A Ritual for Justice: New Working for the Magic Resistance (UPDATED)
UPDATED to include a Biblical prayer from the Book of Job. See below.
And you can now buy the book by the creator of this spell: Magic for the Resistance: Rituals and Spells for Change. Get it now and be ready for the midterm elections!
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There has been considerable discussion among those of us participating in the Trump Binding Ritual about incorporating a magical working specifically for justice. Many want to add some mojo to the investigations by Robert Mueller and members of Congress, while some want to help the dogged journalists exposing the seemingly endless stream of the administration’s sleaziness and malfeasance. Some just want to speed the damn process of indictments and trials, which can’t come too soon!
Many of us have also been enraged by the mistreatment of people of color by the U.S. criminal “justice” system and the demonization of those expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement (like the NFL players being tarred as unpatriotic/anti-military for taking a knee during the National Anthem).
So the concept of justice, and the need for justice, have been very much on our minds.
Here I will offer a simple, but potent, ritual I have added to my daily practice. It was inspired by a one-card tarot draw I did in advance of the August Trump binding ritual. I pulled the Justice card and was struck by its concrete symbolism and powerful resonance. As I meditated on the card, it hit me: Justice is a critical aim of our movement, and should have its own distinct ritual.
So if you’d like to join us—and many members of the #MagicResistance have already incorporated this brief ritual into their daily practice—here’s all you need to do:
Get out your trusty tarot cards and remove Justice. Place it somewhere prominent to create a makeshift altar (it doesn’t need to be on your regular altar, if you have one, but you can absolutely add it if you like). Prop the card against something so that it’s standing up. You can even use a folded business card with slits cut into it (see photo below) as a stand.
You may want to use the Justice card from an alternate deck, especially if you do regular readings, so you don’t have to keep removing it from your main deck. Or you could just print a copy of a Justice card you’ve found online, of course.
(I’m a big fan of pre-20th century decks, as I find their imagery much more magically potent than the Smith-Waite and its many clones, but use the Justice card that holds the most meaning for you.)
Place the card in front of a white candle. I prefer what are known as prayer, seven-day vigil, or Novena candles. The candles sit inside clear glass holders and you can print your own image on a piece of paper (the #BindTrump sigil, for example, as shown here) and glue it to the outside of the glass to make an instant, personalized vigil candle.
If you want to add other items that symbolize the concept of justice, i.e., photo of Robert Mueller, an image of Trump behind bars, flowers, gems, crystals, etc., please do it up. This is your altar of Justice, so make it work for you and your system’s correspondences.
But sometimes simplest is best, so the card and the candle are really all you need. (And if you live with roommates or a spouse who isn’t a fan of your magical practice, this is very easy to discretely set up and put away).
Once every day, preferably at the same time (morning is good, especially sunrise as the sun represents clarity and truth), light the white candle, place the Justice card in front of it, and say a fervent prayer that the lies of Donald Trump and those who abet him will be exposed and that they will all be brought before the sword and scales of Justice. You may also add a request for protection for those doing the work of resistance (and that includes all of us) and for wider goals of social, criminal, and economic justice.
As the The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage implores, Inflame thyself with prayer!
“The whole secret of prayer lies in this direction. Invoke often. Inflame thyself with prayer. It aims at moving the individual to ecstasy to transcend himself. In short, prayer consists of a complex of psychological and spiritual gestures . . . designed to enable us to recover our true identity, which is God.”
—Israel Regardie, The One Year Manual
This is not a prescribed ritual — it should be a heartfelt, extemporaneous prayer to your deity(s), or to the concept of Justice, or the Universe . . . you get the idea. Feel it.
End with a sincere statement of gratefulness, blow out the candle, and—most importantly—continue to work through all available channels, mundane and spiritual, for justice.
Because we need her now, more than ever.
“There must exist a paradigm, a practical model for social change that includes an understanding of ways to transform consciousness that are linked to efforts to transform structures.”
― bell hooks, Killing Rage: Ending Racism
Updates:
If you have the time, you may want to consider doing the Daily Trump Binding and Justice Spell.
In my umpteenth re-read of the classic The Master Book of Candle Burning or How to Burn Candles for Every Purpose by Henri Gamache (1942), I came across this Biblical prayer drawn from Job 21:17–18 that is used to “uncross” someone (remove negativity from them). I realized this could be an excellent addition to the Justice candle working.
It quite obviously can be used to call spiritual assistance to aid the prosecution of wicked political lawbreakers. Here’s an option aimed at the liars and criminals in the Trump cabal.
- Get a small black candle. Carve the Trump binding sigil into it with a pin or nail.
2. Set it next to your white candle and Justice tarot card before beginning the ritual.
3. Light the white candle and say the fervent prayer for Justice as noted above. But do NOT blow out the white candle yet.
4. Light the black candle, visualizing and/or verbalizing about how you desire justice for those who have broken laws and committed treason.
5. Read aloud, with passion, this verse from the book of Job:
How often is the candle of the wicked put out? And how oft cometh their destruction upon them? God distributeth sorrows in his anger.
They are as stubble before the wind and as chaff that the storm carryeth away.
If you can also see the targets in your mind’s eye while reciting the verses, so much the better. You may also choose to say their names aloud while looking at their images, or burn small photos of them. Improvise as suits your tradition or creative impulse.
6. Blow out the black candle.
7. Now end with your sincere gratefulness to the Justice of the tarot (a potent conceptual archetype) or your preferred Justice-aligned deity or spirit. Pray that your magic should be employed only for truth, impartiality, fairness, and compassionate Justice—which benefits us all, and doesn’t preclude redemption. Then extinguish the white candle.
Repeat through the indictments and trials until you are satisfied Justice has been served. You can also perform this on Congressional hearing days, when judgments are about to be announced, or whenever appropriate.
When it’s all over, and Justice has prevailed, bury the black candle somewhere desolate or get rid of it at a crossroads (a garbage can or dumpster at a crossroads is ideal).
Keep at it, magical people! We are going to win!
Michael M. Hughes is a writer, speaker, and magical thinker. The American Spectator said, “He may play footsie with the devil, but at least the man has a sense of humor.” You can sign up for his newsletter, check out his YouTube channel, and follow him on Twitter and Facebook. The official Bind Trump group can be found on Facebook, so if you’re looking for a group to share ideas and work some magic with, they’ll be happy to welcome you.
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