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Rituals for Charming a Disordered Brain, by Janina Renee

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

Because advances in neurology have revealed how peoples' brains can have very different wiring, we have a better understanding of how we can have different styles of processing information and making sense of the world. From my own point of view as a ritualist, I can appreciate how mental quirks influence an interest in ritual and the types of rituals one might perform. At the same time, greater knowledge of how our brains work (and sometimes misbehave) has spurred my experimentation with new approaches to ritual healing, to better manage learning disabilities and other cognitive disorders.

In my own case, I am a person with Asperger's Syndrome (described as an autism spectrum disorder). Among other things, this disorder causes delays and distortions in sensory processing functions, weird shifts of focus, difficulty in shifting between inner and outer world demands, and an inability to multi-task. Asperger's people are also known to go in for ritualistic actions, and are often fascinated with patterns and visual imagery. I was unaware of all this at the time I wrote my first book, Tarot Spells, which is about arranging Tarot images in geometrical patterns that make an affirmative statement about different things that one wants to manifest in one's life. However, as a consequence of my struggles raising a child who also suffers from Asperger's, my fourth book, Tarot for a New Generation, features a chapter on how young people can use Tarot imagery for help in their studies; this includes tips for getting a handle on certain learning disabilities.

My new book, By Candlelight: Rites for Celebration, Blessing, and Prayer, presents a variety of ways that a person can interact with a single candle. While all sorts of people will find these rituals helpful, those of us whose "bad wiring" creates difficulties with energy levels, concentration, and anxiety can especially make use of ritual actions for reclaiming control of our days and our lives. Therefore, By Candlelight includes ritual suggestions on using colored candles for fast energy, creative will, mental power, regenerative energy, and energy modulation. Also featured are rituals for guidance, trusting the process of life, managing stress, anger, and shame, exerting will power and overcoming bad habits; refocusing after disruptions; boosting the effectiveness of medical supplements; health and healing; meditation; spiritual clarity; and much more.

While all ritual communicates to the Unconscious Mind, I am now working on rituals addressed directly to the brain's components and functions. I am seeking to do this by applying traditional magical formulas and folk healing techniques to some common mental and emotional problems. I emphasize that these rituals are only for persons with relatively mild problems, and that persons with severe mental and emotional disorders should seek professional medical help.

The ancient "doctrine of correspondences," which is common to many systems of folk magic, can be applied to the amygdala, which is a critical component in the brain's stress circuitry. The doctrine of correspondences holds that things that are connected with each other, or resemble each other, or are similar in some other way are able to act upon each other through a vibrational resonance or "secret sympathies." They also act upon our spirits. We have all recognized things that affect us psychologically, so we can see how—by conjoining objects or symbols of objects that have correspondences—we can provide the mind with striking images for effecting changes in consciousness. There are many ways that those of us with stress and anxiety can use creative visualizations to influence the amygdala (which is so named because it is almond-shaped, the Greek root of the name referring to an almond). Actually, although it is common practice to use the singular term, there are two amygdalae, one in each hemisphere, in the anterior extremity of the temporal lobes. These neurostructures are part of the limbic system, the emotionally reactive section of the brain.

When your amygdala receives perceived threat warnings from the senses via the thalamus, it switches on the "fight or flight" response, flooding the bloodstream with adrenaline and cortisol to raise your blood pressure; slow down your digestion and immune system; and otherwise prep your body to run fast or fight hard. This is important in survival situations. But unfortunately, to get along in modern society, some of us encounter stressors daily that we can neither fight nor flee from—as in the case of service persons who have to deal with irritable customers, or individuals who have to cooperate with difficult bosses or coworkers. In such cases, stress hormones are continually being released into the bloodstream, without an avenue of release. Also, in people with certain disorders—including general anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, autism, and various phobias—the amygdala can be in a continual state of arousal, reacting to even mild stress or stimulation as a threat situation.

To reprogram the amygdala, then, we can send it different corresponding images of well being to help it feel safe and secure, with no need to overreact to things. Fortunately, for those of us who like visualizations and "material affirmations," there are plenty of almond-type products that can assist in reinforcing this idea. For example, you could start the morning by massaging your hands and face with sweet almond oil, or use soap, shaving cream, or other skin care products that include almond oil as an ingredient, while thinking about your almond-shaped amygdalae and beaming them messages of love and care. Though the oil of almond is unscented, it is used in aromatherapy as a base for essential oils, so you might want to add some lavender, palmarosa, tangerine, rose geranium, ylang ylang, or other emotionally reassuring fragrances to it, and apply a bit to your hands and temples whenever you feel a bit stressed.

