Just A Bunch Of Magic Stuff

Every time I look into Black ancestral magic and African diasporic magics, all I end up seeing are non-Black people “using” (I read that word with my own two eyes by the author himself) the spirits of enslaved men and women to get something done. Have you no respect? Have you no shame? But no, they’re so helpful and funny, haha! She’ll swear like a sailor!

No amount of “but I don’t see color 😔” and “mediumship is open to everyone!” can detract from the fact that you knowingly and willingly told any reader of this book to put their burdens on enslaved Black spirits by calling them up anytime you need something done, referencing specific racist stereotypes just because you think, what, slavery was somehow better where you came from? Slavery? The practice that entailed kidnapping people from their homes, pressing them into a ship in conditions that often ended up in death and disease, and selling their children to make profit? This man typed out “Mammy” and “Male Slave spirit” and thought that it was great advice to give to people. Said he often had to “explain” to African American people why it was justified! And is selling this book. For profit. Get fucked. Get wholly and absolutely fucked.

I first became aware of this man last summer, when I saw he was talking on a panel at the witch convening in New Orleans run by the super problematic owner of Hex Old World Witchery, Christian Day. The panel was about the difference between appropriation and appreciation when it came to African spiritual traditions, and there was only one black person and she wasn’t even a practitioner of an African spiritual tradition. All of the other practitioners, including Witchdoctor Utu, were white. Apparently, numerous black spiritual educators in the New Orleans area had offered to join the panel, but Christian Day refused to let them on the panel. This is the same man who got into an argument with a rootworker and told her he could sell candles in the shape of Harriet Tubman and do whatever he wanted with spiritual objects related to her, because fuck anything, he’s an entitled white man who thinks he owns oppression because he’s gay.

Tarot Cards - How 

#this is really helpful but also this reads like a shitpost ahdjsjd#which is even more helpful bc i may remember if better for that#tarot cards#tarot#oracle cards#lenormand#idk what that is? ill have to look it up im curious now

😂😂 it was a lazy post but Lenormand is a type of divining deck like Oracle cards or Tarot but the style of reading is very different. 

Here are some examples. 

So Lenormand gives very specific answers and the cards are supposed to help paint a picture of a situation. Unlike Oracle decks where 1 card can speak volumes about a situation and give almost a birds eye view, and Tarot can give further insight about a situation whether you pull 1 or 3 cards, Lenormand just gives detail and you are supposed to read them together so you will never just pull 1 card it is either 2 or sets of 3/5/9 (where if it’s odd the middle card gives the general vibe or overview) or sometimes 4/6 (even sets are good for comparing situations). 

I felt like lenormand took way more effort to learn but it’s so insightful. It’s a deck that literally helped me find my lost cat that was kidnapped by some lady that thought it was pretty and exotic (it was a bright red european long hair cat and I lived in NJ at the time  so it is an unusual cat for the neighborhood and she fucking drove him all the way to Philly) and Lenormand literally spelled out in a reading that a lady kidnapped him (using the woman card and the mice card- mice representing thievery), and that to get him back I would have to spread the word that he is missing and speak to a woman in the neighborhood who had connections to the women who took him (this was represented by the rider and letter card and the woman card again). 

I feel like another detail-orientated form of card divination would be cartomancy or divining with playing cards. I never felt much connection to those though I’d like to get more into it and there are some beautiful playing cards created with cartomancy in mind but I feel like it’s a bit hard to pick up. Lenormand has a connection to cartomancy I believe, (actually it could be the same thing but Lenormand is more of a style of it??) the founder, (Marie Anne Lenormand a French Cartomancer) based the divining cards off of playing cards that are represented by a symbol but you still see in classic lenormand the symbols of the initial playing cards they represent on them. 

But Lenormand sounds really helpful! It honestly also looks like it'd be a fair bit intuitive for me, I've been thinking about a way to delve more into cartomancy proper and while each style will have its own meanings, I feel like Lenormand will be helpful to adjust my thinking so I don't approach it Exactly Like Tarot.

It's wonderful it helped you find your cat that way too? I feel like in my experience with tarot it's always a little more "this is the way things will flow, do what you will with that info" (it's not afraid to chew me out as necessary but usually feels a little more hands off) but Lenormand sounds like it's supremely helpful for knowing whether or not to take action in a specific direction, once you become familiar with the language, and that would be nice to have on hand at times!

