#Physics practical with pendulum

[rajansmoorthy]

Experiment: To Study the Variation of Time Period of a Simple Pendulum with Different Masses (Keeping Length Constant)

Simple pendulum experiment : Aim To investigate whether the time period of a simple pendulum depends on the mass of the bob while keeping the length constant. Simple pendulum experiment : Materials required Light, inextensible string (fixed length, e.g., 50 cm or 100 cm)   Three or four bobs of the same size but different masses (e.g., 40g, 60g,80g,and 100g)   A rigid stand with clamp  A…

[dancing-with-maenads]

Your HelPol practice is valid if you:

Are a Reconstructionist

Are a revivalist

Study ancient language

Don't study ancient language, only looking into it when it's needed

Have read the myths

Are still working on the myths

Are disabled

Give physical offerings

Give digital offerings

Give acts of service as offerings

Pray every day

Don't always remember to pray

Practice witchcraft

Practice sorcery

Don't practice witchcraft or sorcery

Use tarot/pendulum/divination to talk to the gods

Use clair senses to talk to the gods

Don't use divination or clair senses at all

Have a degree in classics

Don't have any degree at all

Have been to Greece

Have never been to Greece

Have an altar

Don't have an altar

Have a shrine

Don't have a shrine

Call them gods

Call them deities

Call them Theoi

Are a man

Are a woman

Are neither

Are trans

Choose to godspouse (it's nobodies business but yours anyway, idk why people care so much)

Believe in egregores

Never "work with" a deity and only ever worship

Have made mistakes in the past

Have trouble finding resources

Believe in pop culture paganism/magic

Worship other gods too

The gods love you, and they won't smite you or hate you for your mistakes or your differences. They love you. And anyone who says otherwise is sabotaging you.

[rieamena]

cosmic understanding

headcanons on nerd!takuma and sexually reserved!takuma

word count: 1.7k

riea's comments: can you tell idk the difference between a shortfic, hcs, a drabble, and whatever else there is. yes those are (twitter!!) visual links. mdni divider by @/cafekitsune ,, flower dividers by @/saradika-graphics ,, art on banner by @/nunusenpai on twt

nerd!takuma who is practically begging you to leave this after party that he dragged himself to. your so incredibly smart boyfriend of four years received a prestigious award for his new advancements in quantum physics and the makeup of the universe at an event that only happens once every five years. he was invited to the same event last time but was subject to teasing from his colleagues due to a lack of a plus one… eventually leading to them getting near blackout drunk and trying to set him up with any girl that looked their way, "hey, ino! what about her? she got the highest award for a field similar to ours. hm?"

nerd!takuma who managed to slip away from the confinement of his friends despite their protests. takuma inched out of the large hall and into the dusk blue evening, leaning his head against the ivory wall. he stayed in that position for a few moments before sliding down, bringing his chest to his bent knees. you watched on, cigarette and lighter in hand, as he grumbled and mumbled incoherent words. the drape of the deep red satin fabric on your figure matched the position mr. lonesome wore. "hey." you called out, abandoning your cig and lighter in the ashtray next to you. the guy just looked around for a bit, then looked at you and pointed to himself. "yeah, you. what award did you get?"

nerd!takuma who couldn't deny that there was something comfortable being in your presence, despite being a couple feet away from you. "it was the uh, celestial horizons award for pioneering contributions to cosmic understanding. what about you? what award did you get?" at that moment, you stood up and walked closer to him, your white heels clacking with every step. "me? i didn't get any award. my family is one of the sponsors for this event and my brother…," your voice trailed off, remembering his divine wall—as he called it—filled with every single major accomplishment since high school. that wall was nearly at full capacity; you guessed that it could only hold four or so more plaques, so it wouldn't be long before he needed to expand it. after all, he was already brainstorming names for it, divine wall junior? or divine wall part two? "gets at least one award every time. that satoru…"

nerd!takuma who watched every word fall from your lips like a pendulum he couldn't turn away from. "so what about you? what do you do?" his brown eyes met yours. it was an innocent and basic question, yet it's one you seldom hear. usually at the mention of your brother, satoru, people would connect the dots. satoru to satoru gojo the science prodigy to the gojo clan to satoru's sister. that's what people knew you as, satoru gojo's younger sister and the secondborn of the gojo clan. but this guy didn't seem to care about all that. a who are you? whispered through the air, your tinted and glossed lips holding the ghost of the phrase. a chuckle rang out not even a second later, "i asked you a question first." ah right. you explained that you worked in business and were training to become the chairwoman of the gojo business district before looking at the man expectantly. you didn't bother to take in his appearance before this moment. he was a man of stature, you wouldn't say he towered over you but even in your crouched position, he still had some height on you. the black and white suit he wore seemed tailored and you appreciated how it matched the nature of his brown hair and eyes. he was handsome, you couldn't deny that

nerd!takuma who put out his hand with a smile, "takuma ino, getting my doctorate in physics and chemistry in three-or-so years."

nerd!takuma who offered to bring you to a special place that… ended up being a fast food spot. but you'd be lying if you said that you hated it. it was private enough that even though people stared at your classy outfits, none would care to ask about it. talking about whatever came to mind, you and ino got your food and drinks, settling in a booth right in the corner of the establishment. before taking another bite from your burger, you spoke, "y'know ino, this kinda feels like a date." sputters came from the man across the table who nearly spit out his carbonated drink at your comment. "what? a date with me is that disappointing to you?" you questioned, burger in hand. "what no! absolutely not! this can be a date! t-this is a date! and…" he cleared his throat before continuing, "takuma. just call me takuma."

nerd!takuma who watched you pull out a pen and scribble something on a nearby napkin once you felt your phone buzz four times. you audibly groaned at the notifications from "useless satoru", sighing and shaking your head. "i gotta go. call me." and just like that, takuma was left with a wink, your number, and a blown kiss that he'd be sure to hold tight

nerd!takuma who is still begging you to leave this party. his hand is placed at the small of your back, urging you to the exit. you continued to converse with colleagues, briefly introducing the man behind you as your boyfriend when you saw their eyes flicker to him. taking another sip of your wine, you felt takuma's deathly close to your ear, "can we please leave?"

nerd!takuma who would've jumped for joy once he heard you make up a quick reason to excuse yourselves. once you both made it out of the grand hall and into the evening air, your boyfriend shrugged off his coat and draped it over your shoulders and, in one fluid motion, swept you off your feet. you gasped, laughing as he carried you bridal-style toward his car, the gold-and-crystal plaque shining in his hand

nerd!takuma who latches onto you upon entry into your shared home, disregarding your whines that you needed to take off your heels and dress, pushing his face further into the crook of your neck. "let me change," you whined, though you couldn't help smiling at how he nuzzled into the crook of your neck. "i'll let you change after i get a few minutes," he said, his lips grazing your skin. reluctantly, he let go, watching you as you slipped off your dress and reached for your favorite silk slip. as you adjusted the fabric, you turned to him with a teasing grin. "so, pretty boy, how does it feel to win the celestial horizons award for pioneering contributions to cosmic understanding…… again?"

nerd!takuma who sheepishly explains his project to you as you made quick work of his tie and blazer. "we worked on particle stabilization for high-energy states using a hybrid plasma matrix. it's about creating cohesion under extreme pressure—similar to the conditions found in stars. it could lead to advances in fusion energy and maybe even space travel." you leaned in, cupping his face and planting soft kisses across his cheeks and jawline. "you've got that big, beautiful brain and yet, you still act all shy."

nerd!takuma whose face is dusted with red as he whispers "stop it. you know the effect you have on me…," his words sending a shiver down your spine. and before you could tease him, his lips captured yours in a slow, tender kiss. the heat between you lingered even as he pulled away, resting his forehead against yours. his brown eyes held a softness that melted your heart, a love too deep for words. "have i told you how gorgeous you looked today yet?" he asked, the familiar spark of adoration lighting up his face. you giggled at your boyfriend's words, an expression that couldn't be determined as anything other than pure love on his face. "yes, baby, you said it when i woke up from my nap, when i was getting ready, when we arrived, when we left, and just before we walked in." "oh, did i?" takuma's lips twitched into a grin. "doesn't matter to me—you're gorgeous." his hand slipped to the curve of your behind, holding it as he hugged you close, his heartbeat steady and warm beneath your palm. you tilted your head up, eyes locked on his. "i'll never get tired of hearing it. just like i'll never get tired of this." takuma traced slow circles along your lower back. "good, because i'm not planning on stopping anytime soon." in this moment, you realized something

sexually reserved!takuma who never did anything beyond making out with you in all four years of your relationship. it wasn't that he didn't want to or that you didn't want to either, you just wanted to wait until you knew you were ready and takuma respected that decision fully. and when those four words slipped from your tongue accompanied with your intentful stare, takuma felt something inside of him snap. takuma, i'm ready now

sexually reserved!takuma who spends hours between your legs, lapping up every drop of juice to come from your cunt

sexually reserved!takuma who feels like he's died and gone to heaven when you get on top of him. he's an absolute mess, moaning your name between bounces. his hands are firm on your waist, setting the pace of stimulation. in between moans and mewls of your own, you whisper to takuma, asking him to continue. and that he does, further explaining with many pauses. "w-we worked on a way to create—mmmhh—an artificial plasma field, a hybrid matrix, that mim—mimics those extreme conditions. fuuuck you're tight… most particles would scatter and—god, you're so good to me—destabilize under those circumstances, but by intro—just like that baby, don't stop—introducing certain electromagnetic waves and specific metallic nano—nanoparticles, we were able to get the particles to stabilize. it's kind of like corralling a storm with an invisible force fie—oh god i'm–oh fuck… thank you thank you thankyouthankyouthankyou—the uh, invisible force field."

