find security in the unknown

don’t use future tense. 

Instead of “I will be successful” write down “I am successful”.

The future tense only means that your goal will never come to you, because it’s stuck in the future forever and there is no point in time when it should come true. Unless you write “I will be successful when I am thirty” the future will never come, because you have no fixed point in time. 

a masterpost by noonymoon

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sigils and runes – what are they?

sigils – what are they and how to do them?

crystals – a list of pastel aesthetic stones!

spells – i have a hard time with words…

astrology – what’s ASC, lilith and node?

astrology – natal chart ? birth chart ??

spells – tips for crafting your own spells

spells – spells can be anything

crystals – charging methods

where to begin with your research!

where to begin with your research!

spells – really simple spell for rebirth

crystals – which stone for meditation?

crystals – your first crystal selection!

spells – glamour idea: piercings

spells – tattoos and witchcraft

divination – which medium to start with?

crystals – how to do easy crystal grids

what do to when you don’t like tea!

spells – what’s important when enchanting

how to incorporate magic subtly into school

divination – what the fuck is .. tarot ??

water magic – some thoughts on magical water

crystals – can i use regular stone pebbles?

spells – put a hiding glamour on your grimoire!

color magic – different candle color hues .. ?

cleansing – low effort techniques

crystals – do cracks lessen their powers?

energy work – why grounding is important

grimoire – some pointers on usability

grimoire – some more pointers

grimoire – a lil guide by me, an adhd kid

astrology – what are the houses ???

divination – how to create your own tarot deck

spells – the difference: curses, hexes and jinxes

spells – what’s a binding spell ..?

spells – dumb question: can i hex myself ?!

energy work – overcoming an abusive mentor

spirit work – a few words on the Fae

spells – can i use a different language?

altars – what is possible ..?

does a witch have to like being outside in nature?

a few words on omens and signs

grimoire – what’s a book of shadows?

voodoo and cultural appropriation

what do i need to do for being a witch ???

how do i start being a witch ???

how to be part of the witchy community !

how to start being a witch, an example

spells – a ritual for getting rid of fear in the dark

divination – can i have more than one tarot deck?

can i be more than one type of witch?

divination – what’s the difference: tarot + oracle cards

divination – the difference: tarot + oracle cards

cleansing – cleaning and cleansing your apartment

energy work – enchanting an item with energy

altars – what’s that and why ??

crystals – stones for protecting your energy

herbs – what to do with them anyway ..?!

crystals – do i need to activate my crystal …?

grimoire – do i have to be artsy to have a grimoire?

how to explain witchcraft to your parents ..

crystals – stuff to know when purchasing stones

spells – some thoughts on the elements

crystals – healing your third eye chakra

spells – do i need a magical wand ?

water magic – storm water vs. rain water

spells – a few words on the beautiful rose

herbs – how to dry flowers and herbs

herbs – a few words on st. john’s wort

spells – can i make my own correspondences?

crystals and herbs for mental health and stomach

crystals – a few words on quality and prices

am i too young for beginning my studies?

how to be a cute magical girl witch

herbs – what can i gather outside in nature?

sigils – gym witch: does sweat work for charging?

don’t let anyone tell you who you are

some important tips and tricks

energy work – is feeling others pain possible?

divination – how to trust in yourself more

familiars – my cat did a thing: is it magic ?

familiars – some thoughts on magical pets

synchronicity – why you see your birthday on the clock

angel signs – asking for guidance

angel signs – the complete guide

don’t fear to begin.. all you can do is start

some witchy thoughts on the cold season

crystals – how to get rid of dirt on tumbled stones

smells and scents in witchcraft

witchy holidays – samhain and beltane

crystals and herbs for more energy and balance

energy work – my third eye hurts!

crystals – all about rose quartz

divination – my pendulum isn’t working well

crystals – an overview of some crystals

divination – which crystal for a pendulum?

uhh.. lucid dreaming vs. astral travel ???

some thoughts on dream walking

divination – how to attune your pendulum!

spells – how to enchant without many tools

crystals – for sex, libido and intimacy

do it yourself – all that glitters is gold box

do it yourself – pocket sigil wax seals

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Shadow Work Info 🧿🌀🥀

This is a charging board!

It is a simple way to charge up and cleanse your crystals without having to focus on visualisation. Simply put your crystal in the center of a piece of paper, and write around it two categories of words: the things you want to fill your crystal with, and the things you want out of them. Then draw arrows pointing into the crystal for the positives, and away from it for the negatives.

