How To Summon The Spirit of Sherlock Holmes
By Paul Thomas Miller
So, you want to summon the spirit of Sherlock Holmes? Fine. Let’s see what we can do. But I should be very clear here – I don’t have a clue what I am talking about. If you go ahead and try this out, accidentally open a portal to the underworld and end up covered in evil, with all demons poking your knees and imps rubbing your eyes with sandpaper – that’s on you. I accept no responsibility for any results of reading or acting upon this essay.
Also, there’s a good chance that if you take any type of spirituality or religion seriously, this may be filled with stuff which, either through being incorrect or blasphemous, will cause you offence. Soz. If you read on and get upset, that’s pretty much on you at this point.
Still interested? Cool. Here’s what we’re going to do – we’re going to create an altar upon which we will draw a talisman specifically designed to summon up Sherlock Holmes. Then, in the right time and place, we’re going to rip off an incantation from The Lesser Key of Solomon and hope that does the job. What you do when you have summoned Sherlock Holmes is your business.
The talisman is going to be a predominant part of this ritual and designing it is going to take a lot of thought. Every element of its construction must be properly considered. If this is going to work, we want to include as many correspondences as possible between the important factors in our goal. These are, Sherlock Holmes, our connection with Sherlock Holmes and the act of summoning a spirit. We need to include links to the relevant planets, zodiacal signs, days, dates, lunar phases, alphabets, numbers, angels, demons, gems, minerals, animals, plants, flowers, metals, colours, gods, elements and shapes in order to make a powerful magical symbol to aid our quest.
We shall begin in the realm of Astrology. To proceed, we need to know the time, date and place of Sherlock Holmes’s birth. Most of this information can be found in the foremost biography of the master detective - Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street (1962) by William S. Baring-Gould. We can trust this information not just because Baring-Gould was one of the great Sherlockian scholars, but also because he was the grandson of Sabine Baring-Gould – a distinguished Anglican priest – and therefore incapable of deception. Sherlock Holmes was born somewhere in the North Riding of Yorkshire on Wednesday, 6th January 1854. I know this date has its dissenters, but, as will be seen, an examination of the astrological evidence does much to confirm this date. Establishing the time of his birth is more difficult. Scientific research in recent years has found a strong bias towards births taking place in the small hours of the morning. One study, conducted by Professor Alison Macfarlane (Study reveals time and day women most likely to give birth | Nursing Times), found that 71.5% take place between 5pm and 9am. The majority of these took place between 1am and 7am. And there is a huge peak in births around 4am. Holmes was a man who loved science and would be unlikely to go against it, therefore he must have been born at 4am.
With this information in hand, we can start to look at Holmes’s astrological information. He was born under the sign of Capricorn - the sea-goat - which is an earth sign. At the time of his birth Jupiter was in Capricorn. However, the sign is ruled by Saturn - which would have been visible in the west at the moment of his birth. The only other planet visible that morning would have been Mars which was travelling from Virgo to Leo in the south. In the southwest anyone with a strong telescope may have been able to make out the beehive cluster in Cancer.
We already see here signs confirming our choice of day and time. The appearance of the beehive cluster is surely a nod to Holmes’s retirement – keeping bees upon the Sussex downs. That much is obvious. But let us look more deeply.
From Astrology: How to Make and Read Your Own Horoscope, a 1920 book by Sepharial, we get the following physical description of a classic Capricorn:
“Frequently the figure is wiry and suggestive of considerable powers of endurance. The brows are prominent, the nose long, and the face thin and hard-set.”
This compares favourably with Watson’s description of Holmes in STUD:
“His very person and appearance were such as to strike the attention of the most casual observer. In height he was rather over six feet, and so excessively lean that he seemed to be considerably taller. His eyes were sharp and piercing… and his thin, hawk-like nose gave his whole expression an air of alertness and decision. His chin, too, had the prominence and squareness which mark the man of determination.”
The personality of a Capricorn also seems to match what we know of Holmes. I gathered the following from astrology.com and it seems almost a deliberate thumbnail sketch of Holmes:
“…both a Capricorn woman or Capricorn man, those born with the Sea-Goat as their rising, sun, or moon sign have a discipline, masterful, and determined energy in the core of their personality… able to set and conquer the loftiest goals one step at a time… great at being determined, consistent, and reliable. They often over-deliver on their promises and take their honor and public reputation very seriously… Capricorn strengths can be found in their perseverance, longevity, and focused self-mastery. Coolheaded and down to earth, they have strong powers of discernment… Capricorns may not be seeking fame or glamour in the obvious sense… see the world with a pragmatic and sober eye… developing a dark, rueful humor… They often achieve fame and accolades later in life, coming into their own after years of dedication… being myopically focused on their goals, becoming stubborn and relentless. They may hold everyone else to the strong work ethic that drives them, not understanding that others have different rhythms, values, and needs… traditionalists and may have a conservative streak… honorable… may end up isolating themselves… may hide pain or depression behind a mask of self-sufficiency and dry humor.”
