witch for the revolution

Hello! My name is Max and my partner Caspian, our cat Samhain, and I need some extra money to get by this month and in general! We are a young queer, t4t, neurodivergent, disabled couple living together outside of each of our toxic to abusive home situations. Please consider donating or buying a commission so we can continue to live together. Doodles: I will draw a simple lined and sketched character drawing for $3 to $5 depending on complexity. For multiple characters add $2 or $3 again for complexity, and to add flat colour +$3. I will have examples of my art for these below the cut. I will draw: humanoid, furry, some nsfw, gore, fantasy, and more I will not draw: mecha, anything else that I feel uncomfortable doing Poems: I will write a simple one stanza poem for you based on a word or prompt of your choice for $3, with another $2 per additional stanza. Examples of my writing will also be below the cut. Donate: V*nmo: @ satvrniia c@$happ: $satvrniia To discuss any commissions please DM me and I will get back to you as soon as possible, any and all support is greatly appreciated!

simply because magic is not needed in every situation, nor is it advisable. recognizing when magic is and isn’t needed, or even a good idea is important in the life of the witch. 

here are a couple of examples of such:

things i have answered “no” to today:

bewitching your significant other (consent issues anyone?)

bewitching a non-signif to find out personal things (consent again)

asked for a spell for communicating with spirits (just because a skill isn’t developed doesn’t mean a spell will replace experience)

weight loss spells (dangerous and against my personal morals)

however, the one outlier i include is this, because it’s important:

easily google-able question (as stated in previous posts, i encourage people to develop their own research skills so they can grow in their craft when they reach an area of their path where there isn’t someone around to hold their hand and slip them the answers)

as for your “other blogs are helpful and list spells and such”, i’d like to direct your attention to the many posts of lists and ~stuff~ i make for people. such as the:

200+ spells all helpfully organized by type

the sideblog @orriculum-grimoire​ in case that wasn’t helpful enough

fucking huge witchcraft 101 masterpost 

every potion related post i have ever made rolled into one

how to ground masterpost because apparently it needed one

how to charge objects with intent or energy

cleansing masterpost

emoji spells 101

how to adjust a spell to suit your super specific needs

how to substitute ingredients in a spell

what does it “MEAN”

how to nullify a spell or remove a curse

disposing of spell materials 

where to find some goddamn herbs

how to make moon water 

an example discussion of researching and understanding correspondences using rosemary

fire safety BECAUSE NO ONE EVER DISCUSSES IT

spring witchcraft ideas

winter witchcraft ideas

coffee witchcraft masterpost

coffee lore and superstition

top five herbs because that’s somehow relevant

how to curse

how to glamour

how to do magic with flower crowns

unpacking witchcraft - spell types 

some basic terms to know 

methods for spells  

how to write your own spells - resources 

when to cast a spell - by weekdays 

when to cast a spell - by time of day 

low effort witchcraft 

tools of witchcraft overview

a witch’s wand -how to make one

building a broom/besom 

correspondence resource 

“to be a witch” falsehoods 

other witches and you 

witchcraft and the law 

difference between a witch and a herbalist 

self care for the witch 

when your spell fails 

tarot and pendulums can get it wrong

curses jinxes and hexes masterpost 

harry potter spells masterlist

sailor moon spells masterlist

florence + the machine song spells masterlist

steven universe inspired spells masterlist

valentine and all love related spells masterlist

infused water magic

floral tea magic 

herbal tea magic 

fruit tea magic

general tea magic

smoothie magic

milkshake magic

hot chocolate magic

how to contact a mermaid 

different types of mermaids

various powers of mermaids

offerings for mermaids

mermaid tips

sea witch resources

you want to know why i dont post lists? it’s because i already have.

In theory, your patron is the one who has patronage over your occupation or the career field you’re into. It’s a fun concept, but also something you can use when needing help for professional matters. Again, that’s not a researched post, just wrote this for fun. Note that some of them have two patrons eg. Aircraft mechanic: aircraft = Hermes but mechanic = Hephaestus. So consider the overlaps. This list is in no way exhaustive nor 100% correct, it’s just meant to help as a general guideline.

Hermes: Advertising, Sales, Trade workers, Retail workers, Marketing, Aircraft engineers/mechanic/controllers/pilots, flight attendants etc.., Postal service, Logistic workers, transportation workers (bus drivers, taxis etc.), Automotive industry workers, Communications, Broadcast and radio operators, Media, Telecommunication, IT, Surveyor, Casino workers, Linguists, Interpretors/Translators, Travel agents, Hotel workers,

Dionysus: Entertainment careers and associates (actors, producers, directors, theater/film staff), Bartenders, Oenologists, Wine and Spirits industry workers, Dancers, Psychologists, Psychiatrist, mental health workers.

Athena: Teachers, School workers, Librarians/library technicians, Archivists, Curators, Bookkeeping, Accountants, Clerks, Textile workers, Military strategists, Journalists, Urban planners, Civil engineers/technicians

Demeter: agronomists, food scientists, farmers, bakers, millers,

Hestia: Chefs, Cooks, Food Preparation workers, Restauration workers, Interior designers, Heating/air conditioning/

Artemis: Zoologists, animal care workers/vets, environmental scientists/engineers/workers, Forest and conservation workers, Logging workers, Hunting workers

Apollon and the Muses: Artists, art directors, poets, writers, dancers, musician, graphic designers, historians, physicists, astronomers, astrophysicists, Mathematicians, Geographers,

Ares: Athletes, coaches, trainers, Fitness workers, Military careers,

Asclepius: all medical professions and fields, doctors, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists etc.

Hephaestus: Mechanics, Assemblers, Fabricators, Carpenters, Masons, Electricians and electronics workers, Engineering (all of them), Metal industry workers, Construction workers, Repairmen, IT fields, all crasftmanship.

