#verified practitioners only

[athletenow]

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[windvexer]

Maybe this is a dumb baby question but, How do you know if a spell works? I’m investigating different practices and all the spells are like… focus, luck, etc, like things that are supposed to either influence my interior state or encourage certain events to occur. But I can’t help but think that if magic was “real” it could do things that are obvious or immediately observable. Have you ever done anything you think was undeniably magic? How did you know?

Not a dumb baby question.

It works if it works! And you can test this.

Broadly speaking we can divide all practical sorcery into two categories: verifiable and unverifiable.

It's really hard to know if an unverifiable spell works. E.g., a spell for focus could often be explainable by the placebo effect. (Or, this lovely Guardian Animal Shielding exercise, which is a fun and relaxing thing to do).

But a verifiable spell is something that you should be able to test and see if your magic did or didn't work.

A good way to find sources of verifiable magic in your life is to observe relatively stable patterns in your own life which have been going on for months, and then cast a spell to directly change it.

An example might be always getting a bad parking spot at work - and then trying to get a very good parking spot.

Either you get to work and have a great place to park even though the whole lot is normally full, or you don't. The spell worked, or it didn't.

Yes, I've worked magic that is obvious and immediately observable. I've worked so much of it and some of it is so miraculous that I don't talk about it publicly because practitioners have a lot of hangups about what kind of magic they think is allowed to exist.

But more importantly I think that while wanting magic to be real, and sorcery to work, are very valid, just chasing that realness alone is probably going to lead you to a path of misery. Here are some of my thoughts on this: On witchcraft as spirituality

Here are some random stories:

At one time there were many arguments in the household due to home renovations (stressful!). I cast a spell to cause one person in the household to be more mindful of the situation. I cast the spell and stepped outside of my practice space. That person was, surprisingly, in the yard and started asking me questions about the exact issue I had just cast on. We ended up having a very long conversation and after that the arguments stopped.

Some years ago the neighbor was causing horrible ruckus and giving my partner awful anxiety, as he could clearly hear it through the old, thin window. I found a bit of thread and "tied up" the neighbor's loud sounds into a knot, and weighted it down with a rock on the windowsill. At this time I wasn't living with my partner, so I came back some weeks later to see the knot. I thought I'd get rid of it, but when I moved the rock my partner stopped me.

"You know what's strange? After you put that there, the neighbor stopped being loud."

I looked at the disrupted rock, which was to "weigh down" the spell, and immediately the neighbor started yelling. I put the rock back, and about 30 minutes later he piped down again and stayed quiet.

Years later, after many calls to the police from many people in the neighborhood with no traction at all, I used the Justice tarot card in a spell and that neighbor was permanently removed from the home within a couple of weeks.

At one time, I was trying to do a distance energy reading for someone. But something was wrong; I couldn't see clearly. In fact it looked like they were consumed by a black void... then presently a lighter blue color was around the blackness, then white, then dark blue. It was no energy I was familiar with and I double-checked with the person that they had no magical protections to stop me from Seeing them.

"Oh, the only ward I didn't take down was my nazar." 🧿🧿🧿🧿

I have Very Silly Tendons, and in the morning I usually have a painful limp for several minutes until my foot stretches out. That is, of course, unless I remember to do a very simple energy exercise the night before. Then my foot is as loose and supple as a bowl of buttered noodles.

Once, I cast a spell using the planetary energies of Mercury in order to secure a good deal on a used van. I put in very specific requirements, and asked that if I tried to buy a van that didn't meet these requirements, that the elementals would stop me and not let the deal go through. Immediately after I cast the spell I found a van which was disqualified from the list, but I reallllly wanted it. I contacted the Craiglist seller, who didn't respond for a couple of days, but the listing stayed up.

The next morning my friend contacts me. She says she had a dream that yellow tornadoes came and told her to give me a message; that I was making a mistake.

Well if you know Mercury, then you know yellow airy energies are really his thing.

I immediately set up the spell again, retracted my requests, and apologized for going against what I said I wanted.

The seller contacted me within the hour, and I got the van.

