#oracular work

[7serendipities]

Another Kind of Update for my Crow Folks

This month I have been sick and overwhelmed and battling severe fatigue, and when I went to see Na Morrigna, I asked – what would you have me to this month?  Can I just rest? No, not only rest. They wanted me to finally start a piece of devotional fiber craft, and to share a small, happy update.  One of my workshop proposals was accepted to the Morrigan’s Call Retreat 2024!  So it looks like I’ll…

[satyrmagos]

Devotional Image of Persephone

[ribbittrobbit]

[devouredbyflame]

Being so afraid of being wrong that you can’t move is actually the worst thing you could do for your practice.

You aren’t imposing on anyone.

You aren’t insulting the Gods. Arguably, you don’t actually know what would be considered insulting unless you’ve actually asked Them.

You’re not going to be beaten up and told you are the worst devotee ever.

You aren’t going to be told by any Deity you are morally imbalanced or impure.

The only thing the Gods are actually concerned with is the ability to get you to listen to Them which means peeling away layers and layers of trauma, biases, and patterns that take you away from Them. They would not forcibly remove you from Their attentions just because you wanted to try something new or do something that no one else is doing.

The ultimate goal of any Divine relationship for either side should always be to draw nearer to Them, not be pushed away because your discernment is inaccurate while you are learning.

[wytchoftheways]

The moon is full! So naturally some oracular workings will be happening after the sun goes down. First I must cleanse and feed my tools, specifically my crystal ball since I tend to only use it during the full moon (for whatever reason) then its time for some divination! 𖤐

💫🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕💫✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[3liza]

I'm reading Greek and Roman Necromancy by Daniel Ogden and once again encountered the trope of oracular locations and temples keeping snakes for various ritual purposes and "feeding them" on a kind of honey cake, which as far as I know would not be interesting whatsoever to a snake and even if a snake ate a baked good it would probably have trouble digesting it (I assume). so I was mulling this over, and naturally Ogden doesn't address it, I've actually never read any writer on these subjects address the animal husbandry involved with ancient rituals, which is always frustrating , and it occurred to me that snakes wouldn't eat a Twinkie but rodents and insects absolutely would.

if your ritual snakes are just being kept in some sort of enclosure, especially something like a pit or a katabasis (the Greeks were really big on a Amigara Fault-type procedure where people would go into holes in the earth in various ways and then come out of the holes in various ways and during this process be understood to have visited the underworld or received a vision from an oracular ghost such as Trophonius, the mechanical details of the process aren't clear), you probably aren't directly observing them very often except for any part of the rituals that involve handling, during which the snakes wouldn't be eating anyway. but alone in their enclosures with a bunch of bakery snacks, the rodents and bugs could sneak out of hiding and get grabbed by the snakes.

also I imagine a lot of the smoke and mirrors of the staff at these temples involved managing the various sacred animals somewhat like a petting zoo or a feeder goldfish tank at PetSmart, and just disappearing any of them that died so the clients wouldn't see them. it's likely the staff were cleaning, feeding, and taking care of the snakes at various locations and the dogs at the Asclepias temple and so on.

one has to imagine that most temple priesthood were probably just people who had gotten that particular job somehow, and not the ecstatic true believers that are depicted in every classicist romantic painting and most mythological or fictional imaginings of such places. of course there are tons of modern fiction books that imagine the same thing I do, I read The Jaguar Princess by Clare Bell when I was about 13 and loved the plain and practical descriptions of Aztec temple life, the process of creating art, and the anatomical approach to the idea of a were-jaguar (i have no idea if this book stands up, probably not), I think it permanently contextualized my thinking about ancient ritual as practical and pedestrian for the people who worked in that field. it's fun to imagine the blood-soaked ancient temples in any part of the history of humanity being as ho-hum as an Anglican church service, but they probably were for most people.

[theic-manic]

Tarot Hellenic Deity Communication Post that should probably be a book someday.

Hello, Feeling inspired by some other posts about Deity identification via tarot I wanted to tweak their ideas and add some additional strategies that help me. This is a devotional post to two of my patron Gods, Lord Apollon and Lord Hermes, who are assisting me with my Oracular duties. Praise Apollo and Hermes.

