Tag: astral

What Is Horsing?

1 Comment
On my other blog I was asked “What exactly is horsing?” Here’s my answer:

Horsing is a type of possession used by practitioners, pagans, witches, and other religions. It’s consensual possession, in a manner of speaking. It’s allowing your body to become a vessel, usually temporarily, for another being. Usually it’s a god or deity but pretty much any spirit can possess a human, especially if the human lets them.

Now some readers are probably super excited by this brand-new information. But wait a second, please.

First off, possession without invitation first is INCREDIBLY rare. There’s a inherent danger in horsing that the being riding you is just going to take off with your body and not give it back. They can fight you. They can destroy you so you can’t fight back. And if a possession is deeply rooted, sometimes the only way to end the possession is death. No, I’m fucking serious as shit right now. I’m not being over-dramatic. This is personal fucking experience. You. Can. Die. Because you have no control over your body. That spirit can just force your ass out into traffic just to have a giggle over how your body bounces over the roof of a car.

Terrified yet?

When you decide to horse, you should always absolutely have faith in that being. You should always make sure that being knows to get the fuck out when you tell them to. And you should always have a competent practitioner with you that can expel the being from you if necessary.

Possession is scary. I’ve been possessed and horsed. While possessed I wandered around a cemetery in absolute tears for no reason (we were at a birthday party) and with the knowledge that the spirit possessing me wanted to throw me off the ridge into the bay below. A friend came and collected me, pulling me out of the cemetery. I was immediately better and took my lesson from it – never drop my bloody shields. I’ve been horsed plenty of times, usually by spirits that are both deities and not. During those times it was part of a huge ritual and the beings were respectful and left when asked to.

Other than that, setting yourself up for it is as easy as getting into a trance, inviting them in with the understanding that they will leave when you want them to. I mean, there’s a lot that goes on for it but the practice itself it easy enough.

Consent is incredibly HUGE when talking about horsing and possession. Because if you don’t want it then it’s NOT okay. I almost never hear someone talk about consent when handling spirits, deities, or other beings. And that’s terrifying to think about when talking about horsing or possession. Don’t give up your body without a fight. It’s yours.

I recommend checking out the following links:

Castle of Sea Glass and Sand

I live in a castle sculpted of sea glass and sand. Soft, it is not. The walls bite into your skin when you fall against it, the wet sand around the internal waterfalls works as quicksand, taking invaders into the depths and under workings of the castle.

Beautiful it can be, breathtakingly so in fact, but as with most beautiful things the danger is apparent only upon close inspection.

Servants and staff move quickly, almost silent under the rushing of the decorative waterfalls and the crashing of the waves only steps away. Sea glass filters the bright sun and casts a hazy light show every rise and set. At night, it is so dark the shadows are gone and the eldritch horrors of the ocean and the night seem to dog your steps.

Magic is common here. Scullery maids wash dishes without ever touching the water with their hands and even stable boys use minor charms to care for the mount raiment. Courtiers walk on slipper- shod feet, whispering and consulting with their spies and attendants while warriors push their way through, having places to go and people to kill.

And the ruler sit on a throne of fulgurite, huge and dark, so massive that they sometimes fade into it. They wear silks and furs, leather and steel. Their hair, golden and bright, tumbles in wild curls down their back to tap their knees, a cloak in its own right. Their crown is jeweled and yet the edges are so sharp it can finely slice flesh without the victim even being aware.

This wasn’t originally their home. No, no. They carved their territory from crossroads and urban lands. Then they took the forest, slowly encroaching like the dawning sun through until it was all theirs from the golden bird trees by the hillside outside of the city to the distant mountains.  And when they saw the failing seaside kingdom to the south, the people starving and suffering, fleeing for better places, they rose in their war-gowns and armor to conquer, taking down those necessary until they were the only one remaining to sit on the throne in a castle made of sea glass and sand. And still, the kingdom grows.

I live in a castle of sea glass and sand. It is a beautiful place, busy and full of life. The sea roars, a steady sound like a heartbeat. It is home.

