the-practical-pagan

[the-practical-pagan]

[the-practical-pagan]

#simple witchcraft #witchblr #pagan #witchcraft #witch #practicalpagan #pendulum

[the-practical-pagan]

Beyond the various methods taught to initially reign the mind in, the true meditative state is a complete, unbiased and effortless awareness of one's current experience of being; simply, a state where one is free of subjective or objective and rests in the Primal Awareness.

However, a common problem can arise whereby the practitioner creates an aversive habit towards their own thoughts. After all, many of the methods we all start with talk about - not pushing thoughts away or avoiding them - but gently rejecting them in favour of the current meditative method. And while this is an important part of any preliminary meditation practice in order to train the chaotic monkey mind, it can become an obstacle in itself.

Practitioners may misunderstand the teaching and become aversive or judgemental of their own thoughts, even berating themselves for having thoughts as if it's within their control! Thoughts may become judged, not just on their nature or content, but on their very existence within the mind. This creates an uncomfortable and stressful environment within oneself where a battle is created against the thoughts - like fighting a phantom.

But thoughts themselves are not a problem, not unless they are made to be one. Are they not also a naturally occurring phenomena within the field of Awareness? Why allow sensory phenomena, such as physical sense of breathing or the sound of a singing bowl, but not allow thoughts? This creates an incomplete picture without needing to.

In the beginning it is important for the meditator to return to the focus point away from thoughts, to build up mental stamina and concentration, but also to allow yourself to see that thoughts can be taken or left by choice - they are not you. But do not consequently get into a mistaken habit of thereafter trying to suppress or judge the mind for thinking at all. This is like judging a tree for making leaves.

Welcome thought without grasping, just the same as any of arising phenomena. No difference. Otherwise you're just causing yourself unnecessary problems and having an incomplete experience of being.

[the-practical-pagan]

You need to read this it isn't scary but it is very soul searching.

#witchcraft #witchblr #witch #pagan #short fiction #philosophy #it makes me happy #makes you think

[the-practical-pagan]

002 - #WitchTok the growth of Witchcraft on TikTok

https://anchor.fm/thepracticalpagan/episodes/002---WitchTok-the-growth-of-Witchcraft-on-TikTok-echud2/a-a1sqsef

[the-practical-pagan]

Why Your Spells Don’t Work

You set your intention. You had all the correct correspondences. You even timed your spell with the appropriate moon phase. And yet – no results. What gives? 

Failed spells happen to the best of us, and for a variety of reasons. But a spell gone wrong doesn’t necessarily mean that magic isn’t real or that you’re bad at witchcraft. Magic is complicated, and there are a lot of reasons it might not behave the way you want it to. Here are some of the most common causes of ineffective spells: 

1. Lack of real-world follow through

Magic is meant to be used as a tool to supplement your mundane efforts – not as a substitute for them. How can you expect your job hunting spell to bring in results if you aren’t applying for jobs? 

Magic does not exist in a vacuum, and it can’t make something out of nothing. If a spell doesn’t bring you the desired result, make sure that your non-magical actions are aligned with what you are trying to manifest. 

2. What you’re trying to manifest isn’t a realistic possibility

Wait, what? Isn’t magic supposed to be, well… magic? Shouldn’t you be able to ask for whatever you want and get it? Yes and no.

Magic is simply a way of directing energy. Magic can’t defy the natural laws of the universe. It can’t make something happen unless it was already a potential possibility.

If your intention is unrealistic for where you are right now, try splitting it up into a multi-step process. No spell is going to make you a billionaire overnight, but magic could help you get hired at a better paying job… and then get promoted… and then get offered a profitable side gig… etc. Starting small and working your way up is always going to produce stronger results, because you laid the foundation first.

3. Your intention was either too vague or too specific 

Whether you use written petitions or spoken incantations, clearly stating your intention is an important part (maybe THE most important part) of any spell or ritual. A good intention is specific enough to get you the results you want, but open enough to let those results manifest naturally.

