jim leftwich is a poet and essayist who lives in Roanoke, VA, USA. he is the author of Six Months Aint No Sentence Books 1 -187 (Differx Hosting@Box, 2011 - 2016), and three volumes of essays entitled Rascible & Kempt Vols. 1 - 3 (Luna Bisonte Prods, 2016-2017). since 2008 he has been involved in organizing and/or documenting
poetry readings,
mail art, sound poetry, visual poetry and noise events in Roanoke.***
Banishing Ritual
to be shared quietly among poets
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You Will Need:
a sheet of copy paper
a blue pen
a fireproof bowl
two wooden matches
garlic
an airtight jar
black pepper
salt
a red candle
a blue candle
a small round mirror
a black fine-point sharpie
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Write the names, descriptions and expectations on the sheet of paper. Crumple it into a ball. Lay it to rest in the fireproof bowl. Set its inevitable edges on fire. Extinguish the match and swallow it.
Allow the paper to burn until only grey ash remains.
Place a full bulb of garlic in the jar and pour the ashes over it. Seal the jar. Eat two cloves of garlic. Breathe slowly, quietly, sensuously if you so desire, over the entirety of the jar. Rub the remains of your breath into the pores of the glass with the moist palm of your left hand.
With the black pepper, draw a thin circular line two inches in circumference. Build a square mound of salt inside the circle. With the index finger of your right hand draw an X connecting the four corners of the square.
Facing the salt mound, place the red candle to its right, and the blue candle to its left. Using a single match, light first the red candle, then the blue one. Extinguish the match and swallow it.
With the black sharpie, write the names, descriptions and expectations on the mirror.
Place the jar upright at the center of the salt mound.
Place the mirror face-up on top of the jar.
Stand and stare into the mirror for as long as is required.
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Note:
These rituals need not be slavishly imitated; on the contrary the student should do nothing the object of which he does not understand; also, if he have any capacity whatever, he will find his own crude rituals more effective than the highly polished ones of other people.
-- Aleister Crowley, Liber 0