Ritual – Page 2 – Teufelskunst

Fall Greetings 2017

As I am typing this, the candle has already extinguished and there are nearly as many tiny air bubbles in the glass of water as dots on the ink drawing in the background.

My little fall equinox altar is made of tokens gathered during the past days. It also features a small glass of self-made hawthorn liqueur. The hawthorn goddess was addressed for empowerment at a time when I am down with flu and need to recharge both physically as well as spiritually.

The drawing is one of three drawings I did last week. It is the second in the small series and titled “Pathfinder”, since the shape reminded me of a creature equipped with plenty of sensors, which seems to be pushing forward against an icy storm. The third drawing is now in the possession of The Witching Veil, together with the autumn mandrake root depicted on it.

The incense burnt was the Black sacra from Luban Frankincense Supplier. It has a deeper, somewhat richer aroma than the green and white frankincense from Oman, and fits just perfectly for the season.

With the passing of the Fall Equinox, Samhain is just around the corner. I will hence begin preparing my presentation for this year’s Samhain Celebration in Gotha, which I am attending for the second time in a row.

The latest addition to the shop will be new autumn mandrake roots, which will go up for sale in the evening. Please also take a look at the new listings in the Sigilla Magica category.

Last but not least I thank all of you, who ordered my Dog Days incense. I have but one jar each left. The coming days I will work on new batches of Samhain incense, as well as restocking incense for Qayin and Lilith.

September 23, 2017

Posted In: News & Site Updates, Feast Days, Ritual

Tags: alraune, ink drawing, botanical studies, plant art, frankincense oman, art, the witching veil, ink, mandrake project, ritual, fall equinox, incense, shop news, Mandrake, black mandrake, altar, autumn mandrake, autumn equinox, mandragora autumnalis

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Site Launch and New Creations

This special incense blend has been nearly as long in the making as the work on this new website and web shop. Me and a dear friend, spent the past 3 months on building and bringing this baby to you. We have been testing, we have been despairing, we have been trying again and working hard to make everything work. All the invisible background work, that is noticed only when it is not done…

And yet it all serves one purpose: making available to you in a more convenient way my occult art, which you have been knowing me for since the past 9 years and which thus far could only be ordered via e-mail. It is thus with great relief and joy that this new website launches.

I invite you thus to visit the blog and shop. You will find all the old blog posts are there. And you will find new, easily accessible shop categories. By registering an account you can add items of your choice to your personal shopping cart. Or add all your favorite creations to the wishlist and then select those you wish to purchase. Checkout is easy and fast with PayPal.

Some of the categories are still empty or have only one single item listed. This will change during the coming weeks. For now the focus has been on incense creations, the mandrake project and a new category entitled “Sigilla Magica”. In the next post I will say more about this. For now lets focus on my most recent creation: the ‘Dog Days’ incense.

As the name suggests, the incense is inspired by the “dog days” – the long hot days of summer. It is made mainly from baneful herbs gathered from my own garden and surroundings. The black sacra frankincense from Oman lends the blend a deep resinous, almost medicinal aroma. This incense blend is in a way, a true “fuck off” blend and an answer to other people’s negativity. It does not smell nice or pleasant, rather bitter – like a bitter medicine. Yet it has something addictive about it; think of the smell of on a fresh oil painting or the scent in an artist’s atelier.

Btw. the incense blend can be used during any time of the year, not only during the actual dog days. The rare herbs contained therein carry baneful as well as empowering properties, and can be applied in various contexts, e.g. also for referencing the first dead in ritual. It is thus an incense for Abel and the able.

Available now – I made ca. 1,5 liter. When it’s sold out it will not be available again until the coming year.

Uses: banishing, exorcism, counter-magic, self-empowerment

Contains: bittersweet nightshade, black henbane, black nightshade, mandrake root and leaf, spear thistle, thornapple, wolfsbane, wormwood, black sacra frankincense, dark myrrh resin

Scent: bitter, tart, resinous

Warning: Contains several venific herbs. Not for beginners.

