal is another tree resin, but unlike frankincense, which is mostly harvested in Africa, it comes from Central America and Mexico. I first encountered its unforgettable scent in a Maya village church in San Juan Chamula, Mexico, as Maya shamans performed healing ceremonies (yes, they did their healing rituals inside the church—the Maya, like many indigenous peoples, are not averse to a little religious syncretism). The smell, which is paradoxically bright and also deeply layered, instantly transformed my consciousness in such a powerful way that I’ve been using it ever since. The Maya and other peoples in Central and South America use it for purification, cleansing, healing, and to call upon spirits. It is my go-to magical incense.

Although it’s easy to find stick incense (also known as joss sticks), I suggest burning resins, woods, and other plant materials on charcoal. You can add your incense a bit at a time, when needed throughout the ritual (as opposed to sticks and cones, which burn continuously). You can also craft your own mixes or burn materials that aren’t conventionally incorporated into commercial incense (like herbs and spices).

Charcoal gets very hot (especially the easy-light variety), so you need to keep it in a fireproof container on a layer of clean sand. A variety of commercial censers can be found in stores or online, but any nonflammable container filled with sand will suffice.

You can get charcoal disks made for incense in many new age and occult retailers, health food stores, and botanicas. The self-lighting charcoal disks are made with additives like saltpeter, which has a scent of its own that some people find unappealing and others consider harmful. They are easy to light, and I used them for many years. When you hold a flame to them, they begin to crackle, and you can watch the flame spread across quickly.

Nowadays, I use Japanese charcoal bricks made from coconut or bamboo, which are preferred by serious incense aficionados. They have a barely discernible but appealing scent of their own and have no additives, so you get nothing but the pure incense smoke. I recommend looking for them online, especially if you don’t like the saltpeter smell of the quick-lighting disks. They take longer to light, but it’s worth it. A fireplace or grill lighter with the flame held against the charcoal for thirty to forty seconds is usually enough to get a corner lit, after which you can place it in its container and let it do its thing.

Whichever charcoal you use, the process for burning loose incense is the same.

Light the charcoal—the easiest and safest way is to use tongs or chopsticks while holding it over a candle or lighter flame until the edge begins to glow red. Place it on the sand or screen of your censer or container and wait until it gets covered in a thin layer of gray ash. Then put a tiny bit of your resin, wood, or herb on top. When I say tiny, I mean a pinch. And be careful—a little goes a long way! If you’re worried about the smoke setting off an alarm (and trust me, nothing ruins a ritual like a high-pitched electronic shriek), consider temporarily removing the battery. Just don’t forget to replace it when you’re done!

For some rituals, I suggest “washing” or “smoking” yourself with the smoke. Here’s how I do it.

Using your hands, pull the rising smoke toward your head and down over your body. Do this a few times. You should feel an unambiguous shift in energy as the smoke cleanses you. For me, it feels like full-body chills and is immensely pleasurable. You can also use feathers to wave it toward you.

If you’re allergic or hypersensitive to smoke or if circumstances prohibit you from using incense or having an open flame, consider an electric incense burner or heater, which will release the scent of your woods or resins without smoke. You can also use an essential oil heater or diffuser, or mix essential oils with water in a spray bottle and spritz yourself or your environment.

But there is something special about incense smoke, as I think you’ll agree if you use it ritually. It has been part of magical practice since antiquity, and when you’re in a heightened state of consciousness, the smoke can sometimes shape itself into an image. In some traditions, evoked spirits make themselves visible via the twisting tendrils of smoke.

Holding an object in rising incense smoke is an excellent way to purify it and is part of the basic Consecration Ritual you will find in chapter 9, “Preparation for Ritual.”

Oils

Magical oils are used throughout this book, and most you can easily craft yourself—and you should, because creating them is a magical act in itself. No store-bought oil will have the energy of something you empower with your intention and energy. If you buy commercial oils, try to get the purest, most natural possible.

My go-to, multipurpose spiritual oil is made from hyssop and a vegetable oil base—you’ll find the recipe in the section on getting clean in chapter 9.

