Psalm 52
52 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.
2 The tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
3 Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
4 Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.
5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
6 The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
7 Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
9 I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.
Saul has been talking shit, and David has had enough.
The context of this Psalm is the King Saul offered an award (the marriage of his daughter and a royal position - maybe king, maybe more like a prince) for whomever was able to slay the mighty giant, Goliath.
David, the poet, musician, and Page-like shepherd, was the one who completed the task.
Though grateful at first, Saul quickly became envious and felt threatened by David.
Saul ordered David dead and upon discovery of this, David confronts him. This Psalm is said to be David's confrontation of Saul.
52 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.
In this moment, David opens by asking "Why are you creating trouble when you well know that the abundance of Creation is plentiful and eternal?"
2 The tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
3 Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
4 Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.
Saul's mouth is talking him into trouble. 😬 David implies that Saul is almost feeding off of the vibration of speaking "deceitfully" of David. It's like the energy of the fear of lack is what is sustaining him.
5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
i mean... this is a hex. 😬 or possibly a prophecy. It's certainly a spell, an intention spoken out to the heavens, directed at the person causing David harm.
6 The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
7 Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
David's like "not only is God going to pluck you off the earth, but before that, the other humans are going to point and laugh at you." LOL
David's casting that not only will God be aware of Saul's wrong doing, but so will all those who inhabit his kingdom.
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
Olive trees are a sacred plant in the Old Testament. Noah brought olive branch onto the arc. Olive oil is used to anoint people, pour on top of offerings or used as an offering itself, as ointment, and for lighting lamps. Olive trees remain sacred in places like Palestine.
David is speaking his faith in the blessings and protection of his God. He affirms that he puts his faith in God over material riches, that he uses his voice for worship rather than slander.
Is all of this true all the time? Well, you can read the Old Testament to get the full story of David and decide for yourself.
9 I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.
With this last line, David "seals" the incantation. "Thou hast done it" is like "it is so" or "so it is" or "so mote it be."
Reflection & Spell Suggestions
So how does Psalm 52 help us in our 2021 lives?
By using it as an incantation for spiritual self-defense.
When ppl turn their eyes on you in jealousy, they probably gaslight you, too. When used as a spell or petition, the first few lines are about clearly calling out the injustices that are occurring to you.
The lines that follow are the declaration that no matter how secret a person thinks their malicious intent is, it will always come to the light.
Their ill-wills will be witnessed not only by God or Creation, but also by their community.
The latter being the most important, especially when you're dealing with abusers and narcissist-types, who thrive on being charming to their community and a far from that to those closest to them.
The final lines are the affirmations that the one casting this petition is anointed and protected by their God. That their position is righteous and their petition valid. This is also the speaker giving thanks and praise to their deity, because they have conviction and faith that the working is already done.
I wouldn't use this Psalm for every annoyance, but there will be situations when this is very much appropriate and needed.
Speak it out loud over a candle anointed in olive oil.
Write it on a petition and hold it close to you if you feel that it's time confront this person.
If spending time with the person is unavoidable, keeping a petition paper with the psalm written on it close to you will be helpful. Consider a shoe paper, with Psalm 52 on one side, and on the other side, write the name of the person in pencil (without lifting the pencil from the page). Then, write your name directly on top in black ink (again, not lifting your pen from the page). Insert into your dominant foot's shoe with the names facing up, so the bottom of your foot steps on the names. This will help you maintain the upper hand in the power dynamic between you and your offender.
I am personally of the belief that is someone is causing you harm and the systems in place are not protecting you, there's nothing inappropriate about petitioning your spirits to handle business on your behalf.
Remember, results take time, especially when petitioning for something big. Repeating Psalm 52 daily after using it for a ritual will help maintain the vibration and energy of your request.
Take care of yourselves, my loves.