#spiritual practitioner

[4rimoire]

THE BASICS OF LEARNING MAGIC

If you want to learn magic but aren't sure where to start, this post will cover what I consider to be the basics of what you should research.

Eventually, most or all of these will be links to posts we make, this is still a work in progress!

Some of these things are considered essential, while others are more optional. I have put things fundamental for safety at the top of the list, as they should be researched first.

This list may be updated as I think of more to add, but I consider this a good starting point for now.

CLOSED PRACTICES

MAGIC SAFETY

UNDOING SPELLS

ENTITY AND DEITY ETIQUETTE

PROTECTION

BANISHING

CLEANSING

GROUNDING AND CENTERING

INTUITION

MANIFESTATION

MEDITATION

CHARGING

BINDING

SETTING INTENT

DIRECTING ENERGY

TYPES OF SPELLS

INGREDIENTS FOR SPELLS

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN SPELLS

SPELLCASTING

ALTARS

GRIMOIRES

BOOK OF SHADOWS

SHADOW WORK

DIVINATION

DEITIES AND PANTHEONS

SPIRITS AND ENTITIES

OFFERINGS

MAGICAL PATHS

CORRESPONDENCES

[moonhedgegarden]

[toomixedwitch]

SET YOUR WARDS? COOL NOW SET YOUR BOUNDARIES!!

Ahhhh, boundaries. The thing many people can’t set in both the spiritual and mundane sense. Well, first what IS a boundary?

What is a boundary?

A boundary is an expectation that you may have for someone else. It is a mutual agreement of what is okay and what isn’t. It’s giving and taking consent in a given circumstance. Boundaries are within all types of connections from friends to family to deity. It is important to have boundaries in all these connections to maintain comfort and understanding.

“Toomixedwitch how the fuck do I set boundaries?”

I’m so glad you asked. It all starts with communication. This goes for mundane and spiritual situations! You want to first outline what it is you want to have rules on. I think the biggest one I always suggest for deity work is “Privacy will always be respected.” You might find deity showing up in places that you’d rather they not… the bathroom for example. So to be able to say “hey can you leave?” Is a boundary that’s expected.

When making boundaries you can write them down in your book of shadows or on paper to help you refer back to them. I always recommend for the first month or so communicating with deity on a certain day or time to check up on boundaries and expectations. This can be surrounding offerings, formality, what the work you do together is, if deity can bring other entities/deities into the space (if you’re in training etc) and so on.

If working with a deity who is on the more chaotic side you may want to outline what they can and can’t do. Can deity affect/mess with/play with/talk to your pets or no? Can deity move the stuff in your room or no? Can deity almost burn your house down or not /hj

How do I maintain these boundaries?

As I say, communicate. Schedule a time and day where you use divination or meditation to go through the list again and see how things are going. Is there anything that needs changing or going into more detail over? Is there anything deity would like in return (if the boundary was related to offerings etc)

The biggest one in both spiritual and mundane connections is being able to say no. Obviously, deities and entities will almost always allow you to say no; you always have a choice and will never be scolded for it. But if it helps you, write it down. “I am able to say no”. Sometimes we need a rule that outright says we can. With that said it’s always important to:

Communicate your discomfort

If you aren’t comfortable or you are struggling you are always allowed to say. ALWAYS. “I’m finding this way of offering tricky at the moment. I am still wanting to give offerings to you and I am willing to do it another way. Do you have an alternative?” BOOM it’s called communication and it is necessary in deity work.

“I am struggling mentally and am very busy right now deity, as you know, but I still worship and devote to you completely. Could you guide me through this time as I lessen my prayer and active work? My hard work and perseverance will be devotion to you.”

If you’d like to continue reading about this subject:

https://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/pagan-leadership/what-are-boundaries.html

[freckledfortuneteller]

who wants to go find a stream to sit at and practice witchcraft with me?

[folkandbooks]

This might be a hot take, but as a former Buddhist I believe that “Karma” is a profusely misused word within the spiritual community. Karma and Dharma can’t exist on separate terms, and sometimes Karma can act as another person. That’s why I’m such an advocate for responsible cursing and hexing.

[thrashkink-coven]

Ritual Report: September 26-7th 2023

“Tried to invoke Azrael, met… Jesus?