Herbs and Plants

Fresh and dried plant products are a vital part of most magical traditions, and scores of encyclopedic books have been written about plant magic. There are plants used almost exclusively for magical purposes, such as High John the Conqueror root and mandrake, and those you already are likely to have in your kitchen, such as cinnamon, basil, and black pepper. Although I focus on substances useful for resistance magic in this book, I encourage you to delve deeper into the incredible world of plant magic in the books mentioned in the appendix. You’ll find that the plants themselves are powerful teachers if you simply learn to listen.

A good rule for using plants is to get as close to the natural state as you can—that is, unprocessed or minimally processed and free from pesticides and other chemicals. Wildcrafted or harvested plants are optimal, but use what you can find. If you harvest a plant yourself, it is customary to leave an offering or, at minimum, a prayer of thanks.

I also cover the controversial use of psychoactive plants in the section on the ritual mind (see page 146).

Mortar and Pestle

A mortar and pestle is good to have around for grinding herbal material, roots, incense resins, and other spell ingredients.

Stones and Crystals

Though it makes me a bit of an outlier in the magical community, I place more value on special stones I’ve found in nature or had gifted to me than on store-bought crystals and gemstones. Over the years I have found rocks that resemble faces, one that looked like an eye, another a snake, and several that don’t look unusual but continue to carry the memory and energies of magic locales I’ve visited.

There are also ethical reasons why I don’t spend a lot of time buying and using crystals, including environmentally destructive mining and exploitative labor practices in the industry. So if you do purchase crystals, do your best to assure they have been mined in sustainable ways by ethical companies.

There is a reason gems and crystals have been a common element in magic and witchcraft since the dawn of time, however—because they work. Crystals, in particular, are powerhouses for magical work because they readily store and transmit energy.

I have suggested certain gems, crystals, and rocks for a number of the spells herein, but use your intuition and consult the correspondences in the Appendix for creative options.

Small, Wearable Bags and Pouches

Although I spent the early years of my magical practice making complex (and often costly) talismans and amulets, it was my explorations in Hoodoo and Conjure that led me to work with the much cheaper and simpler—but just as effective—mojo bags.

Traditional mojo bags (also known as hands, gris-gris, and tobies) are made of flannel because that was a common fabric among the poor, enslaved Africans who worked with them. But any material will work—felt, leather, silk, cotton, you name it. You can even use a handkerchief.

Amulets and talismans, including mojo bags, are some of the most practical and useful magical tools. Many people carry something special for good luck, but magically empowered objects can provide protection, draw positive energies, repel negativity, and boost your confidence and charisma. If you’re an activist, you’ll likely run into tense, uncomfortable, or dangerous situations. Having a protective mojo bag may give you just the edge you need to avoid unpleasant confrontations.

You can also make these bags for others, personalizing them for an individual’s needs or for the particular activist goal or campaign.

Images of Power

Tarot cards, statues of gods or saints, photographs, drawings, or other powerful, iconic images are frequently employed in rituals. The Justice tarot card is an obvious choice for spells related to social justice workings and for anything involving the legal system. The Tower card was used in the Trump binding spell, as it could be associated with his garishly branded towers. A printed photo of a politician target of a binding spell (perhaps with a sigil drawn on it), a drawing of the Statue of Liberty, a polluting company’s printed logo, or other photos, drawings, or printouts may take their place on the altar as needed.

Name Papers, Prayer Papers, and Sigils

Paper on which you’ve written the name or names of your targets are known as name papers. If you write out a prayer or spell, it is called a prayer or petition paper. You can use any sort of paper and pencils, pens, or markers. Some people emulate ancient Egyptian spellcasters and use brushes and ink on papyrus (available online), while others use scraps of paper shopping bags, as is common in Hoodoo and Conjure. Use recycled paper whenever possible. One thing to keep in mind is making sure there is enough contrast between ink and paper that you can read or write on it under candlelight.

If you can get a signature of your target, that is also an excellent link to them. Even if the signature is a facsimile, it will be effective. You can often contact your government representatives (via letter or email) and get a signed document in response.