Post index:

My Background

Some notes about this post

The Major Arcana: Intro

The Major Arcana Deities

The Minor Arcana Part 1: How to incorporate the Minor Arcana

The Minor Arcana Part 2: The Suits

The Minor Arcana: Part 3: The Courts Pentacles Swords Wands Cups

The Minor Arcana part 4: Notable Pip Cards

A Note on Gender

A Note on Symbolism

What the Hermes? (important!)

Deity Communication troubleshooting

How to incorporate Shufflemancy as a Tarot reading clarifier (link to another post)

Notable sources (used in addition to my own knowledge & research) My background: I started Tarot at the age of 11 (2001) and own dozens of different tarot and oracle decks, my exposure to various interpretations over almost 2.5 decades has allowed me to appreciate the nuances in interpretations and even assigned deities. As such, while I do know the broader meanings of each card, I also check the interpretation provided by various deck creators as their own divine guidance adds to my work. E.g. The Tower in my Murder of Crows deck has a very different vibe to The Tower in my Gold Lyre tarot deck. I will be covering deck design nuance after the list of card deities. Some notes about this post: Firstly: I will only be listing Hellenic deities as I currently work with the Hellenic Gods and while I have worked with the Kemetic Gods briefly, I have a distant while cordial relationship with them. I had worked with the Norse Gods for 3-4 years prior to moving to my current locale, however I acknowledge that my time with them has passed (at least for now) and I want to limit this to one pantheon. Secondly: In some of the other posts that assign deities to tarot cards, I found it odd that they would assign say, Freyja to some cards but not Aphrodite, arguably Freyja's Greek counterpart. As such, I will be taking care to check that I don't miss any deities due to these overlaps however this means that some deities will be gaining more cards than typically assigned. Note that some of the Gods of other pantheons have multiple equivalents in the Hellenic Pantheon so in the case that occurs, I will do my best to select whichever one already has their Hellenic equivalent listed by other sources and in cases that hasn't occurred, I will select/assign whichever Hellenic God/s best fit the card.

Thirdly: I won't be assigning deities to each of the numbered minor arcana for a couple of reasons; 1. Not all decks have imagery for these cards except for literal pentacles, wands, swords or cups images 2. While I prefer the Rider-Waite approach to providing story images to these minor cards, said images can be distracting to one's intuition or may add to the confusion. However I will explain how to incorporate these cards into your readings to gain clarity, especially if you draw Major Arcana that can be assigned to a couple of potential deities.

Finally: I will be adding the concept of Shufflemancy at the very bottom. This is optional but I find that it can really add to a reading... however as an Apollo and Hermes devotee I am a tad biased.

If you find this post to be useful please share it so that others may find it.

The Tarot Cards:

Major Arcana

The Fool: Pan, Hermes, Dionysus, Apollo, Morpheus

The Magician: Hermes, Apollo, Empusai

The High Priestess: Hekate, Selene, Artemis, Persephone, Aphrodite, Medusa, Melinoe, Lamia, Empusai

The Empress: Aphrodite, Hera, Demeter, Lamia, Empusai The Emperor: Zeus, Ares, Hades, Apollo

The Hierophant: Apollo, Athena, Hermes

The Lovers: Aphrodite & Ares, Eros & Psyche, Dionysus, Pan, Hades & Persephone, Lamia, Empusai The Chariot: Helios, Apollo, Hermes, Ares, Nike, Athena, Lamia Strength: Athena, Artemis, Medusa The Hermit: Kronos, Prometheus, The Muses*, Hades, Hermes, Hekate * The Muses appearing may also be a more subtle Apollo sign, use surrounding cards to guide your interpretation here. Wheel of Fortune: The Moirai*, Zeus, Hermes, Tyche, Morpheus * The Moirai are the triplet daughters of Kronos & Nyx or Zeus & Themis depending on which lore you refer to. They were also on friendly terms with Apollo and worshipped with Apollo at a number of shrines & temples. As such, please check surrounding cards carefully to determine which Hellenic deity/ies this acts as a confirmation card for. I would not rely on this card alone to confirm a deity's presence. Also pay attention to card imagery & any notes from the deck creator in the accompanying booklet if applicable.

Justice: Zeus, Athena, Themis

The Hanged Man: Artemis, Prometheus, Demeter, Poseidon, Hermes, Morpheus

Death: Persephone, Thanatos, Hades, Hekate, Melinoe, Lamia, Empusai

Temperance: Artemis, Iris, Apollo, Hades.