[friend-crow]

hello! ive always been kind of an armchair practitioner, and ive recently had a not very good conjuring experience, and i dont know what to do?? I just wanted some advice in the sense of, a lot of people when they tell stories of conjurations and encountering spirits they speak of feeling a lot, and since i am a little bit more sensible towards energies i was thinking that i too would feel. i think?? it went alright bc in the end the candle wax formed a lion which was cute (the spirit is associated w griffins), i could feel a small energy shift and im having a headache now. but like. i cant explain?? i feel like this isnt enough to say that im not just making up a bunch of stuff, and what i felt was real and the candle wasnt just doing candle stuff 😭....i also asked something to the spirit, which for as far as i could tell they agreed to help me, but i have no idea if this was just in my mind, so if i knew if it didnt work i would try again, but i have no clue if everything went alright or not???? i think im overreacting but i wanted to ask someone who actually has experience....

First of all I just want to say that verifying spirits (or that you've even had a real interaction that wasn't just confirmation bias) is hard. So don't feel bad.

I'm not sure quite what you mean about it being a not very good experience. I'm guessing you're referring to the uncertainty involved, but if you think it might have been somehow unsafe, I'd suggest looking into banishing techniques (which honestly is just a good thing to know before you start trying to deal with spirits).

As for verification, it can be a slow process. One thing you can try is requesting information that you don't currently have, but which you can verify as factually true or false. This unfortunately isn't helpful if communication isn't really happening in a clear way (or at all).

I must inform you that I'm not the most experienced either. I've only gotten more into spirit work in the last couple years, and as previously mentioned, it's a slow process getting into it. I don't know that it's for everyone, but if you're interested in pursuing it, try not to be discouraged! It takes a lot of patience and practice.

I'm going to tag in @windvexer and @stagkingswife who are much more experienced in this area than I am, and might have more solid advice for you.

[laurasimonsdaughter]

Dear Magisowo,

Recently, I’ve had an infestation of pixies. They’ve been giving me problems beforehand, so I looked up how to deal with them. Someone recommended giving them oatmeal to appease them, so I did that. It worked for a while, but not only are they coming back expecting more, they’re getting more aggressive (yesterday, I saw threaten me with a thumbtack). What should I do now?

Hello,

Sorry to hear of your pixie predicament! As a general precaution we recommend wearing your outer layer of clothing (coat, jacket, shirt) inside out. This is a good basic ward against their magic and influence.

As to getting rid of them, however, that may be a more difficult task. If you wish to befriend them, leaving behind a bite of whatever you eat yourself is a greater gesture of respect than offering oatmeal or porridge. They also like music and can be very helpful to humans that they take a liking to, so we do recommend continuing your attempts to appease them first.

Banishing them from your home is possible, but you will need to contact an occult practitioner to do this safely. They will also need to verify what kind of pixies you are dealing with, because the Cornish piskie is a protected species and cannot be forcibly removed from its chosen habitat.

Best of luck!

~ the MagISoWo Team  

[paulgadzikowski]

When I arrived at the rest home to visit today Mom started complaining of a sore throat and a headache. I know it only started then because as soon as the nurse assistant heard it she went for the nurse, and as soon as the nurse heard it she went for a test swab; if Mom'd been complaining before that, they'd've reacted this way then.

Mom tested positive for COVID. I tested negative. No one else in the wing is testing positive, verified by new tests this afternoon. The nurse gave me a pack of four tests to take home with me. (I've been ordering tests from the post office every time they're offered and used hardly any, but I've lost track of which ones are the oldest and which are the freshest.)

Mom asked me to stop visiting till she tests negative again which I wrote down and posted for her bad memory days in all the usual reminder places. She asked me how long before they'll know whether she's going to die, and I had to tell her it's different for everyone. She asked me to update my siblings.

The nurse gave her Tylenol for the headache and sore throat, and an antiviral that the nurse practitioner suggested. Fortunately today I had brought updated pages for the answers binder with the revisions Mom has asked for in the time since I first brought it to her Tuesday, which I printed this afternoon at FedEx because the driver for my new printer won't install on my computers though the scanner driver does. I told the nurse I'm planning to test myself daily, for at least two days (the box of four tests the nurse gave me says use two tests if you're asymptomatic), and to check in on Mom with the nurses every other day, and to not need anything I can't get by delivery or drive through.

