The Scandalous St Cyprian!
My journey with St Cyprian has been a long one. He has been nothing but a blessing to me. Working with him has totally spun around my views on the mechanics of conjuration, exorcism, spirit relations, diabolism, and…. well, the list goes on and on. I spent the better part of 2020 putting together material for the second part of the Black School and when the days of the Cyprians started, I was all set to go bananas as usual with ritual after ritual. This year Cyprian told me “no”. I do my novena, make offerings of incense circling the house 3 times every day, and sit. The message was clear, get your contemplative practice back in shape… I was struck that the feast of Hildegard von Bingen falls at the beginning of the Cyprian days.
So that’s what I have been doing for the last 9 days. Simple prayers and meditations. Rather than honoring Cyprian and the spirits with more ritual, I have been honoring them with more space and more listening.
Tomorrow is THE FEAST of St Cyprian. Tomorrow I will be doing some major rites, Still, if I had a message for this year it would be to make sure that you make room for listening. Both focused meditation, and effortless contemplation are things we loose more and more in society, and in our practices. The spirits do not only speak when conjured in the circle. Learn to listen.
The Scandalous Cyprian
Over the years that I have been celebrating St Cyprian I have encountered many who speak against him. Some pagans feel he is a purely Christian spirit posing as a magician to lure people into orthodox Christianity. Some Christian magicians feel he is a Satanic spirit luring people away from the grace of the angels. Whatever the position, the scandal seems to be that people think St Cyprian is not the spirit who he says he is.
Whenever I come across these claims I always think about the scene in Mad Men when Pete reveals to Cooper that Don Draper is not who he says he is…
Bertram Cooper : Mr. Campbell, who cares?
Pete Campbell : What?
Bertram Cooper : Who cares?
Pete Campbell : Mr. Cooper, he’s a fraud and a liar. A criminal, even!
Bertram Cooper : Even if this were true, who cares? This country was built and run by men with worse stories than whatever you’ve imagined here.
Pete Campbell : I’m not imagining anything.
Bertram Cooper : The Japanese have a saying: A man is whatever room he is in, and right now Donald Draper is in this room. I assure you, there’s more profit in forgetting this. I’d put your energy into bringing in accounts. Don, fire him if you want. But I’d keep an eye on him. One never knows how loyalty is born.
If you prefer something more biblical, lets try Matthew 7:20 on for size: “Therefore by their fruits shall ye know them”. –
St Cyprian has provided more life change, more insight, and more wisdom for me that has been tested and found beneficial than any person or spirit that is talking smack.
He doesn’t fit your view of Christianity? Dude, we are magicians, do you really think that’s an argument anyone cares about?
A spirit you summoned is telling you that he’s dangerous? Maybe he is for you, but generally speaking going on crusades against a spirit people love because another spirit told you to is just not a good look for anyone. I will gladly stand on the opposite side of that shit show.
My thanks to Cyprian, for the treasure house of gifts, material and spiritual, he has bestowed, and those yet to come.