Rose

Hi! 

The traditional form of meditation where you stay still and close your eyes is very difficult for me because of my ADHD. So I hope it's okay that I reply to this with alternative ways you can meditate. 

Music:

Seriously, music is considered the language of the soul so I'm going to put this here. Here's the catch, you have to like the song. There are people who think the gods will like certain ancient sounding songs with themselves not being into the song but, in my experience, the gods LOVE new music! The gods will be enjoying the song through you so it's important for you to like the song as well. Make sure it's one that really moves you, it doesn't matter if it makes you happy, sad, mad, etc so long as it makes you feel. The whole premise of you listening to music is so you could feel the gods' energy and if a song reminds you of them then that's an easy and fun way to invoke them and meditate with them. 

Dancing:

this one can be an addition to the music one but you offer the gods energy through dancing. Imagine the gods being with you, over time you'll begin to feel them. 

Journaling: (LINK)

Sharing food with them: (LINK)

Counting your blessings:

Gratitude, in my opinion, is the best gift to the gods because not only are you acknowledging the help they've given you but it also helps you be more receptive to future blessings plus it helps you see how involved the gods are in your life. The gods like being thanked for what they provide. It's also how I do spell work, I charge my spells with energy from gratitude because the energy comes from deep within my heart and soul. 

Art:

when you draw the gods or create something for them, imagine the gods over your shoulders watching over you and make a point to talk to them in your head. 

Being aware of feeling the gods: (LINK)

These are just a few of the things I do to meditate with them. 

I hope this helps!  

I find myself getting lost in the melodies which actually helps open my mind up to the divine and makes it a lot easier for them to speak to me.

I’ve also found this method has helped me a lot with my mental wellbeing. I’ve had days where I’ve woken up depressed and anxious but felt a lot better after taking the time to listen to some music and connect with my deities.

I’ve had a lot of epiphanies doing this and also real wonderful and intimate moments with my gods!

Hi! 

The traditional form of meditation where you stay still and close your eyes is very difficult for me because of my ADHD. So I hope it's okay that I reply to this with alternative ways you can meditate. 

Music:

Seriously, music is considered the language of the soul so I'm going to put this here. Here's the catch, you have to like the song. There are people who think the gods will like certain ancient sounding songs with themselves not being into the song but, in my experience, the gods LOVE new music! The gods will be enjoying the song through you so it's important for you to like the song as well. Make sure it's one that really moves you, it doesn't matter if it makes you happy, sad, mad, etc so long as it makes you feel. The whole premise of you listening to music is so you could feel the gods' energy and if a song reminds you of them then that's an easy and fun way to invoke them and meditate with them. 

Dancing:

this one can be an addition to the music one but you offer the gods energy through dancing. Imagine the gods being with you, over time you'll begin to feel them. 

Journaling: (LINK)

Sharing food with them: (LINK)

Counting your blessings:

Gratitude, in my opinion, is the best gift to the gods because not only are you acknowledging the help they've given you but it also helps you be more receptive to future blessings plus it helps you see how involved the gods are in your life. The gods like being thanked for what they provide. It's also how I do spell work, I charge my spells with energy from gratitude because the energy comes from deep within my heart and soul. 

Art:

when you draw the gods or create something for them, imagine the gods over your shoulders watching over you and make a point to talk to them in your head. 

Being aware of feeling the gods: (LINK)

These are just a few of the things I do to meditate with them. 

I hope this helps!  

I find myself getting lost in the melodies which actually helps open my mind up to the divine and makes it a lot easier for them to speak to me.

I’ve also found this method has helped me a lot with my mental wellbeing. I’ve had days where I’ve woken up depressed and anxious but felt a lot better after taking the time to listen to some music and connect with my deities.

I’ve had a lot of epiphanies doing this and also real wonderful and intimate moments with my gods!

Our gods are not wrathful. They will not be angered by small mistakes. You poured a libation wrong? Or didn’t do a ritual you intended because life got in the way? They aren’t angry with you. They will not punish you. 

They aren’t with you in order to take from you. They give to us unconditionally, and in return we give thanks because we are thankful. Not because we are afraid.

