#the fetch

[the-trans-folk-witch]

Spirits within-

Part 1 The Fetch:

The Witch’s Shade and Its Distaste For “shadow work”

Alternate title: The [Un]Holy spirit of the Witch.

This blurb is meant to be lost to the internet as an opinion of one witch. This is not an academic writing documenting the fetch of folklore or of other traditions found in traditional witchcraft systems. Rather, it is a hot take on the mass hysteria and spiritual psychosis masquerading as “shadow work”. There will be discussions of the shade, the fetch, and the witch’s relationship with healing (or lack of) to follow. I am purely sharing my own beliefs from the tradition I’ve built. If anything here resonates please take it and add it to your own praxis. If you disagree then… cool I guess. Keep it to yourself lol.

The fetch has been called many things by different folks. Some titles being largely misused but nonetheless accepted: The witch’s shade, the hag, the shadow self, the inner child, and even the Unholy spirit. A creature within the pit of the stomach and/or the nether regions. In the average person, the shade is curious, animalistic, childlike, and sexual. It carries selfishness, trauma, greed, and lust. This is the part of the soul that sins and day-dreams. Everyone has one. Only, they all behave differently and the witch embraces its dark nature.

This is also the part of the soul that carries trauma. Within many modern occult circles this “inner child” is seen as something in need of healing. Something that needs to be nourished. This belief is valid from a folk healing perspective. The trad witch however, finds power within the shade’s restlessness. Healing it is antithetical to witchcraft. Before you run off saying otherwise, I wanted to stress that I am a huge advocate for therapy and self reflection. But as you may have guessed, My mental health practices do not overlap with my religious practice. Just as the folk healer is valid in the loosening of this spirit’s grip on their life. As is the witch in allowing their darkness to fester.

A term becoming more common within recent years would be “shadow work.” I have a complicated relationship with this term’s use. Again, there is historical necessity of spiritual healing. And many folk practices find importance in it. However, the western occult community has allowed toxic positivity to invade this idea of shadow work. The term is forced on all magical practitioners and psychology is being forced upon modern practices by people who are not licensed to truly deal out psychological advice. Many times have I heard false teachings such as “don’t do magic until you’ve done shadow work” as if it’s a one-and-done-chore. As if it’s linked to a spirit’s ability to help you. I can assure you, my money bowl will bring me money even if I have ignored my daddy issues and various traumas.

Shadow work has become a white E-girl’s fantasy that allows her to flex her DIY therapy and compartmentalization skills. And yes, it’s always white girls. Although, the white-ego and woman-traumas are a different type of blog post…..

Non initiated “witches” have removed the concept of the fetch and replaced it with psychologically obsessed and compulsory beliefs. There is an unhealthy blending of psychoanalysis and spirituality plaguing our world. Sifting through the healthy kinds of healing based practices verses the hysterical is daunting. But as a Witch I see all of it as unnecessary within my practice.

As I stated, everyone has a shade. But to the witch it is corrupt. It is not just curious, but hungry. It does not need to heal but to curse and steal. This spirit is not like the shade of the common folk. It can not be ignored, cleansed, purged, or healed. It is the witching spirit. It is the fetch. It is the hag. It is this self-serving and devilish outlook that has separated our shade from the others. This is not to say shadow work and the ever increasing interest for people to psychoanalyze their spirituality is unnecessary. In fact I’m saying quite the opposite. Despite the obsessive and compulsory need to constantly be healing and “breaking generational curses/trauma”; healing is important for humans of all beliefs. Folk healers have a long history of healing mental and physical ailments with prayers and the aid of spirits. But modern occultists have forgotten, the witch is not a witch if they are not hurt or oppressed. The witch is the opposite of healing and peace. The fetch reflects that. Our soul is stained by the devil. There is no healing it despite what the church tells you.

