A Protection Ritual For Phantom!

Tags

"Phantom of the Opera", ALW, “Brilliant Original”, “Liberation Gothic Love Magic”, ChristoPagan, Pagan, Phanship, Phantom, PhantomMagic, spirituality

So in light of the awful announcement last fall that the Broadway flagship production of Phantom will be closing, I designed this spell to ask for protection for the show. I’ll be doing it tonight on the anniversary of the opening of the Broadway production. But I wanted to share it as well for other magically inclined Phans to make use of as well! And don’t worry if you don’t see this till after the anniversary. My thinking was that the occasion might give the spell an extra power boost. But it’s certainly not tailored to the date, and there will surely be plenty more opportunities to work it between now and the slated closing date in April!

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Protection Ritual For The Broadway Production and The Brilliant Original

For this ritual, you’ll need a few simple items. First, you’ll need something you can use as an altar. Second, you’ll need at least one white or black candle, 3 if possible. Though, if you’re going to use 3, I’d suggest either two black candles and one white, with the white candle place between the two black ones, or two white candles with a single black one between them. Thirdly, you’ll need a cup or bowl of water on the altar so all four elements are present (I use my Phantom shot-glass or one of my Phantom mugs or wine-glasses). Finally, you’ll need your phone, MP3-player, etc, set up to play a Phantom soundtrack (I would recommend the original London cast recording), and an object that symbolizes the Brilliant Original for you that you can place on the altar. For example, this might be an old audio-cassette or CD version of the soundtrack, or an original London or Broadway souvenir program, or a copy of George Perry’s The Complete Phantom Of The Opera, or any souvenir you got when attending a production of the Brilliant Original. Oh, you’ll also need something you can use as a wand and/or an athame. I find Phantom pens make great wands by the way! A Phantom letter-opener might work well as an athame if you happen to have one. Place the object symbolizing the Brilliant Original centrally on the altar as in a place of honour.

Note: you may also want to have an object symbolizing protection (see the Work of the Ritual section further on).

Opening

To begin, draw your circle in the air with your wand or athame, starting in the North.

“North – Earth – the Lair Underground and the Labyrinth that leads to it the night.”

(Turn to the East.)

“East – dawn, air – the breath that carries the song, the wind through the organ-pipes – the song of brass and wind instruments.”

(Turn to the South.)

“South – fire – the sun shining down on the city, the candles on the Lake – the passion of the music.”

(Turn to the West.)

“West – water – tears – the Lake underground that leads to the Lair.”

(Turn back to the North to close the circle.)

“All good, wise and well Spirits and ancestors of the elements and the four directions, I humbly call on you to aid me in this work.”

Now, face your altar and light the candle/s on it. (Note, it’s perfectly OK to use LED candles if you don’t feel safe using real ones, although you may only be able to get white candles in that case. Or, you can simply mime lighting real candles, but visualize the flames being lit and burning as you do so.)

“Centre – Holy Spirit, Source,…” (add any other names that feel appropriate.)

“Phantom Of The Opera,…” (Any other spirits/Deities you wish to call on)

“I welcome you all, and I humbly call on you to aid me in this work.”

Work Of The Ritual

“First of all, I give great thanks for the gift of the Brilliant Original ALW stage-musical of The Phantom Of The Opera. I give great thanks for the great blessing it has been to me and to the world.” (Perhaps here name the ways it has been a blessing to you specifically.)

Now, As you say the following, first touch the item symbolizing the Brilliant Original. Then, draw a circle of protection around it in the air or on your altar with your want or athame. And/Or, picture The Majestic Theatre in your mind, and visualize a circle or dome of protection around it. It can be a circle/dome of light, or a web of protective thorns, or something like the Phantom’s portcullis, whatever imagery works most powerfully for you.

“And now, I call on you all to ask for protection for the spirit and message of the Brilliant Original ALW stage-musical of The Phantom Of The Opera, which are at the heart of the show’s power. Guard them from ignorance and greed, and from the whims of those who would innovate merely for the sake of innovation, And let the damage that has already been done by those forces be repaired. Let Phantom hold strong, spirit and voice, human and mystery in one combined. Let it continue to ring out as a beacon of hope and a call to compassion and passion. And once again, guard the spirit and message of the brilliant original, and let the damage already sustained be healed.”

Now, pick up the item which symbolizes the Brilliant Original and hold it in your hands. And with it in hand, while holding your mental image of protection around The Brilliant Original and/or the Broadway production, play the song/scene from Phantom that to you most embodies or manifests the show’s power and message. Let the energy of that song/scene pour into your mental image of protection. Note, use headphones if necessary so you don’t have to keep the volume down.