Lately I've been visiting Mom for a couple of hours a day five or so days a week, with an hour round trip, since she entered the rest home at the end of December, and before that she was in the hospital for a week. I'm wondering whether I'll have trouble keeping myself occupied while I'm quarantining.

[shtetlshabbos]

shalom, and welcome to the shtetl shabbos tumblr blog!

shtetl shabbos is a new community and jewish only discord server dedicated to jewish magic, mysticism, witchery, mythology, folklore and more! with many plans and much to offer, we hope to connect with the tumblr jewish community as well!

disboard link (pls leave us a review!): ✡︎ | discord server direct link: ✡︎

we offer:

♡ a verification system to ensure maximum safety of all members ♡ a server guide featuring a faq, a pdf exchange spreadsheet and a constantly growing library of jewish resources ♡ a safe-space chat to discuss mental health, antisemtism and the likes ♡ a weekly book club and parsha study group + monthly zine and research prompt ♡ chats specifically for bipoc jews, lgbtq+ jews, disabled/nurodivergent jews, alterhuman jews, jewish systems, and converts! ♡ a variety channels to start new and exciting conversations ♡ polls, qotd, chat revival, astrology ping, starboard, vcs, events, mutual aid channel and more!!

quick FAQ under the cut!

FAQ

Q: what is a jewitch/jewish witchcraft?

A: considering there is an expanse of ideas on both what being jewish and what practicing witchcraft/magic means, there is no one definition to describe jewitches or jewish witchcraft. for the sake of this server, we define “jewish witchcraft” as any practice that involves the magic, mystical, supernatural or spiritual within a jewish framework and a “jewitch” as anyone who considers themselves a practitioner of judaism and witchcraft/magic. Q: how can you be a jewitch or practice magic/witchcraft as a jew?

A: the answer to this question is complex and depends on who you ask. respectful conversation surrounding this topic is welcomed within the server. we recommend the following article by the creator jewitches as a primer for this question.

Q: who can join?

A: any jew, self-identified jewitch or not! our server is pluralistic and we welcome people from all movements, minhags, and backgrounds. we appreciate having diverse perspectives. we are explicitly a safe space for gers, disabled & neurodivergent jews, lgbtq+ jews, bipoc jews and jewish systems. bigotry, hatred and infighting will not be tolerated. messianic "jews" are not welcomed here.

Q: can i join if i'm curious about or new to jewish magic?

A: yes! infact, once you are verified, we have a resource forum channel where we are constantly working to update it with new and improved resources all the time! we also have a dozen channels and other things to explore different topics within both judaism and witchcraft.

Q: can i join if i'm a ger/convert/conversion student?

A: yes! converts are fully jewish and welcome to practice jewish practices. conversion students are welcomed to join, however we want to make it explicitly clear that gers-in-progress should not practice jewish magic/mystycism/witchcraft without supervision and approval from a rabbi. we are happy to educate and provide our perspective but we cannot preform the job of a rabbi.

[grey-sorcery]

Suggested Reading

A.I & Witchcraft Research Tips Basics of Spellcasting Threshold Theory Introduction to Gnosis

Introduction

Central to the practice of spellwork are correspondences, the intricate connections and associations between various objects, materials, colors, planets, and plants, among others. These correspondences serve as the building blocks of spells, imbuing them with symbolic potency and aligning them with the desired intentions. However, the task of researching, establishing, and using these correspondences is not without its challenges. Correspondences serve to establish a network of interconnected concepts that constitute the essence of a spell. However, it is essential to recognize that correspondences, if misunderstood or misused, can hinder the efficacy of spellwork.

