A Conjuring Tale Ian Corrigan The sorcerer sat down at his altar of Fire.

His light blue eyes were steady, his face calm. A low wall of small stones surrounded the little lean-to fire of dry oak that he had readied. He had spent the day building it, finding small natural stone of the proper sort, building the round raised fire-altar and filling it loosely with soil. Next to it he placed a small cauldron of water, and a simple cup of sil er made reflections in his pale eyes. !n the concrete canyons in which he worked his altar was placed in a small bit of parkland, a one-block deep-cut island of green space in the grey and glass. He had been pleased to find that an ideal spot was well-sheltered from the sight of the elderly !talian and Arabic women in the nearby buildings. " en though he was there to work a blessing for the local #agan community, and for e eryone else, he knew it would not really do to ha e obser ers. His isions and di inations led him to belie e that this park, in fact this ery oak at which his altar was built, was the seat of the local $uardian - the sort of being who, in e ery bit of land across the world has the care of the local land and spirits. He had brought offerings of ale and scented oil and sil er and had gathered dry twigs from around the oak. He knew the park well and expected to be unobser ed in this corner, sheltered from iew by brush, small trees and the big trunk of the ruling oak. He wore simple street clothes, but on his neck was the torc on which he had sworn his sorcerer%s oath. Now he unfastened his long black hair, wrapped himself in the red-spiraled white cloak he kept for these workings, and kindled his Fire. The sorcerer sat in &uiet meditation as the day%s light began to fade. His face, smooth and bearded, became utterly still. He relaxed his body and let his breath fall into its trained pattern. As the light became a grey and dim with twilight, he took nine matches and struck them. He touched fire to his well-laid kindling, bringing golden light to the little glade, and to his shining eyes. As he watched the spark catch and grow he recited an ancient charm in a deep, &uiet oice. He began to speak the words that would hallow his compact ritual place. He cleansed himself with water

and smoke, and fed his tiny fire with an offering of oil as he spoke the words that opened a gate between the worlds. He opened his inner eyes, his eyes of ision, and made offerings to his allies. His small pourings of oil made the fire brighten with each prayer. He called out to the $oddess 'rigid, and felt her shining eyes abo e him. He offered to his Teacher among the (ead ) the spirit of an !rish poet ) and saw him come to stand at his right hand. He offered to his *pirit-Ally, and the serpent-being rose from the earth to curl around his leg. He paused for a moment, en+oying the familiar communion with the spirits who were his regular co-workers. ,ith is allies gathered he threw a few more sticks on the fire and began to e oke the $uardian that he was seeking. He made an offering of oil and spoke, making further offerings as he con+ured. It is the Land Guardian I call It is the Keeper of Paths It is the Lord of Spirits It is the Secret Ruler I call. You who watch over this place You who keep the keys You who hears every voice I -he said his secret name. greet you with honor. As a ise !ne I co"e #efore you$ ! %o#le !ne. I a" the kindler of Sacred &ire I a" a alker 'etween I a" the Ally of (hree. ! Keeper of this place I #ring you offerings -He offered sil er at the base of the oak as the oil brightened the Fire, the smoke wreathing the trunk and lea es.. So$ Guardian and Ruler I pray you ad"it "e to your presence In the Real" of Shining )ist (hat I now enter. !n his eye of ision he ga/ed into the $ate as he closed his body%s eyes. He used his body%s breath to draw the Two #owers into himself. He

