In a previous post, I mentioned a Brujo curse I lifted for a client, and it generated a lot of interest, so I figured it could use a full post.
The client had been cursed by her ex-husband's new wife, a situation anyone who has been remarried can readily understand, if not condone.* The person doing the cursing actually hired two different brujos to curse my client, and when I went to lift them, I could see the differences. One had been designed to passively draw bad luck to the client. The other was aimed at causing trouble in the family, social life, and in her ability to parent.
Both of these curses were made and then hidden. The initial divination I did revealed only a moderate crossed condition, a "Murphy's Law" curse that just made everything more difficult. No problem, I thought, a simple uncrossing rite, maybe some good luck to make up for the pain of the last few months, nothing major required. I reported this to the client, and she indicated there was something deeper, so I put away the tarot cards and conjured up my spirit allies and went investigating.
What I saw at first confirmed the tarot reading. A slight tarnish covered the client's sphere, and the general sphere of her family. Then I looked deeper into the tarnish and its sources, and used some lunar tech to see through any illusions that might be covering the client. I saw a tribe of spirits had been assigned to monitor the client and her family. This tribe would monitor the plans and activities of the family members, and then sabotage whatever the client tried to do. The goal was simply to make the client's life miserable, and there were many agents sent against her, actively looking for ways to make her life hell.
Then I noticed that there was more to it. The client's sphere had been cursed, and bad luck flowed into her life. If bad luck were water, someone had increased the client's gravity and it all sort of flowed directly to her.
The curses were working together. The tribe of spirits used the incoming bad luck to sabotage the client's ambitions.
Curing it involved an extensive cleansing rite and a full exorcism, followed by the assignment of a friendly tribe of spirits to cover her home and family with protection.
I learned a lot from this exercise. Strategy had been employed, and although it was the work of two different brujos, once cast the curses began to work together. They were of harmonious intent, and fed one another. What stood out to me the most was the use of Lunar sphere forces to disguise the extent of the curses from other magical practitioners. A glamor had been put in place to misdirect anyone trying to lift the curse. Treating what appeared to be the problem may have resulted in a temporary benefit, but until the root causes were addressed, the symptoms would keep returning. That's exactly what it was, it was a method of directing the attention of potential beneficial magicians to treat the symptom and not the disease.
I followed up on this case with my supernatural assistant, and he showed me a way to make sure I could see beyond the superficial indicators, and some other ways to recognize that a glamor had been put in place. He also showed me how to put the glamor in place, explaining that even when doing beneficial work for clients, it helps to cover up the evidence of magical influence on their behalf from other practitioners. I have a client who uses talismans I've made for him to bring business opportunities and luck, as well as protection from magical attack and to aid in bringing victory in any conflict or competitions. My SA pointed out that any of his competition or enemies would be able to see the effects of my magic on his behalf lighting up the aethyrs, and would know how to counter it. Throwing an invisibility layer over the magic I've done covers up the work-marks, and also helps protect me from any kind of pernicious blow-back.
* I could make a career off cleansing the curses of Second Wives, I bet. Second wife syndrome is something even modern psychiatrists have addressed. Any time you get a divorce and then get remarried, it creates all kinds of spiritual and mundane stress. It's one of the reasons you're not supposed to get married and divorced like you're changing your underwear. It makes life harder. Take the vows seriously. Don't make them if you can't keep them.
Head for the Red: The ongoing adventures and insights of a magician's attempts to accomplish the Great Work.
Wow. That is so much complicated than any curse I've ever dealt with. I had begun to think that no one who bothered to curse anyone ever did it well. (I mean, I'm talking, clay dolls nailed to doors kind of stuff here -- clumsy clumsy) I suppose I've been fortunate never to run into any of those brujos. Of course, I don't cast magic for a living, so my exposure to such things is limited.
ReplyDeleteThis post was really helpful. I haven't seen much written about curses online.
ReplyDeleteMy original background was Wiccan, a tradition that really underemphasizes the power and prevalence of negative magic. It puts false ideas into people's heads, though of course it does help keep the black magic hysteria down to a dull roar.
I have had cursed clients come to me more than once, and I always felt at a loss. I intuited that it took a practitioner working in the same tradition as the curser to remove the curse, so I usually refer out at that point.
Do you mean that the first wife commonly gets cursed by the second wife, or the other way around?
@ Patrick: Yeah, it was a lot more complicated than anything I've seen too. the brujos have been doing their thing for centuries, and have pretty advanced techniques compared to the white anglo saxon pagans in suburbia.
ReplyDelete@Amp: Generally, the second wife curses the ex-wife. She (again, GENERALLY) suspects her husband really would rather be with the first wife, or that the first wife is always scheming to get the husband back.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you have to be working in the same tradition. The spirits I work with translate the things I see into a language and symbol set I can understand and work with.
Great work RO and great post. I agree. People should be more serious about their vows. Its also a pity when people involve their kids. Makes me wonder if people base their relationships on ego rather than love
ReplyDelete@ Phoenix, yeah, I almost deleted that part about not making the vows if you can't keep them, because there are times when the vows have been breached and divorce is not only validated, but necessary for the safety and well being of one or both spouses, and the kids. You can't know everything about a person, or how things will turn out before you get married, so you don't really know whether you can keep the vows or not when you make them.
ReplyDeleteMarriage, imo, is a complicated thing that should be very carefully entered into in sobriety and full knowledge that things are going to be difficult in ways you can't expect. It's a contract that should be made only between two people who are mature and as fully-aware of what they're getting into as possible. But no one can really know what the future holds.
@Rufus, yes, your ability to translate between paradigms was exactly what I found so exciting in this article. I may have to take your Supernatural Assistant course and learn more about what you do.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, very educational!
ReplyDeleteHi RO,
ReplyDeleteYou could have been dealing with a Palero, there's a 7 dark dead curse,which actually means a ceremony where 7 dark spirits are sent to create havoc on a person's life.
This is a fantastic post.
ReplyDeleteIt is a great example of working at a more advanced level. Some things cannot be spelled out in books, and this demonstrates the role of the SA or HGA, as well as other spirits quite well.
In particular I like your use of "tribe of spirits". When you start looking deeper at Brujeria as well practices like Kimbanda and Maria Lionza you see these tribes spelled out in great detail. It also shows how when you call upon an archangel, it is not usually them that will guard a people from sub groups from within the a choir under their command.
Good stuff!
Jason, Thanks!
ReplyDeleteImpressive, man. I've never dealt with a curse anywhere near that advanced...and I hope I don't have to anytime soon, haha. Tricksy and skilled, those brujos.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
ReplyDeleteNote to self: Always be the first wife.
Second note to self: Watch out for second wives.
I'm not too concerned about my ex's second wife-to-be but still, better safe than sorry.
I do agree with what you said. I feel like everyone should get a mulligan (too young, too many changes, abuse, starter marriage issues, etc) but I don't plan on remarrying more than once. Because . . .while the marriage was less than a year, the relationship was eight years and I don't want to give him that kind of power to destroy marriage for me forever. But! It's a short path between one mulligan and Elizabeth Taylor.
do you realise that by working talismans to bring this person a good outcome in competition, by default of the way power works, ties you into the dance this person has found themselves in?
ReplyDeleteYes, Josephine, of course I do.
ReplyDeleteYou do realize you're in the dance with everyone else on the planet anyway, right? As one goes, so go we all, if you think about it long enough.
There are some magics I won't do. Some dance steps I don't participate in.
Odd about the "Second Wife curse", I'd expect it to be pissed-off first wives hurling shit at the "other woman", but it makes a lot of sense the way you put it, too.
ReplyDelete