Zeus: Arbitators, Mediators, Conciliators, Judges, Lawyers, Law enforcement, Executives, Politicians, Public relations, Meteorologists, Hydrologists,

Hera: Child Care workers, Marriage/Family therapists, Wedding planner,

Aphrodite: Barbers, Hairdressers, Cosmetologists, Appearance workers, Manicurists, Sex workers, Models, Fashion designers,

Poseidon: Sailors, Marine engineers, Naval architects and workers, Fishermen, Marine biologists,

Hades: Financial careers/banking, Miners, Geologists, Petroleum engineers/technicians, Funeral service workers

From Olympus

Photo: Ana Martinez 

Styling and Creative Direction: Mario Ville (Kattaca) 

Makeup design and make up artist: Lewis Amarante for Kryolan and Pankr0 

Makeup and hairdressing: Sergio Jiménez 

or at least, obscure in the fact that they either don’t show up on Theoi.com or on general lists of Hermes’ Epithets and Titles I see floating around

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Araios (Areias)

This is found on a Mycenaean tablet (PY Tn 316). As far as I know, this is the only instance of this epithet appearing. It has been suggested to mean a variety of things from an association with Ares / War, suggesting a warlike Hermes, or that it otherwise relates to the Ram, or has the context of being ‘Defender / Protector’.

Psithyristēs

Whisperer - relating to a method of divination involving Hermes, in which one is meant to whisper in the ear of the god’s statue, and then listen to conversations in the marketplace to find an answer. I remember reading that this epithet has other contexts possibly, but I can’t figure out where I had read that unfortunately. Additional insight would be helpful!

Dendrites

Of the trees - found as an epithet of Hermes in the Kato Symi sanctuary of Hermes and Aphrodite in Crete. We know this Hermes was given offerings specific to his role as involved in rites of passage regarding coming of age - rites that were also involved with hunting. I have not seen much discussion on the topic however. I know trees usually symbolize a sense of everlasting life or renewal and can also be linked to fertility. This epithet is also shared by Dionysos.

Kedrites

Of the Cedars - similar to Dendrites, also an epithet found at Kato Symi. Offerings to the god were hung on cedar trees. An interesting thing to note here is that an image of Hermes on mount Kyllene was said to be made out of Juniper, according to Pausanias (which is often commonly considered to be a cedar) and if I recall correctly the greek Kedros can be used to refer to Juniper as well.

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Please share if you know of more! And also, feel free to correct me if you think I’ve gotten any of the info incorrect as I do not have my sources listed for these, just notes I’ve taken down over time.

SOURCES ADDED:

Did a quick google search to find sources to list, here you go:

Hermes a-re-ja (PY Tn 316): a new interpretation by José Marcos Macedo

Hermes the Thief: The Evolution of a Myth by Norman O. Brown

https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/a-sanctuary-of-hermes-and-aphrodite-in-crete/

Spending money is not bad, being wise with your money is essential

Thieves are often struggling themselves, not different to society but are in fact the example of those who suffer

Being disabled does not devalue you, it makes you a warrior in your own body.

Being poor does not devalue you, it makes you a warrior in your own society.

A sword is not always made out of metal, sometimes it is formed out of wit.

Money means different things to many people. Remember this.

Change is neccesary, time moves forward wether you like it or not.

Predatory animals live to survive, not to hurt.

Activity is not defined by anyone else but yourself.

Death is a peaceful journey, a boat ride to the underworld.

Literacy never has a destination, only a journey.

No, look, I understand. Obviously you and I are for freedom of religion and expression. But not all religions have to make sense to you in order to support them or the people in them. Also, this particular religion is part of our heritage so I believe we can speak on it a little bit. It’s understandable to see a part of your heritage being used by foreigners in ways you don’t recognize. And it’s a strange feeling indeed because the religion originated and sculpted by the Greeks (with influences of course!). 

I suppose that you, as I, agree that anyone can have any religion. Nothing stops me from becoming a Buddhist and nothing stops a person from the US to become a Hellenic Polytheist. However, I cannot just declare I am a Buddhist and have a prayers and a statue and be done with it. It goes deeper than that. It’s a new philosophy and a way of life I must accept, a way of recognizing the divine differently than before. I have to study and I have to study how Buddhism came to be and what cultures shaped it and follow on their footsteps. Maybe I should also learn a little bit of their language to understand the deeper meaning of hymns and worship. 

I see of the worshipers studying a lot to immitate that sense of Greek culture but also keep their own culture (which is good!). Many of the modern worshipers call themselves reconstructionists because they don’t practise the ancient religion (because we don’t have enough info and because it’s the 21st century) but they try to get close to it by studying. 

I can say it’s a personal pet peeve of mine as a Greek that they focus only on the ancient Greece and therefore they “miss” the last 1.500-2.000 years of our cultural development. I understand they cannot study everything about Greece. A person cannot know everything. However, personally, I am a little bothered that there are Hellenic Polytheists who can recite classic texts and analyze them for hours but if you ask them ANYTHING about Greek culture after 100 AD they won’t know a single thing about it. There are worshipers who know every single minor Greek deity yet they have never seen a picture of Greek people and they have no idea about our cultural identity, how we view life and how we have evolved the language and the customs of our ancestors. 

No wonder you feel the modern practices foreign, even when you are a Greek. It’s because even the most well-read Hellenic Polytheists base their religion solely on a veeeery distant part of our culture. And, in the meantime, the Greek spirit of the ancient faith is kinda lost.

Even Greek Hellenic Polytheists will never fully worship the way their ancestors did. It’s because we are in a different point in history and our society raises us with certain values, which differ from those of our ancients.

But I can get behind Hellenic Polytheists who put in the work to actually study a foreign religion and try to bring it back to life as accuratelly as possible. I may have pet peeves but  that doesn’t mean I condemn the way they worship. Plus even in the Hellenic Polytheism community different worshipers have different opinions on the matter of worship. I understand that those people do the best for their faith.

On the other hand, on Tumblr many people are not in a good cultural level yet. They take the religion very superficially. I have seen some Hellenic Polytheist blogs where the owners call some gods EVIL and bash Zeus, the FATHER of the gods!! There is probably lots of reading that needs to be done on their part to understand the basic concepts. Some even try to shape the religion (!!!) after 1.500 years after its “death” (aka its super dramatic decline) by making posts about “secret” myths that predate the Greek ones and try to pass them as canon. Can we forget the time Tumblr created a Greek goddess (Mesperyan)?? Of course you won’t find the smallest mention of Greek customs in these blogs. 

