#coin's notes

TL;DR: Paradigms are how you make sense of magic and how it fits into the world in your experiences. They aren't right or wrong and they often change!

Paradigm: a philosophical or theoretical framework of any kind

Note: There are a few different definitions of paradigm depending on the field you're talking about. In the case of magic, we are using the definition above.

Paradigms are essentially how you make sense of the world around you. In magic, these paradigms are ways in which someone understands magic, how it works, and how it is used in the world.

Other people have used words like “framework”, or “beliefs/belief system”. Whatever you call it is fine!

Paradigms can and often do change over time, maybe you used to believe “xyz”, but now you’re thinking more “abc”. This doesn't make everything that you did while you believed in “xyz” invalid, it just means you understand it differently now.

Since paradigms are basically belief systems, they are not factual and are not “right” or “wrong” they simply are. One person may disagree with another, who may disagree with someone else, who may have similar but slightly different experiences than another. More than anything else, paradigms are fluid.

Furthermore, paradigms are fluid not just within ourselves but within communities too!

Here’s an example:

Say everyone in x community generally agrees that crystals hold power. However, some may believe that crystals only hold power once charged, like how a cup can only hold water once filled. While others may believe there is an inherent power within the crystal. Others in turn might believe that some crystals hold power and others don’t. Yet they all still believe the paradigm that crystals hold power.

Now let’s take a few paradigms about correspondences as another example.

In one witch’s paradigm, they might be used as ingredients that hold inherent power. -> “I am using the magical properties inherent to basil to power my money jar.” In another, the correspondences are spirits that you petition to help power the magical working. -> “I am working with the spirit of basil and asking them to help with my money jar.” In another, the correspondences are offerings that you give to a spirit that you’re petitioning. -> “I am using basil as an offering to a spirit to help with my money jar.” In yet another the correspondences are spirits that you don’t even need to petition, their very presence influences the spell. -> “I’m using basil in this spell because the spirit of basil will help influence my money jar.”

Here are some other examples of paradigms:

Spirit-Working sorcery, where spirits are petitioned for aid, and the strength of workings tends to depend on the depth of the relationship developed with the spirit, and/or success in evoking them in that instance.

Thinking or focusing on your intent in your head is fine, writing it down is better, but speaking it aloud is best.

Energy is the battery of magic. Magic is the change caused by whatever you’re doing but energy is what powers that change, be it a spell, prayer, whatever.

Gods can be called upon and petitioned for help with a spell, but the relationship between the caster and the god will determine the strength of the spell or their willingness to help. Otherwise, you can try to appeal to them with offerings to make up for the lack of a relationship, though their help will still not be as strong as if there were a pre-existing relationship.

Inanimate objects do not have spirits, but animals, plants, fungi, and humans do.

Again, these are not universal paradigms, they are just examples. I honestly don't think there even is a universal paradigm when it comes to magic and witchcraft.

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What is Sympathetic Magic?

The idea of sympathetic magic, the term was likely coined by James George Frazer in his book The Golden Bough (1889). Though Richard Andree wrote of sympathy-enchantment in 1882, and the idea existed in some form or another since ancient times.

The definition of sympathetic magic in the merriam-webster dictionary is magic based on the assumption that a person or thing can be supernaturally affected through its name or an object representing it.

Types of Sympathetic Magic

Similarity: That which resembles something can represent or substitute that thing. Such as a citrine to represent the sun or a walnut for the brain.

Contagion/Contact: That which comes in contact with something can represent or substitute that thing. Such as moon water, water that is charged under the moon to hold its power and likeness.

Imitation: Close to similarity except it often involves specifically creating something to look like that thing such as idols, effigies, poppets, etc.

I'm sure at some point, like me, you were curious as to why we use the word "correspondences" when connecting physical things meant to represent, relate to, to nonphysical things. No? Just me? Well here are my notes about the topic, anyways!

What are correspondences?