Let’s say you do a money spell, and your intention for the spell is simply, “I have more money.” If you find a penny on the ground the next day and pick it up, technically that is more money than you had before. A better alternative would be to use an intention like, “I have enough money to buy ___,” or “I have enough money for everything I need and want.”

Using an intention that is too specific creates the opposite problem. Let’s say you want to manifest a scholarship to a specific school. You do a candle spell with the intention, “I have been chosen for the John Smith Scholarship at Jane Doe University.” But maybe the John Smith scholarship had already been awarded by the time you did your spell. Maybe there’s another scholarship at the same school that would be a better fit for you, or maybe you’re eligible for a grant that would make tuition more affordable. A better intention for your spell would be “I have enough financial aid to easily and affordably attend Jane Doe University.”

Magic always follows the path of least resistance, so you want to make sure that your intention is specific enough to give your magic a clear direction, but open enough to allow it some flexibility. 

4. Lack of focus/concentration

We all know the struggle. You’ve been planning this ritual forever, and it’s finally the full moon, but you’ve got a really full schedule today. If you hurry, you can probably squeeze it into the thirty minute window between school and work, right? 

If you say a few quick words and burn some incense before you head out the door in the morning, that totally counts as a spell, right? 

Not so much. Rushed, lazy, and/or half-assed spells rarely, if ever, work. Spells revolve around the raising and direction of energy, and that requires two things: a clear intention (see above) and intense focus on that intention. If you don’t have the time/energy/mental capacity to focus, it’s best to take a break, have a self care day, and come back to your spell some other time. 

5. You’re subconsciously blocking your own results OR you did a spell for someone else who isn’t open to it

I decided to lump these two together, because they’re different variations of the same issue. 

Whenever you are doing magic on yourself, it’s important that your mindset is aligned with your intentions. You can do love spells all day long, but if deep down you don’t believe that you’re worthy of love, that belief is going to block your spells from working. This is why mindfulness, psychology, and self care are all such important parts of a successful witchcraft practice. It’s also why I recommend doing the mental work before you sit down to ritual. 

If you did a spell on yourself, or are trying to manifest something for yourself, and it just isn’t working, I highly recommend setting some time aside for journaling and meditation and asking yourself 1.) if this is really what you want, and 2.) if you truly believe that you can have it.

The whole mindset thing gets even more tricky when you’re doing magic on behalf of another person, because their energy is also at work in the situation and could be at odds with yours. For example, if you do a spell to help a friend land a job, but that friend believes that they’re totally underqualified and could never get it, they probably won’t get the job even if you did everything “right” in your spell. 

This should go without saying, but it is extremely unethical to use magic to mess around in someone else’s head. Even if you think you know what’s best for them, they need to be open to it. If someone is blocking the spells you do on their behalf, all you can do is try to be supportive and find other ways to help them out.

Other (Rare) Reasons for Failed Spells

If a spell goes wrong, it will almost always be for one of the above reasons. But maybe you did everything “right” – you did the mental work first, had a strong, realistic intention, put lots of focus into your spell, and followed through in real life – and you still aren’t seeing results. There are a couple of other things that could be blocking your spells, but they’re very uncommon so I’m not going to talk about them in as much detail. These may be things you want to look into if you really, genuinely can’t think of any other cause. 

It’s possible that another witch has done magic that cancels out or blocks yours. This is not common, and it does NOT mean that someone has cursed you. It could be as simple as two witches unknowingly casting spells with opposite intentions, which end up cancelling each other out. (For example, maybe two different people both cast a spell to get the same job. Obviously, they can’t both get that job.) This is why it’s never a bad idea to incorporate a protective element into your spells to block outside interference.

There is a very, very remote possibility that someone has placed a curse on you specifically to block your magic. However – and I cannot stress this enough – this is VERY uncommon. If you were cursed you would know it, or at least know that something was very wrong in your life. If you feel like you have been cursed or hexed, I recommend looking into uncrossing spells, which are specifically designed to undo negative magic.

