#brainscan zines

[spiralhouseshop]

It's the season of the witch and until the end of October I'm offering Brainscan issues 33 & 34 by Alex Wrekk at a price where it will be about $10 including postage anywhere in the US! In these two zines Alex explores over a decade of building a secular witchcraft practice.

Brainscan #33 - DIY Witchery invites you into a deeply personal journey through the world of witchcraft. Over the course of a decade, the author has explored and practiced witchcraft, and this zine shares their unique experiences. It's not a how-to guide, but rather an insightful personal narrative. The author delves into their journey into witchcraft, the development of their secular and non-pagan practice, and the distinctions between their approach and contemporary witchcraft. They also tackle critical issues within the modern pagan and witchcraft communities, including discussions on racism, cultural appropriation, colonialism, and capitalism, reflecting their intersectional politics. For those interested in venturing on their own path, the zine offers tips and resources.

"Brainscan #34 - A Dabbler's Week of DIY Witchery is a zine born out of a challenge sparked by a cntroversial witchcraft book review in January 2020. The review suggested that modern witches were anti-vaccine and climate change deniers, leading a witch to question what it really takes to explore witchcraft for a week. The author, an experienced witch, takes up the challenge and presents their response in this zine.

Within these pages, daily activities are proposed, designed to shift your perspective and introduce you to their personal world of witchcraft. Activities include space cleansing, simple energy exercises, correspondences, animism, and basic spells. All of this is presented in a friendly, non-authoritative tone, making it perfect for those curious about witchcraft.

https://portlandbuttonworks.com/secular-witchcraft-zine

[rustbeltjessie]

Selections from the UCLA Zine Collection // from Little Xeroxed Books: A Life in Zines (Kelby Vera)

I stumbled across this article the other day, and had to share this photo because I spy not only Cindy Crabb's Doris zine (one of my all-time faves), but also @alexwrekk's Brainscan, and This House is Not a Landmark, a split zine I wrote with Jesse Grease back in early 2015.

[emberintayson]

[upthewitchypunx]

I used ChatGPT to rewrite descriptions of my zines on my experiences in secular witchcraft and I'm still trying to figure out now I feel about it:

Brainscan #33

In Brainscan #33 DIY Witchery, I share my personal journey with witchcraft. I have been studying and practicing for over a decade and it has played a significant role in my personal growth. This zine is not a how-to guide, but rather a personal narrative of my experiences with witchcraft. I discuss how I became interested in it, how I developed my own secular and non-pagan practice, and the differences between my approach and contemporary witchcraft. I also address issues within modern pagan and witchcraft communities, such as racism, cultural appropriation, colonialism, and capitalism. My politics are intersectional and so is my witchcraft. I also provide tips and resources for those interested in exploring this path for themselves.

Brainscan #34

In January 2020, an article was published reviewing a witchcraft book in which the author attempted to become a witch in just one week. The article caused controversy by suggesting that modern witches are anti-vaccine and deny climate change. In response, a witch posed the question of what someone should actually do to dabble in witchcraft for a week. Some tumblr witches took up the challenge and I am sharing my answer in a zine.

In my zine, I propose daily activities that focus on changing your perspective and seeing the world in a new way. These activities include cleaning your space, practicing simple energy exercises, learning about correspondences and how they work, understanding animism, and trying a few simple spells. All of this is presented in a conversational and non-authoritative tone.

Discover the power of shifting your perspective and exploring the world of witchcraft through this week-long journey of DIY witchery.

If these sound interesting to you and you don't already have a copy, you can get copies at the @spiralhouseshop or going here to the shop directly.

[lazywitchling]

I’m so tired of arguing with witch books that I don’t jive with. So I’m taking a break and reading Brainscan 33 again, more thoroughly and taking notes this time.

Man, this truly is the gold standard to which I judge all witch books.

Like, I’m picking up your 200 page big-name-occult-publisher book and holding it up to the yardstick of a 63 page self published zine, and EVERYTHING FALLS SHORT.

[alexwrekk]

AH! Lauren D from Worriers made this list of influential zines and my zine Brainscan is on the list with all of these other awesome zines. Also, I really love their band and it’s so nice to when people who create art your like also like your art!

[deardiaryzinefest]

Tabler Spotlight!  Alex Wreckk ( Brainscan Zine, Stolen Sharpie Revolution, and PBW Zine Distro )

Name:  Brainscan Zine, Stolen Sharpie Revolution, and PBW Zine Distro

Location:  Portland, Oregon

Description of your zine/distro:  Brainscan zine is a personal zine I've been making since 1997 that meanders through life just like me. Topics have included: travel, love, adventure, emotional abuse recovery, growing up, moving on, reproductive health, secular witchcraft, and more!

