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fire-and-light · 6 months ago

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Sigils: Scribbles to forget or Spirits to remember

Years ago, when I first found my way into the practice of creating sigils, I had a lot of questions. There were a lot of mixed opinions about the rules and there seemed to be a lot of conjecture about what different books claimed they were and how to use them.

In Liber Null, chaos magician Peter Carroll writes, “There are three parts to the operation of a sigil. The sigil is constructed, the sigil is lost to the mind, the sigil is charged. In constructing a sigil, the aim is to produce a glyph of desire, stylized so as not to immediately suggest the desire. It is not necessary to use complex symbol systems. To successfully lose the sigil, both the sigil form and the associated desire must be banished from normal waking consciousness. The magician strives against any manifestation of either by a forceful turning of his attention to other matters.”

So if I understand this correctly, you take your intention statement and reduce it to a nonsense symbol to disassociate the desire from the symbol, then totally forget it, and activate it. The process of forgetting, as Carroll explains it, is to remove the desire from your mind so it can then manifest itself in the physical world.

Now I don’t know about y’all, but this sounds very familiar to me.

Years ago, i went to an Abraham Hicks seminar where a husband and wife team channeled a collective consciousness called Abraham who taught the concepts of Law of Attraction (which eventually inspired Oprah’s popular book club hit, The Secret). One of the most important tenants of this Law to manifest your desires is to “set it and forget it”: the idea that you focus on what you want to manifest (not what you don’t want) put it into your “vortex” (your astral vault of desire), then let the thought go all together and wait for the universe to deliver. By continuing to give attention to the object of your desire, you only confirm to the universe the LACK of having it, therefore stunting your manifestation.

Hmmm, ya… sounds familiar. In fact, the original Abraham Hicks cassette tapes were released in 1986 and Liber Null was published by Peter Caroll in 1987. Now, am I suggesting this is a direct rip off? Not at all, but I will say these concepts were part of a larger shift in the New Age spiritual movement of the 80s, new thoughts inspired by old philosophies. “Spirit sciences” brought the world of New Age and the Occult into the same room, and chaos magic, the art and science of magic by belief, thrived.

As someone who has experienced the downside of spiritual bypassing and toxic positivity from these so called “spirit sciences”, I have respect for Carroll and his work but do not necessarily agree with the “set it and forget it” method. I am an animist, so I see spirit in all things: plants, animals, rocks, homes, cars, books, ideas, and even sigils.

In my craft, I don’t see sigils as nonsense scribbles meant to be disassociated and discarded. I see them as symbols of my desire. I took time to decide exactly what my desire was, worded it in a very specific way, and then through a process, reduced the statement into a symbol that represents my will. In the past, I’ve likened this to creating a reduction sauce. You take all your ingredients, and over a simmering pot, you cook it down to a thick and potent sauce. Sigils aren’t much different.

Chaos magic states that the sigil should have no significant indicator that connects it to its intention specifically to help disassociate the symbol from from your desire. This helps as part of the forgetting process. I, on the other hand, will specifically draw my sigils to sometimes indicate the intent. (Ie. A home sigil that may include that shape of a roof, a money sigil that includes a dollar sign, a love sigil that includes a heart, ect.)

I see my sigils more like the reduction sauce: a powerful potent symbol of my intent. A spirit created with my pen, paper, and desire. I liken them to a goetic seal with my personally created sigil representing the spirit I have willed to life and given virtues to.

Some might even refer to this as an egregor or thought form. As an animist, I give my sigils license as a spirit to carry forth my will and enact it into reality.

This school of thought is completely divorced from the sigil theory found in chaos magic. Does that mean I feel the “set it and forget it” method is bogus and we should do away with it? Not at all. In fact, many practitioners have enjoyed this method for decades with great success. But as we know, when it comes to witchcraft, our actual craft can become very individualized and full of personal gnosis. I naturally gravitated to saving my sigils and using them more than once like spirit aids. I found allyship in working with them like egregoric magical helpers, and I don’t think I’m alone.

Many occult publications have sigils, seals, and symbols that were personally created or spirit inspired by their authors. Old grimoires that were once someone’s individual personal gnosis have become revered through time like the Keys of Solomon, the Black Pullet, the Petit Albert, and the Grimorium Verum. The sigils in these books existed long before the concept of chaos magic and new age entered the occult sphere, and will continue to be a staple in many rituals and practices.