It’s also possible that a higher power is intervening. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a deity, although it certainly could be. Most witches believe in some form of fate or destiny, and it’s possible that your spell didn’t work because what you asked for is not in alignment with your destiny. In these situations, really the only thing you can do is surrender to the bigger picture. 

[the-practical-pagan]

anyways here are beauty tips from a 2,000 year old Mediterranean funerary moasic:

rosewater on your face and neck each night

hair left in an up-do with only a slight face framing piece in a gentle curl

earth tone eyeshadow and kohl black eye liner to look sultry even in death

staining your lips a tender red with pomegranate seeds or kisses from a cherry

minimal gold embellishments and a sip or two of red wine to darken your cheeks when you smile in the dreamlike haze caused by Dionysus

[the-practical-pagan]

Come Look

Come here, mortal child. Come sit by us at the edge of this pool. Look out at the water. Nay, touch it not. For it does not belong to thee. But look. See the way the light dances upon the surface of the water? Do you hear how the ripples make a noise like a distant song? The world is full of such tiny wonders, and people never see, never even look. Though magic hides in every nook and cranny, few take the time to seek them out. If you truly stopped to pay attention, who knows what you might discover.

[the-practical-pagan]

By Vladimir Kush

[the-practical-pagan]

Gentle witch little things

Simple things you can do to bring more love and positivity into the world:

enchant the bus or train you’re on, so that everybody has a pleasant day or a safe travel home

paint protective sigils in the misty windows of buses or shops when it rains, and leave words of encouragement and praise on public bathrooms’ mirrors

bless passing ambulances and firefighter trucks with speed and safety for their patients/destination

wear an enchanted lipstick/gloss for your smile to brighten the day of everybody you meet

enchant your spare change so that it gives luck to the beggars you donate it to; they need it, don’t they?

actually, just enchant your money, so that retail and low-wage workers can have a better day when they serve you

leave blessed acorns and harmless trinkets in various places like buses or waiting rooms; give other people something to wonder about and make their day, and kids an item to roll in their hands mindlessly

bless food and leave it for stray animals; let birds be messangers of hope and miraclous event for everybody that sees them

whisper encouragement to trees and grass you pass by; let them know someone cares, someone sees their beauty, and awaits their bloom

smile at children and pets; provide them with the positive energy that the world is trying to kill in them

leave motivational notes, praise and silly drawings charged with love and hope on post-it notes as you go; they can brighten the day of those that find them

[the-practical-pagan]

Methods for Spells

TO BIND- wrap in black thread, drip wax over, or seal in a jar and hide it in the dark.

TO BANISH- burn an effect to ash and sweep off the back door step, cast it out a window, or bury in the ground and spit on it

TO ENCOURAGE-  plant it by the front door/steps, bury by a window, or place it on a windowsill

TO HIDE- place in a jar painted black, cover with cloth and bury, or wrap with a ribbon

TO CLEANSE- bury it in a bowl of  salt, burn herbs and pass through the smoke, or lay it in a moonwater bath

TO GLAMOUR- leave under the full moon, hold its reflection over a mirror with herbs, or 

TO WISH- place before a candle and blow it out, drown a coin in water, or let seeds blow into the wind

TO COMMUNICATE- (with a spirit or deity) - anoint a candle, leave out offerings, or open the front doors and windows

TO WARD- leave part of the spell in four corners, draw lines around the protected area, or plant an object of projection in the north, east, south, and west edges

TO CURSE- spit on it, drag your nails down it, or stick sharp things in it

TO DISCOURAGE - plant or bury by the back door, or burn to ash

TO JINX- say it three times out loud, or say a word the same time as someone else

TO MANIPULATE - use wax, use poppets, or tie several strings to pieces of an effect

TO BENEFIT - light a candle, charge a crystal, or create a talisman

[the-practical-pagan]

Salt Bowls to Absorb Negative Energy🧂

Salt bowls are a great, easy way for you to filter out negative energy and add some more positive energy into your home. This is a great way to cleanse for a busy witch!

