77-Fevers Charm

copyright Jenine Trayer 2011

Cold and flu season brings a spate of unwelcome germ-bugs into your home, particularly if you have children who spend time in a daycare environment, or you have a large, extended family living in the same household.  Fevers are the body's way of fighting an infection and providing information to the conscious mind that an underlying problem exists; yet, fevers in their own right can be just as dangerous as the infection itself.  A fever signifies that the body's immune system is activated for a specific purpose, and can support the body's disease fighting agents by creating an inhospitable environment for the virus or bacteria, which is temperature sensitive.  Children typically get higher fevers at a faster rate due to their inexperienced immune systems.  Once appropriate medical care is sought and it is determined by the physician that the fever is doing more harm than good, the Braucher may invoke the Seventy-Seven Fevers charm, along with a visual representation of the individual (a photograph) and a glass of ice. 

First, speak the full  name of the sick person aloud.  Next, place the glass of ice on the photograph of the person.  Know the name of tomorrow -- this means, you will state the name of the following day.  If today is Tuesday, then the name you will state is Wednesday.   Here, you are asking the power of the future (the Lord of the next day) to come and take the fever away.  It is thought that the waning day does not have enough power to remove the illness; but, the following day, which is fresh and new at dawn's first light, has unending power at the moment the sun's rays move over the horizon.

Hold your hands over the ice, and repeat three times:  "Wednesday, Lord of the Day, Take the 77-fold fevers away.  Take it away.  Take it away.  Take it away.  Take the 77-fold fevers away."

Wait three minutes (or five) and repeat the charm again.  Wait another three minutes (or five) and repeat.  Seal the charm by drawing an equal-armed cross over the glass of ice.

The chant can also be used unending if the fever is high and you are using cold compresses directly on the patient. 

If the patient is within the household, his or her shirt can also be removed and a clean, dry shirt be given immediately to the patient.  The soiled shirt should be turned inside out by using the left sleeve, saying:  "Turn, turn, turn, thou shirt thou fever do likewise turn, turn, turn." in a singsong, chanting vibration.  Use the three times three fashion, or unending as you feel necessary. 

Some Brauchers insist that the turned shirt be doused in a bucket of water and removed immediately from the home.  When the child is well and the old shirt dry -- it is believed that the old shirt should not re-enter the house; but, instead be burned.  The logic to this is that the energy of the infection may cling to the shirt, and therefore re-enter the patient if brought back into the house. 

The Braucher may also place significance on when the sick person first showed signs of the fever in regard to astrological information such as moon phase, moon signs, and moon voids, or whether the horns of the moon are up or down.  For example, during a moon void nothing may come of the fever (meaning it was just a passing bug).  However, such information should never be used to avoid proper medical treatment.  If the horns of the moon are up, then the cause of the illness may quickly become apparent, and the fever broken in record time.  If the horns of the moon are down, then there may be a deep seated infection that is not quickly recognized, or the fever may persist longer than expected.  Again, astrological information is not an appropriate basis for ignoring professional medical care -- it is merely an interesting mechanism for further study.

Yes, the old adage Starve a Fever, Feed a Cold is true.  To read why, click here.  http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-causes-a-fever