The Sanguine Ritual of Woe for Solitary Users

The Sanguine Ritual of Woe for the solitary caster.

Items needed for ritual
 * Sea Salt
 * 5 Bees Wax or homemade candles, each the colors Green, Yellow, Red, Blue and Black
 * Incense (preferably cones not sticks)
 * White chalk
 * A cup you exclusively use (preferably marked with a monogram if applicable)
 * A flask containing purified water (not tap)
 * Matches (strike anywhere preferred, do not use lighter if able)
 * Virgin knife, preferably silver (Note: The knife must have not been used previously for the purposes of carving food or acts of violence. Using such an item will introduce effects to the ritual which will not result in an outcome beneficial to the caster)
 * A natural bowl (I.E Stone, wood, clay)
 * A braid of sage (DO NOT use scented sage mixes!)

The Sanguine ritual presented here is designed for solitary users of arcane or magickal arts to evoke spirits often associated with the night, and as such the ritual should be enacted between the hours of 11 PM to 6AM, unless where you live night starts earlier and lasts longer so be sure to consult appropriate agents if you are unsure. It must be stated that this ritual can be dangerous, as inexperienced or arrogant casters have in the past met with unfortunate results of their foolishness, and while no fatalities have resulted in failure of this ritual, the spiritual repercussions are staggering.

You have been warned!

To begin, a prep phase must be undergone 3 days prior to the casting of the ritual. During this time the caster must undergo a diet of red meat, eaten preferably raw or as very rare (Beef is most common, but if lamb is bettered favored by you feel free though it is more expensive). The caster must also only drink purified water and not consume any kind of soda, tea, alcoholic beverage and so on during this time.

It is assumed that the caster has previously assembled aforementioned items for other ritual use, but if not, use this 3 day period to assemble your ritual components. If you cast rituals outside of the home or have a designated area where you prefer to work, I recommend you purify this area on the 3rd day just before the ritual with the Sage braid by burning it and taking part in a "smudge" ritual.

On the day of the ritual, you are to fast from the moment you awaken to when the ritual is complete. You may continue to consume purified water but nothing else is permitted. Before beginning the ritual it is recommended to bathe thoroughly but to not apply any lotions, hair products, deodorants, colognes or other such agents one would normally apply onto the body.

The ritual as described here is designed for home use, however can still be worked in an outdoor setting if the caster so chose, but be sure the location is isolated or private as to avoid interference from outsiders. In addition, this ritual does not call for the use of an altar as a centerpiece, but if one is available you are free to use it. Just be sure to anoint the altar in purified water and sprinkled with sea salt before beginning the ritual process. As in any ritual, be sure to face the altar North. If you are unsure please consult a compass.

When in doors, turn off all electronic devices or remove them from the ritual space as they will cause interference and distractions.

To begin, this ritual must be done in the nude, so remove all clothing, hair ties, jewelry (including "holy" symbols) before entering the ritual area. Keep your belongings at least 9 feet from casting area if possible to avoid them becoming "sullied".

From the center of your ritual area, measure out (if you have not done so already) a circle roughly 9 feet in diameter. As you measure this, take the sea salt and spill it onto the floor in the shape of the circle, starting at the eastern quadrant and working clockwise (counterclockwise should be avoided unless the caster has had many years of experience). NOTE: Once the circle is drawn in salt you CANNOT exit it until the ritual is complete. Exiting the circle any time prior will open yourself to malevolent forces that will invade your life.

Now taking the yellow, red, blue and green candles, place them each at the 4 compass points on the perimeter of the circle (I.E Yellow Candle-East, Red Candle-South, Blue Candle-West and Green Candle-North, placed in that order). Once the candles are set, you must light each one in the order previously listed starting from the east and working clockwise. As you light each candle you must say aloud the following: "I call to the Elemental Air of the East. Follow this beacon and be welcome into my circle. I call to the Elemental Fire of the South. Follow this beacon and be welcome into my circle. I call to the Elemental Water of the West. Follow this beacon and be welcome into my circle. I call to the Elemental Earth of the North. Follow this beacon and be welcome into my circle.