Blaze

There was a burning fire and the clouds of smoke was not unlike the haze of sex and sweat from the last twenty minutes before close at a nightclub, frantic and yet slowed down. It was a strange association, a conjunction of both her lives in one single moment. The moment passed as the flames licked at her arm, curling the fine hair there in dehydration.

She was cooking in her boots and she knew it. The light linen fabric that made up her cloak flowed around her and she folded a length over her mouth and nose, blinking away the painful tears conjured from the smoke.

She stepped over then body of someone she had been too late to safe, too slow to pull free from the nightmare that was both reality and not, surreal and unreal. Lungs burning, she held back expelling the poisonous air because there was simply no clean air here to refill her lungs with. Of course, There the air was clean but the shock of the cold, pure air filling her lungs would spur her from here and she didn’t have the time for that right now.

Boots crunched over what remained of the sea glass windows. Her lungs ached and in desperation she reached out through the village, the forest, and across to the windswept beach and pulled until it crashed like a wave through the building. The wind infuriated the flames, it was true, and it did nothing but cause the fire to dance erratically in a mockery of ecstatic dance, but the moment the wind blew past her she drew the clean air deep in her lungs, the bright smell of seaweed and salt filling her nostrils for an instant before dissipating to the burning scent of flesh and wood.

Renewed if only slightly, she narrowly missed treading on a deceased being’s tail and pushed past a scorching hot log that remained of what was once a support beam and finally found what she was looking for. The fire hadn’t reached here yet and what remained of the family that once lived here had taken shelter in the corner, the larger members of the badger-like people bashing on the mud walls to free themselves. They had made a serious dent on the wall but not enough. Five children of various ages whimpered in fear and were the first to see her.

They shrank back, one of the large family members turning to snarl at her, the fear of being attacked even now as they were trapped, dying, the first to come to their minds.

“Get up and move. Be ready to run.” Her command was cold, loud and dark in the smoke but the order and her expectation of her words being heeded was clear. She raised one hand and those who had been bashing on the wall jumped clear. She drew in a deep smoke-ridden breath, her magic humming under her skin to be released. She let go both her breath and the wild thrum of magic and it burst from her like a frenzied beast finally freed from its cage. The wall blasted apart, chunks of mud flying in every direction, the smoke hurtling itself out of the gaping hole. The residents didn’t need to hear her bellow of “move!” to go. They were already stumbling out of the building and into the night.

The darkness was serene and pleasantly cool against her feverish skin as she stepped clear. Insects chirped and buzzed happily, ignorant and uncaring of the plight that wrecked the long mud house. She stepped nearly back into the trees, pulling the cloth from her mouth and focused on pulling short breaths with long exhales.

Several villagers had rushed to the family’s aid and she tilted her head to the side to see one of the younger family members watching her in awe, trying to copy her breathing pattern. She slowed it deliberately so the child could mimic it before reaching out one clawed hand to rubbed the top of the child’s head between two perky ears. The child ran off to demonstrate the new breathing trick and she straightened to her full height, which was minuscule compared to the family’s species. She only came up to the hips of one of the larger beings and she gave a quick tap on the fur thigh before asking,

“Will you be all right?” She didn’t insult them in asking if they were all right now. Who would be?

He – she was pretty sure it was a he, although gender and spirits is a tricky thing at most times – nodded. “Our neighbors will help, Your Majesty.”

“Do you know the cause?”

He shook his head and she narrowed her eyes. “I’ll send an investigator. This is not the only treasure to be burned tonight. ” She stamped one of her legs, trying to shake free the ache in it. She started to move away only to pause when the deep voice asked,

“Why?”

There could be a lot of questions in that single word and even more answers could be given but she chose the one she thought he was asking and answered honestly,

“Because for however long you reside here, you are mine. Mine to protect and defend. You honor me by residing on my land. It is only right that I return your trust by protecting you as best I can. I will send an investigator.”

She drew her hood on, for her speech had drawn more attention from the spectators and victims that she would have liked. “I sincerely wish you the best in the future.”

She moved away then, letting the village’s noise flutter past her. As she walked, she passed several hurrying robed people with buckets and vessels of water, all of whom nodded at her. One paused long enough to give a short, perfunctory bow and physically handed her one of her little flying messengers before scurrying off. Her little fire brigade, ready to use their gifts of water manipulation to quell the fire before the whole village was taken.

