Balthazar's Conjure closed May 25 - June 10

Please note: Balthazar's Conjure will be closed for vacation from May 25 to June 10, 2013. All orders including rootwork consultations, short e-mail readings and any other pending orders will be completed once I reopen on June 10, 2013. Thanks!

Urim and Thumhim Dice: Theurgic Divination

If there is one thing that I have come to appreciate as an initiate in Afro-cuban religion it's the importance of 'analogue' yes/no style divination when dealing with spirits. Especially when dealing with questions that have some emotional charge associated with them. I find it essential to have an additional communication tool that cannot be influenced (either consciously or unconsciously) by the desires and expectations of the operator (me) to use in tandem with mediumistic and visionary communication. This kind of divination also gives very satisfying 'closure' on various questions that would otherwise remain troublingly ambiguous, thus providing clarity in confirmation. I find that this brings a certain tangibility that's very important for satisfying the rational mind when doing spirit work. This has led me to experimenting with various tools in theurgic work because although scrying is great for receiving chunks of information, there are times when you need some solid, accessible yes/no divination when dealing with angels and spirits during a conjuration - even if it is just to confirm what you have seen in the crystal as been understood correctly.

I toyed with the idea of adapting my obi shells to the task but since I use those on a daily basis to communicate with a very particular order of spirits in my ATR practice, I wasn't comfortable appropriating that tool. For one thing I didn't want to get the 'wires crossed' when attempting to divine with planetary angels and spirits during a conjuration and inadvertently get a muerto on the line. I've tried various systems of astragals in my goetic conjurations with some success but to be honest compared to the obi they just do not work all that well, spitting out too many nonsensical answers when all I want is a yay or a nay. Pendulum is out since I just don't trust its 'objectivity', and coin flipping lacks the nuance that I like so much in the obi. And believe me with yes/no queries nuance is the name of the game. You would be surprised at the detail one can receive if you are skilled at using the obi.

I finally was inspired to create my own method by combining astragals (in this case six sided dice), and the functionality of the obi with an idea out of the old testament. And so were born the Urim and Thumhim dice! There are various theories about what the Urim and Thumhim were, exactly, but most seem to agree the it was a priestly yes/no oracle consisting of two objects; probably two stones, two images, or even sacred dice - manipulated in some way by the priest to talk to God. Each object providing either a "yes" or "no" answer respectively based on the outcome of the procedure; hence Urim and Thumhim. I find the whole subject quite fascinating. And biblical symbolism is always very pleasing to me. The Urhim and Thumhim dice method below is specifically designed to operate with the Art of Drawing Spirits Into Crystals, since this is the grimoire that I am using for angelic work.  I was inspired to start working with this particular evocation system due to the teachings of my fellow blogger and hermetic mage, Rufus Opus - who almost single-handedly has brought about a Trithemian renaissance. The Urim and Thumhim dice system could conceivably be used with any system of crystalomancy or scrying, however. I have never tried, though.

The Table of Practice

All that is needed is a pair of black and white six sided dice. It would be wise to consecrate these using the appropriate prayers and fumigations. If you wanted to get astrological you could buy them at your local game shop on the day and hour of mercury. I also exorcise my dice at the beginning of each conjuration using an adapted version of the prayer out of The Art of Drawing Spirits Into Crystals, by sprinkling some holy water and then laying my hand on them, saying:

Heavenly Father, just as You proclaimed “put the Urim and the Thumhim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord"*; so too, let these inanimate creatures of God, now be sanctified and consecrated as the Urim and Thumhim were; and blessed to this purpose, of revealing only true answers of the celestial intelligences and spirits descending here in this crystal. May this always be faithfully revealed, so that I may know "yes" from "no" just as surely as God divided light from darkness and night from day. In the name of the blessed and Holy Trinity be hereby duly consecrated that no evil phantasy may answer in thee; or, if they do gain ingress into this oracle, they may be constrained to answer intelligibly, and truly, and without the least ambiguity, for Christ's sake. Amen. 