Thankfully, I have seen a few blogs that at least talk about the customs of our antiquity and help Hellenic Polytheists learn new customs. I hope the community on this site takes examples from them and continues to mature.

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It’s a huge answer because I felt the subject needed analysis. Let me repeat, we don’t gatekeep anyone from the faith and we don’t accuse the Hellenic Polytheist community of anything! We just discuss how an important part of our ancient culture is revived and what it means to us. How we feel connected and not connected to it. I am sorry if that was hurtful to anyone but, as Greeks, we need to talk about these issues. If we don’t discuss them who will?

Either way, Tumblr’s nature really doesn’t make it the best showcase for Hellenic polytheism. This isn’t to say that everyone on here acts like a “fan” rather than a follower of the religion - I’ve interacted with a whole lot of lovely, serious people, and I know of many more. But the most well-established voices are found on other platforms, like Facebook groups, where many Hellenic polytheists are older, have been practising for a decade or more, and are very well-versed in Greek culture.

1) The art style of Christian Orthodox agiographies is based on the ancient Greek art (the style close to the coming of Christianity in the country)

2) In Christmas or in Carnival (depending on the area) men smugde their face with coal to imitate bad spirts (or to chase them away). They drink A LOT, dance and have fun, like more tame satyrs - the Church doesn’t approve :P This custom has Dionysiac roots. Speaking of festivals, the ancient celebration of Phallophoria has been revived in Athens the last few years.

3) We have Protomaya (the first of May, which we celebrate by making wreaths from flowers). Ιt’s an ancient tradition, marking the beginning of spring.

4) Greeks never stopped believing in creatures of the forest, spirts and elves (we have our own elves, Kalikantzaroi). What was naiades are now “neraides” and nymphs are still… “nymphs”. There are also re-enactments of stories which include those creatures or other darker ones. People are dressed up as demons or ghosts, wearing pelts and bones on them (something tells me that didn’t come from the Christian faith :P)

5) We decorate the Epitaphios (the tomb of Christ which is set up every Easter) with flowers and the process kinda seems like the adornment of old ancient statues (I remember there was the ancient celebration of Plintiria where people washed and adorned the statues of the gods with flowers). Plus, each traditional house has a section with images of the saints and candles, like a small shrine. 

6) In ancient years people we leaving a gold or marble piece with the ailment engraved in the temples of Asclepios or other gods in order to be healed. Those pieces had carved on them the body parts that they want healed. This tradition holds till our days in Christian churches. 

7) In our recent tradition we refer to Death as Charon and the Afterlife/Place after death as Hades.

8) Many Christian religious sites are sites which were connected to the ancient gods. Unfortunatelly I have only learned that by word of mouth and I haven’t done more research on it.

9) We have more pagan stuff like hiding coins in our Christmas pies, woshipping bones or whole skeletons of saints. Some of them are said (or “proven” to produce myrrh). We also keep holy oil from the church or small pieces of the cross of Christ. I don’t know if all of those trends were happening in ancient Greece but certainly not all of them were created by Christianity. 

10) In funerals we still have “offerings” of wine to graves (we straight up pour wine into the hole. We also eat koliva, which is an ancient recipe. Another ancient recipe is melomakarona which were served in ancient funerals but are now a Christmas dessert. 

11) We believe in the Evil Eye, which was present in ancient Greece as it’s evident from ancient vessels. It was an orange and black eye then but today we have it as blue and white (as some middle eastern cultures). 

12) Greeks are in general close to their ancient past since there are ancient sites and archeological museums everywhere. It’s very hard to avoid history. For example, I spent most of my summers next to mt Olympus, in Pieria. And yes, half of shops or brands in the area were named after the old gods or Olympus. I also grew up next to Pella and I grew up singing “Macedonia the Great, the land of Alexander” in school. Others might have grown up in Sparta, in Amfissa, next to Delphi, or close to the Acheron river.

“Greek Gods: Myths and Sanctuaries” by Dimitris Ananiades (Χ)

“Greek Mythology” and “Greek Mythology: Cosmogony, Gods - Heroes and their Worship, the Trojan War, the Odyssey” by Elisavet Spathari (Χ) (X)

I also made a post about why using the word “Hellenismos” to describe Hellenic Polytheism is probably not a good idea. (X)

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“A Concise history of Greece” by Richard Clogg might help

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You also may want to take a look at modern Greek traditions and that’s why I leave those links here. 

http://www.greektraditions.org/

https://www.greeka.com/greece-culture/traditions/

https://www.xpatathens.com/living-in-athens/survival-guide/greek-traditions

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/greece/articles/traditions-only-greeks-can-understand/

https://www.discovergreece.com/en/culture/tradition-ethnic

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In the words of Rhonda Byrne, who brought the Law of Attraction to popular consciousness with her book The Secret: “Life doesn’t just happen to you; you receive everything in your life based on what you’ve given.”

Or, to put it even more bluntly: “You attract to you what you think about most.”

At first glance, these words seem empowering. We all want to be the masters of our own destinies. It’s that desire for autonomy and agency that attracts many people to witchcraft and alternative spirituality in the first place.

Until very recently, I was a firm believer in the power of the Law of Attraction. I believed that it worked the same way magic did, and I encouraged other witches to add it to their spiritual toolbox. I even included an episode about it in my Baby Witch Bootcamp series. (Which you will notice has since been taken down.)

That all changed when I started reading a book about mind control.

For context: I grew up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, better known as the Mormons. Whether the Church is a cult or not is up for debate, but it definitely uses cult thought control techniques to control its members. Although I left the Church several years ago, I never untangled myself from the Church’s flawed and harmful rhetoric. Recently, I’ve decided to take on this challenge, and I started my healing process by reading the book Recovering Agency: Lifting the Veil of Mormon Mind Control by Luna Lindsey. This is an extremely well-researched book about how the Mormons use cult thought control techniques to keep members enmeshed.

