#non-traditional witchcraft

[wizardsaur]

Yo so....

Witchcraft is actually hella customizable. You can invent shit. I don't know how this: "By the book, uber traditional, heavily controlled" thing gained so much traction, but...

You can make your own holidays

You can make your own Gods

You can design your own divination methods

You can make sigils -however the fuck you want

You can create your own theory on energy systems based on your personal experience

Write your own ethics and codes of conduct

Describe crystals or herbs by their ENERGY instead of a keyword list you got off Pinterest

Cleanse in a completely different way than the books tell you to

Literally the possibilities are unfathomably endless. And I've successfully done all of these. Go forth and get weird with it.

#magick #witchcraft #magic #witch #witchy #spell #pagan #witchcore #wicca #wiccan #chaos magick #chaos witch #secular witchcraft #non-traditional witchcraft

[spiralhouseshop]

Happy Halloween from Portland Button Works, The Spiral House Shop, and Cat Boss Jackie!

It's our favorite season, let's celebrate!

• Use coupon code: WITCHSEASON22 for 15% off everything on our webite.

• We have discounted some zines, books, and even tarot decks!

All orders come with a free gift: a button with an illustration of the intrepid Cat Boss Jackie.

Portland Button Works and the Spiral House Shop are many things:

At Portland Button Works we make custom pin-back buttons with your designs in 4 sizes.

The Spiral House Shop has hundreds of our own button designs, plus, zines books, music, and more!

Within the Spiral House shop is the PBW Witch Shop, a thoughtfully curated selection of witchcraft, magic, and occult related zines, books, divination cards, pin-back buttons, magnets & magical supplies.

Use coupon code: WITCHSEASON22 for 15% off at PortlandButtonWorks.com until November 1, 2022 AND get a free button with an illustration of Cat Boss Jackie (who totally tried to boot me out of this chair last night)

#witchblr #zines #zineblr #witch shop #witchcraft* #witch store #witchcraft books #witchcraft supplies #magic books #traditional witchcraft #green witchcraft #witchy zines #folk witchcraft #baby witch #non-wiccan witchcraft #sale

[ashandboneca]

Simple Summer Purification

Now that the dog days of summer are here, I feel less energized. It's so funny, as a fire sign I tend to gravitate to fire in all forms, but the summer just drains me.

In summer, I tend to focus on purification. Shedding the dry skins of winter and the new growth of spring to come to the climax of being. But that takes so much energy- and as a disabled witch, I need to conserve all the energy I can.

So here a few very simple purification activities for these scorching hot days:

light a stick of incense or an herbal bundle and do a quick smoke clearing of yourself or your general working area. It would be ideal to do your whole living space, but focus primarily on the areas you do your workings or spend the most time.

take a cooling purification bath or sponge bath. Add cooling herbs, like lavender, chamomile, peppermint, or lemon balm to a muslin bag or steep in a tea ball. You can cold infuse if you have the time to allow the herbs to steep for a few hours, or you can steep them in warm water for 10-20 minutes and then refrigerate the tea. Add to a cool bath or wash basin and submerge yourself or use a clean white cloth to wash your body. Focus the energy on sloughing off the negative or stressful things bothering you.

make a soothing iced tea brew, and speaking purifying intentions into it as you brew it, as you pour, and as you drink.

If you can get to a natural body of water safely, plunging yourself into the water can act as a great reset. If not, with help as needed, you can get a bucket or pail of the ocean, river, lake, or pond water and pour it slowly over yourself, starting at your head.

If you have a garden, harvest plants during the appropriate moon phase and hang to dry in your home. Their energies will help to reset your home.

freeze a bunch of ice cubes with food colouring (or natural edible dyes) for different purposes - purification, abundance, calming, healing, etc - and add them to your water as magical way to stay hydrated. Please also remember the dye when you go to pee later!

Do you have any fun, low energy workings you do in the heat of summer?

#ashandbone.ca #ash and bone #witchcraft #traditional witchcraft #the crooked path #heathenry #queer witch #non binary #crooked path #disabled witch

[gefdreamsofthesea]

I just finished The Devil's Dozen: Thirteen Craft Rites of the Old One. It's what it says on the tin: a bunch of rites for both coven and solitary witches.

Once again, the book has very evocative photographs.

If I had to sum up the rituals in this book in three words I would say "interesting, but impractical" many involve traveling to remote areas alone to do witch things. One requires the use of a churchyard at night (assuming you have access to a churchyard and privacy and also most Christians frown on conjuring the Devil in their yard), a bunch of rites make use of a human skull, which is probably actually illegal here. However I do feel like even if you can't follow the letter of the rites, you can get the spirit of the rites. For instance she talks about the significance of the head as a vessel of divine power, you don't need an actual skull to make use of this idea (she does also mention using animal skulls). She talks about witchcraft being about "inversion and return": going outside to the wild places, feasting and dancing and fucking (things the Church has historically been weird about) and then returning to normal life, but empowered. Everything else is window dressing. Also you better get used to seeing a group of witches referred to as a "companie" or "covine" because you're going to be seeing both a lot.

I think one of the more controversial aspects of this version of traditional witchcraft is the reliance on lore from the European witch craze. The last chapter has a bunch of "one witch from [place] confessed that they did x because the Devil said so" when the vast majority of folks accused of witchcraft weren't actually witches or even cunning folk. That said, I think I agree with her that many of the stories from the period share common elements that I don't think can be chalked up to "uptight Christian authorities pulled this out their asses" (which is not to say that they never did nor does it mean that Murray was right). One aspect I found interesting is how the spirit world (whether as the devil or faeries or other otherworldly entities) showed compassion for the poor (unlike in church where suffering was seen as a virtue). She also points out that many practitioners (then and now) used Christian rites and paraphenalia due to their power. I am reminded of a Medieval sermon story where a woman uses the consecrated host to rid her garden of disease. It's likely this wasn't actually something the priest experienced personally (sermon stories taught people moral truths and such) but the fact that it needed to be said is interesting.