"mhm… tell me more honey…"

jjk taglist

@blendingcaramal @gzchaos @theamazingrain @woah-girlz @voloslobotomyservice

@kyozvy @obessionofagrl @bubybubsters @sugurusbaobei @raindropsonrwses

@c-moon20-12 @saltynanobeanie @theamazingrain @synthiiiiis @ghostlyluminarycloud

@poopyyy @supernatrualqueen @bxrbie-jadeee @laitifly @babysoo-meu

@cheesecake95 @strawberry-cherrypie @makeshiftproject @magiamad0ka @ncitygreen

@mayyhaps @oniondrip @cloudy-yyy @definitely-not-leena @kidd3ath

@atigerandabear @russianremy @ohnoitsamistakee18 @ivy-vivii @ourfinalisation

@1ndee @yourhornysister @ancientimes @cupcaketeddybehr @tomikixd

@e-dollly @ozdramaqueen @nymphsdomain @beeksyurr @colorcode

@baekhyunsbestie @vorfreudevortex @leuriss @xaithings @corvid007

[khaire-traveler]

☀️ Subtle Apollon Worship 🏹

Singing/listening to your favorite songs; this applies to any music, though

Listening to music while studying

Playing any instrument

Dedicating a journal to writing poetry or stories

Reading poetry books; reading ancient poetry/stories (especially ancient Greek poetry/stories)

Dancing to any music of your choice

Setting reminders to take medication on time; taking your medication in general

Taking care of your body physically, such as brushing one's teeth or taking a shower

Taking a walk on a sunny day; basking in the warmth of the light

Keeping a pic of him in your wallet

Wearing jewelry that reminds you of him

Keeping imagery of light/the sun, lyres, instruments, music, swans, cranes, or ravens around

Getting a wolf, swan, or dolphin stuffed animal

Anything to do with positive and healthy self-wellness

Learning archery

Learning to do divination outside of the obvious (the obvious being tarot, runes, and pendulums, for example; not obvious would be cartomancy, pyromancy, carromancy, shufflomancy, etc.)

Doing homework (yes, really)

Being kind to yourself when you're having a difficult time

Placing positive affirmations on somewhere you'd see them everyday, especially ones about things you're proud of

Checking in with yourself emotionally throughout the day; how are you feeling? What are some good things that have happened so far? What are some not so good things?

Learning about philosophy and taking note of your thoughts on the topic

Learning more about yourself (e.g. make a list of things you enjoy, try new hobbies, experiment with new outfits, etc.)

Expressing yourself through art of any kind

Having a candle that reminds you of him (no altar needed)

Keeping a personal journal/diary - somewhere where you can keep track of your thoughts and feelings

Practice compassion and patience, especially with yourself

Continue learning throughout your life; interesting topics, philosophy, music, psychology, physical health, etc.

Learn about any medical conditions you or a loved one has

Learn about your healthcare options and medical rights (HIPPA in the US)

Support education forward, humanitarian, healthcare, or homeless shelter organizations

Volunteer at a homeless shelter

Donate clothes, toys, hygiene kits, and other items; hygiene kits are always needed

Be kind to children; play with them if offered

Make a list of things that make you feel human throughout the year - moments where you feel present, content, and alive

Sharpen your mind; play memory or mentally stimulating games

Practice drawing, painting, or similar artistic activities

-

May add more later! For now, this is my list of discreet ways to worship Apollo. I hope it helps someone, and take care, y'all! 🧡

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Some Magic-Related Vocabulary

for your next poem/story

Amulet: An object worn, carried or placed to guard against negativity or other vibrations. A protective object.

Astral Projection: The practice of separating the consciousness from the physical body so that the former may move about unhindered by time, space or gravity.

Bane: A poison; that which destroys life. "Henbane" is poisonous to hens.

Banish: To drive away evil, negativity or spirits.

Beltane: An ancient folk-festival day observed by Witches that celebrates the fully blossomed spring. April 30 or May 1.

Censer: A vessel of metal or earthenware in which incense is burned. An incense burner.

Chaplet: A garland or wreath of flowers or leaves worn on the head, as in the chaplets given to classical Greek heroes as symbols of honor.

Clairvoyance: Literally "clear seeing." The ability to perceive facts, events and other data by other than the five "normal" senses, unaided by tools.

Curse: A concentration of negative and destructive energy, deliberately formed and directed toward a person, place or thing.

Divination: The art of finding things out through means other than the five senses, using tools such as tarot cards, crystal balls, and so on.

Enchant: "Sing to." Magically speaking, a procedure whereby herbs are aligned with your magical need prior to their use.

Evil Eye, The: Supposed glance capable of causing great harm or fear, once almost universally feared.

Fascination: The art of placing other people under one's power through sounds, gazes, colors, etc.

Hex: An evil spell; a curse.

Incubus: A male demon or spirit which was believed to sexually tempt and abuse women; the succubus was the corresponding female demon.

Infusion: An herbal tea.

Lughnasadh: An old harvest festival celebrated on August 1st or 2nd in Europe, reverencing the abundant (harvested) fruits of the Earth. It is still observed by Wicca.

Magic: The practice of causing needed change through the use of powers as yet undefined and unaccepted by science.

Magic Circle: A ritually-created circle (or sphere) that offers protection to the magician during magical rites.

Magician: A person of either sex who practices magic.

Magus: A magician.

Midsummer: The Summer Solstice, usually on or near June 21st, one of the Wiccan festival days and an excellent time to practice magic.

Pendulum: A tool of divination which consists of a heavy object suspended from a string or cord. The end of the cord is held between the thumb and forefinger; questions are asked and their answers divided by the movements of the pendulum.

Pentagram: A five-pointed star which has been used in magic for centuries. Highly symbolic, it is also a protective device.

Poppet: A small doll made of various substances to influence a person's fife. In herb magic, either a carved root or a cloth image stuffed with herbs. The use of poppets is known as "image magic."

Power Hand, The: The hand you write with; the dominant hand. This is a magically potent hand.

Samhain: An ancient festival day marking the beginning of winter. Also known as "Halloween" and All Hallows Eve. It is observed by Wicca with religious ceremonies.

Scry: To gaze into a pool of ink, fire, crystal ball, etc. to awaken and summon psychic powers.

Spell: A magical rite.

Talisman: An object worn or carried to attract a specific influence, such as love, luck, money, health; as opposed to an amulet which keeps forces from its bearer.

Wicca: A contemporary religion with spiritual roots in prehistory that worships the life-force of the universe as personified as a God and Goddess. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as "witchcraft."

Witch Bottle: A bottle or jar containing herbs, pins, shards of glass and other objects, designed to protect a person or area from evil and curses. Usually buried or placed in a window.

Witchcraft: The practice of natural magic, as that of herbs, stones, and candles. Spell-casting. Still used by some to refer to the religion of Wicca.

Wort: An old word meaning "herb." Mugwort preserves the term.

Excerpt from Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs More: Word Lists ⚜ Esoteric Vocabulary ⚜ On Magic

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 187

Clockwork would openly admit that he couldn’t see Danny’s timelines. Not since the moment he stepped into that portal and became something more. A child of Infinity, of the very Realms itself. 

But he’ll also admit that it always meant that the child surprised him all the time. This just happened to be a startling surprise, and an admittedly amusing one, even if Danny was openly complaining about the situation. 

“It’s not fair! You have to be able to fix this, right? Right?!” the ghostling, quite literally now, practically yanked at his cloak. “Clockwork, I was going to graduate, I can’t be two! Please, you’re the master of Time, you can fix this right!?” 

No, no he could not, seeing as young Daniel was in fact, immune to timeline machinations, doubly so for his own. To the ghostling’s open distress, which he did his best to soothe. What he could do instead, was stop time in his home dimension, and instead let him age back up again. 

Which the young halfa wasn’t happy about, but it was the best thing they had, so Clockwork supposed he had a ghostling now. A tiny adorable ghostling who kept pouting each time his much younger body had any sort of effect on his behavior. 

He’d never exactly had a ghostling before, nevermind one who was part human, but he would admit he honestly was enjoying it. Most time was spent alone, something he hadn’t realized until Danny ended up crashing into his unlife. 

Honestly he would openly admit that he absolutely adored his little ghostling. Who was now around four, at least physically, and had gotten into the adorable habit of curling up in the pendulum in his chest. Which was honestly the safest spot in Long Now, he’d admit. 

The singular issue however, with this habit, was that when someone attempted to summon him, they got his ghostling as well. And well, normally he could very much control himself for these summonings that happened every few hundred or so years, but well. There was a reason why even the Observants had stopped popping in the moment they realized he had a ghostling. 

Nesting ghosts do not mess around should they feel one is messing with their very vulnerable child, and really it’s not his fault the mortal cultists woke up and startled Danny. Perhaps deleting them from the timeline was a bit too far, if the other mortals rapid paling was to go by, but oh well. 

[high-priestess-house]

𝕾𝖎𝖒𝖕𝖑𝖊 𝕸𝖔𝖔𝖓 𝕻𝖍𝖆𝖘𝖊 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖙

New Moon

Appearance: The moon is not visible in the sky.

Duration: Lasts about 1-3 days.

Energy: New beginnings, fresh starts, setting intentions.

Activities

Intention Setting: Write down or meditate on your goals and desires for the coming month.

New Projects: Initiate new projects or start new habits.

Cleansing: Perform a cleansing ritual to clear away old energies and make space for the new.

Waxing Crescent

Appearance: A small sliver of the moon begins to appear.

Duration: About 7 days.

Energy: Growth, expansion, gathering energy.

Activities

Manifestation Work: Focus on the growth of your intentions and desires.

Affirmations: Use positive affirmations to strengthen your goals.

Action Steps: Take practical steps towards achieving your intentions.

First Quarter

Appearance: Half of the moon is visible.

Duration: About 1-3 days.

Energy: Decisions, challenges, taking action.

Activities

Problem-Solving: Address any obstacles that have arisen since the new moon.

Courage Spells: Perform spells to boost confidence and courage.

Reevaluation: Adjust your plans if necessary to stay on track.

Waxing Gibbous

Appearance: More than half but not fully illuminated.

Duration: About 7 days.

Energy: Refinement, patience, and persistence.

Activities

Refinement: Fine-tune your goals and work out the details.