The Devil: Dionysus, Pan, Ares,

The Tower: Ares, Demeter, Eris, Perses.

The Star: Aphrodite, Hermes, Nyx, Astrea

The Moon: Artemis, Hekate, Selene, Morpheus. Medusa, Melinoe, Lamia, Empusai

The Sun: Apollo, Helios, Brigid, Eos

Judgement: Persephone, Hades, Hephaestus, Metatron, Nemisis

The World: Hermes, Nike, Gaia, Kronos, Athena, Demeter, Arachne

The Minor Arcana:

Intro:

As mentioned at the beginning, I won't be assigning deities to every single minor arcana card however I will be assigning deities to the suits, court cards & a few notable numbered cards to assist with deity identification.

Part 1: The Suits

Wands: Ares, Apollo, Eros, Hermes*

Swords: Ares, Athena, Hades, Athena, Hermes* , Poseidon*

Pentacles: Gaia, Demeter, Hephaestus, Athena

Cups: Aphrodite, Hermes* *Refer to Part 2b

Part 2a: The Courts Pentacles:

Pages: Pan, The Muses, Apollo Knights: Athena, Artemis, Demeter Queens: Persephone. Gaia, Demeter Kings: Hades, Chiron, Pan Swords:

Pages: Athena, Nike, Arachne Knights: Athena, Hermes Queens: Hekate. Athena, Themis, Melinoe Kings: Hephaestus, Hermes

Wands:

Pages: Apollo, Artemis, Athena Knights: Apollo, Orpheus Queens: Aphrodite, Hestia Kings: Zeus, Ares, Apollo

Cups:

Pages: Aphrodite, Eros Knights: Aphrodite Queens: Hera Kings: Poseidon, Dionysus

Part 2b: Notable Pip cards (Ace-10) Certain Pip cards of the Minor Arcana have strong deity connections based on their traditional meanings. I will not be covering the meanings as there are enough books covering this.

Aces: Pentacles- Demeter, Gaia, Swords- Athena, Nike Wands- Pan, Aphrodite and/or Ares, Apollo Cups - Aphrodite, The Nesoi, Eros

9 of Pentacles: Persephone 10 of Pentacles: Hephaestus, Arachne

2 of Swords: Hekate 3 of Swords: Hermes 4 of Swords: Arachne 5 of Swords: Ares, Eris, Melinoe 7 of Swords: Hermes 8 of Swords: Athena, Eris, Arachne 10 of Swords: Poseidon

3 of Wands: Hermes 5 of Wands: Hephaestus 8 of Wands: Dionysus 10 of Wands: Hephaestus

2 of Cups: Hermes with the caduceus, this can also clarify a divine partnership (Hades & Persephone, Ares & Aphrodite etc.) 8 of Cups: Nereus, Melinoe 10 of cups: Nike

Part 3: How to incorporate the minor Arcana

Whenever I am reaching out to deities via Tarot I do this in two stages. Stage 1: Deity identification Stage 2: What they want me to know (this is when a structured spread would be appropriate or simply apply traditional interpretations to the cards). Stage 1: With Deity identification stage I am purely interested in identifying who is in my room/orbit/astral right now but as you likely picked up in the Major Arcana list, many deities share cards and this can become confusing, especially if you draw cards that share the same gods. Solution: Look at the minor Arcana cards and which deities they align with to clarify which God is likely reaching out to you either via direct correspondence or relationship. Examples: 1. Sometimes I will draw Major arcana that are typically associated with Hermes & Apollo (makes sense as they're my patron gods) however if I also draw some wands* then I will typically sense that it is more Apollo that is reaching out whereas if swords pop out, or the 2 of cups, then I am getting a Hermes vibe. (*8 of wands is the one wands card I'd assign to Hermes due to its meaning) 2. If I draw some cards assigned to Ares and another God but draw some cups minor Arcana, I will then lean towards this being Ares as cups are associated with Aphrodite. I then consider how the minor arcana + Major Arcana identifiers act as Deity aspect (or vibe) identifiers. E.g. Ares Major Arcana + Cups cards will likely indicate to me that I am getting Ares' softer side. However if I get Ares + Swords, then I am likely being shown his more traditional warlike nature. If I draw Wands cards, then this is typically aligning with some more passionate energy from Ares. And this is when I gather the cards, reshuffle and commence stage 2 where I am seeking what message/s the identified God/s would like me to know. Even when I draw Major arcana in these readings, I will stick to their traditional interpretations rather than deity correspondences. This assists in me receiving a clearer message.