Okay, so I guess we need to talk about smudging vs smoke cleansing (which is not a wide-spread term, but it’s what I’m going to use to help differentiate between the two practices for this post). Now, there are a lot of similarities between traditional smudging and smoke cleansing. Both are methods of cleansing that utilize the smoke of sacred herbs and plants to cleanse and purify a person, place, or thing.   

Here’s a visual, but don’t worry, we’ll discuss below:

First, Smoke Cleansing:

Like traditional smudging, this is the practice of cleansing somewhere, something, or someone with smoke. 

Most commonly, white sage (or, as we call it sacred sage or ceremonial sage) is used in this practice, but other things can be substituted. There are many cultures who have practiced smoke cleansing, so you can find an herb or resin that’s applicable to any path. 

Smoke cleansing is usually done in a circular, sunwise path. The direction in which you being may very depending in your path or tradition, but most books will tell you to begin in the east.

Smoke is fanned into every corner and crevice of whatever you’re cleansing in order to remove spirits, negative energy, and evil. 

Smoke cleansing may be accompanied by a chant or something similar. This can be personal or textbook and is generally said out loud. 

Because this practice is passed down from book to person or from mentor to student, it remains relatively the same between most people who use it—tools, smokes, and chants, on the other hand, may vary. 

Smoke cleansing is considered a very important practice because of the act of cleansing. 

It can be use before, during, or after ritual or spellwork. 

Traditional Smudging:

Traditional smudging is a pre-ceremony element used to cleanse and purify and area of ceremony as well as any of the people who are going to pass into the circle—dancers, veterans, storytellers, etc.

Like a lot of our ceremonial practices, the concept of smudging is usually passed down through oral tradition and generally through a family line. There is not a lot of accurate representation of this practice in books; so, without oral tradition, the practice as Native Americans know it would cease to exist. 

Some elements of smudging will differ from group to group. There is no one way for Native Americans to do things. Every tribe, clan, and family will have their own set of practices; and every person will have their own prayers.

Tools for smudging are usually traditional—at least for ceremonial purpose. Though the actual practices vary, the tools are almost always familiar. 

Smudging is accompanied by constant prayer (generally said in the heart) and uses specific movements when smudging your smudge fan, yourself, or someone else.

The prayers that accompany this practice are not written down and are totally different from person to person. We are never taught how to pray. 

Traditional smudging also utilizes white sage—however, it is usually incorporated into a blend. My family, for example, uses sage, tobacco, and cedar. 

Unlike smoke cleansing, traditional smudging is not often used to get rid of spirits. In fact, because the practice has been used during the prayers of our race since the first people, it’s often thought of as a way to connect with the spirits of our ancestors. Sometimes, it’s taught that our prayers are carried along with their prayers.

The smoke from smudging also serves to put a person into a community mindset. Because we have passed this tradition down from first people, the smell of the smoke evokes a feeling of being at home no matter where you are or who you’re with. It’s something that the entire community can share, whether they are related or not. 

Smudging is considered sacred both because of spiritual practices and the connection to community and is often used as a way to honor ancestors while cleansing. 

EDIT: I forgot to mention we also have specific ways of disposing of ashes. :O

For starters, if you don’t know who Crowley was (no, not the Supernatural dude), he was a 1900s occultist who coined a portion of what modern witchcraft uses today, such as the word “magick” which he, although did not ‘invent’, popularised. (you’ll learn why I denounce that term and try to educate people who use it in a second). He was, in a nutshell, everything modern society hates. Racist, antisemitic, sexist, you name it and Crowley was it. 

Crowley wrote several books about the occult, some of them having slightly useful information and still are referenced today, but his occult books are not what I intend to talk about. Little known to most, Crowley wrote an essay entitled “The Jewish Problem”, that title is enough of a disgrace, but what is actually IN the writing is atrocious, which I will be going over in a second. In other writing, he refers to Jewish people as “parasites”, “a barbarous race”, talks about how Jewish people are their bad stereotypes, among other things. This article does a wonderful job of compiling some of his worst quotes and explaining how racist he really is, as well as explaining some of the undertones of the quotes.

“Christians and other troglodytes — but most especially the parasites of man, the Jews (The New Comment on Liber AL, III:11)“ 

“the Jews were an entirely barbarous race, incapable of any spiritual pursuit. (preface to 777, printed in The Equinox, Vol. 1, No. 8)”

“A similar case is presented by the Jew, who really does only too often possess the bad qualities for which he is disliked (Confessions, chapter 54)“

“But in America, the Christian elements have been removed so that wealthy Jews may reach the summit of masonry. (Confessions, chapter 72)“

“It has been said that every nation has the government which it deserves. I would add, the type of Jew which it deserves. (Confessions, chapter 61)“

“the Jews are a critically important factor in the social and economic problems of the day (Confessions, chapter 75)“

Anyway, he also used to throw slurs at his Jewish friend Victor Neuburg and admitted to being interested in fascism multiple times.