I’ve boiled it down to the most salient points, but, by all means, go and check out the typical character traits of a Capricorn wherever you like, you will find little to detract from the argument that Holmes was a Capricorn.
Having a ruling planet of Saturn also seems to make sense for Holmes. In good aspect, Saturn produces steadfastness and fidelity, while in bad aspect it can produce deceitfulness and suspicion. Holmes could certainly be deceitful – as his ability at undercover work shows, but he is fortunate that Jupiter was in Capricorn at the moment of his birth, for Jupiter brings benevolence and, as such, Holmes only ever used his deceptions for good. Saturn as a ruling planet is likely to bring wisdom, stability, persistence, 'saturnine' temperament – I am sure I do not need to bore the reader with citations proving that this describes Holmes.
Further confirmation that we have the correct date can be seen in the day of his birth – Wednesday. In English, Wednesday literally mans the day of Woden (the English version of Odin), whereas much of the rest of Europe prefers to designate it as Mercury’s day (e.g. mercredi (French), mercoledì (Italian), miércoles (Spanish) and miercuri (Romanian)). This goes back to the Romans who considered Odin to be a version of Mercury due to both gods having a role as a psychopomp (that is, a guide taking spirits to the afterlife).
Mercury’s involvement in our enterprise is helpful. He is, after all, the messenger of the gods and as such is a bridge between the upper and lower worlds. If any of the gods can help us communicate with a spirit, this is our guy. As well as being the god of communication and serving as the guide of souls to the underworld he is also considered to be the god of trickery and thieves. This suggests he would have an interest in the tricks Holmes used to catch criminals and Holmes’s knowledge of villainous tricks and thefts he has detected.
However, despite a small amount of French ancestry, Holmes is a decidedly English character – born in Yorkshire and the descendent of North Riding country squires, possessing a certain respect for the royal family and suggesting a love of London and its occupants. His Wednesday, then, is predominantly a day for the British god – Woden. He is a god of wisdom, the gallows, knowledge and victory – all factors which relate to Holmes. He is also the god of sorcery, which bodes well for our magical enterprise. And, as he is very much the British version of Odin. For our purposes, he also indicates that the use of the runic alphabet would be best suited to use in our talisman.
Angels and/or demons are often invoked in magical practices, especially in necromancy. We should, then consider which demons and angels might want to help us out. The angel is easiest to identify. This would certainly be the archangel Jophiel who, as well as beauty and art, is associated with wisdom. This is the chap who will have the closest bond with Holmes. After all Holmes is the fellow with “art in the blood” and who Watson describes as the wisest man he ever knew. The demon is a trickier one to choose. There are four who are associated with logic: Buer, Foras, Furcas and Cimejes. For my money, Foras – the thirty-first fallen angel – most aligns with Holmes and our mission. According to The Lesser Key of Solomon (an anonymously authored 17th century grimoire) Foras “…is a Mighty President, and appeareth in the Form of a Strong Man in Human Shape. He can give the understanding to Men how they may know the Virtues of all Herbs and Precious Stones. He teacheth the Arts of Logic and Ethics in all their parts. If desired he maketh men invisible, and to live long, and to be eloquent. He can discover Treasures and recover things Lost.” Understanding, logic and ethics are all very Holmesian traits. Furthermore, not only does the ability to discover treasures and recover things lost sound like Holmes, it is also what we are attempting to do by summoning his spirit.
In considering which spiritual animal may help us connect to Holmes, it may seem obvious to choose the goat, due to Holmes being a Capricorn. But when we consider The Canon, the Hound seems to present itself as far more appropriate. The Hound of the Baskervilles was one of his greatest cases after all, and Watson’s writings are littered with dogs helping Holmes or being an integral part of the mysteries he solved. But more than this, Holmes himself is repeatedly likened to a Hound. Watson first makes this comparison in A Study in Scarlet:
“As I watched him I was irresistibly reminded of a pure-blooded well-trained foxhound as it dashes backwards and forwards through the covert, whining in its eagerness, until it comes across the lost scent.”