A Note on Gender:

If you are using a gender themed deck (e.g. a Goddess tarot deck) this may make deity identification more challenging for you as you could potentially mistake the identify of a deity depending on the style of the deck. If however you are confident with interpreting tarot or just work with goddesses or gods, that's cool too. Deities sometimes may appear as a gender not typically assigned to them as they find this is an easier way for you to connect with them.

Pages & Knights are gender neutral, so take their pictorial representation with a grain of salt if that helps.

A note on Symbolism: Some decks may have symbols to help you better discern which deity is reaching out, especially with cards that share numerous gods so please pay attention to the illustrations of the major arcana in addition to the clarifying minor arcana cards. Certain themed decks may make this easier or more difficult however if like me you own many tarot decks then the deck you feel called to use is a sign in itself. E.g. Whenever I feel drawn to my Golden Lyre deck, I know that Apollo and Hermes are going to show up (& they do). If I feel drawn to my Vlad the Dracula, Diablo or another "dark" deck, this to me has Ares energy. Ultimately, much of this depends on your connection with the divine, how you best communicate (e.g. which clair-sense is strongest for you), your physical & mental health and ongoing practice with the Gods and honing your intuition.

What the Hermes?! Hermes wanted me to mention that if you see a lot of his cards (you likely noticed that he is associated with many tarot cards) this means either a) your deity has an urgent message that they need him to deliver to you, b) the deity reaching out does not have very good history with one of your patron gods so he is delivering their message to keep the peace or c) the deity is just not good at communicating via tarot (see below)

Deity communication troubleshooting:

The cards are a real mixed bag and/or nothing makes sense: You might be tired, hungry, dehydrated or just not ready to receive messages.

Some Gods take longer than others to "talk": Oracular deities and deities with a decent history with Oracles & the likes are very vocal through tarot for me whereas other deities aren't very good at communicating through tarot & perhaps another method would be best such as Shufflemancy, meditation, tea leaves, automatic writing or a range of other methods. E.g. Ares takes a while to talk to me through tarot and that's often because 1. Apollo is very loud & Ares likes to... give him space and 2. There appear to be some stories of Ares potentially having poor experiences with oracles, e.g. an Oracle allegedly directing the people of various places in southern Asia Minor or the likes to bind Ares' statue in chains and even an annual rite involving this to force him into being more peaceful...  The oracle promises that "thus will he become a peaceful deity for you, once he has driven the enemy horde far from your country, and he will give rise to prosperity much prayed for." Wikipedia I'll admit my ignorance with much of Greek mythology however upon learning more about Ares' history with Apollo and certain Oracle cults I have learned to be more understanding of him taking longer to communicate this way. Even writing this & feeling my back hurt I can sense Ares' disapproval of Hermes & Apollo guiding me to write this post.

How to incorporate Shufflemancy as a Tarot reading clarifier:

Notable sources (used in addition to my own knowledge & research): https://backyardbanshee.com/tarot/deities-associated-with-tarot-cards/

Updates made July 14 2024:

I have started to add the lesser-known deities such as Medua, Lamia, Empusai, Arachne and Melinoe and will slowly add the others. Please comment or DM any Hellenic deity or spirit requests to be added.

[azure-cherie]

Asteroid Kaali 4227

Mythology:

Also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika (Sanskrit: कालिका), is a Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism.[1] In this tradition, she is considered as a ferocious form of goddess Mahadevi, the supreme of all powers, or the ultimate reality. She is the first of the ten Mahavidyas in the Hindu tantric tradition.She is regarded as the ultimate manifestation of Shakti, the primordial cosmic energy, and the mother of all living beings. The goddess is stated to destroy evil in order to protect the innocent. Over time, Kali has been worshipped by devotional movements and Tàntric sects variously as the Divine Mother, Mother of the Universe, Principal energy Adi Shakti .She is also seen as the divine protector and the one who bestows moksha, or liberation.

