starling-coven

[starling-coven]

What are Affinities?

Affinities are one of those things that sounds simple until you step away from the core definition and look at the claims. So the short answer to this question is that an affinity is an inborn talent for particular magickal practices. A lot of people with affinities claim to have an affinity in skills like astral projection or seeing auras, being able to do these difficult, but learnable, skills from a very young age. And then you have people like those in my family.

My family is Christian, but loosely so. Some not so Christian ideas. They don't denounce the mystical and trust intuition with their lives. And there are a few stories about the Affinities of my family that don't align with common magick.

It started with my great great grandma, who was a medicine woman when my hometown was just a village. As the story goes a young man was hurt and bleeding to death in the town, and so a man was sent to retrieve my great great grandma. She lived away from the village and it was assumed the injured man was going to die before she could get there. When the messenger told her of the injured man she said "By the time you get back his blood will have stopped" and sure enough it had, and he was alive and well. My mother also claims that my grandmother can heal some skin conditions though sheer will, a claim my older brother agrees with.

Extraordinary claims like these get people into dangerous situations, because at this point magick isn't the subtle bending of energies. While maybe yes, it's possible these Affinities are just the same magick being used in unfamiliar ways, several of these claims are not only extrodinary, but can be dangerous. We've all seen tarot schems that don't use the right cards, palm readers that think the life line show how long you'll live, all to get people to give them money instead of giving it to experienced witches who will give you real readings. There are also people who create scams that endanger people's health because they don't understand magick or care more for money than human life. People think crystal healing will close wounds in seconds or days like movie magic, and others that think essential oils can cure cancer. And while when it's true, a magickaly fixed wound is nice, people need to remember extrodinary claims require extrodinary evidence, and not every affinity claim is true. Get your medicine first, then if you want to consult an affinity bearing witch after, there is nothing harmed but your money. Be cautious with your heath. This isn't something you should roll the dice on.

Final note: it should be of note that other affinities beyond common magic have been claimed, but if someone claims to be, say, a pyromancer, it likely isn't going to cause a problem like someone claiming to heal wounds through sheer will. I don't know if any of these atypical affinities should be trusted to be true or not, but when something important is on the line, take atypical Affinities with a grain of salt, if not setting your gut instinct to denial.

[starling-coven]

looking for pagan blogs!

looking for some more pagan/witchy blogs to follow, please reblog if you post about: 

witchcraft

paganism

greek pantheon/deities/worshipping, aesthetics also very welcome

other pantheons are welcome too!

tarot

adhd witch/devotee stuff i need fellow beans

honestly just anything semi like any of the things above  

as long as you’re not a terf/asshole/think you know better than others i’’ll be all ears

i’d love to be mutuals and make friends so it’d be amazing if you’d follow me <3 

[starling-coven]

Witches For Sudan 🇸🇩

(You do NOT have to be a witch to participate or even occult. Absolutely nyone is welcomed to join!)

Forget that love or money spell you had planned, I am making a plea to action from all witches/pagans/occult practitioners. This is my open letter to you:

On Sunday, June 16th, at sundown in your location light a candle for Sudan in the colors of red, green, white, or black. For those of you who cannot, say a simple prayer or do whatever you do. I don’t care what your action or specific intent is. Pray for their safety. That the word gets out. That the violence ends. For healing. Pray for one thing or all of it. To god, gods, universe, nature, energy, thin air, it doesn’t matter because the next part is just as important. Then I urge you to come to Tumblr &/or any social media and make a post about Sudan, use #witchesforsudan in the tags. This is how we will be seeing eachother. Feel free to repost on other websites! Just get the word out.

These people are facing atrocities in silence. This need goes beyond your aesthetic or blog theme. Reblog. Reblog. Reblog.

Please help me spread the word and get this out to as many people as possible! I dont know if it’ll help, but they can’t afford for us not to try.

And do not forget! Mark it in your calender, set alarm, do it right now!!!

[starling-coven]

What is Magick?

We've been told it doesn't exist since day 1, or at least year 8, but still we believe. So begs the question, what is Magick? To start, let's cover what magick is NOT.

1. Magick is not parlor tricks. When we go for a deck of cards, it's tarot, not playing cards. But this one probably not the one you were thinking of.

2. Magick is not magic. Once you make a wand you can't say "Avanakadabra" and kill somebody. Your charms don't glow, and nine times out of ten a unicorn isn't going to be caught off guard looking like a storybook picture in your back yard.

Now, what IS magick?

Listen to your favorite song, feel the pull on your heartstrings, or that joyus buzz in your head? Go do something that you've been struggling with, do you feel the helping force behind you? Go outside barefoot, feel the cool Earth beneath your feet really feel it feel the life in it. It's all subtle, kinda hard to spot. The subtle energy in things, that is Magick, and though often it goes unnoticed, it can be powerful.

A spell can be a lot of things, but in essence it is when energy is redirected by intent. Every prayer is a spell. You are directing the message of your prayer to whatever divinity you believe in. Sometimes we Barrow energy from elements, objects, gods, or animals to either further affirm a spell's intent [like roses in a love spell(don't do love spells kids)] or to charge the spell (like when the elements are called in a circle) or both at the same time. Spells that use any form of symbolisim are often referred to as rituals. Spells that are meant to harm are often referred to as curses.

But... How?!!

Well, there are lots of theories. Here is mine.