When I made a quick count through all the texts, I found eight such comparisons made by Watson and another two in which Holmes himself described himself as a hound. In Celtic tradition hounds symbolised hunting and healing, which tallies with Holmes hunting evildoers and allowing people to heal from the wrongs done to them. And in a lot of European mythology dogs are associated with death. Examples include Black Shuck, Cerberus and Oude Rode Ogen (the beast of Flanders). This is attuned with our desire to bring Holmes back from beyond the vale.
Combining all this with the previously stated link to Odin, via Woden, the specific spirit animal I think would suit us is the Norse Garmr - a symbol of and guard of the underworld associated with Ragnarök and the goddess Hel. In many ways he is the Norse equivalent of Cerberus. In Rosa Baughan’s 1904 book The Influence of the Stars, I found the following:
“The dog is sometimes assigned to Mars on account of its courage and combativeness. This delightful animal is probably ruled by both Saturn and Mars; the former giving it the quality of fidelity which it possesses in a degree beyond all other creatures.”
With Saturn ruling both Holmes (as a Capricorn) and canines in general, there is already some good connection. But the addition of Mars – one of only two visible planets at the moment of Holmes’s birth – cements the deal. This is Mars – a planet associated with the element of fire, which was moving into Leo – a fire sign – in the South of the sky – the cardinal point associated with fire in magic. All of this confirms the association with Hounds and more specifically Garmr who lives in the fiery depths of the underworld.
That said, we may also wish to enlist the help of snakes as they are also associated with Saturn, feature strikingly in The Speckled Band (in which Holmes displays an understanding of the creatures and a knowledge of them through his ability to quickly identify it), and in Norse mythology snakes represent rebirth and renewal, which should aid us in our quest of resurrection.
We may also wish to employ the help of a member of the Aves class of animals. Picking this one is rather easy. The bird most associated with Capricorn is the eagle. Watson frequently describes Holmes as looking like a bird of prey. It is also the sacred bird of Odin, which ties in nicely with the Wednesday/Woden link mentioned above. Certainly, our avian help will come from an eagle.
Saturn also governs several plants. Among them the herb sage stands out as relevant. As well as being a herb, the word sage can refer to a man of profound wisdom or to the possession of such wisdom. This concurs with Watson referring to Holmes’s sagacity twice in The Canon. Further, according to Richard Folkard in his 1884 book Plant Lore, Legends, and Lyrics, in medieval times, sage was regarded as a preserver of the human race (much as Holmes strived to be) due to its healing properties. Indeed, many believed that the presence of sage could somehow defeat death, which is useful for our purposes. In magical use, it is said to help memory and quicken the senses – again, these are very Holmesian virtues.
In considering the colours of most value to us, we can start by considering those said to be related to Saturn. There is conflicting evidence here. Many sources suggest black, others suggest dark green, and some suggest dark reds. Darkness seems to be the common factor. Among the things black can symbolise are mystery and death. With Holmes being interested in mysteries and us being interested in reaching beyond death, black seems like it would be a good colour for us to work with. However, I would also argue a role for red – specifically scarlet. We should not forget our own association with Holmes is an important motivation for our endeavour. Our connection with Holmes almost entirely comes from a study of The Canon, and the genesis of that Canon was A Study in Scarlet. The effects of this are such that few Holmesians can hear a mention of “scarlet” without relating it back to this book. Red – specifically scarlet – then, also has a place on our talisman.
Lead is supposed to the metal of Capricorn and Saturn. In The Canon it predominantly features in canes which have been loaded with the weighty metal in order to make formidable weapons (those of Trevor Sr, Latimer and Sylvius spring to mind). I am in two minds over whether to include it in our designs or not, as it is mostly used by Holmes’s adversaries, making it almost anti-Holmesian. I am drawn more towards iron. This is largely because of Holmes’s “iron constitution” which Watson referenced in The Reigate Squires. It is this iron constitution which Holmes will need if he is going to return to us. Iron gets another fifty-one mentions in The Canon, including references to Holmes’s iron strength and iron nerves. Most of the other mentions are not terribly relevant but are enough to create a link between the metal and Holmesiana. To be sure, other metals get more mentions (gold and silver, for example) but none are used in quite the same way - to describe Holmes’s attributes. Iron, as I have said, is not Saturn’s metal – it is allied instead with Mars. But as I have previously noted, Mars was one of only two planets visible at the time of Holmes’s birth. It is, therefore, not wholly disconnected with our task.