In my own experience, the gods will not be angered unless you act in a purposeful malicious or disrespectful way. You would really need to do something terrible for them to be angry with you.

A lot of people have heard the metaphor with Nice Guys™️ and how they feel entitled to women’s time and bodies. “I’m not a vending machine you put nice tokens in until sex falls out.” It’s a really good metaphor and I think we can take pieces of it and apply it to Polytheist worship.

Occasionally I’ll see people talk about gods as if they’re tools. “Just give them some offerings and they’ll do whatever you want.” Their value only being measured by what they can do to ‘serve’ you, and once it’s no longer relevant that deity gets tossed aside or aggressively bashed. I find this to not just be disrespectful to these deities, but also to their followers. How dare someone try and reduce and ridicule what someone has dedicated themselves to honoring? (Not to mention the arrogance that comes with thinking someone can control a god, but that’s another barrel of worms.) We aren’t entitled to them and everything they are because we were nice.

This is a terrible idea for a few reasons.

Riot shields are super heavy and if you try to grab one without wearing anything to protect your hands, your fingers are gonna get crushed.

The cops aren’t just going to let you grab their shit. Unless you have a physique like Brock Lesnar and you know how to fight somebody dressed up in full riot gear, if you try this, you are absolutely going to get your ass kicked.

Even if you are able to knock the cop to the ground, chances are you’ll be flanked by at least two of their comrades. 

🌹 Working with Aphrodite 🌹

General Tips

🌸 Creating a little space or altar dedicated to her is always helpful and it feels so much more organized and special, she’ll probably appreciate it a lot.

🌸 She’s honestly one of the best deities or even spirit in general that I have ever spoken with. She’s incredibly understanding, so if you dedicate yourself to her a certain way and you miss a day of doing whatever ritual you decide to do, don’t beat yourself up about it. She understands. Life happens.

🌸Offerings are great. You don’t always have to go all out and spend a shit ton of money. Don’t feel bad if you can’t do that. What genuinely matters to her is that there was thought put into it and such. (I’ll write what I have given her a bit later in this post)

🌸 She’s the type of deity to give lots of signs, I feel. Always be on the lookout for signs.

🌸 Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t hear her. Using divination is an easy way to talk to her. Especially pendulum. If the convo is one-sided, that’s okay, too. Don’t worry about her hearing you, because she will.

🌸 Practice self-love. She loves when you devote little acts of self-love to her. It can be small little things, too, like painting your nails, washing your face, cleaning your room, taking a shower, anything like that.

My Experience

Okay, so I began working with her not too long ago because I’ve been in kind of a rut. I needed support and I felt the need to work with a deity because I felt like it would almost help me organize my mind and life in general. And it has, honestly. It hasn’t been too long but I can confidently say that it’s already amazing.

I approached her with a gift. I painted a pink rose for her that I was very proud of and I poured some love into it, so I knew she’d love it. And she did. I immediately caught on how lovely of a being she was. Her energy is quite strong and when she wants something/wants me to know something, I know it.

The night I actually wanted to start working with her but had troubles at home, she gave me a prophetic dream that was pretty much going to change my life forever and I was so incredibly grateful. I may ask her to give me dreams more.

I find that whenever I have a problem, she’s always one of the first people I think about telling. For some reason it’s like the world stalls me from telling her, and by time I am able to tell her, the problem has already been resolved. I think that’s of her doing, though. It’s such a nice and protective feeling.

Offerings. What I have given her is water, the painting, and there was a set of earrings that my aunt got me when she went back to our home town in Greece and they had pearls on them so I dedicated them to her and I have them on her little altar space. Today, I plan on giving her a piece or two of my favorite chocolate. I also have a little cup of dried rose petals on her altar space.

In this rut I’m in, at least mostly in the beginning, I had trouble using my telepathy. I was born with this ability and naturally strengthened it over the years but because of trauma, it was kind of “calcified” in a way. At first, I was very hesitant to talk to Aphrodite because of this, but I leaped in anyways and she comforted me so much about it. I still have logs of our first chat session using tarot because I have a booklet that I write down anything witchy related that also has tarot logs so I can remember what answers I receive.

