Cogitationibus Animae Septem
Description: The Latin title for this ritual translates into English as "Reflections of the Seven Souls." Necromantic lore concerning the nature of the soul has long been preoccupied with the number seven and the superstitions surrounding mirrors. This premise can be traced to the Ancient Egyptians whose religion deemed that each human being was born with seven distinct souls. As time passed, other cultures were influenced by this belief and it has been transmitted through fifty-three centuries to the present day in the form of folklore and urban legends.
The occidental preoccupation with mirrors and the superstitions concerning them are based on the Ancient Mesopotamian belief that mirrors reflect the human soul in part or total; the ancient taboo against breaking a mirror and the seven years of bad luck which are to follow are based on this belief. It has long been held that when a mirror is broken while reflecting a human image, the human soul which was reflected, will be broken in a sympathetic manner. The damage done to the soul will heal, if not impeded by sorcery, in seven years because that is the amount of time that it takes the soul to completely regenerate.
Centuries of research into these two premises have revealed that the human soul does have seven distinct and integral spiritual mechanisms at work. These seven mechanisms are described in terms of their function and in relationship to one another. The Mediam Animam is the core of the soul, which provides an essential center for the rest of the soul and represents an individual's native willpower. The Anima Superior is the higher soul and represents an individuals personal virtues, path of enlightenment or the ghostly eidolon. The Inferiores Animae is the lower soul, the baser instincts, negative emotions and self destructive tendencies which in vampires emerges as the Beast and in ghosts as the Shadow. The Aetherios Animo is the seat of personality and identity; it also serves as a vehicle for consciousness which can be divorced from the body for spiritual exploration, like astral projection. Spiritus is the essential life force which animates humanity, it is in finite supply and runs out as the mortal ages; vampires have no Spiritus of their own and must steal it from the living in the form of blood. Vis Magica is humanity's inherent magical energies; few mortals know how to tap into their Vis, mages call it Tass, ghost refer to it as Pathos and as with Spiritus - vampires must steal it from mortals as blood to utilize it. The seventh soul is the Exterius Anima which encapsulates the other six souls and is commonly known to the occult minded as the aura; its purpose is to protect the other spiritual mechanisms from external influence, but because of this, it reflects their internal properties to those with the mystical senses to perceive them.
This ritual allows the necromancer to temporarily enchant a mirror to reflect any of the seven aspects of the soul, but the mirror must be attuned to each aspect separately during the initial casting, so each casting will reveal only one aspect of the soul at a time. Only the caster or a chosen subject sees the image of the spiritual aspect he has summoned, anyone else glancing within the mirror sees a normal reflection. This ritual can have profound psychological effects on the subject, as the reflection in the mirror is an aspect of his soul and the image apes his actions as he moves before the looking glass. This ritual has virtually unlimited potential as a tool for spiritual illumination, though its revelations may not necessarily be welcome, as truth is a double-edged sword. This ritual can tell the necromancer a great deal about the subject, if the necromancer is observant and patient. Obviously, this ritual can only be cast on those who have a reflection; the Lasombra clan of vampires are immune.
Origin: Benesj Cherno
Ingredients: A mirror buried with a body in a grave or tomb / a dead human eye / an appropriately colored human tallow candle
Casting: The ritual must be begun in a dark room. The caster lights a human tallow candle of an appropriate color to reflect the aspect he wishes to invoke and lights it. Once the candle is lit, the necromancer places a dead human eye in his right hand and holds it before the candle lit mirror and invokes the chosen spiritual aspect to be reflected by the mirror in Greek or Latin.
System: The player rolls Intelligence + Rituals at a difficulty of five (5); each success equates to another scene in which the necromancer or the subject of the ritual can continue to witness the spiritual aspects characteristics. If the necromancer botches this ritual, all human reflections in nearby mirrors will turn to look at the necromancer; this effect lasts for one scene per botch and can be quite unsettling for the necromancer. If he fails the ritual, he has wasted time and must try again. This ritual takes thirty (30) minutes to cast.
References: The level one necromancy ritual - Catoptromancy, found in Bruce's Grimoire - level one rituals.
