her-hands-and-teeth - Tumblr blog

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There’s an active spell on my altar rn but this is definitely a good reminder that once this one is done with I should rearrange so it so there’s more open space to do work on it next time…

My altar is a trainwreck right now. I have 2 hefty spells planned for this weekend, so step one is cleaning all night

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I’m going to be really real with you here, family: the reason they are like this is because most people never make it out of this “beginner”, superficial stage of their exploration of the craft. They just don’t. They don’t grow beyond these appropriated practices and these cheap crystals, heated amethyst passed off as citrine stuff. So it makes the most kk way to cater to that. These beginners are also WAY easier to upsell to, because they don’t have a good understanding of what they need to have a deep, successful practice. When they learn what they DO want to be using, it can be found in nature or from more specialized shops like apothecaries.

But in general, more advanced practitioners simply aren’t numerous enough to support a brick and mortar shop in most places. They exist online, where they can serve a much wider clientele. But in a community of 100 occultists you’ll have MAYBE 4 who ever make use of “more advanced” materials. By and large, the majority start their practice with Silver RavenWolf level bullshit and stay that way for the entire duration of their practice. (I’ve worked in one of these shops and I’ve been very involved in the leading/admin of multiple large pagan communities for 11 years. This is based on what I’ve observed)

So does anyone know why so many "New Age" shops are like... the way they are?

I mean at this point I feel like most witches who have spent at lease a year or two practicing/researching the craft have had the experience of walking into a store recommended to you by someone well meaning because "you like witchy stuff, right?" only to be hit with the strongest incense imaginable, "smudging sticks", overpriced goods, books by Silver RavenWolf, and crystals you just know weren't sourced ethically. If there was only a small handful of shops like this, I wouldn't be making this post. The problem is, however, that most "witchy" stores only promote and cater towards an audience of beginner witches that don't know better, and people who genuinely don't care about appropriation. Why is this the norm. Genuinely. I know the obvious answer is "because they make money and we live in a capitalistic society", but still. I want to be able to not have my expectations in the Earth's core when it comes to "witchy" shops. I want these stores to not set such bad examples for beginners. And most importantly, I want better for our community. These stores drag the reputation of witchcraft and magic through the mud, when they really shouldn't be. Like do any other communities have the problem? Do fishing shops suck this badly? Or am I just going insane again.

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@blood-thorned-wood I like this way of conceptualizing it. Very similar to how we talk about Aspects/Masks rather than Her, no? Thoughts?

What is the latest belief or thing you added to your faith?

Faith specifically? That godhood is a title bestowed or earned, not an intrinsic aspect of an entity. This is a slight expansion of Stag's "spirits in silly hats" theory.

So last year I started my journey, maybe not on the crooked path, but next to it? within eyeline of it? Idk, I started seeking out The Witchfather. And things went really well, we have a good relationship going, I've expanded my craft significantly in just the 6 months since I made my pact (that sounds WAY more serious than it is, right now I have a year and a day deal going with him, we will reassess on my birthday). I also went into this relationship relatively blind to literature and prevailing ideas surrounding him. I wanted to get to know each other before I started researching him in depth.

As the weeks and months passed, I started to realize he was rather limited in power relative to what I thought a god should be able to do. Most of what we did together was tied to the forest behind my house, and his ability to act outside of my property was minimal. I have since come to the conclusion he is the spirit of that forest, not The Witchfather (capital T capital W, big daddy God [which I'm sure is a cultural Christian expectation anyway]) that I thought he was. He was simply MY witchfather. He only became a deity because I decided he was one, and from what I can tell, he does not give two shits if he is considered a god or not. He simply is a Guy who answered when I called out. I am the one who put that crown on his head, and he wears it indifferently.

So I think a lot of what makes godhood is how we as people/worshippers/whatever you wanna call us treat the entities concerned. Aphrodite is not the goddess of love, sex and beauty because of any inherent quality she possesses, the ancients just gave her that domain and she ran with it (and she's doing a wonderful job as far as I'm concerned).

This whole change in philosophy was super freeing with regard to my idea of faith and devotion. It takes the pressure off of my ideas of divinity. It is easier to approach someone when you think of them as "just some guy with a fancy title" god instead of "behold my radiance, look upon me and weep" god.

Thanks for the ask! It was nice to actually write this all out and get it to be coherent.

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Earwen by Elena Kukanova, aka EKukanova on DeviantArt

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Ernst Fuchs (Austrian, 1930-2015)

The uncovering of Diana, 1988

oil on canvas

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Michael Handt

Moonlight, 2022

Oil on canvas

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Olokun by Tshikamba

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"Women's Stories"  by Janice Frame

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Hearth altars <3 the Spring configuration for this year for the Mother altar, and the altar for the Wild Mother/Wolf mother Luperca

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shadow work isn't witchcraft. "shadow worker" isn't a real witchcraft title, because -- again -- shadow work isn't witchcraft, or folk craft, or related to the occult literally at all. it was co-opted into witchcraft recently. it's a facet of psychology/psycho-analysis invented by Carl Jung to help people going through trauma therapy. since it's not witchcraft, you don't have to do it, you shouldn't put up with being shamed for not doing it, and you should definitely be seeing a therapist -- who has experience with it -- when you attempt it, because it can dredge up some really nasty shit if you're not ready or equipped to handle the fall-out. AND you should start mentioning this and talking about this in every witchcraft/occult space. get people talking about it and researching its history.

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Went to check on our goddess effigy that we left in the woods yesterday (she’s been there for 2 weeks now) and she is doing so well! No one has bothered her and some gifts have even been left 💜 truly inspiring and heartwarming to see! Blessed is She and blessed are the children who love Her!

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so you know how english speaking lesbian feminists came up with words / alternative spellings like womon (singular) and wimmin / womyn (plural) to differentiate from the ingrained patriarchal sense of “woman”? I just found out there is a similar thing among some French-speaking women talking about female/goddess oriented spirituality (as far as I can tell).

so the French word for woman is “femme”, which sort of roughly rhymes with “mum” (especially if u say it with a london accent lol). Among francophones there is a unique problem with the word for woman because “femme” is also the word for wife. So these women looking to express a different sense of woman to emphasize female sovereign spirituality, rather than a dutiful obedient patriarchal servant, have come up with an alternative spelling — it’s “f’âme”: the word “âme” means something like soul, heart, spirit, and they just affixed an f to it so it is pronounced the same as “femme”. but instead emphasizes that “les femmes” are not just wives, but have souls and hearts and individual will.

how interesting is that! I think it’s a wonderful creation. as far as I can tell it’s just something that cropped up online recently, I know some will inevitably think it’s cheesy or silly but I think these alternative spellings are a very cool way to signal to other women. Does anyone know of other occurrences of alternative spellings for woman/women in other languages?

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Curiosity killed the minx. Witch/Magician/Sorcerer/Whateveryouwannacallyourself, if you do magic answer and share, please. :)

obsv bad is subjective, but here we are.

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"you need protection as a pagan !!!!!!" "spirits can impersonate the Gods and block Them out when you worship !!!" "negative spirits are common so be careful your Deity isn't an Imposter !!!"

listen dude idk if you've felt a Deity before but I'm fairly sure that Dionysos blinking has enough power to incinerate a negative entity so why fear monger beginners when you could just Not