Patience Rituals: Practice patience and stay focused on your long-term goals.

Energy Work: Perform rituals to boost your energy and motivation.

Full Moon

Appearance: The moon is fully illuminated.

Duration: About 3 days.

Energy: Completion, celebration, illumination.

Activities

Manifestation Rituals: Perform powerful rituals to manifest your intentions.

Gratitude Practices: Celebrate your achievements and express gratitude.

Divination: Use tools like tarot cards or pendulums to gain insight and clarity.

Waning Gibbous

Appearance: More than half but decreasing in illumination.

Duration: About 7 days.

Energy: Reflection, gratitude, sharing knowledge.

Activities

Reflection: Reflect on what has been accomplished and learned.

Sharing: Share your knowledge and experiences with others.

Gratitude Rituals: Focus on giving thanks for what you have received.

Last Quarter

Appearance: Half of the moon is visible again, but decreasing.

Duration: About 1-3 days.

Energy: Release, letting go, forgiveness.

Activities

Release Rituals: Let go of anything that no longer serves you.

Forgiveness Practices: Practice forgiveness for yourself and others.

Decluttering: Clear out physical and emotional clutter.

Waning Crescent

Appearance: A small sliver of the moon is visible before disappearing.

Duration: About 7 days.

Energy: Rest, recuperation, introspection.

Activities

Rest and Recuperation: Take time to rest and recharge.

Introspection: Reflect on your inner self and spiritual journey.

Dream Work: Pay attention to your dreams and subconscious messages.

Additional Tips for Baby Witches:

Moon Journaling: Keep a journal to track your activities and feelings during each moon phase.

Crystal Charging: Use the full moon to charge your crystals by placing them under moonlight.

Moon Water: Create moon water by leaving a container of water under the moonlight to absorb its energy, especially during the full moon.

This chart provides a basic framework for how you can align their practices with the moon phases. As you grow in your practice, you may find additional or alternative activities that resonate more with your personal path.

[knowledge-from-the-abyss]

Deity Work vs Deity Worship

What is deity worship? 

Deity worship is when you venerate and revere a deity/deities. There are many ways to do this;  there is no right or wrong way to worship a deity, it is whatever you feel drawn to do for them. Many people in the pagan community do this in their own unique way, while some will follow more organized, ritualistic ways of worshipping their deities. 

I will go more into detail about the various ways to venerate deities below. 

What is deity work? 

Working with a deity is a more intensive, interactive relationship. Working with a deity often involves actively communicating with them through things such as divination (tarot, oracle, pendulums, dice, osteomancy, shufflemancy etc) and psychic abilities. It can also involve them being more active in your practice, guiding you in both mundane and magical ways. A very common way deities work with someone is by doing shadow work with them, but there are many other things people do with deities that fall under the category of ‘deity work’.

How do I work with a deity/deities?

There are a lot of ways that you can work with a deity. As mentioned above a very common way of working with them is by doing shadow work with them. They will often guide the practitioner on various prompts to focus on. Another common way that you can work with deities is doing spellwork with them, such as doing protections, cleansing, banishment, and even baneful magic with them. 

Some of the things my deities work with me on is teaching me about energy work and weather magic. 

As with deity worship, there are no right or wrong ways to work with a deity. 

Altars

Many people will set up altars for their deities as a way to either work with or worship them (or both!). Here are some popular things you can put on your altar!

Candles 

Statues

Incense holders/fountains

Altar cloth

Decanter

Spell jars 

Crystals 

Herb pouches

Sigils

Books

Offering dish

Cups

Divination tools 

There are many other items you can put on your altars for your deities. This is just a short list, both of items I myself have put on altars before, and things I see others put on their altars. 

A lot of people also use their altars as a place to connect with their deities (which can get into deity work) as well as a place to do spellwork.

I’m going to answer some common questions about altars I see here. 

Can I put two/multiple deities on the same altar? 

Yes, you can. Some people (like myself) even create altars for entire pantheons, rather than individual deities. In addition, these deities do not all need to be from the same pantheon either. I have had altars where Loki and Leviathan were sharing the same general space (with different items in different sections for just one of them, and some items being placed there for both of them).

Can I add/remove/use things from my altar? 

Yes. You can (and should) clean your altar and you are of course allowed to use the items on your altar. Many people will store their divination tools on their altar, for instance. 

What if I do not have space for an altar/can’t have a physical altar? 

Digital altars are a very valid practice, I currently do not have enough space for all the altars I would want for the deities I worship/work with. I have seen people make altars in Minecraft, on Picrew, and I have altars set up on Pinterest as well. I have also used Pinterest’s collage function to make moodboards for my deities in order to honor them; these can count as digital altars as well. Some people make their own discord servers and use that space as a digital altar for their deities (I also have this set up for my deities too). On these digital altars, you can include pictures of how the deity appears to you, pictures of statues to represent them; themes surrounding what they rule over, colors, animals and plants they may be associated with, and much more. Just like a physical altar, you can get very creative with what you include. 

Will my deities get mad if someone else touches the altar? 

I’ve heard (and also experienced myself) times where family members or roommates will mess with someone’s altar. There seems to be a lot of fear with this; people are afraid it will anger the deity if the altar is accidentally touched. However, deities are very understanding and know that most times the person is unaware that the space is an altar; they won’t get mad if their stuff is accidentally touched, removed, or if someone else disposes of old offerings. 

Now, if someone is messing with it on purpose, with malicious intent, that might be different. However, especially for those in the broom closet, the deity is still not going to be mad at the practitioner or punish you in any way. 

Moving on from altars, I’m going to answer some questions I see when it comes to deity worship/work, before fully getting into the difference. 

Do certain deities not get along? 

Again this is something I see asked a lot online, both for deities of the same pantheon and deities of different pantheons. This comes down to personal experience. Many people think and might assume that deities who did not get along in their myths do not get along in real life either. However, at least for me, this is rarely the case. Remember, these are higher beings and the myths are just that -stories, that have been made up by humans. The myths do not reflect how they may be in real life. 

There are definitely instances where deities genuinely do not get along; I have experienced this in my own practice. However, this is oftentimes not because of myth-related disagreements but rather because the deities disagree on what may be best for the practitioner. This might also occur simply because the deities' energies do not mix well, it’s less that they don’t get along and more so that their energies clash with each other. This does not mean that you should stop working with these deities together if this is the case. Sometimes opposing energies are necessary.It’s also always a good idea to ask the deities themselves how they feel about the situation and what they think you should do. 

Will my deities get mad if I’m not able to give consistent offerings? 

This is another question I see a lot. Deities understand that we are human, we have our mundane lives to live, and we may not always have time or money to be able to buy offerings for them. There are many ways to give offerings to your deities, and some can be free and non-physical offerings too. I’ll go through some offerings I give to my team a lot, and some offerings you can do that are more non-physical or broom closet friendly. 

Doing shadow work in their honor/with them if you have a working relationship with them

Cooking/eating in their honor 

Bathing in their honor 

Putting on makeup in their honor 

Any form of self-care

Doing art/reading in their honor

Going on a walk/drive

Cleaning in their honor

Practicing divination

Journaling

Writing letters to them

There are many other offerings you can give to them, this is just a list of some of the things I do and some common things I see others do as well.

Do I need to pray to my deity/deities? How do I pray? 

Prayer is often a big part of deity worship, however it is definitely not a requirement. Prayer is when you ask your deities for something. You can do this in a very ritualistic way, lighting candles, sitting on the floor, etc, or you can do this in a very casual manner (like sending a quick prayer to them on your way to work). Again, there is no right or wrong way to pray to the deities you worship, there are many different ways you can do this. 

How do I start deity work?

Starting deity work will often involve reaching out to the deity/deities you are wanting to work with. You can do this in many ways, it can be as simple as calling out the deities name and saying ‘I would like to work with you, I’d like you to be more involved in my practice’. Using divination tools such as tarot or oracle cards, pendulums, spirit boards, etc can also help greatly in communicating and developing a relationship with the deity you are wanting to work with. 

Is my deity mad at me because…

The answer to this is most likely ‘no’. It takes a lot to piss a deity off. This question often comes from people who grew up with Abrahamic religions that taught them that making mistakes would anger ‘god’. The pagan gods do not get angry because you make mistakes or are not perfect. It is very hard to actually offend them, unless you do something purposefully to try to piss them off, you will not make them angry. They might get frustrated at us sometimes for falling into the same cycles and bad habits, but this is much different than them actually being angry. 

I also want to address blowing out candles specifically with this question. Some people see it as rude to blow out candles that are devoted to specific deities or used as a form of divination. It is not rude to blow out candles at all, if you have finished communicating with your deity, or are simply moving to a different room/leaving your house, or need to blow it out for whatever reason, you can absolutely do so. The deities do not see it as rude and will not get angry at you for doing this. They might be a bit sad/disappointed, but again this is different than them being genuinely angry. It's like having to tell a friend you have to get off a call with them, even though you still want to talk to them. They might be a bit disappointed but they will understand. 

Is __ a sign from my deities?

The answer to this is complicated; discernment is very important when it comes to answering this question. An easy way to answer this is by asking the deity through divination if whatever you experienced really was a sign. Sometimes deities will send signs in unusual ways (even through social media, yes I know that’s controversial but it does happen sometimes). 

The other question to ask is: did I ask for a sign? There have been times where I will ask for signs and they may show me the sign in a weird way (like asking to see a specific type of bird in my area, and then seeing it on a postcard, for instance). 

Can I reach out to deities? How do I reach out to a deity? 

Yes! As long as the deity is not from a closed/gated practice you are not part of, you can reach out to whoever you want! There are many different ways you can go about reaching out to them; I first recommend doing research on the deity you are wanting to reach out to (this in itself may get their attention and let them know you are interested in them). A very simple way to reach out to them is simply by calling their name, and telling them you wish to work with them or are going to be honoring them. 

What are closed/gated practices? 

Closed and gated practices are usually religions where you need to either be born or initiated into the culture in order to practice it. Many of these practices are closed or gated because of other cultures and religions attempting to appropriate these practices, or erase things within these cultures. 