August 26, 2017

Posted In: Incense, Ritual

Tags: incense, poison path, ritual incense, spear thistle, sorcery, abel, thistle, henbane, gravehound, black magic, dog skull, veneficium, dog magic, dog days, ars venefica, wolfsbane, dog star, banishing, wormwood, baneful, revenge & attack, bittersweet nightshade, baneful incense, exorcism, nigromancy, black sacra, fuck off, venific herbs, black myrrh, witch herbs, first dead, black nightshade, black frankincense, ars veneficium, datura, thornapple

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Dark Dead Incense

What are “dark” dead and why would one want to work with them in ritual?

Dark dead can refer to anything from the soul of a person that died an untimely or unfortunate death, the wicked soul of someone that has been a criminal in life or hurt other people, or the soul of an insane. These souls may cling to the world of the living, haunt places or thrive on the life energy of people once close to them. They are alternatively also referred to as evil, wicked or restless dead. Various sub-classifications exist (e.g. by cause and mode of death) and it will not be possible to elaborate on all examples for these dark dead, which in past centuries would also include individuals with an “unclean” occupation (e.g. whores or executioners). But this should give an idea, what one would be dealing with.

Most of the time people are subjected to such malign souls involuntarily. Addressing them in ritual, the goal would be to banish the soul and make sure it doesn’t return. Sometimes however, the goal may also be to make the spirit of an unhallowed dead follow one’s command. And some sorcerers (or black magicians) collect such souls to gain power. In the long run this leads to the demise of the sorcerer, who is eventually eaten up by the malign souls, when he or she is no longer able to control and feed them properly. The sorcerer is then likely to become a dark dead themselves, unless intense cleansing and exorcism rituals are performed to save the human.

The incense I offer in this context does not carry any concrete links. It is more meant as a substitute, for those that want to explore this dark field of magic, but without actually having to deal with one of these malign souls. Though it cannot be excluded that its use may open certain roads. But then it’s best to be prepared, for such is the nature of the work. If you want to do dark magic and play with fire, you will have to learn to handle it.

Contains: black copal resin, powdered cinnabar, firethorn, ghost chili powder, guggul resin, ironwood, long pepper, mandrake root, mullein, tobacco, yew needles

SOLD OUT

August 17, 2017

Posted In: Ritual, Incense

Tags: sorcery, nigromancy, black magic, dark dead, evil dead, restless dead, wicked dead

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Teufelskunst Rosaries

Blessed under the cold moon of the eleventh November night, these hand-made rosaries by Soth Arts are a special offer to followers of Teufelskunst. They consist of 58 black and 8 ebony wooden beads and carry one bronze amulet cast by our blacksmith. Please note, each amulet is a little different from the other since small variations are part of the manufacturing process.

The crossroad seal on the amulet is also called “Sigillum Major” or “greater seed sowing seal”, as it is both rooted in the work with plants as well as the rituals performed at different crossroads. A closer look reveals the horned cross or witches’ stang and a non-human eye at its center, underlining the magician’s connection to the wild and untamed world. The rosary and amulet should thus be worn hidden from the mundane eyes of man. It may as such be employed as an empowering tool for the witch as well as a protection amulet against the “evil eye” and the manipulative efforts of other people. It can also be utilized when ritually working with the spirits and guardians of plants and trees.

The rosaries’ inherent numerology reveals the numbers 8, 55, 58 and 66. The following are evocative aspects connected to these numbers, which through prayer and ritual can be linked with the rosaries (gematrical associations taken from Sepher Sephiroth):

8
The entrance, threshold
number of the sephirah Hod and the qlipha Samael

55
Ornament
5 + 5 = 10
10 = number of the sephira Malkuth and the qlipha Nahemoth

58
Secret Wisdom
5 + 8 = 13
13 = number of the descendants of the Qayinite bloodline (sometimes referred to as “mighty dead”)

66
The Mystic number of the Qliphoth and of the Great work
The Lord thy God (is a consuming Fire) [Deut. iv. 24]
6 + 6 = 12
12 = number of the Zodiac and their respective qliphotic adversaries

Within a religious context the rosarium = “crown of roses” or “garland of roses” is the name of a prayer used in the Catholic church and also applies to the string of prayer beads used for counting the component prayers. A similar purpose is found with the so-called witches’ ladder, which consists of threads, hair or feathers tied by a peculiar number of knots into which are whispered spells.