In a section on the Church’s mandatory tithing (a sort of tax paid to the Church by members) and promise that tithe-payers will be rewarded with material wealth, Lindsey quotes the book Recovery from Cults by Paul R. Martin. Martin says: “The prosperity gospel holds the conviction that if a believing person has enough faith, is completely repentant of all sin, and gives at least 10% of his or her income to the church or to some Christian ministry, then he or she will have good health, obtain financial wealth, and experience general prosperity in all areas of life.”

I was taken aback by how similar this concept — the so-called prosperity gospel — is to the Law of Attraction. Prosperity gospel teaches that faith in God will be rewarded with material blessings. The Law of Attraction teaches the same thing, but replaces the word “God” with “the Universe.” In both cases, believers are encouraged to focus only on the positive while ignoring or minimizing any problems they may face.

In the church I grew up in, we were taught that doubt comes from the devil and prevents us from receiving God’s blessings. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a member of the governing body of the Mormon Church, says: “We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,” and coined the popular Mormon mantra “Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.”

In The Secret, Rhonda Byrne quotes Henry Ford: “Whenever you think you can or think you can’t, either way you are right.” Later in the book, Byrne says, “Instead of focusing on the world’s problems, give your attention and energy to trust, love, abundance, education and peace.”

I was struck by an eerie similarity between Uchtdorf’s and Byrne’s words. I had turned to the Law of Attraction as a means to empower myself after trauma connected to conservative Christianity and its values. Was it really possible that I had merely swapped one kind of thought control for another?

This lead me to look into other similarities between the Law of Attraction and other forms of thought control, and what I found was frankly disturbing.

The Law of Attraction employs at least three of the four components of the BITE model, an illustration of cult mind control techniques created by cult expert Steven Hassan. The four aspects of the BITE model are: Behavior Control, Information Control, Thought Control, and Emotional Control. These are techniques used by cults to mold the identities of their members.

Both prosperity gospel and the Law of Attraction employ Behavior Control; prosperity gospel demands outward displays of faithfulness from believers, while the LoA teaches that we should “make sure that [our] actions are mirroring what you expect to receive,” as Byrne puts it (i.e., act like our lives are already perfect). Both systems employ Thought Control; prosperity gospel warns believers to keep their thoughts pure (“If ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, ye must perish.” – Mosiah 4:30), while the LoA teaches that all of our thoughts have energetic vibrations and that we should focus on “high vibrational” thoughts. Both systems employ Emotional Control; prosperity gospel labels certain emotions as sinful and promotes shame around these “sins”, while Rhonda Byrne tells us to, “Ask once, believe you have received, and all you have to do to receive is feel good.”

The fourth aspect of the BITE model is Information Control. Although not everyone who believes in either prosperity gospel or the Law of Attraction will engage in Information Control, many do. Many Christians are encouraged to avoid media or informational resources that contradict the Church’s message — I know I was in my church. Believers in the Law of Attraction are encouraged to avoid “low vibrational” media and anything else that makes them feel even a little uncomfortable. In either case, this selective consumption of information feeds into confirmation bias and creates a closed system of logic. As Luna Lindsey puts it in Recovering Agency, “All signs point to ‘Yes.’ It transfers the burden of proof to an emotional basis for evidence, which is extremely easy to engineer.”

But Sam, you may argue, the Law of Attraction is a belief — it isn’t tied to any organization! There is no Law of Attraction cult!

Tell that to authors like Rhonda Byrne and Esther Hicks, who are making millions of dollars from books about the Law of Attraction. Tell it to the thousands of people who treat those books like gospels, and those authors like modern day prophets. Tell it to the life coaches and “lifestyle gurus” building social media empires by appealing to people who want to believe that they can manifest their dream life just by changing their thoughts.

And that rhetoric is inherently flawed. Both the Law of Attraction and prosperity gospel employ cognitive distortions in order to plug holes in their logic. Cognitive distortions are irrational or illogical thought patterns, and overcoming cognitive distortions is one of the main goals of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

Both prosperity gospel and the Law of Attraction often lead to overgeneralization (the tendency to find patterns where none actually exist), personalization (believing that everything other people do or say is a personal reaction to us — taking everything personally), blaming ourselves for situations and events outside of our control, and the fallacy of change (expecting other people or situations to change to meet our expectations). All of these are cognitive distortions.

The biggest and most obvious of these cognitive distortions is black and white thinking, also called all or nothing thinking. As Luna Lindsey points out in Recovering Agency, black and white thinking is also a common element in cult thought control. Black and white thinking divides everything into “either/or” categories, with no room for shades of gray. In terms of mental illness, someone with an anxiety disorder may feel that if they can’t be perfect they’re a total failure — this is an example of black and white thinking. In conservative Christian theology, everything is either righteous or sinful, aligned with either Jesus or Satan — this often leads church members to feel like the world is out to lead them into sin. In the Law of Attraction, everything is either “high vibrational” or “low vibrational” — you never hear about neutral emotions or experiences.

In fact, the concept of low vs. high vibrations is just a way of rebranding the Christian concept of sin vs. righteousness. Take virtually any quote from a Law of Attraction author, replace “low vibration” with “Satan” and “high vibration” with “Jesus” and you’re left with typical conservative Christian rhetoric.

(By the way, the idea of emotions having vibrations seems to have originated with the book Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins. I can find no scientific evidence to support the idea that different emotions have noticeably different frequencies. The idea of sin is just as unverifiable, since there’s no way to prove that something is or is not sinful.)

Finally, both prosperity gospel and the Law of Attraction can have a negative affect on the mental health of people who believe in them. A study from the University of Toronto, lead by Nick Hobson, Geoff MacDonald, and Juensung Kim, found that exposure to prosperity gospel sermons lead to an increase in risky financial behavior.