Why you love perzines:  Because making perzines gives me/others an outlet to share our lives on our own terms. Reading perzines shows me glimpses into lives of people that may lead lives very different than mine and I can learn something new. Conversely, I can read perzines that reflect things in my own life causing me to feel less alone.

portlandbuttonworks.com

[antiquatedfuture]

Brainscan #33: DIY Witchery (An Exploration of Secular Witchcraft) 

The latest zine from Alex Wrekk.

[olympiazinefest]

Olympia Zine Fest 2017 Tabler Spotlights!

Name: Alex Wrekk / PBW Zine Distro Zines: Stolen Sharpie Revolution, Brainscan From: Portland, OR portlandbuttonworks.com

Alex is hosting the F.A.S.S.T. workshop on Saturday!

What is your favorite zine of the moment? No Gods. No Dungeon Masters.

What do you think of when you think of Olympia? Good friends

What’s your favorite zine hack? $50 copy cards at UPS store for 1,000 copies, Media Mail,  and always having friends to stay with while traveling and being able to offer that reciprocally. 

What are you gonna be for Halloween? no idea, but I'm gonna invite a bunch of witch friends over and eat some good food.

What motivates you to finish a zine? The Zine Muse

What is your weather prediction for this year's fest? Perfectly NW Autumn (damp, but not rainy)

What workshop are you the most stoked about? F.A.S.S.T. because it is always so fun!

[spiralhouseshop]

New zines in the catalog for Spiral House at Portland Button Works for October 16th, 2023!

As Above So Below Issue 1

As Above So Below Issue 2: Star Craft Wort Cunning

Grimoire Silvanus Issue 9

Behind The Zines #16: Zines Saved My Life (cover art by @alexwrekk)

(SALE!) Brainscan #33 & #34 DIY Witchery and Exploration of Secular Witchcraft (2 zine set $10 includes shipping in US)

Scavenged Rituals V1 N3 (limited amount of audio ritual vinyl record)

Quick note! We are headed on a quick trip out of town so all orders placed between 7AM Pacific on Tuesday October 17 and 7PM Thursday October 19 will go out Friday October 20th!

[emberintayson]

I’m loving reading Brainscans.

[upthewitchypunx]

6 or 7 years ago before I put out the DIY Witchery issue of Brainscan zine, I thought I was going to write more of a how-to witchcraft zine. That's not what the zine became.

I was cleaning up some stuff in my room and found a stack of notecards with random notes I started for the project to expand upon later. Here are some I just found.

[lazywitchling]

Jes' Collection of Witch Books

I said I would make this list, so here I am, making this list.

These are all the Witchy (and witchy-adjacent) books I own and/or have read. It's a long list, so it's going under a cut!

Key of Symbols:

📗 Read

📖 Reading

📚 Not Yet Read

Books that I own

📗 Rebel Witch by Kelly-Ann Maddox (Review)

📖 A Dabbler's Guide to Witchcraft by Fire Lyte

📚 Spellcrafting by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

📗 The House Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock (Review)

📗 Witchery by Juliet Diaz (Review)

📚 A Witch's Guide to Spellcraft by Althea Sebastiani

📚 All That is Sacred is Profaned by Rhyd Wildermuth (edit: nevermind, he's a transphobe now)

📚 Reclaiming Ourselves by Emma Kathryn

📚 In the Midnight Hour by Anthony Rella

📗 Weave the Liminal by Laura Tempest Zakroff (Review)

📚 Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways by Gemma Gary

📗 Grovedaughter Witchery by Bree NicGarran (@breelandwalker)

📗 The Sisters Grimmoire by Bree NicGarran (@breelandwalker)

📚 Witchcraft by Anastasia Greywolf or Tamsin Chamberlin (don't buy this one: here's why)

Books I read from the Library

📗 The Modern Witchcraft Spell Book by Skye Alexander (don't buy this one: here's why)

📗 Backwoods Witchcraft by Jake Richards

Zines and Pamphlets

📗 A Pagan Anti-Capitalist Primer

📗 Brainscan 33: DIY Witchery by Alex Wrekk (@upthewitchypunx)

📗 Brainscan 34: A Dabbler's Week of DIY Witchery by Alex Wrekk (@upthewitchypunx)

📗 Everyday Magic #1

📗 Everyday Magic #2

📗 Exploding the Tangerine by Clint Marsh & Oliver Bly

📗 Five Principles of Green Witchcraft by Asa West

📗 Hex Your Ex

📗 The Witchy Zinester's Pocket Book of Spells

📚 Twin Peaks Tarot Spreads

📚 Sow Sprout Grow Tarot Spreads

Charity Bundle E-Books

These all came as a bundle, so the quality will vary as it does with any bargain grab-bag. I'm not linking these unless I've read (or am reading) them because it takes a long time, and I have no idea if they're good or absolute shit. If you want to learn about these, you know how the internet works.