In the context of theology, correspondence is "a relationship between two levels of existence".

The use of the term in this way was coined by Emanuel Swedenborg in his works Arcana Cœlestia (1749–1756), Heaven and Hell (1758) and other such works. Here is a quote from Swedenborg himself:

Though this idea wasn’t new, and neither was the word “correspondence”, Swedenborg coined the term to explain the relationship between the spiritual world and the material world.

Nothing can exist anywhere in the material world that does not have a correspondence with the spiritual world—because if it did, it would have no cause that would make it come into being and then allow it to continue in existence. Everything in the material world is an effect. The causes of all effects lie in the spiritual world, and the causes of those causes in turn (which are the purposes those causes serve) lie in a still deeper heaven. (Secrets of Heaven #5711)

The idea that the material world and the spiritual world are linked came along before Swedenborg, however.

Swedenborg’s Law of Correspondence is similar to the “As above, so below” concept that you may see often in spiritual circles, which comes from the Hermetic text The Emerald Tablet; as well as the microcosm–macrocosm analogy; the idea that the human body is a microcosm—a small universe that mimics the macrocosm (or “great universe”).

Similar ideas can be found all throughout the world and in many cultures. (See also Sympathetic Magic, Synchronicity, and the Doctrine of Signatures.)

References and Further Reading

Swedenborg Foundation - Correspondences

Sacred Texts’ collection of Swedenborg’s works

(Please check out the other links throughout the post, too!)

This is a quick primer on Alchemy, what it is, where it came from, and how it’s used today taken straight from my notes. This will likely be a series of posts as the topic of Alchemy is vast despite it being somewhat difficult to find resources on!

What is Alchemy?

Alchemy is sort of like magical chemistry but with some spirituality added to it, to put it vaguely. It likely has its roots in ancient Egypt but spread almost everywhere and is still used today—more on that later. Sadly over time, we’ve lost a lot of alchemical knowledge what little knowledge we do have has been reimagined in a more romanticist way, causing a lot of what was known to be skewed.

The mysterious nature of alchemy is not just in this lack of knowledge, but the texts we do have are often riddled with codewords, called decknamen, that can make the text difficult to read unless decoded. Why? Think of these books as containing "trade secrets", you don't want to share those around all willy-nilly!

Famous alchemists that you may know are Isaac Newton, Paracelsus, and Agrippa, though there are many more exemplary alchemists that you can find here.

Etymology

The modern word alchemy is a bit of a mystery itself --as it comes from the Arabic word al-kīmiyā (the al- being the Arabic definite article “the”), but the origin of ladder half, -chemy, is unknown.

There is speculation that -chemy comes from the Late Greek khēmía means "land of black earth”, an old name for Egypt. Or possibly from the Greek khymatos meaning "that which is poured out”. (EtymologyOnline)

Another likely candidate is the greek cheo meaning "to melt or fuse" (L. M. Principe).

Transmutation; Lead to Gold

One goal of alchemy, the transmutation of base substances into gold—termed chrysopoeia—is possibly the most widely known to the average person. We know now that it’s impossible to transmute base substances into gold by chemical means, but not impossible by other means (scientists turn bismuth into gold using a particle accelerator). Different alchemists had their own ideas as to how to do this but of course, none of them succeeded.

That’s not to say alchemy as a whole is a failure, alchemists through the ages have made some of the most important inventions or discoveries to this day and we know of alchemy as a predecessor of modern chemistry.

The Great Work; Magnum Opus

More than just a creator’s largest or most famous piece of work, the Magnum Opus—a.k.a The Great Work—is an alchemical term for the process of working with the prima materia ("first matter”) to create the Philosopher's stone (wiki).

The Great Work of Alchemy is often described as a series of four stages represented by colors:

nigredo, a blackening or melanosis

albedo, a whitening or leucosis

citrinitas, a yellowing or xanthosis

rubedo, a reddening, purpling, or iosis

These were later expanded upon and eventually came to 12 steps/processes. The order of these steps would vary by alchemist.