Anyways, interesting book, I think I actually prefer it to Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways by the same author.

#witchcraft #traditional witchcraft #is it traditional or just non-wiccan idk let's go with how they label themselves

[canary-prince]

If you catch me posting Bible memes I'm not turning into a Christian or whatever the fuck I was before my intense spiritual crisis 2 years ago (or was it three)? I went to school for academic theological studies (analysis of religion from an exterior view point) and recent books have me nostalgic and hyperfixating.

#if anything grief turned me back into atheist #ive been a few things #my dad was raised catholic but is a staunch atheist #and mom was sort of Pentecostal and sort of methodist and is a like #soft atheist who definitely believes in ghosts and curses and shit #and i was an atheist for a long time but i felt drawn to Catholicism #it felt like a culture idk #and then it got more and more comforting to non commitally hover at its edges through witchcraft and loose modern spiritual stuff #and perform mental gymnastics about it and mostly believe large swaths of its mythology without thinking about the moral and human side and #also not converting because i couldn’t face my parents if i did and i also was already aware that i couldn’t #but i kept convincing myself that The Church as an institution could somehow be good despite how evil everyone running it is #and then my education finally got the upper hand over my weird desperate longing to fully believe in something beautiful and nearly ancient #and also my father had repeated lies he didn’t know enough to spot #my education finally made me understand that The Church was only >1000 years old #that the gnostics (originally a jewish tradition according to bart d erhman and he referenced this as being commonly accepted) #were the group which the supposed messiah belonged to and the patristic church (catholic church 1.0) had them all killed #unarmed ascetics starving in the desert the people who wrote the earliest gospels and the church killed them all #there is no textual basis for the authority of the pope #the devil was a comprise #the saints were a marketing tactic #correction: the church is sort over a thousand years old but it went through so many iterations and eras before we got here #to be exact #the church FATHERS aka the church that will become the patristic church in the wake of these dudes #and im fuzzy on if the orthodox church is a fully separate iteration or if it and the patristic are used interchangeably #Catholicism as like a term comes out of the scism with Protestantism i think

[nocturnes-rest]

A Friendly Hello

Hi there, my name is Art and I'm starting an occult bookshop. This page is devoted to my bookshop, I'll be posting books I find, read and (eventually) sell! I've been into the occult and the paranormal since I was a kid and I love books about as much as I love those subjects, so it made sense to me to roll my favorite things into one fun business idea! Eventually, I plan on creating a website for my bookshop. My dream is to start a physical bookstore one day as well.

I plan on selling occult books (including books on witchcraft, other magic systems, history of the occult) as well as other non-fiction books I enjoy. I love cryptozoology, the paranormal, history, science, and poetry so you will absolutely see that peppered in here. Please enjoy and don't be afraid to reach out to me if you want to talk about books or ask questions.

Happy Reading!

Art

#occult #paranormal #cryptozoology #history #science #bookshop #bookseller #online bookseller #bookblr #book review #non fiction #occult books #witchcraft #traditional witchcraft #wicca

[manifestationsofasort]

Things to put in your book of shadows

Of course, only put in your book of shadows/grimoire what you want. If you don't want to put certain subjects in your book then that's fine. It's your book, utilize it how you want. This is just a masterlist of ideas that I've put together. Feel free to add anything else to the list that I may have missed, because there's absolutely no way I included everything.

And for the love of all the gods, if you come across a closed entity or practice, don't try to work with the entity or practice if you're not already part of that group or tradition. You can research it but don't practice it.

+ A blessing and/or protection

+ A table of contents

+ About you:

Your current path

Your personal beliefs

Your spiritual journey

Favorite crystals/herbs/animals

Natal chart

Craft name

How you got into the craft

Astrology signs

Birthday correspondences (birth tarot card, birth stone, etc)

Goals (if you have any)

Anything other relating to your personal practice

+ Safety

Fire safety

What NOT to burn

Plants and oils that can be toxic to your pets

What crystals shouldn't be in water, sunlight, etc

Things that shouldn't be put out in nature (salt, glass, etc)

Potion safety

How to incorporate blood safely

+ Core concepts:

Intention and how it works

Directing energy

Protection

Banishing

Cleansing

Charging

Shielding

Grounding and centering

Visualization

Consencration/Blessing

Warding

Enchanting

Manifestation

+ Correspondence

Personal correspondence

Crystals and rocks

Herbs and spices

Food and drink

Colors

Metals

Number

Tarot card

Elemental (fire, water, air, earth)

Trees and woods

Flowers

Days

Months

Moon phases

Zodiac

Planets

Incense

Teas

Essential oils

Directions (north, south, east, west)

Animals

Local plants, animals, etc

Dream symbology

+ Different practices

Practices that are closed to you (some examples below)

Voodoo and Hoodoo **Closed**

Santeria and Brujeria **Closed**

Shamanism and native american practices **Closed**

Wicca and wiccan paths

Satanism, both theistic and non-theistic paths

+ Different types/practices of magick

Pop culture magick

Technology magick

Chaos magick

Green witchcraft

Lunar magick

Sea witchcraft

Kitchen magick

Ceremonial magick

Hedge witchcraft

Death witchcraft

Grey witchcraft

Eclectic witchcraft

Norse witchcraft

Hellenic witchcraft

Animism

+ Deities

The deity/deities you worship

Different pantheons (the main five are Celtic, Roman, Greek, Egyptian and Norse, all open)