Several stones have been attributed to Capricorn and/or Saturn, among them are onyx, jet, garnet and tourmaline. Onyx is present in the Agra Treasure and Mary Sutherland wears a little jet. Beyond this, there is little to connect those stones with Holmes. The most mentioned stones in The Canon are diamonds, which feature in eight different tales – but none of these mentions are particularly close to Holmes. Also, diamonds are associated with Venus and the signs Aries, Taurus and Leo – wrong planet and wrong signs. The link to our purpose is too weak. I favour another of Saturn’s stones – amethyst. It only gets one mention in The Canon, but it is a significant early mention in A Case of Identity:
“He held out his snuffbox of old gold, with a great amethyst in the centre of the lid. Its splendour was in such contrast to his homely ways and simple life that I could not help commenting upon it.
"Ah," said he, "I forgot that I had not seen you for some weeks. It is a little souvenir from the King of Bohemia in return for my assistance in the case of the Irene Adler papers."”
Amethyst has deep connections with spirituality and has been regarded as a healing stone for millennia. It is said to connect the concrete and the divine – which is handy for a ritual intended to reach from our world to the spiritual one. The ancient Greeks believed amethyst was coloured by Dionysus’s regretful tears and that it therefore had anti-Dionysian qualities. Whereas Dionysus – the god of wine – was associated with drunkenness, amethyst was associated with clarity, deep contemplation and control. Amethyst, then, seems to best represent Holmesian virtues.
Amythest is a violet colour, which immediately creates a correspondence with the flower – violet. It is the flower most referenced in The Canon (three mentions, which can be found in BOSC, SOLI and VALL) and also lends its name to four different women in the Canon. In magic, violet resembles Holmes in that it protects from evil and provides peace.
When it comes to trees, it is difficult to associate Holmes with anything other than a grand old English oak tree. To the British druids, it was the most holy tree, and many rituals would have been carried out in oak groves. Its significance is clear in Plant Lore, Legends and Lyrics, where it receives a massive entry telling us, among other things, that (like Holmes) it is an emblem of majesty, strength and England. True, it was considered Jupiter’s tree (not Saturn’s as we may wish) but remember that Jupiter was in Capricorn at the time of Holmes’s birth. Also, to the ancient Britons the oak was more associated with Taranis – the god of thunder. Taranis, then would largely equate to the Norse god Thor – the protector of humankind. Thus, we see another connection to a Holmesian virtue.
Finally, I would like to consider numerology to discover any significant Holmesian numbers which may aid us. I will then argue that these numbers provide us with the ideal shape we should use in our talisman.
When converting letters into numbers for use in numerology, the following chart is used:
Thus, an A, J or S would all become a 1. Therefore, the name Sherlock Holmes would become 1 8 5 9 3 6 3 2 8 6 3 4 5 1. The next step is to add all these numbers together which gives us 64. However, we are seeking a single digit number, so we must now add the digits 6 and 4. This gives us 10. Finally, we add the 1 and 0 and arrive at 1. Our first significant number, then, is 1.
Next we turn to Holmes’s birthday – 06/01/1854. Adding all those digits gives us 25. Adding those gives us our next significant number – 7.
I suspect most Holmesians would agree that there are two very significant numbers to be found in The Canon - the address and stairs of Baker Street. 221b and its 17 steps.
221b would become 2 2 1 2 if we correctly substitute a 2 for the “b”. These add up to another 7 as a significant number.
The digits of the 17 steps add up to our final significant number of 8.
If we take these four numbers and use them as lengths for the four sides of a quadrilateral, we arrive at an isosceles trapezium which will serve as the Holmesian shape in our talisman.
In summary, then, we have arrived at the following elements to be included in our talisman and/or ritual:
Name - Sherlock Holmes
Date - 6th January 1854
Day - Wednesday
Zodiacal Sign - Capricorn
Ruling Planet - Saturn
Other Significant Planets - Jupiter and Mars
Gods - Woden/Odin and Mercury
Alphabet - Runic
Angel - Jophiel
Demon - Foras
Animals - Hound and Snake
Bird - Eagle
Herb - Sage
Colours - Black and Scarlet
Metal - Iron
Stone - Amythyst
Flower - Violet
Tree - Oak
Numbers - 1, 7, 7, 8
Shape - Isosceles Trapezium
We shall start by taking a solid oak board as our altar. It should measure about two feet by three feet.