We all have a shade. But unlike Christians, I will not ignore it. I feed it. I will not shamefully confess the acts it urges me to do as a catholic would. I do not see it’s chaos as something bad. I do not believe that overcoming my trauma and getting therapy will effect my ability to craft spells as new agers do. I also do not think my spirits will refuse to help me just because I didn’t buy that stupid shadow work journal being advertised all over the internet. I am a Witch. A messy, cruddy, muddy, selfish, entitled witch. I am the villain society has told queers to be. I am the bad guy in most social settings. I purposely usurp, overthrow, and evade all social norms and authority figures just to make your skin crawl. I am THE edge lord of all edge lords. I do not seek to heal that wound. It fuels my witch fire.

TLDR: A shade born into oppression is likely to become a whitch’s shade. A living haint if you will. Blurring the lines between therapy and magic is not witchcraft. But it is not invalid either.

Now that I’ve established my beliefs in the shade and it’s transformation into the fetch; allow me to discuss how I view it as a spirit that can be worked with as a sentient daemon.

As an animist I quite simply view this shadow version of myself as being alive inside of me. It is a spirit I can send out to do my bidding and it is the hag I take the form as when I fly. An “astral body” as they call it these days. I will mention that many trad witches do not approach the fetch as a sentient spirit but do acknowledge it’s existence within them. Just as people doing shadow work do not approach this shade or “inner child” as an actual entity. But I prefer to view it much like Christians do the Holy Spirit. To me it functions as the Unholy Spirit which is placed within sinners by the devil. Wether it’s born with us as Catholics say sin is, or is placed within us upon dark baptism/initiation is up to debate. But it definitely is an outside source being blended with my own power. Hence the birth of it from trauma and magic.

My fetch appears in visions and dreams. Sometimes it’s beautiful and appears as a fictional and impossibly beautiful version of myself. It’s a jab at my insecurities. And other times it’s a gross wound of a being. Covered in wrinkles, hair, and sometimes bugs. The fetch is both my ideal dream and my worst nightmare. So, I use it to instill such traits in others. I take this spirit’s form upon myself and hag ride enemies. I steal beauty and wealth via dream visitations. I bestow disease and sour luck to those who have created this fetch (read ‘trauma’). It is the spirit within and without. A spirit that is me that has been made infernal and other. It is the Unholy Spirit made flesh.

#folk witchcraft #traditional witchcraft #transgender witches #beginner witch #folk catholicism #ozark magic #trad craft #witchblr #animism #shadow witch #shadow work #inner child #the fetch #spirits within

[askullinajar]

The Hollow Boy

#lockwood and co #lockwood & co #the hollow boy #the fetch #anthony lockwood #rowan cosplays

[rowanix-cos]

Anthony Lockwood/The Fetch ~ Lockwood & Co

Happy Halloween!!

#lockwood and co #lockwood & co #lockwood and company #anthony lockwood #the fetch #the hollow boy #tw gore #tw blood #tw injury #cosplay #cosplayer #rowanix

[dazzlerazz]

Okay okay the Fetch did some absolutely wrong but okay he’s funky and he has a right to be what he wants and I’m SO happy he got redeemed by the end of the final season because I love him I love him I love him I love him I love him I love him I love him I love him I THINK of the Fetch I DRAW THE FETCH and I wish I could have seen what form he chose

#lovestruck game #lyris of the spring #the fetch

[surelynotapornbot]

Neil!!!

#neil banging out the tunes #fetch me neil #april 13

[alexandriad]

🏺🏺

#tagamemnon #ancient greece #lesbian #someone said in notes of prev drawing that it'd be nice to see some working class ladies this time #so I got inspired and here are some less posh gals fetching water #I've spent much too much time drawing the background #pseudoart

[dancing-homestuck]

I wish my cat had a phone so I could text him while I’m at work and tell him I love him and I miss him and he could send back blurry pictures of random things, incomprehensible gibber texts, and audio recordings of his crinkle ball

#mindless blabbering #cat #I just got to work and miss my baby already #my bf knows I love him and I can tell him whenever I want #but my cat???? does he know???? #if it were not for capitalism we would be playing fetch RIGHT NOW

[neatotito]

I see a lot of people still confused about this, so here it is straight from the horses mouth!