Deities and pantheons that are closed to you

Common offerings

Their epithets

Their mythology

Their family

Deity worship vs deity work

Prayers and how to make your own

Deity communication guide

Devotional acts

Ways to get closer to them

+ Other spiritual entities

Angels

Ancestor work

Spirit guides

The fae

Demons

Familiars

House spirits, animal spirits and plant spirits

Other various folklore entities

Spirit etiquette

Cemetery etiquette

Setting boundaries with the spirits

Communication guide and etiquette

Grounding, banishing, protection and cleansing, aka: "Spirit work safety guide"

How they appear to you

Common offerings

Circle casting

+ Divination

Tarot cards

Oracle cards

Tarot and oracle spreads

Pendulum

Numerology

Scrying

Palmistry/palm reading

Tasseography (Tea leaf reading)

Rune stones

Shufflemancy (Shuffling of a playlist)

Dice divination

Bibliomancy (Randomly picking a phrase from a book)

Carromancy (Melted wax)

Pyromancy (Reading flames)

Psychic abilities

Astrology

Aura reading

Divination via playing cards

Lenormand 

Sacred geometry

Angel numbers

+ Other types of magick

Candle magick

Crystal magick

Herbalism/herbal magick

Glamour magick

Hexing

Jinxing

Cursing

Weather magick

Astral work

Shadow work

Energy work

Sigils

Art magick

Knot magick

Crystal grids

Color grids

Music magick

Charms, talismans and amulets

+ Spellwork

What makes a spell work

Basic spell structure

What NOT to do

Disposing of spell ingredients

Revitalizing long term spells

How to cast spells

What to put in spells (See correspondence)

Spell mediums- Jar spells, spoken spells, candle spells, sigils, etc

Spell timing

Setting up a ritual

Taglocks: What they are and how to use them

+ Holidays and Esbats

Yule

Imbolc

Ostara

Beltane

Litha

Lughnasadh/Lammas

Mabon

Samhain

The 12 full moons (Esbats)

How to celebrate

Deity specific holidays

+ Altars and tools

What they are

The different types and their uses (travel altar, working altar, deity altar, ancestor altar, etc)

What you can put on your altar

What you use your altars for

Common tools in witchcraft

How to use the tools

Food and drink

Common herbs in recipes

Sabbat recipes

Moon water: What it is and how to use it

Potion bases

Tea magick

How to get your herbs

Foraging

+ Mental health and self care

Bath magick

Affirmations

Burnout prevention

Aromatherapy

Stress management

Mental health coping mechanisms

+ History of witchcraft

+ Dream records

+ How to differentiate between the magickal and the mundane

+ Calendar of celestial events (Esbats, retrogrades, etc)

+ How to dry herbs and flowers

+ What chakras actually are and how they work within Hinduism

+ History and traditional uses of reiki

+ The witches' alphabet

+ The runic alphabet

+ Common witchcraft terms

+ Common symbols in witchcraft

+ Your own witch tips

+ Good witchcraft books and authors to avoid

+ Any online resources you utilize often

#book of shadows #grimoire prompts #grimoire #book of shadows prompts #witchcraft #witchblr #witch community #witchcraft masterpost #long post #witchcraft 101 #witches of tumblr #beginner witch #baby witch #witch #paganism #pagan #wicca #pagan witch #spirituality #witch tips #witch tag #closet witch #resources

[the-lost-kemetic]

Red Flags In Pagan Circles

I've seen a lot of younger, inexperienced members of the pagan (and witchy!) communities fall into some traps set up for them by people who wish to harm them. It saddens my heart to see this happen, as a lot of newer practitioners join these circles so they can learn! And because they're new, they often get taken advantage of.

So I'm creating this non-comprehensive list of some red flags in pagan and witch circles. Again, this isn't comprehensive. I will be updating this as time goes by, so I recommend checking in on this. For each red flag, I'll give a brief explanation as to why it's a red flag. As always, feel free to add your own in the replies and I'll add them to this post!

EDIT: 11/15/2022 - since there's been some people misunderstanding some of the things in this post, I've rewritten a lot of it so hopefully it makes more sense! Apologies to any confusion that's been caused. I also added some of the additions people have reblogged as well!

Usage of the terms "black" and "white" magic:

While this doesn't always mean someone is racist or xenophobic, within occult spaces there's this tendency to use this. The association of darkness/black things being evil isn't always a racist thing (we as humans are naturally afraid of the dark), but it did play a part in the Atlantic slave trade by associating dark skin with animalistic, evil ambitions and light skin as being pure and good. This isn't 100% a red flag, but it's good to keep an eye out when it is used! Another issue is that "black magic" was often used to refer to African traditional magic. It's why you'll often see hoodoo and voodoo portrayed as evil.

Argues that anyone can practice whatever they want, regardless of the status of it being closed or not:

Closed practices are closed for a reason, specifically because these practices have had their people murdered, their land stolen, and their practices made illegal for many years. The reason they are closed is so that outsiders cannot just come into their sacred spaces, take what they want, and bastardize it. The belief that you can join these closed practices without being initiated/born into them is rooted in colonialism and racism. This is one of the biggest red flags. Some examples of closed practices are hoodoo, ATRs, Native American beliefs, brujeria, and santeria. Some plants are closed as well, so please do your due diligence.

The belief in folkism/volkism: that open pantheons should only be worshiped by those with their blood:

This is the complete opposite of the above. Open pantheons are open because they have not been passed down to us in a single line, and they are currently being revived. As such, these practices can't really be "closed". People who argue that open pantheons should only be worshiped by those with their blood are partaking in the same beliefs as Neo-Nazis. Please watch out for this especially in heathen/Nordic spaces! These people ARE NAZIS. The specific dogwhistle here is "go back to your roots". (Thank you to @chrisasiaheartman)

Offers to teach advanced practices (baneful magic, deity work, etc.) to newcomers:

It's true that everyone is on different parts of their practice, and not everyone will progress the same way. However, there are certain practices that newcomers should not be doing until they have the basics down. This includes baneful magic and deity work, as you can open yourself up to disastrous consequences if you don't take the proper precautions. This isn't too much of a red flag as often the people doing this do mean well, but it's still something to look out for.