Tarot Cards - How 

Birth Month:

Jan - The weathered bone

Feb - The stained glass window

Mar - A wolf’s howl

Apr - The fog on the moors

May - The sanctuary of the abandoned cathedral

June - The bloodied locket

July - A scream from within the forest

Aug - The churning sea

Sept - The fire’s last embers

Oct - An old clocktower

Nov - A mountain’s wind

Dec - A saint’s weeping

Color of The Top You’re Wearing*:

Red - smells strongly of flesh and rot.

Orange - is set afire when you look toward it.

Yellow - causes a ringing in your head that grows as you approach it.

Green - offers to make a pact.

Blue - demands a sacrifice.

Violet - causes blood to drip from your eyes.

White - whispers hymns of the old gods gently in your ears.

Grey - hums with grief.

Black - pardons you of your sins.

*if patterned/multicolored, choose the closest base colour, or most prominent.

Either that or…

Hey there thanks for sending this in!

Magical Names are a little bit tricky since they are personal and unique to each person. There are no rules saying that you HAVE to stick with whatever magical name you find/come up with first. You are ALWAYS free to change it as you grow and go through your own path. 

As for coming up with one: Feel free to pick and take from things that interest you. If you’ve got an interest in Gemstones try for one of your favorites (Agate, Amethyst, Opal, Chalcedony, Onyx ect ect) Or Space theme (Comet, Ganymede, Asteria, Mars, Sol ect ect) Animal names are also quite common as well as different natural occurrences (ie: Storm, Thunder, Tide/Tidus, 

You can combine them to form longer names if you want to: Rowan StoneThistle, Avery MoonMist, Rainn Dracolight, Sylvia FrostBlossom

and it is always 1000000% okay to use Fantasy Name Generators to help get yourself a jumping off point:

https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/

https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/witch-names.php

Sometimes people pick them from elements that have played roles in their lives. I picked mine because my Birthday is basically the start of Hurricane Season, we live in a “coastal” area that experiences Hurricanes, the fact that i’ve always felt drawn to the Elements of Water and Air and Storms seemed to be a good combination of the two of those, and finally because when i was starting to really get into my practice I saw several posts here way back when that Storm Water was a powerful spell ingredient and I wanted to have that reflected in my name and in my practice (hence StormWaterWitch) as it incorporated my witchy name as well as the hopes i had for my future practice. 

-To find mine i looked back through my life and tried to find out what was most prominent in my life, what memories stuck out to me the most and see what they had in common. Some memories i drew upon when picking were: Watching Hurricane Ike make landfall and the colors of the clouds against the blood red sunset, Laying/floating in the pool and feeling the breeze, and the magical feeling of the wind picking up right before a rainstorm with just a hint of raindrops. 

I hope that this helped! Thanks again for sending this in!

"Vivid Dreams" sigil by @thatgayguywitch

(ur not gonna believe this, but i think u should check ur sun moon & rising)

aries

what’s the worst thing that would happen if you just apologized?

taurus

not everyone will be still with you in the cool shadow, won’t you go join the ones you love in the light?

gemini

what will you do when you run out of words, and there’s nothing left to say and you finally have to feel?

cancer

how many debts are owed to you that will never be paid? were all your sacrifices worth it?

leo

when the curtain closes, and the make up is wiped off, who is staring back at you in that mirror?

virgo

what will you do when everyone realizes that you have no idea what you’re even doing?

libra

do you know that there is beauty, even in the grotesque?

scorpio

you’re so willing to kiss the scars of others don’t you think someone would do the same for you?

sagittarius

once you’ve made it to the edge of the world, won’t you wish you had someone to share the sight with?

capricorn

where has intimacy found you? even through your pain? even through your shame?

aquarius

how will you survive the crushing realization that everyone else is just as unique as you are?

pisces

Aries / Aries, this year will not only be fulfilling, but monumental. This past year tugged you around and showed you the ropes and transformed you, but this year will be the catalyst for what you wish to achieve. You will embark on many different journies and trails to become who you are and it will make you different in the end, but better.

Taurus / Taurus, although this year you may have felt lost and unsure of where to go next, you still made it and feeling proud of yourself for that is not a shameful thing. However, this year will bring a lot of closure for you in a lot of things that have made you feel lost and uncertain of who you are. You will be on a journey of self discovery this year, and a lot of your questions will be answered. You just have to be patient an enjoy the ride.