The Teufelskunst rosaries are supplied as a lasting magical talisman to those, who feel a deeper connection with the work presented here. An empowering herbal blend to be used as an incense or for infusing an ablution bath is included with your purchase.

Availability and pricing:

beaded rosary with crossroad seal
“Key of Thaumiel” amulets with bronze chain
amulet with crossroad seal and bronze chain

SOLD OUT

November 15, 2016

Posted In: Ritual

Tags: crossroad seal, evil eye, greater seed sowing seal, magical amulet, protecting, protection, teufelskunst, qliphotic, talisman, sigillum major, amulets, rosaries, amulet

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Harvest Blessing October 2016

Harvest Blessing Oct. 2016

For the past weeks (and with interruption due to sickness), I have been working meticulously on the set-up for ritually blessing this year’s harvest. Of course it is not possible to pile up all the herbs and seeds gathered over the year. So instead I created a new, dynamic working sigil, which can be adopted and rearranged for different needs. In my own ritual the sigil is constructed from different plant parts and seeds, each corresponding with one of the four elements and esoteric symbolism. I.e. the sickles are made out of fennel stalks and vervain herb. For the stang in the center was used a thorn-apple stalk with pods and thornapple leaf and seed for the triangle symbolizing the spirit housed within the green. Of course you could use other herbs, real sickles, or simply trace the lines in the soil.

My offerings given to the spirits included self-gathered pine tree resin, Samhain protection incense, four beeswax candles, water and rum. The operation can be performed in silent contemplation or you call upon specific crossroad spirits and deities of your tradition. When done, all parts of the sigil can be gathered and employed to different sorcerous ends. Important is, if the ritual is dedicated to a certain spirit or deity you should stick with it.

Now I mentioned this was a dynamic sigil. As you can see in the above picture, the ritual aimed at blessing objects (in this case my seed boxes), which are placed inside the blades of the four sickles. A different ritual setting would consist of placing links to the four elements inside the sickles, e.g. offerings corresponding to each or your main altar tools. The point is, that you can construct and arrange the set-up in different ways suiting your needs. Now here are a few suggestions how to go about it:

Recently someone pointed out that the placement of the four elements inside my sigil was “wrong”. He was reasoning from the viewpoint of Western Mystery Tradition / Tarot. Well, as you can see there are different versions that all can be worked with. It is entirely up to you if you want to employ a tradition-specific succession and which you chose. Important is, if you do, that you contemplate and know why you chose one option over another.

Btw. I am looking forward to use the earth-bound altar again. It was altogether a very powerful experience employing sorcerous herbs and soil in this way.

PS: Please remember, I will process any new orders by the 2nd week of November. Until then I am preparing for my stall and exhibition at the Samhain Celebration on November 4th in Gotha (Germany).

October 21, 2016

Posted In: Herbs & Seeds, Art, Ritual

Tags: harvest, harvest ritual, black earth, offerings, plant magic, plant sorcery, sigil, summer end, harvest Seal, working seal, seal, samhain 2016, ritual, blessing, incense, earth altar, sorcery, earth-bound, altar, harvest 2016, samhain, harvest blessing

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Incense Blends of the Dead

Veneration Incense of the Dead

This is a basic incense blend that you can use in daily or weekly offerings on the altar dedicated to the ancestral, beloved and the mighty dead. It consists of equal amounts of myrrh, wormwood and white sandalwood. This blend can easily be adjusted for different purposes, e.g. for “talking” to or “appeasing” the souls of the deceased. Fitting herbs for modifying this blend can be ordered along with it. (see below)

Contains: fresh myrrh resin, white sandalwood, self-harvested wormwood

Oneiromantic incense of the Dead

This blend is designed specifically for contacting the dead in dream and receiving advice about the future. It contains the same ingredients as the veneration incense of the dead and is enhanced with soporific and oneirogenic ingredients, e.g. sandarac resin, mugwort, jasmine and brugmansia flowers, privet flowers and white rose buds. The blend should be burned an hour prior to sleep, in a calm surrounding. It is meant to help the practitioner find a calm state of mind and enter a deep and restful sleep, which is the premise for experiencing sustained and long dream sequences. The same blend can be used for ritually recalling these dreams. It is helpful to use a photograph and other personal links to the dead, whose presence is sought in dream. These links can be placed for example beside the bed or under the pillow.