They use the terms "witchcraft" and "Wicca" interchangeably:

They are not interchangeable! Witchcraft is a practice, and Wicca is a religion. These types of people often believe you must be Wiccan to practice witchcraft, which you don't.

They refer to Wicca as an "ancient" religion:

This is false. Wicca was founded in the 1960s. If they do this, it could either be tongue-in-cheek, or it's just blatant misinformation. I would be careful.

They act as though baneful magic is evil.

It isn't. Baneful magic can be a form of protection and self-defense, it is not always a bad thing.

They act as though the "threefold law" is the end-all-be-all of practicing:

Not every witch believes in the threefold law, nor are you required to. This goes back into my point about them believing you must follow Wiccan teachings to practice witchcraft. You don't, period.

The use of racial or cultural slurs, even if they claim it's in a non-discriminatory way:

They are racist. If they're mentioning these slurs in an educational way, that's fine. But if a witchcraft space is just dropping these slurs casually in speech, it's a good sign of them being racist.

They push a specific diet:

You don't need to eat vegan or vegetarian to be a witch. No one has to. Some witches might think that's the best way to practice, and that's fine! Some witches might not subscribe to that idea, and that's fine too!

They push pseudoscience and/or anti-science ideologies (anti-vax, etc.):

This is extremely dangerous. Witchcraft and science can work together just fine. People have done this for so long, and pushing these ideologies can be extremely dangerous to peoples' personal health.

Enforcement of gender binaries:

This is things like the divine "masculine" and divine "feminine". Often times these people will also claim that the womb/uterus should be worshipped as well, and the people who do this are often TERFs/transphobic. Not everyone neatly fits into a gender binary. (Thank you to @hagstone-enthusiast for this!)

They promote the idea that only witches can be female, or that male witches are called warlocks:

Witches can be any gender, and the term warlock is actually derogatory as it means someone broke their oath.

Promotes the idea that mentally ill/neurodivergent witches that that way because they have a strong intuition:

This is very dangerous because being neurodivergent/mentally ill isn't a special thing, and it often is a detriment to many people. People who claim this often believe in indigo children/starseed children. In addition, look out for people to claim that neurodivergent people are that way because they "don't have a position attitude" (thanks to @urchinbeans5000).

#paganism #pagan #pagans of tumblr #witchcraft #baby witch #witchblr #polytheist #polytheism

[lilianasgrimoire]

Witches & Witchcraft: Types & Definitions

There is an abundance of types of witches, some being more common than others, for example, death witch or hedge witch. I have provided the different types of witches with a brief description/definition of what they study, believe and tools most commonly used for each.

The types of witchcraft is entirely up to the individual which they prefer to do. One person may only follow on type of magick whereas another may follow several. Listed are a handful of the many kinds, but I'm listing the most common/known types of magick/witchcraft that people fall into.

I have grouped some witches together as they fit together under the same or similar definitions.

Types of Witches

Religious witches;

Christian, Satanic (Theistic), Laveyan Satanic, Hellenic, Celtic and Wiccan, etc. are witches that follow a primary belief system and incorporate their religion into the craft.

Non-Religious witches;

Secular - doesn't work with [a] deity(ies).

Science - (also a craft type), uses metaphysical and scientific fads and theories mixed together.

Other types of witches;

Solitary - works alone and is not part of a coven. Won't typically work with other witches for spell work or any part of their practice.

Eclectic - a practice that includes multiple practises from different areas. A mixture of all practices, may practise one more than another, or all equally.

Hereditary/Generational - a witch who is born into a family whom practice the craft. The term 'Blood witch' is often a hot topic of controversy as to whether it makes one a more powerful witch.

Traditional - a type that is based on honouring the traditional ways of magick, which also ties in nicely with generational/hereditary witches.

Chaotic/Chaos - a witch who utilizes new, non-traditional and unorthodox methods. It's still relatively new and highly individualistic practice while still drawing from common forms of magick.

Types of Witchcraft/Magick

Green Witch; A witch who uses natural magick, such as creating blends of different plants, or primarily using herbs and/or crystals spells in their craft. Tools mostly consist of herbs, crystals, stones, flowers, soil or other greenery.

Hedge Witch; Also know as an astral witch, this type of magick is orientated around spiritual work such as astral projection, lucid dreaming, spirit work, healing and out-of-body magick. Tools mostly consist tarot cards, runes, pendulum, stones, crystal ball, mirrors & candles.

Dream Witch; Mindful and internal magickal practice mainly based from interpreting dreams and/or engaging in lucid dreaming. Practises used to 'de-code' symbols and messages in the dream world can be used similarly to how one would use divination techniques. Tools mostly consist of dream catchers, candles, books of glossaries of symbols.

Sea/Ocean; Derived from materials and abstract ideas involving ocean and the oceanic world. Sea or ocean magick can be worked with by using things found on or relating to a beach/lagoon. A sea witch might draw their energy from such tools. Tools commonly consist of driftwood, pebbles/stones, seashells, ocean water, bones, seaweed, candles.

Storm/Weather; magick used through combining one's energy with the weather; most commonly rain. Weather witches will collect different ingredients provided by the weather, absorb energy from storms, manipulate winnds, or perhaps predict the weather. Tools most commonly consist of rain/snow water, symbols/weather maps, crystals.

