leannan-sithe

[leannan-sithe]

I think what I love most about mythology is that the “Trickster God/Spirit” is an archetypical character found in almost every body of folklore. It’s like “Oh, here’s our God of the Sun, our God of the Sea, our God of Fertility, and our God of Being A Wretched Little Gremlin Who Causes Problems On Purpose”

[leannan-sithe]

Joy Sullivan, “In Gratitude”, Instructions for Traveling West

[leannan-sithe]

s/o to this skeleton babe from 1936

[leannan-sithe]

I think I may never be sad ever again. There is a statue entitled "Farewell to Orpheus" on my college campus. It's been there since 1968, created by a Prof. Frederic Littman that use to work at the university. It sits in the middle of a fountain, and the fountain is often full of litter. I have taken it upon myself to clean the litter out when I see it (the skimmers only come by once a week at max). But because of my style of dress, this means that bystanders see a twenty-something on their hands and knees at the edge of the fountain, sleeves rolled up, trying not to splash dirty water on their slacks while their briefcase and suit coat sit nearby. This is fine, usually. But today was Saturday Market, which means the twenty or so people in the area suddenly became hundreds. So, obviously, somebody stopped to ask what I was doing. "This," I gestured at the statue, "is Eurydice. She was the wife of Orpheus, the greatest storyteller in Greece. And this litter is disrespectful." Then, on a whim, I squinted up at them. "Do you know the story of Orpheus and Eurydice?" "No," they replied, shifting slightly to sit.

"Would you like to?"

"Sure!"

So I told them. I told them the story as I know it- and I've had a bit of practice. Orpheus, child of a wishing star, favorite of the messenger god, who had a hard-working, wonderful wife, Eurydice; his harp that could lull beasts to passivity, coax song from nymphs, and move mountains before him; and the men who, while he dreamed and composed, came to steal Eurydice away. I told of how she ran, and the water splashed up on my clothes. But I didn't care. I told of how the adder in the field bit her heel, and she died. I told of the Underworld- how Orpheus charmed the riverman, pacified Cerberus with a lullaby, and melted the hearts of the wise judges. I laughed as I remarked how lucky he was that it was winter- for Persephone was moved by his song where Hades was not. She convinced Hades to let Orpheus prove he was worthy of taking Eurydice. I tugged my coat back on, and said how Orpheus had to play and sing all the way out of the Underworld, without ever looking back to see if his beloved wife followed. And I told how, when he stopped for breath, he thought he heard her stumble and fall, and turned to help her up- but it was too late. I told the story four times after that, to four different groups, each larger than the last. And I must have cast a glance at the statue, something that said "I'm sorry, I miss you--" because when I finished my second to last retelling, a young boy piped up, perhaps seven or eight, and asked me a question that has made my day, and potentially my life: "Are you Orpheus?" I told the tale of the grieving bard so well, so convincingly, that in the eyes of a child I was telling not a story, but a memory. And while I laughed in the moment, with everyone else, I wept with gratitude and joy when I came home. This is more than I deserve, and I think I may never be sad again.

Here is the aforementioned statue, by the way.

[leannan-sithe]

A land of shrouded peaks and marshes. The Highlands.

Freddie Ardley Photography | website | instagram

[leannan-sithe]

It's fairly normal for someone coming from cultural Christianity (whether that's your cultural background or just absorption from online Americans) to find it repulsive that people sexualize gods. It's wrong to sexualize God the Father (unless you're a nun, then it's okay and expected. a woman must have a husband to be complete, and other yucky things). Cultural Christianity also places heavy emphasis on religion as holy and infallible and not to be corrupted, lest you fall to the devil etc.

The main problem people have with godspousing boils down to "you're not doing religion right because it's irreverent / hubris". There's no right way to do religion unless you claim to be following a specific practice, such as being a certain sect of Catholicism.

Godspousing is an act -- dating, romancing, having sex with, being intimate with a god -- that can be embedded in religion. It does not require love or romance or marriage; it can just be fun sexy times with an entity. Some people debate this concept.