filled himself with the raw (arkness of the 0nderworld, and then drew in the 1ight of the *ky. ,ith will he used the 1ight to shape the *hadow, forming his body-of- ision. ,ith practiced ease he stood up in his ision body, lea ing his mortal flesh seated at his Fire. !n the half-light of the $ate the Fire was present but ga e no light. The $ate was before him, its form was as indeterminate as e er but undeniably present. His serpent was with him2 his teacher remained behind to guard his flesh. ,ith a sure will he lifted himself from where he stood and passed through the $ate. !n his spirit form he was not sub+ect to physical laws, and he flew. !n the way of the 'etween he had no specific form. *ometimes he flew as a shape of fire and shadow, sometimes as a winged being, sometimes as the ery image of his mortal form in his cloak. Through the long, twisted road of the $ate he flew, until he bespied the form of his own Fire, twinkling at the end of the mist. Focusing on that light he emerged from the $ate into the 3therworld. Here the images were brighter, clearer, yet still they were not so fixed as in mortal sight. The Fire was golden or blue, his mortal form the faintest shadow, seated before it. He turned once around o er his right shoulder. The city park in which his body rested was a clearing in the halfforest that was the ghost of the former land. 3nly a few of the city%s structures made an impact on the 3therworld, its temporary and unearthed dwellings and offices mostly unseen. The shifting misty realm ga e glimpses of ancient settlement as he looked southward. 4odern rooms, the occasional mortal shrine or altar were isible here and there. He saw no immediate sign of danger or opposition. !t seemed that the place was not beset, only without itality. The tree before him appeared as a great throne5 or was it a door5 was there a shape upon the throne6... or within it6... 'efore the Tree, his simple offerings were gone, which he took to mean that they had been accepted. ,ith that for a welcome he focused his ga/e on the Tree, seeing the form of a giant wooden arch leading to a path in and down. He focused the *ky power as a light in his left hand and his serpent came into his right.

71isten now,8 he said to his ally, speaking its name, 7go ahead of me, with your silent eye, and see how things are. *peak to the 9uler for me, if you can, or bring word back to me58 The snake slid from his hand, and it sped away into the mist. He mo ed forward along the oaken hallway, and he seemed to be descending. He used his will to seek to proceed toward the end, but though the ision misted o er, when it resol ed he was still in the long hallway. He kept walking down the long corridor and, after an uncertain length of time, he saw his snake ally returning. The small, red serpent slithered up his form to rest in his outstretched hand. He ga/ed into its eyes and felt the silent communion that they shared. As he ga/ed into its stony eyes he felt the corridor around him dissol e. The mist of the 'etween rose up around him, obscuring the ision. Then, as though it grew out of the serpent%s eyes, the ision resol ed into greater clarity. He raised his eyes from his ally and there was a figure seated before him. The old oak, here in this 3therworld place, had the form of a great wooden throne, its branches arching up leafy and green from its tall back. The throne seemed to be deeply car ed with runes and signs, though he could not read them. The figure on the throne sat inert. !t was shrouded in wea ing that might ha e been tattered brown cloth or dead and shri eled lea es. !ts face and form were concealed ) he could not call it male or female. " en the ague outlines of human form - two arms, two legs were blurred by its drapery. 'efore the enthroned figure was a small altar of stone on which a fire burned. From the base of the Throne a trickle of clear water flowed away into the mist. He paused for a moment, confused. His offerings were nowhere in sight, yet something had taken them. He did not think the being before him had stirred itself in a long while, which would explain the deadened aura of the land. :et something was here. The well-tended altar was e idence of conscious work and the spring, though merely a trickle, was clean and unblocked. The sorcerer knew that if this place were totally abandoned and asleep those things would not be. *o he focused his resol e and remembered his center, letting the Fire and ,ater flow and shine in him. He cupped his hands before him and

kindled the Fire in them, letting the water fill his palms, flowing through his fingers, onto the earth, and spoke. 7;ome to the Fire, *pirits,8 he called, and the *pirits came. 3f course there were the myriad eyes of the small beings, peering and peeping2 the ga/e of animal and plant spirits and those strange, half-awake things of the mortal machines. Among the crowd of spirits there were three who were drawn to his flame, and who stood forward more clearly. They came to stand between the flaming altar and the great enthroned figure. The first of these had the shape of a black dog with bright blue eyes that sat on its haunches and ga/ed at him sharply. The second seemed to be a thin, naked child whose head was the fleshless skull of some possumlike beast. The third figure appeared as a human woman, dressed in a style current in the early twentieth century. Her face was co ered with a grey eil but a lambent aura shone around her head like a dim flame. His familiar tightened on his wrist, and he held it to his ear. ,hen the snake spoke it was like a small wind whispering against his ear. 7These are her ser ants,8 the sighing whisper entered his mind and it came to him that as the $uardian had sunk into sleep these three smaller beings had taken up the work of the *hrine. They kept the altar alight and the spring clean, so that at least a spark and trickle of spiritual power would flow into the mortal world. ,ithout the actual awareness of the $uardian ) the <1ady% of this patch of land ) no substantial flow of blessing could come to the plants and animals and e en the humans would need a strong connection to (eity or the spirits. The sorcerer had undertaken this work to remedy the deadened feel of the land ) now he was at the heart of the matter. He extended his hand with the serpent around his wrist, and in the silent oice of the spirits he asked to see the offerings that he had gi en. "ach of the three spirits extended a hand, -did the dog%s paw appear as a hand56. and there were his pieces of sil er. He asked the three to stay thus. 'y his will and ision he caused his ision body to grow larger. At the same time he brought awareness of his material body to his mind, +ust