Gemini / Gemini, this past year might’ve been a roller coaster for you, with a lot of ups and maybe a lot more downs than anticipated. However, this year will be all about self love for you. Learning how to take care of yourself and trusting yourself to get through even the hardest of situations. It’s not an easy task to become your own best friend, but this year you will realize that you are the only one who is stuck with you for the rest of your life, and you will find peace in that.

Cancer / Cancer, this year threw a lot at you and you may have had more successes than you realize. This year, your main focus will be to acknowledge how far you have come and embrace where you are now. Sometimes you may get lost in a seeming failure or something you might’ve done wrong, but you have to stop yourself in your tracks when you do this. This year will show an abundance of strength for you, and you will learn how to manifest it.

Leo / Leo, this past year may have felt really long for you, maybe because there was a lot packed into it, or maybe because there wasn’t enough. But now, you’re running towards everything you want this year, full force. Nothing can stop you. You will learn the drive within you and how abundant it is, and just how much you can take. Sprinting towards your dreams and everything that you want, you will not let anyone or anything stop you this year. You’ve had enough pain, it’s time to let the light in.

Virgo / Virgo, I sense that there was a lot of change for you this year and it may have knocked you down a little. This year, you will learn to accept that change and see it as an opportunity. You see, the bad things that happen to us are sometimes blessings. Although things can be hard, that doesn’t mean nothing good comes out of it. You are going to see the light at the end of the tunnel this year and it’s going to give you hope again.

Libra / Libra, this past year may have been transformative for you. You may feel like a different person than you were at the start. This year, you’re going to push away things that aren’t meant for you. You’re going to accept love as pure and innocent, instead of toxic and degrading. You’re going to learn what is best for you and in your life. You’re only going to accept things that bring you joy.

Scorpio / Scorpio, your passion and drive is undeniable and can be seen by everyone. However, it’s just as important to know when to slow down and take time for yourself. This year you need to focus on not going so fast, taking time to smell the roses, and enjoy the moment. This may be hard for you, but it is an essential key for your happiness. You’re so used to working hard and making things happen, but everyone gets worn out from time to time.

Sagittarius / Sagittarius, you might’ve had some big wins and changes this past year. I want you to remember those and feel pride in yourself. This year, you’re going to look back and the past and work through things that you’ve been ignoring. This is important for your growth, to acknowledge these things. They’re not going to feel bad and toxic anymore, but part of who you are and you’re going to embrace that more than ever. It’s important to look back sometimes and work through new things.

Capricorn / Capricorn, this year may be a big one for you. Everything you work hard towards will finally have meaning and you may be offered big opportunities. This is your time, don’t belittle the things you have done and remember just how hard you have worked at becoming who you want to be. It’s easy to get lost in it, embrace it as it comes.

Aquarius / Aquarius, this past year might have been more stressful than previous years. But this year, there will be relief. There will be things that come out of the woodworks for you, and it will be up to you to accept them as they come. Do not be too scared or not confident enough in yourself to do them, you can do anything you put your mind to.

What those people are telling you is straight-up bullshit.  The Greek and Celtic polytheisms are open to anyone regardless of culture, ethnicity, race, or other identity. 

Disclaimer: I am white in both passing and identity and have never experienced what you have.  However, I’m a Celtic polytheist.  A few, though not all, reasons on why these various people are wrong:

Being black doesn’t automatically disclaim you from a Greek or Celtic-based heritage.  It’s entirely possible for someone with dark skin to have stronger blood ties to a Greek or Celtic culture than someone with white skin.

However, blood ancestry is not a requirement to be a Hellenist or Gaulish/Celtic polytheist.  There’s a reason we Celtic polytheists (and others) use the address “ancestors of blood and spirit.”

Cernunnos is a Gallo-Roman deity, and we all know how much the Romans loved spreading their culture and syncretizing their deities to everyone else’s.  Restricting Gaulish polytheism on the basis of skin color is protecting an ideal that never existed in the first place.

The Greeks did this too, especially in the Hellenic era.