What do I do if a closed practice deity reaches out to me, but I’m not part of that culture? 

This is going to get controversial, but this is my opinion especially as someone who is part of several closed practices myself. In my opinion, while practices themselves can be closed, deities are not. Deities are independent beings from us, they do what they want outside of human rules and laws. If a deity from a closed practice reaches out to you, my advice is to do tons of research first. There are some closed practices that have officials who can help you with figuring out if a deity from that culture truly is reaching out to you, and can give advice on what to do moving forward. My other piece of advice is to not ignore the deity calling you. There have been some instances where I ignored the call from some of the closed practice deities I now work with, and while it didn’t necessarily anger them that I ignored them, it did annoy them and they were incredibly persistent with their presences until I did acknowledge them. 

What do I do if I need to take a break from practicing? How do I let my deities know? 

Breaks are very healthy and help with preventing burnout when it comes to practicing witchcraft or being pagan in general. If you feel you need to take a break, I recommend just letting the deities you are working with or worshipping know in whatever manner you usually use to communicate with them (a very easy way is just telling them ‘hey, I need to take a break’). They will understand and they will wait for you to be ready to resume practicing with them. Like with previously mentioned situations, they will not get angry at you for simply needing to step away for a bit. A lot of deities may even continue to be around you while you are on break as well, to show that they still care about you and are willing to support you. 

How do I balance working with multiple deities? 

This is, of course, dependent on you as a person. I know some people who make schedules, while others will allow the deities to decide when to show up in their practice. Since I work with quite a few deities and pantheons, generally I dedicate each week to a different pantheon, and dedicate each day to a different deity from that pantheon. I also have picker wheels that I use for this; this is both to make it more ‘fun’ for my ADHD brain (lol) and also to allow the deities to decide who wants to be more present during the week. Sometimes, deities may also decide to be more or less present depending on what you’re going through in life and what type of guidance you are needing. There may be times where a deity will take a step back so that someone else can step forward to take over guiding you a bit more. This is all very normal when it comes to deity work; not every deity needs the same amount of attention and not all of them will always be equally present, and that's ok! 

There are also sometimes where a deity will decide they have taught you all you need to know, and they may discuss ending the working relationship with you entirely. This does not necessarily mean you will never see them again, but it may mean that they show up a lot less, as they have guided you in all the ways they feel you needed them for. Oftentimes, this will happen years and years into you working with them, and you may even realize that this is going to happen before an official discussion about it is mentioned. You can, of course, continue to honor and worship them even after they have officially stopped working with you. 

Another subject I want to address here is that while you can absolutely reach out to and generally work with multiple deities, it's also important to remember to not rush into things. At the beginning of my practice, the only deities I had around me for years were Hades and Loki. After I had been researching and practicing for at least 6-7 years, that's when new deities started approaching me and when I felt comfortable reaching out to some deities as well. I know that working with multiple deities can be overwhelming, which is why I have covered how to manage this so thoroughly. If you are a fairly new practitioner who has multiple deities who are interested in working with you, or if you are interested in working with them, I definitely advise that you take it slow. Research the deities who are reaching out or who you are interested in, learn about them, and slowly start contacting them as you feel comfortable. This is still something I do to this day. 

Everyone’s practice is different; I know people who have been working with the same deity for 10+ years and have hardly interacted with other deities during their practice. On the other hand, I also know people who were approached by several deities at once in the beginning of their practice, and who were consistently approached by various deities over the years as well. It all depends on the deities around you, what they feel you need, and ultimately, what you feel is best for your practice. Whether you wish to work with just a few deities, or many, that is up to you; just make sure that you are also taking your own health into account while doing so! 

How do I know if a deity is reaching out to me? 

I discussed signs a little bit earlier on in this post, however I did want to cover this question specifically. There are many ways deities can send signs to us or let us know they are around. For someone who is more in-tune with their psychic abilities, they may feel different energies when different deities are around. They may even be able to see, hear and possibly even smell the deities around them at times as well and this may be a way to figure out if someone new is around. Another easy method you can use is doing divination to check and see if a new deity is around. As I mentioned above, deities do use social media sometimes to send us signs and sometimes even to show us that they are reaching out. This is another instance where discernment is important; if you interact with a video about a certain deity on Tiktok, for instance, it's a lot more likely the app will start showing you more videos about that deity. So it's important to use other methods (such as divination) to figure out if a deity is truly reaching out, or if it's just social media’s algorithms at play. As I addressed above, sometimes deities will also send signs to you in your mundane life too; while it is important to pay attention to events that may be signs, I would recommend not obsessing over it. If a deity is reaching out, they will make themselves known to you one way or another. 

How do I figure out who is reaching out to me? 

There may be times where you know that someone is reaching out, but you are not sure who it is. Again, divination is a very easy way to figure this one out, there are many deity ID spreads online that you can find (and when I make a post going into more detail about divination, I may include some of those spreads in that post). If you are not able to do divination for yourself on who is reaching out, I recommend trying to ask a friend or finding a professional reader who offers deity IDs. I actually am a professional reader and I do offer deity IDs, you are welcome to inbox me if you are needing one! 

Another way you can attempt to figure out who the deity is on your own is to do research; if you are able to sense energies, or if they are sending you specific signs, you can look into the energies you feel and the signs you are getting to try to figure out who the deity is. 

What is vetting? How do I vet? 

Vetting is the process of ensuring that the deity/entity you are interacting with is who they say they are. The most common way to vet is by asking the deity/entity questions about their mythology. You can also ask questions about personal experiences you’ve had with them in the past. Another easy way to vet is by assigning the deity/entity an ID card using tarot or another form of card divination (you could also do this with shufflemancy with ID songs) and ask them to show you that card/cards or song/songs to verify its them.

What can deities help me with when I’m working with them? 

Deities can help with a ton of things, both in your mundane and magical practices. Deities can (as mentioned before) help with shadow work; they can help you to develop your psychic abilities, and they can share knowledge with you about both the physical and magical realm. They can teach about crystals, herbalism and nature magic for instance. They can help you develop and practice divination skills. They can help you to learn how to save your money, and help you with relationship issues. Just about anything you can think of, deities can help with! 

I would like to give special credit to Prince Stolas for helping me write this and edit it; he very much helped me with a lot of this and ended up channeling to help me with some of this info. This post is written in honor of him as an offering. 

I’d also like to give credit to my friend @astralscraft for helping me so much with this; the questions they came up with and the feedback they gave me for this post was incredible!

[astra-ravana]

Why You Should Learn Multiple Divination Methods

Divination is a powerful tool for gaining insight, guidance, and clarity in life. While many practitioners have a preferred method, learning multiple forms of divination offers unique advantages and deepens your spiritual practice. Here’s why expanding your divinatory skill set is beneficial.

Different Tools for Different Questions

Each divination method excels in certain areas. By knowing more than one, you can choose the most effective tool for each situation, for example:

• Tarot provides in-depth storytelling and psychological insight.

• Runes offer direct, ancient wisdom with a no-nonsense approach.

• Pendulum dowsing gives quick yes/no answers for direct guidance.

• Scrying (mirrors, water, flames) connects you with visions and subconscious messages.

Having multiple techniques allows you to select the best one for your needs.

Cross-Validation for Stronger Readings

Using multiple forms of divination to confirm a message strengthens its reliability. If tarot, runes, and pendulum dowsing all point to the same answer, you can be more confident in your reading.

Adaptability in Different Environments

Some divination methods require more space or time than others. Having multiple techniques lets you practice divination anywhere, for example:

• Tarot and runes are great for detailed readings but require physical tools.

• Numerology or astrology can be done mentally when you’re without tools.

• Pendulums and scrying can be subtle enough for on-the-go divination.

Deeper Understanding of Symbolism and Intuition

Each system has its own symbolic language. Learning multiple forms of divination enhances your ability to recognize patterns and messages from the universe. For example:

• Studying astrology deepens your understanding of tarot’s planetary influences.

• Learning numerology helps with interpreting numbers in divination spreads.

• Scrying sharpens your intuitive abilities for other methods.

The more symbols and correspondences you understand, the stronger your divinatory skills become.

Personal and Spiritual Growth

Every divination system has its own philosophy and historical roots. By exploring multiple methods, you:

• Gain a broader perspective on the unseen forces in your life.

• Connect with different spiritual traditions and expand your knowledge.

• Strengthen your intuitive and psychic abilities through diverse practices.

Enhanced Connection with Spirits and Deities

Some deities or spirits prefer specific divination methods. Expanding your knowledge allows you to communicate more effectively with different energies.

• Hekate is often associated with scrying and key-based divination.

• Odin, a god of wisdom, is connected to the runes.

• Mercury/Hermes aligns with dice and lot casting.

• Many demons are associated with divination practices, such as Gremory, Dantalion, Flereous, Delepitore, and more.

Having multiple methods lets you tailor your practice to your spiritual allies.

Avoiding Divination Burnout or Bias

Using only one form of divination can sometimes lead to mental fatigue or a fixed perspective. Switching between different methods keeps your practice fresh and prevents over-reliance on a single tool.

Knowing multiple forms of divination makes you a more well-rounded and adaptable practitioner. It strengthens your intuition, deepens your spiritual connections, and gives you access to the best method for any question or situation.