Safety advice: Please do not leave burning coals unobserved! Don’t burn incense if you feel too tired to pay attention. Instead simply smell on the jar before sleep and burn the incense, when you are well rested and want to revisit the dream experience.

Contains: brugmansia and jasmine flores, fresh myrrh resin, privet flowers*, sandarac resin, self-harvested mugwort and wormwood, silver frankincense, white sandalwood, white rose buds

Order these blends via e-mail

Herbs with different properties pertaining to the dead

aconite (death curses, resurrection), aloeswood (protection, sleep, overcoming sadness), benzoin resin (enchantments, sleep), blackthorn (coercing), brugmansia flowers (astral work, divination, coercing), copal resin (appeasing), cornel cherry wood (resurrection), cypress needles and bark (protection), dittany of crete (manifestation), elder flowers (gate opening), galbanum resin (dreams, protection), foxglove (death curses, resurrection), guggul resin (dreams, protection), laurel leaves (sleep, communication), lavender (appeasing, sleep), mugwort (astral work), henbane (manifestation, communication, cursing), mandrake (dark dead), mullein (manifestation, protection), myrrh resin (mourning, protection), opoponax resin (protection, astral work), poplar (gate opening), rose petals (dreams, protection), sandarac resin (sleep), tobacco (feeding, communion, banishing), valerian root (sleep, protection), vervain herb (appeasing, dreams), white sandalwood (appeasing), willow (gate opening), yew needles (gate opening, death curses, resurrection)

This list is far from complete, but gives an idea to which end certain resins and herbal agents can be employed in connection with the dead. The blends presented above are meant as starters for exploring the vast and increasingly complex field of “necromancy”.

July 26, 2016

Posted In: Incense, Feast Days, Ritual

Tags: ritual incense, the dead, veneration, ancestor veneration, ancestor worship, astral magic, beloved dead, blessed dead, incense, dream-inducing, necromantic incense, incense blends, dream work, oneirogenic, dreams, oneiromancy

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Summer Solstice Incense '16 (update)

Summer Solstice Incense '16 This incense blend is dedicated to the rituals surrounding the summer solstice, when the sun reaches it’s annual zenith. The ophidian seal adorning the vessels that contain the solstice incense, is inspired by the viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare) herb.

The ingredients for this blend are the herbs and flowers traditionally associated with the summer solstice. The incense blend evokes in particular a vision of a summer meadow at dusk: bushes of blue flowering viper’s bugloss cover the ground and transform into nests of serpents. Plantain, thistle and St. John’s wort grow at its side. Nearby, the fragrant yellow flowers of the evening primrose glow in the evening light and emit their sweet scent into the sweltry air, attracting the most wondrous kind of fairy folks…

Contains: amber, chamomile, copal (white), dammar resin, evening primrose, frankincense (aden), mugwort, mullein, plantain, shed snake skin, St. John’s wort, tansy, blessed thistle, vervain, viper’s bugloss, yarrow

Use this incense blend for cleansing, IMG_0655_web2 purification and letting go of the old, for protection, renewal, celebrating the night, inspired dreaming and creativity. The blend can also aid in decision making: cast out the serpent as a symbol of “evil” or embrace it as a symbol of wisdom and become a serpent yourself.

Available options and pricing:

100 ml violet glass jar – 19,80 Euro
50 ml violet glass jar – 12,10 Euro
60 ml brown glass jar – 12,10 Euro
120 ml brown glass jar – 19,80 Euro

Order this blend via e-mail and from my etsy shop

Update: In the previous message the title image and some links were not working. These have been fixed now. Thanks for reading and have a blessed solstice!