So, we live in a 3-D world. We see in 2 dimensions. Our sense of touch is several billion pinpoints of Sensory over a three dimensional surface. In theory there are an infinant number of dimensions. My thought is that there is a part of us and every other thing that is beyond this dimension that can infuence it. But that is one idea boiled down for easy reading. Got something to add or something to ask? Go on ahead, I'd love to hear it.

(ps I did not include affinities in this because that is another thing entirely)

[starling-coven]

What is Wicca?

Hello, Bront/Briar here. I figured, to start this off, I should do the basics. So, what is Wicca?

If you put 1000 wiccans in a room and asked each this question, you'd get 1000 different answers. But there are some things that you will find common in most answers.

1. The Rede

The wiccan rede is basically the wiccan Bible, it is the code of conduct for wiccans. There are two versions, the long rede, which goes like this :

Bide within the Law you must, in perfect Love and perfect Trust.

Live you must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give.

For tread the Circle thrice about to keep unwelcome spirits out.

To bind the spell well every time, let the spell be said in rhyme.

Light of eye and soft of touch, speak you little, listen much.

Honor the Old Ones in deed and name,

let love and light be our guides again.

Deosil go by the waxing moon, chanting out the joyful tune.

Widdershins go when the moon doth wane,

and the werewolf howls by the dread wolfsbane.

When the Lady's moon is new, kiss the hand to Her times two.

When the moon rides at Her peak then your heart's desire seek.

Heed the North winds mighty gale, lock the door and trim the sail.

When the Wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast.

When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss you on the mouth.

When the wind whispers from the West, all hearts will find peace and rest.

Nine woods in the Cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow.

Birch in the fire goes to represent what the Lady knows.

Oak in the forest towers with might, in the fire it brings the God's

insight. Rowan is a tree of power causing life and magick to flower.

Willows at the waterside stand ready to help us to the Summerland.

Hawthorn is burned to purify and to draw faerie to your eye.

Hazel-the tree of wisdom and learning adds its strength to the bright fire burning.

White are the flowers of Apple tree that brings us fruits of fertility.

Grapes grow upon the vine giving us both joy and wine.

Fir does mark the evergreen to represent immortality seen.

Elder is the Lady's tree burn it not or cursed you'll be.

Four times the Major Sabbats mark in the light and in the dark.

As the old year starts to wane the new begins, it's now Samhain.

When the time for Imbolc shows watch for flowers through the snows.

When the wheel begins to turn soon the Beltane fires will burn.

As the wheel turns to Lamas night power is brought to magick rite.

Four times the Minor Sabbats fall use the Sun to mark them all.

When the wheel has turned to Yule light the log the Horned One rules.

In the spring, when night equals day time for Ostara to come our way.

When the Sun has reached it's height time for Oak and Holly to fight.

Harvesting comes to one and all when the Autumn Equinox does fall.

Heed the flower, bush, and tree by the Lady blessed you'll be.

Where the rippling waters go cast a stone, the truth you'll know.

When you have and hold a need, harken not to others greed.

With a fool no season spend or be counted as his friend.

Merry Meet and Merry Part bright the cheeks and warm the heart.

Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and three times good.

When misfortune is enow wear the star upon your brow.

Be true in love this you must do unless your love is false to you.

These Eight words the Rede fulfill:

"An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will"

Much of this has to do with omens and spellwork, which is a topic worthy of its own post. You'll also find our list of sabbats (holidays) as well as the threefold law, which is similar to the idea of karma, if you harm someone you will be harmed three times worse, if you help someone you will be helped three times better. It also mentions the God and the Lady. These two come from the first religions, and all we know about them comes from ancient cave paintings. The modern Goddess and God are like yin and yang. The God is the sun and the Goddess is the moon, oposing ideas will be assigned to each. Though the definition of opposition, there isn't one that is good or one that is evil, even though the Goddess is often seen as the greater of the two powers. The God is often referred to as the Goddess's consort. It is because of these gods that many wiccan alters are divided into masculine and feminine sides. And at the end you have the core of this entire poem "An ye harm none do what ye will" which is exactly what it sounds like, don't hurt people.

The second version of the rede is the short rede which goes like this:

"An ye harm none do what ye will'

That's it. Very simple and easy to remember.

2. The rule of three

I know, this is part of the long rede, but hear me out. Even wiccans who follow the short rede or don't follow any form of the rede can believe in the rule of three. We're a very fluid bunch when crafting our personal docterines, and we are proud of that. We have a whole branch for wiccans who don't follow the rules of any other branch. But that's for another post.

3.Nature

We love it, it is our place of worship, yes, we know we are tree loving hippies and we don't care.

When we are outside we are close to our gods, that's all it really is. If a wiccan doesn't follow the God and the Goddess, chances are they follow some other set of gods that are hevily tied to nature. I've personally seen a lot of Heathanistic and Hellenistic wiccans, who are wiccans who follow the Norse Pantheon and the Greek Pantheon respectively.

4. Polytheisim

This means that we believe in more than one god, whether it's 2, 22, or 102.

These are the trends you'll see. In my personal opinion, a wiccan is a nature focused polytheist who recognizes the Wiccan Sabbats, but that is just my personal opinion. I'd like to hear yours. Go ahead and comment. Did I miss something? Get something dead wrong? Put the correction down there too. Did I say something confusing? Put your question down there, I'd love to help. Blessed be!