Once the candles have been lit, return to the center of the circle and line up the incense, matches, purified water and sea salt at your feet or on your altar in that order. Taking the incense, raise it in your hand, say:

I offer this sacrifice to the East, to the elements of the Air Light the incense and place it next to the yellow candle. Raise a match, strike it and say: I offer this sacrifice to the South, to the elements of Fire Place the burnt match at the base of the red candle. Raise the purified water and say: I offer this sacrifice to the West, to the elements of Water Place the water at the base of the blue candle. Finally, raise the sea salt and say: I offer this sacrifice to the North, to the elements of Earth Pour a small amount of sea salt at the base of the green candle.

Return to the center of the circle, placing the black candle at your feet or atop your altar. Standing in the center of the circle, stand upright and raise your hands up so that you make a Y shape with your body. Enter a meditative state during this time, but do not pray if you follow a particular religious practice! This ritual is nondenominational and calling to any deity will inhibit or render the ritual void.

While in your meditative state, envision in your mind you are surrounded by a pillar or cone of light that radiates downward onto you. Hold onto this vision in your mind's eye, reciting aloud or in your mind this chant:

''I stand here before the threshold of now and then, the veil between worlds. I stand here alone but for myself, cast in myself, alone but watched.''

This mantra or chant should be repeated for a number of times until you begin to feel a change in air pressure around you. You should begin feeling a static effect in your immediate area, a noticeable drop in temperature (recorded to between 5-15 degrees of a drop in usual cases), and an electrical feeling that starts at the soles of your feet and crawls up your body. When this sensation begins, you have successfully allowed your physical and spiritual self to align with the physical and astral planes respectively. You may now lower your arms.

Speak the following aloud:

''I come here alone and whole and so shall I leave here, though I shall leave wiser. To all the elements I give thanks and offer my tidings. Please guide me and lead me to my success. So mote it be''

Kneel before the black candle and place your hands (palms inward) just an inch away from the candle. You should notice that the candle is considerably cold and you will likely feel a gentle breeze swirling around the candle. Do not be alarmed as this is natural and happens on occasion, and note that it will not affect the ritual outcome. Recite the following:

''So it was in days before light that here we came, when stars and moon shone balefully and shadows flourished. Here again do I return, to the nameless place between here and there, the Sanguine plane and those that dwell therein. I call now to those without names, the darkness which resides beyond sight. Come forth to my beacon and answer my summons!''

Light the black candle. It is very likely the flame on the wick will be very small or not illuminate as strongly as the other candles. Keep in mind the color of the flame, as this will indicate whether your call is being acknowledged. If the flame of the black candle is red or orange, then it is likely you have not been answered and should blow out the candle and recite the above phrase again before relighting it.

If, however, the flame is predominantly blue or at the base, you are in the presence of something.

From this point a very strong warning should be given: Do not make demands or think you have any advantage or the entity you have contacted. Many ritualists who have made this mistake believing that the protective circle and drawing of elementals will keep them safe, and this folly has shown very dire consequences. "Shadow" spirits are among the most dangerous, second only to so-called "Demonic" spirits, but where demonic spirits acknowledge the natural orders of magic and nature, Shadow spirits do not.

IT is likely that the shadows in the room will manifest outside the circle in unnatural ways, taking on semi-humanoid shapes that are often very slender, misshapen, and appear one dimensionally on a 3 dimensional plane. Some have reported that the shapes will stalk the perimeter of the circle but never attempt to enter it or probe it, however, if casting or ritual components were enacted incorrectly, they can and will find a breach in your circle and attempt to attack you.

Attacks from Shadow spirits are often nightmarish, some reporting that all they remember is the sense of being cornered, judged, and humiliated or even violated. Shadows do not instill physical harm, rather, psychological and spiritual harm that results in many people committing acts of self violence such as cutting, developing anorexic habits, or even loss in emotional control resulting in outward expressions of rage or depression.

What is the purpose of this ritual, you may be asking or have been since reading. What benefit does calling forth these clearly nightmarish and unfeeling entities have on the caster?

Should all that has been previously been stated been followed exactly, the Shadow spirits will be, to an extent, at your disposal. Shadow Spirits cannot be used as harbingers, so the caster is not permitted to command the spirits do cause bodily harm to another person. In addition, the spirits are not to be used for petty purposes such as making somebody love the caster (an emotion that Shadow Spirits apparently do not comprehend or care for) or garnering material wealth or goods.