So next time you are creating a sigil, ask yourself: What does this symbol mean to you? If it was a spirit whose sole purpose was helping you fulfill your desire, what would it look like? What would it’s symbol look like? How do you want to interact with it? Do you want to create it, destroy it, and forget it, or do you want to build a relationship with it, feed it your energy, and give it thanks for being a spirit partner in your craft?

However you choose to work with sigils in your practice is totally up to you. If the chaos method and it’s fixed equation works for you, that’s great! But if you’re like me, an animist and someone who sees their craft as spirit based, I challenge you to put some sense into your nonsense scribbles. I challenge you to see that there’s room for something more than an equation. I challenge you to create new magic.

From the crossroads of Texas,

Marshall WSL

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fire-and-light · 6 months ago

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Too Early

I wonder if our ancestors ever had artistic doubts...

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fire-and-light · 7 months ago

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troubleshooting spotty spirit connections/"godphoning"

This post is full of my personal UPGs and stuff. These are just my beliefs and what works for me. YMMV.

It takes them a lot of energy to come through to us. Feed them and help them get across the veil.

Have you ever done a big tarot reading and got really drained? Or focused really intensely on a spirit guide meditation that left you feeling lightheaded and hungry? When we connect to the spirit world it is tiring and energy-intensive. There is no reason to believe that connection on their end is any easier.

A lot of rhetoric gets tossed around that spirits and guides are so powerful and life-changing, etc. And this might be true, but I think it gets construed in a way where we assume that because they're so powerful, it must be very easy for them to appear to us - so any failure of communication is squarely on our shoulders.

This is unfair to both them and us.

Your offerings aren't just token gestures. You are actually providing energy to your spirits - dense, earthy energies they need in order to be able to come through to our world. Fresh water is refreshing and polite, but not really energizing. Food offerings are especially helpful.

This is the point of spirit houses and spirit vessels. You create a sacred object or space aligned to a spirit's energies, and invite them to come inside of it and use it as they please. As a magic-worker, your words of dedication and consecration make a literal foothold for that spirit to more easily come to our world. This also provides a place for the spirit to rest and relax as they speak to you.

Liminal times and spaces make it easier for us to reach the spirit world, and therefore easier for them to reach us. Taking actions such as laying a compass, casting a circle, or reaching trance states can actually be extremely helpful. It's not about "spirits are dangerous so cast a circle first," and it's not about "you have to meditate and clear your mind" (trance can be achieved ecstatically, after all). It's about creating or entering into in-between spaces where our worlds more easily meet.

If you primarily use tools to communicate with spirits, cleanse and charge them more regularly. The spirits can direct the energy within your tools instead of having to use their own.

If you're already using spirit vessels or houses, try gently cleaning them and re-consecrating them. Provide as much energy as you can to the spirit at that time, so that they can more strongly imprint upon the vessel.

Stop trying to talk to them all of the time.

Spirits are people too. They shouldn't be treated like invisible humans with cool new skins, but that doesn't mean they don't have autonomy and personhood.

Spirits exist independently of us and they don't disappear and go into the void when we stop paying attention to them. They are living their own lives. Even if you believe the spirits do revolve around you, at some point they have to leave to go find information you're asking about, or review the strands of fate to make sure you're headed in the right direction, or whatever.

You don't expect your human friends to be on call 24/7 and it's rude and inconsiderate to just assume all spirits are going to want to communicate with you every single time you want to communicate with them.

No, the point of this is not "you're clingy and the spirits need space."

The point is that if you're just picking up the spirit phone at any random time, of course some of your communication will "fail" because they're not free to answer!

You might be blaming yourself for having unreliable psychic abilities when the reality is that you're just sending a FaceTime request at a bad time.

It is my experience that this is true even of gods. Sometimes I walk by the shrine of my primary god and it's just empty - he's not there right now. It's not because he hates me or because my psychism failed. He's probably off chasing nymphs or something, he'll be back later.

Try setting a schedule with the spirits if possible, such as determining what time(s) of day they're free to talk, what days of the week or moon phases they're usually free or busy, and so on.