The messenger spit out the captain’s report clearly enough. The bridge had burned to the ground. No injuries. No deaths.

She sighed, picking up the pace. She had abandoned the bridge in order to save the family. Both had been important. The bridge connected the forests here to the gold and white birch grove beyond over a ravine of briers but the house had contained more than forty members of a single family. The choice had been no choice at all. Still, the bridge had best be rebuilt immediately and she had a firebug to catch.

It was going to be a long night.

Trance Pre and After Care

1 Comment

I see a ton of people talk about trancing and ways to do it but I don’t think I’ve never seen someone talk about aftercare after trancing. This is an incredibly important step, not only to keep things safe but to assure the experience ends on a good note.

  1. Ensure you have the proper time. Rushing a trance is not only a bad idea but dangerous. If you’re taking an entheogen, don’t plan it for just an afternoon. Set aside the whole day and evening, maybe even the whole weekend. A trance might only last half an hour but the aftereffects could last much, much longer. Most drugs aren’t flushed out of your system completely for 24 hours. So just because you feel “fine” doesn’t mean you are. If you danced or moved while tracing, you may have pulled a muscle and might not even know it until later. Trying to trance before work or something might seem like a great idea at the time, but the aftereffects of seeing or talking to spirits there might come back to this side. You really don’t want to accuse your boss of being an ogre now do you? Give yourself time to sleep and get over it and back to yourself.
  2. Be aware of any side effects. Even mugwort gives “mugwort hangovers” where there’s side effects from dealing with the herb. The same is true for most if not all entheogens. Watch for the signs of poisoning and be prepared to call Poison Control (US# 1-800-222-1200). Sometimes these side effects are mild such as a headache or confusion but they can also be paranoia, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, heart palpitations, etc. Familiarize yourself with any side effects and keep track of them in some sort of record so you can refer back to it later. By the way, alcohol, caffeine, and other “not drug drugs” such as that are included in this.
  3. Be aware of your condition. Experiencing side effects of the trancing aren’t all bad. Confusion might be disorienting, but if you’re somewhere safe, you could channel that confusion to write a great poem or draw some fantastic art. You can use that confusion to go into another trance or divine. But be ready to acknowledge your condition. Be aware of yourself enough to say, “You know what? I can’t go out an buy groceries. I’m still experiencing X side effect from my trance.” This can save you from doing something foolish like insulting your boss, angering a loved one, driving under the influence, and going out to buy groceries without any trousers on.
  4. Do NOT attempt during times of stress or anxiety. Not only will entheogens or trancing likely compounds the issues at hand, you’re unlikely to accomplish it with ease. If you’re using entheogens and can’t seem to travel, you may try to take more of the drug and end up ODing. I’m not saying folks with anxiety disorders shouldn’t trance. What I’m saying is that if you’re having an attack or under duress, don’t attempt it.
  5. Set up food and drink ahead of time and then eat/drink. No, really. Take the ten minutes to make yourself a sandwich or put a bowl of soup together for yourself. Even pre-cutting a loaf of bread and putting the butter and a dull knife nearby will help. Trance work is exhausting both physically and spiritually. Eating helps not only ground you as it’s a mundane, repetitive task, but also restores your energy. For beverages I usually recommend straight up water, non-caffeinated tea, or slightly sugary beverage. I recommend staying away from coffee, caffeinated tea, or soda. (Caffeine is a stimulate and trance-inducer.)
  6. Drink water. Yes this deserves it’s own space. Even if you follow step four, you should also be drinking a lot of water. This helps cleanse and purify you, as well as shock your system back from woo~land. Besides, you’re likely to be dehydrated. Drink.
  7. Prepare the room. If you’re trancing inside, move all sharp objects out of the room (unless you’re using them in trance. See number 9). Move all objects you might slip on out of the way (like yoga mats, for example, are extremely slippery when you’re trying to trance-dance.) Keep small children and animals out of the way so you don’t trip on them or accidentally hurt them.
  8. Set up a comfortable space to crash. Again, trance work is spiritually and physically exhausting. Make sure you have a nice, clean space to crash. Whether that’s a freshly made bed or a pile of pillows and blankets on the floor.