June 16, 2016

Posted In: Feast Days, Ritual, Incense

Tags: chamomile, plantain, yarrow, copal, purification, creativity, purifying, ritual, evening primrose, serpent seal, ophidian, frankincense, solstice incense, ritual tools, solstices, divination & dream, inspiration, st. john's eve, vervain, inspired dream, st. johns wort, cleansing, midsummer, summer solstice, ritual incense, mugwort, tansy, amber, mullein, vipers bugloss

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Winter Walk: Sacred Thorn Grove, January's Mysteries and the Bloody Tears of the Cherry Tree Sisters

DSC_3498_sepia copy

Steady-paced I walk up the hill. The air is pleasantly cold. It clears the mind and disperses my headache. I am not freezing. The road I’m walking up is called Am Kirschberg, literally meaning “by the cherry mountain”. The field to the left is covered with a thin layer of snow. The dark frozen soil is sticking out of the white. Ploughing traces create zen like, eye-dazzling patterns. At the end of the long stretched field the view is clearing up towards town. Over the horizon line a narrow golden band illuminates the sky. Above me are grey clouds. I am planning on a short walk, but my legs carry me in a different direction…

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Atop a stone wall by the castle, I find the wormwood has not entirely fallen victim to the frost. Next to fading foliage, fresh silvery green leaves are sprouting forth. I gather a few of them, enough for a small winter herb bundle to hang up at home. When dried, it will empower necromantic incense blends. Looking across the river valley, remnants of snow are showing between leafless trees and dark rocks. The sky is an eyeful and I would enjoy the silence, if it wasn’t for cars flashing past on a mint-green autobahn bridge.

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The Thorn Grove in Winter

The way down is frozen over and I hold onto the rusty handrail in order to not slip and fall. People coming my way do not greet me and I do not greet them either. Halfway down the hill, I arrive at the thorn grove. The path up there leads through leafless hawthorn trees growing in all directions. A jay sitting in the branches looks at me but does not fly off. Cautiously I venture on. The ground is muddy and slippery. Most of the snow at this side of the hill has melted. By the rocks I find another wormwood plant and spot a bird’s nest near where the jay had been. I am looking around, breathing the fresh winter air, trying to focus my myopic eyes on the distance. I think of none. It is a good place for the soul.

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Above, the hawthorn thicket is overgrown by raspberry and wild rose. To the right there are young blackthorn shrubs. Their thorns are long and sharp. The young twigs are flexible and make the best thorn-crowns. Further uphill, there is another areal of high-grown hawthorn trees, partly covered in ivy. It’s bordering at a property and the allotment gardens are close. One is likely to meet passersby here. But a magician knows to use the gaps and at night the place is dead silent. Today, however, I am only a passerby myself.

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A Thin White Veil upon the Field

I’m on my way home, stopping now and then, intrigued by the formations of clouds and the golden light of the sun further afar. A skein of geese is on its way southwards. Passing by wild cherry trees lining the field, I search their stems for resin and at last find a group of three tall and slender trees, the base dripping with soft, blood-red gum. I memorize the spot and proceed, faster now. I have to watch my steps. The trail is akin to an ice rink.

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At the birch tree, I stop once more. From here the field looks softer…

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The birch is a pioneer, a tree of new beginnings and the first to come back after complete devastation. The birch profits from death and desolation, but it also paves the way for others to follow and thrive. Beith is for birch, the tree of January, the door opener.

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Remnants of snow on the barren field, remind of the birch’s torn bark. It starts raining and continues to do so. The next day the snow will be gone.

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The Blood-Red Resin Tears of the Cherry Tree Sisters

Returning to the cherry trees, the resin is moist from the rain water and easy to scrap off. I collect a jar full, which I later place on the heat. The resin dries and hardens quickly. In its soft state it is sticky and a yellow golden color. It smells remotely of ripe cherries and of caramel, when burnt. In German it is also known as Katzengold, literally “cat’s gold”, and used for sweetening cough tea. In my worship, I employ the dark red resin tears for Naamah and other female entities. In their harvest, take care to not take everything and leave some behind for the spirits, along with offerings for the guardians of the trees. Physical gifts are symbolical and in order, but they count none without respect and patience. The latter are the true sacrifice. The trees will remember your signature and recognize you next time you approach them.

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I am thankful. The thought had crossed my mind to scar the trees in order to gather their resin. But I have not done so. Therefor I am blessed.

Concerning the Wood Wide Web: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141111-plants-have-a-hidden-internet

January 14, 2016

Posted In: Ritual

Tags: katzengold, path opener, thorny path, winter, whitethorn, wormwood, barren trees, birch, cherry resin, doors, hawthorn, january

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