The frequency of thumps and creaks in my bedroom are decreasing and my sleep cycle is becoming more regular. Not too long ago I noticed my space was dusty, to the point where I would lightly clean and return to a faint layer the very next day. For a while I thought nothing of it and continued to wipe objects down and go about my days. Oddly enough I found myself cleaning two particular areas, the room where I perform my rituals and the room in which I sleep. More so the latter. It wasn’t until I also noticed the nightly settling of the house – which I had attributed to the changing weather – and my difficulty falling and remaining asleep did I piece together that I was dealing with the beginnings of a manifestation.
Of what I did not know.
I have come across such phenomenon before, in the early nineteen-nineties when studying monograms detailing the manipulation of subtle forces, and again late in the same decade after a period of intense goetic evocations. In the first case I had failed to ‘put my toys away,’ and though I knew of the importance of a proper banishing, in the second case, I had failed to take into account with evocations there is a localized buildup of energy which naturally dissipates over time. When there is a major ceremony every four days, this just doesn’t happen. Burning Dittany of Crete sees to that.
Since I hadn’t performed any major ceremonies in nearly six months my mind was slow to make the connection. A confirmation came with the decision to endure a few more restless nights so I could take a step back and observe the situation. Light noises; check. General uneasiness; check. Varied swings of the pendulum; check. And, yes, more dust; upon close inspection it was more of a white powder. Fine to the touch, odorless, and tasteless (–yeah, I went there). Funny, had I walked into a similar bedroom I would have known what was going on, nonetheless the prescription for the condition was the same as in the past. Holy water and a standalone method to break down etheric patterns.
Though it is a technique picked up from Dion Fortune’s Psychic Self-Defense1 the method of preparation and use of holy water described in the book always gives me pause. Instead I use holy water created in my personal tradition. As for the breaking down of etheric patterns, Dion Fortune has this to say:
There are certain substances which experience has proved to be effectual in preventing the condensation of etheric energy from taking place. Camphor dissolved in vinegar and place in saucers about the room will cope effectually with low degrees of force, but for higher potencies nitric acid is the best thing to use, a small quantity being poured into a saucer and exposed to the air. It is best to use it well diluted to prevent accidents, for it is not the strength of the acid in the saucer that is efficacious, but its evaporation into the air, and it will evaporate just as well when diluted as when neat. In what manner it works I have not the slightest idea, but its value is well known among psychic experimenters.
– Psychic Self-Defense, Chapter XVII-Methods Of Defence – How to prevent materializations
The situation didn’t call for the use of nitric acid so I opted for a solution of camphor dissolved in distilled vinegar. One large saucer beneath the bed and four small in each corner of the room. Sadly, for the initial round I only had camphorated phenol from the medicine cabinet, but it worked well enough.
I think I’ll keep up the simple regimen of the camphor/vinegar solution and sprinkling of holy water twice weekly for a time even after things return to a peaceful state.
To be fair, this isn’t the only method being used. Firstly, I never perform a cleansing without a prior cleaning – it don’t make sense to purify a sty. To that end I cleaned. Well. The thought of making a floor and wall wash crossed my mind but I didn’t want to complicate the process. From my earlier work with subtle energies I learned consecrated salt absorbs ‘etheric magnetism’ so I spread a generous amount on the floors and vacuumed thoroughly the next day. As for the walls, surprisingly, or not, substances which work along the same lines as camphor and nitric acid are found in everyday cleaning products. Window cleaner2, a little bit of bleach, and Pine-Sol3 typically gets the job done.
Hopefully, all of this will be done and over with before the new year.
1 – A must have for any library.
2 – Though it will make your scrying mirrors sparkle, standard cleaners can also strip the tool of etheric charges. Use purified water, organic soaps, and a soft cloth to avoid lengthy re-consecrations.
3 – “That’s the power of Pine-Sol, baby!” Use original unscented.