Cottage/Hearth; Magick that is weaved and worked or embedded into mundane tasks around the house or for loved ones. Cottage magick is usually worked into cleaning, hobbies or cooking. Tools commonly consist of essential oils, incense, bells, flowers, cleaning utensils, spices and herbs.

Tea Witch; Creating blends of teas for protection, remedies or even to use for tea-leaf divination. Tools commonly consist of tea, herbs, waters, spices.

Tech Witch; Use of technology in the craft, mostly based through phones or computers. Mostly used for storing of information, grimoires, spell books and Book of Shadows/diaries. Tools consist of apps on the phone, digital sigils, online blogs and pages.

Garden/Flora; Mostly (if not all) focused on herbal and botanical measures. Many garden witches have their own garden and plant flowers and herbs to draw in energy for their home and to include in rituals and spells. Tools commonly consist of flowers, soil, seeds, greenery, twigs/tree branches, leaves.

Elemental; Using all 4 (or 5) elements in an honouring or acknowledging form. A witch can choose to work with all, or singular elements. One may have a dedicated area on their alters to a particular elements. Tools consist of anything related to said element.

Faery/Fae; Magick for those who communicate with, and/or work with the Fae. Those whom work with fae may also leave offerings regularly as thanks for the assistance of a faery in their spell work. Tools commonly consist of anything sweet, sigils, offerings.

Spirit; A practice which an individual will perform spell work in conjunction with (or the help of) any manner of spirit, including Ouija, demon spirits, spiritual contact of any kind, working with ancestors. Tools commonly consist of crystals, bells, incense, Ouija boards, tarot cards, pendulums, sigils.

Draconian: The use of dragons and dragon imagery; whether it be trough astral matters or in spells and rituals. May also be connected with dragon spirits on their journey. Tools commonly consist of dragons art, statues, candles.

Seasonal; Utilizing and drawing energy from specific time periods of the year for their magick. One individual may feel more powerful at a particular time of year. It can also be spread out into the 4 seasons. Tools commonly consist of herbs related to certain seasons, stones, ruins and the weather.

Music; Can be through singing, humming, playing an instrument, creating music or having it on during spell work to add energies. Tools consist of speakers, instruments, voice, chimes, lyrics & sheet music.

Art & Craft; Anything from painting to knitting to building something. Tools consist of anything you can craft with.

Sigils; Working majorly with sigils and the intent that can be put into them to activate their power. Tools commonly used are pens, paper, makeup, candles.

Astronomy/Space/Luna; Correlates their belief in conjunction with the planets, stars and/or moon. Versed in moon phases and tend to do spell work at night rather than day time. Tools commonly used are horoscopes, calendars, charts, moonlight, moon water.

Energy; Those who prefer to do magick through energy exercises and manipulation rather than many physical tools or materials. This may also include aura work. The only tools needed for this type is yourself.

Crystal; Magick that is worked commonly with stones and crystals. The practise may include chakra balancing, crystal meditation and even spell work or rituals. Extensive knowledge of stone, including how to identify them. Tools most commonly used are crystals, books, grimoires and stones.

Literacy; Those who practise through books and literature - studying the craft after the 'beginner' phase of learning. Tools are books, poems, written work.

#witch #witchcraft #witchblr #pagan #wicca #witches #pagan witch #paganism #pagan wicca #witches of tumblr #baby witch #beginner witch #new witch #pagans of tumblr #witchcore #witch community #witch tips #witchy vibes #witch aesthetic #witchy woman #paganblr #hellenic pagan #celtic paganism #polytheism #grimoire #book of shadows #magick #folk magic #spell

[buggywiththefolkmagic]

Book Review: Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer

TW: Alcohol mentions and tallow mentions. Poison Path things as well. This is: Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer Rating: 9/10 Pros: An amazing outlook into animism, herbalism, and foraging in a safe, sustainable and non-appropriative way! The instructions on how to garden were very to the point and explained some complicated ideals in an easy to digest way, I think one of my favorite quotes from the book that stuck with me while reading was,

“Just when I think magic has been cut down and paved over; a dandelion has pushed it’s way out of the cracks in the cement.”

I hope that quote helps you understand what sort of writing to expect out of this book! As someone that grew up learning planting from my Papaw who took classes on the subject after getting out of WWII through a governmental program and was a farmer before that, some of the information on growing was things I already knew. But for a beginner just looking into ‘wildcrafting’ or foraging or just plain growing your own herbs for witchy things?

Get this book.

The author, while an herbalist, breaks down each plant she mentions and includes plenty of warnings and suggestions for use both magical and holistically. She covers the poison path in a very easy to understand way while making sure you understand it’s not a beginner’s thing, and certainly not one to take without serious consideration first. The author takes careful note of Indigenous practices and makes sure to drive it home that their voices are to be heard over anyone else’s when it comes to taking care of American land. There are so many rituals and remedies included in this book that I have a feeling I’ll be referencing it quite a lot, and not just for the gardening and foraging tips!

Did I mention the entire 11 pages of a bibliography in the back?? No? Well there’s that too. My academic heart is thrilled.

Cons: Honestly? The only real con I have is that the author spends a chunk of time going over the Wheel of the Year which is a wiccan construct in a book that otherwise doesn’t have any wiccan imagery or practices up until this point. It feels…weirdly thrown in? But she also includes multiple folk traditions that were common amongst those particular time periods so…it is worked in but it still feels a little odd and jarring to me.

The author also mentioned the use of tallow as a commonly used oil for salves, which is correct but some people are uncomfortable with the idea and I understand that! Since the author has tincture recipes as well she does mention the use of alcohol in steeping purposes.

Overview: Animism, foraging, herbalism, and being safe to the environment. Good stuff all around!