That's okay. Here's what's referred to as the kink tomato:

YKINMKATOK - your kink is not my kink and that's okay

Here's an adaptation:

YRINMRATOK - your RELIGION is not my religion and that's okay

It's okay if you don't like sexualizing people and your own religion to coexist. But if someone sexualizes your god, there's little you can do about that.

Sometimes you just have to accept your own discomfort and let it go.

This may be a hot take for paganism at this current point in time (considering most things are now accepted with nary a question) but it is impossible to “godspouse”.

There are so many people “godspousing” the same deities, I honestly think it’s just infatuation and novelty with a bit of main character syndrome and/or lack of human interaction thrown into the mix. (Could it also be TikTok/short form influence, hmm?) Tbh I think claiming “godspouse” is disrespectful to deities period. We are not the same entities.

They can be your patron/guardian, but your spouse??? 😭 is it a semantics thing that people just aren’t following??

[leannan-sithe]

I don't know how to explain to you that people have kinks. and the kinks don't stop just because someone is incorporeal.

while our father daddy God isn't my thing, it's again a thing that nuns do in different words. and it's really common among godspouses who want to reclaim cultural Christianity, consciously or unconsciously.

on your point of sexualizing the gods for personal gratification I would like to direct you to almost every classical and neoclassical sculpture. I would argue that sexualizing the gods for personal gratification is probably one of the most human things we can do and have been doing for millennia.

This may be a hot take for paganism at this current point in time (considering most things are now accepted with nary a question) but it is impossible to “godspouse”.

There are so many people “godspousing” the same deities, I honestly think it’s just infatuation and novelty with a bit of main character syndrome and/or lack of human interaction thrown into the mix. (Could it also be TikTok/short form influence, hmm?) Tbh I think claiming “godspouse” is disrespectful to deities period. We are not the same entities.

They can be your patron/guardian, but your spouse??? 😭 is it a semantics thing that people just aren’t following??

[leannan-sithe]

even if you choose to ignore historical precedence, humans love to love things. they love to get emotionally attached to things and people who they engage with frequently.

why not a god? why not a spirit?

is the offering you place daily, weekly, frequently just an offering? what about when you change it to a shared meal? you partake of my food through me, or I'll leave a portion aside for you. let's talk about our days while we eat.

at what point do daily rituals of shared domestic intimacy combine with love (through worship or simply intentional choice to love) and become dating? become a life partnership?

everyone draws their own lines about what they are willing to believe in the metaphysical / witchy / spiritual communities. Mine frequently gets drawn at curses and such, they're hard for me to wrap my brain around and believe.

but, it's not that hard to believe that love persists. that attraction can exist. that intimacy -- not sex, not romance, just the closeness of two beings sharing together -- becomes rooted in our lives.

first you learn about tarot cards. then you start believing in talking to things beyond flesh and blood. then you humor the ideas of spirits. maybe then divinity like angels or demons. then gods.

then you choose a deity to bring into your life

you make daily rituals, you make habits that are just between you and them. you choose to seek them out and talk to them.

maybe over time you get the lovers card or the cups a bit too often to ignore. maybe you hear about godspousing and make the first move and ask your deity.

it happens quickly and painfully slowly and all at once.

why would you want to step in between someone else's personal spirituality and tell them that their engagement with a deity, a god, a spirit isn't really love, can't be love or affection?

godspousing isn't solely special priesthood as the some folks pretend it is. sometimes a godspouse does take on a bigger role. most of the times, it's just two beings sharing a life. it's special because it's intimacy shared between beings.

that's it. and that's not something you can dictate about someone else's practice.

and yes. people do misuse the term. people do say they're godspouses when they aren't even dating or talking to the entity involved regularly.

but people are also bad at being pagan or witches, misinformed and earnest. that doesn't invalidate those entire practices.

This may be a hot take for paganism at this current point in time (considering most things are now accepted with nary a question) but it is impossible to “godspouse”.

There are so many people “godspousing” the same deities, I honestly think it’s just infatuation and novelty with a bit of main character syndrome and/or lack of human interaction thrown into the mix. (Could it also be TikTok/short form influence, hmm?) Tbh I think claiming “godspouse” is disrespectful to deities period. We are not the same entities.

They can be your patron/guardian, but your spouse??? 😭 is it a semantics thing that people just aren’t following??