*It may be appropriate to hold the dice over ones heart during the recitation of the verse to further align this biblical resonance in ritual.

Using the Urim and Thumhim dice:

The system is simplicity itself. Frame a question for the spirit whom you have conjured into the crystal making sure that it can answered with a "yes" or "no".  Shake and throw the dice on the table of practice. The die with the highest number gives you the answer. The higher the roll the stronger the answer. At a glance: if the black die's number is the highest then the answer will be a  "NO". If the white die is higher, then "YES". However, there is more nuance available by interpreting the the number of the highest roll.

White Die:

1. "Unsure" - think about the question carefully, reformulate it for clarity and ask again to confirm.
2. Provisional "yes", contingent on certain factors: scry in the crystal to receive a vision as to what these factors may be, and then ask more questions to confirm. (In other words "Yes, IF…")
3. Yes, but caution is needed there is some risks/challenges involved.
4. Yes
5. Definitely, yes (you know this already)!
6. Yes, with blessings from God. All will be well, you are guided in this.

Black Die:

1. "Unsure" - think about the question carefully, reformulate it for clarity and ask again to confirm.
2. Circumstantial "no" - based on prevailing factors. Ask more questions to find out what these circumstances are (practical, astrological, psychological etc).
3. No, this question is of little concern or relevance.
4. No
5. Definitely NOT (you know this already)! 
6. Danger, NO! Warning, Warning, Warning. (drip a little bit of holy water on the dice to 'cool' them when you receive a six)

When the values on both dice are the same (a tie), I take this to mean that the spirit is "unsure" - think about the question carefully, reformulate it for clarity and roll again to confirm.

Rolling a two on either die provides the spirit with an important opportunity to guide you in the right direction. On the white die a two tells you that the answer is a yes, provided you follow the spirits advice carefully. It's now up to you to further scry or divine said advice. On the black die a two tells us that the answer is "no" because of some salient matter influencing things as they stand (usually hindering); further scrying and divination then should offer a solution as to how to turn a "no" into a "yes", since there is the implication that it's just circumstantial. Rolling lower than one isn't possible, naturally. Resultantly, the meaning of a one is the same as that of a tie (since the only time you would read it is during a tie). As with a tie if you take a moment to think about the question, you will usually realise that you asked something that could not be answered with a "yes" or "no"; or, that the question itself was somehow confusing and needs further clarification. Keep it specific and to the point - just as you would with say a horary or geomantic chart.

For a different perspective and some interesting information on the use of astragals historically and in relation to practical spirit work be sure also to check out Jake Stratton-Kent's Goetic Divination

Lucky Mojo Hoodoo Rootwork Hour

I had the pleasure of being the guest on Lucky Mojo Hoodoo Rootwork once again. The panel discussion topic was spiritual hygiene and we had a great time sharing tips and reading for callers. You can listen to Sunday's show below...

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Tradition, appropriation and spiritual legitimacy

Dr. E recently posted an article on his church website addressing cultural appropriation, which has caused much discussion on Facebook. As can be expected those who are sympathetic to incorporating disparate elements from living religions such as Lucumi and Haitian Vodou into an otherwise non-traditional practice are unhappy about Eddy's tone in that article. Initiates on the other hand are praising him for speaking out against the mercantilist appropriations of Lucumi and the other diasporic traditions that we find spreading all over Etsy and elsewhere online.

Let's put aside for the moment the potential harm that cultural appropriation can do to a living tradition.

Those who are working outside of the initiatic tradition but still decide to make use of said tradition's symbols and spirits (either for their own practice or for financial gain) face a conflict - both spiritually and culturally. On the one hand there is the idea that their practice has value and power for them, personally. That they can and should be able to do as they please in their own spiritual life - especially if it feels like it is working for them. Who are they harming, after all?

