paganravennest

[paganravennest]

I love seeing prayers and stories of devotees who worship Gods that I don’t worship.

Actually, I’ve always been like this.

I love hearing the tales of religions that I don’t subscribe to. Even if I don’t agree with every Christian, I do enjoy hearing Christians talk about how wonderful Jesus is and what he means to them personally.

I enjoy hearing Muslims talk about their prayers, how they reserve time out of their day for their God.

I enjoy hearing Jews sing their psalms, I love hearing about how they prepare their food, how they consider God’s hands in their meals.

I love hearing about Hellenic rituals and Semetic celebrations. I love learning about the different holy days among different groups of pagans.

I love learning how different people have incorporated different Gods, acts, and customs into their faith. I love hearing about their myths and legends, the stories they tell their children before bed.

I love hearing about the different ways that humanity has connected to their personal idea of God.

I don’t worship Apollon or Shiva today, but I am so delighted to hear the prayers of those that do. It’s like I’m getting to feel the mist erupting off of a waterfall. Or hearing the echo of a song that I do not know the lyrics to, but I can still hum the melody. I can feel the notes permeate my mind, even if I don’t know what they mean.

I love that there are people who worship these Gods that I do not worship. I’m happy that there is so much diversity among humanity that we have enough love in us for all of them.

For the ones that even I don’t know the names of, or felt the warmth of. Someone has.

That’s a very very good thing.

[paganravennest]

Hot takes many hate to learn: ethical hunters are primary data sources for a large portion of ecological population studies and play huge roles in environmental stewardship projects well beyond what many PhD students or scholarly sources usually claim.

Y'all hate a number of them for genuinely feeding their family while exploring a passion for nature, and thus treating them all like the much smaller, albeit louder, subgroup of pro-gun fooligans that just want to kill stuff.

That's a person, perception, and permission problem - not a hunting problem. A hunting problem, in my eyes, are those that ethical hunters would face in their experience of the hunt; not a problem that pro-gun fooligans run into trying to kill stuff.

I don't mean to argue the use of guns in hunting either - I mean to say an ethical hunter knows the limitations of practicality for what equipment is used for each prey species - anything above that is useless and below would just be cruelty to animals when you injure, but fail to kill

Ethical hunters are very aware of this already - many decide to not shoot a gun even because they find it against the spirit of the hunt/the intentions of their hunting trip, or because they prefer a real challenge

Regardless of means; hunters contribute so much to the environmental community, ecological research conservation, and revitalizing areas of habitat far more often than any papers I find credit then with:

- hunters go where others won't, they remain a hella distance from wild animals (if they're good) and maintain a safety caution in those herds/flocks to remain scared of people, gunshots, and other human disturbances - which is really needed to deter ill intentioned folks from luring them closer to people, taking them through habitual exposure, or stealing them straight up from a human-made area the prey is known to frequent

- hunters advocate for what they kill; they don't want poisoned meat, they don't want damaged hides and pelts, they don't want to have to question the health of their own food supply - that's a large reason many turn to hunting - and a large reason why many advocate against the use of lead in wildlife interactions, against poisons used in different areas, against developments that endanger habitats their prey rely on

- hunters want to see more animals and plants return to the land than most city environmental activists; many of them already deal with nature conditions as is on their hunting trips, many embrace this and see it as a vital element to learning to hunt - becoming in tune with, and understanding the environment of your prey - the only thing deteriorating that environment further does is drive away their prey and lower population numbers - hunters know this lowers bag limits, yearly tags, and catch counts so many work explicitly in the business of advocating for better land and forest management to ensure future flocks and stocks of animals

- hunters care for more than just the animals they hunt; a healthy wolf population keeps deer populations in check = more can be harvested safely as opposed to when they over flood deer yards, destroy a whole area too soon, and leave to find resources outside of normal migration routes - healthy bears catch fish out of waterways leaving harder to catch fish to replenish stocks and grow healthier populations next season - healthy predatory birds maintain various agricultural, urban, rural, and wild ecosystems by operating as pest management, things that normally parasitize hunted prey populations devastatingly quickly

- hunters want to know more about animals which drives scientific research; anecdotes and hunt trip photos are key demographic info cards from every trip captured, it provides historical records that allow future researchers to pull their own data and conclusions from without having to assume various details

- a hunters drive to know more about their prey is a key driver in getting people to care about that species, it's needs, the important habitats it has, and special requirements the species need to thrive in order for folks to both help and hunt the best possible prey in the healthiest conditions possible for them

- hunters supply the samples for testing: chronic wasting disease(CWD) is largely on deer hunters to report by submitting necessary samples every year - they don't wanna eat bad meat either, and they don't wanna spread it - COVID is massive in white tailed deer populations because they act as wild reservoirs waiting to infect others, we only discover these herds when a hunter submits samples - winter tick is a deadly moose parasite and unless reported in photography, anecdotes, or from pelt samples; scientist would never be able to identify wild infected herds - internal parasites are often reported by those who leave gut piles after their hunt as many will photograph unusual/concerning organs for their own peace of mind when consuming the meat too

[paganravennest]

Brief notes on permanency in Witchcraft and the treatment mindset

A broad opinion my friends, take or leave it as you prefer:

Most witches, especially beginners, should not expect to be able to cast a single spell on anything and have the effects be permanent, forever.