It must be stated that these are "transcended" beings of intelligence, and though they take a physical "shadow" appearance to us, they are not part of the physical world as we perceive it, and therefore the extent of what they can do in the physical plane is limited. In short, anything asked of them that focuses on material or emotional benefit is mute and will anger the shadow spirits, resulting in possible harm coming upon the caster.

However, what can be ascertained from these dark entities is knowledge, secrets, and possibly insight into rituals previously unknown to the caster. In order to gain this, the caster must place their hand directly over the flame of the black candle and say aloud to the present shadows:

I call to you nameless beings to lead me to the answers to my query, and that query is [ insert your query here ].

Be advised that if you are looking directly at your hand after asking your question, you are likely to see a smoky or oily mist begin to crawl up your arm towards your face. It is uncertain as of yet if this is the only means that shadows have with communicating to humans or if this is the extent of what is allowed for them to communicate while inside your circle. On an additional note, the caster must be warned that several questions should not be posed when making contact with Shadow spirits. The following list should be heeded as closely as previous warnings.

-Do not ask about the afterlife -Do not ask about the existence of gods or other such deities -Do not ask for knowledge pertaining to "the secret of life" -Do not ask how to destroy a spirit or entity -Do not ask about other spirits including demons, human spirits, animal spirits, etc. -Do not ask how to enslave a spirit -Do not ask to speak with any other spirit or spirit type -Do not ask about the future -Do not ask about the realm Shadow spirits dwell in.

Whatever knowledge you wished to gain from the Shadow spirits will be transmitted to you while you are in a state similar to an OOBE or Out of Body Experience where you will mentally see the answers or information played before you. While to the caster this may feel like a great deal of time passes while having these visions, the truth is that this phenomena occurs in seconds. Many casters who have made it this far claim to return to a fully conscious state covered in cold sweat and breathing heavily or feeling exhaustion, even some claiming to have nosebleeds.

Closing the ritual:

The closing of the ritual can be done in one of a couple ways. The easiest, though often the hardest, is to continue gaining knowledge from the Spirits until the black candle burns out of its own accord. DO NOT BLOW OUT THE CANDLE! If you extinguish the candle so brazenly, the result will be chaotic and terrifying. Never do this.

The second method is by performing a basic dismissal ritual, commonly found in Wiccan and Pagain ritual how-to books. Bear in mind these rituals are either very easy or very difficult, and should be followed closely. Never, however, invoke the name or presence of an outside force including a god, spirit or any other extra-dimensional entity to dismiss the shadows. This will cause them to lash back at the caster and reveal secrets that humans SHOULD NOT POSSESS KNOWLEDGE OF that can render a psyche into a catatonic state.

The third method is straightforward and somewhat quick but will mean having to inflict minor physical harm to yourself. Taking the knife, prick or lightly cut your skin to draw blood and allow the blood to drip into the natural material bowl. Generally a couple drops of blood suffice, but it must never be less than 3 drops.

Taking the blood in the bowl with you, walk around the circle and collect a small sample of your elemental sacrifice and place them in your bowl with the exception of the match. Return to the center of the casting area and stir the contents of the bowl with the knife. Finally, hold the bowl over the black candle and say aloud:

And to this Sanguine fire I give the four elements plus the fifth, as my token of gratitude and gift of farewell.

Pour the mixture over the black candle until it is extinguished.

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The Sanguine Ritual of Woe is called such for one reason: no matter the precautions taken, communion with Shadow spirits will always result in some manner of disaster, small or great, to transpire in the world. Several occultists who have researched this ritual believe that Shadow Spirits drawn energy to manifest not from the caster or offered sacrifices but rather from balancing forces in nature that some would equate to positive energies, causing an imbalance in the localized physical world.

This imbalance can result in anything as small as a termite or vermin infestation in a home to earthquakes. There is certain way to gauge how much of this energy taken and used by the Shadow spirits if in fact they are responsible for such happenings, and so enacting this ritual must be done with this knowledge in hand. Knowledge, truth, power. These things come at great prices, and for those that use the gift of ritual magic to attain such influence in aforementioned spheres of power, there must be an exchange that is taken not only from the caster but the world itself. Some magick users believe the use of this ritual in abundance can result in global catastrophes or worst.