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gensgrimoire · 4 years

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🌌 Witchcraft PSA: The Chakras & Cultural Appropriation ❌

Warning: This is probably the longest post I've written so far, so be prepared for a VERY long read.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert, a historian, or a theologist. I am simply a witch, a student, and a POC living in the United States where many aspects of pagan spirituality are often appropriated from other cultures and perpetuated through simple ignorance. I'm sure this post will generate some type of controversy, but I do not mean to attack anyone or their beliefs with this post.

So. Here's the big one, guys. The post I've been dreading making but have really wanted to write for a while.

Cultural appropriation is one of the hottest topics in the modern witchcraft community, and the discourse about it on tumblr is far-reaching and incendiary at best. The problem: Where should witches draw a line between explorational spirituality and cultural appropriation?

I'm not here to lay down laws of morality. I'm not the cultural police. But I DID have a very eye-opening experience recently that led me to create this post.

I'm a white-passing minority, and I won't pretend that this doesn't lend me a degree of privilege in America. Especially as a witch, many doors are open to me. Just within the witchcraft community, I look white enough to be welcomed whole-heartedly into most neopagan circles. That's not to say that blatant racism is abundant within the pagan community, but we can't deny that many non-white cultural practices are heavily stigmatized. For instance, as SOON as any of my "light worker" friends hears that I have a family background in Santeria and Brujeria, the FIRST thing I hear is, "Oh, I don't mess with that dark stuff," or "Well, I don't like the idea of hurting animals and other people." And don't get me started on the ignorant conversations one of my dark-skinned, Vodou-practicing friends has had to sit through before.

Like, what?

Because of this, I'm often the first person within my social circles to stand up for cultural barriers and denounce cultural stigma. Above all else, I try to respect the hell out of closed cultures and educate myself about cultural appropriation.

So, it was much to my dismay when I discovered that I have been culturally appropriating the chakra system for the last 11 years of my witchcraft practice.

The chakra system and its use in western occultism is one of the most heavily debated topics in the witchblr community. A simple search will yield dozens upon dozens of posts, each filled with witches claiming that usage of the chakra system either IS or IS NOT appropriation. For the most part, I've tried to stay out of this debate. I've incorporated the chakras into my practice since I began, but I thought my oriental heritage and my "thorough" understanding of the chakras made this okay. But, lo and behold, I was sorely mistaken.

So, after some deep research into this topic, and after talking to several Hindus and Buddhists, here's my attempt to shed some light on this issue.

What are the chakras (according to Western occultism)?

As a brief overview, the chakras are believed to be spiraling energy centers that exist within the subtle body. There are seven of them, and they lie along the spine in places where large amounts of nerves and vital organs exist. Similar to the way our brain is a large compilation of nerves, these chakras are believed to be the intersection points of energy currents within our spirit.

Each chakra rules over a particular psychological, physical, and spiritual state of being, and disruptions within the chakras are believed to lead to different types of mental, emotional, and physical illnesses.

These chakras are depicted as lotus flowers with varying numbers of petals, and each is represented by its own color. Each one also corresponds to a Sankskrit syllable mantra which is believed to activate the chakra when spoken aloud.

In order, they are:

❤ Muladhara - The Root Chakra - Connection to the Earth and the Self - Located at the base of the spine - Depicted as a red lotus with 4 petals - Mantra: LAM

🧡 Swadhisthana - The Sacral Chakra - Connection to sexuality and instinct - Located near the sexual organs - Depicted as an orange lotus with 6 petals - Mantra: VAM

💛 Manipura - The Solar Chakra - Connection to will and identity - Located in the Solar Plexus - Depicted as a yellow lotus with 10 petals - Mantra: RAM

💚 Anahata - The Heart Chakra - Connection to love and relationships - Located in the heart - Depicted as a green lotus with 12 petals - Mantra: YAM

💙 Vishuddha - The Throat Chakra - Connection to voice and communication - Located in the heart - Depicted as a blue lotus with 16 petals - Mantra: HAM

💜 Ajna - The Third Eye Chakra - Connection to spiritual awareness - Located above and between the eyes - Depicted as a purple lotus with 2 petals - Mantra: OM

🌈 Sahastrara - The Crown Chakra - Connection to Source/the Universe - Located at the top of the head - Depicted as either a purple, rainbow, or white lotus with 144,000 petals - Mantra: Silence

Along with these associations, each chakra is often associated with various crystals, herbs, and spirits.