In the centre of this we shall draw a circle with a nine-inch radius. (Note – unless otherwise stated, all markings should be made in black – our main Holmesian colour.)
In the centre of the circle we are going to make a scarlet isosceles trapezium with the 1:8:7:7 ratio prescribed. If the base is 8 inches, the height of the trapezium will be a tiny tiny tiny bit over six inches, so start by drawing the 8 inch horizontal, horizontally centred, but 3 inches below the vertical centre. Then do the 7-inch sides at a 60 degree angle to the base. You should find a 1 inch top caps it off nicely.
As we layout our talisman we want to place symbols in the best positions in relation to their cardinal points. Each of the points is tied to an element – north is earth, west is water, south is fire and air is east. As Holmes’s element is earth, our altar will be facing north when we use it. We can, then put the symbols of the elements on the outer edges of our altar. In the centre of the top edge we put a yellow inverse triangle with a horizontal bar through it – the symbol for earth. In the centre of the bottom goes a red upright triangle for fire. In the middle of the left edge goes a green inverse triangle for water and on the right edge we put a blue upright triangle with a horizontal bar through it for air.
Along the top edge, either side of the earth symbol, we shall put the runic version of Sherlock Holmes and, to reinforce this bond , in the centre of the trapezium, we shall place the runes for S and H on top of each other to form a bind rune.
Inside the circle, at the top (as it is an earth sign) we will place the symbol for Capricorn. There are several versions of this symbol. Choose the one you like best. I’m using this one:
Saturn is an air planet, so the symbol for this goes on the right of the circle. Mars is a fire planet and was also in the south at the moment of Holmes’s birth, so its symbol goes at the bottom of the circle. (I am using the older symbol for Mars, so as to differentiate it from the symbol for iron which we will use later on). Jupiter lacks an element and was not visible at the time of his birth, so it has no obvious position on the talisman. Purely for symmetrical reasons, we shall place it in the left side of the circle. As Saturn is the more important of these three symbols, it should be made slightly bigger than the other two.
With the gods, we shall place the symbol for Mercury just below our trapezium, as, in magic, mercury is a combination of water and air. The Woden symbol is more important. We will use the wheel symbol which indicates his power over life and death. This will go on the outside of the circle on the left, next to Saturn. In runes, ansuz (or “a”) is considered to mean Odin, so we will balance the alter by using this symbol on the opposite side of the circle.
The symbol for Jophiel belongs in the bottom right of the circle. While he is an archangel, and therefore associated with air, he wields a sword of fire which places him between these two points. He can be symbolised by a five-pointed golden star in a circle of light but is more often represented by his sigil. Foras, similarly is usually represented by sigil. His will be placed in the upper left of the circle due to his connections with plants – a product of earth and water.
Garmr – the Hound – shall be represented by his name in runes beneath the bind rune of SH.
The snake can be represented by the astronomical symbol for the constellation of Serpens. They are associated with fire in astrology, so I will place this symbol between the symbols for Mercury and Saturn in the bottom section of the circle. Similarly, the eagle can be represented by the astronomical symbol for the constellation of Aquila, which naturally belongs between the earth and air in the top right of the circle.
The alchemical symbol for Iron belongs near its governing planet – Mars – in the talisman. I am going to place it just outside the circle, at the bottom in order to complement the addition of a candle holder which is coming later.
Finally, in the remaining space in the bottom left of the circle we shall include a simplified version of the fifth pentacle of Jupiter, which “hath great power to assure visions”, and should allow alignment between the earth and the heavens, making it easier for us to contact Sherlock Holmes.
Once you’ve finished, the altar should look something like this (but on an oak board in paint, rather than on a piece of paper in felt-tip pen):
Now that the altar is ready, it will need positioning in the right time and place.
The better the place, the better the chances of success. If you can find somewhere with a connection to Holmes (any place significant to him in The Canon) this is ideal. Failing this, York, London, Sussex or the South Downs in general are good spaces. If you can find a place where violets are growing naturally, this is good. If not, ensure you bring your own to scatter around the altar once you have set it up. Another good plant to include in your space is holly, as it is from holly that the name Holmes is derived. If you really can’t get to anywhere significantly Holmesian, then choose the room in your house where you feel most connected to Holmes – the room you settle down to read The Canon the most, or the room which keeps your Holmesian collection.
