by nagasiva yronwode
In October 2003, a practitioner planning a Samhain séance wrote to alt.pagan.magick asking for advice. He had a home-made Ouija board (which nagasiva corrects to "spirit board"), a plan for "holy water" from a local creek, and an intention to lock spirits into the space with splashed water. He wanted the séance to be spooky, but not dangerous.
Nagasiva's response — writing as lorax666 — is a sustained inquiry into what Neopagans actually mean when they use words like "holy," "blessing," and "evil." The post pushes back on the reflexive use of scare quotes around sacred language, draws out the ethical implications of treating spirits the way Solomonic grimoires treat demons, and distinguishes between theatrical haunting and genuine spirit work. What begins as practical advice becomes a small theology of the sacred.
Nagasiva yronwode (lorax666, tyaginator, blackman99, haramullah) was a prolific Usenet practitioner through the 1990s and 2000s, writing from a syncretic, non-dogmatic position across alt.magick, alt.pagan.magick, and related groups. He operated out of Lucky Mojo Curio Co. in northern California.
It is interesting how we talk about making things, and what is made.
On the question — how do you make holy water? — this is very interesting as regards the Neopagan community. Are there gradations of blessedness which obtain regarding any object or substance? So many Neopagans come out of Hermetic backgrounds which can slip into atheism and materialism that deny blessedness or more than pantheism that this issue occasionally irks the dogmatic sort.
This extends to the point where Neopagans feel that they have to put "blessing" and blessed objects and substances in quotations, almost apologizing for the differentiation in cosmology from which they were probably conditioned (largely Christian).
On calling it a "Ouija board" when it is home-made: they are called spirit boards. Ouija — a combination of "yes" in two European languages, used by Parker Brothers to market their particular board — probably doesn't apply to your board.
On the concern about waking up "anything evil": as a Neopagan, what is evil? Where does it reside? Unruly spirits? Wild elementals? If that whole God-Created-Everything cosmology is tossed, then what does "evil" even mean? Something some Goddess doesn't like? Something that runs afoul of "karma"?
I don't tend to work with the dead, but I've known a few who do. They've tended to follow these guidelines:
- Contact people you know if possible
- Minimize contact and remain in control of the interaction via some powerful director who is not the medium, if possible
- Focus on light, pleasant subjects
- Be sincere, offer what the dead liked, and generally respect them for who they are
On making holy water from the creek: why is "bless" in quotes here? I suggest that you actually bless the water. Consider carefully what lies behind your spiritual orientation. If you don't know, consider the possibility that blessing the water can include the following:
- Revering the water for its purity, beauty, and clarity
- Praising the water for its fluidity and malleability
- Acknowledging the water's perfection and blessedness
- Preparing the water for its intended use
On the plan to splash water onto the doors to "lock the spirits in": why would any spirits be there? Might they be interested and watching you at the time of the rite? Might they be confused by the rite and then be locked into your area? Is that the kind of relationship you really want to have with the spirits?
It is reminiscent of Solomonic magic's treatment of demons — the "goetic" — locking them into some sealed, sigilized container and then extorting them to use their powers for one's benefit. Consider the ethical implications of this.
On the idea that holy water becomes holy because the participants believe it is: what would make water holy, by your standards? Is there a sacred or blessed thing in the cosmos, by your assessment?
So this sounds mostly like a stunt or performance, rather than some actual interest in working with the dead, doing something psychospiritual. If it is just a performance, then why are you interested in finding out from actual magicians what is done — in order to avoid "calling up something evil"?
My impression is that locking up random spirits in your supposed rite is rude to the spirits, and that you should instead invite them to stay if they want to and depart if they will. Generally, treat them the way that you would like to be treated were you in their place and condition.
Use props to scare people, rather than their misplaced mistrust in the spirit world. Have skeletons rigged to jump out of the leaves, recordings of spooky music, and generally haunted-house type accoutrements — instead of pretending that you are doing something that others do quite calmly in a frantic and fearful way.
If you don't believe in any of it, summon up the Devil and don't worry about what religiomagicians may think.
Colophon
Written by nagasiva yronwode (lorax666, luckymojo.com@nagasiva), posted to alt.religion.wicca, alt.magick, alt.pagan, alt.magick.tyagi, and alt.pagan.magick on 15 October 2003. Reconstructed from a threaded discussion; nagasiva's responses are extracted here as a standalone essay. The questions are paraphrased from the original poster's posts.
Preserved from the Usenet archive for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. Original Message-ID: eXijb.32277$[email protected].
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