You have times when you're more or less attuned to communication, too. The most random stuff can make psychic senses go haywire. For some, a strong cup of coffee will turn off their second sight like flipping a switch. If you try to get more of a schedule going, it will be a lot easier for you to control the variables contributing to your successes or failures. It's not fair for you to assume your psychic senses are static and you should just be able to turn them on at any time you want.

Give them a good reason to talk to you.

There are many kinds of spirits. Some we primarily interact with as friends and companions. For them, the reason for them to talk to you is that you're cool, interesting, and they want to spend time with you (all your friends think that about you! I promise!).

Other spirits can hold a much more spiritual or tutelary role in our life. When they speak, they have something important to say - and they're not necessarily going to let that be drowned out by everyday chatter.

Have you ever done a tarot reading you didn't like or understand, and then re-drew the spread to ask again? And the second time made even less sense?

Talking to spiritual teachers can be like that. They tell you something important, and they're not necessarily going to rephrase it. The problem with spiritual teachers and guides is that you still have to be the student and the explorer.

I have often communicated with the gods and spirits of other people. In these situations, I do my best to give them a really good reason to want to talk to me. "Hello, gods and spirits of [client]. I am helping [client] with [their question/problem]. I will be empty, and you can speak through me. I'll do my very best to clearly share everything you want them to know."

No matter what, though, spirits might just not want to talk. And that's ok.

Ask yourself the kinds of relationships you have with the spirits and beings you're attempting communication with. Having a very close and fulfilling relationship with a spirit doesn't mean it's appropriate to treat them like a casual friend (just as I can have a very fulfilling relationship with a professional mentor, but it's still inappropriate for me to call them at 3am after some wine).

Keep an eye on the intention of your communications. Are you unable to "find" your guide when it's about an important spiritual question, but they show up just to chat? Or vice-versa? Ask why a spirit might choose to not respond to some types of communication.

I find that spiritual guides can get irritable and non-responsive if you continually request communication without applying their advice.

In the case of spirits who are primarily friends/companions, try thinking of a fun activity for the two of you to do together, or something interesting to show them. Spirits enjoy novelty, too. Maybe you could read a new book together :)

Conversational skills transcend dimensions.

There is a difference between requesting communication and just vibing with a spirit's vibes.

When you want to communicate with the spirits, do you actually think, say, or sign, "hi, it's me, I want to talk to you today about [topic]"? Or do you just kinda show up like, "I'm here, so... yeah."

I like vibing with the vibes. I like sitting quietly with people and spirits and just existing with them. But I wouldn't sit quietly in the vibes and then say, "okay, so you're just not going to talk to me??"

Other things like manners go an incredibly long way. Spirits have a concept of boundaries and politeness - some more than others.

Active listening and critical thinking helps a lot too (and it's a great way to strengthen relationships with other humans!). Make sure you're treating spirits like a conversation partner, and not a novelty toy that spits out mystic answers to your questions.

One of the best ways to bond through communication is to create the space for the other person to share their thoughts. It's more than reasonable to show up to a spirit with a question.

But if you redirect the conversation always to be what you want to talk about, think your senses are going haywire just because a spirit is showing you something that isn't what you asked about, or only want to talk about yourself or your problems - it's not reasonable to expect that 100% of spirits want to be a part of 100% of those conversations.

Try approaching every spirit communication with clear intent. Just wanting to chat and hang out is more than okay, but be upfront with your interests and needs.

Try asking the spirits if they're free to talk and if they're interested in talking about what you want to discuss.

Make time and space for the spirits to bring up their own topics.

Employ manners at all times, even if you think your communication effort failed. Please, thank you, hello, and goodbye are powerful words.

Be open to the idea that the spirit might not want to talk about your question or your problem, and that they might have something to share with you that doesn't appear to directly benefit you.

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fire-and-light · 9 months ago

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To all my American friends, the time is now.

Please, execute a BOMBARDMENT. Call your representatives!

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fire-and-light · 10 months ago

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(via Cedar Tree after a storm in Central Kansas yesterday : pics)

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fire-and-light · 10 months ago

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Common Scottish Curses Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland by John Gregorson Campbell

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fire-and-light · 10 months ago

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i love fur, i love leather, i love wool, i love long lasting materials without plastic in them that will decompose and go back into the ecosystem after serving me well for several decades.

