Working with Vepar: the waters, and an oil for anointing before sea work

Vepar, and the governance of waters

Vepar is a Duke in the Goetia, and the Grimoire Companion entry for him is elemental and plain: he governs the waters, guides ships, and raises storms upon the sea. That is a domain that should command respect, because water does not negotiate. A sailor, a fisher, a traveller by sea, or anyone whose work depends on water knows that the sea gives passage and takes it away on its own terms. Work with Vepar, as the tradition presents him, is work about that relationship: guidance across water, and the storm that is the sea's other face.

Guidance and storm belong together in this office, and they should be held together when you think about the work. A spirit who only guided ships would be a fair-weather helper, useful when things are already calm. A spirit who only raised storms would be a threat, not a working partner. Vepar's traditional office includes both, which means the work is not about pretending the sea is safe. It is about approaching water with the seriousness it deserves, preparing properly, and asking for guidance in a realm where preparation and respect are the difference between passage and wreck.

That seriousness is also why an oil, rather than a grander tool, fits this work well. An oil is used for anointing, and anointing is a small, deliberate act: a drop, applied with a purpose, naming what it is for. It does not pretend to command the sea. It marks the person, the tool, or the working as set apart for this purpose, before the larger work begins. In sea work, as in any work with a powerful element, that small deliberate act is a fitting beginning, because it forces you to state, plainly, what you are asking for, before you ask for it.

What this oil is made from

I hand make all of my own perfumes, colognes, and oils from only pure essential oils, roots, and herbs. Sometimes there is the odd gemstone thrown in as well. I do not use any extraneous ingredients or fillers, and I do not use any synthetics. That is the offering's own description of its method, and it is worth taking seriously, because an oil is not something you look at. It is something you put on skin, on a seal, or on a tool, and what is in it matters in a direct, physical way. An oil made from real essential oils, roots, and herbs is a different thing from an oil made from synthetic scent, and for work with water, beginning with honest materials is a fitting place to start.

All colognes, perfumes, and oils are in a half-ounce bottle, about twice as large as those little health food store essential oil bottles, unless otherwise stated. That size is practical, not impressive, and its practicality suits the work. A half-ounce bottle is carried in a working kit, used a drop at a time, and lasts through many workings if it is used deliberately. It is not a bottle to be poured out freely. Anointing is done by the drop, with a purpose named, and a bottle used that way will teach you economy as well as devotion, because you will notice, drop by drop, how often you actually anoint, and for what.

The offering also notes a current trend of everyone wanting spell powders in oil form, or oils to use with spells. That trend is worth noticing, because it can blur the difference between an oil made for a specific spirit and a general scented oil. This oil is for anointing and spirit work with Vepar. It is not a general-purpose perfume, and it should not be used as one, any more than a seal for Vepar should be worn as general jewellery. Specificity is the point. If you are not working with Vepar, this is not the oil for your working, whatever it smells like.

Anointing, and working with water

Anointing with Vepar oil is done deliberately, naming the purpose in your own words. Anoint a seal for Vepar, where your practice calls for it, before a working concerned with water, travel by sea, or guidance across a difficult passage. Anoint your own hands or forehead, where your practice calls for personal anointing, before you begin, as a marking of yourself for the work. Do not anoint casually, or out of habit, or because the bottle is to hand. Anointing done without a purpose is scent, not working, and scent will not teach you anything about the sea.

Prepare for water work as you would prepare for any serious working: know what you are asking for, in one sentence, know what you will do yourself in the ordinary world, and close the working properly when it is done. If your work concerns an actual voyage, ordinary preparation comes first: a sound vessel, a competent crew, weather read properly, and safety equipment in order. No oil replaces those things, and no working should be used as an excuse to neglect them. Spirit work supports ordinary competence. It does not replace it, and in sea work, pretending otherwise is not bold. It is reckless.

Keep a record of the work you do with the oil: date, the matter in one sentence, what you anointed, what you did, and what you noticed afterwards, over days and weeks. Note the ordinary facts alongside the working: the weather, the passage, the condition of the vessel or the work. Over time that record will show whether your preparation is improving, and whether your approach to water is growing steadier, which is the real measure of this work. If nothing changes, that is also information. It may mean the purpose was unclear, the timing was wrong, or the situation needs a different approach.

Storage and care for an oil are practical matters, and they affect the working more than people expect. Keep the bottle upright, capped, away from heat and direct sun, and out of reach of children and animals, as you would any concentrated oil made from essential oils, roots, and herbs. Do not apply an oil to broken skin, and if you have sensitive skin, test a small amount first, in the ordinary way, before anointing more widely. Those precautions are not a lack of faith in the working. They are ordinary competence, and ordinary competence is part of any serious practice. An oil that has gone stale, or that has been left open and contaminated, is not a stronger tool for having been neglected. It is a weaker one, and it should be replaced rather than used out of habit.

Vepar grimoire demon evocation oil

An oil for sea work should be used by the drop, with a purpose named, not poured out freely.

I hand make all of my own oils from only pure essential oils, roots, and herbs, sometimes with the odd gemstone, with no extraneous ingredients, fillers, or synthetics. This one is Vepar, in a half-ounce bottle, for anointing and spirit work with Vepar, who governs the waters, guides ships, and raises storms upon the sea. I make no promise about what it will do for you, only that it is made from real materials, for this work.

If you want the oil for that work, this is the one I offer: Vepar Goetia grimoire demon evocation oil, $44 CAD. View the product

I also make Vepar incense for the same work, $44 CAD, for use alongside the oil in a full working. View the product

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