Types Of Divination

[canmom]

one of the people i most looked up to when i was first transing has, many years later, pretty hard disidentified with words like 'trans woman', 'transfem' and so on. they still write to an audience of mostly dolls, but they're doing some other gender thing now, and tend not to like being put in the trans woman/transfem box.

chewing on this and other things. fundamentally I don't think gender is real. I have called it an egregore, and that still seems apt. and yet, words like 'trans', 'autistic' and so on are a pretty powerful correlate with the sort of person I tend to vibe with.

transing isn't revealing some inner girl essence. the forces that produce a trans woman when enacted on the eager-to-reshape-itself human brain don't necessarily only produce trannies: it is one of a number of moves available to you.

it is, however, a really big play in the game. given how ludicrously much gender infects every social interaction, going off-script in a big way is going to affect your psychology hugely. doing that activates the feedback loops, the self-exciting instability, a set of rituals let you become something more 'real', or perhaps more precisely, something you have actively defined. the unpredictable outcome of that process is both the entire point and not the point at all.

rachel pollack spoke of transing in terms of religious ecstasy. "I would argue that transsexuality arises from a passion so powerful that it transcends issues of happiness. The word passion originally meant suffering, not pleasure."

so having made a declaration like, i am this sort of creature, you break everything down and start to rebuild. you go on to take actions to affirm it, or even simply build an inner, secret core, and doing this - physically, socially - transforms the resonances of your thinking.

we have constructed many rituals to make the declaration of transness more definite. a lot of them will affect your sensory experience: the immediate effect of hrt on how your skin responds to touch is surely one of the great virtues. take surgery, for example - do you need to get your penis turned inside out? well: the drama of making a drastic alteration to your body, and the sheer difficulty of getting it, makes it an especially powerful ritual. but it's not the only way to go. indeed, most girls I know haven't done it (whether or not they want to), and instead, the symbol of woman-with-penis has become one of our core subculture-images. in the last few years, the word faggot has come back in a big way, with a real gendered connotation now, sorta like what the girls on here were trying to get at with baeddel before all the shit happened. that's also a move.

so this phenomenon, this new game we're building together, includes surgeries as a move. but it also includes a lot of the subculture-building classics: weird fashions, radical politics, drugs, kinky sex, making noises on the computer, and so on.

and since the whole point of this thing is a process of defining yourself into existence, as soon as something starts to become a cliché, an orthodoxy, a mandated practice, it starts to break down. everything is stupid fucking contextual. if everyone around you is desperately pursuing genital surgery, saying 'I like my dick and want to keep it' becomes a potent move. but if the pendulum swings the other way, once everyone is saying 'do you really need surgery, you know you don't need it to Be Trans, please stay as you are since it's easier for us that way', maybe that ritual regains some of its power. it's perverse. perversity is kind of necessary to it.

so the meta evolves.

i am speaking about transness here, but i think similar forces are at work with other self-id games, autism and so on. there is like, actual biological variation, but far more important is the ideas we're playing with on top of that. what concepts are activated when I think 'autism', now largely positive associations: sensory this, obsession that; not the same as twenty years ago. thankfully my fellow autists made an interesting game to make of it: a space to express something.

[sebsreflection]

I’ve started trauma therapy, and part of that is EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and honestly, I can use it for shifting.

Here’s how that works:

So, part of EMDR is imagining a safe space, whether one you’ve been to or often imagine for yourself, and this safe space, well, helps you to feel calm, safe, joyous, etc. Anything along those lines.

While doing so, you have some kind of bilateral stimulation, whether that is something moving in front of your eyes, a sound going from ear to ear, or tapping of either side of your body. Personally, I prefer the sound, but everything works differently for different people, find one that works for you best. (You can find videos with bilateral stimulation, sound wise, on YouTube. For the tapping, just cross your arms across your chest and tap your hands slowly and softly. For the movement in front of your eyes, have some kind of object, usually something like a ball on a chain [necklaces or pendulums also work just perfectly], moving across your sight from side to side.)

While imagining and having this bilateral stimulation, you should be doing your best to ground yourself in that safe space. Basically, focus on your senses. What can you feel there? What can you smell there? What can you hear there? What can you see there? Stuff like that. Take your time to fully focus on each thing, go at your own pace.

And you should focus on your feeling of joy, calm, peace, safety, etc. Whichever calming and positive feeling you have associated with that place/that place brings you. Where do you feel it? In your chest? In your stomach? Another body part? How would you describe it to someone, even if it’s in “odd” phrasing? For example, I describe the feeling my safe space gives me as a pit of joy in my stomach.

You can also have a phrase or word, basically a name, for this safe space. It can be literal or it can be anything else that makes you think of it. Mine personally is quite literal, and is called “The Tree”. Say this word to yourself, either in your head or out loud, while focusing on your safe space and having the bilateral stimulation. This allows you to go back there more easily whenever you think of the name for it.

Also, you can have your eyes open or closed for this whole thing, whichever helps you ground yourself better.

Annnd, you can either imagine from the first or third person. Most of the time, I physically cannot imagine in the first person, and only/usually imagine in the third person, but this technique literally pushed my mine into the first person. Either work though at the end of the day!

Usually, this skill is intended to be used while you are in distress, whether that be a minor annoyance that can disappear more easily, or even something like a PTSD episode and/or flashback.

In this case, you can use it to shift. That safe space can become your waiting room of sorts, or it can even be your DR itself.

Personally, my safe space is a memory (somewhere I’ve been before), which allows for it to be familiar, more easily recalled, more easily grounded since I have been there before and have felt or heard or smelled or seen the things there, which allows for more effective grounding. So, it will become my waiting room, and I can shift more easily because of it.

This seems to be quite similar to the Five Senses Method in a lot of ways, but for me, once again personally, this allows for a more effective grounding in the place I’m intending to shift to. The Five Senses Method has never worked for me, because I genuinely cannot imagine what the senses in my DR feel like to me since I’ve never been there before. So this might be for you too if you have the same issue!

And obviously, the more you practice this, the easier it will get to do. Don’t expect instant results always, sometimes it takes time, and that’s alright. (But also, it’s entirely possible to get it on the first try, and that would be so cool if you did.)

But yeah, the main things all summed up:

1. Safe Space = WR or DR

2. Bilateral Stimulation [Eye, Tapping, or Sound]

3. Name For Your Safe Space [Literal or Otherwise)

4. Senses + Grounding [Taste, Smell, Touch, Sight, and Hearing]

5. Take Your Time !!! [Don’t be hard on yourself, relax, this is supposed to be relaxing!!!]

Okay, enough of my ranting, see ya!

[?Also, if this catches on or anything, and/or is recognized as a new method, maybe call it the EMDR Method?]

[rajansmoorthy]

“Mastering the Simple Pendulum: Discover the secrets of Time and Motion”

Simple Pendulum Experiment Simple Pendulum Experiment : Introduction The simple pendulum experiment is a well-known physics experiment that helps understand the relationship between a pendulum’s length and time period. It also provides a method for figuring out the acceleration due to gravity(g).This experiment provides a fundamental understanding of oscillatory motion and aids in verifying…

[majokkid]

An Introduction to Creating and Enchanting Magical Tools

Most, if not all, magical paradigms refer to the use of tools for certain tasks and the world of magical heroes is no different! Whether it’s a pen or brooch for a transformation sequence or a key to unlocking arcane magics, we can find many examples of magical items in mahō shōjo media that can be utilized in your own practice.

Please note that this is a non-exhaustive and non-canonical discussion of the creation and use of magical tools. If you’d like a deeper dive into a particular canon, feel free to send me a message and I’ll see what I can do!

It may seem obvious but the first step in creating a magical tool is determining what its use is. This not only contextualizes the tool within your practice but it can also help determine what is necessary for your needs. Ask yourself questions like:

What is this tool’s function?

Is this tool physical or purely aetheric?

What materials should it be made of?

Should this tool remain on my person at all times? If so, how do I carry it? If not, how should it be stored?

When working with mahō shōjo influences it is especially tempting to purchase detailed, manufactured replicas of your favorite characters’ items and while you can certainly go out and find something along those lines, I always recommend taking the time and energy to make your own tools. I find items that I have created myself are more powerful and reliable. (I’ve noticed this particularly so for objects that can be used for divination, such as cards and pendulums.)

And you do not need to be an experienced prop maker to create a potent magical object! While I do stress the importance of doing the creating yourself, don’t ever be ashamed to ask for help or assistance! As long as you have given it careful consideration and genuine energy, you’ll find that something that may look simple to others can carry immense power when you wield it.

Note: I would say the only caveats to creating your own magical tools outright would be if you were gifted a magical item or if you divined characteristics of an item and are yet to piece together all of its properties. If you were gifted a magical tool, or you are repurposing something that you already own, try to get as much information as you can about its creation and what energies it is imbued with (including any emotional or psychic attachments); if there are things about it that you do not deem necessary or appropriate for your work, I highly recommend cleansing it magically before use and find ways to reroot it to your practice or avoid using it all together.

After you have finished your creation, I recommend enchanting it to further connect it to you and your practice. This can be done in any number of ways but I think it is always best to do something that makes sense in context; for example:

Consecrate the item with water, oils, incense, etc. that is imbued with the energies you want it to carry. Consider associations such as celestial or elemental correspondences, if they apply. Just make sure it makes sense to you!

Is your work in dedication to a certain entity? Consider opening communication with it and get its input on how you should store and charge your new tool. They might also have opinions on how you should use it and if there are any voces magicae, or magic words, you might invoke.

If this is an item you associate with dreams or the astral, sleep with the tool placed under your pillow, under your bed, or somewhere close at hand like a nightstand. You can also consider charging it under moonlight after each use.

If you have an altar dedicated to this part of your practice, place your new tool on it and consecrate it as you see fit. By enchanting and/or storing it the proximity of other items that you have already associated with your work, you can easily establish it as part of your canon.

This post is part of my Magi Praxis series. If you have any suggestions for future topics, or you have attempted anything I have shared and want you share your experiences, please send me a message! I am always happy to go back and provide further explanation as well. ☆

[mariamariquinha]

wailing wall (Alejandro Gillick x f!reader)

A sequel to dark arrangements.

Summary: The day you touched hell.

Word count: 5.833.

Warnings: Violence, torture, death, mentions of suicidal thoughts (and practices), discussions about drug trafficking, DARK!THEMED, bad words, descriptions of torture 'rituals', physical illnesses. Angst. Like, really angst. With a considerable "happy" ending.

A/N: From the series of things that were sitting in my Google Docs.

I literally used Google Translator for the Spanish parts. Sorry for any mispelling or mistakes (I'm learning).