The more honest I am with her about my feelings and the more I take care of myself, the more connected to her I feel. I legit have a face scrub dedicated to her now. I clean my room a lot and take baths a lot for her because since it makes me feel good, it makes her feel good.

I’ll probably make an updated post with more in the future because I feel like I’ll have a ton more amazing experiences with her that I’m incredibly excited for! I hope this post was helpful, Nonny!

Say Good Morning when you wake up, say Good Night before you fall asleep

Share your food with them. If you’ve ever wanted some of your friend’s french fries, you know how they probably feel. 

Donate to causes that fall under the jurisdiction of your deity. Are they a goddess for women? Donate to a women’s shelter or Planned Parenthood. Is your deity a patron of the arts? Give to PBS or local theatres.

Cook a full meal in honor of your deity. Seriously. It sounds silly but you can definitely find a regional cookbook based on your pantheon to cook a full ass feast for them.

Write them letters or notes. Keep a little notebook of notes and letters to your deity. Did you see a cute cat that you think Frigga would’ve liked? Maybe you saw a girl’s outfit that would’ve made Aphrodite drool. Let them know, or give yourself a reminder to tell them about it later.

Change your phone background. Does your deity have a temple or built pantheon? Put that shit as your wallpaper! Did you find a picture that so perfectly captures the spirit of your deity? Make it your lock screen.

Make them a Mix Tape. You know, so you can belt out songs in their honor while making your way downtown. Faces pass. And you’re home bound. 

Smokey aura Quartz

I’ve been thinking more about the whole gods harming their worshipers discourse on TikTok and I think it goes a lot deeper than just spreading fear and misinformation in our community. 

By so casually going onto social media and posting about these experiences as if that’s just what happens as a worshiper, the message they are sending is “The gods can and will ABUSE you and you deserve it” 

They’re basically normalizing abusive relationships with deities. And I say this as someone who was in an abusive relationship. 

Swap out any of the gods in these stories for a mortal and we all would be calling the cops. So why is it okay for a deity to cause such harm?? The answer is that it isn’t. 

These people shouldn’t be promoting these kinds of relationships. It’s harmful, especially to the younger crowd who already struggles greatly with their own self worth. 

And truthfully by normalizing abusive relationships with the gods, they’re also normalizing abusive relationship in general. If you can accept a god causing you harm, you’ll likely accept it from anyone. Because the feeling of “I deserve this” and “This is my fault” will transfer over into other relationships. 

(2) I always believed that it was okay to be kinda friends with your deities as long as you treat them with respect (as you should with anyone mortal or not)? Yet they say that kinda stuff will get you hurt and you have to fear the gods or whatever. They heavily condone godspousing for some reason (which I may not know enough about it but if they aren’t hurting anyone why does that matter??) and really condemn people who has romantic interests in their deities too. What is and isn’t okay? (3) Sorry for this being so long but I just am really second guessing myself and what I know. I’m almost too afraid to ask and I’ve been wanting opinions on a lot of the witchtok bs going on. One lady is claiming she is Medusa and says she brings Athena to her knees and accusing a follower of Freya to be a murderer. I’m almost wondering if I need to just back away from witchtok in general. It has some good spots but a lot of negative too....

And you’re completely demonstrating WHY the WitchTok community is so harmful, irresponsible, and dangerous. 

You’re not alone in doubting your own experiences, knowledge, and instincts and having anxiety over whether you’re right or wrong especially when faced with the outrageously condensing viewpoints presented on Witchtok. 

It’s very VERY common for young people and newcomers to our religion to feel the way you feel. And its understandable. But the issue here is that the people on WitchTok generally FEED off of that uncertainty, doubt, and fear. May I also remind everyone that cult leaders do the exact same thing. 

ANYONE who uses fear and your own anxieties to get you to subscribe to their way of thinking is dangerous and harmful. I don’t care if its a bunch of teenagers doing it. It’s still not okay and again it promotes abuse and cult-like mentalities. 

