Working with the Mighty Dead

The Mighty Dead by Christopher Penczak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Working with the Mighty Dead

Many of today’s witches are Wiccan or at least eclectic pagan who work with man y God’s , Goddesses and thought forms. The witches of old most likely did not work with deities strictly but with the spirits of the dead. My first reference to the mighty dead came through the teaching of CED witchcraft which taught that the dead have their spirits sent to the cauldron of Ceridwen where in it dissolved into a big soup. When another soul was born it was born deaf,mute and no memories. The mighty dead got to hold on to their identity.
Gerald Gardner made a scant reference to the mighty dead as did Doreen Valiente, the idea really never took hold in Modern Witchcraft. That is changing, with the recent surge of interest in Traditional British witchcraft people are becoming more aware of the Mighty Dead. But who are the mighty dead.
Theosophy which has played a major role in the formation of Wicca and ceremonial Magic. Often spoke of Secret Adepts, The Great White Brother Hood and the Secret Council. Some believe that these inner plane adepts , or ascended masters were once people who evolved to a point where they become masters who over see the running of the planet. Different tradition have different name and functions for these ascended masters. Some believe they are human incarnate but hidden somewhere on this planet while others believe that they are alive only in spirit form.
The Mighty Dead can also be ancestor who we came from. There are many types of ancestor the most well known is that of the blood and family. There are other types of ancestors. Milk and Honey Ancestors are those adopted just us into their family line. There are ancestors who came before us in certain occupation, ancestors of the coven or spiritual tradition and finally ancestors of the land or the bone.
The ancestors were important to spiritual working as they often had our best interests at heart. Their bodies were often buried on family property . The Mesopotamians buried them underneath their house while standing up straight. In Egypt Pharoahs and soon nobility were mummified and preserved so they could venture to the afterlife in tact. Wicca believes in reincarnation how can the soul hang around. That is easy because the soul has three parts.
The higher self or our holy guardian angel is heavenly and uses the life on earth to aquire heavenly knowledge in order to evolve. It goes to it’s own place after death. The Middle Part is our personality or identity. The lower soul which is earth bound corresponds to the ancestors or tribe. The lower soul houses our drive and instinct and we get much knowledge from our DNA. People buried in the land can become guardian spirits of the land. They too are our ancestors from where we live.
The book has several exercise and rituals which help us to ascend and contact these masters. I di not plan on using this book extensively but I pulled several good things from it.
Perhaps a new prayer for making offerings
“ A Libation to the Ancient ones. Ishi Baha”
There are references to some real good books. For example “The Dream Assembly” by Howard Shwartz. This book talks about ascended Hassidic masters called literally the Dream assembly which thye run the world and guide the affair of man.
“Kali’s Odiyya: A Shaman’s True Story of Initiation” talks about Hindu sorcerers who escape the clutches of time and space Through mystical practices.

A great recipe for a cleansing spirit flames would involve the use of 4 oz of 90 proof rubbing alcohol, 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt, 5 drops of Lavender Oil, 5 drops of Lemon Oil and 3 drops of Rosemary Oil. Great for cleansing an outside ritual of negative spirits. Spirits could also be appeased by leaving offering so they will not be tempted to disturb you. There are also banishing rituals to clear the area of unwanted spirits and ways of helping discarnate souls traverse to other side. The forgotten dead can be troublesome or helpful always remember them in your rituals.

If the review piques your interest let me suggest that you get the book for there is a whole lot more contained with in it’s pages. The material covers ceremonial magic, Wicca, Traditional British Witchcraft and Theosophy.
Perhaps a couple of recipes before I go
Vinum Sabbati: Take 1 full bottle of red Wine, Teaspoon of Mugwort, teaspoon of Wormwood, teaspoon of dandelion root, teaspoon of poppy seeds and one table spoon of honey. Put them together and let simmer for thirteen minutes. Cool it then strain it.
Mighty Dead Incense
3 parts Myrrh, 2 parts Dragon Blood, 1 part worm wood, 1 part mullein leaf,1/2 part tobacco, ½ part thyme, 3 parts red wine, 1 part brandy, ½ part brandy.


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