“New research out of the University of Toronto’s department of psychology in the Faculty of Arts & Science suggests that exposure to prosperity gospel messaging – thinking God wants you to be wealthy, prosperous and donate money to the church – makes you more likely to show an exaggerated and unrealistic sense of optimism for life and take more financial risks,” Alexa Zulak says in an article for U of T News. “Hobson says atheists and agnostics were just as likely to be susceptible to ‘unrealistic optimism’ – as long as the prosperity sermon they watched was masked as a motivational speech. Even when the research team removed all references to God and religion, participants still exhibited increased optimism – meaning the messaging is less about God and religion.” [Emphasis added.]

These ideas are dangerous, whether they’re packaged as gospel or a manifestation technique. And that’s not even getting into how both of these systems can contribute to perfectionism, victim-blaming, or toxic positivity.

I’m not the only witch who has noticed a disturbing similarity here. @north-of-annwn​ has a great post on this subject, where they say that, “The Law of Attraction is just Prosperity Gospel and Thought Control repackaged in a new age wrapper.”

They go on to explain how both of these systems are inherently ableist and are based in privilege. Later in that post, they sum up exactly why the Law of Attraction is so dangerous: “It introduces a fear/shame relationship with your own thoughts.”

None of this is to say that cultivating hope is toxic positivity (thus the “toxic” separating the concept from regular healthy positive thinking)- drowning yourself in the world’s misery is also going to result in distorted thinking, so please don’t take this as me advocating for some grimdark bullshit either.

Your emotional responses to your circumstances are giving you information, and immediately dismissing it because it isn’t telling you what you want to/are supposed to hear will have you discarding red flags whose warnings should have been heeded.

Sometimes the information your emotions are giving you is “yep, still have depression”, or “yeah, the anxiety just keeps happening” but sometimes it’s

“this technique really isn’t working for me (and I am allowed to stop and use my energies on something more fulfilling)”, or

“my teacher is really not the person they initially came off as and I am uncomfortable with where this relationship is going”

And believing harder is not going to make the latter two situations not true.

Pain and emotional distress are unpleasant but also important, and ignoring them so you can pretend that everything is already fine will just make you less effective at actually getting what you want. How can you get what you want when you’re not allowing yourself to acknowledge the presence of anything you don’t want in your life? How are you supposed to course correct if anything that would distress you has to be ignored or reshaped into something that is actually Just Fine ™?

I make a lot of posts for bedridden witches, but many of us aren’t bedridden all of the time or have varying energy levels. This post contains a range of ideas and suggestions for keeping your home both clean and cleansed with low or unpredictable energy. While I do refer to energy levels, it is also applicable to pain levels. 

Setting yourself up for success:

Quick note: these are things I do, you may not find the same things to be overwhelming or necessary, as discussed later in the post! 

Multiple waste baskets. I keep two under my bed, for garbage and recycling. This makes it easier to throw things away when done with them, rather than letting them become an overwhelming pile.

A box or tray for used dishes, cups and water bottles. This keeps the piles from feeling overwhelming, and makes them easier to move to the kitchen when that’s do-able. 

Extra blanket to protect the bedding.  It’s easier for to move/wash one blanket when food spills, rather than wrangling with a comforter. 

Fitted vs. flat sheets. Fitted sheets are exhausting to remove/put on. Flat sheets can be easier! (Also, I recommend having two sets of sheets, so you can switch them out right away and have clean bedding whether or not you have the energy to do laundry.)

Clean and dirty laundry hampers. A way to avoid piles and stay organized without needing to fold laundry or put it on hangers. Simply have a hamper for each (or lots of baskets if you want it more organized).

Cleaning supplies in each room/area. That way, when the motivation to clean arises, you don’t need to spend that energy walking across the house to get the supplies.

Bedridden witch: The setup

Focus on the main areas:

My bedroom is my number one focus, as this is the room I spend the most time in. The others are my bathroom, living room and kitchen. There’s no point in having a spotless spare room if you’re overwhelmed by the rest of the house. Prioritize the places you spend your time in.

Do what you can, when you can:

The excellent thing about having a good setup is it means when you do have more energy, you don’t need to do as much to catch up (which often involves paying for it later by overdoing it). You know your limits, do what you can. 

Have no energy? Do your best to do the things I listed above. With this setup its okay if you can’t do it right away, when you feel able to, its there. Maybe today you can get the tissues in the waste basket and tomorrow you put the dishes in the box.  

Have a bit of energy? Empty your waste baskets, bring the dishes to the kitchen, move your dirty laundry into the washroom, etc. One step closer to helping your future self.

Have a lot of energy? Now is an excellent time to do some dishes or get some laundry started. Hopefully this is now manageable because of the steps your past self took. 

Along these lines, you don’t have to do everything at once. Because I have cleaning supplies in each area, I can clean whenever I feel like it. 

Perhaps I feel really motivated to scrub the toilet. That doesn’t mean that I also have to wipe down the counter and the tub, shake out the mats and sweep the floor. Each of those things can be separate. Cleaning something partially is better than not cleaning at all (or overdoing it) in my opinion.

Take breaks! It’s okay if things take you longer than that rude inner voice says it should, or if you need to take multiple breaks. 

Create a routine:

Here’s a glimpse at my daily routine (which is the ideal; when my health doesn’t allow for all of these, I do what I can):

Bedroom: Open the curtains and the window to let light and fresh air in. This also lets my bedding air out. After a few minutes I do a quick sweep of the floor and make my bed (which I can do while sitting on it).

Bathroom: Every few days I’ll sweep it and empty the trash + laundry hamper.

Kitchen: Sweep the floors each morning. Empty the dishwasher or load any new dirty dishes into it. Also feed the cats and check their water.

Living room: Whenever I get up to go to the kitchen, I bring any dishes or garbage. Each evening I tidy up and put things back.

I almost seem obsessive over cleanliness because I constantly do little things. Done using the kitchen counter? Wipe it down. Dirty plate? Rinse it and load in the dishwasher. My energy is very unpredictable so I do little things whenever I can so that when I crash, everything is taken care of.

Prioritize:

Sometimes the ideal and the practical aren’t compatible. 

