Paths of Syrene Magick
Retiarius
The Way of the Retiarius is the way of the teacher, the guide, the counselor; the representative of the community. These are the carriers of the trident (or staff) and net (or cloak), who endure journeys to the Otherworlds not simply because they can, or even because they should, but because the people around them need them to do so. It is a way of becoming: of weaving into being actively in the here and now. Theirs is the occupation of “pastoral care” in the truest sense of those words. They are also the “fortune teller”, though not in the diminished modern sense of that title: rather than simply employing divinatory tools to forecast future events, they instead use such tools to help others find “their place on the map” by helping the querent refocus in the hopes of standing at the Center (by renewing a relationship with their authentic selves, the interconnected world and Otherworlds, and the Divine). The most essential job of the Retiarius is to help other people. The simplest yet most profound job of the Retiarius is to stand up, represent, and genuinely be there for those who are in need. This is basically the “home-road” of the Syrene Witch. In seeking to practice within this Tradition of Witchcraft, we naturally find our feet treading this path of service.
The hallmarks of the Retiarius are the trident or staff and the net or cloak. The name of this path in fact comes from one of the most famous types of Roman gladiator: those which fought, unarmored and without helmets, armed only with a trident and a net, representing the archetype of the fisherman. Such gladiators were often regarded as crossing implied gender norms, and this is likewise often an aspect of service as a Retiarius within Syrenity (note: Syrenity is a completely gender-inclusive and gender-identifying-inclusive Tradition!). The trident or staff is used in practice to demarcate sacred space and also to beat the ground and create a cadence for trancework and journeying. The trident/staff is also symbolic of the Retiarius’ commitment to serve their community. The net or cloak is likewise a sign of the Retiarius’ “station” within the Tradition, but also serves a practical purpose: it may be draped over the practictioner to block out light when attempting trancework/journeying, or it may be spread upon the ground while the practitioner Holds Space. It may also serve as a surface for performing divination. Once the Retiarius has firmly and authentically taken their place upon this Path of Syrene Magick, picking up the trident and net, it then becomes their duty in this world and all Others to carry them for their community, with hospitality, reciprocity, integrity, and honor. That community includes all those people on which we have impact as individuals, and who likewise have impact upon us, as individuals.
Merrow
The Way of the Merrow is the magickal path of the Middle Worlds, for it actively uses those things and even entities which populate those Middle Worlds to accomplish its ends. More than perhaps any other of the Ways, this one is actively involved in a working relationship with the Invisible Population, including its darker denizens, such as Trolls, Huldufolk, Dark Fae, and Helhests. It is an autumn and august byway, but it is also the closest thing to a “left hand path” that we have in Syrenity. “Left”, because it curses as freely as it blesses, not because it is “evil” in any form or fashion, for the true Merrow curses as justly as they bless. In the ancient world, practitioners of similar types of magick were feared: we know this from the evidence of their grave-goods. Some were even beheaded, to keep them in the grave; in other cases, their lower jaws were removed, post-mortem, so that they could not mutter curses in the afterlife. Pig jawbones are often associated with those who were likely practitioners of these sorts of magick, supposedly intended to likewise keep such practitioners in their graves.
The hallmarks of the Merrow are the threaded needle and the blade. In fact, the name “merrow” references not only the traditional merfolk of that title, but also a type of overlock stitching that sews over the edge of one or two pieces of cloth and is usually used for hemming, seaming, or decorative edging. The threaded needle is one of the most important magickal tools of such practitioners, being employed in divination as well as sympathetic magick. The blade, unlike the traditional athame, is a working blade, and while it may likewise be used to demarcate sacred space, it is also used in carving candles, stirring one’s cauldron, and in gathering or preparing herbs. The most “personal” of the Syrene Paths of Magick, performed as often by the individual solely for themselves as for the community, when practicing in service, the Merrow most often performs workings for justice (or even retribution), as well as healing, divination, and even weather magick (including magick to protect and heal the Earth and Sea’s climate). Because of both the “personal” and “practical” nature of the Path of the Merrow, almost every Syrene Practitioner will find themselves “swimming” along this Path at some point in their tenure as a Syrene Witch.