Calcination

Solution, or Dissolution

Separation

conjunction

Putrefication

Congelation

Cibation

Sublimation

Fermentation

Exaltation

Multiplication

Projection

Philosopher’s Stone and Immortality

It is a common misconception that the purpose of the Philosopher’s Stone was to give infinite life, it was just meant to prolong one’s life. It was also thought to cure disease and transmute base substances into gold.

Seeking immortality is noted more in Chinese "alchemy", it's proper names being Waidan 外丹 (External Alchemy) and Neidan 內丹 (Internal Alchemy) [Pregadio].

Alchemy in a Modern Context

From my understanding, there are as many approaches to alchemy as there have been alchemists, but in attempts to make this easier let's give it some labels: there are two paths when studying modern alchemy, though these labels are loose as these paths are not mutually exclusive. The two paths are a spiritual path and a traditional path. These are not set-in-stone labels or definitions, and if either interests you then I suggest looking into them more on your own time, there are links and resources at the end of the post to get you started!

Traditional Alchemy

Some folks try to reconstruct alchemical formulas, or even make their own, either out of curiosity or as an attempt to revive the lost art. This approach takes a more reconstructionist perspective and leans closer to chemistry than psychology. That being said, alchemy was not solely empirical and there are almost always going to be spiritual aspects involved.

Spiritual Alchemy

Sometimes when alchemy is used in a modern context you’ll see it talked about in a more spiritual or psychological way. The approaches of alchemy from a spiritual perspective will vary by person, just as the scientific approaches will vary by person.

I won’t go too much into it here, but essentially spiritual alchemy is the idea that alchemical texts are spiritual or philosophical, and thus interpret them as such; practitioners of spiritual alchemy decode the texts from a psychology-based perspective and rarely, if ever, do they involve chemicals or substances in the way traditional alchemy does.

This path is usually focused on self-transformation (or self-transmutation) and doesn’t necessarily use a body of chemical knowledge to practice.

What Now?

Ok so you know the bare bones about what alchemy is and a few of its uses, so what now? Well, you could either wait until my next "coin's notes" post and see what I talk about then, or you can check out the "References and Further Reading" section and get started on your own research journey!

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References and Further Reading

Esoterica - Alchemy (playlist)

Livescience - What is Alchemy?

Sacred-texts - Alchemy (subject)

Alchemy Rediscovered and Restored by Archibald Cockren (via Sacred-texts)

Alchemy Restored by Lawrence M. Principe

The Secrets of Alchemy by Lawrence M. Principe

What is a familiar, and how do they fit into modern magic?

Definition

Familiars are spirits that act as assistants or guides to magic users, helping them with domestic and/or magical duties.

Familiars were and sometimes still are classified as a type of demonic spirit that often take the form of an animal, mostly thought to be cats, dogs, toads, and hares.

They are thought to help witches or magic users in domestic areas as well as in their magical affairs. Familiars can take on any color or shape.

In the 17th century, Familiars were more likely to be called “Imps”!

Etymology

The word Familiar comes from the Latin familiaris meaning "of or belonging to the family". Familiaris may come from the Latin word famulus meaning "slave" or "servant".

As far as we know, the first usage of the word in the context of witchcraft is attested from the 1560s. Before this, it was used as a noun meaning “familiar friend”.

History

The idea of familiars being a witch’s helper spirit was especially strong in the 17th century when King James I wrote about them in his book titled Daemonologie in which he talks about witches and their supposed "relations" with the devil.

This belief was most popular in East Anglian Europe and was scarcely found elsewhere during the witch trials.

The first recorded witch trial to reference a familiar in witchcraft is that of Dame Alice Kyteler, in 1324 (Wright 1833, p. 2) but it would be two centuries later that the idea of the witch's familiar took off.

