City Witch: Evoking the Urban Gods
By Christopher Penczak
Since walking the ways of the urban witch in Boston many moons ago, it was quite clear that each city and town has its own individual personality to it, both on a mundane level, and on the metaphysical. When communicating with the various spirits tied to urban locations, they seemed to reflect the overall vibe of the overarching city, as if they all belonged to a similar tribe. Time and again magical people have shared with me their impressions about how they intuitively picked upon the personality of the city where they resided, often quite by surprise and accident, since few traditional magical training books give instructions for such things. One friend recently commented on a city where he felt the spirit of the city merely tolerated his presence, but he wasn’t welcome there, nor would he thrive. He just knew it walking the streets, even though his job was great, and culturally it had what he wanted in a city. His energy simply didn’t resonate with the city, and the city let him know it. Luckily enough he was intuitively smart enough to get out.
Unfortunately the archetypes of the indwelling urban gods are not as clear as the images of our popular pagan mythology. Though cities have archetypal forces inherent in them, few books, stories or even visits spell them out as clearly and recognizably as the old myths. Few make their archetype and magical qualities readily apparent. It takes a relationship with the city to draw out such personal information.
When on a trip to New Orleans last year, the magical archetypes of the urban world became more apparent. Forces set my magical mind in motion, to see things in a different light. I was speaking at Saints and Sinners, a gay literature convention. While speaking on the spirituality panel, one gentleman kept referring to how New Orleans is truly a Scorpionic town. Everything is about sex and death, and many people have undergone great transformations while residing in the city. He then went out to demonstrate it illustrating his point with a variety of authors and musicians. Sex, death and transformation are all key words associated with the archetype of Scorpio. If you visit the French Quarter on any evening, you can readily see how the air is permeated with sex and alcohol. Both can transform your view of the world. It was built on a swamp, fixed stagnant water, another symbol of Scorpio, on rotting wood, by the labor of slaves. Graves are built above ground due to the water level, so death is apparent all around, and the air of mystery, secrecy, danger and magick surrounded the local if you looked for it.
There is also a great current of true spirituality there, again if you choose to look for it. I was lucky enough to find it amongst some practitioners who were looking beyond the tourist trade. I hadn’t thought of it in terms of astrology, but New Orleans, or at least the French Quarter, did fit the archetype of Scorpio exactly. Even my own experiences revolved around sexuality and transformation there, and were quite empowering.
New Orleans started my quest to look at urban spirits through the lens of astrology, but I was less successful than I had hoped. Though Scorpio is obviously an astrological sign, it also relates to the underworld deities of death and rebirth. Most cities, and spirits, are not always evenly defined by one of the twelve astrological archetypes. As people are a mix of all twelve signs, with different emphasis on different areas, so too are most other entities a complex blend. One only has to think about how many times the deities assignment to the signs has been juggled around with the changing attitudes of the society to that godform. There is not always an exact match. I tried looking to the founding dates of various cities, to cast astrological “birth” charts for them. I discovered that deciding which date to use what often hard, and exact “birth” times are not often listed. The discovery of a location, the founding of a colony, the technically founding of a city and its acceptance into a greater government or country could each pose as potential inception dates, yet none easily matched my experiences and expectations. I tried to gather information from mystical residents to see what sign each city corresponded to in their opinion. We flirted with New York City as Aquarian, being on the cutting edge of the global melting pot, yet that did not embody everything New York offers. We looked at Los Angeles as a Leo correspondent due to the plethora of show business, yet that didn’t embody the spirit of the City of Angels in its entirety. They had some matching correspondences, but also some big gaps. So I was resigned to work back with techniques of personal experience and interpretation, rather than math and ephemeris tables.
My trip to New Orleans served as inspiration on a whole other level, in regards to urban gods and spirits. I was honored to be invited to a ritual that was a blend of Voodoo and other African Diaspora spirituality and took great interest in the similarities and differences between it and modern Witchcraft. Though I never had framed it in such a way before, I could see how such religions took the more nature-based principles and then, due to force, found a way to thrive in an urban environment. Methods of contacting their entities, the Loa, were very visceral. When separated from the traditional offerings of Africa, new correspondences were found in the New World. Traditions evolved and adapted to the circumstances around them. These rich rituals and lore served as a modern magician’s inspiration for working with the spirits dwelling within urban centers. Through it, I hopefully pass some inspiration on to you about contacting the
urban gods.