#buggy's book reviews #Wild Witchraft is such a good little book! #witchblr #folk magic #forraging #animism #herbalism #Appalachian Folk Magic

[the-trans-folk-witch]

The Seven Deadly Sins: sins personified via animism and the church.

The arte of the witch is syncretic with the arte of demons. To usurp and overthrow the oppressor, and to cause sins within the souls of men. How does a witch do this? the Seven Deadly Sins or "cardinal sins" are the answer.

The image above depicts these 7 sins within the man's heart/soul as being animals. As an animist I can not help but view these animals as being true personification. Symbolism is not a thing to me, but a person. Although I'm sure the creator of this image was very much a good Catholic man who was not an animist, we can still utilize this image today as animists.

In traditional witchcraft it's common to call upon familiars associated with cardinal directions.a common example would be the toad, hare, serpent, and crow. However within my own arte I call upon the familiars of the cardinal sins pictured above.

The traditional meanings of these animals are as follows:

The toad- greed

The serpent- envy

The [mountain] lion- wrath

The snail- sloth

The pig- gluttony

The goat- lust

The peacock (or turkey) - pride.

This list although very eurocentric and representative of my own cosmology, can be reworked to fit your own landscape and culture. If you do not have any of the animals near you, change the list! Get to know the spirits of your land and assign your own familars to these sins.

In cases where the witch is cut off from nature, and the animals' parts are not on hand to conjure the spirit, there are demons traditionally associated with these sins as well. And demons are very present within the lives and bodies (posession)of man. The demons are changed in name and sinful virtue based on time period and culture. But the two most popular lists come from "the lantern of light" and Binsfield. Whichever resonates most is the answer.

The witch may call upon these demons or animal familiars for the arte that is cursing man. What i consider man can very well be the gender or just all humanity (non witches) themselves. But these beliefs are very forcibly removed from modern witch-caucus.

As for the remedy for these sins, one must request the aid of the 7 heavenly virtues. These vurtues are as follows:

The heavenly virtues being the holy opposites of these Infernal spirits of demons or animals. These virtues are depicted as 7 angels, or 7 saints. Again, whichever list you prefer is the answer. The angels are a more modern concept applied by western occultusts. And are taken from my previous post on the 7 angels of planets. They are the main 7 Archangels found in Manila traditional catholic orders.

There are also lists of saints you can call against certain demons listed in the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum which i will share here

The work is never just left or right, but in between the holy and heretical. The saints and demons are beneficial to the witch just as they are to the church. With sin comes hell, and with the holy spirit comes heaven. God commands both, as do witches. Therefore I am now God.

#folk witchcraft #traditional witchcraft #transgender witches #beginner witch #folk catholicism #animism #santa muerte #folkloric witchcraft #witchcraft #ozark magic #demonology #demonolotry #grimoire #satanism #theistic satanism

[creature-wizard]

"Paganism isn't a Burger King or a Chinese buffet, you can't just pick and choose what you want" is bad rhetoric, and here's why.

I recently got an anon message telling me that paganism isn't like a Burger King or a Chinese buffet; you can't just have things your way or pick and choose what you like, and that "everything was organized a certain way for a reason" and that you "change the system at your own risk."

I pointed out that this is an incredibly historically-uninformed take, because there's never been a time or place in history where paganism was pure and unchanging, and there were many reasons for things being the way things were, most of them just not that deep or mysterious. (For example, politics.)

Anon sent a follow-up message stating that they were talking about cultural appropriation, which... strange if true, given that I hadn't been posting anything about appropriation recently.

In fact, it seems that the post this person was responding to was a post about pop culture witchcraft, given that the OP of that post got an anon message with the words "Chinese buffet analogy" and "pop culture paganism" in the same sentence. (It seems this person doesn't understand the difference between witchcraft and paganism. Common beginner mistake, but also, oof.) Said post wasn't encouraging any kind of appropriative behavior, but go off I guess, anon.

In any case, this kind of restaurant rhetoric isn't even good for safeguarding against cultural appropriation. It doesn't actually explain why cultural appropriation is a problem, and functionally just tells people to stay with what they they've been taught and don't question it. If anything, it reminds me of conservative Christian rhetoric telling people that they can't be Christian and pro-LGBTQ+ because "you can't pick and choose which parts of the Bible to follow." (And I think we can all agree that we're better off when Christians decide to ignore this kind of sentiment.)

And speaking of conservative Christianity, people trying to get away from that kind of crap are generally not the kind of people who appreciate being stuck in shitty little boxes and being told they have to follow the rules Or Else. If you use this line on them, sooner or later they'll probably decide that this whole notion of cultural appropriation is a bunch of xenophobic, dogmatic crap, and they're not going to care anymore.

And if it does work on them? If they do internalize it? Congratulations, you've just taught them that policing people's practices for Not Being Pagan Enough is the way to go. This is how you get people harassing each other and putting each other down over total non-issues. It also means that they're less likely to think critically about their own beliefs and practices, and realize that maybe, just maybe, they're actually kinda shitty.

We should be able to explain to people that being mindful of cultural appropriation is about respecting other people's boundaries, access, and general welfare. We should be able to explain the actual harm that cultural appropriation does. Here are some examples:

The high demand for white sage among neopagans has contributed to overharvesting of white sage for commercial sale. This has resulted in ecological damage and made it more difficult for Natives to access the herb.

Ancient astronaut theorists twist and distort myths and traditions from numerous non-white cultures to make it seem as if they support a pseudohistorical narrative in which aliens supposedly built structures such as the Great Pyramids and Puma Punku. This narrative is linked with far right conspiracy theories in general. Those who speak out against the appropriation of their cultures' myths are regarded as unenlightened or agents of the conspiracy.

Commercializing aspects of marginalized culture to sell to the masses is essentially a form of exploitation; large companies benefit while they get nothing. Basically, if you wouldn't support intellectual property theft, you shouldn't support this kind of thing.