Disclaimer: I am not Christian or a Jesus freak. This is VERY weird for me. Yeah I know this sounds crazy, I know I’m probably insane and schizophrenic and whatever yes yes skepticism skepticism upgs whatever whatever. I’m not trying to convince you of anything. As a follower of Lucifer, I am not the type to try and pull this card. Let’s fast forward.

These last few months I have had the extreme inclination to work with and invoke Archangel Azrael. I work very closely with a few other angels and spirits who have been continually encouraging me to seek out the Angel of Death.

Yesterday I tried invoking him for the first time. At first I felt nothing for a long time and I felt like I wasn’t really getting anywhere. It wasn’t until I felt a very… heavy feeling blanket me that I felt any kind of presence. I remember I was laying back in my couch, staring into his candle flame and repeatedly thinking about his name, his sigil, and his correspondences. In another astral journey a couple weeks prior I’d identified the entity as one I have been in close proximity to for years. He asked me then to summon him with a red candle and mugwort which I did during this ritual.

Azrael never spoke, but rather he simply produced understanding. I understood very suddenly that Azrael could not necessarily be invoked, he was something that had to be “becomed” and it was clear to me then that in order to understand him, I had to understand what death was and what death meant.

There then a deal of sorts was made. I remember calling out to the candle that if I could truly experience death without fleeing or cowering, that I would be worthy to witness the angel.

I then began to feel very nauseous and cold. I started to tremble in a feverish way and I remember laying back in my chair and considering the consequences of my hubris. I then experienced the removal of all things, perhaps this is ego death. I lost my body, I was transformed into something else. And as I lay there I remember forgetting what I was. I had no name, I was no longer a human. I was just. And I was also everything before everything knew what it was.

Then I began to understand “nothing”. Not nothing but “nothing”. Nothing to be or to remember or understand. I thought then that this must be Azrael, the lack of. Just ___. And I lay there forever and I was

However, it was then that I saw him and I couldn’t fully understand what it was that I was seeing. I remember it being a horrible, massive and overwhelming thing of many blinking eyes that consumed me entirely. I had nothing to retreat to, I was no longer able to be anything else. I then understood that Azrael is not “nothing” but rather he is very much a thing. He is the thing that is the force of transformation. I found him extremely beautiful.

Then finally, after what felt like millennia, I was me again, and I was at the centre of the universe. There sat a robed creature who would not let me see its face, sitting upon a blazing ball of white light. We were the largest and oldest star in the universe, speeding through the cosmos with the rest of the galaxy chasing behind us in an endless game of tag, trapped in our gravity. In front of us was pure nothingness, as we were moving too quickly for time and light to catch up to us. We were headed into nothing.

And i remember remarking that it felt like we were moving so fast, and Azrael “said” that perhaps we were not moving at all.

What we spoke about I cannot fully remember but I know that I asked him about my book. I am in the process of writing a book that is essentially about the relationship between death and god. I told him that one day I wanted to read it to him, and that I would like his assistance with it. I told him that it was only fair that he help me with my book, as I will eventually become apart of his. He found something about that humorous.

When I awoke fully in my body and self, I felt extremely lonely.

This morning, having not cleaned up the ritual, I tried to make contact again. Now I am deeply confused.

I made an astral leap very very easily, with more ease than I ever had with hardly a warm up or an exercise. I was on a beach, at a campfire created with the trunks of white trees.

There was a man sitting there with a banjo or some kind of small guitar. He had thick black hair- it didn’t go past his ears- and and brown skin. He had on a red and cream coloured robe and white linens. He had very welcoming brown eyes. His smile for whatever reason made me want to cry. He was very cheerful. Very kind.

He was singing towards the ocean. I could tell that he was human, and he greeted me like we were friends. I didn’t say anything, I was very confused. This has never happened.

He then offered me a bowl of rice, told me to remove my sandals (which I suddenly had) and asked me to sit with him. So I did, though I didn’t eat the rice. He gave me a wooden cup which I assume contained wine as there was a red liquid inside. I drank it, it was very sour.