What are the chakras within their original cultural context?

The concept of 'chakras' arose from a practice known as Tantric Yoga. This was a spiritual system that began to gain popularity in India and other eastern cultures between 600-1300 CE. Up until this point (and concurrently as well), most types of spirituality in these cultures was very transcendental - that is, they had a fundamental belief that the Divine was transcendent and inherently 'above' the natural world. Therefore, in order to commune with the divine, it was believed that the material world had to be renounced and denied, and higher states of consciousness had to be achieved in order to commune with divinity.

Tantric spirituality flipped the script. It adopted the idea that divinity was an inherent quality of the natural world, and that a person could freely commune with the divine by opening themselves up to the world around them through mindfulness and all-embracing compassion.

The philosophies and teachings of tantric yoga (loosely known as 'tantras') became extremely widespread throughout this period and dramatically shaped many emerging sects of Hinduism and Buddhism. As this philosophy spread, many different types of specific spiritual practices arose, many of which can be recognized in our Western ideas of holistic meditation - such as mantras, mudras, mandalas, and even modern Western yoga.

One such concept that gained popularity was the idea of chakras - focal points of spiritual energy in the body. However, these chakras were very different than what Westerners think of today.

There were a LOT of different traditions that arose from Tantric teachings, and each one had its own unique belief about chakras. The most obvious difference between these chakra traditions was that each one believed in a different number of chakras. Some systems had three, others had six, others had seven, others had nine, others had 10, others had 21, etc.

Each one approached the chakras a bit differently, and so each one believed in a different number of chakra centers.

What are some of the primary differences between Western Chakras and Tantric Chakras?

The most eye-opening difference for me was that Tantric chakras have none of the associations that Westerners believe in today. Original practitioners of Tantric spirituality did not associate specific colors with each chakra, they did not associate physical or psychological states with them, they did not associate any herbs or crystals or planets with them, and they did not even associate Sanskrit syllables with them. What's more, they didn't even believe they were located in fixed points on the body.

Loosely, they believed that the chakras - like all things spiritual - were very fluid. They could often be accessed through general areas of the body, but they definitely were not stagnant, fixed points. This also accounts for the varying number of chakras, because it was believed that the chakras would manifest in different ways depending on what traditional practice you used to approach them.

Many traditions did believe that these chakras could be depicted as lotus flowers with various petals, but these were not meant to inherently describe the individual chakra. Rather, these depictions were meant to serve as a visualization for a person to meditate on when trying to access a specific chakra.

Along with this, these traditions did not assign specific names or syllables to these chakras - at least not the ones we use today. Rather, it was believed that Sanskrit syllables carried an inherent magic or divine energy within them (similar to Kabbalistic views of the Hebrew language), and they assigned various letters and syllables to the petals of each lotus flower, which corresponded to various energies in nature.

The symbols, names, and Sanskrit syllables popularized in the West today don't even correspond to any kind of Tantric chakras. They actually correspond to the elements within certain traditions of eastern spirituality. They also are not meant to be uniquely associated with any individual chakra. Rather, these syllables were used in meditation to invoke specific elemental energies into different chakras depending on the situation.

If your tradition believed that the heart chakra could affect the relationships in your life, and your personal relationships happened to be very stagnant, you could vibrate the syllable for the Wind element and invoke that energy into your heart chakra to help your personal relationships become more dynamic. Etc.

This brings me to the final thing I'd like to talk about: Westerners are NOT using the chakras for their original purpose.

The only concrete associations that tantric traditions had for the chakras were deities. These traditions believed that each of their chakras was associated with a specific Hindu deity (though the specific order or deities listed varies between tradition and time period).

The original purpose of 'working with chakras' was to eventually invoke the energy of these specific deities into a person's chakras in order to become closer to these gods and goddesses and emulate their behavior and teachings in daily life.