Pyramid as Energy Tool

This is a tool you won’t find in many other books of magic, but I’ve used it since I was in my early teens.

One of my first concrete experiences of magical energy happened after I read a book on pyramid power in the seventies. (Yes, instead of comics, I was reading books about witchcraft, UFOs, and pyramids. I was a bit of an odd kid.) I decided to build my own pyramid to test some of the book’s assertions. I cut sheets of cardboard and taped them into a small replica of the Great Pyramid in Egypt, cut panels into the sides (so it was open), and proceeded to do some experiments.

I was floored by the results.

First, I placed a section of an orange beneath the pyramid and one right outside it. The fruit beneath the pyramid dried up completely, while the piece a few inches away became covered in green mold. Then I tried the same experiment with a piece of raw bacon. Again, the bacon inside the pyramid dried up, while the piece outside quickly rotted.

The most impressive experiment used small cups of milk. I covered each cup with plastic wrap. After a couple of days, I uncovered the cup beneath the pyramid. It had a very neutral smell, reminiscent of yogurt, and had formed a curd. When I removed the plastic wrap on the milk outside the pyramid, I made the mistake of lifting it to my nose and smelling it. I gagged and could barely keep from vomiting. It was thoroughly spoiled, and to this day I have an aversion to milk.

I also did experiments with bean sprouts, and the seedlings under the pyramid grew dramatically faster and taller.

Duly impressed (as were my bewildered but supportive parents), I typed up my experiments on a manual typewriter, took some Polaroid snapshots, pasted it all on poster board, and submitted it to my school science fair with the title “Do Pyramids Affect Decomposition?” I won first place, which qualified me for the Maryland state science fair.

My first lesson in how mainstream science treats things outside of its orthodoxy took place as I watched the state science fair organizers debating where to place my project. Was it biology? Chemistry? Physics? They spent a half hour puzzling over the question before finding me a spot in between categories (a liminal zone I’ve learned to appreciate in the years since).

Today I use a frame pyramid made of brass to charge items I place beneath it. When I make a batch of incense or oil or a mojo bag, I keep it beneath the pyramid’s center for a few days after I consecrate it to further energize the item.

If you want to try it, you can find metal frame pyramids online—I recommend them over solid models because you can see what’s under them and easily access the items inside. Or you can make your own, of course, and instructions are available in books or online.

There is something as yet unexplained about how this particular shape creates a field of energy empowering growth while paradoxically arresting decay. After the fad passed in the seventies, research declined in the United States, although it has continued in Russia. Though I don’t know how it works, pyramid energy has proven to be undeniably real and useful in my practice.

Other Items

I always have the following near my altar for easy access:

• Spare candles in a variety of sizes and colors

• Charcoal blocks or disks (for burning woods, herbs, and resins)

• My collection of incenses, oils, and plant products

• Glass jars, vials, and droppers

• Matches or a lighter (I keep a fireplace or grill lighter to reach inside tall glass prayer candles and to light charcoal)

Where’s the wand, dude?

So where’s the magic wand? How can any witch or magician expect to be taken seriously without a wand?

I have a number of wands, some of them very beautiful. I spent a dozen hours carving, sanding, and painting one of them with intricate sigils and symbols (because that’s what Kabbalistic magicians do). And though it may seem counter to everything you know about magic—and heretical to Harry Potter fans—I seldom use any of them. Why? Because I’ve found my hands are exponentially better at directing and manipulating energy.

If you feel compelled to use a wand, or if your tradition includes it, go for it. As you’ll soon get tired of me repeating, magic is an art, and a personal one at that. What works best for me might not for you.

Consider, though, the intimacy of our hands and fingers and how we transfer our energy via touch. If your pet cat or dog is in pain and suffering, would you rub it with a stick? I doubt it. You’d caress it gently, and your love and healing energy would be transferred through the powerful magic instruments known as your hands. Think of the way even the lightest touch from someone you are madly in love with makes you feel—is there anything more invigorating? Entire healing systems are based on what is called in religions the “laying on of hands,” including one practice, Therapeutic Touch, that has been widely embraced by medical professionals.