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fire-and-light · 10 months ago

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Actions as planetary offerings 🔮✨

Moon - divination using water or mirrors, being empathetic, caring for others, meditation, self-care

Sun - displaying leadership, taking charge of a project, displaying confidence, taking pride in your success

Mercury - long drives, studying, learning new things, having conversations with others, exchanging gifts, thrifting, bibliomancy

Venus - acts of cooperation, group work, volunteering, random acts of kindness, self-care, doing your make-up, going on a date

Mars - acts of passion, being goal oriented, protecting your loved ones from harm, playing competitive sports or games

Jupiter - paid work, playing card games, using cards for divination, public speaking, investing, charity

Saturn - acts of justice, being responsible, being organized, following through on your promises, setting priorities, cutting ties

Uranus - taking an interest in electronics, seeking higher/advanced knowledge, staying attuned to your “gut feeling”, embracing your freedom

Neptune - meditation, dream work, acts of self-sacrifice, putting others before yourself, spending time near the ocean

Pluto - spirit work, honoring loved ones who have passed on, changing your habits, astral traveling, bone throwing

compiled from my personal grimoire & based on my own associations

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fire-and-light · 10 months ago

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Introduction To Supporting Sustainable Agriculture For Witches and Pagans

[ID: An image of yellow grain stocks, soon to be harvested. The several stocks reach towards a blurred open sky, focusing the camera on he grains themselves. The leaves of the grains are green and the cereals are exposed].

PAGANISM AND WITCHCRAFT ARE MOVEMENTS WITHIN A SELF-DESTRUCTIVE CAPITALIST SOCIETY. As the world becomes more aware of the importance of sustainability, so does the duty of humanity to uphold the idea of the steward, stemming from various indigenous worldviews, in the modern era. I make this small introduction as a viticulturist working towards organic and environmentally friendly grape production. I also do work on a food farm, as a second job—a regenerative farm, so I suppose that is my qualifications. Sustainable—or rather regenerative agriculture—grows in recognition. And as paganism and witchcraft continue to blossom, learning and supporting sustainability is naturally a path for us to take. I will say that this is influenced by I living in the USA, however, there are thousands of groups across the world for sustainable agriculture, of which tend to be easy to research.

So let us unite in caring for the world together, and here is an introduction to supporting sustainable/regenerative agriculture.

A QUICK BRIEF ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Sustainable agriculture, in truth, is a movement to practise agriculture as it has been done for thousands of years—this time, with more innovation from science and microbiology especially. The legal definition in the USA of sustainable agriculture is:

The term ”sustainable agriculture” (U.S. Code Title 7, Section 3103) means an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will over the long-term:

A more common man’s definition would be farming in a way that provides society’s food and textile needs without overuse of natural resources, artificial supplements and pest controls, without compromising the future generation’s needs and ability to produce resources. The agriculture industry has one of the largest and most detrimental impacts on the environment, and sustainable agriculture is the alternative movement to it.

Sustainable agriculture also has the perk of being physically better for you—the nutrient quality of crops in the USA has dropped by 47%, and the majority of our food goes to waste. Imagine if it was composted and reused? Or even better—we buy only what we need. We as pagans and witches can help change this.

BUYING ORGANIC (IT REALLY WORKS)

The first step is buying organic. While cliche, it does work: organic operations have certain rules to abide by, which excludes environmentally dangerous chemicals—many of which, such as DDT, which causes ecological genocide and death to people. Organic operations have to use natural ways of fertilising, such as compost, which to many of us—such as myself—revere the cycle of life, rot, and death. Organic standards do vary depending on the country, but the key idea is farming without artificial fertilisers, using organic seeds, supplementing with animal manure, fertility managed through management practices, etc.

However, organic does have its flaws. Certified organic costs many, of which many small farmers cannot afford. The nutrient quality of organic food, while tending to be better, is still poor compared to regeneratively grown crops. Furthermore, the process to become certified organic is often gruelling—you can practise completely organically, but if you are not certified, it is not organic. Which, while a quality control insurance, is both a bonus and a hurdle.

JOINING A CSA

Moving from organic is joining a CSA (“Community supported agriculture”). The USDA defines far better than I could:

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), one type of direct marketing, consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community’s farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production.