  9. Keep friends at hand. If you’re going for something truly intense, make sure friends, family, or loved ones can and are willing to check up on you. I HIGHLY recommend keeping them at least somewhat in the loop of what you’re doing, why, and what you’re taking as a stimulant (if you are). Make sure they know the number for poison control (US# 1-800-222-1222) and the way to the nearest ER. Also, just having someone to pour you a glass of water or make a bowl of soup is a true luxury.
  10. Use sharp objects safely. I use a sharp knife during some of my trances and a sword or bow in others. I’ve trained myself to handle these weapons properly during trances and outside of them. If you don’t feel absolutely confident about your skills, skip it until you do.
  11. Wear clothing that is comfortable but unlikely to make you trip, fall, set yourself on fire, etc. If you’re a klutz, you might want to wear the most comfortable shoes you own (or none at all if you’re like me and can’t walk in shoes well). Jewelry’s fun but make sure you know how to get out of it, especially if your long hair tangles with rings or earrings. (Trust me on this one.) If you have long hair, either wear it back or make it a priority for it to not set on fire. If you wear glasses, hearing aids, or other medical or essential items, keep them safe and out of the way. And finally, keep long nails away from others. You’d be surprised how many people get scratched that way.
  12. Keep a record. Keep a record of every trance you have. This is useful later when you need to compare notes or work up an alibi. If your trances begin to take a pattern, you can then having a starting point. It’s also great for dosing amounts if you use entheogens.
  13. Write a note. Seriously. Write a note explaining why you are doing what you’re doing, where you started (your location), and the time and date, maybe even your name and address. Add in any entheogen you’re taking, the dosage of it, and keep it with a sample of the entheogen in question if applicable. These notes are incredibly useful in case of accidental poisonings or you trance-wander your way into traffic. I recommend keeping one on your person and another beside your trancing space.
  14. Keep a sample. Keep a sample of whatever entheogen you’re using for comparison later. It’s also great for emergency services in case of accidental poisonings. Keeping a sample will help eliminate any troubles and get you proper care as quickly as possible. Because of this I recommend NEVER completely emptying a jar of flying salve.
  15. Keep a first aid kit and medical supplies on hand. This is great for those bruises, nicks, scraps, and sore muscles after trancing. If you’re traveling, keep your medications and vitamins in the first aid kit as well. Document any injuries you’ve sustained for your own research and records. Keep a cold compress or ice pack around as well for those sore muscles. Doing this step can keep you longer healing times and infection.
  16. DON’T take aspirin or pain killers. Have a headache? Sore muscles? I know the temptation is to pop an aspirin and carry on but that’s ridiculously dangerous. Pain killers will mask any symptoms of overdosing and may cause bleeding. Aspirin’s a blood thinner and thus may cause bleeding or upset your stomach further. Skip the pain killers and suffer your way through.
  17. Thank your folk. Thank friends, family, loved ones, any participants in the trance or rites, neighbors, pets, deities, fae, and spirits. If they worked with you or dealt with you during your trance especially. I include pets in here because animals are incredibly sensitive to our emotions and if you were particularly frenzied, they may have been scared. Treat them kindly.
  18. Breathe. Take some time to just breathe and enjoy the act of it if you can.
  19. Enjoy the mundane. There’s often a post-trance moment of depression. I personally enjoy the act of coming back into myself and my mundane life. Maybe talking about car loans seems petty after conversing with gods but that’s something exclusive to humanity. Try not to compare your life to the life you have on the astral or the time within the trance. It is not the same.

Following these simple steps can change your experience from “great” to “fantastic”.

Spirit Kings

1 Comment

Spirit Kings

[UPG Alert! My opinions and UPG]

The other side has a hierarchy. Some places has courts as elaborate as you can imagine. Others are more territories where a being rules over their territory as they like.

Quick terminology is this: when I say king, I’m drawing up mental images for you. I use the word king specifically to relate to the exact mental image I want you to have. I’m not saying ruler. I’m not saying emperor. I’m not saying queen. I’m saying king. Specifically. There is no gender or sex for this term in this specific context, most because spirits rarely may any heed to gender or sex constructs.