Margaret Alice Murray talks about two different kinds of familiars The Witch-Cult in Western Europe: "those by which the witch divined and those who attended on the witch to obey her commands." *

Many historical accounts that we have regarding the confessions of supposed witches were likely falsified since the people being accused were under duress as they were being tortured. This doesn’t mean all historical accounts of Familiars are false, but we should take them with a grain of salt.

Most of the time those accused of witchcraft and of having "familiars" were lonely or isolated folks, likely older in age, that would talk to the animals probably similar to how we speak to our pets now.

However, keeping animals as pets wasn't too popular among the working class, and relationships with animals that were more than a farmer and his stock were seen as unnatural.

Cunning folk practices were said to involve familiars as well, though were often thought to be different than the witch’s “demonic” familiar and were sometimes referred to as the “fae” or “fairy” familiar in literature.

Side Note: We can’t talk about familiars without talking about demons!

“The noun meaning 'demon, evil spirit that answers one's call' is from the 1580s (familiar spirit is attested from 1560s); earlier as a noun it meant "a familiar friend" (late 14c.). The Latin plural, used as a noun, meant ‘the slaves,’ also ‘a friend, intimate acquaintance, companion.’ The usual ancient Greek sense, ‘supernatural agent or intelligence lower than a god, ministering spirit’ is attested in English from the 1560s and is sometimes written daemon or daimon for purposes of distinction. Meaning ‘destructive or hideous person’ is from the 1610s; as ‘an evil agency personified’ (rum, etc.) from 1712.” (etymologyonline)

Famous Familiars

Familiar spirits were confessed to during the witch trials of Huntingdon. Two of their names were Greedigut and Grissel and they were given to the witch in spirit form by a demon who went by the name Blackeman. They were said to look like black dogs with hoglike, bristled hair on their back. -> It was said that they would do whatever their master requested and when they were not given a task would attack or rob passersby.

Agathion is a type of Familiar demonic spirit that can appear as an animal or a man. Once bound as a familiar it will live inside a ring or talisman of some sort. They were said to only appear at midday or to be most powerful at midday.

Sybacco was the familiar to the Comte de Corasse, the Comte de Foix, and Adriano Lemmi. Described as having bull horns and three eyes on his forehead, he is under the command of the demon Botiz.

Thomas "Tom" Reid was said to be the Familiar of Bessie Dunlop of Scotland, who was tried in 1576. Tom was described as the spirit of a soldier as well as an honest, elderly man. Tom told Bessie that he lived in Elfhame with the fae.

Boye was Prince Rupert’s dog that some believed to be his familiar due to their closeness and Boye’s tagging along during the British Civil War, though this was likely a smear campaign against the prince.

Similarities and Comparisons

Fylgr, a Norse guardian or “follower” spirit, was attached to a person related to their fate. These were often only seen by those with the ability to see the supernatural. In some cases, they would foretell the death of the person they followed but they weren’t inherently a sign of death.

Ancient Romans had genii that fall under the “helpful spirit” category, such as Lares Familiares which were household deities or spirits that were guardians of the family.

The Greeks believed in daimons which refer to supernatural beings between men and gods, such as minor gods or spirits of dead heroes. -> Some believed you could have personal daimons that acted as guides, guardians, or spiritual companions. Socrates was said to have a personal daimon, see: De Genio Socratis.

Fetches, historically considered bad omens, are now sometimes seen as a servitor spirit with a time limit that a person creates for a specific purpose. The Fetch will disappear once their task is completed or they’ve been dismissed. (pg 63-66 Barbarous Words) -> Originally, fetches were seen as a sort of spectral doppelganger, and seeing one foretold the death of the person they took the shape of.

Familiars in Modern Magic

Not dissimilar to their old definition, Familiars are seen as spirits that aid and guide witches. They are teachers, helpers, and companions.

Familiars can teach you magic, help with spells, or perform tasks for you.