If you need to take a break, relax with a cup of almond tea, or some tea or cocoa to which you can add some almond extract. If your diet allows, treat yourself to some almond cookies, a slice of pannetone (Italian holiday bread with fruit and almonds), or even a piece of marzipan. You could also nibble on Jordan almonds, which are sugar coated, in pastel colors, and symbolize the mix of the sweet and bitter in human life, (reminding your Unconscious to take these things in stride). At Greek and Italian weddings and other types of celebrations, Jordan almonds are given as favors, wrapped in tulle and tied with ribbon; they are called "koufeta" or "confetti." In some other wedding traditions, almond paste is used in the cake, or the bride presents favors containing five almonds to represent health, wealth, happiness, fertility, and long life. As a treat for your friends, you could offer them some sugared almonds with the blessing "health to your amygdala," in the same way that Greeks and Turks say "health to your mouth" when good words are spoken.

As far as words go, orally or mentally repeating certain words can exert a psychological influence. I find this to be the case with "amygdala" which is euphonious for its sound and rhythm. In keeping with the magical tradition that reciting the name of a thing gives you power over it, repeating "amygdala, amygdala, amygdala ..." has a soothing effect. Alternatively, you could make a charm by reciting a line of anagrams, "Glada May, Magda Lay, Malda Gay, Glama Day," because the unconscious mind enjoys puzzles.

Another counter charm might be to recite the words "tend and befriend," (especially where such actions would be a good strategy for your situation). It has been discovered that in some people, the impulse to tend-and-befriend is a more adaptive response that overrides the fight-or-flight reflex. In such cases, the brain produces more of the well-being hormone, oxytocin. As things can inform each other in complementary ways, perhaps thinking about tending and befriending will also produce more oxytocin.

Here is another example of how folk magic can be applied to the biological causes of some troublesome thoughts and behaviors:

People who suffer from obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders, as well as some chronic worriers who experience general anxiety disorder, are tormented by a brain that keeps repeating the same disturbing thoughts. Often, these alarming thoughts compel repetitive, ritualistic behaviors. In the more extreme cases, these obsessions interfere with normal life and work, as would be the case with persons who have to wash their hands every few minutes, (because their brains keep signaling a false warning about germs and dirt). However, there are also people who experience obsessive symptoms only sporadically, or at a lower level, so many of them go unnoticed. In their book Shadow Syndromes, [1] John J. Ratey and Catherine Johnson cite "scanners," persons who obsess over social faux pas, relationships, health issues, etc., as examples of persons who are not normally recognized as being obsessive-compulsive, yet their repetitive thoughts do inflict mental anguish.

According to the theories of Jeffrey M. Schwartz (as described by Ratey and Johnson), obsessive-compulsive symptoms are caused by brain-lock due to a malfunction of three brain sections.[2] The primary culprit is the caudate nucleus, which regulates the flow of thought. In normal people, the caudate nucleus has a "gating mechanism" for suppressing distracting thoughts when an issue has been adequately dealt with. Also implicated are the orbital cortex, which "houses the brain's error-detection circuit," and the cingulate gyrus, which inflicts the mental pain that accompanies the disturbing thoughts. Ironically, the cingulate gyrus is also associated with maternal feelings. (This is a simplified account of what goes on, and there are some other entities that come into play, such as the thalamus, which oversees a lot of brain reactions.)

Because these brain elements have been identified, it is possible to personify them in the sort of healing imagery that is used in traditional "narrative charm" formulas. Narrative charms are wide spread in Europe, and typically tell a little story involving a divine being who encounters troublesome entities, then charges them to change their ways, (or sometimes the narrator encounters healing entities, who are dispatched on an errand of mercy). The following adaptation employs "the Gracious One" as a traditional epithet for Hermes/Mercury, who is the messenger of the gods, and represents mental functions in astrology. He encounters the troublesome brain elements, personified as three ladies, whom he addresses by anagrammatical names. The descriptions of these ladies also brings in some brain imagery. (A person with a more imaginative grasp of brain functions and anatomy could probably elaborate on these descriptions.)

Suppose that "Jane Doe" is a person who can't stop rehashing memories of social gaffes. When the obsessive thoughts come over her, she could recite the following incantation. Indeed, If Jane has some willing friends, she could arrange to have them say it over her or even set up a ritual space, dress up in costumes, and work this incantation into a dramatic performance for her benefit.