By purchasing a farm share, you receive food from the farm for the agreed upon production year. I personally enjoy CSAs for the relational aspect—choosing a CSA is about having a relationship, not only with the farmer(s), but also the land you receive food from. I volunteer for my CSA and sometimes I get extra cash from it—partaking in the act of caring for the land. Joining a CSA also means taking your precious capital away from the larger food industry and directly supporting growers—and CSAs typically practise sustainable and/or regenerative agriculture.

CSAs are also found all over the world and many can deliver their products to food deserts and other areas with limited agricultural access. I volunteer from time to time for a food bank that does exactly that with the produce I helped grow on the vegetable farm I work for.

FARM MARKETS AND STALLS

Another way of personally connecting to sustainable agriculture is entering the realm of the farm stall. The farmer’s market is one of my personal favourite experiences—people buzzing about searching for ingredients, smiles as farmers sell crops and products such as honey or baked goods, etc. The personal connection stretches into the earth, and into the past it buries—as I purchase my apples from the stall, I cannot help but see a thousand lives unfold. People have been doing this for thousands of years and here I stand, doing it all over again.

Farmers’ markets are dependent on your local area, yet in most you can still develop personal community connections. Paganism often stresses community as an ideal and a state of life. And witchcraft often stresses a connection to the soil. What better place, then, is purchasing the products from the locals who commune with the land?

VOLUNTEERING

If you are able to, I absolutely recommend volunteering. I have worked with aquaponic systems, food banks, farms, cider-making companies, soil conservation groups, etc. There is so much opportunity—and perhaps employment—in these fields. The knowledge I have gained has been wonderful. As one example, I learned that fertilisers reduce carbon sequestration as plants absorb carbon to help with nutrient intake. If they have all their nutrients ready, they do not need to work to obtain carbon to help absorb it. This does not even get into the symbiotic relationship fungi have with roots, or the world of hyphae. Volunteering provides community and connection. Actions and words change the world, and the world grows ever better with help—including how much or how little you may provide. It also makes a wonderful devotional activity.

RESOURCING FOOD AND COOKING

Buying from farmers is not always easy, however. Produce often has to be processed, requiring labour and work with some crops such as carrots. Other times, it is a hard effort to cook and many of us—such as myself—often have very limited energy. There are solutions to this, thankfully:

Many farmers can and will process foods. Some even do canning, which can be good to stock up on food and lessen the energy inputs.

Value-added products: farms also try to avoid waste, and these products often become dried snacks if fruit, frozen, etc.

Asking farmers if they would be open to accommodating this. Chances are, they would! The farmer I purchase my CSA share from certainly does.

Going to farmers markets instead of buying a CSA, aligning with your energy levels.

And if any of your purchased goods are going unused, you can always freeze them.

DEMETER, CERES, VEIA, ETC: THE FORGOTTEN AGRICULTURE GODS

Agricultural gods are often neglected. Even gods presiding over agriculture often do not have those aspects venerated—Dionysos is a god of viticulture and Apollon a god of cattle. While I myself love Dionysos as a party and wine god, the core of him remains firmly in the vineyards and fields, branching into the expanses of the wild. I find him far more in the curling vines as I prune them than in the simple delights of the wine I ferment. Even more obscure gods, such as Veia, the Etruscan goddess of agriculture, are seldom known.

Persephone receives the worst of this: I enjoy her too as a dread queen, and people do acknowledge her as Kore, but she is far more popular as the queen of the underworld instead of the dear daughter of Demeter. I do understand this, though—I did not feel the might of Demeter and Persephone until I began to move soil with my own hands. A complete difference to the ancient world, where the Eleusinian mysteries appealed to thousands. Times change, and while some things should be left to the past, our link to these gods have been severed. After all, how many of us reading know where our food comes from? I did not until I began to purchase from the land I grew to know personally. The grocery store has become a land of tearing us from the land, instead of the food hub it should be.

Yet, while paganism forgets agriculture gods, they have not forgotten us. The new world of farming is more conductive and welcoming than ever. I find that while older, bigoted people exist, the majority of new farmers tend to be LGBT+. My own boss is trans and aro, and I myself am transgender and gay. The other young farmers I know are some flavour of LGBT+, or mixed/poc. There’s a growing movement for Black farmers, elaborated in a lovely text called We Are Each Other’s Harvest.