He continued singing towards the water - in a language I could not understand- and towards the horizon I could see many “things” maybe angels, watching us from a distance. He concluded his song and a group of men, maybe 5 or 6 came from down the hills and greeted him. The hooped and hollered (like frat boys) and laughed and hugged him, kissed him, very excited to see him. He looked at me and asked if I knew how to play (the instrument) I said no. The men then disappeared all together, though I could hear their cheers fade out long after they were gone.

The man asked me if I was an angel, and I very confusedly said no, I am a human, are you an angel? He didn’t really answer, just took my hands and looked towards the sky.

I knew altogether who he was, or I guess, who I thought he was and I asked him if he was Jesus. He didn’t really respond then either, just smiled warmly.

I told him that I was a witch and a pagan, that I revered his father but that I will not be Christian. I asked if he hated the fact that I work often with Father Lucifer. He smiled at me, and put his head against mine. We were eye to eye. He told me that I am very complicated- and that all his friends are very very complicated.

He then told me that I spoke to death, I said yes, he asked why. I said I wish to know it as I would know an old friend.

It was only then that I had a “realization” looking at this man. Is this actually Jesus Christ of Nazareth? Really? Oh my? All the things I could ask, what an opportunity! Not being Christian myself I could be so objective, I could get the real truth. But then I started asking questions that you wouldn’t think to ask Jesus. I don’t really know why I asked these questions now that I look back on it. I could have asked him anything.

I asked him how it felt the first time he breathed air, what did he think of water the first time he touched it? What did the smell of smoke or the feelings of digestion feel like to a God made man?? What were his first feelings of life like?

He broke out into a laughter and started putting sand in my hands. It was terribly vivid. I could feel every grain of sand running across my skin. He said he was so overjoyed to be able to experience creation first hand. I said that’s what I do with magick even though it is blasphemous, to understand the gods and the natural ways of the world was like experiencing the beauty of living for the first time.

He said he understood that very well, that “even Lucifer is brilliant to behold when beheld. That’s undeniable, don’t you agree?” and I did. He then told me that Azrael is his good friend and is a friend to all those who love life. He asked me if I am wicked, and I said that I could not stand near him if I was. Noting this, he asked if I believed he was the son of God, and I said that I believed he was a good man, I know nothing beyond that.

I asked him if I should “read his book”, he said he doubts I’d find him there.

He was always cheerful and continued to sing. I just sat with him there as he sung over the ocean waves and the loneliness that Azrael had afflicted me with had lifted altogether. His voice wasn’t perfect but it was beautiful. He wasn’t perfect either, he had some crooked teeth and some blemishes on his skin. He was handsome but not in the way that angels are. His feet were ashy from the sand he spilled a little bit of rice on himself when he ate. I cannot get his smile out of my head.

I’m… conflicted. I don’t worship God and yet this man seemed less concerned with that. He admired my pursuit of Azrael even though I had done it in such an overtly pagan way. I did not pray to Yahweh to see this man that I believe was Jesus, and yet he appeared when I invoked the angel of death. He did not preach to me about the glory of God, he just sang, shared a drink with me and held my hand. He had no problem with me working with Lucifer, he had no problem with me being a witch. He loved- adored creation. He was unlike any angel, he was extremely human and we were friends.

I don’t know what to do with this.

[oorjayiiyoga]

Embrace the Harmony Within Yoga- The Soulful Dance of Cells, in Perfect Rhythm with the Breath. In this fast-paced world, finding serenity amidst the chaos is a precious gift. Yoga, the ancient art of mindfulness, offer this precious opportunity.

Check our Yoga Retreat!

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[nettleb]

I'm practicing animation eee

[ghostmistdraws]

Doing a shufflemancy reading and getting "Bitch, Bitch, Bitch" when you ask for clarification is so fucking funny.

[fratresdei]

Fratres Dei Spiritual Direction's newsletter is hot off the press! I promise it’s fun! Give ‘er a read for embodiment poetry, nonreligious thoughts on hope, and sweet deals for spiritual direction, bodywork, burnout care, head-heart connection meditation, and spiritual direction supervision. Check it out at the first link in the comments, and subscribe at the second link in the comments to get the goods sent straight to your inbox.

