The Crøw's Nest

Please have a moment of silence for the people who were killed instead of freed when news of emancipation finally reached the furthest corners of the american south.

have another moment for the ledgers, catalogs, and records that were burned and the homes that were destroyed to hide the presence of very much alive and still enslaved people on dozens of plantations and homesteads across the south for decades after emancipation.

and have a third moment for those who were hunted and killed while fleeing the south to find safety across the border, overseas, in the north and to the west.

black people. light a candle, write a note to those who have passed telling them what you have achieved in spite of the racist and intolerant conditions of this world, feel the warmth of the flame under your hand, say a prayer of rememberance if you are religious, place the note under the candle, and then blow it out.

if you have children, sit them down and tell them anything you know about the life of oldest black person you've ever met. it doesn't have to be your own family. tell them what you know about what life was like for us in the days, years, decades after emancipation. if you don't know much, look it up and learn about it together.

This is Juneteenth.

RULE 1: Always sleep on a curse.

Wait to see if you still want to cast it the next day. Reflect if you are bringing back balance or destroying it. There will be a price to pay.

RULE 2: Never alter a spell mindlessly.

Follow the steps to the best of your ability. The spell can sense when you are being lazy. It will be lazy too in how it works for you.

RULE 3: Always pronounce incantations properly.

It is like typing passwords — there is no autocorrect. Thankfully, the internet, and now AI too, can help you.

RULE 4: Never perform a spell you do not believe in.

The entities and energies around you will mark you as crying wolf. They will not come to you again when you truly need them.

RULE 5: Always call on your ancestors for help.

You never know if the one you are cursing or the curse you are reversing surpasses you or your ability. But your bloodline can ensure it.

RULE 6: Never cast a spell by a witch you have harmed.

A spell knows its mother. By summoning the spell of someone you have wronged in the past, you are inviting their child to wound you.

RULE 7: Always research the credibility of a spell.

Most modern spells are therapeutic instead of supernatural. Do not insult your power by wasting it on placebos.

RULE 8: Never cast protection spells out of pity.

You will be giving more than you think. So make sure it is to someone deserving, not of impulsive pity, but of your sustained loyalty.

RULE 9: Always say thank you afterwards.

To your instruments. To the deities and spirits you invoked. Some of them are proud or capricious and would refuse to do your bidding otherwise.

RULE 10: Never share your spells with the weak.

Tarocchi di Sergio Toppi