koscheys-skull

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there’s something very beautiful about being able to try again tomorrow

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"Trans people were invented by doctors in the 1950s"

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You won't believe your eyes,

Ten thousand naked guys

that means… twenty thousand cocks…

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Skull of St. Thomas Aquinas being transported to Fossanova Abbey. Photograph by Daniel Ibanez, 2024

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[Japanese Woman with Parasol], Suzuki Shin'ichi, 1870s, Metropolitan Museum of Art: Photography

Gilman Collection, Museum Purchase, 2005 Size: 25.1 x 20.3 cm (9 7/8 x 8 in.) Medium: Albumen silver print from glass negative with applied color

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/288518

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[Japanese Man Posing with Baskets, Brooms and Feather Dusters], Unknown, 1870s, Metropolitan Museum of Art: Photography

Gilman Collection, Museum Purchase, 2005 Size: 20.1 x 25.3 cm (7 15/16 x 9 15/16 in.) Medium: Albumen silver print from glass negative with applied color

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/288534

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Today Israel killed beloved journalist Anas al-Sharif. May he be the light of Revolution.

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my evil chalice came in but its so fucking small. goddamnit. they're going to make fun of me at the wizards circle tonight

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Reflection photography project by Maria Mussova

“A national costume is often the only way to express own national identity. In terms of average standards and linguistic assimilation, fasche (Circassian clothes) becomes the most vivid marker of ethnic identity. It also continues to exist as a demonstration of preservation of memory of the past,” said Marina Bitokova, one of the participants of the photo project.”

“An individual in a national costume in our time of average standards always stands out from the crowd and inevitably draws attention to his or her person. Wearing a costume you have to stick to a certain image and behavioral style. But is it possible to discern human personality behind it? How could one’s self-perception change when he or she puts on a national costume? How does a person feel about that at this moment? And how does a spectators attitude change towards the displayed character when he takes off his casual clothes and puts on a costume which was the part of people’s everyday life nearly hundred years ago? What will a national costume be like in the twenty first century? In order to answer these questions, I found people who keep, due to various reasons, in their wardrobes circassian traditional costumes -“fasche”. The photo project “Reflection” consists of 22 diptychs which their direct speeches are the answers to a simple question about how they feel when they put on the fasche.”  - Maria Mussova

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Illustration by Harry Morris for H.P. Lovecraft’s The Dreams in the Witch House (1972)

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On Wicca - per requested and questioned in the Comment Section:

" - I'd love to hear your thoughts on wicca as well if you ever feel like sharing, since I do typically think of it as a distinct thing to new age with a handful of similarities - but of course no pressure, and I'm sure the resource you've shared will cover some of those bases too (; this is a very helpful post & I thank you for taking the time to inform! "

You are right! It is distinct from New Age in a lot of ways. In that, it has structure, deities, ritual frameworks, and a more grounded attempt at reconstructing spiritual tradition. But it’s not free from colonial influence either: Your basic overview of Wicca is:

It was heavily shaped by Gerald Gardner, a British colonialist who created Wicca from a mix of Freemasonry, ceremonial magic (all stolen of course), and romanticised ideas about “ancient witch cults”. Of course, most of which weren’t historically accurate. Nor were his interpretations of these events.

There is also a lot of cultural borrowing theft , especially from Celtic, Norse, and Greco-Roman traditions, with little consistency in how those threads are handled (And are still handled to this day). Not only that, but what was stolen was stolen out of contexts and abused, twisted and appropriated and removed from its contexts. Which, let's be honest, a white colonialist reaching into an ethnic group and ripping what he likes out of it and deciding that it's "his now" like he has the authority to do so is a pretty shitty base to start with.

And like many Eurocentric practices, early Wicca carried a fair bit of gatekeeping, gender essentialism (where the approach to gender and identity in gender is linear and a binary), and soft white supremacy, especially in how it positioned Europe as the “true” cradle of spiritual knowledge. You know. Because only white people (European Descent) could possible have this kind of spiritual prowess, wisdom, knowledge and ascension. And certainly it's a man who is ultimate with his "Female Counterpart".

That said, there are people working hard to decolonize Wicca, make it queer-inclusive, and root it in ethical research and practice. They do exist. I have seen them. But I, personally, find that to be a moot challenge when the cultures and beliefs that their traditions are being pillaged are very available and accepting. It can be a living, evolving system but only if people are willing to challenge its origins and ongoing narratives and become self aware of not only the harm that has already been done but the harm that it will keep on doing if it's not mended.

The mental capacity of modern practitioners that are New Age Practitioners is in utter shambles. Trying to explain how 92% of someone's practise is white supremacy grade colonialism is an easier task than it should be, but it also happens all the time and I just wish people grasped that there is a severe disconnect.

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In reply to @fresherfrequencies (Sorry this took so long to get back to you with), and for those that look at this post and get confused about it:

This is something I deal with constantly in the Discord server I run. We operate with openness to diverse cultures and traditions, and because many of our members are from marginalized identities, this subject comes up a lot. We’re always striving to improve; and that means consistently deconstructing New Age practices and calling out slip-ups when they happen.

Here’s what I meant:

A massive portion of modern Neo-Paganism, New Age spirituality, and “occult” practices. Especially the kind popularized in white-dominant spaces - is deeply rooted in eugenics, racial purity myths, ableism, cultural erasure, and cultural amnesia.

That’s not hyperbole. That’s the origin story. Just plain and simple.

A large portion of Neo-Pagan, Modern Age, and New Age occultism is heavily rooted in eugenics, purity races, ableism, cultural erasure, and cultural amnesia.