On the other hand they are faced with the question of validity. Is what they are doing then valid even though it isn't traditional? And here is where it becomes slippery. Once they deem their work valid based on the criteria that what they do has meaning and efficacy (subjectively), they might feel entitled to be acknowledged as legitimate by others. If they feel their work is spiritually legitimate should they then start offering rituals, products and services of a similar sort, using the same signifiers along with cultural currency that those signifiers carry? As can be expected, this kind of validation and approval from initiates is quite unlikely to happen and it generates conflict. Outrage even.

Complicating matters further, we usually see the same strategies that neo-pagans and occultists use to reconstruct or simulate extinct ancient religions applied to simulating religions that are still very much alive - since this is the toolbox at hand for those who would attempt such a thing.

More often that not these strategies entirely miss the mark - both in terms of form and metaphysics. The main reason is that they are constructing their practice largely from the perspective of an outsider looking in. As such what they create for themselves can only be contrived based on what they see, and therefore necessarily must latch on to what constitutes an aesthetic veneer, because the real meat and marrow of the tradition is completely opaque to a non-initiate - since it defined by a continuity of experiences, gestures, materials and relationships that act upon the initiate; and not merely by outer symbols and paraphernalia.

The reason for this is that Lucumi and Haitian Vodou are religions of secrets. Even for initiates there are ever deepening layers of obfuscation and misdirection that only become clarified by ones elders over time through direct ritual experiences and work. And this process never ends since there will always be elders who are more senior and therefor hold more knowledge to reveal. Even those who are legitimately initiated are not entitled to propitiate all the spirits in the pantheon - only those that they have been given access to in various ways, ritualistically.

Additionally, these spirits - much like their worshippers - tend to exhibit insular relationship patterns. They usually demand introduction through an intermediary figure who already has a trusted relationship with them.

Like most humans do, I might add.

This stands in stark contrast to the popular conception that all deities are kind of hanging out in the astral hoping that someone will pray to them, and are pleased at any and all attention they receive. They may not even be willing to acknowledge (much less shower blessings) on anyone who approaches them out of the blue!

Some complain of a lack of access to the traditions, even though they want to get initiated, they say they can't find godparents or a reputable house. Resultantly, they feel therefore  they are serving the spirits and doing the work in their personal way out of love and dedication. In principle this is admirable of course. however, lately I'm starting to worry that this isn't a little disingenuous. Here is why:

With Lucumi for instance, I think there is a lot more potential access to the religion (even in UK and Europe) than many realize. If anything what is lacking is the correct approach from applicants. In the UK there are quite a few reputable houses of various blends of nationalities. Here in Amsterdam there are three, perhaps four houses that I'm aware of. There are more in Spain and France. In the US, there are many, many options indeed. So there certainly are routes of legitimate access. The question is: do the various types of people whom find the religion's aesthetic appealing actually WANT legitimate access to the tradition? Are they willing to to submit the process? From what I have seen with those who approach our house (usually the occultists) is they come with a certain attitude. They come with their cups full, as they might say in zen. They want their own trip validated. And let me tell you, that rarely happens in this tradition. Its not easy on the ego. So, then if you are brittle I think it's more comfortable to sit in the liminal zone making your own stuff up because none will be the wiser for it. Certainly you can sell products on etsy and ebay that way.

This is not to say that some people just don't have trouble finding the right house, and not all houses are reputable, welcoming, or even a good fit - but I think if you really want it you can find a house, and most certainly so in the U.S.

And for those who are doing their own freeform thing with an eye on some day getting initiated I see another major obstacle, especially if they are setting themselves up as figures already in some way. Once they do get initiated into reputable house they will find all their dearly held beliefs and personally formed opinions about their practices will almost certainly be broken down completely by their elders, or at best turned upside down in a very disturbing way.

If you have been doing your own thing for some time it's probably going to be a serious blow to the ego. From what I've seen - people who have built up elaborate personal castles of this sort tend to be very reluctant to let their own trip go in favor of the genuine article.

The Lucky Mojo Hoodoo Rootwork Hour!

I was a guest on the Lucky Mojo Hoodoo Rootwork Hour! You can listen to last night's episode below. We had interesting panel discussion on magical lamps and gave free readings and rootwork advice LIVE. What a blast!

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