Many witches, and beginner witches, work with perfectly good and fine magic, call power unto themselves, employ technique with skill, and achieve results. This is good!

Then, after a few weeks or months the effects will wear off, and that same person doing good work will just sort of say, ahhhh well. I tried, didn't I. That's too bad I can't really do magic that good, then.

Unless you are either remarkably talented at what you're doing, or unless you are neck-deep in techniques of permanency, most magic - especially stuff you find for free online - is best regarded as a treatment, not a cure.

Spell vessels run out of energy and must be recharged

Oils, incenses, and pertinent substances once applied lose potency and must be refreshed

One-shot spells, like a ringing bell, reverberate out into the world and then eventually fade away

The living world, both physical, magical, and beyond, continues to grow - and trees chopped down send up new saplings, old root balls start lapping up water, and termites wriggle their way into fresh wood piles

Therefore:

If something worked great for a while and now you need to do it again, then you should do it again.

If you worked hard at a spell and it got you some of the way there, but not all the way, you should rest up and do it again to get more of the way there.

If a frenzy of casting solved some of your problems, but not all of your problems, wait until you are rested and begin casting again.

If an old spell used to work, but upon recasting doesn't work, consider that the exact environment around you in your living world may have changed, and consider adjusting your spell before trying again.

[paganravennest]

Beltane Chant

(Adapted from Rudyard Kipling's "A Tree Song")

Oh do not tell their Priest of our rite,

For he will call it a sin,

But we shall be in the woods all night,

A conjurin' summer in!

And I bring good news by word of mouth,

For women, and cattle, and corn,

For the Sun is coming back from the South,

With oak, and ash, and thorn!

I've seen different versions of this and have also seen it suggested for use on the Summer Solstice and for Lammas. I have always used it for Beltane however and it will again be sung as we dance the Maypole this weekend. 💃💐

I'd love to see other people's versions and how they use them!

[paganravennest]

Sacrifice and Tyr have been on my mind a lot recently. A much longer post will be coming on this but I did write a mini-devotional poem for Tyr:

Tyr of the Tiwaz rune,

Offered his right hand to stave off Midgard's doom,

For without sacrifice there is no boon,

All hail the Great God Tyr!

[paganravennest]

So my super awesome friend who is a digital artist, finally opened a RedBubble shop and I think everyone should definitely check it out and show him some love!

[paganravennest]

I've had this lovely blue tigers eye pendant that I had never made into a necklace because I couldn't bear to part with it. Well I finally decided to just go ahead and make myself a necklace to help get over my creative block and I'm so happy with it!

[paganravennest]

The new athame in the sun! 💚💙💜

[paganravennest]

I want to take a moment to reminisce upon the cedar swamp of my childhood. I grew up in the middle of a cedar swamp in the central Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I don't think most people realize how noisy cedars are. Even on a calm day they creak and groan, but when the wind gets going, particularly in a storm, they scream and cry. Between the cedars, the ravens, rabbits, and screech owls, some unearthly sound was always reverberating around you and you were never quite certain if it had natural flora/fauna sources or was caused by something else. Never follow the sounds, even if it sounded like a kitten, a child, a woman, or a baby because it definitely wasn't any of those things and you could end up lost.

You also couldn't trust the ground. What looked like a perfectly flat surface of ground with grasses on top of it was actually thick mud and if you unwittingly stepped up on it, you might not find bottom. Typically the more inviting and safe the ground looked the less it probably was. So it was always smart to walk with a stick that you could use to poke the ground in front of you before stepping on it.

Lastly, every single fallen tree became documents for the beetles and their grubs to record their occult script upon. It always frustrated me to no end as a child that I could not read what they wrote for it seemed so important.

I'm hoping to become an initiate of Gardnerian Wica this year. I have requested it from my high priestess and things are finally falling into place for this to occur. She also has laid out 2 last conditions to meet and they are minor obstacles, one of which will be met on Beltane and the other which I should be able to meet in the week following. My year and a day will be up in July and I may have to wait till then, which I am comfortable with. As part of all this I want to choose a new craft name. Partly because I already have one I use in broader Pagan spaces and would like one that is only used in Circle amongst fellow initiates. The other part of it though is that initiation is a type of death and rebirth and I feel like a new name should come along with that.

For my new name I looked to the cedar swamp of my childhood and the magic and mystery I had experienced there. I have my name and I cannot wait to have it said aloud in Circle.

[paganravennest]

There are so so so many ways to experience the gods.

There is no right or wrong way. There is no blunt way. Its all feeling and ephemeral.

If you’ve felt warmth, if you’ve had a dream, if you’ve seen a crow that stares at you for too long, if something inexplicable happens and you’re lucky suddenly, if you’ve caught eyes with a stranger and felt like you knew each other. If the candle flickers a certain way, if one time when you’re singing your voice sounds gorgeous in a way you weren’t expecting, these are all the presence of a god.