How to Research Correspondences for Use in Spellcraft

When researching to find correspondences, a vast majority of contemporary sources are going to be flowery, simple, and repetitive across many materials, colors, planets, and plants, etc. These correspondences can work fine for you if they resonate with you and are easy to conceptualize. When researching to find pre-existing correspondences, the most reliable sources are going to be the ones that are shared between well-established genuinely old traditions. This obviously does not include Wicca. This can only be done by cross-referencing multiple sources or settling on one you resonate with. These correspondences tend to not be protected concepts and tend to be publicly accessible. However, it is always best to talk to practitioners within that tradition in order to verify. Some correspondences may require cultural context, that you won't have, in order to fully conceptualize them.

Creating Correspondences

When creating correspondences, there are two main avenues of approach, and I recommend using both. Memory & Emotion: When you experience the object/concept in question, think about what it can cause you to remember. Reflect on those memories and find what sticks out to you. Then, you can also reflect on the emotions within that memory. If the thing in question evokes emotion just from its direct experience, include that as well if it differs. Sometimes there may be multiple instances of recollection. This is okay; one can never have too many correspondences. It is okay if correspondences are contradictory, negative, or hyper-specific. What matters is how they could potentially aid in spellwork. Medicinal, Physical & Chemical Properties: These properties can offer a lot of insight into common predictions about their correspondences. They can also be pulled from directly to form new correspondences. Some of these properties may not be useful concepts in spellwork, but having them listed can open the opportunity should it present itself.

Using Correspondences: Threshold Theory

Correspondences are used in order to form a network of connecting concepts that make up the entirety of the spell, which includes the means of manifestation, path of least resistance, energy work, gestures, incantations, and taglocks/targeting mechanism. In order for correspondences to be the most effective, they must be something that is easy for you to conceptualize without needing to break gnosis in order to remind yourself. The nodes created from correspondences should not have overlapping meanings or interpretations in your mind but should have connections that can be made. The process of node creation and connection is a mental and energetic one. The correspondences you use should form a web of concepts that all support the main focus and goal of the working and have a way to be connected to the target. This web should be incorporated into your gnosis and orbit around you as you do your working. While using the objects that have these correspondences is in no way necessary, having them incorporated into your physical working, provided you’re doing one, can be beneficial so long as doing so doesn’t interrupt gnosis.

How Correspondences Can Hinder Your Spellwork

Nearly all spell guides and witchtips you’ll come across express a very simple implementation of correspondences that is wholly ineffective outside of potentially affecting your own psyche. Putting things in places or containers because they have a symbolic meaning to you is not spellwork. Doing so lacks crucial connections, energetic projections, decided means of manifestation, and no direction. While using some things medicinally is very useful, it is not magic as it is no longer the medieval period, and we now have a solid grasp of chemistry. And while using some things in the pursuit of self-care, like putting cinnamon in your coffee or romero in your food, can be comforting, it is not magical but either chemical or psychological. Treating it as witchcraft will result in actual spells you attempt failing and the potential miseducation of those you hold discussions with.

nterested in my other articles? You can find my masterpost here.

Patron Shoutouts!

Megan Kipp Jinsu

Thank you for your continued support! My patrons help me maintain the drive to create content and help me keep food in my pantry.

My patrons of Mystic tier and higher had access to this article a week before it was public! To see other perks of supporting me, click here!

This article was reviewed by and contributed to by ChatGPT. I asked it to spell-check and fix punctuation. I then had it write the introduction, which I then modified to my liking.

[lostinvasileios]

Witchy icks.

Godspouse controversy.

There's so much unneeded controversy around people who are godspouses. It's ridiculous. I get it, truly. It's not a one size fits all thing, witchcraft in itself isn't as well. But, absolutely nobody has the right at all to go to someone who is a godspouse of any kind (romantic, familial, ect) and tell them that they are being tricked, that they are being disrespectful, or that the deity or deities in question would never.

So, so many people think that they know everything about divinity. No matter who you are, how long you've practiced, you do not. You never will. And that is okay. It's impossible for us to fully grasp divinity.

They're infinite beings, they're beyond our own comprehension in countless ways. And that is okay. It doesn't mean anyone is less than them.

I'm so sick of people saying "Oh, well, we're mortals. They're gods. Why would they choose us?" Please, honeybee, keep that sort of opinion to yourself or to your community. To go out of your way to harass a godspouse simply for existing with their deity is beyond cruel in my eyes.

