Magic for the Financially Impaired

sacred texts from all sorts of things! great resource!

2005-05-15T17:19:18Z

qQuestion on Shielding, esp. in amulets.

2005-01-03T20:55:26Z

Found myself about to be in a situation that calls for heavy shields, both emotional and mental. My normal shields are usually fine, but I think in this case, better safe than sorry, and was thinking of placing a heavy shield in an amulet or somthing similar. This is not the type of working I usually do, and so was curious how others generally go about this?

Pardon the X-posting.

pyrex dishes...

2004-12-04T22:52:19Z

...are really great for this stuff. I have been able to find a lot of them at different times at the local hospice shop, or even buy a new one for ten or so dollars--unsure of exact price range, which depends on size etc. I bought one new because it makes sense to know the history of your magical tools, and then got a silver chafing-dish holder at the hospice shop. It's nice silver stand that holds the pyrex dish exactly, and safely, eight or so inches off the ground, and the dish is big enough to put any sort of charcoal and stuff in: incense, and also materials to be burned ceremonially, like joss paper/spirit money, photos, little cakes etc., and bread which someone recently steered me towards as a banishing material in African traditions.

I hope someone finds these helpful. Feel free to ask questions if I've been too confusing...

great tips in urban magic books...

2004-11-24T22:09:44Z

...I read 'Urban Primitive' by Kaldera and Schwarz-something (sorry), and the one by Christopher Penczak...anything from a book of matches to a broken piece of glass to an empty beer can can do it...

Roll for Save against Being Broke

2004-07-23T20:11:57Z

A couple of people asked how I use dice for divination. I actually use several different rolls.

If I want a yes or no answer, I roll a d4. 2 and 4 are yes; 1 and 3 are no.

If I want a general impression of what around/going on/in the future, I roll a d12:

sorrow
mirth
joining
beginning
celestial spirits/intervention
earthly spirits
illness
endings
illusions
money/earthly concerns
secrets
can't be read

If I want to know about a specific action, I roll a d20 twice. The first roll tells me how hard it will be (1 is easy, 20 is nearly impossible) and the second says how I will do at it. If the second is lower than the first, the chance of succeeding is not good.

These are just my own derivations, not really based on anything, though the first one is simple enough. If you're interested in "real" dice divination, this site looks pretty good, as does this one. I like mine because I don't have to memorize a new list. This site says you shouldn't do dice divining on Monday and Wednesday. I personally think that sounds kinda silly, but to each his own.

the Budget Magus Pocket Spell Kit

2004-07-20T19:53:07Z

because you never know when you're going to need to invoke

This is what I keep in my backpack for emergencies. YMMV, of course.

consecrated pocketknife ($5)
charged piece of bloodstone ($1 or so... I got it in second grade, so I'm not positive)
matches (free at the mini mart)
packets of salt (free from McDonalds. single serving sacred space!)
rosary ($5 at antique shop for a nice one... cheap ones can be had at some Catholic churches for free)
pocket-sized Notebook of Shadows ($8 for a nice moleskine one at B&N, but a cheap one from Walmart would do just as well)
dice for divination ($3 for a set of seven at the gaming shop, mine are left over from playing D&D)

That adds up to less than $20 I actively spent on mine, considering I already had the dice. Obviously different divination systems could be swapped in; I like dice because they're small. I add various prayer cards or different stones depending on the day and my intuition, but I've never felt unprepared with this little set tucked in my bag. Water, earth, and air are all freely available; I'll use salt in a pinch if I'm indoors and can't get outside.

intro

2004-06-29T18:43:00Z

I am a freelance angel currently working part time in a gaming store, and to be honest, I'd rather spend my paycheck on manga or science fiction than the latest "must-read" spellbook from Llewellyn. Dover Thrift editions are my best friends, all my candles come from the grocery store, and I refer to the little packets of salt you get at McDonalds as a "portable sacred space". Nice to meetcha.

Potpourri pots, magic, and a rant about candles.

2004-06-26T12:41:43Z

I was leafing through an old Llewellyn Magickal Almanac a little while ago, trying to see if there was anything worth keeping. One of the things I found was an article by Silver RavenWolf on the use of potpourri pots in magic. Now, Silver RavenWolf often annoys me to no end, but this is a good idea.

The ones that use candles are nice for invoking four elements at once. You have a candle (fire) in a ceramic container (earth—or if that's not enough earth for you, SRW suggests adding some salt to the portion that holds the candle) which heats water and herbs to release scented steam (air).

And some varieties look a whole lot like wee cauldrons.

I found some for $3 over here. You might be able to find one for cheaper at your local dollar store.

Making your own simmering potpourri blends seems relatively easy, and you can find instructions here.

I know what I'm buying when I have $3 or so to spare.

Also, don't be an idiot. Don't leave burning candles unattended, especially if you have pets, and if you must, please don't be indignant when something catches fire. Fire is rather the point of candles.

(This common-sense notice brought to you by someone who put a candle with potpourri bits in it on their bookshelf, left the room for a while, and then posted an indignant message on another comm when, while they were gone, the potpourri bits started to smoulder, eventually caught fire, and then the bookshelf went up, so no one should ever buy those candles. Um, hello... bookshelf. Wood and paper. You are leaving a source of fire on wood and paper, and you are indignant when the fire spreads because you couldn't be bothered to put it out when you left the room, or check to make sure the potpourri bits weren't getting too near the flame? Dumbass.)

There's some information on using potpourri pots safely over here.

Okay, sure.

2004-05-28T19:38:01Z

So. Hi, Jaque; I guess it's just you and me, thus far.

Quite frankly, I'm a lazy, lazy Chaote. I'm generally okay with this. I've made up my own rituals (quite often based on other stuff - ie. the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram has been modified into the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Elements), and I think my most expensive prop was about $5 (my very small, round alter).

I guess that'll do for a basic introduction :)

An introduction.

2004-05-28T19:08:10Z

Hi! I'm the creator of this brand-spanking new community. Welcome, all.

About me... Well, I'm pretty far out on the fringes, as far as the magical community is concerned. I'm a Pagan going back to my Catholic roots, yet remaining Pagan. And my beliefs get weirder from there on out. Hey, I do what works for me. *shrugs*

My magical style was almost entirely pure energy work without props for a few years, but lately I've discovered that foci help a lot. It may be useful to know how to work through will alone, but the props help. It's the difference between screwing something to the wall with a screwdriver and brute force, and getting a drill with a screwdriver attachment, to use a really bad metaphor.

I love shopping for ritual tools, but I often don't have the money to pay my bills, let alone buy shiny crystals. So I improvise. Salt and pepper packets from fast food places are useful for banishing and purification. I can draw sigils on the floor of my apartment with chalk (mmm, slate floor). Dry-erase markers are good for drawing things on my windows, though I'm really eager to get some of those Crayola Window FX markers. An ex clued me into using those little finger-pricky things that diabetics use when I feel the need for blood-magic. (Yes, I do blood-magic. Seeing as how it's my own blood, I don't see anything wrong with it, and it works really well for me.)

I firmly believe that anything can be a magical tool when used with intent, and so I try to find uses for anything that crosses my path. I'm always on the lookout for new ideas.

And that's me. Hi. *waves*