How did the original concept of chakras get misconstrued in Western culture?

Oh, boy. This is a tough answer that's soaked in 1000 years of colonialism, racism, cultural and linguistic barriers, and simple misunderstandings.

But, simply put, the appropriation of tantric chakras can be narrowed down to four specific individuals.

In 1577, a spiritual teacher and academic named Purnananda Yati wrote a treatise of tantric teachings called the Shatchakra Nirupana, or roughly 'An Explanation of the Six Chakras'.

In this treatise, Purnananda lays out the modern framework we see today - six chakra centers within the human spirit, with an additional seventh chakra above the head that connects the spirit to the divine source. He based this concept off of an earlier writing from the 13th century, which also details this framework but openly acknowledges that this is just ONE tradition, and that many other traditions also exist.

In 1918, a British scholar named John Woodroffe translated Purnananda's treatise from Sanskrit into English, and unfortunately, there were many mistranslations in Woodroffe's version. This translation was what eventually gained extreme popularity throughout academic and occult circles in the West.

Throughout the 1930's, 40's, and 50's, the renowned European psychologist, Carl Jung (who you might recognize from your Psych 101 class), became fascinated with the idea of chakras and their relation to consciousness. Throughout this time period, Jung wrote extensively about potential connections between the seven chakra centers and various psychological states. This is where the chakras became associated with different states of being, such as instinct, will, and sexuality.

Finally, in 1987, an American occultist and spiritualist named Anodea Judith published a book entitled Wheels of Life. In this book, Judith talks extensively about the seven chakras, and even lists correspondences between the chakras and various herbs, crystals, elements, planets, tarot cards, deities, and archangels.

Her book became wildly popular within holistic and spiritual circles, and set in stone the way that modern neo-pagans view the chakras in the West.

So, are chakras part of a closed culture?

Yes and no.

Chakras as we view them in the West are, at best, a distorted and bastardized version of a beautiful, ancient belief. They were studied and theorized by many traditions for over a thousand years, and many of these traditions still exist today. Most commonly, they are still used in Shaivism, which is one of the most prevalent forms of Hinduism in the East.

Many of these living traditions ARE, in fact, closed. But more than that, to perpetuate (and worse, claim spirituality from) a distorted, white-washed version of an Eastern religious belief is just plain disrespectful and potentially racist at its worst.

That being said, though, there are certain living traditions which ARE NOT closed, such as the exceedingly popular Tibetan Buddhism. These traditions recognize many of the same teachings and are freely shared with people of any nationality or background - as long as you put in the work to learn about them.

The Main Takeaway

The chakras, as viewed in the West, are incorrect. This is not to disclaim any type of spiritual experience Westerners may have had by utilizing chakras in their practice, but I'm of the opinion that Westerners should recognize that the "chakras" they believe in don't actually have any basis in ancient spirituality.

That being said, the concept of a subtle body and energy centers within the human spirit is not unique to the Far East.

The concept of currents and centers of energy within the body can be found in cultures the world over, from India to Japan to Korea to Africa to the Middle East, and even among the Native Americans who never came into contact with these other cultures (as far as we know).

The human soul, the subtle body, and spiritual energy are concepts that supercede cultural boundaries, and if studying and utilizing them is an integral part of your craft, then I encourage you to follow your personal path and find connection with the Universe in whatever way you feel called to.

But. Perhaps developing your own unique system and beliefs about the energy centers within the body is the best course of action for us Westerners. Until we ourselves make the effort go join one of those (open) traditions, subscribing to the modern Western system of "chakras" is, in my opinion, cultural appropriation.

• • •

Brightest blessings, and best of luck 🌙

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gensgrimoire · 4 years

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Types Of Witches series: 🥄Spoonie Witches🥄

Spoonie Witches are witches who use ways of witchcraft that are friendly to their own disabilities and chronic illnesses. They practice things like low-energy spells, self care spells, and overall low-sensitive spells and practices.

Spoonie Witch resources:

🥄 Spoonie Witchraft: What Does It Mean?