As for quotes from The Jewish Problem: 

“Israel has corrupted the world, whether by conquest, by conversion, or by conspiracy. The Jew has eaten his way into everything.” 

“The Jew, living so long on sufferance, by subterfuge, servility, and self-effacement, has taught his tricks to the whole world.“

And many, many, many more. 

Some of his comments on other groups of people: 

About Chinese people: “One cannot fraternize with the Chinese of the lower classes; one must treat them with absolute contempt and callousness“ / “The Chinese does not respect the white man as the Indian does — for his possession of high moral qualities.“ 

About Mexican people: “Neither the coyotes nor the turkey-buzzards will touch a dead Mexican. His flesh has been too thoroughly impregnated with chillies and other pungent condiments.”

About black people: “Where Islam and Christianity meet in open competition, as in some parts of Africa, it is found that only the lowest type of Negro, such as is accustomed to arrange matters with conscience by hanging a rag on a piece of stick, accepts Christianity”

About Indian people: “I am not fond of Benaglis at the best and he as the worst specimen of his race I have ever seen. He was fat and oily, with small piglike treacherous eyes.”

Crowley also heavily used the term “black magic” in reference to the “dark art” types of witchcraft, this term is now considered racist by a good portion of the community. Not to mention he was also a regular user of the N slur! I’m talking hard-R.

He was also heavily misogynistic and sexist, as if the dude wasn’t enough of a crapshoot. Here is a list of all the gross, sexist things he’s said! 

Anyway,

I never much liked the usage of magic with a K to start with, but I’ve been learning more and more about AC as time has passed, I’ve started denouncing it entirely and educating people about it’s connections to him as best as I can, most people have no idea how awful he is. It’s scary to think that someone so despicable is still heavily referenced and worshiped in the Occult community, so I wanted to finally make this post. I am asked a lot about it and why I hate the term “magick” so much, now you all know. I hope you will consider using the terms witchcraft, or even just magic rather than adding the K at the end, because we all know what the K stands for now, and who it represents. This is not even the beginning of how awful he was, there is so much more that can be dug up. I encourage you to do it, research him and understand how absolutely terrible he was. Please. 

In conclusion: 

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Because holy shit have the past 3 days been a fucking shit show.

I've previously mentioned I was guessing Aphrodite was attempting to call me in my dreams, which I found weird as I don't want to go near deities yet and she seemed like such a random one to pop up.

It wasn't Aphrodite.

I contacted this thing via pendulum and it refused to answer like 90% of my questions and I got a migraine once that session was over, already a red flag from my own fucking spirit work but I pressed on. I spent the rest of the day researching deities online and in my books and asking witches who I knew worked with her "Hey, what was your experience like??" and again, the way this thing was acting didn't add up and I should've stopped trying to communicate. I pressed on again. I did a deep meditation before bed and that night the thing actually talked to me.

It went on this spiel about how it had "chosen" me and that I was to submit to it and worship it and it would repay me heavily in due time if I followed what it was saying. It told me I had no choice in the matter.

My half a day's worth of research pointed at a big fuck off sign that read "THIS ISN'T APHRODITE".

Before I could do anything about it though I woke up and vomited and have been lying in bed since exhausted and unable to eat for most of the day (And I'm 99% sure I'm not just normal ill; I have not left the house in 2 weeks due to the lockdown so no chance of getting any stomach bug outside, I don't have food poisoning as I ate the same things my family has eaten and no one else is sick and no one else previously had any bugs, this sickness came out of nowhere)

This is something I knew could happen, however I have seen little information on so fuck it, I'm throwing it down because some other witch who's trying to work with deities for the first time or some idiot who didn't properly research is going to fall for this shit and could get hurt.

DEITY WORK IS A CONSENSUAL THING FOR BOTH PARTIES

You and the matron or patron have to consent to work with each other. Just because a deity reaches out to you does not mean you have to drop everything and work with them. Just like how you can leave offerings for a deity but they just may not be interested in working with you due to timing, you may not be suited best to that certain deity, a million things.