****

Important links you might be interested:

National Registry of Missing Persons

International Committee of the Red Cross

Diego Luna's interview with Variety about 'State of Silence'

****

You messed up. 

You should’ve known better, in fact, and that led you to mess up. 

That nickname made sense: it caught attention, it made people turn to you with a certain sense of trepidation. This also ended up becoming a basis for reputation, which, at that time, was of no use at all.

Icarus. 

“But she’s a girl, right?” 

Never a woman, just a girl. Because being a girl to them made it easier, or more enjoyable, and reduced you to a position of vulnerability. Just a girl? Is this what you have that is so valuable?

And then your uncle would show that sinister gleam in his eyes, place his rough hand on your shoulder or your back, in a falsely delicate touch, which you resisted just moving away from, and prepared himself to give the most intelligent answer he had managed to come up with in all those years, one that you heard almost like a mantra.

“It's because she doesn't have an ounce of fear of flying too close to the Sun.” 

And you flew very close that time, going against your own convictions and, damn it, your own sense of protection that made you survive all those years.

You knew why Alejandro was the first person you thought of when you found yourself most conscious. It was the pain, almost excruciating and cruel, that took you to more distant or sometimes more recent memories; you would give anything for one last stern look from him before he himself ended your agony. 

But he wasn't there. Nobody was. It was just you, a basement that bordered on isolation, the irremediable smell of blood and a pain that was slowly being healed in your ribs and chest. As soon as it happened, you could barely breathe, and you were writhing on the floor with your hands on your chest, grunting in pain as you felt the cold concrete against your face. Your head also hurt a lot.

In a rare occasion of affection, Alejandro had given you a book. It was something he particularly liked, perhaps, you couldn't be sure, but it was good in the early days, right when you got into that mess, when you just stared at any beam of light in that place with the hope that you would die soon. 

At first they wore the aspect of charity, and seemed white and slender angels who would save me; but then, all at once, there came a most deadly nausea over my spirit, and I felt every fibre in my frame thrill as if I had touched the wire of a galvanic battery, while the angel forms became meaningless spectres, with heads of flame, and I saw that from them there would be no help.

The Pit and the Pendulum. Edgar Allan Poe. 

You didn't make a lot of jokes with each other, but the next time you saw him, you chuckled and said "I didn't know you were the type to read that", even though you weren't calling him 'not very intellectual', just someone who didn't connect with that kind of thing. You were wrong, of course; the content of that story, as well as the others that made up that tiny collection, reflected how Alejandro's life and world were limited to death, shadows and hopelessness, just like his own.

That day, he moved his lips in what seemed like a return smile, and you closed your eyes in relief at still having your mind in reality to remember that.

That wasn't how it was supposed to be, however. It didn't make sense, it didn't… encouraged any agreement. He promised you. Well, you made him promise you. That it would be quick, without reservations, and that he wouldn't look back, because killing you had no use for him, and you didn't deserve more than a second look if you were so useless. He didn't verbalize it. He didn't say "sure, whatever you want" or just an "I promise"; Alejandro almost never said any safe words to you anyway, so you figured he would just do it.

You wondered if your mother felt the same way you did; if she was taken to that basement, or one that was far away from the house so you couldn't see her anymore. You even wondered if being away from you was a type of torture for her, if they used it against her as a valid promise that they would kill you if she tried something, only to then put you in the same place and slowly subject you to the torture of a slow death. 

You had been thinking about her these last few days, more than usual. It was a sign that your end was near, with dreams filled with memories of her, or with subliminal messages that you didn't understand, or the consequences of fever, hunger or neglect.

You started to miss her more. When you accepted that it was what it was, you went to sleep every day thinking about the moment you would meet her again.

Suddenly believing in the afterlife wasn't so bad.

****

“How do you feel today?”

You still hadn't been able to decipher whether Dr. Salazar was just another person who submitted or conformed. He would see you every two days, even if you were no longer sure how much time you spent there, and you were always welcomed in a very bright, sterilized and inviting place. It wasn't a hospital, nor a doctor's office – these places didn't have two armed men at the door, or the irremediable smell of the sickly air freshener that the employees used throughout the house.

He always approached you with great patience, his attentive eyes that made you cling to a sigh of care, even if it was fake. When he was announced, and when you were taken away, you could always count on a caress on your forehead, where he would wipe your skin with a damp cloth and then, perhaps breaking a small rule, give you discreet sips of water, always looking back to make sure no one was watching.

He always seemed very tired and worried.

“... Tengo tres hijas, todas jóvenes. Uno de ellos incluso se parece a ti,” I have three daughters, all young. One of them even looks like you.

Because Dr. Salazar couldn't bear the silence of your pain, so he filled the room with little laments about his life outside the walls of that place. You never responded, mostly because you didn't know if you could still speak or if you were afraid of what was going to come out of your mouth, but he kept talking, and you watched his serene face as he did so.

Three daughters. A horse farm. A medical degree in Cuba. Swiss lemonades. A desire to get to know Spain.

Sometimes, when you were particularly emotional, you felt like saying that you thought about the beach, about those desires to be under the Jamaican sun without any worries, but you both knew there was no point in that, so you just remained quiet, watching him assess your bones, skin and eyes.

“Sin sangre.” No blood.

It was your response ever since you heard him mention the diagnosis to someone you didn't know. Menstruation was one of the first things that went away during torture, along with everything else that came little by little. You concluded that he was monitoring this, so when he asked you these questions, you only answered this: no blood. 

Dr. Salazar nodded positively, wrote something down in a notebook, then began the regular inspection. You were dirty; they had denied you a bath for a while. In addition to the smell, your nails were also dark, a mixture of things you didn't want to know about, and he always inspected them as if there was something interesting in it, or if he was just waiting for the day they would disappear. You expected it too, you wanted to say. You expected so much worse. 

He would give you some new medication and then that person you didn't know would come in, listen to instructions from him, and after that, over the next few days, someone would appear where you were and do something different to you: they would change your gauze, they would adjust the bed so that you didn't feel so much pain, they would choose another place to cut or kick or punch you.

It was senseless torture because they didn't ask questions, because nobody needed to know anything about you; it was recreational. A punishment, perhaps, that your uncle enjoyed having power over.

That day, after the usual check ins, Dr. Salazar hesitated before calling the person. He looked through the notebook, then placed it on a table and came to you, pulling your unresponsive body close in a hug, with the announced justification that he was just checking your physical stability.

“Ellos vienen. ¿Dónde estamos?” They come. Where are we?

It was whispered in your ear, his arms wrapping around your spine and pressing you against him as he pretended to be putting you on your feet. You blinked a few times, your hands falling to your sides without the strength to make you react physically, and your brain took a few seconds to process what that meant.

You thought it was a final test, something they wanted to be sure of so they could decide whether to kill you or not.

With effort, you raised your left hand and squeezed the sleeve of his coat, turning your head just a little so he could hear you whisper the answer against his soft hair. 

“Caracas. Muro de las Lamentaciones.” Caracas. Wailing Wall.

****

He made a comment about your nails with an amused smile on his face, pointing to your hands with the tip of his fork before using it to spear a piece of meat on his own plate. 

You couldn't move your arms. Since that invitation, you had been forced to sit there, at that full table, staring at a beautiful piece of filet mignon with mashed potatoes and carrots (your favorite dish) without being able to taste it, feeling, among other things, your belly twisting with hunger. He had authorized a shower after a session: one of your shoulders had been dislocated, and the other was bruised, so you were cleaned up by the person you didn't know, then dressed in a clean change of clothes, and set out for a private dinner with your uncle.

He spoke, and you heard one thing or another while blinking heavily, overcome by intense physical fatigue that he just didn't care about. You didn't even look at him: you knew that if you did, you would throw up what you didn't have in your stomach to vomit. 

When he falsely noticed the lack of contact with the plate of food, he asked if you weren't hungry, and then said you had to try the steak, which they did excellently, that the mashed potatoes was the same recipe as your mother.

You looked at him when you saw him lean over to you and cut a piece of meat for you. He was smiling like never before, sadistic, taken by God knew what and visibly out of his mind, and when he held out that piece of food to you, a feeling of survival passed through you. He opened his mouth, suggested that you do the same.

Good girl, he said. Isn't it delicious?

And it was. It was divine. It was soft, well-seasoned, mild, and the only thing you ate that night.

****

He had plans, he told you over dinner. That your gringo friends were starting to bother him, so he would have to disappear for a while; just for a while, just until he found a way to get rid of them. When you returned to your 'room' that night, weak in your legs and almost carried by one of his guards, photos of Matt, Steve and Alejandro had been laid out on the mattress. You stared at it for a while, kneeling at the foot of the bed, and knowing that he would be watching you through the camera on the ceiling, you picked up Alejandro's photo and imagined the look on his face as you ripped off a piece of paper with your teeth, chewing it with ferocity, fighting your stiff shoulders for the sake of a show. 

That's what you threw up later that night, alongside that single piece of meat. 

****

It was a bang: a big bang, as if something had been knocked over by a bomb. You woke up scared, the sudden movement of sitting on the mattress making you feel pain all over your body, and in an impulse to get out of bed, you ended up falling to the floor.

You could feel the ground shake beneath your palms, hear from afar what sounded like shouts of orders, and soon after, some shots started. It was all very far away, distant, almost imperceptible, and you decided you were hallucinating. You stayed there, lying on your stomach, curled up inside yourself, listening to the noises with your eyes closed as if you could materialize them if you wanted.

The door opened abruptly. Heavy footsteps came towards you and you waited to be pulled up, or a kick, or a punch.

Someone knelt down next to you, and you opened your eyes. It was black tactical pants, military boots of the same color and the tip of a rifle. It… It looked like… 

You felt a lump in your throat, but you didn't find yourself able to say anything. He didn't need you to say it. Then you deduced that yes, it was there, at that moment, that your life would end, and that he just came back to fulfill his promise. Just a small favour, something to make you die as you wanted to. 

“I want to take you somewhere.”