enough to operate his hands. ,ith this sorcerous double- ision in place he physically took up his offerings. He silently spoke to the three ser ants, asking, 7+oin with me58 and he made the physical offerings again. The spirits did the same, the (og pouring the oil -yes, that was a hand., the *kull-faced 'oy offered the ale and the eiled ,oman placed the sil er in the spring. At that moment the Fire in both worlds sprang to bright life, fed by the oil. The sorcerer stood in the physical world and brought together his inner and outer sight. He knew the tree before him was a simple oak, yet he also saw the throne and the $uardian. He saw the strange half-forest of the 3therworld and the forest of brick and steel of the mortal land. He went a step further and called the $uardian and her ser ants a step closer to the common world, and spoke. %o#le )other$ *ear "y calling Gifts I+ve given$ worship worthy ake now$ arder$ heed your people &la"e #e #rightened$ aters deepened *ealing flow and wisdo" waken )ortal hearts "ade whole and happy 'y your #lessing$ gracious Guardian *eed "y hailing$ %o#le )other, The power of his spontaneous wordcraft mingled with the light of the sacrifice. !n his heart he called again to the $oddess 'rigid, and he felt a warm ray of her lo e +oin with his light. The three ser ant spirits turned to face the $uardian in hopeful supplication. The sorcerer merged his isionbody with his flesh, and used his breath to brighten the Flame in his brow. The light shone on the shrouded form of the $uardian. The 4ist of the 'etween rose up around the form of the $uardian, e en as her eyes slowly opened. The webs and lea es of the figure seemed to reform into a gown and a eil of green lea es. Though most of the figure was still concealed she was now ob iously female, and her gown did not ha e the look of a shroud. The $uardian%s eyes held his, and he felt a flow of gratitude and welcome. He knew that in that moment his offerings had been truly

accepted. !n a moment of communion he heard the $uardian%s name, and returned the honor with a flow of the combined lo e of himself, his $oddess and all those who had sent him. Then, with a bow, he retreated. As always, returning to the common world was much easier than lea ing it. Already attuned to his flesh, he allowed his mind to be centered again in his body. He saw the $ate before him in his ision, and he glimpsed again the now-shining eyes of the $uardian. He was interested to find that the (og spirit seemed to ha e followed him back to the common world. !n a silent con ersation he understood that the $uardian was still weak and sleepy, and that the (og would guard this place while the $uardian grew strong. The sorcerer made his thanks to his $oddess, his Teacher and his Familiar, and to the $uardian and her ser ants. He spoke the words that would close the $ate and stayed seated in calm meditation until his small fire was cold. 3 er the next weeks word spread to the #agan population of the neighborhood. The stones that the sorcerer had gathered to build his firealtar became the basis of a cairn, there at the foot of the oak. The folk isited often, lea ing small stones to increase the cairn or pouring a bit of their picnic beer or lunch-break coffee o er the stones. #assers-by might notice a whiff of sandalwood or +asmine from the incense sticks occasionally left in the stones. The neighborhood seemed, somehow, to brighten. ;olds and flus were relie ed sooner2 plants grew more thickly in the little park and flourished in pots and porch-boxes. *e eral women who had sought pregnancy found it, and new lo es bloomed with sweet sensuality. The sorcerer was pleased. He had done as his folk had asked, and he had brought a new flow of blessing to this little patch of land