As per my interpretation the placement of asteroid kaali in someone's chart is somewhere they are blessed with divine power to put efforts and change things, the placement of ultimate power , somewhere they can start their tantra /spiritual practices with , place where they can attain moksha, where Kali protects .

Placements:

First house/Aries

You have the principle power over yourself you know yourself and your motives and you know how to use your own inner energy to cultivate change within yourself and with others, your attainment of spirituality in this lifetime would be through yourself, through working on your body , observing others etc. You are protected by Kali when it comes to wounds and physical ailments, she would be helpful for you to receive guidence in matters of self confidence and growth , in becoming your best self , she could be a guide to your dark feminine aspects.

Second house/Taurus

When it comes to your attainment of power it comes through sense of possession , buying things , mostly things which match your aesthetic value , you have the power to make a lot for yourself if you choose to step into it , your power comes from your stable subtle beauty and eye for it , your spiritual practices can begin with a fair ground to improve your allure , glamour magick or enchantment, you will be protected in your finances .

Third house / Gemini

Your voice is your awakening, your opinions your weapons , you are the trigger, your power lies in accepting your voice , using it for the good , you could also use manipulation for getting things you want , your affirmations and mantras could be your initiation to your practices, you can even receive mantras in dreams if you wish to , you could have oracular abilities as well.

Fourth house/ Cancer

Your sense of security is your foundation, you're the embodiment of the mother type in triple goddess symbolism, you're fertility in full bloom , your power lies in protection , birthing of new ideas , creativity, your power sterns from love , you could do protection magic as well as magic that involves feeling your sexual energy, as well as moon magic . Take a note of your energy on full moon.

Fifth house / Leo

This gives very much "The love witch " vibe, your transformation is through love your transcendence is through love , with young love in your heart and forever in your mind you can create the life that you want , you could be blessed with great deal of manifestation, since Kali protects this area for you , you will be ripped off from any wrong person in love , and eventually the right person will come into your life . You're esoteric, you could start with channeling your daimon however be careful.

Sixth house/ Virgo

Healing is something that you can do , not just for yourself but for everyone around you , in the physical realm as well , you know the people say so and so doctor has magic within them they cured someone no one else could , that kind of magic , you can choose to heal people and yourself, starting with reiki and small healing spells , making potions as well . Regardless of the good side you have the thing about inflicting pain and vodoo as well , but do it to the bad people who deserve the pain .

Seventh house /Libra

Your power lies in relationships that you make , you derive so much love and support from them that it helps you in your practices as well , your vivid imagination as well helps you get so many things , your partner could be source of magic , you can do spiritual things together and based on the foundation of counterpart energy you guys can grow together . Kali will protect the relationship that is right for you.

Eighth house / Scorpio

You're the embodiment of transformation true form of dark feminine, you derive power from sexual practices, from changes from the things that kill you , you make them their power, sex magic could be a great option for you . Kali will protect you in areas of your transformation, whenever you are brought down remember you will definitely rise above greater

Ninth house / Saggitarius

Wisdom and education are so important for you to get the power that you deserve, you're intelligent and mindful and that will lead to you getting the most in life , you could be a guru , you could do great in philosophical fields. You can write sacred literature and esoteric books , your knowledge is sacred and will be protected

Tenth house/ Capricorn

You're methodical and know how to do things the right way that is your greatest power , you will hardly fuck up anything because you are so into working hard and making things perfect, with great connections you will lead an easy pathway to success. You will be granted ample strength in doing what you put your heart to.

Eleventh house / Aquarius

This placement very much reminds me of the origin of Kali , please read on it for greater information, the point where she goes on destroying the evil around her , you guys will be blessed by Kali to maintain yourself even in the times of extreme chaos, she will look after, you have a very great power to change things through rightful violence, violence works for you , use it wisely tho.

Twelfth house/ Pisces

Your power is your strong almost blurring intuition, visions , you know so much but do you tell them enough, if you pray to Kali and wish for her to come visit you in her dreams she will , she will guide through the spiritual part in your life , worshipping her will be life changing in subconscious ways , even i cannot explain.

Thank you so much for reading i hope this helped take care love love .

[archersarrow-tarot]

✨Reasons For Tarot✨

I have done similar previous posts regarding this same type of information, but I like to redo it from time to time - each time with a few adjustments.🪴🪴

A new perspective on a situation

Seeing into the past

Understanding the present

Guiding the future

Aid in decision-making

Seeing choices available to you

Problem solving

Gain knowledge of ancestors

See into past lives

Self-reflection

Dream interpretation

Clarifying goals

Helps develop and strengthen psychic abilities

Journaling

Story-telling: help create plots, characters, and stories.