Divinity can love, they can love so many people in so many ways, and have room to love more. Speak for your UPG, but do not claim it as a verified piece of information. Just because you yourself are not a godspouse, or don't believe in it, does not mean it is not valid, it does not mean it is not a beautiful thing to experience, and it certainly does not mean that person is disrespectful if that spousal is mutual and full of love on both ends.

I've said it before, and I'll say it as many more times as I need to. Everyone's practice will never look the same. Everyone's relationship with deities is their own, therefore, everyone should go about their own days if they're upset with the way another person is interacting with a deity. You cannot speak for the deity. You've done a reading and it came back saying "No" when asking if they're spoused? Why would they tell you that they are? Why do you think the deity in question would tell you about the relationships they have that they most likely know you are not accepting of?

Fear mongering.

I advise a lot of witches, experienced or new, to stay away from Witchtok. It is not a reliable source, and most of the time, it's just trying to scare people. It's the same thing with a lot of social witch groups, and a lot of devotees/practitioners.

If someone says "be respectful", of course, that's true in my experience. But if someone says "be respectful or else all hell will break loose and you'll be forever cursed" (or something like that in a way), scroll. Block, even. That is just them trying to scare you.

No, nobody's going to steal your soul if you have an intrusive thought. No, infernal divinity is not going to call you pathetic for having trauma. No, no, no.

Not everybody is out to get you. Not every spirit you come across is a trick. The truth will reveal itself one way or another. You will find out what's real, what's not. You will be you. And you will be okay regardless of what happens in your journey.

People saying they can tell you everything you need to know.

This is less of an ick than the previously mentioned things, but it still holds a little bit of weirdness to me.

Nobody can tell you everything. Don't let that discourage you, however! It's only because it's too personal for people to decode everything you experience. It's like a barrier between you and whatever else. If you book a spell from someone you trust, go ahead, but don't let people tell you every piece of information for your craft. Because then, it isn't yours.

I get it, I really do - it can be very scary to step out and try to do it yourself, it can be hard, I know. But you can do it. Whatever's meant for you, you will indulge in. It will make itself known to you. Whatever deity, whatever type of crafts you like, and so on, it will come.

The universe is wacky. It's unpredictable most of the time. It can seem like it came straight from a movie sometimes with some of the things that may happen to you.

The universe is making your craft universal. It's meant for you and you only. It may take time to be confident on it, but you will get there. You have the ability of figuring things out. Listen to yourself, trust your own self, your own intuition, your own tools if you have them. Cleanse, research, protect yourself, but be happy in your craft. That's most important, in my eyes. The happiness. That's what your deities want to see, as well. They want to see you happy. Happy in your own craft, happy in yourself, happy in your own beliefs. They want you, to be you.

It truly is so disheartening to see people give out blatant hate in the witchy community, when there's already so much of it towards us. That there's a constant divide. Let people believe what they want, do what feels right to them. Let them love, let them doubt, help them or simply go about your day and let them figure it out elsewhere.

Be kind to those just starting out. Be kind to those freaking out because they think it's all fake. Be kind.

[hearth-and-veil]

Fun fact: Kitchen Witchcraft and Consumption Spells are not the same thing!

Kitchen Witchcraft is a mostly safe form of magic that involves things like cooking your will into food, using ingredients in a dish to cast spells, and things like that.

Consumption spells are an old ass form of folk magic that irrevocably* binds you to a spell by taking it into your body.

Consumption spells are tricky, dangerous, and inherently unsuitable for certain types of practitioners, including, but not limited to, actual empaths. I practice consumption spells. They are intense. They are really easy to mess up and the consequences can be devastating.

I mean, something called "Burnt Blood Oath Chalice" should really send off alarm bells.

If someone tries to get you to participate in a consumption spell (or spell eating, curse eating, or anything along those lines - it's all the same thing) RUN for the hills. I mean, you can do it. Just be aware of how dangerous and difficult it is. How much do you trust this person? Are you certain they can (and will) fix things if something goes wrong? Are you certain you can handle it?

