#skeptical witch

[glamourous-world]

I sit on my little skeptic throne of witchcraft and enjoy it all because either magic is real and I’m very in tune with myself and the world around me, or it’s not and I become a master of meditation and good mental attitude and I get a fuck ton of shiny little trinkets and nicknacks that bring me immense joy there is no losing here

#witchblr #witches of tumblr #witchcraft #secular witch #skeptical witch #glams blog of shadows

[spiralhouseshop]

It's the season of the witch and until the end of October I'm offering Brainscan issues 33 & 34 by Alex Wrekk at a price where it will be about $10 including postage anywhere in the US! In these two zines Alex explores over a decade of building a secular witchcraft practice.

Brainscan #33 - DIY Witchery invites you into a deeply personal journey through the world of witchcraft. Over the course of a decade, the author has explored and practiced witchcraft, and this zine shares their unique experiences. It's not a how-to guide, but rather an insightful personal narrative. The author delves into their journey into witchcraft, the development of their secular and non-pagan practice, and the distinctions between their approach and contemporary witchcraft. They also tackle critical issues within the modern pagan and witchcraft communities, including discussions on racism, cultural appropriation, colonialism, and capitalism, reflecting their intersectional politics. For those interested in venturing on their own path, the zine offers tips and resources.

"Brainscan #34 - A Dabbler's Week of DIY Witchery is a zine born out of a challenge sparked by a cntroversial witchcraft book review in January 2020. The review suggested that modern witches were anti-vaccine and climate change deniers, leading a witch to question what it really takes to explore witchcraft for a week. The author, an experienced witch, takes up the challenge and presents their response in this zine.

Within these pages, daily activities are proposed, designed to shift your perspective and introduce you to their personal world of witchcraft. Activities include space cleansing, simple energy exercises, correspondences, animism, and basic spells. All of this is presented in a friendly, non-authoritative tone, making it perfect for those curious about witchcraft.

https://portlandbuttonworks.com/secular-witchcraft-zine

#secular witchcraft #witchblr #witchcraft* #sass witch #skeptical witch #zines #dabbler's week of witchcraft #witchy zines #alex wrekk #brainscan zines #witch zine

[beththeskepticalwitch]

On skeptical witchcraft:

"I realized that most of what I was doing already could be explained through science/psychology, with the placebo effect being the main aspect of it. If I was doing the spells and the rituals in the same way that others do and they were having the intended outcome, how could I not call it magic? Even if the belief behind the way it works differs from most’s. It is about why I do what I do, and what I do to achieve my desired outcome; it is not about how it is achieved."

Quote from @beorhtsgrimoire (reposted with permission)

#skeptical witchcraft #beginner witch #witchblr #psychological model of withcraft #placebo effect #pagan #skeptical witch #paganism #secular witch #psychology #witchy #magick #witchcraft

[crazycatsiren]

Call me a skeptic, but astrology doesn't predict or decide shit.

#mother witch ramblings #witchblr #skepticism #skeptical witch #astrology #witch community

[booksandwitchery]

Not long ago, if someone said I'd be ordering a Tarot deck this year...

...I would laugh in their face because I am a die-hard, science-loving skeptic incapable of blind belief in the supernatural. But my tarot card deck should be coming in the mail today and I'm f***ing stoked, even though I don't think the cards are going to cause anything mystical to happen.

For anyone who is familiar with my posts, it should be no surprise that I've encountered a lot of information about Jungian psychology, specifically the concept of universal human archetypes and the effort to balance the conscious and unconscious aspects of our mind. In Anthony Alvarado's DIY Magic, which I posted about last year, a whole chapter is dedicated to tarot even though the author himself admits that magical experiences are merely "subconscious structures of our own making." He assures his readers these experiences are not "any less powerful or capricious" despite having been created by our own minds. Excuse me, but I think that is f***ing beautiful. WHAT.

Alvarado says tarot cards are effective because of their human universality: "Anyone can do it; you don't need special powers. . .the tarot deck works because it is filled with ancient archetypal symbols. That they are archetypal simply means that they represent basic fears, hopes, dreams and desires that are present in everybody's life."