Ingredients

A bowl (glass or ceramic would be best since salt could damage other types of bowls)

A piece of paper

Herbs and/or essential oils

Salt (any kind of salt, can change depending on your intentions)

What to do:

Write down your intentions on the peice of paper. This could be something as simple as "Cleanse this home of all negative energies" or "Bring protection to everyone who enters and banish evil". Put this paper on the bottom of the bowl.

Add the salt. Like I said this could be any kind of salt, including but not limited too, moon salt, Himalayan pink salt, table salt, or sea salt.

Mix in herbs and essential oils into the salt to help add to your intentions, as long as the paper stays at the bottom. This part is optional.

Place the bowl wherever you need it the most. This could be on your altar, in your kitchen or living room, your bedroom, or even by your front door.

When the energy in the bowl has shifted and you feel like it can't absorb any more bad energy, throw it out (don't dump on the ground though, salt will ruin the ground and kill plants)

If you have pets make sure it is out of reach from them so they don't try to eat it! This is a great way to cleanse your area without a lot of effort and it will make you happier in the long run!

[the-practical-pagan]

[the-practical-pagan]

Cr: @/VirgoAndThyme

[the-practical-pagan]

Worshipping With Executive Dysfunction

Ironically, I’m writing this to avoid doing my Work Job. Let’s get into it.

Set an alarm so you remember. Pick a specific time you’re going to worship, because “later” never comes and “sometime this evening” rarely does either. Instead, set an alarm so that you already have that time set aside in your mind, and so that you don’t mentally blow past it when that time arrives.

Keep everything in one place. Keep the offerings near where you would offer them, as well as anything you might need to do it, like matches or lighters. Make it so there’s as little travel time as possible between you and what you want to do. 

Think through the ritual setup beforehand. Sometimes the offering part is easy but getting to that point is overwhelming, especially if your tradition involves ritual purification or invocation rituals. Boil it down to the bare essentials and capture the essence in a way that doesn’t have so many steps, if you can. (Ex: Is that personal purification rite just an ancient way of washing away germs, and if so can we just mindfully wash our hands and fulfull the rite’s function?)

Start with something little. Getting started can be the hardest part. If you don’t have the energy for an entire offering ritual, break it into pieces. Just do the setup and approach the rest later if you need. Or just put on a playlist to get into the mood for now. Or take a couple deep breaths to refocus your brain. Ease into it as slowly as you need. 

Think ahead with your offerings. Will you have the spoons to clean up after? If you’re like me and run the risk of not removing an offering for days (or weeks…) then think ahead to what can stay there a long time, just in case. Nobody likes cleaning up the altar and finding mold in the offering dish. Incense, water, and dried plants tend to work well, as do nonphysical things like music and poetry.

“While I’m at it…” If you catch yourself in a spot with good momentum, try to get a rite done while you have the energy instead of putting it off. It can be something simple, but use the energy and the drive while you’re on top of it since we can’t always guarantee it will be there in even an hour. 

Keep things similar so that you don’t have to rethink every step, every time. A rock solid routine with what a ritual looks like helps it become a lot more automatic, and therefore a lot easier to actually do. Routine becomes habit.

Remember that something is better than nothing. Anything that helps you touch base with your Divine and keep them close is a good thing, and most people don’t give an offering every single day. Don’t waste time beating yourself up for not performing at the level you wish you could. Instead, celebrate the love it takes to do something at all for them through your Executive Dysfunction; you’re already pushing yourself and striving to do your best for them, and that’s incredible. Hang onto that. 

[the-practical-pagan]

with all this coronavirus shit going on remember to support local asian owned business. theyre losing money and business because of racism and xenophobia. ive seen stories of staff giving people extra things as thank you because theyre so grateful for customers and its horrifying and sad. support local asian owned businesses always, but especially now.

[the-practical-pagan]

**Reminder that "smudging" is part of a closed practice. Please call it smoke cleansing.