This also has nothing to do with your nationality.  What if you were born and raised in Greece and identify as Greek?  Or in France and as French?  You have as much right to your nation’s heritage as anyone else who shares your national identity.  (The concepts within race are also different in Europe than they are in America, so that undoubtedly changes historical and contemporary views about your question depending on where you live and who you’re talking to.)  Ethnicity, ancestry, nationality, and culture are all different things, though definitely related.

For them to tell you which religions are okay or not okay for you to practice because you’re a black girl sounds like an expression of colonialist privilege and assumption.

Both religions are open as long as respect is paid to their original cultures, both the historical and the contemporary, which should be true for every religion anyway.  There may be small, individual groups who have initiatory requirements, like dedicated priesthoods, but they are not representative of the broader communities.

It’s possible some of these people mean well.  Maybe they think that ‘encouraging’ you to stick to what they assume, correctly or otherwise, is your ancestry is being supportive.  Doesn’t change how wrong they are.

There’s also a theological conflict here.  Again, I can’t speak for Hellenics, but:

Some of the most important principles in the Celtic polytheisms include honor (which admittedly can be defined in various ways), right action and judgment, and hospitality.  If any of the people excluding you because you’re black are Celtic polytheists, they are in contempt of their faith and their gods.  There is no honor, justice, or community in gatekeeping “since [you’re] black.”

The Celtic polytheisms are orthopraxic, which emphasizes conduct over ritual or ‘purity of faith.’ Conduct that violates the principles that define so much of what many of us practice is hypocritical just in general.

This is all true even if the gatekeepers themselves have blood ancestry.

I would much rather have someone like you, who seems to be respectful and sympathetic person, standing beside me in a ritual ráth than a racist and hypocrite with a fancy ~Celtic~ pedigree.

Anon, you have as much a right to walk a Hellenic or Celtic path as anyone else. You read up on Hellenic and Gaulish etiquette and patron deities, go chat up Gaea and Cernunnos, and ignore the squeaking of rats.

- mountain hound

Whoever is telling you that because you’re black you “should look to Yoruba or Kemeticism instead” clearly don’t know either religions very well. Just because you’re black doesn’t mean you’re able to proclaim the title of Mambo in Vodun. Just because you’re black doesn’t make you a priestess in Kemeticism. Yoruba is a tradition that is heavily protected and has a solid structure that needs to be followed, whether you’re black or not (as far as from what I’ve seen said by Yoruba practitioners).

Ancient Egyptians had quite a few different ethnicities, including Nubian, Middle Eastern etc. Kemeticism itself is an open religion seeing as Ancient Egypt was imperialistic and colonialist, because they viewed their way of life as the most civilized way to live.

You are free to go where your heart leads you especially considering your heart is leading you to gods that will most certainly welcome you with open arms.

- trueriptide

Also where I grew up in the US (NJ/NYC area) the climate was similar to european climate where a lot of these practices stemmed from so it was easier to connect to the nature local to me through those practices then something from my Haitian Caribbean roots that had a lot of materials or resources that were tropical or native to Haiti. 

ALSO lastly as trueriptide pointed out just being black doesn’t grant you access to all of these practices. I am half Haitian but that won’t grant me access into Vodou. Simply cause it’s a community and not something solitary, like you often get involved with the people of the community and the spirits they have agreements with, and a lot of times they are kept to be secretive in order to protect themselves which makes them a bit hard to access. I was bought up far from a lot of Haitian family, and the most that were around me are VERY christian so like it wasn’t something that accessible to me. 

It was SO MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE than any spell I’d done for that using store-bought ingredients.

That started my love affair with using spell elements that I have a personal relationship/connection to. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I mean it makes sense, right? In addition to the spirit of whatever you’re using having a better disposition towards you because it actually knows you, if you want a spell to affect your local area you should use ingredients from that area.

From my experience… so it’s pretty plant-focused.

Pick up trash.

Give some water to the plants occasionally, especially during hot and dry days.

Flatter them. If you think a plant is really pretty, you can just say it out loud and they will love it.

Pay attention to which areas are off-limits and avoid them. Try to feel if you get bad vibes in a certain place and stay out of them so you don’t piss off the locals.

Give in return for whatever you take. Even if you’re just weeding, pour out some water or leave coins.

Reduce waste. Whatever you don’t use, give back to the land. You can make a compost pile, or toss scraps of plants into the yard so they can decompose and bring new life.