And as if you were a feather, he calmly lifted you, wrapped a hand around your waist and, without complaining, dragged you with as many steps as you could take out of that room. You looked around: there was blood, bodies, a characteristic dust. The noises were no longer there, but the screams and voices continued. His grip helped you stay upright, like Dr. Salazar's, and suddenly you wanted to ask where he was, if it was time for your appointment, or time for him to talk about something new in his life.

But it wasn't. No, it wasn't. You felt the vest pressing against your right side, the smell of gunpowder, the rigidity of a solid body; Dr. Salazar smelled like a fresh bath – he was soft, cozy.

You lifted your face and stared at Alejandro's profile. He was staring ahead, passing hallways and passages, filled with flashes of light or complete darkness, and you frowned in confusion.

He stopped walking. Calmly, he turned his face towards you and with those penetrating green eyes, he accessed the full extent of your lost expression. You stared at each other for a while, until you realized that you were in the front room, at the foot of the stairs of the house, and that just a few steps away from you was the vastness of the yard, the gate and the road. Outside, you could see Matt and Steve passing from one side to the other, giving orders, holding guns as big as Alejandro's.

Someone grunted at your feet.

Someone impaled him in the shoulder. It was a generous iron bar, and it was the way it was secured that prevented the blood from expelling from the body. He shouldn't be here, right? And not like that?

You moved away from Alejandro's body and hoped that he hadn't noticed your spontaneous action of pulling the pistol from his thigh, and if he had, that he wouldn't stop you. You didn't see anything else; you didn't see if he had left your side, if he was watching.

Your uncle was hyperventilating – he didn't have much time. When he noticed you, he raised his face as best he could, moving his legs in despair, mumbling a lot of nonsense things, mentioning your mother, giggling in shock, going on and on and on-

“Sabes que solo hice lo mejor para ti y me apuñalaste por la espalda. Cariño, puedo perdonarte. Podemos-”  You know I only did what was best for you and you stabbed me in the back. Baby, I can forgive you. We can-

It was a shot.

Just one, on the forehead. 

His head got heavy and he fell back, his empty eyes looking up at the ceiling. 

Your arm hurt like hell, more than any pain you could have felt since you got there, and it fell to your side as if the gun weighed a ton. Suddenly it wasn't just something that poked your waist when you wore it on your belt; suddenly, you watched as the blood finally began to flow into his eyes, ears and head.

Your head felt heavy, dizzy. Any micro strength you gained at that moment began to fade and you swung to the side with the weapon, your eyelids almost preventing you from seeing the exit. There were shadows, then. You knew that your unconscious efforts to stay alive were no longer necessary, that the evil had passed, and that you could go. You could.

The sunlight hit you hard, it burned you, and your legs almost couldn't take it, but you needed to get out.

You saw your mother. She was wearing that beautiful, chic dress, the one she was wearing the day she disappeared, with her face made up, her hair up. You always knew she fit the aesthetic of that house, so elegant and soft, full of secrets but graceful. She was calling you, wasn't she? Was that why she was smiling at you like that?

You've already had the tip of a gun pointed at your head, but this time was different. You would only need to press the trigger, just push your finger, and then everything would be over for good, and you would finally have an inch of peace.

Your eyes closed, but you didn't hear the bang of a bullet going through your head; the ice from the gun was still there, touching your head, and nothing came out. It was a click, a small 'tick' that yielded nothing; frustrating, pathetic, ridiculous. You felt a hand grab the gun, then lower it, then take it away from you.

He said something, didn't he? Take her? Help her?

Whatever it was, you soon felt a pair of arms wrap around your back, then your legs, and you were lifted into the air, this time without brutality, as if you were finally seen as fine china and not a sack of potatoes. You couldn't hold on to Steve, but he carried you without much trouble. With your head hanging back, you saw what you were leaving in that place, and what would become of it; you smelled the gasoline, saw the door open wide and blood begin to drip onto the floor beneath your uncle; saw the pile of bodies spread across the yard.

Alejandro was standing there, Matt finishing pouring the liquid around the room where your uncle's body was. He watched you disappear, almost in slow motion, and the last thing you saw was the small flame of the lighter in his hand. 

There was a discordant hum of human voices! There was a loud blast as of many trumpets! There was a harsh grating as of a thousand thunders! The fiery walls rushed back! An outstretched arm caught my own as I fell, fainting, into the abyss. It was that of General Lasalle. The French army had entered Toledo. The Inquisition was in the hands of its enemies.

****

He noticed you before he actually saw you. It was like a feeling, like a sensitive shiver when you were around, because you were trouble, and he knew how to sense one coming. Usually he would sort it out before he could feel it again.

It was clear he never did that to you.

You always wore a lot of dresses when you were still doing what you did, maybe to create a little sense of naturalness, which was stupid, but he also didn't tell you anything because it wasn't a bad look. Yeah, well, you had done that: you had given him something to appreciate in the midst of so much chaos.

Matt never hid where you were, but he knew better than to try and look for you; they both knew that Alejandro already broke too many 'ethical protocols' for you.

Seeing you that afternoon, Alejandro began to count details of your body as he did before, and as he did in the hospital, when he paid you a single visit while you were still unconscious, because you were stubborn and certainly wouldn't go more than two days without opening your eyes. There, you had two deep, dark eyes, your dry lips, your face dry from malnutrition; the horizontal cuts were made on your forearm, but he could see that they had done things to your chest, and if he could bet, he would recognize the shock burns on your nipples. The worst part was a cut along your navel that had become infected, and later he would discover that you ended up acquiring poor bone formation in one of your thighs due to an excruciating recovery from a broken leg.

He could see the scar from your leg surgery peeking through the hem of your dress. It was a clean job, but it was still a scar, and it still seemed to clash with a lot of who you appeared to be. You went from one side to the other with a certain grace, even if with steps partially limited by your leg, and no one seemed to notice that you had marks, and everyone smiled back at you, and none of it seemed anything similar to how he found you years before.

Alejandro had been in Puerto Rico for two weeks. For two weeks, he accompanied you throughout your routine, and soon found you living in a discreet bungalow in a remote area of ​​the city, almost always in the company of a man who he discovered was called Fernando.

That night, after a day of being a very silent sidekick to your day, Alejandro saw you go to bed early: you took three different pills, treated your skin with some cream, and sat up in bed as if you were thinking or, perhaps, praying. You stayed there for a while, staring into space, until you turned your face towards the window and saw him.

The two of you stared at each other for a long time. After years, it was the first time you saw him and that he saw you face to face, and all you did was offer that tired expression, without the hint of provocation or natural cleverness that usually crossed your face. You had no fear, no joy, no resentment: you were just there, recognizing that he was there too, and that empty look was perhaps the only time that made him lie in bed thinking about you with a small churn in his stomach. 

You had become him.

****

Fernando was the one who answered the door, so you weren't surprised when he came walking into the kitchen with a sour face talking about a guy looking for you. You had been bracing yourself for this for a long time, and as you told Fernando to tell him to come in, you thought you were pretty confident that you could act normally.

And in a way, seeing Alejandro sitting at your kitchen table was… different.

He hadn't said much since he got there. He accepted the coffee you made and was sipping it, but you didn't know if he liked it, if it was to his taste at all, and Fernando kept glancing between you and him while he took a while to leave, as if he wanted to hear what the two of you would be talking about.

Eventually, you convinced him to go to work at once, that you would be fine, and that he shouldn't forget the oranges you needed for lunch. Alejandro watched the way Fernando patted your waist twice, gave him a severe look and then left through the side door; he just raised his eyebrows expressionlessly, scoffing lightly behind his back while sipping on the coffee. 

You leaned your back against the sink, crossing your arms defensively against your chest. It was just the two of you now.

“... Have you changed your mind?” 

Because it was the only first thought you could manage to spill out, even if in a low, pathetic voice, and to which he just placed the cup on your table before leaning back on his seat, still unimpressed. 

“No.” 

“No?”

“No.”

“Then why are you here?” 

He considered your face for a moment, then swiped his eyes around the room, accessing your belongings and his surroundings before tilting his head to the side. You hated yourself for still knowing what that meant. 

“Some things happened,” He excused. 

“Yeah, I know. Things like that take three years to end.” 

You didn't understand why you saw his mouth twitching, holding that smile he always hid, but you weren't attached to it. Heavens, you knew you couldn't. Of all the insistence for Matt to give you some idea of ​​where he was, of all the places you looked for him, you had the right (or the obligation) to feel offended by the fact that you still felt your heart warmed by that kind of thing he did.

Alejandro stared at you for a beat too long, those green eyes taking everything in, and suddenly you felt the need to cover yourself more, to hide. He took that in stride. 

“Who’s he?”

“A friend.”

“Like me?”

“No,” You squirmed a little. “You’re not my friend.”

“... Certainly.” 

If you felt half as witty as you did before, you'd be sending him out of your house, or at least using his mouth for anything other than treating you like an idiot, but God knew you didn't carry half of your personality from those years, and that the most you could do was to bring that offended feeling towards the fact that he was there.

You wanted to say that you missed him, that you had been missing him since you woke up in that hospital and he wasn't there; you wanted to speculate why he played with you like that, handing you a gun with a single bullet, and letting you believe that you could end it, just to watch you fail; you wanted to say that you didn't feel better, that Fernando was a good comfort, that he had no right to be there to make you realize that he was the one you felt true appreciation for. 

But you couldn't say anything because since he arrived, he only asked you two questions, and none of them were about how you were.

You turned your face to the door Fernando had come from when you heard him get up from the chair, and your eyes closed when he got close, very close, placing one of his cold hands to your neck and resting it there while he lowered his head just a little, merely brushing his lips on your forehead.

“Take me for a walk.”

****

That's what you told him the first time you met, when Matt introduced you as one of the trusted contacts he had. The two of you were outside the inn they were staying at, and you nursed a cigarette when you asked him to. Since that time, a lot of things had been weighing on your heads, but you lived on a different wavelength, so that wasn't what the two of you talked about that night.