[leannan-sithe]

Working With Dragons: What My Practice Looks Like

When I'm not being worked to death (or at least extreme exhaustion), I do like to poke and prod at my spiritual life. It changes and evolves naturally over time, but I figured I'd do my best to share what my draconic work generally looks like.

Firstly, my interactions with dragons tend to be mostly telepathic: it might be conversations I have mentally and have to note down, or random images that I later doodle out. I also sometimes just sense a presence that some part of my intuition says “yeah that's a dragon”, which I then greet. Sometimes I get dragony ‘signs/synchronicities’, usually these reinforce a previous conversation I had with a dragon within the week. Of course, not all of this is taken at face value on my part. Not that I'm doubting my experiences, but it's good to practice discernment of “is this an actual dragon experience, or is this just coincidence/something that should be normal or expected in this particular situation?” That's why I tend to keep notes when I can: I used to use spiral notebooks for this when I was younger, now I usually use a word app on my phone, though I still need paper and pencil for drawing, a little harder to keep at hand (I do not have a fancy enough phone for decent stylus drawings).

Next, the dragons I interact with tend to vary a bit. Many I would describe as ‘spiritual locals’, they sometimes pop in out of curiosity, and one or two might become regular visitors. These are residents of the area I'm living in, and it's generally polite to at some point introduce yourself to them. I usually just do a little outside ceremony where I mentally open up and broadcast out a little “hi, I live here now, I don't mean any harm and don't mind anyone friendly or curious dropping by. Here's an offering,” which is usually some charged water, some other ecologically-friendly offering, or a gemstone left at a place I plan to use as a working space. It doesn't *have* to be outside, I can also just do it at whatever working space I have set up inside, I just *like* doing my introductions outside whenever possible. (At the moment, I uh, don't really have any altars set up because I don't have any real surface space. Rip.)

The other dragons I usually work with are what some might call dragons from the ‘astral’: they're not local spirits, they pop in from other places not from Earth. These usually have some sort of connection to me, as either guides or because of past life shenanigans.

Neither of these groups really fall into mythological categories, which is why I don't tend to give or follow lists of types of dragons that are based on such. They might share physical traits ie: body styles, and it's useful to refer to for such descriptions, but past that, there are very few similarities with the dragons I work with. Same with types given in modern dragon magic books: not all dragons I work with are elemental or are typical of what most practitioners are familiar with.

I don't worship any dragons, for two reasons: most of the dragons I interact with are more peers, teachers, and friends than anything, and also I have a “no thank you” relationship towards worshiping anything.

Next, while I no longer follow Wicca, I do try to keep some sort of annual/seasonal observances a la WotY: I note the equinoxes and solstices, full moons, and Halloween. I don't really *do* much with them these days, unfortunately, but I do feel better and more spiritually connected by actively partaking in seasonal changes when I can. One of the biggest ways is harvesting/foraging. What does this have to do with dragons? Not a lot, but I do use things that I grow in my witchcraft, and some of the dragons like a nice witchy garden, and more than that, an example of being able to follow through and maintain something. It does feel like when I'm able to ‘be witchy’, it also strengthens my connection with dragons in some way, and just helps improve subtle senses in general.

I generally don't do circle castings, and don't really work with elements in spells unless I feel like it's something that's necessary in that case. If I do feel I need a protected space, I'll set a boundary/shield with my own energy and sometimes ask a dragon to help keep unwanted stuff out. I don't really have a set elemental system, but when I do use them, I admit I default to earth/air/fire/water(/spirit). Sometimes I contemplate including metal as an element for reasons, but I've not finished sorting my thoughts on that yet.

What does it look like when I actually work with dragons? Well, generally, I get to know them, find out what they are willing to help with, and call on them for help with what they've agreed to help with. But my interactions do tend to be more just communication than any actual workings. What they have helped with in the past is varied, but is usually things like protection, courage, luck, and lending energy to boost my own spellwork. And occasionally they just bring me comfort and support.

For my personal path, there's no real taboos, restrictions, or things I'm not allowed to do per se. It pretty much boils down to “don't treat those helping you like garbage” and “be kind to strangers”, and basically try to be a decent person. That doesn't mean, however, that I'm to be a doormat, it just means that I shouldn't be unnecessarily cruel to those who haven't been cruel to me (or my loved ones). If someone's being a dick and I don't like it, well, dragons have fangs and claws for a reason.