Indigenous farming is also growing and I absolutely recommend buying from indigenous farmers. At this point, I consider Demeter to be a patron of LGBT+ people in this regard—she gives an escape to farmers such as myself. Bigotry is far from my mind under her tender care, as divine Helios shines above and Okeanos’ daughters bring fresh water to the crops. Paganism is also more commonly accepted—I find that farmers find out that I am pagan and tell me to do rituals for their crops instead of reacting poorly. Or they’re pagan themselves; a farmer I know turned out to be Wiccan and uses the wheel of the year to keep track of production.

Incorporating these divinities—or concepts surrounding them—into our crafts and altars is the spiritual step towards better agriculture. Holy Demeter continues to guide me, even before I knew it.

WANT CHANGE? DO IT YOURSELF!

If you want change in the world, you have to act. And if you wish for better agriculture, there is always the chance to do it yourself. Sustainable agriculture is often far more accessible than people think: like witchcraft and divination, it is a practice. Homesteading is often appealing to many of us, including myself, and there are plenty of resources to begin. There are even grants to help one improve their home to be more sustainable, i.e. solar panels. Gardening is another, smaller option. Many of us find that plants we grow and nourish are far more potentant in craft, and more receptive to magical workings.

Caring for plants is fundamental to our natures and there are a thousand ways to delve into it. I personally have joined conservation groups, my local soil conservation group, work with the NRCs in the USA, and more. The path to fully reconnecting to nature and agriculture is personal—united in a common cause to fight for this beautiful world. To immerse yourself in sustainable agriculture, I honestly recommend researching and finding your own path. Mine lies in soil and rot, grapevines and fruit trees. Others do vegetables and cereal grains, or perhaps join unions and legislators. Everyone has a share in the beauty of life, our lives stemming from the land’s gentle sprouts.

Questions and or help may be given through my ask box on tumblr—if there is a way I can help, let me know. My knowledge is invaluable I believe, as I continue to learn and grow in the grey-clothed arms of Demeter, Dionysos, and Kore.

FURTHER READING:

Baszile, N. (2021). We are each other’s harvest. HarperCollins.

Hatley, J. (2016). Robin Wall Kimmerer. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. Environmental Philosophy, 13(1), 143–145. https://doi.org/10.5840/envirophil201613137

Regenerative Agriculture 101. (2021, November 29). https://www.nrdc.org/stories/regenerative-agriculture-101#what-is

And in truth, far more than I could count.

References

Community Supported Agriculture | National Agricultural Library. (n.d.). https://www.nal.usda.gov/farms-and-agricultural-production-systems/community-supported-agriculture

Navazio, J. (2012). The Organic seed Grower: A Farmer’s Guide to Vegetable Seed Production. Chelsea Green Publishing.

Plaster, E. (2008). Soil Science and Management. Cengage Learning.

Sheaffer, C. C., & Moncada, K. M. (2012). Introduction to agronomy: food, crops, and environment. Cengage Learning.

Sheldrake, M. (2020). Entangled life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures. Random House.

Sustainable Agriculture | National Agricultural Library. (n.d.). https://www.nal.usda.gov/farms-and-agricultural-production-systems/sustainable-agriculture

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fire-and-light · 11 months ago

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I'd like to make the argument that yes, while there's more books out there than ever, there are also more deep craft books available than ever, too. I used to be so frustrated with all the watered down books until I knew where to look. "The Black Book of Jonathan Knotbristle," "New World Witchery," "Of Blood and Bones," "A Witch's Guide tot he Paranormal," "By Rust of Nail and Prick of Thorn" are all beginner and intermediate friendly books, and getting into advanced practices is more a matter of gathering enough information and experience to form your own gnosis and way of doing things, which is difficult to share because not everyone is going to agree with your ways to the personalization.

I love researching astronomy, so my astrology practice is based more off that than Tropical astrology, which is season-based, not star-based, and I get a lot of flack for that just as much as I get questions about it. I work with nomadic wind spirits that bring me gossip and news, I work closely with a team of spirits I don't like disclosing much about because I don't want anyone else trying to envoke them.