I've been chewing on this idea for a while now, including how it pertains to modern archetypal polytheism (deities as aspects of our own self) and secular witchcraft in general. My greatest "aha" moment was when I connected this idea of tarot cards to the first principle of Atheopaganism: "I understand that the metaphorical is not the literal.. . . we do not automatically accept our subjective experiences as having objective reality. Does that mean, then, that the meaning derived from such experiences is necessarily invalid? No, it does not." - Mark Green

In other words, though our experiences using tarot decks are subjective and do not involve the supernatural, the meanings we derive from these readings are valid. We created the meaning, as opposed to the meaning being paranormally inherent in the experience.

So, my fellow humans--if I talk about tarot in my posts (as I am likely to do now that I've learned that magic is, in a sense, actually f***ing real) I am using it in this domain of thought. I am not using the cards to predict my future; I do not think that any supernatural entities are in control of the cards (though if you do, that's fine too and I respect your beliefs) because as Carl Jung once said, "It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves."

#carl jung #jungian psychology #depth psychology #carl gustav jung #parapsychology #psychology #the rational tarot #rational tarot #tarot #tarotcommunity #tarot deck #tarot cards #tarot wisdom #occult #witchcraft #secular witchcraft #secular magic #sass witchcraft #sass witch #skeptical witch #secular witch #witch #paganism #neopaganism #magick

[liminality-secular-witch]

"What kind of witch are you?"

Every witch has a different approach and practice. Here is mine. ^_^

I consider myself a secular witch, in that, if you put a gun to my head and demand to know whether I "really believe" in spirits and supernatural powers, I would have to say "no." My personal gods and spirits are all extensions of my own consciousness, combined from my own experience and media I've consumed. I also do not follow any organized religions, though I do study Shinto and Zen Buddhism. I find the beliefs of those (open, btw) practices appealing and the resulting behaviors (such as care of one's body, possessions and the environment) edifying.

I consider myself a pop culture witch, and this has only grown stronger in my general practice and in tarot reading. Like Emily Carlin, who is often cited in introductory articles about pop culture magic, I use a living band of musicians to represent particular aspects of my magic (a huge chunk of it, to be honest). Additionally, characters and scenes from favorite movies and books have become the go-to imagery behind some cards. I'm not shy about calling on my pantheon of personal gods/spirits when I need a guide, cheerleader, or servitor in some particular role.

I consider myself an eclectic witch, in that I draw from many sources for my practice and much of it is my own devising and interpretation. I have no study (or major interest) in herbs, but I keep some whose scents and flavors evoke a particular emotion for me. I have no study (and only a mild interest) in crystals, but I have several that I have found myself particularly attracted to. I may research the traditional historical correspondences of these tools, but I always settle on a meaning that's unique to me and my practice.

I consider myself a skeptical witch who follows the psychological model, and I have an education in science and psychology. I love understanding how the brain interprets the world around us, whether that's understanding one's own body, relationships to others or place in the greater universe. The placebo effect—which is far, far more complex once you get into the literature of it—is an easy go-to to explain to people who might be new to SASS witchcraft, but there are even more ways to use what we understand of human thought to work through magic. The power of ritual can reliably call forth a particular mindset (professional athletes do this with their "superstitious" pre-game rituals) or even collapse time (as tea ceremony masters experience). Knowing how (if not why) a feeling of a bad omen comes over me, I know what steps I can take to counter it: Rather than trying to beat my mind into behaving "It's not real. Get over it!" I've instead learned to recognize that my fears are my natural instinct and that I can gently guide my brain back to a calm state when I need to.

What labels do you use for your practice if any, and why do you use them to describe it?

#witchblr #secular witch #skeptical witch #eclectic witch #SASS witch #an answer on Reddit I wanted to keep

[solarpunk-0possum]

I used to struggle with believing that witchcraft was a real thing that could do things for me but then I allowed myself to believe things science hasn’t proven. Science itself says it doesn’t know how everything works. What’s saying there’s not some actual forces at work that we just haven’t been able to quantify yet?