A tool that can be used in rituals

Working with energies

Finding your true path

Discover hidden parts of yourself

A oracular tool

[windvexer]

different anon but would you be willing to give an example of two herbs that have the same abilities but provide different results? idk why i just can't like imagine what that would be like 😭 no worries if you're not willing, thank you if you are!

Hi! We are in reference to this ask.

My take on this is that we gotta ask ourselves WHY an herb has a certain correspondence.

WHY is spicy red pepper so good at banishing? I mean there are lots of ways we can explore correspondences, and lots of frameworks we can use to find these answers - but a popular reasoning we can apply is that capsaicin, the chemicals that make peppers so spicy, is a defense mechanism of the plant to burn and irritate many animals that want to eat its fruit.

Capsaicin creates discomfort, burning, irritation, distress, and even outright mindboggling pain when it's interacted with.

This is one justification for why it's such a good banishing agent - it causes active distress and pain to its target until the target chooses to leave, or is literally forced out by the snapping, biting hounds made of dripping, crystalline fire, conjured by the Witch and set loose upon the target.

So spicy red pepper banishes because if you're staying, you're getting burned.

Another banishing plant is bay laurel.

Bay Laurel is very closely associated with the Sun, Apollo, divinity, wishes, and oracular power. As opposed to spicy red peppers, it doesn't have irritating properties. But I find bay laurel to be an immensely powerful banisher.

I personally find bay laurel to be a powerful banisher because of its close connection with the sun and the celestial realms. When a Witch works over bay laurel, these virtues can be evoked to drive away shadowy and chthonic powers.

I don't experience bay laurel manifesting in a manner similar to fiery hounds. I find it to be like someone turned on a very, very bright invisible light - a light so bright that all shadows disappear, a light blessed with very celestial virtues. In the face of this high power, it's very difficult for incompatible presences to stay in the same area. It's not like screaming bloody murder and chasing after the target with an axe - it's more like the most revered magistrate just stepped into the room, and everyone stops talking and cleans up their act real fast.

Practically speaking, how is there a difference in manifestation? The following is completely hypothetical and I'm not speaking about any particular personal experiences:

I'm imagining I've got an unwanted houseguest that (due to Social Reasons) I can't ask to leave, but I want them gone. Which agent has a better chance of getting them to leave - an attack dog made of fire, or a celestial, far-seeing magistrate?

I personally might suspect that bay laurel is going to have a much better chance of banishing that houseguest's unwanted behavior (as opposed to getting them out of the door that very day) and putting them on track to making new plans and leaving ASAP. This manifestation might be less explosive, and fix ongoing problems, but it might also result in the houseguest staying for a longer period of time while they make new arrangements.

Bay laurel may also assist in banishing by causing people involved to have sudden insight into the reality of the situation, providing clarity, and helping people see the inevitable unwanted results of the houseguest continuing to stay. Perhaps bay laurel will banish by providing insight into new, helpful, and better housing circumstances for the guest. Perhaps it will also function to maintain order, clarity, and order within the household while these arrangements are put in order.

On the other hand, when people are being terrorized by invisible bitey fire dogs, they can experience a sudden onset of stress that makes them want to immediately get up and leave, like now - even if they don't have any other plans for where to stay. Bitey fire dogs might make that person get out of my house real quick, but this movement could be due to sudden intense upset, a blowout with family members, their behavior getting worse resulting in them being thrown out, or a temper tantrum or meltdown where they realize they've got to leave and make their exit post-haste.

Or, perhaps they could experience a feeling that they're completely unwanted in the house and it really, really irritates them to stay. Which, if I already couldn't kick them out due to Social Reasons, might bite me in the ass - maybe they're going to complain to family members that I was a shitty, unwelcoming host, and it tends up just as badly for me on a social level as if I kicked that person out.

Both of these plants can banish. To me, at least, they do not provide the same results.

[thespicemustflowgirls]

their flesh was subject to space and time. and even though their oracular powers placed them beyond the usual limits of time and space, they came from human stock. they experienced real events which left real traces upon a real universe. to understand them, it must be seen that their catastrophe was the catastrophe of all mankind. this work is dedicated, then, not to muad'dib or his sister, but to their heirs -- to all of us.