What MUST happen? For example, my cats come first. They have no control over their food, water or litter boxes. I ensure all of their needs are met early in my day. 

What will have negative long term effects? Shit happens, and it doesn’t always line up with our ability to handle it. Sometimes you must clean up a water leak or remove the gross thing, even if you pay for it with a flareup later or it results in other things not getting taken care of for a while.

Ask for help. I understand that not everyone is lucky enough to have a support system, but if you can, ask a friend or family member for help when you need it. Sometimes things get to overwhelming, and a little help can go a long way. 

Make a list:

Figure out what key things make the space feel clean or dirty to you. What would you like to maintain? What feels more manageable when you do it each day? What are you going to prioritize? 

Figure out the ideal frequency of each task. I’ve given examples of my daily routine, but what about the bigger tasks such as changing your bedding, or vacuuming the carpet? What about dusting and getting the cobwebs in those hard-to-reach corners? How often would you like to do those? Having a list can be helpful for your higher energy days so you know what to focus on. 

Cleansing:

For me, a lot of my cleansing ties into physically cleaning + having a clean space. This can be a bit tricky when you don’t have the energy to keep an entirely clean home, which is why I focused so much on that side of things! Do the best you can and prioritize the places you spend time in. 

A few basic methods:

Bedridden witch: Stale energy edition (lots of small tips for cleansing and changing the energy in a space). 

Smoke cleansing. Can be done with a variety of plants.

Steam cleansing. An excellent alternative if smoke isn’t your thing, boil the plants instead and allow the steam to act the same way smoke would.

Cleansing spray. Similar to steam. Be aware that some plants may stain surfaces, and avoid using undiluted essential oils. You can also buy natural room sprays if making one feels unmanageable. 

Sound cleansing. This is often done with instruments, but can also be done with song.

Visualization.

Elements. Open your curtains and windows, let the wind, the rain, the sunshine, the full moon, etc. do its work.

Absorbing. Sometimes we can’t open a window or actively cleanse, this is when having things that absorb negative energy can help, such as a Himalayan salt lamp, a bowl of salt, etc. 

Negativity absorbing buddy

Salt bowls to absorb negative energy

You may also like:

Home cleansing tips

Energy cleansing through cleaning

Bedridden witch series

Spoonie witch masterpost

Witchcraft for the chronically fatigued

POC in Goth/Punk/Alternative Music

Submissions Open!!

Relaunching this again for a future ‘not-post’, but something better! Thank you to everyone who continued to send in suggestions. Submit here.

As an addition to the goth/post-punk/alt band masterpost, here’s a list of bands featuring members of color. Most are influential, others new discoveries or future freak gods. Thanks to research and helpful readers, here’s a bit of sick sound suitable for all taste buds:

Goth, dark or industrial:

Creature Feature - Erik X is an evil composer and organ player with a special gift for raising the dead.

Plastique Noir -the Brazilian band that made the song “Empty Streets” that’s just too dark to handle.

O. Children - contrary to popular belief, Tobi O’Kandi is not, in fact, a black reincarnation of Ian Curtis.

Thrill Kill Kult - sick industrial band with several poc members.

Glorious Din

Android Lust - Shikhee is Bangladeshi, and she makes some of the best industrial music ever heard.

She Past Away

13th Moon

Malice Mizer and Moi Dix Mois

Phaidia

Corrupted - awesome japanese doom/sludge band that are considered super influential in the scene.

Light Asylum - heavy dark synth primarily. It’s really fun and the front singer HAS A MIGHTY POWER.

Plastic Zooms

Hocico

Crowd Pleaser

Angelspit

Punk, hardcore or post-hardcore:

Bad Brains - why most of the bands on this list even exist.

Death - not to be confused with the metal band of the same way. Not that you could confuse the members in any way.

Rough Francis - founded by the sons of David Hackney of Death.

Pure Hell - afropunk taken literally.

X-Ray Spex - Poly Styrene was the energy and feel of the band. Actually, she was just energy and feel period. Fun fact: she was also bipolar.

Radkey - Rad.

TMGE - Japanese band named “Thee Michelle Gun Elephant” or as they prefer: JAPANESE BAND NAMED “THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT”.

Tamar Kali - powerful musician, especially known for “Boot”.

The Objex - Feloney Melony’s got a wicked hawk and voice.

Stiffed - Santi White now performs solo as Santigold.

Cerebral Ballzy

Suicidal Tendencies

Midori - great jazz-punk fusion band.

The Redscare

Le Butcherettes - Mexican garage punk band.

Atari Teenage Riot

NOFX

Stalin

The Bags

Dev Hynes - a British musician who started out in a punk band Test Icicles then went solo as a folk/indie musician as Lightspeed Champion and now is doing an electronic/R&B thing as Blood Orange.

L’Arc-en-Ciel - Okay, so these guys are Japan’s other most famous export. These guys got known outside of japan for doing some major anime theme songs (Fullmetal Alchemist, Gundam 00, NANA live action movie, etc) and were the first Japanese act to headline Madison Square Garden (Japanese rock bands really like New York for some reason). Their bassist tetsuya (formally known as tetsu) gets bonus points for being one of Japan’s only out LGBT celebrities (he’s Bi).

Doll$Box

Letlive

The Chariot

Trashtalk

Gogol Bordello - self described as “gypsy punk”. Singer Eugene Hütz is Russian-Ukranian with Romani heritage and born with a ‘stache. Nearly crazier than Little Big and Korpiklaani combined.

Blackfire

The Bots - punk duo made of two brothers.

Bow Wow Wow - IIIIIII Waaaant Caaandy!!!

Love Equals Death

Ritualization - blackened death metal from Orléans, France

Teengenerate

Ten Grand

Letlive

Martin Sorrondeguy - spoke out about US based Latino issues in many of his lyrics and was involved in bands Los Crudos, Limp Wrist and Needles.

Ghost Town

Metal, funk/rap/reggae metal fusion or core:

Blasphemy - Black metal, the biggest irony on earth as Caller of the Storms remains one of the rare black musicians within the genre.