Altar Building
The beautiful and complex altars found in the Voodoo ceremonies and temples inspired me to look beyond the traditional witches tools when working in a modern context. Beyond the magical workspace, altars can be focuses for building a relationship with a specific spirit, by devoting that space in your home to the spirit. Voodoo traditions have a wide variety of complex associations, including food, drinks and scents to evoke the spirit to whom the altar is dedicated.
For the spirits that embody the consciousness of a city, choose items that are “traditionally” linked to the city itself. States have particular flowers and birds dedicated to them that can be a starting point, but other items are more personal and representative of the city. Tourist gift shops are the best place to look. Is there a distinguishing landmark in your city – man made or natural? Does a particular building or museum automatically evoke thoughts of your city? A small replica of the Statue of Liberty suits a NYC altar. How about the corporate images of the local sports teams? Is your city known for a particular food or drink? Obviously foods that spoil quickly can only be a part of your altar for a short time, and can be a focus for a specific ritual, but you can include less perishable items associated with it. In an altar to build a relationship with the spirit of Boston, clam chowder would be a potential choice, but not one I would like to have sitting out for a period of time. But a small package of oyster crackers used in the chowder is a great addition to the altar.
If your location doesn’t have such obvious correspondences, simple items directly from the city – leaves and stones from the city’s park, coins found on its streets, tokens, unpaid parking tickets, all can be found on the urban altar.
Sigils
I was fascinated with the drawings of the Voodoo vevers, and how they appeared so much like an intricate sigil from a modern magician. Vevers are symbols used to call the spirits. Each Loa has its own verver associated with it. Loa of love will often have heart imagery while those of the sea will have boat imagery. The vevers are drawn out in powder upon the altar floor.
Urban practitioners can use meditation and intuition to create city sigils to embody the spirit of the city. My book City Magick has techniques for making city sigils in reference to specific intentions or spells, but these symbols can be more creative and primal, not for any one spell, but to evoke and connect with the god of the city. If the city is known by any distinguishing shapes or characteristics, they can be used as part of your personal connection to it. Boston is often referred to as the hub, so using the wheel-like or web-like imagery of the highways surrounding it is an excellent starting place. The outline of Manhattan and its grid system is another excellent base symbol. The bridges of San Francisco can be worked into their sigil, and double, or twin, imagery can be used for the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Evocation
One of the best teachings my music business professor in college gave me, regarding contract negotiation, was, “We don’t get what we don’t ask for.” I carry those words with me in my magical practice and spell craft. If we don’t invest our time and our words into creating something in our life, then why should it happen? People will often wish for something silently, but never really ask the universe for it outright, even when they have all the magical skills to be successful. Life can be like a contract. If we don’t negotiate and ask for what we want, we don’t get it. We have to make sure we reflect and know that what we as for is what we really want, on all levels. If you ask for it, you just might get it, and then be stuck with it.
Many mystics and witches say they want to have a more magical life, and see and communicate with the spirits in all things, but don’t actively put any energy into it. Sometimes it is easier to complain. If you want to build a magical relationship with the spirit of your city, ask for it. Realize that this relationship is quite literally and figuratively a two way street, that the urban spirit will not only be able to help your life, but might ask you for help, being a force of stewardship and balance in the world. If that suits you, then perform an evocation. Build your altar. Draw your sigil. Then ask for it. Open your heart and call out to the spirit of the city. Offer your service, and ask for the type of relationship you want. Everybody’s relationship with the city will be different. What are you offering, and what are you asking? Put your power in your words.
Pathworking
Pathworking, visualized meditation, journey work… whatever you choose to call it, it can be one of the most effective ways of building a relationship with a spirit. Through meditation or through lucid dreaming, get yourself into a deeper trance state, yet remain aware. Ask to visit with the spirit of the city, the indwelling urban god. Learn its lessons. Listen to its wisdom. See how it manifests and personifies, if at all, to you. Work with it directly, and it will reveal its own mysteries to you, beyond what any article, book or teacher can show you.
Like any other spirit or entity, always be respectful. It’s hard for many to think of us as being reverent to urban entities, but at the very least treat these beings as you wish to be treated. Use your discernment. Such relationships tread new ground and are not necessarily for the inexperienced. Follow your heart, but also your mind and learn to flow with the tides of your own environment. As you find balance within yourself, you will help create balance in the city around you.