DEITIES DON'T "CLAIM" YOU/SPEW TO YOU THAT YOU'RE THE "CHOSEN ONE"

I've seen this phrase tossed around here and a shit load on the TikTok Witch Community that people are "claimed" by deities. This is also not true. You can be called by a deity, they can drop hints that they wish to work with you over a period of time (not all at once like what happened with me, it may take weeks, months, a year, longer). These hints can vary and are usually symbolic in nature so you may not pick up on them right away. You may dream of a person who strikes you differently and looks like a certain deity (what I thought was happening to me), sometimes symbols of a certain deity start appearing in your life, etc. Deities don't "claim" people though, as that breeches the consent part I mentioned. You don't suddenly belong to a deity just because they wish to work with you.

DEITIES DON'T ACT SHADY AS SHIT

Honestly, deities don't have the time to be beating around the bush with you. If you figure out a deity is trying to communicate with you and you reach out with questions they are most likely going to answer you. They won't bullshit around refusing to answer questions you have, especially if they're interested in working with you. Also they don't ask you to worship and grovel to them, there's a reason why pagans and witches say they "work with" deities. It's a mutual exchange, you respect them and give them offerings and prayers or whatever and they will support you in spells, times of need and perform favours for you. What you put in is what you'll get out of it, vice versa.

DEITIES ALSO DON'T LEAVE YOU FEELING HORRIBLE AND SICK

Honestly if they pulled this shit on everyone I don't know why anyone would be working with them.

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IN CONCLUSION (+Specfically for baby witches)

In case ye were wondering, I am okay and safe now. I banished the entity, cleansed my house and room and have put up specfic wards using sigils to keep anything bad out but to let anything good in (a potential REAL deity perhaps 👀👀). I am a lot smarter than this and under normal circumstances I wouldn't have let it go that far, but I was so bewildered at the idea of a deity noticing me I completely ignored my gut feeling and knowledge about entities.

While I did fuck up and make a mistake by dismissing red flags, I'm sure I'll be able to look back on this at some point in the future and be thankful I learned never to ignore my intuition again.

If it was the actual Aphrodite I probably wouldn't have taken her up on this offer straight away anyway, 1. I know barely anything about deity work and would probably need a good year to learn and research everything and 2. My own needs and issues need to be tended first before I can begin to appease a literal God or Goddess. I would maybe like to work with a deity in the far away future but right now is not the time for that.

From the research I did do to try wrap my head around this and to make this post, I honestly do get why people work with deities, it seems like a wonderful connection to have and I'm sure it's a fulfilling relationship to be a part of. However, due to the work and commitment it takes and the possibility of incidents like what happened to me happening, baby witches or inexperienced witches shouldn't be rushing into this. Witchcraft in general is not a thing you can speed read in a few days and rush into expecting brilliant results, if you fuck around it will come back around and punch you in the face so please be smart. I feel like people get excited looking at the advanced stuff or get unintentionally pressured by the community of witches who have already found their deities or work with other entities and then on week one start using a ouija board to talk to their "deity" who showed up yesterday to drain them of their energy before they learn any basics like protective magick or anything like that and it's honestly quite a dangerous situation.

Based on this tweet:

I do want to emphasize, again, that cults (and toxic groups with cult-like attributes, I’m using this term pretty loosely) don’t usually look like what you’d expect. A lot of toxic and dangerous religious movements are tiny and you won’t find much about them via Google. Cultish non-religious movements are the same way.

Start-ups, multi-level marketing companies, activist groups, fan groups, political groups, and internet mystics who run retreats can all be cult-like and dangerous. Tune your BS detector, ask family, friends, and experts for advice.

Here are some warning signs:

Pressure – pressure to make quick decisions, to give (or pledge) considerable amounts of money, to move in with a group, to abandon family or cut off friends. Elevated Leaders – anyone claiming special insight, special powers, or that they aren’t human. Demanding special treatment (compared to other followers). Misuse of funds or money collecting at the top. physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse. Lack of accountability or oversight. Isolation – encouraging (or requiring) members to cut off family relationships, friendships with those outside of the group, leaving jobs, moving to isolated areas, taking away communication methods. Strong “us-vs-them” mentality. Vilification of ex-members. Love-bombing. Altered states of consciousness – long work hours, sleep deprivation, lack of access to adequate food or water. Otherwise unproblematic activities like meditation/prayer/chanting, but done for hours. Discouraging doubt – discouraging or punishing doubt and critical thinking.

(Source 1, Source 2, Source 3)

So you have seen our lovely bath magic spells but you cannot take a bath. Maybe you don’t have a bath in your current residence, maybe you are physically unable to use bathtubs, maybe you’re just super stretched for time but want to get in some extra magical umph. Recreational Witchcraft is here for you. 