Said commercial products typically reinforce harmful stereotypes and misconceptions about said cultures.

In reality, there's no reason why people shouldn't pick and choose what they want provided they are minding boundaries. If somebody wants to worship Freya and Mercury and ignore other Norse and Roman gods, it literally hurts nobody.

There are many things that paganism is not. Paganism is not an unchanging monolith. Paganism is not decreed to us by an infallible authority. "Paganism" genuinely isn't even a very useful term to talk about Europe's rich tapestry of polytheistic beliefs with. But one thing that it is, is up to us, the living practitioners.

#cultural appropriation #paganism #paganblr #critical thinking #pagan

[undying-love]

Comments by Peter Dogget (author of You Never Give Me Your Money)

“Lennon could have abandoned the (US) immigration case and returned to Britain, and possibly even to McCartney, but that would have meant accepting that his relationship with Ono was over.”

"In the great tradition of pantomime dames, Lennon played the leading female role of Thisbe, which allowed him some highly camp flirtation with Paul ‘Pyramus’ McCartney."

"Literary parody was still Lennon’s inspiration in this brief ‘story’, which according to the credits in In His Own Write was written “in conjugal with Paul”

"What happened at the Dakota in January 1975? Various biographers have suggested that Ono might have drugged Lennon or hypnotized him, or used her esoteric knowledge of witchcraft. But these far-fetched rumors underestimate the power of Lennon’s psychological drives. More intriguing, in retrospect, is Ono’s rationale. Did she choose this moment for a reunion because the numbers were right, or was she afraid that she might lose him forever if he reunited with McCartney? Whose dependence was greater: Lennon’s on the woman he called mother, or Ono’s on the man who had brought her global recognition?

"(Paul’s Life interview, November 1969): “’The Beatle thing is over. It has been exploded, partly by what we have done, partly by other people. We are individuals – all different. John married Yoko, I married Linda. We didn’t marry the same girl.’ It was an intriguing way to describe the break-up, deflecting his disagreements with Lennon onto the choice of partners.”

"In mid-January 1973 Lennon and Ono quarrelled publicly at another party. “I wish I was back with Paul,” Lennon reportedly said."

“Seeing Lennon focus on Ono rather than him[Paul] was as devastating as it would have been for Cynthia Lennon to witness the couple making love.”

“His partnership with Lennon was non-sexual, but it ran deeper than anything he had experienced with a woman”.

#mclennon #Peter Dogget #interesting

[traegorn]

you never read the lilith question from the first edition of lilith magazine you twisted presumptuous fraud and antisemite

So I'm probably giving you more attention than you deserve, but I also hate leaving someone who keeps repeatedly shouting something at me that's so wrong uncorrected.

You brought this up back in September (yes, this has been going on for that long), and at the time I hadn't read it so I assumed it supported your argument. I gave you the benefit of the doubt and trusted that it said what you said.

But here's the thing, I've since read it.

And it doesn't support what you're saying at all.

(Putting the rest under a cut since this gets long...)

So going to the actual piece we have to remember what "Lilith Magazine" is. It's a Jewish Feminist magazine writing primarily for a Jewish audience. Cantor-Zuckoff is talking about how Jewish women may want to look at her story differently. I don't find anything in there arguing for Lilith to be some pan-feminist icon for non-Jewish people. In fact, in the article Cantor-Zuckoff says:

What we have to explore are the uniquely Jewish aspects of the Lilith story, and how they relate to the Jewish experience, to Jewish history. After all, Jews lived among many different peoples and were subject to a bombardment of cultural and religious concepts and myths from all sides. What they accepted is important because it shows us what Jews perceived as necessary and appropriate to Jewish life and its continuity. How they transmuted what they accepted is also significant for this reason. The account of Lilith’s revolt in the Alphabet is, to the best of my knowledge, intrinsically Jewish; no non-Jewish source tells of a female struggle for equality or gives it as a reason for the vengeful behavior of a female demon. This is especially important to us in exploring how the Lilith myth connects with our unique history.

The only comments about universality in the piece are when Cantor-Zuckoff says that there are stories with some similarities in other cultures just prior to those last two paragraphs:

These legends of Lilith-as-demon, the vengeful female witch, are, of course, not unique to Jewish culture and tradition. Many scholars theorize that vengeful female deities or demons, like the Greek hecatae, represent the vestiges of the dying Matriarchy or are an attempt by men to discredit the Matriarchy.

What Cantor-Zuckoff is arguing here is that there are myths in other cultures that have been influenced by patriarchy and serve some similar functions. This is not an argument for other people using Lilith, only that there are elements she shares. To claim they're the same though is bizarre, as you wouldn't claim that, say, Kinich Ahau and Helios are the same god just because they're both associated with the sun.

I think this really goes back to the fact that you've started with a conclusion and just reject anything that contradicts it. You really want it to be true. What I have said from the start is that Lilith is a figure who is unique to Jewish folklore. I backed this up with with the evidence we find in the historical record. I debunked the supposed "non-Jewish Lilith" sources.

And I said listen to Jewish people about what's okay or not okay to use from their culture, as they are a closed ethnoreligion, and not listening to them would make someone an asshole. You've been having a bizarre tantrum at me for like half a year now, and it's getting sad.

I don't know why you seem to care that I, a random person you will never meet, thinks you're being an asshole, but this has to stop.

(Context Note: For anyone who is seeing this post first in this ongoing "conversation" -- this anon has been harassing me for months because I dared say in my podcast that Lilith is a figure who comes exclusively from Jewish folklore, and that members of the Modern Witchcraft Movement should listen to Jewish people when they ask us not to appropriate her. That's right -- my saying "listen to Jewish people" is apparently an antisemitic act.)

