Spell Against Homophobia

As I said in the Spirit Day post previously, here is another tool I would like to make available to those who are enduring homophobic bullying, that I hope is useful in a variety of ways.

The following is a spell I wrote, based on the late antique Greek spell in which Antaura (an atmospheric demon) is confronted by Artemis and told to inflict its headaches elsewhere; these type of spells persisted for many centuries, in many locations, well into the Christian period, where saints replaced the gods in performing the demon-expelling action. Here, I am treating homophobia as a daimon that has been created very specifically and propagated deliberately by a lot of religious bigots in this country (and others), and with the help of Antinous, I am wishing that daimon to be expelled and sent back where it came from–a small list of some of the people responsible for it (which you can augment as much as you like with further such people, or for particular homophobic bullies and individual you’ve met personally).

The first part of the spell is an historiola, a short myth that explains where the spell comes from and why it works. This sort of thing occurs in many ancient and medieval spells, and in these, spell-writers are able to create new myths that are in line with the actions and attributes of the gods and spiritual beings involved in them. The telling of the tale is essential to the working of the spell, so you should say it aloud at least once while you prepare the spell.

The next part of the spell involves drawing the figures indicated. The one on the left is a glyph representing Antinous in his many syncretized forms. The figure on the right is an image of the god Chnoubis, a syncretistic serpent deity connected to Glykon and who for various reasons is also connected to Antinous, as well as the names “Chnoubis” and “Glykon” in Greek, with the three S-shaped symbols with a line through them that represents Chnoubis, and also the name of Iao, the Greek form of the name of the Hebrew god. The theologies behind all of this may be elaborated in future posts, if people are interested in me doing so.

The final part of the spell is pronouncing the voces magicae, the “words of power” that empower the spell. Several of these come direct from late antiquity; however, another one is a divine name of Antinous that was revealed to me in my own practices over the last year. The one time I have spoken that name aloud three times, a vision of a youthful black-clad warrior appeared over my right shoulder. (No, I’m not making up myths here.) It is a powerful name if pronounced correctly.

I suggest that one draw the figure and say the voces magicae formula three times while doing so; if you can’t, print it out and trace it with a pen or a wand or your finger while saying it. If you make your own version of the images, carry it with you as a talisman, or make it into a piece of jewelry; in a pinch, write it on your hand or another part of your skin.

The most important thing about magic, in my opinion, is not that one “believes” in it to make it work; it’s simply to do the operation with utmost attention and devotion. As a character in the film True Stories advised another character who was doing some Voudun practices was advised, “You don’t have to believe, you just need to follow directions.”

I will be doing this spell today, and many other magicians, pagans, and occultists may be joining me in doing so over the next few days. I will also perform it again on Foundation Day (October 30), the largest and most important Antinoan holiday of the year, at the ritual in Seattle that I will be holding.

Without further ado…

Spell Against Homophobia

A daimon was going over the mountain one day.
Antinous saw the daimon on its way.

“From whence have you come?” Antinous asked.
“From Phobos in the dark abyss of the ocean,” it said.

“To where are you going?” Antinous asked.
“To plague the spirits of young and old,
men and women and those who are neither,
to make them fear, to drive them insane,
to force them to take their own lives.”

“From whence comes this fear?” Antinous asked.

“From the endless fountain of Fred Phelps,
from the burbling spring of Joseph Ratzinger,
from the dead mound of Jerry Falwell,
from the rotting stone of Pat Robertson,
from the stunted garden of James Dobson,
from the blasted stump of Boyd Packer,
from the gasping geyser of Carl Paladino,
from the whining wind of Anita Bryant,
from the withered reeds of Orson Scott Card,
from the belching volcano of Paul Cameron,
from the spluttering stream of Tom Prichard,
from the tainted well of Peter Sprigg,
from the poisoned lake of Timothy Dailey,
from the wretched rivulet of Tony Perkins,
from the gaseous cloud of Jonathan Katz,
from the hidden vault of Eddie Long,
from the shriveled shoot of Ted Haggard,
from the feeble pit of George Alan Rekers,
from the mouths that have swallowed the spit
from these other mouths and more.”

“Do not come hither, O daimon, but return
to the depths of the oceanic abyss,
and take with you the endless fountain,
the burbling spring, the dead mound,
the rotting stone, the stunted garden,
the blasted stump, the gasping geyser,
the whining wind, the withered reeds,
the belching volcano, the spluttering stream,
the tainted well, the poisoned lake,
the wretched rivulet, the gaseous cloud,
the hidden vault, the shriveled shoot,
the feeble pit, and all the spit
from all these mouths and more!
Do not trouble young nor old,
man nor woman nor those who are neither,
do not plague with fear nor insanity,
do not destroy the preciousness of life!”

“I will oppose you,” answered the daimon.

“I will resist you!” said Antinous.
“I will break your wings, o daimon;
I will crack your skull, o daimon;
I will steal your arms, o daimon;
I will drown your limbs, o daimon;
I will stir up your bowels, o daimon;
I will confuse your mind, o daimon;
I will put fear into you, o daimon,
and into those from whence this fear has come!”

“Do not flay my skin!
Do not split my knees!
Do not blind my eyes!
Do not block my ears!
Do not cut out my tongue!
Do not slice my entrails!
Do not destroy my health!”

“I will do all of these and more
if you do not return from whence fear has come!”

The daimon went back.

AVE VIVE ANTINOE.
VEL IN LIMINE MUNDI ECCE
EGO SEMPER SUM CORAM TE.
HAEC EST UNDE VITA VENIT.
GRATIAS AGEMUS.

Say this three times while drawing the figure below:

HOROI BARBAROU HEROI BORBAROU IA IA IAO IAOAI ACHELEIDG ACHELEIDG ACHELEIDG AIOE AIOE AIOEU