Disclaimer: The following document fragment is presented from an in-character perspective, it should not be taken as the truth of the setting.
Context: There was a time when the Secretum was deeply interwoven with the Catholic Church, to this day, the guild’s HQ remains located in the Vatican, or at least dimensionally adjacent to it. Older texts sometimes present themselves as religious and it was indeed common for mages of the past to be religious… though the god they worshipped was not exactly the same god as Christianity’s. Note that this text is annotated by a much later author.
In the words of Saint Francis, let us pray.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow peace,
Where there is injury, let me sow pardon,
Where there is doubt, let me sow faith,
Where there is despair, let me give hope,
Where there is darkness, let me give light,
Where there is sadness, let me give joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may
Not try to be comforted, but comfort,
Not try to be understood but to understand,
Not try to be loved but to love.
Because it is in the giving that we receive
It is in the forgiving that we are forgiven
And it is in the dying that we are born to eternal life.
Brothers, the Lord has placed a burden on our shoulders. A burden only we can bear.
Lord.
Preserve me from a life that would bring Larva into this world. Let my life never affect my brothers and sisters so grievously that they cannot find peace, or may I be struck down by the spirit.
(Larva – the sort of ghost one conjures up against themselves. Thus a ghost which is anchored to the person it is haunting. Usually, the emergence of a larva can hint at such emotions as guilt, regret or fear as the underlying factor. Larva tends to be violent, prone to lashing out and may often take on a more morbid appearance than the original person had in life.)
Save me from the fate of birthing Effigies into this world. May I never harbour a spirit that brings suffering onto others, and may I never defile the soul of another by binding them to my sin.
(Effigies – a ghost that is not haunting its anchor. Instead, it haunts someone else or a location. Commonly created by strong emotions relating to loss and anger. An effigies usually reveals itself to the anchor but in a non-threatening way.)
Send upon us Imago, may we be protected by those who passed away. Those who have joined Thine most holy hosts of angels and saints. Grant us their presence.
(Imago – in rare cases when a non-violent ghost is formed, the result is called an imago. These ghosts generally do not interfere with humans in any significant way. Left to their own devices, they dissipate over time as the emotions leading to their creation subside.)
Lord.
May we return the restress dead to peace.
May we slay the Manis and put the ashes to rest.
(Manis – in the past, it was believed that a ghost could inhabit a corporeal shell. Generally, that of a corpse, i.e. “their” corpse. Today, however, it is known to be impossible and so-called “corporeal undead” are an unrelated phenomenon.)
May we bring judgement to the host of Lamina.
(Lamina – no ghost begins its existence as a Lamina. Instead, they are ghosts who, through the application of psychology and magic, have been hijacked by a mage. Such a spirit never serves willingly. It is only ever tricked into servitude. Often such trickery requires manipulating the anchor as much as the ghost itself.)
May we guard Thine sheep against the Idolon.
(Idolon – a type of ghost that lacks a centralised anchor. An Idolon is the creation of the mass collective unconsciousness and generally is the most removed from their original self. They are commonly of Imago or Effigies, very rarely Larva. Cases, where a ghost is both a Larva and an Idolon, are considered the absolute worst-case scenario as far as hauntings go. They tend to be monstrously powerful and hard to destroy. Fortunately, they are also rare and tend to destabilise on their own over time.)
Grant us the strength to persevere, in Thine name.
Against Luxuria.
Against Gula.
Against Avaritia.
Against Acedia.
Against Ira.
Against Invidia.
Against Superbia.
Lord, grant us strength.
(Traditionally, a haunting spirit was linked to a vice displayed by the ghost’s anchor that bound the soul to the mortal plane. In modern times this approach is no longer used by any educated exorcist. Instead, methods based on psychology are used, and the issue of ghosts is tackled from the perspective of trauma.)
Esoteric Musings... 