Always stay away from people who make you feel negative feelings and don’t buy into their bullshit. Not only is there no “one true way” to interact with the gods, there is zero reason for anyone to be that nasty, rude, or hateful to get their point across. Fear is a manipulation tactic especially in religion so anyone who uses it against you please run in the opposite direction. 

And if you are someone who has a lot of doubt in themselves and still finding confidence in your own worship and relationship with the gods, I suggest staying very far away from Witchtok. 

IF TIKTOK MAKES YOU FEEL ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:

AFRAID

UPSET

UNCOMFORTABLE

ANXIOUS

DOUBTFUL OF YOURSELF AND YOUR EXPERIENCES

ANY OTHER NEGATIVE EMOTION

YOU CAN AND SHOULD LEAVE THE PLATFORM FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY AND WELLBEING! YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BANISH ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING THAT MAKES YOU FEEL BAD! YOU DO NOT HAVE TO KEEP EXPOSING YOURSELF TO THE TOXICITY! PLEASE MAKE YOURSELF A PRIORITY AND DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU!

So thanks to @thepastelpriestess, I have decided to create a post of things I have seen on Witchtok and hopefully people can come in and show actual fact from the misconceptions that will be in this post. I will not link any videos or specifically show what I am referring to because I’m not here to start drama. 

I will also note that I wish to do a general TW in advance because there may be topics that are uncomfortable to some folk (including myself) but I feel that this needs to be shown out there so people know what they’re getting into.

Personally, I would hate to go into witchtok and be blindsided (which honestly I myself have) with all of the chaos and negativity I have found. I know that your feed and such is based off of the content I have seen but I don’t think I personally have signed myself up for all of the misinformation and negativity of that platform. To me, that almost feels like a slap in the face.

For those like me who may be second-guessing themselves no matter how much research you do over and over again, please note that this probably is not the best platform to be on. I am sure not all of Witchtok is like this so please don’t think I am attacking anyone, but these things I have seen first-hand on Tik Tok in thw witchy community on there. 

If anyone wants to contribute, by all means feel free! I hope this does help someone else. <3

_____

Someone accusing someone else of making sour jars on other users in the community with absolutely no proof and making vague posts about them in a negative light only to get called out for it, and they don’t bother apologizing and only take the videos down and go on as if nothing ever happened.

One person saying that in a dream Aphrodite tried to drown them because they did not have the candles she wanted as an offering.

Many many people saying really mean things about a witch that (albeit she should not have) tried reaching out to a deity of a closed practice after she had died (most likely) because of it.

Sour jars (out of all things) skyrocketing as a trend to show off all over Witchtok.

People basically bragging about different curses they were doing (I have nothing against hexes, jinxes or any kinds of curses but the fact people bragged about it kinda felt off?).

A woman claimed she was Medusa and had a cult. She also claimed her husband was the human incarnate of Belial and she preyed upon minors.

Said woman also demanded nudes from minors and told her “followers” what offerings to give her (red roses were her favorite).

Same woman also said that she made Athena fall to her knees and was more powerful than her. Also said that Lucifer was a man-child (basically).

Same woman also said she “channeled” Hades and said some extremely messed up stuff (sadly she took her content down but tbh it’s for the better).

One person bad-mouthed Kemeticism when the deity they used to work with told them it was time to move on and really hurt the feelings of other Kemetics online. 

People saying baby witches (honestly I am starting to HATE that term) should not be allowed to do any kind of spellwork period.

People saying that godspousing is not a thing and no deity that is thousands of years old would ever want to get with a mortal as they most likely consider them to be babies.

People preach about research but yet do not do their own.

Manifestation is talked about but no one really properly goes into it.

People who claim they are crones but give awful advice.

People saying deity work is not for beginners.

People automatically just claiming they are the priest/priestess of a deity.

People saying that their God(s)/Goddess(es) probably aren’t actually talking to them and that they must have gotten a hold of a demon/ trickster spirit instead that wants to do them harm.

Someone apparently hexing a bunch of witches online (which I am personally unsure of how valid that is but a LOT of people claimed they were hexed).