#witch #witchcraft #witches #witchblr #witch community #magic #magick #witchy #skeptic witch #science witch #skeptical witch

[juniper-divination-and-witchery]

#the only witch kit anyone needs #carl sagan #discernment #skeptical witch #science based witchcraft #witchy science #witchblr

[quasi-normalcy]

#witchcraft #witchblr #witches #magic #sorcery #occultism #occult #skepticism #religion #wicca

[criticalthinkingwitches]

Critical Thinking Witch Con 2023 Sept 29th - Oct 1st Connect, learn, and get involved with community of science-minded witches and seekers from around the world at this 3 day virtual convention. All-Access Pass - $35/40 Saver Pass - $25/$30 Early Bird Pricing ends 9/15 at midnight EST! Scholarships available! Tickets on sale now! We can't wait to see you there! Tickets and virtual convention schedule available here

Apply to be a vendor here

Apply for a scholarship here

#witchblr #witchcraft* #secular witchcraft #atheist witchcraft #agnostic witchcraft #skeptical witchcraft #skeptical witches #SASS Witches #sass witchcraft #witchcon #critwitchcon #witch life #witchy things #witch community #crit witches #nontheist witches

[birdmitosis]

The Hunted + Broken Wild chapter can be found by not taking the blade during the Beast chapter, getting swallowed, and trying to claw your way out (ironically, I kept getting this pairing when I was trying to get Hunted + Cheated)

Some other pairings include:

-Hunted + Skeptic: Don’t take the blade during the Beast chapter (not sure if this works if you do take the blade? I haven’t tried), keep asking questions and dodge/survive when you get the option to. This eventually leads to the Den chapter.

-Opportunist + Stubborn: Take the blade during the Witch and [Slay the Princess]. When the option appears, [Go out fighting.] This leads to the Wild chapter.

^ While I was trying to recreate this one, I found out that you can actually get another Cheated + Opportunist pairing??? After you try to kill the Witch the first time, you can either surrender and die or keep talking to her (both lead to getting crushed) and it leads to the Wild. I jumped out of my chair when I saw Cheated’s name on the screen

Oh my gosh THANK YOU anon!!

I did manage to get the Hunted + Broken pair for The Wild, you can actually take the blade so long as you fail to dodge her first pounce and then fail to cut your way out in time. But it's really cool to know there's another way to get it, just by not taking the blade!

Hunted + Skeptic is GREAT to know about! I feel like I actually knew you could get Opportunist + Stubborn at one point and just totally forgot, but Opportunist + Cheated is definitely a new one to me. I was able to confirm all three of these, so thank you so much (they are super fun to know about!) and I will adjust my list appropriately~

#THESE ARE SO COOL #THANK YOU ANON #slay the princess #slay the princess spoilers #the voices #the beast #the wild #the den #the witch #voice of the broken #voice of the hunted #voice of the skeptic #voice of the opportunist #voice of the stubborn #voice of the cheated

[deconstructthesoup]

Relationships in the Slay The Princess D&D AU:

On the Voices side of things, Contrahero is a big part of the story---the two were childhood friends who took different paths in life but still stayed in contact, and Contrarian often challenges Hero's motivations and brings out the part of him that truly wants to be good, while Hero keeps Contrarian from sabotaging himself in the name of being a silly little guy. They balance each other out, and they kinda lift each other up.

On the Vessels side of things, while Adversary and Razor are very much an endgame thing, Tower and Adversary do have a pretty homoretic rivalry. Maybe it turns into an OT3, maybe not, but there's definitely tension there.

Smitten and Damsel seemingly have a love-at-first-sight dynamic, with Smitten constantly waxing poetic about her being an angel cruelly trapped in a sinful world and Damsel often found sighing about the brave knight who allowed her to go free. However, as the story goes on, it's very clear that their feelings are just infatuation and romanticizing someone that you barely know. In fact, as time goes on, Smitten and Cold stop being at each other's throats and start influencing the other for the better, and Witch's walls seem to fade the quickest when Damsel is around...

Prisoner and Skeptic have several run-ins after their initial first meeting, where she was able to skillfully evade him and even attempt to slit his throat... which, uh, didn't work, because he's literally a robot. The more they encounter each other, the more their dynamic of constantly outsmarting, outreasoning, and outplanning each other turns into a solid mutual respect, and maybe a little something more---but, of course, they'll have to share a side before it can go any further.

I don't really have any more set dynamics---I've been considering Spectre and Stranger, I know that Nightmare is aromantic, the Stubborn and Cheated dynamic is something that could be interesting---but I do know that on the cosmology side of things, Thorn and Wild are wives, and there's a theological debate over whether Apotheosis and Fury are eternal rivals or lovers who simply fulfill opposite roles. And, of course, LQ and Shifty are married and are currently doomed to remain separate.

