#paradisesymphony

We actually have a tag about it, if you want to go through it.

- Symphony

In addition to the tag, here’s a Santeria source and another article.  I honestly can’t remember which history text I was reading and I’m kicking myself for it, but it described the racial connotations becoming especially strong during the rise of spiritualism in America, conveniently including common practices like “voodoo dolls” in African diasporic traditions, e.g. hoodoo, Voodoo, and Santeria.  Yvonne Chireau’s Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition equates “black magic” with Conjure and points out how superstition, rather than legitimate religious practice, was considered a hallmark of African diaspora.  Albert Raboteau’s Slave Religion: The “Invisible Institution” in the Antebellum South also draws attention to some of the comments white slavers said of the Muslim slaves and “the power of their magical charms” (6).  Throw in some ages-old Christian prejudice against Islam and watch it go.  Apparently white slave masters believed slaves could “hoodoo” other slaves but not white people because you had to believe it worked, suggesting a strongly condescending attitude towards the ‘superstitious nature’ of people of color.  The “Magical Negro” stereotype has been attached to all this.

It reminds me strongly of the idea that women, being less rational than men, are naturally more open to the temptation of sin and being bearers of it; in this case, however, the subhuman, uncivilized nature of slaves meant they, in turn, were prone to acting superstitious and engaging with…well, black magic.

Since we were not there, we can’t tell you if there is a connection or not. As far as I know of, squirrels aren’t one of her sacred animals, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t have been her. I suggest you try divining or praying and asking if it was sign of her presence.

I suggest you find someone who is a part of that culture, and ask them about it and if you can/are allowed to be a part of it. Go from there.

I don’t think I can really help you with this problem, mostly because deities take promises or oaths very seriously. You can try to talk with her about it, ask her what you can do to about it, but I’m afraid there’s nothing on my end that I can help you with.

I suggest you talk with the deity about it. Tell them how you feel, how you know it’s wrong, how you want to discontinue, etc. If this doesn’t go well, the deity in question may not be who they say they are (usually from what I’ve seen, deities from closed cultures don’t ask outside of that culture for someone to worship them, sometimes it’s a trickster deity. I’m not saying that this is what it is, but it’s always a possibility). The best of luck to you, anon.

Tumblr name: paradisesymphony

How long have you been practicing? As a pagan, 5 years, as a Hellenic polytheist it’s been a little over a year now.

Tell us a little about your religious practice. I consider myself a revivalist Hellenic polytheist, and I respectively worship the Greek Gods, mainly the Olympians.  I primarily worship Apollo right now.

Do you work with a pantheon? Yes, the Greek.

Do you have a deity? I guess you can say Apollo.

Are you solitary or do you have a group you work with? I’m solitary.

How did you find your path? Through research on accident.

Tell us a little about your witch-y practices. I don’t practice witchcraft anymore. When I did, I mostly did very small spells and cleansings.

Do you practice any forms of divination? I practice with tarot cards, shufflemancy, bibliomancy, dice, and I’m trying to learn scrying.

Do you have any familiars? No.

Favorite pagan or witch-y books/authors: I don’t honestly know, there are many I dislike and very few that I enjoy.

Favorite/birth stone: Zircon!

.Favorite Herbs, Plants, Flowers, Trees: I love lilacs, hyacinths, roses, bleeding hearts, and any tree that smells good is my favorite tree.

The main thing that got me started was building up shrines and altars for the Gods. I think a reason you find a lot of info about the gods is because it’s practically the main point of this religion. But a shrine or hearth altar can help you tons, it’s where you can pray, worship, have a safe sacred space. You can find a post here about how to introduce yourself. I cannot say whether or not they will answer right away, but don’t be afraid to ask for a specific sign either!

There are different types of empaths, yes. Some people can feel emotions from others strongly, more than the person next to them might. It also might depend on the subject of what stirred up that emotion, and you could also feel passionate about the subject- thus creating an overwhelming feeling.