[4rimoire]

GROUNDING AND CENTERING

grounding in a spiritual sense is the practice of connecting to the environment around you and releasing unwanted energies. centering is the act of clearing your mind to focus on the task at hand.

you may feel "out of balance" and unable to concentrate sometimes, this can be a sign that you need to practice grounding and centering. below i will list some ways to practice spiritual grounding and centering, but feel free to come up with your own ways as well!

note that the correspondences listed at the end are my personal correspondences, you may have different ones and thats okay!

GROUNDING AND CENTERING WITH BREATH

breathe in and out slowly, focus on the way that it feels. visualize (or alternatively, if you cant visualize, just think of) the unwanted energies and thoughts leaving you with each breath out and the thoughts of the task at hand coming in with each breath in

GROUNDING AND CENTERING WITH MEDITATION

try meditating and clearing your mind of all unwanted thoughts, focusing fully on whatever you need to be focused on. focus on the environment around you. what do you hear? what do you smell? what do you see, if your eyes are open? if you have trouble with meditation, there are guided ones online

GROUNDING AND CENTERING WITH VISUALIZING

try visualizing (or thinking about if you cant visualize) all the unwanted energies leaving you and you connecting fully to the environment. you can do this in many ways, but a common way is to visualize ( / think of) breathing out the energy for the release and roots connecting you to the ground for the connection. visualize ( / think of) the wanted thoughts and energies coming in

CRYSTALS FOR GROUNDING AND CENTERING

hematite

black tourmaline

smoky quartz

red jasper

carnelian

malachite

obsidian

fluorite

[moonhedgegarden]

[thecronescupboard]

[psychopomp-recital]

Howdy folks! My asks are open!! If you have a question about death work, folk magic, my practice at all lmk! I also work as a costumer and actor in the horror / haunted house industry so lmk if you wanna ask about that. Or if you just wanna get to know me more! Lmk!

[folkandbooks]

I woke up at 3AM with someone banging on the door and the wind moaning haaard.

Damn, Samhain really did start.

[thrashkink-coven]

Third Eye Opening Techniques

Hi all,

This post is to document methods that I personally use to astral project and do magic of the sort. These things might not work for you. If you think that the information in this post is incorrect, I would love to discuss your methods. But please keep in mind that I am not a professional and I am just sharing the methods that have worked well for me. I just want to have something to link to every time someone asks me this lol.

Preparation

Ensure that you are somewhere comfortable. A familiar place that you can be still in for a long time. Ensure that your body is in a position that it can maintain for a long time.

If you have access to a bath, or you can be outside and lay with your body flat to the earth, it would may benefit you to utilize that space. If you have access to sand or a place where your body can be submerged with dirt, that would also be good.

THC and mushrooms can make this process easier. Use at your own discretion. I use other tools like sigils, scrying mirrors, bells, incense, crystals etc. in conjunction with these methods. Do what works for you. And of course, always use protection.

Safety

You body is your safety. At all points throughout this ritual, you should be able to return to your body. Maintain awareness of your body.

You can listen to music in some headphones. This will help you better recognize your inner environment. As you do, try to mentally step back from your exterior environment and reside in your head for a little bit. Close your eyes if you have to. Your mind is a space. Occupy it completely.

Hear the music and feel it bounce around your brain between your ears, within your skull.

While you’re in this place with the music, and looking into the darkness in your eyelids, feel yourself mentally step back. Focus on being close to yourself. Behind the tip of your nose, behind your cheeks, behind your eyes, until you’re sitting in a place right in the middle. This is your point 0. If you had no body at all, this is all that would remain of you.

If you work with deities this is a good place to invoke them from.

(Side note: If you’re trying to have better energy awareness and are trying to see energy on people and objects or just do energy work then do this without closing your eyes. The energy will often become easier to see with practice, this doesn’t require the full ascent. In this case you’re accessing your 1st consciousness that can observe energy and frequencies)

Find your centre of energy. It exists in your body somewhere. It may be in your head, it may be in your stomach, it may be in your chest. Wherever it is, focus on it and feel it. (My energy is in my stomach, so I lock your fingers together and rest my hands to my solar plexus.) What color is it? Does it burn hot or cold? Is it electric or combustive? Is it calm or energetic?