🥄 Low Spoons Witch Tip

🥄 Witchy Ideas For Those With Low Energy

🥄 Spoonie Witch Tip

🥄 One-Worded Spells

🥄 Spoonie Acts Of Witchery

🥄 Autistic Witch Tips

🥄 “Peaceful Atmosphere” Sigil

🥄 Spoonie Witch Tip

🥄 Witchy Things To Do When You’re Low On Spoons [Part 1]

🥄 Witchy Things To Do When You’re Low On Spoons [Part 2]

🥄 Spoonie Cleansing

🥄 Herbal Tea For Anxiety And Depression

🥄 Low Spoons Spells

🥄 Spoonie Self-Care Tips

🥄 Spoonie Magic Tips

🥄 Anti-Anxiety Tarot Spread

🥄 Witchcraft And Meds

🥄 Witchy Positivity Journal

🥄 Quick Magic Tips For Fatigue

🥄 Spoonie Sigils List

🥄 Spoonie Witch Reminder

🥄 Tips For Witches With Anxiety

🥄 Intrusive Thoughts Witch Tip

🥄 Meditation For The Wild-Minded Witch

🥄 Bed Magic

🥄 Healing Tea Recipes

🥄 Spoonie Devotional Tips

🥄 Charging A Stuffed Animal For Comfort

🥄 Magical Batteries

🥄 Witch Tip

Bedridden Witch Series:

🥄 Nature Edition

🥄 Worship Edition

🥄 Divination Edition

🥄 Stale Energy Edition

🥄 Elements Edition

🥄 Pastel Edition

🥄 Kitchen Edition

🥄 Winter Edition

🥄 Ocean Edition

🥄 Love Edition

🥄 Weather Edition

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gensgrimoire · 4 years

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A Perpetual Spell to Increase Positivity & Luck

This spell is very similar to The Banishing Bin, except it’s purpose is to manifest what is desired, instead of banish what is unwanted.

The manifestation box functions as follows:

write desired wish/outcome/intention on sticky note/paper

draw manifestation sigil over the words

fold up paper and store in manifestation box

burn/rip/recycle them on the waxing crescent or full moon

If you don’t have a manifestation sigil you’re currently working with, you’re welcome to use mine which can be found here.

This is a low spoons spell that is easy to conceal and can be personalized to suit your needs. I’m open about my craft to my family, so I display mine on my favorite altar, but you can just as easily store it in a drawer. You can use anything you like as a box, but I suggest it’s something aesthetically pleasing that you associate manifestation and positivity with. I keep crystals and coins that correspond with luck and happiness inside of mine. You could also decorate both the inside and outside with sigils and magical seals. The possibilities are endless, so make it your own and have fun with it!

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gensgrimoire · 4 years

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How To Create Your Own Spells

Dedicated to @a–special–one Thank you so much for asking! I felt like this needed a post all it’s own ^u^

-from my grimoire

I’d like to say before anything else, and as I always say, this is not the only way to do this. There are many different ways to create your own spells, and this is simply the method that I find easiest when teaching beginners. And always remember that when it comes to crafting a spell, your intentions are whats most important.

Gathering Your Thoughts

The first step to creating any spell, is thinking about what kind of spell you want to perform, how you want to perform it, and how you want it to manifest.

Ask yourself some questions. “What kind of spell do I want to make?” “Does this need to be a very specific spell or a vague one?” “What method am I going to use to cast/create the spell?” “How do I want this spell to affect me or the person it’s aimed at?” “What kind of ingredients am I going to need?” “What time of day or moon phase would I like to perform this spell?” Anything along those lines are important questions to ask before you start working on your spell. Write the questions and answers down on paper that way you can keep track of everything!

Types of Spells

The next place you’re going to end up is choosing what kind of spell you want to do. Picking what type of spell you want to do is important because this is what decides how effective it is, how long it’s going to last, and when it’s effect will activate. This is not a list of all the types of spells out there, but simply the types that I do on a regular basis. And as another note, you can totally combine methods as well! This can easily enhance the power of your spells and make your intentions more clear and direct.

Prayer - This is the most simple form of a spell, and best to do if you’re only looking for a little aid rather than something major. A spell like this puts you in the universes hands completely.