Babymetal - this Japanese trio is more metal than a viking woman on her period in the middle of a battlefield drinking the blood of her enemies to the sound of Immortal…for some at least.

Wicked Wisdom - Will Smith’s wife get a band?? Yes she Will.

Unlocking the Truth - these 13 year olds played in the streets of NYC before they opened for Living Colour.

Absolace - amazing metal from Dubai.

Living Colour - better than Dead Monochrome.

King’s X - more hard rock, but hey.

Bionic Jive - one of the better hip-hop/metal fusions.

Skindred - check out the album “Roots Rock Riot”.

Ego Fall - a Chinese folk metal band and also Corbac’s fave. Mixing tradition with heavier sounds.

Static X - Japanese guitarist Koichi Fukuda & Mexican-American bassist Tony Campos.

Sepultura - the founding members are all Brazilian, currently their lead singer (Derrick Green) is black. “Arise” is a massive album of pure metal awesomeness.

Straight Line Stitch

Blood Stain Child

Sasamaso

Tenger Cavalry - a folk metal band based out of Bejing who describe their style as “Mongolian folk metal”. Like this and you’d probably enjoy Ego Fall.

Cthonic - Taiwanese metal band who’s lead singer is also the president for the Taiwanese branch of Amnesty International.Most of their music deals with their goal of an independent Taiwan and they’re really REALLY great.

Myrath

God Forbid

Invasion - a stoner/psych-metal band fronted by a valkyrie space wizard out of London.

Vodun - like invasion, marries punk, psychedelic, and doom metal influenced instrumentals with soul influenced vocals to create a unique and original takes on doom metal.

Sevendust

Animals as Leaders - most suggested band on this list and for good reason.

Veil of Maya

Oceano

Body Count - Ice T’s metal band rules. It would be a little tastier with ice cubes though.

Hirax - pioneering thrash/speed metal band (with hardcore influences). Katon De Pena is one of the most distinctive vocalists of the then-burgeoning California metal scene. Though they never achieved the success of some of their contemporaries like Metallica or Slayer, they have long been an insiders’ favorite and cited as an influence by bands ranging from Napalm Death to Cannibal Corpse to Darkthrone.

Infectious Grooves

Melechesh - an Assyrian black metal band originating from Jerusalem whose lyrical themes include Mesopotamian mythology and occultism.

Iron Man - American doom metal band with PoC members.

Sex Machineguns - Japanese speed metal band.

Hibria - Brazilian power metal band.

Metallica - their first lead guitarist was Lloyd Grant. Here he is in their first recording.

Gevolt - Yiddish band from Israel.

The Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza

Gridlink

X Japan - Probably Japan’s most famous metal export. These guys are the reason Visual Kei (basically Japan’s gothic metal scene) exists. All those flashy JRock bands wouldn’t exist without X Japan. They also recently just played a huge show at Madison Square Garden.

Maximum the Hormone - Also known as “the guys that did that weird opening and ending to death note”, MTH do a fantastic combination of metal, punk, and even pop. The best part about MTH is that their lyrics don’t make sense even when translated so you can just have mindless fun listening to them even if you understand Japanese.

Suffocation - one of the most influential death metal acts of all time. Terrance Hobbs’ incredible mastery of the guitar allowed the band to blend complex technicality into the genre without sacrificing raw brutality.

Versailles Philharmonic Quintet

Suicide Silence

The Crimson Armada

For Today

Glass Cloud

Heaven in Her Arms

Here comes the Kraken

Issues

Periphery

Reflections

System of a Down

Fear Nuttin Band

Year of the Dragon - founder was a member of Fishbone.

Dir En Grey

Skyharbor

Spineshank

Coal Chamber

Ill Niño

Flagitious Idiosyncrasy in Dilapidation (FID) - Formed in Tokyo. Rad ladies playing some super hard grindcore.

Sarcofago - Brazilian band

Acrassicauda - Iraqi heavy metal. There is a film called “Heavy Metal in Baghdad”, about the band. Another documentary called Global Metal, which is by the same director as Heavy Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, is highly recommended.

Sigh - one of the first japanese black mack metal bands led by a fierce lady.

Sabbat - Japanese black/thrash.

Blood Stain Child - rather epic sounding Japanese metal band with contrasting vocals and instrumentals.

Gallhammer - female Japanese extreme metal band of doom. The wickedest chicks, definitely recommend.

Avulsed - Spanish death metal band.

Necramynth - Korean black metal.

Crossfaith - japanese metalcore.

Subrosa

As they Burn - deathcore band from Paris, France.

Wolves and Jackals - blackened thrash/death metal from Atlanta, GA.

Infernal Revulsion - brutal death metal from Tokyo, Japan

Orange Sky - from Trinidad and Tobago.

Monuments - it’s got saxophone and it’s awesome.

Ego Likeness

Peelander-Z - watch the videos, you’ll be happy you did.

For Today - if you’re into Christian metal.

Dream Theater - John Myung plays in the influential prog metal band with the aid of his majestic hair.

Alternative or too cool to label:

Bat for Lashes - Natasha Khan’s songs are ethereal.

Skunk Anansie - Skin is a fierce woman with a fierce voice. Also, her eyes will pierce through your soul.

Fishbone - literally unclassifiable: ska, punk, crazy cool…

Dub War - often likened to Skindred. Not because the singer has dreads or anything. Or because it’s the same guy.

The Slack Republic - fairly new (2005), looking forward to more.

Pierce the Veil - they’re really more “Punk Pop” than anything else. All members are Mexican.

Coheed and Cambria

Alice in Chains

Boris - japanese experimental metal band highly influential in the doom, stoner, noise rock scene.

Bleed the Pigs - great band with a singer who has an awesome colorful fro.

Motherjane

Jimi Hendrix - duh.

Asian Dub Foundation

BIS (Brand-New Idol Society) - considered “alternative Japanese idols”, and have done some amazing things including recruiting a new member who was rumored to be a high school girl and turned out to be Junko Koshino, a famous fashion designer who is 74 yrs old. Their song + video for MURA-MURA is excellent.

