Transmuting karma is distracting. It is also painful on an emotional and even physical level. When you’re working though a blockage it is the only thing that is on your mind. That makes every day activities quite troublesome. I've been a dattle brained idiot for weeks now. Every so often a rather forceful event occurs and I need to spend the next 20 minutes dealing with it. It is not terribly realistic to look for support and understanding in others either, they try to avoid karma and so will repress the emotional damage it has cased. They will tell you to either to “focus”, to “get your shit together”, which is far from helpful, or at best give a concerned nod and the insightful “that sucks”. Now I know why sages go off to the mountains for this sort of thing.

I have been working on the idea of a mixed alter for a goodly while and seem to have hit on something worth talking about. The Taoist Alter consists of two sub-alters. The central (internal alter), and the earth alter (external). On the back central alter there are statues of the four directional gods and I personal god. My idea was to substitute the personal god statue with a Yorishiro of white coral. Acting as a seat where the summoned god my sit fits the style of my magick better than the recommended picture of the first taoist of the celestial master cult- also I am not using the celestial master system so I feel no obligation to them.

I am making an alter to serve as a focus for spirit work. Its Shinto in conception but incorporates aspects of Cree Indian fetishism, mostly in the form of a spirit stick and fetishes of my spirit animal.

I am thinking of a Yorishiro rock on a wooden platform used to attract and provide a physical "seat" for spirits that are asked for help or info. A fetish pot and spirit stick on either side. A few ritual items, including a singing bowl, bell, ritual knife, Incense, offering bowls, rattle and some pillar candles. As I've said elsewhere in the forums, I am eclectic so you can likely tell that I'm blinding a number of traditions based on what I have found useful. One of the things I have been contemplating is making it part of my astral temple so that my work will happen on several plains at once.

In a slightly less functional form I have made a Yorishiro from a dead tree branch that displays Mono No Aware. Shortly after setting it in place, a presence viseted while I slept. Beeing unused to things popping up as it were, I brushed it away. I am rather sorry I did and will have to find a way to get on better terms with spirits so they don't spook me in my sleep.

Crystal Enchantment to Establish Energetic Link Manifesting as a Tangible Hologram.

The aim of this ritual is to bridge a distance between two people separated by geography and to have a hologram of each person appear to the other in a visual and tactile form. Obviously, no material construction is possible for the hologram, but by creating the hologram from memories of tactile sensations and visual information, the hologram will appear material. That is to say how each person remembers the other feels and looks like. A crystal in the from of a pendent on a silver chain is used to contain and strength the energetic connection as well as to provide a beacon to the wearer. I believe this necessary because she is very poorly acquainted with magick. Before the ritual proper, the crystal was cleansed in salt water to remove any muddled energy. Afterward the pendent was placed on a pedestal on an alter for three weeks.

The ritual starts in a cycle, both parties in half lotus to facilitate easer movement of energy, the receptive hand on the lap, with thumb and forefinger touching and the other three extended. The expressive hand held at heart level, slightly extended and lightly touching the partner’s hand with the crystal pendent between the two hands- its chain wrapped around the two hands binding all three together. From this posture both people enter a meditative state and nurture their vital essence. The essence is used to charge the crystal. Once charged both parties scry using the crystal looking for the other party. When found a portal is formed out of the crystal using the vital energies so that only the two parties are able to use it, and that it remains connected to both even though they might not be connected to each other. Once finished the crystal is now bound to the two.

Concerning the Visio-Tactile hologram in the next step, care must be given to the memories of the construct. If one chooses memories that are emotionally charged it is best that they be pleasant ones. If time is plentiful, it is best to use every memory one can of the person even if they are not related to touch or sight. In this way the most complete replica is constructed, and therefore yields a more authentic emotional and tactile response from the person using the crystal. Knowing the others body intimately helps, but general information gained via normal course of interaction is adequate. The hologram is much like a matrix, where the relationships that construct it are changed by new information, because vital essence was used to charge the crystal and create the link as long as both parties use the crystal regularly the hologram should maintain its accuracy.
Once the hologram is fixed to the crystal, both parties allow their energy levels to return to normal and then to ease out of the meditative state. The pendent is held until both parties have emerged from their meditation, then it is unwrapped from the hands and placed in a sacred container or is worn by the intended recipient. The circle is broken and the ritual is complete.


There is a rather long and detailed guided meditation that goes along with this, and was intended to allow my partner to access and use her vial essence -though be it in a vary limited way- without the year or two of Taoist training normally needed. But that will be for another time.

Do please tell me what you think.

I thought that i might add a project I have been working on for a few months to my blog.

Some of you may recall this thread. It took a rather long time but I came up with a rather interesting way to "feel like she is with me." I have not finished the enchanting yet so I'll not post that but the idea behind it I'm rather proud of.

I use a crystal to both contain the the connection and act like a beacon to the holder. The connection itself is a matrix of visual and tactile information gathered from memory, and vital essence- Taoist concept loosely connected to jing. By cultivating essence and charging a crystal with it, the crystal become linked to the people who charged it. The matrix of what the person looks like and what they feel like functions as a hologram that is kept current so to speak by the link to the corresponding persons. I believe this enchantment makes it possible for me to see and feel a very convincing hologram of the person on the other end.