Shower disks are traditionally used in the aromatherapy world to relieve congestion and other flu-symptoms while showering via the use of essential oils, but we will be bumping up their magical potential.

Basic recipe:

1 cup baking soda 

1 tablespoon corn starch

1/3 cup of water

Muffin tins and muffin liners

Combine baking soda and corn starch (making sure there are no clumps), then slowly add in the water. Fill lined muffin tins about third of the way, then leave out for 24 hours to dry completely. Carefully take them out of the liners, add your essential oils, and place your disk somewhere in your shower that will allow them to dissolve slowly while you do your business. Bam. You’re done. 

Now onto the magic. All dry ingredients (herbs, spices, etc) should be added in with the baking soda and corn starch before the water is added. All essential oils should be added right before they’re used (so when they’re completely dry).

Cleansing and Purifying:

essential oil of rosemary

essential oil of lemongrass

dried peppermint leaves

dried lemon rinds

dried rosemary

Protection:

essential oil of lavender

essential oil of eucalyptus

dried basil leaves

dried lavender flowers

pinch of ground cloves

Glamour:

essential oil of sweet orange

essential oil of rose

essential oil of jasmine

crushed red rose petals

pinch of (body safe) glitter

Attracting Love:

vanilla extract

essential oil of jasmine

essential oil of ylang ylang

apple seeds

1 lavender flower

pinch of cinnamon

Attracting Money:

essential oil of patchouli

essential oil of juniper berry

dried mint leaves

dried thyme

Saw someone this morning say “I don’t believe in tarot but I love these tarot cards” and listen, there’s not a single thing in the world you have to believe to read tarot cards. hell you can even just enjoy them from an artistic standpoint, you don’t have to point out that you don’t “believe”.

When I was young and reading my first spellbooks they told me I had to believe for the magic to work. But Terry Pratchett told me better, “Seeing, contrary to popular wisdom, isn’t believing. It’s where belief stops, because it isn’t needed any more.”

But witchblr seems to think that total ignorance of these practices is somehow a virtue. You are doing no one any services by knowing absolutely nothing about Voodoo and yet claiming to support the continuation of its spiritual legacy. There is no more harm in just knowing the names of the Loa than in knowing the names of the deities who had greek mystery cults. Knowledge is not the same as actually going out to try and call them up without any background or a knowledge of how they would want to be approached (if they would want to be approached at all).

The fact is that the majority of these are spirit traditions, and the spirits of these traditions will not work with someone they don't deem worthy (although I wouldn't put it past some of them to fuck with people). If the practice isn't meant to work for someone outside of it, then it won't, or worse, as was seen a couple months ago by a young woman, if anyone recalls.

Having an interest in something and actually fucking with something are not necessarily the same. We, as a culture, have gone from 0 to 100 over night. We’ve gone from producing pulpy bullshit that denounces Voodoo as some kind of devil-cult to wanting to steal these (closed!) traditions and mutate them into something they are not.

It’s one thing to read the scholarly works available on a subject and to enjoy the topic. It’s another thing all together to be a white dude from the ‘burbs trying to access the deep inner mysteries of Haitian Vodou. You can have an interest in something without being actively involved. If you do your research and listen to the people who are supposed to be involved with closed traditions, they will even explain what you are allowed to know and what is off-limits. People who want to force total ignorance of some closed systems stand a significant risk of silencing POC. Knowing a little something can actually prevent huge cultural misunderstandings and can prevent people from spreading ignorance and misinformation. And if you think you can learn all the mysteries of a closed tradition by reading a Wikipedia article, you have another think coming.

Some religions are closed because they’re based on cultural values and beliefs that outsiders, who weren’t raised with and immersed in those beliefs, wouldn’t be able to ever truly understand. Brujería is an example of this, as far as I know.

Some religions are closed because they’re based on location, with their beliefs centered around local things that don’t make sense outside of that location. There are some small Shinto sects that are closed for this reason.

Some religions are closed based on race, because people of a specific race banded together under terrible circumstances and formed beliefs based on their shared experiences. Hoodoo, for example, was created by African slaves so it’s only open to Black people (mainly African diaspora).

Some religions are closed because you have to be born into them, usually because it’s part of the religion’s tenants and foundation. Modern Zoroastrianism almost never recognizes converts.

Some religions are closed because, historically, they were mistreated and often criminalized, with sacred practices being stolen and bastardized by outsiders who were allowed to witness them. Those religions ended up closing to outsiders in order to protect themselves and survive. This is why the majority of indigenous religions are closed.