📚 City Magick by Christopher Penczak

📚 Consorting with Spirits by Jason Miller

📚 Herbal Magick by Gerina Dunwich

📚 Hex Twisting by Diana Rajchel

📚 Italian Folk Magic by Mary-Grace Fahrun

📚 Love Magic by Lilith Dorsey

📚 Magic When You Need It by Judika Illes

📚 Magickal Astrology by Skye Alexander

📚 Personal Magic by Marion Weinstein

📚 Plant Witchery by Juliet Diaz

📚 Positive Magic by Marion Weinstein

📗 Queering Your Craft by Cassandra Snow (Review)

📚 Reading the Runes by Kim Farnell

📚 Spellcrafting by Gerina Dunwich

📚 The Big Book of Tarot by Joan Bunning

📚 The Study of Witchcraft by Deborah Lipp

📚 The Witch's Eight Paths of Power by Lady Sable Aradia

📚 The Witch's Guide to Wands by Gypsey Elaine Teague

📚 True Magic by Draja Mickaharic

📚 Water Witchcraft by Annwyn Avalon

📚 Wicca Made Easy by Phyllis Curott

📚 Wishcraft by Sakura Fox

📚 Witch, Please by Victoria Maxwell

📚 Witchcraft Activism by David Salisbury

📚 Year of the Witch by Temperance Alden

[alexwrekk]

Wanted to check out Brainscan but didn't know where to start? Lost some copies of Brainscan back issues and wanted to get them again? Wanted to gift some one a bunch of copies of Brainscan? Then this is the thing for you! There is a very limited quantity of these! Alex Wrekk has been making the zine Brainscan since 1997 and here is a good selection of some of those zines.This is a collection of stuff made by Alex Wrekk: Brainscan Zine, Stolen Sharpie Revolution, some one shot zines, and a Copy Scams record. 20+ zines and other goodies! Over $50 worth of stuff Some of these zines will never be reprinted again! What will definitely be in each snack pack: Brainscan #19 Brainscan #21 Brainscan #22 Brainscan #23 Brainscan #24 Brainscan #25 Brainscan #25.5 Brainscan #26 Brainscan #27 Brainscan #28 Brainscan #29 Brainscan #30 Brainscan #31 Brainscan #33 Travelscan zine 3 different 1 page one day zines Getting to Know Someone Just Means Hearing About Their Exes zine I Never Thought The Story Of My Life Would Be a Legal Drama zine Stolen Sharpie Revolution: A DIY resource for zines and zine culture book Copy Scams 10" record with download code, zine, and sticker Plus! Stickers, buttons, patches, and other one off zines. On etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/745097730/brainscan-zine-snack-pack-20-zines-and And portlandbuttonworks.com https://portlandbuttonworks.com/brainscan-zine-snack-pack #brainscanzine #brainscan #zines #zinesofinstagram #fanzines #diy #zine #alexwrekk #stolensharpierevolution #zinestergram (at PBW Shop & Zine Distro) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5yCVTEh5uI/?igshid=lghgizwdfy13

[kabegamichu]

Thoughts on Brainscan 33

I say thoughts because I don't do reviews, they take too much time and revision that I am more than happy to just word vomit. I was hoping to take my time reading this but as someone who decided to start witching because I could, I couldn't really stop reading till I finished it. Brainscan 33 DIY Witchery has to be my favorite piece of literature(?) about witchcraft. I felt nostalgic reading this. I've always been interested in magic and witchcraft but in my younger years everything I ran into was love spells and Wicca when I wanted something else. I tried religion and it never worked for my younger self so I couldn't see my self following any religion and at one point gave up on witchcraft because of how closely everything I found was related to a sort of religion. It wasn't until I was reliving some awful memories that I turned to witchcraft because it seemed like the only thing that would give me control over my life and past. From there I started to find things that worked for me and found things that didn't. This zine puts the last two years I've been stumbling through witchcraft into words and gives me a sense of better understanding that I'm getting somewhere even if it feels like I'm all over the place. I don't want to spoil it for anyone waiting for it. But it's the zine I wish my younger 11 year old self would've had when she first took interest in witchcraft.

[witchofbonesandkeys]

So excited to read the new issue of Brainscan by @upthewitchypunx. I ordered the deluxe edition, and it came with all these lovely little witchy goodies!