Go Betty Go - chicano rock, “pop punk”. Several of their songs are in Spanish.

Melt-Banana - Japanese noise rock band.

Deftones

Rage Against the Machine

TV on the Radio

Rain Machine

Bloc Party - singer is gay and black.

Little Dragon

Asobi Seksu

Blonde Redhead

The Go! Team

CSS

The English Beat

Kenna

Mono

One Ok Rock

ELLEGARDEN - JAPAN’S BEST 90s/EARLY 2000s POP PUNK ROCK EXPORT I’M NOT EVEN KIDDING. Part of what contributes to this is Takeshi Hosomi (singer/rhythm guitarist) writing ¾ of the band’s discography in perfect english. Unfortunately they went on hiatus in 2006, but that spawned two more fantastic bands: Takeshi does experimental progressive indie in the HIATUS (its the same guy I swear), and guitarist Shinichi Ubukata formedNothing’s Carved In Stone which is basically a Japanese alt. rock supergroup.

The Hiatus

Nothing’s Carved in Stone

Shonen Knife - you can’t talk about japanese girl rock without the literal originators of the movement/popularity. Because Kurt Cobain said he listened them, a HUGE surge of all girl bands started popping up over Japan.

O’Brother

The Pillows - alt rock band from Hokkaido.

Set it Off

The Novembers

Shiva En Exil

Guns N’ Roses - Slash.

(Hed) PE - (or Planet Earth) original sound described as “G-Punk”, a fusion of punk rock and gangsta rap.

Soundgarden

She Wants Revenge

Skip the Use - with influence from various genres and a black lead.

Elsiane - Formed in Montreal. Fronted by Elsieanne Caplette. Trip-hop/downtempo.

Fall Out Boy’s bassist Pete Wentz English/German and Afro-Jamaican.

Sonic Boom Six

Cibo Matto - real cool duo.

My Vitriol

Buck Tick

Wormrot - grindcore from Singapour.

Toe - post rock from Japan.

Guitar Wolf - “Jet Rock n’ roll”.

Gazette

Kanon Wakeshima

The Coup - Yesssss.

Street Sweeper Social Club

Merchant Ships - post hardcore.

The Skints - reggae/dub/punk fusion.

White Town - bzangy deserves WAY more recognition! You’ve probably already heard “I Could Never be Your Woman.”

The Mars Volta

Drill Queen - Born Depressed is just the greatest song.

Death Grips - experimental rap.

Grateful Dead

Suffrajett

Disclaimer: This is all based on my research, path, opinion & experiences! Intro: I really was holding out on doing this post because it’s such a big, important topic to cover and I really don’t want to mess it up or get anything wrong. This post needs to be done though, people have asked if I have such a post and an anon suggested it. So finally, here it is.  - What Is Warding? Warding is a type of magick, it is the act of creating an energetic barrier around you, your home, an object, ect. They can be temporary or permanent, although typically they are cast with the long term in mind. They can banish or turn away whatever you choose. Warding is an excellent skill to have because it can keep you, and even others safe and with practice you can do it anytime with just about whatever you have on hand.  When Should I Ward? Whenever you want an energetic barrier around you, most people consistently ward their home, themselves or their place of practice. Some people even ward their space every time they prepare for a spell. It should be done consistently in any area you want protected, but exactly where and how often is entirely up to the practitioner.  What Should I Do Before? Cleanse, a ward is a barrier of energy and in the same way that it keeps things out it also keeps things in. You don’t want to trap anything inside of it. Cleanse yourself before you ward yourself. Cleanse your space before you ward your space!  Tips Before You Ward- Phrasing Keep the phrasing in mind! You don’t want to keep anything out that you want in, or let something in that you want out. If you’re chanting or using sigils ect keep in mind exactly what you want to keep out both in your methods and in your mind. Covering everything Make sure to cover everything, a ward is useless if there’s a weakness in it or if the ceiling & floor aren’t probably covered. Be super thorough!  Layering Your Wards One small little wimpy barrier? Ha, the spirits say as they scramble into your home to wreak havoc! You need to layer your wards, don’t just use one method one time, there’s no such thing as too much warding.  What Are Some Ways That I Can Ward? Now we’ll get right down to the methods you can use to ward yourself and your space! Remember that warding is important and needs to be effective, don’t try anything that you don’t have experience with for warding. At first, focus on the stuff you know. If you like sigils, use sigils at first and slowly work your way into using other more complex methods or methods that solely rely on your abilities. Circle Casting You cast a circle by summoning the four elements to protect & energize what is in the circle.  - Here’s my post about circles & how to cast them  Chanting/Speaking Come up with a protective chant you can use to ward your space. This chant could be someone else’s or your own as long as you feel it’s effective. Speak it aloud and visualize a layer of energy protecting your space.  Incense Burn a protective incense in the space you’d like to ward and visualize a barrier protecting your space. Athame Draw out the line of your ward with your athame, visualize the wall appearing, covering everything with a thick layer of energy.  Spraying Spray a mix of blessed/magickal waters and or herbs with protective properties in the space you want to ward.  Sigils Create a sigil using your favorite method with the intent to “ward” or “protect/protection.” Then charge and activate it as a layer of protection! Here’s my post on sigils if you’re interested in that: - Sigil Post Jar Spells You could mix up a jar spell for warding, set it in your house and forget it as a layer of warding.  - My protective jar spell post Anointment Anoint the doorways of your space, you could also anoint the ceiling, floor, walls, corners, honestly go for it.  Salt Sprinkle salt all around the edge of your home or space. Make sure to sprinkle salt on the INSIDE of your harm as salt can harm plants & wildlife if used outside. If you’d like to make a barrier on the outside of your home, you can use dried & crushed eggshells in place of salt. - Post on how to make eggshell powder here -  Hag stones Hag stones are stones with holes in them that have been corroded into the stone because of rushing water. It is believed rushing water is protective & cleansing so if you wear a stone that sat in it long enough to have parts corroded away, that the stone will maintain and keep those properties with it. It’s a great way to personally ward yourself, and an excuse to go out in nature.  They look like this!