We're going to take a look at a particular Author who is not the sole soul responsible for this transformation of spiritual beliefs and practises. But, for example: Take Helena Blavatsky, who can pretty safely be called the mother of modern New Age spirituality.

Especially the kind you see all over the U.S. and in white neopagan circles. She mashed together spiritual traditions from across the world, stripping them of context in the process, and then laced that mixture with racist, eugenics-based ideology. Her belief in “Root Races” framed whiteness as the most spiritually evolved form of humanity. That’s where we get a lot of the modern “Starseed,” “Indigo Child,” and “High Vibration” rhetoric.

And yes, it’s utter bullshit. Bullshit rooted in purity ideology and white supremacy.

From “chakras,” to “shamanism” (a word that is not an umbrella term which I will gladly elaborate on), to the endless stream of white people claiming “Celtic roots” as spiritual justification (if this is you: get fucked), modern New Age practice is soaked in colonialism and racism. This is also why Wicca is a disgusting practise and it is abhorrent and wretched in ways that make me literally physically sick to think about.

Let’s talk about “shamanism” real quick (SEGUE):

That term isn’t universal. It’s specific to the Tungusic peoples of Siberia and Mongolia.

It was taken and applied recklessly across the board to all sorts of unrelated Indigenous practices erasing their specificity. There is no such thing as a “Norse shaman.” There may be comparable traditions, but using the term "shaman" for them is both historically and culturally inaccurate.

But because white people were handed a version of spirituality that’s been diluted, extracted, and made palatable for colonial consumption, they don’t question it. They just keep running with it because it “feels good" and they don't really know any better.

(END OF SEGWAY)

The same goes for “chakra healing” (which often has no resemblance to actual Indian systems of medicine or yogic practice), the misuse of Indigenous rituals, and countless other practices that are closed, sacred, and not for everyone.

So when I say 92% of modern practice is built on white supremacy and colonial thinking, I mean that the systemic roots of New Age spirituality are directly birthed from racism, eugenics, cultural theft, and erasure. This isn’t about a handful of problematic influencers. It’s about a whole spiritual industry built on stolen ground.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM THAT IT WAS BORN FROM IS FUCKED.

Unless people actively deconstruct those roots, they’re continuing that legacy whether they intend to or not. “Good intentions” don’t undo harm. And let’s be clear: it doesn’t have to be this way. It really does not! And ignorance is not an excuse to keep behaving this way either. Which is highly frustrating for me at times as I often find myself having conversations with people and they go "Well, I like my way better anyway".

Which, if you don't actually care about the traditions and beliefs - Which you can learn and then choose to approach with respect and the dignity that those traditions deserve - then you're actively choosing to behave as a colonist. And you are actively doing harm to people by being not only aware of the harm you do, but choosing that ignorant path consciously.

I’m not saying everyone involved is evil. But if someone genuinely cares about healing, truth, spirit, or the gods they claim to venerate, then they need to know the history of the tools they’re using. They need to ask who is being erased, and who profits from that erasure.

Otherwise? It’s just another colonized fantasy.

Just people wearing crystal crowns and calling themselves “awakened.”

It does not have to be like this.

Just a starter, and I'm not saying she is the only source for this kind of material, but consider reading Decolonizing Witchcraft or anything by Dr. Kim TallBear.

This is your reminder:

that there are ways to build ethical, culturally grounded practices! But!!! They take work, humility, and accountability. IT REQUIRES YOU TO ACTUALLY GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOUR PRACTISE!

Edit Addendum:

New Age Spirituality is not same as the following:

Syncretic traditions (e.g., Afro-Caribbean, diasporic practices),

Revived animist or ancestral practices with deep research and consent

Personal paths that are spiritually intuitive but respectful and decolonised in orientation.

The mental capacity of modern practitioners that are New Age Practitioners is in utter shambles. Trying to explain how 92% of someone's practise is white supremacy grade colonialism is an easier task than it should be, but it also happens all the time and I just wish people grasped that there is a severe disconnect.

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'Koschei the Deatless', a figure from Russian folklore, hides a soul in a needle inside an egg, inside a duck, inside a hare, inside a chest - buried beneath tree on a distant island. Illustration by Victor Vasnetsov, 1926.

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*opens trenchcoat* Wanna buy some earrings?

So, it's Struggle O'Clock at Chateau Noire, and I gotta raise some quick funds.

I'm just about ready to open my shop, but I still have to get to know how things are gonna work with shipping. To do that, I'll need some guinea pigs people to help me test the water.

As of now, I have the following in stock:

Shell Dangle Earrings - $12

Two tone, copper and gold wire wrapped hook dangle earrings with faux pearl and natural seashell. Available with cowrie and spiral shells. Choose your own or let me surprise you. What's in stock is not all of what's displayed, I can make these to order.

Scale Dangle Earrings - $12

Silver wire wrapped hooked dangle earrings with Czech fire polished faceted bead and iridescent scale cabochon. Perfect for the lover of mermaids or dragons. Green pictured, blue and red also available.

Please shoot me an ask or DM if you'd like to buy. Spam, scam, joke or other false requests will be met with a block.

If you simply wish to help out financially, see my links here:

k: https://ko-fi.com/audacenoire p: http://paypal.me/audacenoire c: $audacenoire v: @ audacenoire

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The mental capacity of modern practitioners that are New Age Practitioners is in utter shambles. Trying to explain how 92% of someone's practise is white supremacy grade colonialism is an easier task than it should be, but it also happens all the time and I just wish people grasped that there is a severe disconnect.

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Rise and collapse of a wave. Details of paintings by Michael Zeno Diemer (1867-1939)