They are not a pet. Treat a Familiar the way you’d treat a colleague or even a friend.

Divination is a great way to contact familiars. If you've done spirit work before then it's similar to contacting any other spirit.

Familiars are usually seen as a contractual spirit relationship.

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Resources and References

On Familiars Familiar - Britannica Etymology of Familiar - Etymology Online Notes on Familiars by Early Modern Whale Guardian spirits or Demonic Pets by James A Serpell CunningFolk and Familiar Spirits by Emma Wilby Paltrie Vermin, Cats, Mise, Toads, and Weasils: Witches, Familiars, and Human-Animal Interactions in the English Witch Trials. by Helen Parish

On the Witch Trials Witch Persecutions edited by George L. Burr. Malleus Maleficarum or The Witch’s Hammer by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger The Witch-Cult in Western Europe by Margaret Murray  Daemonologie by King James I

*Note: While her witch-cult theory has been thoroughly debunked, Murray helped shape modern witchcraft whether she meant to or not and as such her texts are worth a read.

I ended up having to break this up into a multipart series, otherwise, the post would have ended up way too long. Here is part one of an overview of energy across cultures!

What is energy?

In scientific terms, such as physics, energy is “the capacity for doing work” (britannica) and it exists in various forms such as potential, kinetic, thermal, electrical, chemical, nuclear, and so on.

In esoteric terms, however, energy takes on a different and yet very similar meaning. Many cultures and religions have different views on what energy is and how it works, some of them more different than others.

Here are just a few ways that energy is viewed throughout various cultures and history:

As you may know, I do a lot of research for my posts, to the point of adding references and citations. So I know very well that occult and witchy history is murky at best and full of nazis at worst. Here are some tips I've come up with for those of you who want to do your own research.

Cross-reference. Especially when you're looking into something that isn't widely accepted as fact or truth. For example, correspondences vary by region and culture, but a lot of times you'll be able to find similarities in the meanings of correspondences by looking at multiple sources. Cross-referencing also helps keep biases in check!

Use Wikipedia as a starting point. High School may have scared you away from using Wiki as a source, but it can be really helpful! Go to the citations and reference sections at the bottom of the pages and you'll see a few, and sometimes a lot, of references that you can go off to read!

Check for references and citations, and then check those references and citations. There can be dozens of links in someone's reference section or on their blog, but if none of them are valid or have any historical relevance to the post, then they're useless.

Look for reputable sites. These are often sites created by experts or consult experts. (Check below for resources)

Look into the author. Sadly the occult has a long history of bigots weaseling their way in, be sure you know who you're reading from.

Know that researching a bad person and why they're bad is not a bad thing and you are not bad for doing it.

Look for credentials. Why should you believe this author? What cultures and circles are they a part of? Are they academics, scholars, or historians? Find the credentials needed for whatever you're researching.

Fact check. Especially if it's your first time seeing the statement somewhere, see if there are other credible sources that back this statement up.

Ask for references. This really only goes for blogs or social media. No one who researches and writes about it should be offended by you asking for references.

Ask around. If you're looking into something but don't know where to start, ask your witchy friends! You can also send me an ask and I'll do my best to send you resources if I can find them.

Talk to people who actually practice what you're looking into. If you're researching a culture or practice, talk to practitioners and see what they have to say before proceeding further.

This doesn't just go for those of us that love research, at some point in everyone's path, they will stumble across something that needs to be looked into. You can also use these tips for casual research!

Here are a few of my favorite resources:

Sacred-texts.org

Your local library

worldhistory.org

@s-n-arly shared a list in this post of useful research sites such as:

refseek.com

worldcat.org

linkspringer.com

base-search.net

pdfdrive.com

If you're a person who also loves to research witchcraft and the occult, please add your favorite sources and tips in a comment or reblog!

This post is a culmination of my findings on spiritual alchemy. Links, and resources will be added throughout the text and further reading can be found at the end of the post!