A lot of my craft these days is also a lot of self-therapising through astral flight, and while one ritual I'm working on is something I'd love to share, it's about healing the earth, and frankly the best way to go about that is doing the mundane work. Volunteering, donating, voting (though there may be cursing some corporations and billionaires involved in that one, but even that I'm hesitant to share because I don't want anyone interfering with that work).

It's a funny thing I've found that I started witchcraft to bring more magic into my life, but the more I work magic, the more mundane it becomes. But maybe that's just where I am in my practice right now. I still lean into my earliest practices, too: cleanse and protect your space on a new moon; glamour for social/work things I'm nervous about; working with Mercury and mercurial plants when I study; bubble and light armor (or dark armor, or mirror armor, etc) to avoid energy vampires; freezer/banishing spells when someone's ticking me off and talking to them isn't doing anything; tarot reading of the day/week/month/year. I think my favorite workings are still making charms for myself and others. I like embroidering charms, infusing magic into every stitch. Or I make enchanted jewelry. I still have a lot to learn as far as herbal medicine goes, but I'm starting to get into tinctures, though my favored book for this isn't witchy, it's "Backyard Medicine" by Julie Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal. A lot of my kitchen magic is also informed by a lot of popular books, and when I go based off my intuition, it's difficult to explain why I make the associations that I do. I don't know why I associate juniper with dragon energy, but I do, and I use it in meals to help my feel as powerful as a dragon. I eat spicy food to put a fire in my belly for motivation, or to light up my words. Crystal grids for energy, or for dream recall, or whatever I feel inspired to make one for in the moment. Herb sachets to avoid jury duty, or for carry happiness with me. A bay leaf with the name of a challenge(r) under my right foot to conquer the challenge(r).

For a while, I had a hyper-fixation on Jinn and Jinn magic, and there's a podcast called "Spirit Box" that has a lot of episodes dedicated to the practice. I still haven't worked with Jinn, I just wanted to learn about it for knowledge sake. "The Whole Rabbit" recently had two episodes about vampiric magic. "The Frightful Howls You May Hear" had a great episode on "Law Stay Away and Magical Resistance," all spells and rituals based on traditional folk magic I've read in the books I listed above. Went into a big mythological dive focusing on The Watchers and Nephilim and their influence in magic throughout history (AWESOME episodes on the subject on "The Modern Witch Podcast," as a starting point.), again, just to know, even though I don't work with angels. The mythology just makes the world feel more magical to me, thinking witches are descendants of these creatures, be it literal or metaphorical. This led to a dive into ancient civilizations as a whole, which led to a dive into the topic of Atlantis-- it's a whole chain.

Like any research, it's a matter of knowing where to look, because I promise there's a lot of cool stuff out there. And like any craft, you can only learn so much from books or mentors before you decide to just do your own thing, which is isolating but also liberating. But I don't know. Sometimes I feel like my craft is too boring, too, to write about, because it's either very basic symbolism, or it only makes sense to me. It was easier once upon a time to write about because it was all new and shiny, and now I'm old a crotchety too, and I approach magic like I would going about anything else in my life. But again, maybe that's just where I am right now, and one day, it'll be shiny and new again and I'll write pages and pages about it. I don't really know what to write unless someone asks me for spell ideas, THEN I'll list out a ton of ideas, which I always end with, "but you know, go with your intuition."

This is going to make me sound like a cantankerous old bitch, but meh, I'm gonna say it anyway.

Witchcraft is too commercialised nowadays.

It's great to see so many witchcraft books and supplies available. I can walk into kmart or big w and find witchcraft books, tarot cards, and crystals now.

The problem, though, is that everything that's readily available to the masses (i.e. the first thing witchlings may interact with) is all so watered down to be socially acceptable that it gives a warped view to new practitioners while being simultaneously useless to experienced practitioners.

As much as I love how personalised the craft is, I genuinely wish more experienced witches published their personal grimoires and gnosis. I would love to see what others are working on/what works for them.

So here's my plea: if you're an experienced witch (I.e. practising for over 5 years and working your own path), please share a little titbit of what you're currently working/researching/crafting.

☆Marci☆

#witchcraft #magic #magick #There's a lot of spelling and grammar errors but I'm too lazy to fix them

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