Choosing a time is a more difficult prospect. 4am on any 6th January is a good bet. If you can make it a Wednesday, this is even better. Another good choice would be 1st April, as this is the date that Holmes was previously resurrected after his “death” at the Reichenbach Falls. If you can, you should favour Wednesdays (Woden’s days) or Saturdays (Saturn’s days). Certain times of certain days are more connected to Saturn so, if you are not going for 6th January, choose your time of day based upon the day of the week as follows:
Sunday – 5pm
Monday – 9pm
Tuesday – 6pm
Wednesday – 5am
Thursday – 7pm
Friday – 11pm
Saturday – 8pm
If you can choose a moment when Mars is visible and/or the moon is in its first quarter (as was the case when Holmes was born), all the better.
Once you are in the right location at the right time, the altar should be placed so that the top edge is towards the north.
On each of the element's symbols you need to place a representation of the elements.
On the earth symbol to the north, we will place an amethyst crystal. If you can purchase this crystal in an area associated with Sherlock Holmes (e.g. London or the South Downs) it will be more effective.
Upon the water symbol in the west, place a small bowl of water. If possible, collect this water from either The Thames in London or the Reichenbach Fall in Switzerland. If neither of these are available, use dew - one of the most magical substances available to us as it is a gift to the earth from the heavens. Yes, it is a bugger to collect, but that's the price you pay if you want to summon the dead.
Upon the air symbol in the east, you can choose either a knife – preferably a jack-knife transfixing some symbolic letters – or a pipe in which you burn some sage. If you go for the knife, it would be a good idea to have some sage burning nearby anyway.
Upon the fire symbol in the south, place an iron candle stick holder in which you will burn a black candle. The colour of the candle is important because it is Saturn’s colour, it is the colour of death and it is the colour of Holmes’s candle derived from this speech by Watson in SIGN:
“You know, too, what a black reaction comes upon you. Surely the game is hardly worth the candle.” (Emphases mine.)
You should now stand to the south of the altar, facing it.
If you wish, you can now sacrifice a white cock by cutting its throat and collecting its blood in a zinc pail placed in the centre of the altar. If not, place your favourite copy of the complete Canon in the centre of the altar. Focus your attentions upon either the bucket or the book until you reach a meditative state of mind.
Now you are ready to begin your incantations (which I have lifted from The Lesser Key of Solomon). While facing the altar, repeat the following until you manage to summon the spirit of Sherlock Holmes:
I do invocate and conjure thee, O Spirit, Sherlock Holmes; and being with power armed from the Supreme Majesty, I do strongly command thee, by Beralanensis, Baldachiensis, Paumachia, and Apologiae Sedes; by the most Powerful Princes, Genii, Liachidæ, and Ministers of the Tartarean Abode; and by the Chief Prince of the Seat of Apologia in the Ninth Legion, I do invoke thee, and by invocating conjure thee. And being armed with power from the Supreme Majesty, I do strongly command thee, by Him Who spake and it was done, and unto whom all creatures be obedient. Also I, being made after the image of God, endued with power from God and created according unto His will, do exorcise thee by that most mighty and powerful name of God, El, strong and wonderful; O thou Sherlock Holmes. And I command thee and Him who spake the Word and His Fiat was accomplished, and by all the names of God. Also by the names Adonai, El, Elohim, Elohi, Ehyeh, Asher Ehyeh, Zabaoth, Elion, Iah, Tetragrammaton, Shaddai, Lord God Most High, I do exorcise thee and do powerfully command thee, O thou Sherlock Holmes., that thou dost forthwith appear unto me here before this Circle in a fair human shape, without any deformity or tortuosity. And by this ineffable name, Tetragrammaton Iehovah, do I command thee, at the which being heard the elements are overthrown, the air is shaken, the sea runneth back, the fire is quenched, the earth trembleth, and all the hosts of the celestials, terrestrials, and infernals do tremble together, and are troubled and confounded. Wherefore come thou, O Sherlock Holmes., forthwith, and without delay, from any or all parts of the world wherever thou mayest be, and make rational answers unto all things that I shall demand of thee. Come thou peaceably, visibly, and affably, now, and without delay, manifesting that which I shall desire. For thou art conjured by the name of the Living and True God, Helioren, wherefore fulfil thou my commands, and persist thou therein unto the end, and according unto mine interest, visibly and affably speaking unto me with a voice clear and intelligible without any ambiguity.
Once you have finished speaking to the ghost of Sherlock Holmes be sure to politely thank him and wipe down all surfaces with a damp cloth.