Yes! These are cheeky little references to the indie cartoons Lackadaisy and Far Fretched, respectively.

Wack A Daisy should be a self-evident joke. Rocky and Freckles' colors are swapped for extra funnies (and copywrite skirting~)

Hell Puppy was the original title for Far Fetched, so we thought it would he funnier to use that instead of trying to wrack our brains trying to find an inverse of "farfetched" lol

We snuck Caine from The Amazing Digital Circus on a poster in Shrike's room, as well~ (dual wielding his iconic™ guns)

#monkey wrench #lackadaisy #far fetched #the amazing digital circus #indie animation

[probablyhuntersmom]

The healing and lasting love of a mom

#for Mother's Day 2023 #camila noceda #hunter noceda #toh hunter #older hunter #toh waffles #the owl house #toh edits #loz's edits #loz's art #he's her lil' wolf cub forever #in the last pic he's fetching her to go for dinner at Dell and Gwen's house #like listen: she would've played a huge role in his recovery. after the Collector Palace scene he would've sunk into the darkest depression #in the weeks and many months to follow #she'd check his therapy progress. accompany him to therapy at times and fetch him from therapy too #he needed her warmth and guiding light as foundational building blocks. to be who he was after the timeskip #they'd both always remember that night where he drowned and she pulled him out of the water #she'd make sure he had the best possible Grom Night #and he'd be eternally grateful. they'd also work together throughout the years to follow since her expertise and his can overlap nicely #he keeps visiting the Human Realm now and then. to have movie nights..dinners..road trips etc with her and Luz and Vee #1k #2k #3k #4k #5k #8k #9k #10k #15k #20k

[the-trans-folk-witch]

Spirits within Part 2: The Heart.

The Body and its Passions: The Mid-World Within.

This post is the opinion and belief of one folkloric witch. It is not a historical reference post or source for proper study. It is just spiritual beliefs I have formed from what I’ve learned in history and from other trad craft traditions. This is not a part of all witchcraft traditions and is not a belief all people hold. Feel free to disregard what doesn’t resonate. If you like what you read please let me know. I am always open to topical discussions.

The midself, the talker, the talking self, the heart, the soul, and even the ego. These are all terms for this spirit within the body.

In part one of this series I discussed the Fetch. The spirit hidden within us and repressed by many world religions. Yet praised by the witch. In this post I will discuss the Heart. The spirit above the fetch or shade.

The heart as I prefer to call it is exactly as it sounds. It’s the heart. It’s your passions. It’s your ego. Some traditions view it as the talker. The part of you that does all of the talking and relaying your feelings to others. It is emotion and earthly relation. The most human part of yourself.

As all parts of the spirit, it is housed somewhere in the body. In my tradition is it in the heart and the throat area. It dictates my voice, my passions, and my distaste for the world around me. This spirit is not maligned like the fetch. Although it is jaded due to the state of the world we live in. In my tradition this spirit acts as a go between for my fetch and my ouranic (higher) self. It shares my feelings and work of my other spirits with the world around me. This is the spirit I use to converse with the divine and the unclean. The phone between worlds. It’s the spirit that opens itself up to experience. Mediums and psychics these days ignore the multiple soul idea, but this is the spirit within us that’s responsible for the “Clair-senses” despite my distaste for those terms. (Who even is Claire and why is she so aware??) the ability to see, hear, smell, taste, or feel spirit is all thanks to the heart. Unlike the other main parts of the spiritual body, this one is very physical for me. It is not only a spirit, but the spirit of my blood and bone itself. The spirit given to me by my ancestors.

In many African, Asian, Eastern European, and Native American beliefs, there is a concept of past lives. But past lives of then are NOT like the watered-down, new age, white, and western concepts as they are now. They were not cross cultural nor avoiding time periods. —You were not viewed as being a black woman in a past life and being a wealthy white woman who does yoga now. —They were ancestral. The spirit of your blood ancestors was this spirit which was and has been passed down through your blood. The heart of your grandparents is the same heart that pumps in the chest of your parents. It is the soul made by the coming together of a family. It is a spirit that has followed you forever. And it will follow your descendants. In my belief this can be transferred to anyone not blood related to you via blood ritual. The age old belief of cutting your finger and a friend’s before pressing them together to form a pact. This passes the spirit of your heart and your ancestors to the other. This is the Heart. This is ancestry and your past lives.