Well, he asked why you were doing that, and at the time your uncle was merely an issue you were working on, not necessarily the epicenter of the problem in general. The two of you talked about Mexico, went over some information about the topic at the time (you talked, actually, since he didn't say much), and it was the closest you came to that feeling of delicious flirtation, the attraction starting to bubble inside you.

You had an independent spirit before; when the two of you walked, you were always a step or two in front of him, swaying your hips, having a more harmonious flow. Now, you had to unconsciously put your arm around his for support when there was a small incline in your path, because your leg was never going to do what it did before, and you didn't want to feel the shame you felt when he watched you do it. 

The two of you didn't walk much (you could go further, but you had spent the whole previous day circling around the city, so you were pretty tired) and sat on a more discreet bench near a path where you routinely walked.

“I'm still active, you know, physically,” You said, even though he didn’t ask. “I can't do cartwheels or handstands, however. There went my gymnastics dream.”

The teasing was supposed to clear the mood, and when Alejandro huffed, you felt like it worked, even if slightly. 

“You've been taking care of yourself,” He concluded, his arm slightly pressing against yours on the bench. “Has Fernando been helping you?” 

You couldn’t help but smile at that, glancing at him with a hint of amusement. 

“He’s not a threat.” 

“It depends on what threat he could be.”

Things changed, you almost pointed out as he looked at you with a calm but cold expression. You were no longer a pepper full of fire, nor a girl willing to enter into a possible contest of egos (which was definitely not the case) to find out who was the 'man' in your life. Since you stopped there, and even before that, you had been taking care of your own life, believing that you knew how to manage on your own, but nothing was the same as before, and when these ideals almost all fell to the ground, you just thought it would be prudent to count on a more qualified person to help you.

You didn’t know if Alejandro would impose that he would establish a presence in your life; you didn't even know what he was doing there, and that should be the first thing you should worry about.

“You’re tired,” He pointed out next, when all you could manage was a silent answer, and you sighed, brushing your hands on your face. 

That was the hardest part, if you could even put some level of difficulty in how things were going. You were doing well materially: you had a nice house, your body recovered well, you were basically retired if you wanted to. That was triple what many people who had been in your shoes got. Sometimes, or almost always, you spent sleepless nights dwelling on your privileges, remembering how everything for you was a matter of opportunity, how you took advantage of a system that you were supposed to help fight or just stay away from, how you pushed your luck every chance you got because you were an asshole.

You wanted to tell him that you had been thinking about finishing what you started that afternoon – that sometimes you stared at a river for a long time, or put your hand on your neck, and imagined that that wasn't where you were supposed to be, that you didn't deserve it. It felt like a gathering of many things you wanted to say but weren't saying; Alejandro should have known, he always knew.

“How is it for you?” 

He shook his head softly at that, averting his gaze to the landscape in front of you two. 

“Empty.” 

“So you don't feel anything?”

“I feel angry.” 

And you felt guilty. Dirty. Worthless. All very primal feelings, the kind that made you look at Alejandro with different eyes, or at least genuinely understand why he was who he was, or did what he did. You spent so much time playing a dangerous game that you didn't realize that death for some people was the only possible option.

“... Well, I am tired because I dream a lot, so I can’t exactly rest. I’m reckless in my sleep, I… It's been three years and I still feel like it was yesterday. I bought a bungalow so I wouldn't feel suffocated, but sometimes I can't breathe even though I'm here, in the open air.” 

It seemed like an outpouring of frustrations and regrets, but Alejandro didn't seem indifferent, because he was rarely when you got the things he wanted to hear. Although you didn't know if this was something he wanted to know, you just said it, under the excuse of it being a justification for a question he had asked.

“I also dream,” He offered. 

“With what?”

“I dream about you.”

Which wasn't at all difficult for him to say, as if it were a routine comment about life in general. You felt a little against the wall. If he dreamed of you, what would it be? Did his mind project the grotesque images that yours did, or was he more comfortable with his awareness of what he was doing all these years? Was it all deaths or all losses? With you, was your figure destroyed on or under a dirty basement floor, on a sofa or a bed in some apartment?

You opened and closed your mouth, then shrugged sheepishly. “... What about me?”

“Nothing, just you. Your face. Your voice. Your smile.” 

“It seems random.”

“I might have thought that at first, but that's not what I think now. You and I both know that you are an anomaly in my life.”

It hurted, but it was the truth, so you nodded. 

“You should have killed me when you killed my father.”

“It's been 20 years and you're still here.” 

You felt a cold breeze hit your face and you shivered; it was a psychological reaction, you knew, you were more sensitive to changes in temperature.

He didn't offer you his jacket, nor did he make any gesture of welcoming you.

In your world, him choosing not to kill you was some kind of proof of sentimentality that transcended the need for a warm hug – maybe it was the most romantic thing anyone had done for you, you couldn’t tell. 

What you could tell was that in three long and painful years, this was definitely the first time you truly felt happy.

Alejandro was back to you. 

****

[nicromancytarot]

NICROMANCYTAROT’S MASTERLIST

ABOUT THIS BLOG

I offer free pick a card readings, I sometimes open games and I also have paid readings on offer too!

My page is to be seen as purely entertainment purposes, and not to be misused to feed into delusions, or exasperate any already existing symptoms.

I am a royal procrastinator, so I don’t have an upload schedule, and I don’t upload consistently.

ABOUT ME

I am 19 years old, I’ve been studying Tarot and other spiritual practices since I was 14.

I channel mainly through Tarot, pendulums, physical feeling and often writing as well. Writing is one of my core strengths for channeling as my spirits come through the most when I do that.

How I got started with Tarot and my tips for all you beginners

HUMANITARIAN CAUSES

Free the land of Palestina

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A child in the West - a poem

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- My previous future spouse

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- Rants

INTERACTABLES

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General

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[coven-of-genesis]

Beginner in witchcraft tips? Like where should I start?

Beginner witchcraft tips

Part one : where & how do I start

1. Research and Respect Open Practices

• What Are Open Practices?

Open practices are spiritual or magical systems that do not require initiation, cultural heritage, or permission to engage in. Examples include eclectic witchcraft, kitchen witchcraft, green witchcraft, hedge witchcraft, and secular witchcraft.

• Avoiding Cultural Appropriation:

Practices like smudging (specific to Indigenous cultures), Hoodoo, and Voodoo are closed practices unless you are properly initiated or invited. Instead, use general terms like “smoke cleansing” with herbs like rosemary or lavender.

2. Build a Foundation of Knowledge

• History and Ethics of Witchcraft

Study the historical persecution of witches, modern witchcraft movements like Wicca, and the ethical principles (e.g., Wiccan Rede, the Threefold Law, or personal moral codes).

• Learn the Basics of Magic:

• Correspondences: Study how herbs, crystals, colors, and moon phases align with magical intentions.

• Intentions: Understand that intention is the core of magical practice. Clarity and focus are vital.

3. Start with Simple Tools and Techniques

• Common Tools:

You don’t need expensive or elaborate items to begin. Everyday objects like candles, notebooks, or kitchen herbs work just as well as specialized tools.

• Candles for fire energy (tea lights are excellent for beginners).

• Herbs like rosemary (cleansing and protection), basil (prosperity), and chamomile (calming).

• Salt for purification.

• Crystals like clear quartz (amplification), amethyst (calm), or rose quartz (love).

• DIY Approach:

Craft your own tools or collect items from nature (leaves, stones, feathers) for more personal meaning.

4. Create a Sacred Space

• Physical Space:

Choose a small area for your altar or sacred space. This can be a shelf, a table, or even a portable box. Include items like:

• A candle for focus and light.

• Representations of the elements (e.g., a bowl of water, stones, a feather).

• Personal objects that bring comfort or inspiration.

• Energetic Space:

Use cleansing techniques to clear your space, such as sprinkling salt, using sound (bells or clapping), or wafting incense.

5. Practice Energy Work

• Grounding:

This helps connect you to the earth and stabilize your energy. A simple method:

• Sit or stand barefoot. Imagine roots growing from your feet deep into the ground. Visualize excess energy flowing down these roots into the earth.

• Centering:

Gather scattered energy into your core. Visualize a glowing ball of light in your chest or belly, representing your personal power.

• Shielding:

Protect your energy by visualizing a protective bubble or shield of light around you.

6. Explore Divination

• Tarot or Oracle Cards:

• Start by pulling a single card daily to learn its meaning and connect with your intuition.

• Many decks come with guidebooks to help beginners.

• Pendulums:

Use a pendulum for yes/no questions. Practice by asking simple, clear questions and observing the swing (e.g., clockwise for yes, counterclockwise for no).

• Scrying:

Try gazing into a bowl of water, a mirror, or a candle flame to receive intuitive insights.

7. Learn Magical Timing

• Lunar Phases:

• New Moon: Set intentions and start new projects.

• Waxing Moon: Build energy and take action.

• Full Moon: Amplify power, perform gratitude rituals.

• Waning Moon: Release and banish unwanted energies.

• Days of the Week:

• Example: Thursday is associated with abundance and success.

• Seasons and Sabbats:

Research the Wheel of the Year (e.g., Yule, Beltane) and celebrate the seasons in ways that resonate with you.

8. Work With Nature and the Elements

• Earth: Grow plants, use crystals, or walk barefoot outside.

• Air: Burn incense, write affirmations, or meditate on your breath.

• Fire: Light candles, work with fire-safe herbs, or set intentions during sunsets.

• Water: Take ritual baths, work with moon water, or meditate near a body of water.

9. Keep a Grimoire or Book of Shadows

• Document your spells, rituals, and experiences.

• Include correspondences (e.g., herbs, colors, moon phases), affirmations, and journal entries about your practice.

• This will help you reflect on your progress and refine your methods over time.

10. Develop Your Own Path

• Personalize Your Practice:

Use what resonates with you and leave out what doesn’t. Witchcraft is a flexible and personal journey.

• Be Patient:

Progress takes time. Focus on consistency rather than perfection.

• Stay Open-Minded:

Connect with other practitioners to exchange ideas, but always critically evaluate what you incorporate into your practice.