Note: if visualizing isn’t something that works for you, you might prefer to have an object that symbolizes protection – like a (miniature/toy) sword, or a thorn, or a rose with thorns, etc. Then, instead of visualizing, you can pass the protective object over your Phantom Brilliant Original item as you say the above words and listen to your chosen song/scene.

“In the name of The Phantom, (any other Deities you’ve invoked), and in the name of Creator, Redeemer and Holy Spirit, so mote it be, so mote it be, so mote it be!”

Closing

“And now, I thank you all (name all Deities and spirits invoked, including those of the elements – see opening), very greatly for your aid in this work. Go as you must, stay as you wish.”

Now, trace the circle in the air again, but this time going the reverse way – North to West to South To East, and back to North. This opens the circle.

“The circle is open, but always unbroken. Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again! And blessed be.” (You can add “Amen” as well as suits you.)

Notes:

1, re calling on Deities in addition to The Phantom. As a ChristoPagan myself (some one who practices a syncretism of Paganism and Christian elements), I often call on Jesus, Blessed Mother Mary, Mary Magdalen and/or other appropriate Saints in addition to The Phantom. Dionysus might be appropriate here, as the festivals from which much of Western theatre grew were held in his honour, and he’s considered by some the patron God of theatre. Apollo might be appropriate as well, as he’s the patron Deity of music. Similarly, Brigid, the Celtic Goddess of poetry and music might be invoked here. But it really depends on whom – which Deities – you’ve cultivated relationships with. From Christian traditions, you might call on Saint Cecelia (the patron Saint of music), Saint Genesius (patron saint of actors and other performers), and perhaps also Saint Vitus (patron saint of dancers).

2, re song/scene from the show that most embodies the power and message of the Brilliant Original. For me, as I explain throughout my work, this has always been Act I scene 4, the title song – The Phantom Of The Opera. Although, more recently, Act I scene 5, The Music Of The Night as well. To me, these songs and scenes embody the romantic, erotic, political and spiritual heart of the show, even more than the Final Lair (Act II scene 9) as important and powerful as it is. Because, to me, Act I scenes 4 and 5, the title song and Music Of The Night, embody the show’s vision of a transformed world and society where the Phantom and those like him are desired and valued in all their complexity and magnificence.

3. An athame is a magical knife – not sharp – used to direct energies and/or sever energetic/psychic connections.

4. The candles I use are one black and two silver-coloured. And yes, I do only light them symbolicly so far, as I’m not quite brave enough, yet, to actually light them without a sighted spotter around. Although, I hope to get to that point eventually!

5. If at all possible, this working should be done at night, or at least in very low light. Because, Phantom is about “the power of the Music of the Night”, and you want that energy as part of the working.

Rejecting The Spiritualization of Scarcity!

Tags

activism, “Christian Left”, “Progressive Christianity”, Pagan, politics, spirituality

So I recently attended a truly fabulous conference on social justice. But during the otherwise brilliant opening address, in the context of discussing how we’re often told there isn’t enough money when social justice and reconciliation initiatives are brought forward, the speaker said something to the effect of “what’s more important, beautiful buildings or people’s lives?” She said it as though it’s a no-brainer. And of course, on one level, it absolutely is! Of course people’s lives are more important than buildings no matter how beautiful or historic! At the same time, though, this quip, not the first of its kind that I’ve heard over my years of political involvement, bothered me. And it took me some time and reflection to work out why beyond the slightly snide, condescending tone in which the remark was and is so often made.

When I thought about it later, though, I realized that what bothered me about this statement and ones like it is that they feel like an adoption into our spiritual values of the scarcity paradigm of the over-culture. Because, to be sure, the neoliberal capitalist system in which we live all too often does force us to make those kinds of choices! But are we really saying that in the Kingdom of God – in the world of justice and peace that we desire to bring into being – there can’t/won’t be enough for us to have both thriving people and beautiful places of worship and social gathering? And if we are, indeed, saying that, why? Some may be saying it out of very real concerns about ecological footprint and use of Earth’s resources, and that’s absolutely legit and an important issue that will need to be worked out. But are we saying it for ideological reasons? Because, remarks like the one referenced above seem to me to reflect a feeling, not just that there is an externally imposed or situational opposition between thriving people and projects like the maintenance of buildings, but that there is an inherent, intrinsic opposition between them.