Spoken Word - Differing from prayer because this has actual intentions in mind. This is usually a word, phrase, rhyme/lyric, or short paragraph spoken with energy. A spell like this can be very effective depending on how much energy you put into it and how much you actually believe in yourself. If you’re low on supplies and need something solid, spoken word is the way to go.

Incense Spell - An incense spell is usually directed at yourself rather than at another person, though that doesn’t mean it can’t work on another. But these are very temporary spells and only last as long as the burning incense. Usually this kind of spell is used to enhance focus.

Candle Spell - One of the most common types of spell you’re going to see are ones with candles. You can perform this spell on yourself or another person easily, and they’re very fast acting depending on the type of candle you use. When doing this kind of spell, take things like color and size in account.

Crystal Grid - A type of spell work that is done by placing specific crystals in a manner where their energies intermingle and work together to perform a task. This is a spell type that I use on a daily basis to set the mood for the day and keep me energies.

Sigil - A type of drawn magick that puts your intentions of paper. Usually these need to be charged and activated, but once that’s done, they have quite nice effects!

Bottle/Bag Spell - My personal favorite type of spell! These work well if you need a constant effect, and depending on the size of bag or bottle you use can easily be carried with you everywhere. These are very long lasting, don’t need to be charged often, and produce the best effect.

Energy Spell - Probably a more advanced technique, but this is the use of pure energy to put your will into motion. Doing energy spells takes lots of practice and in the early stages can be very unstable in whether they work or not, or whether they’ll completely backfire. This takes patience so don’t give up!

Picking Your Ingredients

Unless you’ve decided on spoken word or prayer alone, you’ll be looking for ingredients next. You don’t need expensive or fancy ingredients, and if you need to you can totally add spices and such from your kitchen ^u^ Think about correspondences carefully, and if you associate something with a feeling or ideal specifically then use it! Things that have personal meanings to yourself can be the most powerful ingredient in any spell.

Here are some of the correspondences I’ve posted about. (If tumblr wasn’t fiddly I would post links, but they’re on my blog in the “My Grimoire” and “My Tips” pages) Herbs and Spices Incense and Oils Common Crystals Colors Flowers Feathers (be mindful of the feathers you pick up, some could get you in legal trouble!)

When To Cast

Once you’ve got all your ingredients together, next thing you’re gonna wanna sit down and figure out when you want to cast your spell. This isn’t always a necessary part, and most spells can be done whenever you feel like, but taking things like Time of Day or the Current Moon Phase into account can really add to (or even take away from) the power of your spell

Here are some simple correspondences for Moon Phase and Time of Day. (I’ll go more in depth in a separate post if enough people show interest)

Moon Phases

New Moon (when there is only the tiniest sliver) - Good for sowing the seeds of new ideas

Waxing Moon - Good for healing, and growing ideas

Full Moon - Best time to perform any sort of spell

Waning Moon - Good for cutting things out of your life

Dark Moon (when the moon is not visible) - Take this time to rest and focus on yourself

Time of Day

1am-3am - Good for communicating with spirits

4am-6am - Good for planting new ideas and fertility

7am-9am - Best time to make offerings to deities or local spirits

10am-12pm - Best time for positivity and growth

1pm-3pm - Good to focus on yourself and your studies

4pm-6pm - Time to harvest and be with family

7pm-9pm - Best time to cut things out of your life

10pm-12am - Good for any magickal workings

Like I said earlier, this stuff isn’t necessary unless you really want that extra ‘umph’ in your magick, so don’t feel like you have to plan it down to a T especially if you’re in a hurry. Only plan if you want to and have the time to.

Organizing and Casting

How are you going to cast the spell? That’s probably one of the hardest parts you’re going to come across if you’re new to spell crafting. You want to think about this part carefully so you get maximum results. I can give some tips ^u^

If you’re combining methods, think about what order you want to put them in. Organize them in a way that flows naturally.

Practice your spell! Set up a play scenario and rehearse your spell a few times to make sure you get it right, and the whole process goes smoothly.

Don’t be afraid to make a mistake though, mistakes are part of life and they always tend to happen when you want them to the least. If your spell doesn’t go perfectly the way you imagined, that’s okay. Intention is what matters.

