When I dripped the cedarwood oil into the bowl of the hot oil warmer, I didn’t hear anything unusual from the bowl. When I held the tarot card over the oil warmer to collect the scent and withdrew it, I noticed the card face was covered in splatter. I wiped the splatter off with my leg so the paper of the card would not warp before adding more water to the bowl.
That area of skin felt unusually cool for the rest of the ritual. After saying the summoning words, I was suddenly drowning in a deep wave of lethargy and drowsiness. It would be easy to say “something’s happening”, but the previous two days were filled with sixteen hour work days and maybe five hours of sleep in between.
However, magic is the process that turns a nudge into a push, so who am I to say, right?
I could not keep my eyes open for anything, but there were no visions to see this time. Only the presence of the spirit warmly wrapping itself around me with a sense of amusement.
“I’m not gonna let you drop me into a stupor this time. Gonna keep it short and sweet. Any words for me?”
«Continue your prayers and meditations.»
His presence condensed into a figure that I was able to see across the table. His face was completely obscured by the hood.
“Do you still pray for me?” I don’t know why I felt guilty about it.
«I do. Now go.»
His mirth intensified and my view of him faded. I nodded in agreement, spoke the license to depart, and ended the ritual.
Total time wishing I could sleep the week away: 4 minutes.