Synergistic Talisman Use, or "Combo!"

Take a look at this picture:

That's the two Talismans that are hanging around in my Wallet at the minute. Nice, aren't they? The one on the left is the Seal of Kedemel, and the one on the right is the Seal of Bune. Obviously I made them both myself. Yes, that's real copper, scavenged, salvaged and scrounged by myself.

Now, some of you are doubtless going to say something along the lines of "Hang on, you've botched that... there's nothing on the left hand Talisman. Actually, yes there is, but the symbol on it is turned face down. Why is it turned face down? Because the symbol and the method for making said talisman came from Jason Miller, in his book Strategic Sorcery. I'm not going to give away his methods. Ask him, or *coughhintcough* buy the book.

So what am I doing with these? Well, I made them one at a time for other reasons; mostly to *try* and give myself a boost while hunting for work. (That's actually paying off rather well.) But I had put them together into my wallet, one night, when I couldn't carry the Kedemel seal in my breast pocket.

That night I discovered that I was more highly regarded than ever before. This was not only a plus, but it was a very definite tickle of my interest. The two Talismans, in close proximity, were interacting. Part of that might have been because they were cut from the same piece of copper, but who knows? But let's go back to the books and see what there is there about these two.

Kedemel, as most of us here know, is the Spirit of Venus. This spirit, brings, normally, the unwanted, baleful influences of Venus. Strife, discord, depression, sneezing fits... although the last one may just have been made up by me. However, if directed by the intelligence of Venus (Hagiel), then it works to attract all manner of good things.

(This makes sense if you think about it for even a second. If something has no intelligence, then it doesn't know what to be directed at. A hammer without intelligence behind it will break windows, mash thumbs, and a whole load of other things. A Dog, likewise, will get into everything. It needs a handler to shout "Heel" from time to time. While it may be unwise to think of the spirits of the planets in such a way- like dogs- the analogy works as a basis.)

And Mr. Miller goes on in his book to say that it attracts people that you would be naturally compatible with. In ALL areas. So it inspires *trust*, more than anything else. It's not a charm that will cause people to fall at your feet. But it IS a talisman that can ease the way a little if you're trying to get somewhere. And that's pretty much why I made it.

And here we have The Usual Suspect for Wealth Magick. Bune, raising his head yet again. Bune has been described as the Katy Perry of Wealth Magick, and I agree, in a way. "High and Comely Voice" may actually boil down to "Autotune". (Can you tell I'm not impressed with this spirit in its wealth- acquiring ways?) Anyways, I constructed this talisman off my own bat, having examined the Goetia, and read this and that and the other... and that's why this talisman is green paint on a copper sheet. Because I followed my gut. And if you don't understand the importance of following your instincts in Magick, you might as well hang up your cloak. Instincts (particularly when you have Bound your Daemon and Exalted your Genius) are the way that the spirits have of pointing you in the right direction. Or telling you to avoid something like the plague. Either way, that's what I got. What I didn't get from it was wealth beyond my wildest dreams.

So let's see what it says in the Goetia... Bune: "Dragon with three heads..." Yadda yadda... "changes the places of the dead..." and so on... until we get to the following:

"giveth Riches to a man & maketh him wise & eloquent" (my emphasis.)

If you think about it? Wisdom and eloquence are two great spiritual riches. But what does this leave me with?

It leaves me with a Talisman that improves how I speak and adds weight to my words... and so I am going to hurry up here before Tim the Enchanter turns up to tell me to Get On With It.

So now I have a talisman that makes me more trustworthy (seemingly) and affable; and also one that makes me more eloquent and (hopefully) wise- although I wouldn't count on the last part.

In other words: This is the Conman's Combo! Fast talk by a trustable person. Not that I would ever *use* it for such. But that does bring me on to a slightly different point. This is a *Dark Goddess* themed blog, after all.

It's been pointed out to me that I can be far too nice for my own good, and that this may be letting me down. It's been revealed to me that sometimes you've got to be a bit of a bastard to get things done, to make things move the way you want them to. And sometimes, to misquote H. L. Mencken, you have to be ready to spit on your hands, hoist the black flag, and start slitting throats. And do it with dispassion, maybe a hint of satisfaction. Maybe the Bastard has got to come out to play for a while. Longer, in fact; I've been letting him have his way for the past couple of days. And part of what that entails is staying one step ahead of the game. If that means I need to be ready to step on people from time to time... then all well and good. And if the game isn't going your way? Step outside of the box. Change the game. Find the odd rules variant (like en passant, which can throw people) that turns the game to your advantage.

I've been told that talking to me can be like reading Finnegan's Wake; every sentence has at least three meanings. I'm cool with that. The people I want to spot things will spot subtleties in what I say. Don't ask for clues or hints. I have a mind like a crossword puzzle dictionary mashed up with a thesaurus.

Dear me... two posts in two days. I'm spoiling you lot. If you have been, you should wash your hands now.