#witchblr #witch #witchcraft #lilith

[windvexer]

It's funny how, as a society, we'll embrace technological advances yet there's this tendency with witches who will refuse non-traditional tools in their own craft. For example: candles. LED candles can be programmed to flicker and mimick the appearance of a flame without the fire and smoke. With the internet, you can watch a video of a candle burning on your phone or PC monitor. Aside from techno witches or chaos magicians, I'm not sure why others haven't caught on and considered experimenting. I bring this up to ask: What are your thoughts about the (possible lack of) creative experimentation with modern technology on witchblr?

Bud I love your vibes of experimentation but idk why we have to try and drag all of witchblr like this.

"Aside from techno witches" so, aside from all the witches who are already using technology in their practice, why isn't everyone else also using it?

I think experimenting with digital stuff and technology is great, but I do take a tiny lil bit off offense to you saying "I'm not sure why others haven't caught on," which kind of implies that if people thought about using technology in their practice they'd obviously want to experiment with it, as opposed to people just realizing they could and then deciding not to.

Not all witchcraft is about doing the most convenient thing 100% of the time, and what you perceive to be the most rational or helpful course of action actually isn't necessarily accessible for everyone.

What about people who specifically get into witchcraft as a way to reconnect with tradition?

What about witches who find power and utility in working with certain tools that they can't grasp within modern technology?

What about witches who work with a spiritual or animistic path and literally believe they're connecting with the physical candle flame in a way that can't be reproduced/replicated by digital stuff?

What about witches who are experienced energy workers and perceive that the energies produced by the physical candle aren't the same as those produced by watching an internet video, and have decided that these two things aren't interchangeable?

What about witches who are sick of screens and are using witchcraft as a way to touch grass?

I think all of the witches I know who are seriously invested in magic have experimented with technology as part of their practice, very often for accessibility/disability issues.

I dislike the idea that all these hypothetical witches need to "catch on" to a certain specific kind of experimentation for some reason. But, as someone who has experimented with using digital/technology in magic, I can affirm that it doesn't fully replace my actual physical practice. Can it be helpful in many ways? Yes. Can the intersection of magic and technology be very powerful? Yes.

But I have to say if the witchblr buds really are completely lacking in technological experimentation, I really don't have commentary on that, except that I'm happy for everyone leading self-determined lives and I hope they keep doing it.

#answered

[thevirginwitch]

Pearl Correspondences & Uses in Witchcraft

Friendly reminder that this post was available for early access over on my Patreon! Unlock early access to my future content (as well as exclusive access to my research notes, free tarot readings, digital goodies, access to my online library, and TONS more) by subscribing to my Patreon for as little as $2/month!

In ancient Chinese culture, pearls were used in artwork, folktales, and charms to represent wishes, fortunes, gratitude, and even the moon:

Marquis of Sui’s Pearl, a gemstone in a folktale dating back to the Warring States period (475-221 BCE), is given to a leader, Sui, from an injured snake that he nurses back to health, as a symbol of gratitude.

In Hindu and Buddhist traditions, The Chintamani (equivalent to the importance of The Philosopher’s Stone in alchemy) is known as a wish-fulfilling jewel that is sometimes depicted as a pearl.

In Chinese artwork, dragons may be seen holding or playing with a “flaming pearl” – in this context, some believe the pearl may be representative of “an object of great value that enhances the benign dragon who treasures it”, however it is more commonly (especially in Westerners) believed to be a cosmological symbol of the moon – in fact, there is an ancient belief that full moons are solid pearls, while new moons are hollow pearls.

In holistic circles, pearl powder is also known to help you with longevity, beauty, bone-health, among many other (non-FDA approved) benefits – and in Ayurvedic medicine, pearl is said to be an antidote for poison, and it was also used in love potions.

Knowing the traditional symbolism of pearls in Chinese and Eastern cultures, as well as its (supposed) medical benefits and Ayurvedic uses, we can create our own Correspondences for Utilizing Pearls in Witchcraft:

The Moon

The inner/subconscious-self

Wishes

Gratitude

Abundance

Love

Beauty

Longevity, good health

Pisces, cancer

Hidden knowledge

Uses for pearls (or pearl powder) in modern witchcraft:

Use pearl powder as highlighter in makeup for an easy glamor-spell

Mix with salt and other herbs associated with abundance to make “money-salt” for money spells

Add whole pearls or sprinkle pearl powder in your money bowl

Blow pearl powder onto your front door at the beginning of each month to bring abundance to your home

Write down a secret or something you want to get off your chest, and bury it with a pearl to keep it ‘hidden away’ from others

Make a wish with a pearl by leaving it out in a rainstorm, or dropping it into a natural body of water (pond, lake, etc).

Offerings to sea-related or beauty-realted deities

Fun pearl facts:

Genuine pearls (and pearl powder) doesn’t burn! Pearls may discolor, but they shouldn’t go up in flames.

Pearls are made as oysters try to protect themselves from irritants or parasites – they add layers and layers of this ‘pearl’ coating to intruders, and viola!

Pearls are the only gemstone that come from a living creature

Pearls come in many colors

Pearls are obtained from oyster farming – which is actually beneficial to the environment! Additionally, pearls can be harvested without killing oysters.

Be careful when shopping for pearls – many places do not sell genuine pearls and they may be fake. Use caution when looking to purchase!

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquis_of_Sui's_pearl

https://sci-hub.ru/https://doi.org/10.2307/1512907

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cintamani

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_Treasures

#crystals #gemstone #gemstones #crystal witch #pearls #pearl #witchcraft #correspondences #spells #spell #love spell #spell book #grimoire #thevirginwitch #witchy #sea witch #witch #witchblr #witches of tumblr #pagan