Generally speaking, the more power the larger the size of the territory. Reasons for this power varies. Someone the power is all about how dangerous the spirit is. Other times it’s they’ve made enough of a reputation to not be messed with. Most often, they’ve killed, bartered, or manipulated their way there. Rarely, a spirit king takes up residence that has a skill or talent that makes them worth listening to and respecting. Fucking with that person annoys other spirits and can even cause wars.

Being the ruler of a territory is a perilous and precarious position. Once a territory is claimed or made, the mood of that territory changes, shifts to match the laws made and the king’s personality and moods. Very Fisher King like except not usually as dramatic (this isn’t entirely true, sometimes it is JUST as literal as that)

These are not beings to be fucked with. These are not beings to cross. Paid proper respect and all is (usually) well. But enrage a king in their kingdom? The very land itself will rise up against you

Why are there so many wars then? Because it’s easy? It should be noted that as well networked and liked as a king is, as many subjects they have or folk attend their court, there is only ONE person who fights for their throne. Them. The king has to defend their own kingdom with their own hands from a usurper. Sure, anyone can pick a side and join ranks to fight, many will be called upon to do just that because, hell, the point in war is to damage enough of the other side to make them submit. A territory vs. territory battle? Free-for-all. Half the times the rulers aren’t even fucking involved.

Spirit kings don’t tend to remain in one place either. They wander, rambling, and travel throughout their territory and visit friends elsewhere. You literally will never know who might be a king. There sometimes isn’t a way to tell. Despite being rooted in their territory, the itch to move and travel is often another cause for wars in my opinion and certainly is why they like to fuck with humans and travelers.

Sometimes those beings can make territories here, and connect their spirit territories with a physical location on this side. I’ll repeat that. They can be so powerful that they can make their presence and kingdoms known here. On this side. In this plane. You know when you think you’ve crossed into something’s territory but it’s so much huger than when you do it normally to other spirits and you feel eyes watching you, judging you? Yeah.

I’ve more to say on this subject but I don’t want to ramble on more than I have to.

Just something to think about when you travel about.

This is a tumblr repost that is really on point considering what’s coming up for me. And, because I don’t have as many people here as I do on tumblr, I’ll answer questions on this topic. Not every question may be answered as it might shift into personal and/or secrets and spoilers area.

Practical Applications of Astral Projection on This Plane

1 Comment

So I’ve been working on an original fictional story that involves the Traveling and practical applications thereof. Yes, really.

But first, before I get into anything, a little personal definition time. I personally use the terms “astral projection” as projecting yourself out of your body but remaining in this plane of existence. You are here but not in your body. When I say “astral travel” I’m referring to Over There, the Other Side, etc. Again, these are personal definitions and are certainly not universal.

I briefed over it before on tumblr but the lack of response I received there was… discouraging. Still, I’ll explain.

Let’s say you astral project. You take a cruise about the world, dick around in a marketplace you’ve never been to before in a country you only hear about in the news. You chase a bunny up a mountain path and stop short when you realize the trees are bent funny. Intrigued, you fly up (because what’s the point of astral project if not to fly? OK, there’s lots of points to it but my statement stands). Below you see a small airplane, crashed into the rocks below.

You explore the site a bit and discover that some of the plane’s passengers are still alive but are hurt. What do you do?

There’s several options.

  1. You can ignore it. Don’t look at me like that. I find most people would ignore it. People don’t like to get involved. And with Traveling and Projection it gives you an out. After all, how are you going to confirm it? What if it’s all in your head?
  2. You can inform the authorities. Prepare yourself for disbelief, suspicious  and most likely to be ignored. You have no facts, no evidence, and saying “I saw it in a dream” doesn’t go over as well as TV shows lead you to believe.
  3. Go and find them yourself. This would work if you a) can do so b) can afford to and/or c) are willing to.
  4. You can manipulate or feed the data to someone. This is my preferred method of dealing with this sort of thing. I’ll find someone in charge. A police chief, a respected townsperson, military official. (Careful here. I’ve been seen before while Traveling by some military folks. I have NO idea how but I wouldn’t put it past militaries to have some sort of technology that can actually read our presence. I’m still playing with the idea that EMF detectors and other ghost hunting paraphernalia can record us while Projecting.) Either way, I enter their dreams, whisper in their ears, and convince them to follow the trail I’ve left to get help. I’ll literally haunt them (nicely!) until they do as I want them to.