People explaining different closed religions/practices and people fight with them about it. At that same token, some people wanted to say Wicca was a close practice as well and no one seemed to have the consistent list of closed practices.

One guy made a “joke” about his partner wanting to leave him so he put a love potion in his partner’s coffee so they would stay (like ew, that’s super abusive) and many people standing up for him.

A couple of witches had spells for weight loss and did not care about any other comments like, “Hey magic shouldn’t be a cure all for health stuff” and how fatphobic it seemed either.

Witches all over coming out on Witchtok saying that you need to respect and fear your deities and that you cannot be pals with them.

Witches saying that if you do not show respect to your deities they may harm you and if they do it is your fault (as someone who has survived multiple forms of abuse, this really got me fucking angry).

Lots of stuff about the Fae (and truthfully idk how accurate it is).

The promotion of love spells without getting the consent of the person the love spell is being used on.

“If you are seeing this, this message is for you!” type posts that feel misleading, are generalized, and tailored to fit the algorithm of the app.

People who make fun of other witches who have a “Ton” of other deities.

If someone has an opinion, thought, or comment that is not like the rest of the hive-mind of Witchtok, they immediately get labeled as a danger to others, stupid, and more.

Witches really hyping up and having the idea of binding other witches as some fucking trend.

TONS of misconceptions of deities.

People portraying the Fae as 100% evil.

Lots of hate on Christian Witches which is super wrong in my eyes.

More misconceptions of deities and people overly parodying them. 

Some people really being harsh about not showing their personal spellwork online. At that same token, others who are overly sharing their spellwork online.

“Signs of (insert deity here)” posts and people absolutely jumping without doing more research on said deity.

A LOT of debates about white sage. To the point where people are only being downright mean and hateful on all sides of it and people giving no alternatives to white sage.

“This is for you” posts that are misleading, generic, and are based on the algorithm.

The Law of Attraction being thrown but no one explaining it to anyone.

People belittling others based off of their practices, looks, and so forth.

One woman claimed she had met a new deity without any kind of evidence or proof.

Same woman also said she was the literal daughter of Poseidon and that Medusa deserved what happened to her (ew ew and ew).

When caught, she said she was a new witch who had been practicing for only a few months but didn’t really apologize and said that her “lessons” were her opinions.

People claiming they support new witches but turn around and call them all sorts of mean and nasty names the second they say or do something wrong.

Witches having a really black and white kind of view point about practicing and refusing to see anything in the middle.

Witches who say there is a versatile way to practice but turn around and say there are limitations.

LOTS of people going on about the Three-Fold Law even after people have said they didn’t believe/follow it to the point where said people were harassing others about the Three-Fold Law.

More people saying deities that want to have sex with people and want to be their S/O aren’t actually their deities but an imposter stealing their energy.

Lots of people spreading misinformation on stuff like candles, color magic, spellwork and so forth.

Tons of people preaching about how googling stuff is not a reliable way to gather information and that they MUST buy books despite others commenting that they cannot afford to do so/are in the broomcloset.

People online demonizing deities of other religions they do not belong to (mostly witches too which is what kills me).

People in general making fun of literal children and their attempts to learn.

People also making fun of adults who are new and trying to learn.

Witches throwing the terms “gatekeeper” and “gatekeeping” around without really knowing or caring what they actually meant.

A few instances of people portraying Satanism in a really bad light.

One Satanist giving out false information about Satanism.

A Luciferian calling them out and getting a lot of hate about it.

Romanticizing a lot of practices and yet not giving actual facts about said practices.

Someone saying that Tumblr is STILL worse than Witchtok currently.

___

Again, these are all things I have seen while I have been on Witchtok (since 2018/2019) and to me this is super disheartening and crappy. There are quite a few people I would personally avoid following but there are a few good people on there as well. It’s like other spots on the internet but I personally feel in particular that Witchtok is NOT a really good place to be (especially if you are still unsure about yourself and what you know). I’ve been a practicing witch since 2012/2013 but I myself am still learning and growing. 