Keep all your spells in a file or in a book. Keeping records of spells is important if you ever intend to use them again, write everything down from ingredients to how you cast

Dont be afraid to experiment! Especially with random things, that’s how you make your own associations. Making your own associations is how you make a spell even stronger!

Lastly, don’t feel obligated to get fancy or over the top. Spoken word spells can be just as effective as a bottle spell, especially if it’s said every day.

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gensgrimoire · 4 years

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LITHA

a quick guide to the holiday of the summer solstice

WHAT DAYS IS IT CELEBRATED?

Its celebrated on the longest day of the year. In the NH this is usually from 20-23rd June. Most people celebrate it on the 21st June or across the 3 days. In the SH it’s usually from 20-23rd December.

WHAT DOES IT CELEBRATE?

It’s a celebration of the longest day of the year with the shortest night. It also celebrates the peak of summer, the sun being in its fullest, passion, success, ferlitity of the earth and growth.

TRADITIONAL WICCA CELEBRATION?

It traditionally celebrates the pregnancy of the Goddess and the Sun God being at his most powerful and full potential.

WHAT CAN I DO TO DECORATE MY HOME AND ALTER?

• light candles : green, yellow, gold

• light incense: lavender, orange, honeysuckle, floral, sage

• use ribbons or cloth in the same colours as the candles

• put flowers around your alter or home: sunflowers, daisy, honeysuckles, pink roses, wild flowers

• make summer wreaths or flower crowns and places them around your house

WHAT ACTIVITIES CAN I DO?

• mediate outside with crystals or at sunrise

• do larger rituals that need more power and strength: manifestation, love, relationships, friendships, fertility

• midsummer bonfire/ fire ritual

• candle magic

• love/sex, protection and home spells

•collect the ashes from the bonfire and use in your work

•recreate or make a wand

• make protection charms and necklaces out of seashells or sacred wood

• make Gods Eyes for protection and hang around your doors

• go on walks and enjoy nature

• have a picnic in the park and on the beach

• bike rides

• clean the environment around you

• pamper yourself

• if you do, work with the fae or leave them an offering

• wear summer clothes or the colours

IMPORTANT ‘CORRESPONDENCES’ FOR THIS DAY?

• herbs: rosemary, parsley, mint, basil, sage

• colours: green, yellow, gold, orange, silver, pink

• scents: honeysuckle, lavender, flowers, lemon, honey

• crystals: sunstone, amber, citrine, yellow topaz

• flowers: sunflower, daisy, roses, wild flowers

FOODS TO MAKE?

• spicy foods: curry, break, muffins

• fresh fruit and veg : watermelon, blueberry, strawberry, tomatoes

• buttermilk bread

• lavender or elderflower cake, wine, lemonade, syrup etc

• cake: lemon, honey, blueberry

• ginger beer or fruity beer

• fresh smoothies

HELLENIC LITHA

• Apollo: Hes the Sun God as well as music, medicine and healing all of which I link to summer

• Hestia: The Goddess of family and home. This is an important part of Litha

• Hera: Goddess of marriage and relationships. This is another important part of Litha

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gensgrimoire · 4 years

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⚠EVERYONE PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN DOING SPELLS AND OTHER WORKINGS TONIGHT. THERE IS A MUCH HIGHER CHANCE OF THINGS BACKFIRING/ GOING WRONG. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE STRONG WARDS AND PROTECTION UP⚠

The second sigil was made by Laura Tempest, the photo/instagram post gave credit to the wrong person

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gensgrimoire · 4 years

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as a non-american, i’m not able to actively participate in the protests. as a witch though, i’ve designed some sigils for those who can!!

these can be invoked in a huge number of ways. some simple ways to use these are:

trace the sigil onto your skin with your finger

trace the sigil in the air in front of you and walk through it

draw the sigil onto your skin with a marker

draw the sigil on a piece of paper and carry it on your person

whatever method you choose, the most important thing is concentrating on the intent of the sigil (the statement written above each one) while you trace/draw.

hope someone may find these useful. stay safe, stay strong! <3

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gensgrimoire · 4 years

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Protection charms for Protesters

Below are a few protection charms for protesters. Use these in conjunction with candle spells, witch ladder chants, and as verbal components for any protective spell for protesters you like. I’ll likely be incorporating them as I start building bigger magic here. Today I protest, and I would greatly appreciate if someone said these words for me, and everyone marching in the name of justice. The Morrigan Devotee’s Blessing and Protection for Protestors takes some words from the Morrigan’s own prophecy (via Carmody’s translation) “Peace to the Heavens”.