In the afterlife I view this spirit as becoming nature itself. Since it is so tied to the body, it becomes the earth as our bodies rot postmortem. It returns to the underworld or the world within. Where the dust that became bone resides. Where the ancestors and first humans were made. And part of it goes on in your descendants. whether born to you or transferred by blood, It lives on.

If it were to be seen, it would be in a mirror. In an obsidian mirror I have seen it myself. A glowing golden heart pulsing in my reflection. I watched as golden light flooded my veins all across my body. Watching it spread through me and around me. And even dripped onto the rabbit bones I was feeding my blood to. There it remained and continued to glow. A new family member and extension of myself was born. When you feed spirits your blood, they are you and you are them. But that is another post.

The Fetch as discussed in part 1 is viewed as a corrupted shade which all people have. Only the fetch is solely of the witch. The heart however is human in all ways. Witches, people, and animals alike have this spirit within them. Although they may have different passions and virtues to them, they all have the same function. They connect us to each other. They speak for us and feel for us. They are the most human part of us. The part that needs to be cared for with good spiritual hygiene. The part of us that needs to have a nice warm home to turn to in the dead of winter. A part that can be stained by the conjuring of dark spirits. It is not like the fetch. It requires our bodies to be cleansed to avoid illness. Just as the heart of the body must be kept healthy by eating a balanced diet, the spiritual heart must be fed good things too. It is the body. It’s the part that needs “grounding” or humanization. The part that should be reminded we are not spirits yet, but one-being for now.

#folk witchcraft #traditional witchcraft #transgender witches #beginner witch #folk catholicism #ozark magic #trad craft #witchblr #animism #santa muerte #the fetch #shades #infernal spirits #afterlife #past lives #ancestor veneration

[tranquil-slaughterhouse]

#indie animation #the amazing digital circus #lackadaisy #helluva boss #spooky month #murder drones #mystery skulls animated #long gone gulch #far fetched #far-fetched #hearts of titan #lumi and the great big galaxy #looney tunes #coyote vs acme #wile e coyote #saberspark

[shqrkdud]

2023 is almost over, yet the horror attraction fazbear frights still isn't real along with springtrap, which means santa can't get him for me on Christmas

#fnaf #fnaf fanart #five nights at freddys #william afton #springtrap #glamrock freddy #fetch fnaf #fnaf movie #fanart

[dazzlerazz]

I miss him (character that started off as a villain and the main character's evil counterpart but eventually grew into something more through their own force of will and the newfound love from their friends and to capitalize on this change they even change how they look altogether from a 'darker' version of the main character and into their own body and a skin they will, wholly, completely, be comfortable in)

#the fetch #I miss him guys I miss him a lot

[feluka]

calling someone (and palestinians no less!!!!!!) fixating on US politics for matters outside the US 'american-centric'... buddy it will be heaven on earth whenever US politics stop affecting matters outside the US. also where the fuck have you been

#especially in reference to palestine you can NOT be serious #even if you're entirely unfamiliar with the plight of palestine SURELY you've heard of one or two instances #or america meddling in middle eastern politics in general??? surely you must have?? the iraq war at least?? hello?? nothing rings a bell??? #how is it far fetched to you that *gasp* they're neck deep in this genocide? #have you been asleep since birth

[ifwebefriends]

Please reblog for a bigger sample size!

#pbs kids #fetch with ruff ruffman #Maya and Miguel #wordgirl #word world #Martha speaks #jay Jay the jet plane #dragon tales #sid the science kid #pbs kids go #tv #television #kids tv #tv shows #Childrens television #pbs #polls #please reblog

[brella-boi]

This is the way it was supposed to be experienced

#splatoon #octo expansion #fetched thw CD off ebay for a cheap price and i dud NOT get scammed!!