To me, you are never done learning and growing and I personally may never call myself an expert or master at anything because we all are students no matter how old or young we are. People on Witchtok claiming they know everything are really not people I myself would back up.

Thank you for reading all of this and I will do my best to tag accordingly to try and spare people from becoming triggered because this content can be really upsetting. As someone who used to help host informational sessions to help educate others, I find it super hurtful to see people not trust in themselves and be mislead.

for those of you who are a devotee to a deity like myself, i am constantly wondering if there’s anything i could change, or if things are going good for both of us. it doesn’t hurt to check in, whether you’re new to it or have only been doing it for a fair time. so, this spread is for those of you who want to see how things are goin!enjoy lovelies 💛💛💛

🌷1 Are you happy with how our relationship is currently going?

i feel like this is an incredibly common question that we all want answered haha. just to check in and make sure things are going well!

🌷 2 What do you see our relationship looking like in the future?

another question that i feel is incredibly important to ask every once in awhile. this card is here to show you how things will look + to get an insight into whether or not things will stay on a good path. if not, here’s your chance to mend it/find a solution!

🌷3 What should I do in order to keep our relationship on a positive path?

whether or not your deity is happy with your relationship now, this card can reassure you of ways to make sure they continue to be happy, or start becoming happier! and if things need to change or come to an end, this card may also point you in that direction.

🌷 4 Am I worshipping you in a correct way that you’re happy with?

this is a question that i personally have quite frequently and plan on asking every once in awhile. i feel its so important to check in and make sure what you’re doing is making both you AND your deity happy!

🌷5 Is there anything I should change about the way I’m worshipping you?

Hi there!! I have a couple of tips on how you can talk to your Deity, even if you’re unsure of what deity you are actually trying to communicate. (Also sorry for the super late response, I’m still making my way through my Asks, I promise. )

 1. Start an Altar 

 The first tip I have is to start an altar. It doesn’t have to be huge or perfect. It should be personal and feel right for you. You can even make a mini Altar, if you don’t have a designated place for it. This helps show your deity you are listening to them and honoring them. It’s like your own personal place to remind yourself of what higher power is looking out for you and where you can feel closer to your deity. I can make a post on some Altar essentials that are needed for different Gods/Goddesses if you would like! When you know which deity is most attached to you, I highly suggest doing this. It makes you feel as though you have a higher understanding and an easier time communicating with them. They often communicate with you through your own intuition so trust in your gut feeling!

*Not my picture or Altar!*

2. Tarot

 I actually made a small 4 card spread that helps me communicate more casually with my deities. My deities are Hecate, Persephone, and Artemis and using this spread I made has actually really helped me. I kind of learned there is no WRONG way to reach out, and I definitely encourage you to make your own spread to try and talk to your Deity. First things First, what matters most is your intent. If you focus your energy into shuffling your deck, into focusing on your questions, and placing the cards where they need to go and less on “am I doing this right?” Then that is really, genuinely all that matters. Your intent and wanting to speak to them and understand what they have to offer. This can be used, even if you have no idea what Deity your speaking to. It’s more about the message and what they want you to know. Don’t worry about if what you’re doing is right. I promise, if it feels right to you, then you’re perfect. 

Also! If you ever need help interpreting your what cards you pull from your spread, feel free to message me! I would love to help. 

 3. Divination

 Tarot isn’t the only way you can communicate with them, but it is the easiest. When you’ve started to get the hang of your intuition and trusting in what you feel, try Scrying! Scrying is exceptionally helpful, but also waaaaay harder and mentally draining at times. But through Scrying, Tea Leaf Reading, or whatever your preferred method of divination is, ask your question either aloud or silently and focus on it during the reading as a way to guide you and focus your intent. 

 4. Meditation 

This is is the easiest and simplest form of communication. Silently asking for their blessing or what they wish for you to know during meditation and trusting in your intuition to tell you what they are saying back to you. It’s listening to yourself and meditating on what you are thinking through this time that will really help you. Basically having an open and honest conversation with them and trying to open up your mind to any symbols or signs in your daily life that may answer your questions or point you in the right direction.