God phoning is popular on witchtok but half the time what they’re saying is bullshit. I’ve very very rarely heard a voice and every single time it was my own voice, just suffused with something, saying something I normally wouldn’t say. Or maybe I would. I’ve never heard a clear, distinct, audible voice. Its an invisible world we’re connecting with, its a different plain. We cannot experience it the same way we experience every day life.

We’ll never sit down at a coffee table across from the physical manifestation of our god, and know that its them, not until after. And even then we can never be sure. That’s the nature of it. There are no absolutes, there cannot be. That’s what makes it beautiful. That’s where belief comes in. It isn’t about being good enough or worthy enough or devout enough, that doesn’t exist. That isn’t what its about at all. You are worthy even if the divine doesn’t manifest in a way we’ve been told is the only real way, and you are connecting even if you cant see it now. My most intense spiritual experiences are never something I realize are happening in the moment, its always only after that I can see it clearly.

The gods are all around us.

[paganravennest]

where do i start?

the question i have received the most in regards to witchcraft is, “where do i start?” so i decided to make a quick guide on the most helpful areas to me as a beginner. your mileage may vary.

visualization - learn to use and work with your imagination. visualization is an important skill in witchcraft and spellwork and takes practice to become proficient. 

intent - learn how to formulate a well-constructed goal for your spellwork.

grounding and centering - grounding releases excess energy back to its original source; centering helps to focus during spellwork and bring yourself back to reality afterwards. 

channeling - learn the various energies you can channel or draw from and how they can correspond with your intent.

protection - learn about shields and wards, from putting them up and taking them down to the different methods of protection - this can involve the use of various magical components such as herbs or crystals. a method of protection should be employed before all acts of spell work, in my opinion. 

different types of magic - learn about the different types of magic and make note of what your interests are - there are so many paths to choose from. 

divination - if it’s something you’re interested in, research different types of divination: some popular methods include tarot cards, oracle cards, runestones, scrying mirrors, or pendulums.

research - familiarize yourself with folklore and history behind various magical practices, especially the ones that interest you; it will greatly help you to understand the reasoning behind different correspondences, rituals, holidays, deities, etc. it will also help you to know which of these practices are closed or open to others. knowledge, in this case, truly is power.

after you’ve got some idea of your witchy interests, do some further research! see what path is right for you, and expand on it. good luck!

© 2025 ad-caelestia

[paganravennest]

"Hermes is the god of thieves so he's fine with art theft!" No.

"Dionysos wouldn't mind it he's chaotic!" No.

"Hephaistos is a machinery god and AI is machinery so it's okay!" No.

"The gods wouldn't even care they just want offerings!" No.

There is not, and never has been, a reason to offer the gods AI art. It requires absolutely no effort or thought on your part as a worshipper, which defeats the purpose of an offering.

Do not support the use of AI art at ALL, much less as something given to Them.

"But it's all I can give!" Water. The Theoi fully accept a glass of water.

Sing.

Do a craft.

Write a letter.

Draw.

Dedicate a task.

Please do not offer those you worship something so lackluster and thoughtless as a computer generated image that destroys our environment and piggybacks off the works of others.

[paganravennest]

Why do my interests in canning, couponing, and homesteading overlap so often with blogs with titles like ‘The Obedient Housewife’? 

[paganravennest]

I'm sharing this again because I believe it was meant to be shared.

I was very overwhelmed by a steady stream of words and a feeling of simmering anger. I realized there was a rhyming scheme and it was something important and started typing it out (on my phone because I couldn't get up to get a notebook). I did have to edit (only minimally) to make it more understandable but below is what I ended up with...I think Odin is angry about bigots 🤔

Odin the One-Eyed,

The wisest of wise,

Knowing all that his ravens had spied,

And hearing the fear in his followers cries,

Went to Midgard to wander as a beggar disguised,

And was scorned, spit on, and abused by the lies,

Of those who'd forgotten it was for all he had died,

He's returned now to his realm in the skies,

To counsel his followers on how we'll survive,

In the upcoming fight for our lives,

To regain the rights we're being deprived,

Hear the horns resounding to summon allies,

For gender and race you won't be denied,

And we shall strike fear with our mighty war cries,

Into the hearts of those who wish to divide,

And all of the evil plans they devise,

And the paragon of hate that they have deified,

Shall crumble before their very eyes.

[paganravennest]

Have a blessed Earth Day!

Gaia, whose body is the land,

The mother of all, upon whom we stand,

Her bane and her boon, are not ours to command,

All hail the Great Mother Gaia!

[paganravennest]

I'm really feeling spring today! So these 2 found their way in as part of my daily devotional recitations:

Persephone is the spring maiden,

Bringing flowers to forest, field, and fen,

To celebrate winter woes end,

All hail the Great Goddess Persephone!

Dionysus is the God of Wine,

Of life and death of the vine,

Rebirth through death by design,

All hail the Great God Dionysus!

[paganravennest]

I think to the best of our abilities we should try to keep our witchcraft sustainable and ethical.