[7serendipities]

Crow Folks: Tend to Your Vessel

This month, on an intuitive feeling, I drew ogham to ask what I should bring with me when I went to seek Na Morrigna around their Cauldron. I pulled Ailm, and so when I journeyed there I brought with me a pine sprig. What next followed unfolded a bit like a fable, a simple story with a deeper, metaphorical meaning and a moral, instruction in proper behaviour.

- - -

Na Morrigna turned my pine sprig into a spoon, and with that spoon They instructed me to stir the liquid in the great cauldron, clockwise around, a total of nine times. By the time I had finished, the liquid was a swift whirlpool, a vortex through which the bottom of the cauldron could be seen, just barely. One of the Sisters pointed, and I bent down, to look more closely. There was a tiny crack, a hairline fracture, in the base of the cauldron, and as I watched, the force of the whirlpool strained the cauldron, and the crack began to widen, and the liquid began to flow out so that the bottom was no longer visible, and then with a loud crack, the bottom broke in two and all the rest of the liquid was quickly absorbed by the land beneath, gone and leaving no trace. What a disaster came of such a small thing! “Protect your foundations.” They told me. “Tend to your vessel. But when it breaks…” I looked to Na Morrigna as They went silent again, wondering what They would have me do next. Instead, They each took their walking stick or spear and pounded the broken vessel with those, to break the cauldron further, into small pieces of rubble. When that was done They set down their sticks and raised their hands, using sorcery, and reduced the rubble to dust. As the dust settled, I reflected that it seemed like it had more potential this way than it had as rubble, and that was strange to me but also right, because this was more completely destroyed. Then each Sister took up a new task: One poured water on the dust to hydrate the clay, One shaped the clay with her hands into a new pot, and One piled wood around the new cauldron that was taking shape, taller than it was tall, and in a wide ring, surrounding it. When their work was complete, They all three took up a place around the wood ring, and bent to strike a fire, so that it might catch from all sides. The blaze began to fire the pot, and by the time it had burned down to coals, the new Cauldron was finished, and ready to once again be filled.

- - -

When it was finished, I was sent on my way with the memory of what I had seen, to share with my community. The experience reminded me in many ways of a dismemberment healing, a similarity that was somewhat underscored by their use of the word/concept “vessel”, as in the saying “you can’t pour from an empty vessel”, which means that we (the vessel) can’t help others if we don’t have enough energy for our own needs. I’ll leave the story as I saw it happen for you all to think about and interpret (and feel free to share any meaning you glean from it!) but my personal interpretation is along those lines: we need to take care of ourselves and our needs, in order to be able to do the Work that Na Morrigna are calling each of us to do. This time of the year, that can be really difficult for many of us - particularly those of us who have difficult family situations and many social obligations. But as that hairline fracture with the added stress of the whirlpool caused the whole cauldron to crack in two, so too can small issues in our own lives - when ignored for too long or stressed by difficult curcumstances - cause upheaval. The message, I think, is that sometimes more destruction can actually be fruitful at that point, if you can get back to a place of potential and open possibilities. It’s given me things to think about, for sure.

[hillbillyoracle]

New Zines - Just Dropped!

go date yourself

It's 40 half letter pages of my research, reflections, and experiments of dating myself over the last couple years. Topics range from getting to know different parts of yourself and self soothing to solo date nights and self touch. My hope is that it helps you establish a better relationship with yourself.

simple practice

It is 27 half letter sized pages describing my pagan practice that I've developed over the last 15 years. It includes advice for establishing your own as well was tips on how to keep the practice simple and meaningful. It covers topics ranging from spirit work and tarot to personal values and living out your practice in your day to day life.

the d6can oracle

This zine is 40 half letter sized pages and features a 3d6 oracular dice table designed for use in divination and personal reflection. Each 3d6 number generated corresponds with a short entry in the style of a fortune cookie paper.

Physical and digital copies are available in my etsy shop.

Patreon patrons have access digital copies per their membership.

[gaywizardemporium]

In the Wishverse, the Wishborn setting, wizard magic is categorized by function. There are eight major magical taxa represented by eight major Guilds:

Elementalism: the art of controlling nature itself - air, fire, water, wood, earth, and metal. The Association of Elementalists is really a dozen smaller Guilds in a united front.