The dragons in my life aren't here to judge my moral character or be any sort of cosmic council, they're just here for their own reasons, like the rest of us, even if that reason is simply "I'm here because I'm here."

As always, this is just my experience and UPG. It's nothing glamorous or super special, but it's what I've kept coming back to all my life. In my teens and twenties, when I was struggling to find my identity, doing some serious questioning and putting a lot of my spiritual life on hiatus for some periods, dragons were always there when I was ready to come back, sometimes even getting poked as a reminder when I didn't think I was ready to come back to it, but found that the timing was perfect.

[leannan-sithe]

A friendly word of witchy advice: just go with it.

You’re trying to contact a deity and you immediately have a random thought? just go with it. It doesn’t make sense? Whatever, write it down. Maybe it will make sense later.

Wondering if you should and get the feeling that you should? do it.

Suddenly think you shouldn’t? don’t.

Doing tarot and the card comes out sideways? It’s sideways. Interpret.

When I go for a walk and take a seat on a bench and think, gods I wish I had some shade, and the clouds conveniently come together to block out the sun, I just go with it.

Thank you :)

Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. Truth will reveal itself with time.

People ask me all the time, how do you know Lucifer is speaking to you? I trust him, even when it doesn’t immediately make sense, even when it seems random.

Your first thought, yes, write it down. Your random inclination, follow it.

This doesn’t mean that everything is a sign, it means stop prohibiting yourself from receiving signs by constantly hyper analyzing everything. Let your brain and body perceive without fighting against them.

You heard a whisper in the wind? Listen.

You think you saw something in the smoke? Draw it.

Confusing nonsense that probably means nothing? Document it anyways.

Just go with it.

[leannan-sithe]

Something I keep repeating over and over again.

You must cultivate your relationships.

It sounds silly. It sounds like something that should be common sense. But I feel like I have had to tell so many people that you need to give as well as be open and recieving.

Your relationships with the Divine (and anyone) must be tailored gently. "I saw this thing and it reminded me of you" so you send a link or a photo to someone you care about? Yeah that principle applies to the Divine, too. A rock. A photo. A piece of art. You bring them.

You also sit and talk. Have a coffee. Have a drink. Water. Dinner. You share a meal. You hold conversations. You hang out and bask in an afternoon setting sun and admire the birds.

If you are not doing this, That's why your relationships with the Divine feel flat and empty. It is not just about going through the motions, lighting a candle, offering incense. It isn't just about routine and saying the words. Your work with the Divine isn't your 9-5 job. And it doesn't deserve the same cold detachment you treat your job. It isn't to pay your bills. It's for spiritual and personal enrichment and growth.

[leannan-sithe]

The psychiatrist diagnosed me with divine madness

[leannan-sithe]

You are not the daughter of the witches they couldn't burn you are a white woman with a rock collection and wicca was invented in the 1950s

[leannan-sithe]

Liz Toohey-Wiese, 2024.

"A sign installed in the largest wildfire burn I’ve ever seen, along the BC/YK border. Borrowing the aesthetics of BC Recreation Site signs, once again pointing to the overlaps of outdoor recreation, resource extraction, and the consequences of the climate crisis. Most recreation sites in BC exist along previously built logging and mining roads.

“Forced into a great and difficult transformation” was a line I heard in a lecture on Buddhist philosophy I was listening to on my drive up north. But it became another mantra I thought about while living in a place that’s been utterly transformed by resource extraction over the past century, and as I thought about the burnt landscapes I drove through."

More here.

[leannan-sithe]

Acknowledging that “critical thinking” means “thinking about things in a thorough way from different perspectives” and not “finding every flaw in a thing and fixating on it until all the joy is gone” is so liberating.

It’s supposed to be about intellectual curiosity, not about finding ways to devalue things that aren’t perfect or that we personally dislike.

[leannan-sithe]

[leannan-sithe]

Possible unpopular opinion: treating having a special interest as equivalent to being an expert on the topic is another form of the savant stereotype.