Note: I’m particularly asking the above questions of my Progressive Christian colleagues, but Pagans need to think about them as well, especially Pagans who seek to be socially and politically engaged. Same questions, different causes and routes there.

In the Christian world, we have a long tradition of exalting asceticism as the epitome of spiritual living – as the way to live a truly holy life. And although we reject that traditions tendencies toward misogyny and hatred of the body, Progressive/Left Christians share its veneration of simplicity and surrender. We cite Jesus’s instruction to “give all you have to the poor”. We look to how the early disciples were sent out to teach and heal with literally nothing but the clothes on their backs, instructed to live only by the hospitality offered to them. We admire figures like St Frances of Assisi for their emulation of this life of holy simplicity. We reference the story of the mana from heaven in Exodus in which God instructs the Israelites to take only what they need to feed themselves and their families each day, and in which those who try to hoard find the extra mana rotten and unusable. We admire movements like the Quakers, Shakers, etc, for their commitments to simple living and, often, for their rejection of “high” church pageantry as well.

On the Pagan side, meanwhile, there is great admiration for the figure of the Witch living simply by herself in a hut in the woods. She is seen as an exemplar of connection to the Earth and of living lightly on Her. And it is true that both these images of holy simplicity, the Christian and the Pagan, offer powerful counters to the over-culture’s constant pressure to define ourselves and our worth by our material possessions or lack thereof. They offer a potent counter to the narrative that material affluence = happiness.

But they also, intentionally or not, imply that subsistence is OK, but that to desire anything beyond that is suspect if not actually sinful. They suggest that humble subsistence is holy, but that wanting anything beyond that runs the danger of sliding toward materialism and greed. They use the language of abundance for all, but abundance is elided with subsistence. If we all just stop desiring anything beyond the basics of decent food, shelter, clothing and access to nature and community, the thinking seems to go, then all the problems of scarcity, inequality and environmental degradation we currently face will be solved. Or, as I’ve heard it said quoting Gandhi, “live simply so others may simply live”.

The problem with the above is that, while that message may resonate very powerfully – and, indeed, may be powerfully liberating – for those seeking an escape from the pressure to “keep up with the Joneses” and/or those called to the path of asceticism, it doesn’t work for everyone. Asceticism is a perfectly valid path to which some people are genuinely called. But not everyone is, and not because they’re greedy or spiritually weak either. And holding up that path as the only way to goodness – the only way to live a just and spiritually grounded life – pushes away and, frankly, alienates those whose spiritual orientations lead in other directions. And if we want and need to build a mass-movement to defeat the forces of capitalism, oligarchy, neo/fascism, etc, then we have to stop alienating the non-ascetically oriented. We have to find ways to welcome and incorporate those not called to asceticism into our spiritual and political work and movements, and not by continuing to try to shame or guilt-trip them into converting to humble simplicity.

Full disclosure here. In case it hasn’t come through yet, I’m very much one of those people. The path of the ascetic has never resonated with me. I have great respect for people who are called to that path and have learned vastly from the wisdom they bring, But that’s not how my heart and soul connect to God/Spirit. And while it is true that the constant exaltation of holy simplicity hasn’t driven me out of activism so far because my care for the issues keeps me hanging in, I have more often than not found that I cannot bring my whole self to political work because my deep love of material culture is looked on as a political and spiritual failing that I need to be encouraged to grow out of.

So yes, I desire and fight for a world in which we can have both beautiful places of worship (official and unofficial), and beautiful homes, and thriving, well-cared-for people of all races, genders, beliefs, nationalities, etc, including true reconciliation with Indigenous peoples! I want us to find ways to break out of neoliberalism’s horrible games of divide-and-conquer and “race to the bottom” that keep us trapped in paradigms of scarcity. I get making a virtue out of – or rather finding the virtue in – living with less given how we’re daily surrounded by increasing economic austerity and climate disaster. But I don’t believe this should be the whole or final answer. We need a world of real, fulsome abundance so that all God/dess’s/Spirit’s children can thrive with dignity and joy, not just live with basic subsistence!

Final point of full disclosure. Because, while this really shouldn’t need saying explicitly, it probably does. I’m not rich. My family fell out of affluence back in my grandmother’s time. And since then, we’ve sometimes sat on the very bottom rungs of what remains of the middle class, and at other times (and frankly much more often since the 90s) we’ve stared down the barrel of dire poverty. We haven’t fallen irrevocably into it yet, but the ever-present precarity is very real! Anyway, I thought it might be important to mention that in case there was some temptation to write off the above as just another affluent whiner.