Summoning: the art of beckoning spirits to your aid. The Coalition for the Summoning of Otherworldly Entities is similar several schools of magic working together.

Bardic casting: Expressive folk magic unified under the umbrella of Bardic working. The Society for Creative Spellcasting and Magical Self-Expression welcomes anyone whose magical expression is through a creative art.

Artificing: the art of physical spellcraft. The Guild of Artificers and Mystic Weavers makes magical items or embeds magic in physical things.

Necromancy: the art of speaking with the dead and mastery over memory. The Somber Order of Speakers with the Dead are all priests of Finality, the God of Death, and serve them personally.

Illusionism: crafters of beguilement and other spells that baffle the senses. One of the youngest major taxa, has a sudden swell of membership in The Sworn Kinship of the Beguiling Arts when there was a boom of children with an illusory affinity fifty years ago.

Potioning: the smallest of the major Guilds, but a major Guild no less. Potioning is a complex and difficult art, mastered only by the dedicated - but there are quite a few dedicated, as the membership of the Union of Arcane Chemists and Apothecaries attests.

Foresight: Future sight, clairvoyancy, prophesy and other oracular powers , the Seers membership only outranks the Potioners by the slimmest of margins. The Oracular Union of Foreseers and Clairvoyants supports anyone whose vision looks forward in time as well as ahead.

There are forty-eight recognized minor taxa, and countless others unrecognized by the Taxonomic Order. Wizards with uncategorized magic join the Freelancers Guild, if Guild life is for them, or must demonstrate a skill in one of the other taxa, so the wizard may serve them instead.

The Freelancers Guild has the membership to be counted as a major Guild, but has been barred from official entry on account of a philosophical disagreement among the highest wizard council: If the Taxonomic Order permits uncategorized magic, it would then no longer be taxonomic. But, is not the act of categorizing the uncategorized in and of itself taxonomic?

The subject is reopened for debate on the New Year and has since become a part of the festivities for the last fifteen years.

[devouredbyflame]

Common Misconceptions About Trance Possession

TW: this post speaks on themes of sexual assault, misogyny, and other themes that are connected to the way we do this work.

Disclaimer: This work is not recommended for those under the age of 24. It is not recommended especially for minors. Though it is good to learn about healthy dynamics, intimate relationships with the Divine should not be happening while the frontal lobe is still in development.

There are few places that speak on the rewards and benefits of possessory work, if any. Westernized opinions tend to affiliate possession with demons inhabiting humans and priests attempting to expunge them from the bodies of innocent people. Even the pagans who have started this work through various means like oracular seidr rites or possessory rites have often taken to the issue that we have no control, no say, and no benefit from doing this kind of work to sway people from not using it as a power trip.

We allow ourselves no freedom to show people that we aren’t doing it in a selfish way. But while trying to make sure people don’t abuse this situation by fear-mongering and twisting it to suit the narrative of the people showing this, we end up abusing ourselves in the process.

I have explained the nuance of trance possession before but I haven’t actually broken down the ways in which it can be beneficial and what kinds of relationships can come out of doing this work.

You can read the rest of this post here:

[stevelieber]

One of the weirdest things I ever did was spend a month with a friend secretly squatting in our old dorm without permission, a full year after graduation. My bud Scott Multer was painting a vampire comic book for a small publisher and he needed to go somewhere to knuckle down and work. He somehow got access to the house we’d lived in during our first year at school, and we road tripped hundreds of miles back there to get! shit! done!

We listened to a few cassettes over and over: Fishbone, Public Enemy, The Misfits. Scott painted vampires, quoting the dialogue at me in goofy voices as he worked his way through that giant stack of pages. I’d told all my commercial art clients I’d be unavailable, so I had no deadlines. I pencilled, inked, and lettered a comics story that my friend Jeff Lang had written. I read a translation of The Master and Margarita. And I made significant life-choices by flipping randomly through a dictionary of quotations I’d found on the sidewalk, interpreting the results like oracular prophecy. I was confused about almost everything and letting random wisdom leak out from the pages of a fifty year old book seemed like a good idea at the time.

At some point that summer, I did this oil sketch of my room there. This was all decades ago, and it still sort of feels like last week.