There are other practical uses as well. Want to know if a shop’s going to be open? Pop down in spirit and check it out. Want to know what your kids/lovers/family are up to when they’re not home? Follow them in spirit. Want to spy on your friends for laughs or enemies for blackmail? Yeah, you can do that too.

Astral projection has tons of practical applications. It can literally be used as a preview to the day and can be hugely helpful in life.

How so? Lets say your boss is being an ass. He’s just being a complete asshole.  Harping on you, singling you out, embarrassing you in front of other people, etc. He’s made co-workers cry and others quit. You’re at your wit’s end. So you follow him and discover that he spends hours of the day looking at porn on his work computer. More investigation shows that he does lots of shady transactions. A quick anonymous tip to HR later and he’s being investigated. Perfect.

Let’s turn that on its head. Lets say you follow you boss and discover he’s going through a terrible divorce. Maybe his spouse was abusive. Maybe he just lost custody of the children. Maybe he sits over the divorce papers and cries into his whiskey because he still loves his spouse and the life they had and he can’t understand why nothing’s working out the way it should.

Now you can explain to your co-workers that he’s going through a rough time. Bake some damn cookies, offer to help. Make a gesture to show that he doesn’t need to take it out on the world, on you.

All that, from Projection.

It’s also great for witchcraft. You know that son of a bitch neighbor that you really just need to move the fuck away? You can spy on them in spirit and discover an accessible personal item to curse them with. That co-worker that keeps hitting on you? Follow them home in spirit so you can place hot foot powder to steer them away. Explore a path in a nearby park to see if there’s any herbs or plants you need for your collection.

There is so much you can do with it and from what I’ve seen it’s utterly underutilized. Possibly because so many witches focus on the spirits and the exploring of the other side they don’t focus on the actual traveling portion of it. The experience, the adventure and freedom being in spirit causes.

And his eyes fell upon me….

I’m godbothered. I don’t speak about it much because I’m really very serious when I say I do not work with gods or spirits. I sometimes work for them and they sometimes work for me. But being godbothered means that I am literally bothered by a god. I can say no (and do, often) but they always return. The attention is uncalled for and many times unwanted.

The god I’m speaking of in my case is Heimdallr. According to Heimdallr worshipers He’s rather hands-off and aloof. This was confirmed by my own dealings with Him. We played cat-and-mouse for years. I’ve felt drawn to Him but refuse to worship a being at all (for reasons). I don’t even have a place for offerings for Him (although I intend on in the future, an outdoor public thing; offerings would be rare on my part though). Over the last year He told me He wanted me to be His seer. I took a long time but eventually agreed when terms were finally hammered out. I still don’t work with Him or worship Him, but I will be His oracle, when necessary. Rarely do I hear from Him. But today as I did a reading for a client.

The client in question is a Lokean so it isn’t surprising that Heimdallr decided to listen in, so to speak. I drew the cards out and interrupted them and as I was doing so I felt that floating sensation I get when I know I’m being dragged to the other side. I’m being beckoned elsewhere and there isn’t much I can do to stop it.  (Not that I would. I don’t tend to get dragged over unless there’s some shenanigans happening in my territory that I need to handle or someone wants to talk to me and it’s easier to do it there than here.)

I finished up the reading, saved it all because the internet’s been wonky due to summer storms (and now I still can’t send the reading because Etsy’s down at the time of this writing) and went to sleep.

Dreamless sleep. Odd, considering I was being beckoned over but upon reflection, it’s better to sleep first then wake up and cross over. You’re less likely to fall asleep while traveling and scientists have stated that lucid dreaming occurs most often when you wake up and then go back to sleep again. Which means that it is also true that it is easier to cross over when you wake up and go back to sleep.

By the time I awoke, His eyes had passed me by. I have no idea what His intentions where or why but who can know the gods’ minds but themselves?