In this book you will be encouraged to use your hands or your fingers to generate, hold, transfer, or direct energy. I suggest trying it that way unless you’re already using an energized wand in your practice and are happy with the results. When you begin working extensively with energy, you’ll be surprised at the change in sensitivity in your hands.

Knives and Athames

I sometimes utilize an iron knife when very strong defensive magic is required, and the energetic effects of a ritual blade can be extremely potent, even when wielded by beginners. Much of that is due to our ambivalent associations with blades and acts of cutting and violence. In general, there’s no need to use ritual knives unless they are a component of your tradition.

Tarot in Resistance

Tarot cards, especially the major arcana, make excellent charms and talismans. They’re portable, potent power images you can tuck in a backpack, purse, or coat pocket.

Consider choosing a card to carry when you head out to an action or other activity. You can also adopt a card to use as a symbol or focus of a campaign or project (as the Tower card became associated with the Trump binding spell).

Fool: Beginning a new action or campaign, helping the homeless (the Fool iconography in the earliest tarots derives largely from medieval and Renaissance depictions of wandering, homeless, rejected people)

Magician: Anytime you’re working resistance magic (or other magic)

High Priestess/Papesse: Study, academics, secrecy, reconnaissance, reproductive rights, feminism

Empress: Working for a female politician or leader, women’s empowerment, fair pay, equal rights, maternal health

Emperor: Confronting politicians, fighting empire, antiwar, capitalism

Hierophant/Pope: Education and academia, spiritual instruction, combatting and exposing sex abuse

Lovers: Physical and spiritual love, reproductive rights, sex worker protection, breaking a physical or sexual bond (inverted)

Chariot: Public transportation advocacy, pedestrian or bicycle advocacy, public speaking

Strength: Any project requiring or promoting strength (particularly women’s strength), animal welfare, nonviolence

Hermit: Spiritual or moral guidance, enlightenment, leadership, elder advocacy

Wheel of Fortune: Revolution, social progress, fighting the gambling industry

Justice: All matters involving social and legal justice, legal issues, court cases, and trials, the broad goal of justice via the “righting of the scales” or karma

Hanged Man: Death penalty, torture, prison reform

Death: Death penalty, war, violent crime, gun law reform

Temperance: Peace, community healing, social welfare, addiction, water rights

Devil: Rebellion, slavery, religious fundamentalism, addiction and recovery, predatory capitalism, fascism, human trafficking

Tower: Trump binding, antiauthoritarian, crony capitalism, wealth inequity, corporate excesses, opposition to construction projects

Star: Peace, water rights, human rights, environmentalism, astrological influences

Moon: Feminism, animal welfare, pet adoption, water issues, nighttime actions, psychic abilities, art advocacy

Sun: Transparency, solar and renewable energy, farming and sustainable agriculture, transparency in law

Judgement: Legal matters, revolution, uprisings

World: World peace, all environmental issues, trans rights, vegetarianism, animal welfare

Disposal

A few words about disposal of spell remnants:

Many traditions suggest disposing of spell remains (candle scraps, wax, ash, liquids, paper, pins, etc.) at a crossroads, in running water, in a graveyard, and so on. Do not just leave your spell refuse in the middle of a crossroads! Spiritual practice does not excuse littering. One option is to find a convenience store or gas station located at a crossroads and place the material in its trash receptacle or dumpster. Voilà.

If a material is to be buried, you can bury it in your yard (if its aim is healing, defensive, or beneficial) or in a circumspect location away from your home (if it is for binding, hexing, or repelling). Never bury anything toxic, nonbiodegradable, or dangerous to animals or people. Err on the side of caution and don’t break any laws.

Leftover glass (such as empty prayer candles) should be recycled.

If a spell directs you to dispose of objects in a public place (say, a courthouse or a vigil location), follow this rule: for every object you leave for magical and symbolic purpose, pick up three times the equivalent in litter and dispose of it. Keep the scales in balance, and tip them in your favor by always doing a little extra remediation.