If you'd like a quick intro to alchemy check out my Intro to Alchemy

What is spiritual alchemy?

To truly define spiritual alchemy would be impossible as every single person who practices it would likely have a different definition. However, I can supply you with a very vague and broad definition for the benefit of this post and the sake of our sanity:

Spiritual alchemy takes a psychological, philosophical, and sometimes metaphysical approach to the practice of alchemy often with a focus of self-transformation. Spiritual alchemy interprets alchemical texts through a psyche-focuses lens and tends to exclude the use of labs, chemicals, etc.

The overall goal of spiritual alchemy is self-transformation in some way, shape, or form rather than material transformation.

The steps one would take on their journey of spiritual alchemy are going to be different based on each person, their life experiences, religion, and culture. This does not mean that any one way is correct or incorrect.

→ A/N: From the get-go, “spiritual alchemy” is a bit misleading since alchemy itself was and is spiritual in nature. Of course, there are aspects of alchemy that involved chemicals, vials, flasks, hot water baths, and the like, but these two things—spirituality and science—come together to create alchemy as a whole.

Where did spiritual alchemy come from?

As far as we know, what is considered spiritual alchemy today came at the earliest during the Victorian period when occultists decided to take a much less practical (as in physical or chemical experiments) approach to alchemy. This doesn’t mean that the spiritual aspect of alchemy came around the 19th century, just that the interpretations of it being solely psychological appeared around this time.

Later in the early 20th century, psychoanalysts claimed that alchemical texts described psychological processes and archetypal images rather than material transformations (Principe, 2011)

Stages of Spiritual Alchemy

From what I’ve found, at least in the west, there are believed to be 7 stages of spiritual alchemy. The meanings of these stages will vary by practitioner but I saw a few things echoed in each article:

Calcination - The incineration of the ego.

Dissolution - Dissolution of the ego.

Separation - Separation from the old self.

Conjunction - Self-acceptance, unification of body and mind.

Putrefaction and Fermentation - Decay of the old self and rebirth of the new self.

Distillation - Refining the new self, connecting the conscious and unconscious.

Coagulation - Complete unification of body, mind, spirit, etc.

Keep in mind that these are significantly condensed meanings, if you'd like a more detailed meaning behind each stage feel free to check out the posts in the resources section at the end of the post.

Personal Opinions, Anecdotes, and Warnings

Now, I don't hate the idea of self-transformation. Far from that actually, but I do have a few concerns here,

Many sources I saw as I researched spiritual alchemy and how to practice it were either behind a paywall or were coupled with brands pushing some sort of product they were selling. This is immediately a red flag to me.

If you plan to pursue spiritual alchemy you should take incredible caution with each and every text or post you read. It seems like there’s plenty of New Age BS riddled amongst the posts. For info on why that’s a red flag please take a look at @pondering-the-kaiju's posts The Deal with New Age in a Nutshell as a quick-start guide.

This sounds like you’re attempting to undergo ego death, a complete loss of subjective self-identity, which some may consider a good thing. However, without the correct support or a solid plan, shit can hit the fan real fast. Ego death can trigger psychosis, paranoia, depersonalization, and other such problems.

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Resources and Citations

The Seven Stages of Spiritual Alchemy and What They Mean

-> The author of this article states that spiritual alchemy is an ancient practice. While self-transformation is something that’s likely existed as long as humans have, it’s a bit misleading to say that spiritual alchemy itself is ancient.

The Gold Within You: Seven Alchemical Stages to Attain Spiritual Wholeness

-> I've heard some not-great things about Llwellyn but I've added this as a secondary reference for those interested in reading more. Just make sure to read critically.

Psychology and Alchemy by Carl Jung via Internet Archive

-> Full pdf of Jung's book.

Carl Jung and Alchemy via carl-jung.net

-> Jung on Alchemy and its psychological interpretations.