Poems for the Royal Clubs Playing Cards

King of Clubs

Hail the Forest King,
Many-tined Master of Beasts,
Most Ancient of Hobbs!

Vital and Wild One,
all of life knows its rhythms,
guided by your blood!

***

Queen of Clubs

Behold the Spring Queen,
The Wild and Verdant Lady—
The Mistress of Deer!

Fairies and witches
run with you in the moonlight,
compelled by your horn!

***

Jack of Clubs

O Hobb of the Green,
dweller of deserted glens,
so lusty and wild:

The flash of your eyes
beckons us to adventure
down a route unknown.

***

Based on the folk witchcraft themes found in Robin Artisson’s The Hands of Fate, the second installment of my cartomancy poems for the royal court takes us deep into the woods, where we walk among the familiar figures of Herne, Diana, and Puck. I really connected with these figures depicted in the cards.

Poems for the Royal Spades

King of Spades

Hail to the King of Elf-Arrows,
Leader of the Wild Hunt!
Hail to the Great Stormer,
Magnificent and deadly,
Pitiless judge and executioner,
Source of all winds!
Only the bravest souls seek
Your sorceries among the snows!

***

Queen of Spades

Hail to the Queen of Elf-Arrows,
Mistress of Shadows and Winter!
Scathing and frosty one,
Bringer of woe and anxiety,
Even the wisest among us
Flee the lash of your bitter tongue!

***

Jack of Spades

Hail the Knave of Spades,
The Killer Frost and Ill Wind—
Misfortune’s Archer!
Sharp darts of elf-shot
flying unseen from your bow
strike us from behind!

***

I picked up Robin Artisson’s Hands of Fate before Christmas and started delving into playing card-based cartomancy. The author’s folk witchcraft perspective gave my divination and imagination the jump-start they needed. I’m sure to review this book in the future, but for now I’ll simply say I recommend it highly.

Starting Fresh in 2022

Hi again. I’ve decided to resurrect this blog space. However, my practices have evolved over the 2+ years since I’ve written here. Although I may still occasionally post how-to articles and reviews, you’re more likely to see poetry and flash fiction inspired by my spirituality in the days ahead. This place will hopefully act as an archive for the short pieces I share on Instagram in the future. Wish me luck!

Giving Thanks

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 30

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I approached the house and land sprites a month ago. The inspectors had discovered problems with the roof which required repairs almost immediately after we moved into the home. I understood the expense and how it increased the value of our home going forward; even so, I certainly hadn’t dreamed of putting out that kind of money so soon. At least, not on that! I’d hoped to splurge on new furniture — maybe even on some new electronics. I resented my plans going awry, and I worried the spirits would pick up on that resentment.

From the beginning, the house and land sprites seemed more interested in the repairs than my attitude about them. Due to the previous owners, both had suffered from a period of neglect, and they only cared about being looked after again. Some areas felt more abandoned than others, to the point that a few plants had nearly grown wild again. As I trimmed and pruned them, I struggled with the fine balance between owner and steward of the land. Having lived in apartments all my life, the concept of land ownership sat strangely with me. Regardless of whether I fenced a piece of property, it was hard to think of it as belonging to me.

Today, I offered incense, tobacco, and clean water to the spirits. I sat with them and gave up my gratitude for them changing my perceptions over the last thirty days. My resentment has faded as I’ve gotten to know them. Now I feel that my money was spent on a family member rather than stolen by someone I barely know. This is my family’s parcel of land to look after, and we will do our best in the years to come.

Kitchen Energy

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 29

I split the difference today between spiritual and practical work with the house sprites. First, I journeyed to meet them and took a look at our property in the Middleworld. The house repeatedly led me to a storage area in the kitchen where the energy seemed to flow more poorly than rest of the home. This makes sense, as I’ve noticed that cooking smells linger there long after meals are finished.

After the journey, I started the day’s cleaning in the spot I’d been taken to by the sprites, making sure to declutter as best I could for now. However, it will likely take a more permanent rearranging to solve this problem, including the purchase of a stand-alone cabinet to shelter supplies. This requires more time and resources and I have this afternoon, so I must plan that for the near future, when more family members can help.

Hibernate the Day Away

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 28

Yesterday’s ritual for Delepitoré required a period of quiet contemplation in her presence today. After leaving her an offering, I meditated with her for a half hour. She steered me towards a specific area of magickal reading, so I will see where that information takes me. One book often leads to another!

Afterwards, I touched base with the land and house spirits. Their energy felt different today, and I wondered if the ritual had somehow scared them off. Instead, the energy of many of the plants sprites simply continues to slow with the arrival of winter. Even the house feels more muted today, as if its energy were blanketed by the snow. Communing with them left me wanting to nap — to go back to bed until spring and hibernate.

Prayer to Delepitoré

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 27

(I’m shifting focus away briefly from my house and land sprites to work with the daemoness Delepitoré this evening. This is a brief prayer intended for her as part of my rite. It includes her daemonic enn, or the phrase used to invoke / invite her into my ritual space.)

Hail Delepitoré!
Deyen Pretore Ramec Delepitoré On Ca!
Daemoness of Sorcery, bless me.
All spells are known to you.
All magicks are mastered by your hands.
Bless me with your wisdom.
Baptize me with your gifts.
Let my talents grow in the coming year,
And my knowledge grow to match it.
Lady of the Arcane, bless me.

Cold Snap

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 26

Laboring outside this morning felt like a greater offering than yesterday’s yard work. The temperature has dropped significantly since then, and even with gloves on, my fingers froze. Luckily, my family assisted me in this morning’s efforts, so we made quick work of what raking remained to be done. Today, I didn’t want to linger and listen to the birds — not that there were any to hear! The wind chased them off to warmer climes. It was no day for talking to the trees, either, just interacting with the sprites on the mundane level.

I plan to honor the house spirit later today with the regular offerings if incense and tobacco, as well as celebration. It’s game night, so the house will be full of laughter. My family will raise our energy together, the perfect ending of the week.

Sweat Equity

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 25

Instead of the usual incense or tobacco, I offered the land spirits my labors today. In a previous meditation, they pointed out that I had left a bit of yard maintenance unfinished, plus why I shouldn’t for the welfare of the area. I gathered the necessary tools and set to completing the task this morning. I talked to a nearby tree as I worked, apologizing for my tardiness, but mostly I enjoyed the unseasonably warm air. The bare branches overhead housed numerous sparrows, their song bright and chipper. I built up a sweat for my efforts, but I enjoyed a lovely day outside. More importantly, I worked with the land on different level than the magickal, and got to know it better that way.

Foggy Connection

Oct 2019 #Spiritwork #Domagick Day 24

Today, I have the number of mundane tasks planned that interrupted my usual spiritwork routine. Apparently, they were weighing on my thoughts this morning as I found it difficult to connect to the house and the land sprites. The sensations during my meditation were foggy, with my mind wandering to other things. I’m not going to beat myself too much for the failure, as this is one day out of an ongoing relationship. It proves again  however, that trying to wedge spirit activities in spare moments doesn’t always work for me. If I can’t settle and clear my mind, the connection with spirit simply isn’t going to happen.