Spirit Writer

Eliphas Levi, Public Domain, WC . I'm currently reading The Essential Golden Dawn by Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero, an excellent introduction to that magical tradition, and in it they quote Eliphas Levi on magic and prayer.  I just wanted to share it here: "All ceremonies, consecrations, ablutions,and sacrifices are prayers in action and are symbolic formulas; and they are the most potent prayers because they are translation of word into action, showing will power and persistence, seeing that they require more constrained attention than silent prayer, or prayer expressed in words; and so they constitute real work, and such work demands a man's whole energy." Not only is this a perfect answer to the question, "Why not just pray?" but it also reminds the magician what is needed to practice artfully - one's "whole energy." Eliphas Levi was a French would-be priest turned occultist credited with greatly inspiring the Western Magical Trad

I was doing some research on the history of  Murray and Lanman's Florida Water used in conjure ( though some say it was only used in Santeria ) and as fragrance and after-bath splash.  I came across Catherine Yronwode's excellent article on the subject.  In it she mentions some sources for recipes on making your own waters including  Henley's Twentieth Century Formulas, Recipes and Processes .  I have no interest in making my own as I adore the Murray and Lanman product.  But I also saw the book mentioned in a survival forum which piqued my interest. I found the book  free on Google Books , though I'm sure you can find it reprinted at Amazon if you're inclined to buy it.  Florida Water is a unisex scent that has come to be used in hoodoo for cleansing and protection.   Page 514 of the book has the recipe . I haven't read the book and am unsure if Henley means essential oil when he uses the term "oil of."  The process of extracting oil may be desc