As the Gracious One ran a winding road,
he met three ladies by an open gate,
three women dressed in gray.
"Ladies, what have you been doing?"
The first lady held a siren and said,
"My name is Carol Ibex Trot.
I've been sounding the alarm,
alerting Jane Doe to silly gaffes,
to things that are not important."
The second lady tossed her pony tail; she said,
"My name is Lucca Sue Denuta.
I've kept Jane's bad thoughts flowing,
because I haven't turned off the siren,
I haven't closed the gate.
Jane has been reliving her every fault
over and over again."
The third lady archly replied,
"My name is Aggy Lutin Cruse.
I've been making Jane cringe, and giving her pain,
pounding her heart, and wrenching her stomach.
I've put her through the emotional wringer."
The Gracious One extended his staff and said,
"Ladies, you must do right by Jane."
To the first lady he said,
"Carol Ibex Trot, be well and do well!
Sound no alarms for needless things.
Let enough be enough."
To the second lady he said,
"Lucca Sue Denuta, be well and do well!
Turn off the false alarm and shut the gate.
Direct Jane's thoughts to useful things only."
To the third lady he said,
"Aggy Lutin Cruse, be well and do well!
Be a nurturing mother to Jane.
Let Jane be filled with peace and comfort."
The ladies consented, they all agreed,
"We now do right by Jane."
So they turned off the alarm, they closed the gate,
and Jane feels peace and comfort.

This incantation can be customized for other types of obsessive fixations by changing the dialogue to fit the symptoms in question. It can also be adapted to different religious orientations. In fact, I modeled this version after the prekantes (lengthy, detailed healing incantations) of Sephardic Jewish women; prekantes often feature "Elijah the prophet, may he be remembered for good" as the central figure. [3] Similar forms are found in Spanish and Portuguese ensalmos, and in old Germanic and Pennsylvania Dutch charms, and may variously involve Jesus, the Blessed Virgin, St. Peter or Paul, and others as the divine helpers—and there are older versions, such as the Merseburg charms, which bring in some of the old gods. Many narrative charms are a lot shorter, (and the 2004 Wicca Almanac, features a five-line version of my OCD charm, as part of an article on "Spell Breaking Insights into Shadow Syndromes.")

Use of such charms does not guarantee that anxieties and obsessions will go away entirely, but by repeating them on a daily or as-needed basis, the undesirable thoughts can be considerably muted. Even if nagging thoughts start coming back, you might find them less strenuous and less painful. One doesn't want to shut these functions down completely, because they can be life-savers when working properly; however, repeating a charm when irrational fears well up can instruct your Unconscious as to which sort of thoughts are unproductive and harmful.

To remind yourself that obsessive thoughts are the product of naughty brain bits, and to make them more visible so you can recognize them for what they are and where they come from, you could also find three little figurines to represent Carol, Lucca, and Aggy, and place them on a home altar as a way of honoring the times when they are functioning correctly, while also exhorting them to look after you properly.

By the way, it is interesting to note that charms that involve imagery, riddles, and symbolic actions and objects resemble techniques used in some innovative schools of medical hypnosis. One can find many other parallels between folk healing and hypnosis.

There is obviously a lot more that could be done in adapting a great variety of traditional charms to malfunctioning body parts or brain modules. Also, many different folk magic techniques can be applied even when the specific area of the brain (or disease entity) is not known, just by finding a way to personify and speak to the general problem. And because different people respond to different symbolic actions and images, the possibilities for creative ritualists to build large repertoires of healing techniques are practically endless.

Notes:
1) See John J. Ratey's and Catherine Johnson's book, Shadow Syndromes: Recognizing and Coping with the Hidden Psychological Disorders that Can Influence Your Behavior and Silently Determine the Course of Your Life. (New York: Pantheon, 1997) 290-307.

2) Ratey and Johnson, 308-13.

3) Prekante specimens can be found in Ritual Medical Lore of Sephardic Jewish Women: Sweetening the Spirits, Healing the Sick by Isaac Jack Levy and Rosemary Levy Zumwalt. (Urbana: U of Illinois Press, 2002.)

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2007. All rights reserved.