Syren
The Way of the Syren is perhaps the most specialized magickal path within Syrenity. It is a path which carries with it great responsibility, as this is the path of mediumship in the Syrene Tradition. While all paths participate in Otherworld travel of one variety or another—for all paths are shamanic in nature—it is the Syren who effectively brings things back from the Otherworld, to communicate with the mundane world. This is not only dangerous, it is also physically taxing. Some Syrens, like Syrenity co-founder Michelle Iacona, may give up huge chunks of their own lives, to assist in bringing the Dead, the Deities, or other beings into the mundane world to participate alongside and among the living. The Syren also bears a huge responsibility: to work alongside the Dead, the Invisible Population, and the Divine to aid in healing through soul-retrieval. Think of it this way: modern physicians take the Hippocratic Oath, as a guarantor that they will practice ethically, and they are only healing the body; Syrens work directly with the parts of the soul. These are very specific actions, not shared by the previously discussed branches of Syrene magickal practice. Like the Retiarius, the Syren’s intent should be to serve the community, and those who use their powers instead for their own personal gain or to divide or otherwise harm the community are referred to as lamia (plural: lamiai) within the Tradition of Syrenity. The community served includes not only the living or the mundane, but also the Gods and the Invisible Population, including the Revered Dead. Certainly, when more “individualistic needs” should arise, the more “solo art” of the Merrow is also available, and many Syrens are accomplished cross-practitioners.
The hallmarks of the Syren are the mirror and the shroud. The mirror may be employed in a form of scrying wherein it is used almost like a “telephone” to the Otherworlds, in order to communicate with the Dead, the Invisible Population, and even the Divine in a manner less intrusive than actual mediumship. The shroud is used to block light during trances, and also to cover the face of the Syren so that any changes which occur during mediumship will not upset the community which she intends to serve. Syrens employ breath to bring forth the “spirits” and in many cases this may lead to a use of song or even controlled wailing to achieve these ends, hence the choice of name for this path. In Greek mythology, sirens were humanoid creatures with alluring voices.
Godsinger
The Way of the Godsinger is that of the anointed/ordained Priest/ess within Syrenity. Certainly, as Witches, those who are called to this Tradition are automatically priests and priestesses in their own right, but those who choose to become Godsingers take upon themselves an extra mantle of responsibility to teach, lead, and foster the community which they serve. These are the ritual specialists of Syrenity, well-versed enough in the Principles of Syrenity to not only lead ritual, but also to compose effective ritual. Their knowledge of the Principles of Syrenity also makes them effective teachers, able to educate others in the Ways of this Tradition. To an even deeper degree than for the Retiarius, it is the duty of the Godsinger to look out into their community on a regular basis and ask the all-and-ever-important question: “how can I help?” Because of this, you will find that many Godsingers began their tenure in Syrenity as dedicated Retiarii. The Way of the Godsinger is, in fact, a culmination of the three other Syrene Paths of Magick: these are dedicants who have “swum the Wheel”, dedicating themselves to the arduous study, practice, and commitment of serving as Retiarius, Merrow, and Syren, and who have found within their most authentic selves, via those experiences, a deep and abiding love not only for the Divine but for the World and the Worlds.
The hallmarks of the Godsinger are the crown and the sword. The crown serves as a signal to those in the community of the practitioner’s “station” as a ritual leader, teacher, and protector and caregiver of the community. It also serves as a signal for the practitioner themself: donning the crown means that wherever they stand, the Godsinger stands in sacred space and sacred time. The sword is likewise representative of “station”, but also so much more: it is the binding symbol of the Godsinger’s commitment to protect and take care of the community which they have vowed to serve. The sword serves a practical purpose as well: unlike the blade of the Merrow, it is not a working blade, but instead is used solely to demarcate sacred space, direct energies, and build wards. The sword may also be used in a percussive manner, similar to the trident or staff of the Retiarius, in order to create rhythms for the induction of trancework or journeying by a gathering/within a larger ritual context.
All material herein copyright 2023 (and forward) Michelle Iacona, Connla Hundr Lung, and other attributed authors.
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