An Elemental Protection Charm for Protesters

Power and protection to those marching for a better world Power and protection from the earth to the feet that march upon it Power and protection from the winds to fill the lungs of the people Power and protection from the water to cleanse the pain from the hearts of many Power and protection from the fires that burn for justice

A Morrigan Devotee’s Blessing and Protection for Protesters

May the Morrigan’s shield be upon you Sky to earth May you be as an Eel in this fight Slipping from danger and out of sight

May the Morrigan’s shield be upon you Sky to earth Earth under sky May you be as a wolf in this battle That the howls of your pack’s pain drown the prattle May the Morrigan’s shield be upon you Sky to earth Earth under sky Spear upon a shield

May you be as a heifer in this war That herd becomes herd, a stampede forward, forever more May the Morrigan’s shield be upon you Sky to earth Earth under sky Spear upon a shield Shield upon a fort May you be blessed and protected three times Three times the faces of na Morrigna Three-in-one By Babd the Battle Crow, by Macha the Queen of Sovereignty, and by Nemain the Invoking Fury

May the Morrigan’s shield be upon you Sky to earth Earth under sky Spear upon a shield Shield upon a fort A fort bold and fierce

A shield. A Blessing. A protection.

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A Spell to Protect BLM Protesters

Although magic is no substitute for genuine activism, not all of us are able to attend protests, donate money, or even be outspoken about our support. This spell allows you to magically lend your energy to the cause.

What you will need:

a sheet of white, red, or black paper

a black pen

a protection oil, a protective essential oil like myrrh or rosemary, or salt water

Performing the Ritual:

Write the words “Black Lives Matter” in the center of your paper. As you do so, visualize these words forming a connection between yourself and the protesters who are a part of the movement.

Draw a circle around the words, moving your pen counterclockwise.

Say: “I cast protection around those protesting on behalf of the Black Lives Matter movement. They are under my protection from anyone who would do them harm or oppose their goals.”

If you work with sigils, runes, or some other kind of magical symbols, feel free to incorporate symbols for protection and power into your circle.

Take a little bit of your oil or salt water on the tip of your index finger and use it to anoint the circle at each of the four cardinal points (north, east, south, west), starting at the top of the circle and moving clockwise.

Say, “May this [oil/salt] protect those protesting on behalf of the Black Lives Matter movement. May it shield them from harm and surround them with a wall of protection and light.”

Focus your energy on the paper, and visualize the protests going on around the country right now. Focus on sending your energy to those protests to protect and support those participating.

I’m a Reiki practitioner, so when I did this spell I also incorporated a distance Reiki session to send Reiki energy to those protesting, and to add an extra layer of protection. If you practice any kind of energy work, that would be a beautiful thing to incorporate into this spell.

If you worship any deities associated with justice, feel free to call on them during this ritual.

Finally, if you have an altar, fold up your paper and place it on your altar once you finish the spell. Keeping the paper in a sacred space will allow it to keep receiving energy, and you can come back to pray for/send energy to protesters again in the future.

What to do next

If you can, donate to organizations that contribute to the cause, like Black Visions Collective, Reclaim the Block, or a similar local organization.

If you can’t donate, raise awareness on social media and in real life. (For my fellow white folks: try to focus on sharing stories from POC, rather than talking over them. Yes, we should use our privilege to raise awareness, but we should do that in a way that keeps the focus on those who are directly affected by the issue.)

IF YOU ARE ATTENDING A PROTEST, be smart and be safe. Keep your face covered, don’t talk to reporters, don’t take pictures (especially if you use iCloud!), stay the fuck away from anyone with a camera, and don’t post about it on social media.

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