The “Purge of Mars” — A Banishing Sigil
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The premise behind this exercise is that the querent has something he or she would like to eliminate from present and future circumstances — it might be a difficult person or an unpleasant condition. This conjuration applies the cleansing agent of Mars as embodied in the Tower and the four most relevant “Mars” pip cards, the 3 of Disks (Earth), the 10 of Cups (Water), the 9 of Swords (Air) and the 7 of Wands (Fire). In addition, although some may find the inverted pentagram unsettling, it has legitimate uses in ritual magic that don’t involve demonic entities.
The Tower represents both the intention to complete the banishing and the instant (or “trigger point”) when it materializes, while the other four show the practical, emotional, cerebral and egotistical inhibitions (aka “baggage”) that must be jettisoned in order to move forward. The pentagram is shown as inverted to suggest that the negativity will be flushed downward and out of the picture rather than being elevated and sublimated. (We don’t want to redeem it, just expel it.) An intentionally-chosen “Problem” card is placed at the center, atop the “significator” card identifying the querent, and a “numerological essence” card is calculated to project the long-term consequences of the purge.
I once wrote an essay titled “Reversal As Unloading” that included “the idea of ‘unloading’ or being relieved of something — ideally a burden but actually a surplus of anything that has reached its ‘tipping point’ or ‘critical mass’ for good or ill.” With this in mind, I decided that all of the cards in this layout (other than the significator) should be dealt reversed, thereby signaling the objective (and the advantage) of removing their energy from the situation. This applies to both the six “baseline” cards and all of the randomly-drawn cards; the calculated “essence” card would also be reversed when adopting my practice of subtracting the face values of reversed cards in a series. The influence of any random cards that would normally be considered fortunate must still be “let go of” for the purpose of an effective cleansing, which is not the same thing as “throwing the baby out with the bath-water.” It amounts to a willing sacrifice for the querent’s “greater good.”
As far as I can tell, there are no banishing rituals that originate at the “apex of Spirit” on the pentagram, only invoking rituals. So, even though I’ve inverted that point for my purpose, I’ve located no esoteric precedent for the action I’m attempting here. But, for the record, there is also no ceremonial significance to the order or flow of card placement, only to the efficacy of Mars energy in successfully accomplishing the mission when the instant of release is reached at the bottom of the pattern. For practical purposes, following the declaration of magical intent, I chose to begin with Earth (3 of Disks) as the urge to “dump” pragmatic impediments, then accelerate through Water (10 of Cups), Air (9 of Swords) and Fire (7 of Wands) as increasingly volatile impulses culminating in the Tower.
Begin by selecting a card to represent the querent and place it upright in the center of the table, then choose a card to signify the “problem” (for example, a court card to identify another person or any card that accurately describes the situation). Lay the problem card reversed on top of the querent’s card.
Now lay the “baseline” pattern beginning with Card #1, the 3 of Disks at the upper left, and following the pentagram until you arrive at Card #5, the Tower at the inverted apex. All of these cards should be intentionally reversed.
After establishing the five-pointed matrix, take the rest of the deck in hand and, before proceeding with the shuffle, concentrate on the purpose of the ritual as defined by the uncompromising energy of the Tower. When confident that you have the goal clearly in mind, shuffle the cards and deal five of them on top of the baseline array, starting at the 3 of Disks and continuing as before. Regardless of the orientation of the cards when pulled from the deck, lay them reversed in all of the positions to show what is to be banished across the board.
Here is an example reading. The subject is a man who has a severe case of COVID-19 (for which I picked the dolorous Thoth 8 of Cups) and wants to know what he can do to cast off the affliction.
The random cards drawn were the Prince of Swords; the 7 of Swords; the Princess of Cups; the 2 of Swords; and the Moon at the “trigger point.” The abundance of Air signifies a “vexing problem,” while the Water cards suggest “flu-like symptoms.”
The Prince of Swords in the “Practical Dump” position shows that he must think carefully about any bad habits he has been perpetuating that are having a deleterious effect on his health, and then suppress or eliminate them.
The 7 of Swords in the “Emotional Dump” position reflects that he feels overwhelmed by the severity of the challenge, with no clear path to recovery. The temptation is to just “marinate in his misery,” which would be the worst thing he could do. Even if he can only “inch along,” inch he must.
The Princess of Cups in the “Cerebral Dump” position shows that he is letting his heart rule his head, and he must “shake out the cobwebs” if he is to see his way clear to a solution.
The 2 of Swords in the “Ego Dump” position conveys that he must admit that he’s at a dead end, and that he can’t simply “will his way” out of the trap.
The Moon at the “Trigger Point” reflects that the malaise is deeply-rooted and not likely to go away any time soon. (It could mean that he is suffering from “long COVID.” and despairs of a cure.)
The Hierophant as the “Long Range Consequences” card is a presence I recently described as “returning to normal after an unsettled period.” However, the reversed expression following the compromised Moon is more likely to portend a weakened or diminished state of normalcy, not a full return to robust health. Think of it as “the new normal” for the querent. All-in-all, while he can make worthwhile adjustments, they aren’t likely to reinstate his former quality of life, just stave off further decline. Hopefully it doesn’t signify receiving his “last rights,” which might be the case if this pentagram were turned on its head so all the cards are upright. With the malevolent Moon in the ascendancy and the sanctimonious Hierophant crowning it, things might get ugly in a “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition” way.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.org on February 2, 2025.