You are going to breathe, and as you do you are going to count up from one. With each full breath, pull your energy outwards from its centre, and feel it envelope your whole body. Imagine you’re fanning a fire, swelling larger and hotter with each deep breath.

It should completely absorb you. As it expands across your body, make note of the energy in each section of your body. Be hyper aware of every single part of your body. Your heart beat, the blood coursing through your veins. The vibration of your muscles, the acid in your stomach. The wax in your ears. **This is your body.** Solid and material. Flesh and bone. You are putting your body on energetic lockdown so it is not abandoned and vulnerable while you’re busy in the other plane. **Remember that this is your body.** If you end up going on a great journey in your astral plane, you don’t want to forget who you are.

Take it a step further, and allow your energy to fill the entire space or room that you are occupying. If you’re in the bath let your energy leak into the water. If you’re outside, feel your energy blend into the earth. As aware of you are of your body, be aware of your surroundings in 360 degrees. This is your space. Remember where it is.

How many breaths did it take you to get to this point? Remember that number. It usually takes me 7.

Methods

Now’s the hard part. I have two main methods.

1. ⁠⁠A point in space, (no particular destination. Practice) In a similar way to how you stepped back in the darkness of your eyelids and found your point 0, you are now going to move forward into the darkness. As you move into the darkness of your mind, literally continue to search outwards to a single point in the very centre of your (non)vision. Continue to travel forwards. As you do, You won’t notice it, but the music that you were listening to will begin to fade, and you will no longer really hear it. You are going to get to a point of almost being asleep, but not quite. You are in your body, but you are no longer here. You may start to feel like you’re floating, or sinking. You will lose your sense of direction and may even begin to feel like you are upside down.

Do not succumb to the jitters that come with this part. You may automatically get a primal fight or flight response, in a similar way to how you feel when you’re falling. Your brain may even react by jolting you out of it. This is the reflex that will make you fail 9/10. It gives you a very similar tingle as the you get when you think about the nothingness of death. Not being here anymore. You may start to feel movement, like waves or a rocking back-and-forth. You may see lights or see the darkness in your mind start to warp or shift around. This is the assent. Maintain and ride it. Let it carry you. Continue moving forward through it.

Where are you?

Start with your feet. Feel the ground around you. Where did you end up? Is it grass? Tile? Dirt? Is it cold or warm? Are you wearing shoes or are you barefoot?

Open your eyes, but of course you won’t really open your eyes, because you’re paralyzed. But you will see something.

You may see nature, you may be inside a building, that entirely depends on your astral journey. I often end up in the desert. You may see someone. You will have taken your body with you, and you will experience this world with as much vividness as the real world. You can smell the air, you can feel the wind. You can taste, and see. You can feel pain, so be careful. Explore this world.

If you have already astral projected or done something of the sorts before, then you may already have certain destinations in mind. While at your point 0, you may not be compelled to step forward into the darkness. Rather, you can focus on a specific demand that will lead you into the next plane. I like to repeat “I find myself on the other side”. As you repeat this demand, you will feel yourself fall into it. Remember yourself on the other side. Remember that you exist in all places, you just need to wake up there. As you open your eyes, you will begin to see that place in absolute vividness.

You are now in a parallel position to your familiar world. Your body and your familiar world is in front of you, the astral projected world is behind you (these directions are subjective, it may be your left and right or something of the sort). You are in the centre, aware of both, but putting your efforts into the astral world. You have two bodies, your host body, and your astral body. They are connected through your point 0.

How many deep breaths did it take you to completely envelop your body in your energy?

When you wish to return to your body, and break the trance, you will feel yourself return to your point 0. You will count backwards from this number, and feel yourself regain total connection with this world. Remember who you are, your name, your age, where you were born. Now take that many deep breaths again. Ensure that you have a secure grip on this world, no floatyness or strange motions. This is important. Not properly securing yourself can lead to astral bleeding.

You should have been aware of your body this entire time while it was dormant. Start from your toes again and move them slowly and proceed upwards. Feel the way the movement affects the world. Feel the air that blankets your body. Remember the weight of gravity. You are here.

This is probably pretty basic stuff to most people. Do you use a method similar to this? If you tried this out for the first time I’d love to hear your stories about your experience!

Thanks for reading. Blessings. 🖤🖤