Financially I can't afford to move right now, so I'm writing to ask you for an effective spiritual method for dealing with an angry neighbor. Both my car and my boyfriend's car were keyed. His car was the focus before, and now that he's moved away, my car has become the focus. For some reason after that incident, I see more and more of this angry neighbor. For example, we'll both emerge from our apartments at the same time, or run into each other outside. I feel very uncomfortable around her and her son. Also, every time I get into my car I see those marks on the passenger side and become very upset about what she did, so every time I get in my car, I am reminded of her and this upsetting situation. I'm planning to have my car repainted, but I haven't had the time or money yet. What can I do so I don't attract this kind of angry person in my life anymore? C.

Astrea:

Some people enjoy being angry and upset all the time, for it's the only way they know to FEEL anything. I know it sounds ridiculous, but for some people, unhappiness, anger and drama are all that matter, for they are absolutely addicted to those energies. It sounds like your neighbor is one of those people.

The thing to remember here is even though you're the current target of her animosity, there isn't anything personal about it. If someone else were living next door to her, they would be suffering in the same way.

Difficult people have a hard time of it. Usually they've been that way all their lives, and won't change until they want to. You can't force a person to be nice, but you CAN make things better for yourself while you're living there.

Since you can't avoid seeing her altogether, speak nicely to her whether she acknowledges you or not. Meet her dislike of you with love. It may not change her, but it will make YOU feel better.

When negative meets positive, eventually the positive will win. Even difficult people wear down after a while of being greeted with positive energy, so the longer you keep being nice to her, the better chance you'll have of resolving this situation. I know you're uncomfortable around her, but if you dwell on her negativity, it will rub off on you, and you certainly don't want that.

Having the constant reminder of the car door doesn't help, but until you get it fixed, you might cultivate a different reaction when you get into your car. Say to the Universe, I feel sorry for this person because she has to hurt others to feel validated. Pray daily in your own way for her to be liberated from her negative feelings, and then try to put her out of your mind.

There are all sorts of magickal remedies for making nasty people behave in nicer ways. One of my favorites is to make a batch of Angel Sugar (that's a cup of sugar to one teaspoon of vanilla, dried on a cookie sheet in your oven) and sprinkle it lightly where you know the angry person will step.

Even if the person isn't aware the Angel Sugar is there, the sweetness will rub off on them. This is one way to silently combat a miserable person's bad vibes.

You probably didn't attract her; some things are just random. Sometimes we are unlucky when it comes to neighbors. Since you can't change them, you have to change your attitude and your response.

By trying to find the positive side and learn from this experience, you'll free yourself from the ugly feelings you're having about her, and by consistently meeting hatred with love, you will attract more and more love into your life from now on.

******

Susyn:

There are a number of ways to alleviate the trouble you're having with your neighbors, and mainly, they're designed to create a stronger field of spiritual protection around you. Once these protective rituals are in place, you'll experience the negative energy you feel each time you see the damage to your car or run into your neighbor beginning to melt away.

One of the most powerful methods I've ever discovered, and one that I use or recommend on an almost-daily basis, is the ritual of freezing. This is a spiritual tool that is remarkably effective in blocking and eliminating the negative vibrations and actions from others that are upsetting your life. This ritual brings no harm to your neighbors, but instead simply blocks them from taking any action against you in the future.

Tear a small piece of brown paper off a lunch sack or grocery bag. Write your neighbor's name on it in this form: I ask the Universe to freeze any and all negative, destructive, angry and unwarranted energies coming from (insert neighbor's name here). I ask that this person be blocked from causing me any further harm, and I promise to do my part too.

At the bottom, sign and date it. The phrase and I will do my part is a commitment that you will not aggravate, facilitate or encourage any action on their part; instead, you will remain neutral and let Spirit take over in this matter.

Fold the paper and place it in a zipping plastic sandwich bag, fill it halfway with water, add a pinch of salt, and then seal it and put it in the freezer. Once it is frozen solid, you'll start to notice things change. Do NOT remove the bag from the freezer until either you or the neighbors move, or your troubles could return as soon as it melts.

Another effective ritual is to carry a box of salt in your car, and each night after you park, sprinkle the salt on the ground in a fine line around the car. This will create a protective barrier to keep away not only the neighbors but any vandals who might happen to pass by.

You ask how to avoid attracting angry people into your life in the future. If this has been a recurring problem, the first step would be to write down the people and incidents and then look for common patterns.

You could be attracting them as lessons. For example, maybe you're to learn how to protect yourself more effectively. Journaling about this should also reveal ways you can break these patterns and eliminate this problem for good.

Good luck with your neighbors. I'm confident the problem will simply start to fade away once you've set up the spiritual boundaries I've offered you to protect yourself.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.