#slay the princess #d&d #slay the princess dnd au #voice of the contrarian #voice of the hero #stp the adversary #stp the razor #stp the tower #voice of the smitten #stp the damsel #voice of the cold #stp the witch #stp the prisoner #voice of the skeptic #insert all the other voices and vessels i mentioned et cetera

[beththeskepticalwitch]

Saved posts

Here are links to resources/information I like or want to refer back to:

Skeptical witchcraft:

What is skeptical witchcraft? by Sarah Lisbeth

This post by @beorhtsgrimoire

Psychological witchcraft:

Q&A by Rachael Stephen - the video that first introduced me to psychological witchcraft

The psychological model of magic by Áine Órga

Educational blogs:

@hallow-witxh

@eclectic-witchling

_

#I'll add more as I go #witchcraft #witchblr #magick #pagan #beginner witch #baby witch #skeptical witch #paganism #psychological withcraft #secular witch #magic #witchy #psychology #spirituality #athiest witch #witch tips

[azura-tsukikage]

🔮 Exploring Magic: Testing Beliefs and Analyzing the Unknown 🔍

Magic has captivated human imagination for centuries, offering a realm of wonder, mystery, and the unexplained. But as we journey deeper into the world of magic, it's essential to bring along our critical thinking capes and a healthy dose of curiosity. Let's embark on a quest to test, study, and analyze magical beliefs, embracing the scientific spirit while retaining our sense of wonder.

🔬 The Scientific Method: Magic can be a fascinating subject of study. Just as in science, where hypotheses are tested, let's apply the same rigor to magical claims.

📚 Anecdotal vs. Empirical Evidence: Remember, personal stories and anecdotes are intriguing, but they're not the same as solid empirical evidence. When exploring magical phenomena, aim to collect data that withstands scrutiny and repetition.

🧠 Psychology and Belief: Magic often taps into the power of belief, a potent psychological force. Delve into how the mind can shape our magical experiences, including the placebo effect and suggestibility.

🤔 Critical Thinking: Like any other subject, magic benefits from critical thinking. We encourage you to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and consider alternative explanations. Skepticism isn't about dismissing but rather examining with a discerning eye.

🔍 Case Studies: Learn to examine real-world studies and experiments related to magic, the paranormal, and supernatural beliefs. Dive into the findings and ponder what they reveal about our understanding of these phenomena.

🌟 Skepticism and Openness: Embrace a balanced approach. Skepticism doesn't mean disbelief; it means a thoughtful exploration. I invite you to keep an open heart and an open mind on this magical journey.

🌿 Ethical Considerations: As you explore magic, also reflect on ethical responsibilities. How do our magical practices impact others and the world around us? Let's ensure our path is one of respect and responsibility.

🔮 Personal Reflection: Finally, I invite you to ponder your own magical beliefs and experiences. How does critical thinking enhance your magical practice? What mysteries remain, and how do you wish to explore them?

Remember, your energy and beliefs still belong to you. Your practices and beliefs belong to you. But never feel that you must believe all that you are shown or learning; for you can still enjoy magic for what it is, as art, as creativity, as healing, as using nature as a form of self-care, or using symbolism for connection, or what have you- but always know what lies beneath still may be true or not true; the only way to know is ask how; and like James Randi, respond with "I don't know; let's find out." 🌌🔮✨

#witchcraft #witchblr #witches of tumblr #spiritual growth #mystery #study #psychology #magic #healing #critical thinking #skepticism #exploration #wonder

[booksandwitchery]

Wish me luck because I’m desperately going to need it

#liber null #psychonaut #libernullandpsychonaut #liber null and psychonaut #peter j carroll #peterjcarroll #chaos magic #chaos magick #witchcraft #just witchy things #paganism #witch #neopaganism #witches of tumblr #secular witchcraft #pagan #sasswitchcraft #sass witchcraft #skeptical witch #placebo magick #magick

[crazycatsiren]

Always be skeptical, every time you come across anyone who's involved in holistic health, alternative medicine, energy healing, etc.

#mother witch advice #witchblr #skepticism #advice for the beginners #baby witches #new witches