*I say irrevocably binding, but they can be undone by someone who knows how. But however difficult it is to correctly do a consumption spell, it is about 5 times as difficult to properly undo one - 10 times with the magic intact. Y'all may remember a few months ago when I fed a curse to an empath and it didn't go well? (In my defense, I had never met an actual empath before!) As experienced as I am, it took me almost a month to recover from taking the spell from her. Part of that is because I did it with the magic intact and then reconsumed it myself, and reconsumption is more difficult than initial consumption, but it would have been draining either way.

Someone who was not involved in the initial spell can also take a spell (consumption or not) from another person. Ever heard of sin eating? That's a type of sympathetic consumption magic. The person who removes the spell can then release it (difficult to ensure you got it all), or consume it themselves. If they consume, their two options are to continue the spell or purge it from themselves. Some choose to consume then purge, instead of just straight releasing, so that they know if they got all of the magic out.

But anyway, I reiterate, I don't recommend you do this. AND: it can neither be taught nor completed virtually. It has to be taught, and done, in person. Trust me. If someone is telling you the steps for consumption, it won't work, because there's one final step to the teaching that can only be done live and in person. That is your sign of whether or not this person knows what they're doing when they're teaching you.

I will not teach you. But if someone else is saying they'll teach you, feel free to message me with that they're teaching you and I will verify or deny. "But Auntie Mags, everybody does things differently!" Not that differently. There are little quirks to each practice, but I can promise you that, with this, there will be the same overarching structure. Especially with the final teaching. I don't say that about most magic, but some forms of magic, it actually is true.

[sophieinwonderland]

A metaphysical perspective: We practice system travel very often with our partner system, and all this "selling headmates" stuff is a complete crock of shit in our opinion. We completely agree with the scam angle. Sys travel is EXTREMELY delicate and can have significant danger to it on the metaphysical level. We would never even BEGIN to think about travel with another system we didn't trust completely with our lives. Not to mention, for all our experience in it, it's still A METAPHYSICAL BELIEF. There are very reasonable psychological explanations for the phenomenon, and whether you believe it's because of that psychology or because of the dangers of spiritual travel, there are still things that can easily fuck up and go wrong outside of the control of the systems involved. There's a reason why this-world magic hasn't been capitalized on - it's inherently unreliable due to how personalized ones' skillset is, and no way to verify ones' skill or that the promise has been fulfilled. A tarot reading or spirit communion is one thing, they're still things being transferred from one person to another in physical reality - whether that be the viewing of a magical tool being used, information/experience being passed between, etc. But a transaction based upon a completely subjective internal experience with no tangible tie in the slightest? To buy time spent with an entity you don't know, from a practitioner with unknown qualifications, with no mode of verification??? Not only is it irresponsible, it's a legal nightmare.

Thanks for your input! 👍 /g

[plethoraworldatlas]

The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (OIG) published a report last month finding that nearly one-third of medical procedures performed on immigrants in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody were not properly authorized.

The report found that ICE improperly authorized 32% of major surgeries performed on individuals in ICE detention without having gone through the proper procedure first. Due to ICE’s improper authorization, the OIG audit could not verify whether the surgeries were medically necessary. The report also suggests that the forced hysterectomies performed by medical staff to women detained at the Irwin Detention Center in Georgia were not isolated incidents.

One of the issues noted in the report was that approval for these medical procedures was not given by the appropriate medical staff. According to the report, the ICE Health Service Corp (IHSC), which provides medical services to people in ICE detention, requires major surgeries to be authorized by certain personnel with a specific level of training and expertise. They must have a medical degree or equivalent and at least three years of medical training leading to board eligibility or certification that distinguishes them from other medical practitioners.

The OIG’s review of a sample of 227 surgery reports found that in only 72 of them, the surgeries were approved by the appropriate level of personnel, such as nurses or nurse practitioners.

[mariacallous]

In the days since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, people claiming to be OSINT practitioners have emerged on social media who are much more willing to make conclusive findings almost immediately than people who have a long history of conducting OSINT work. This new group is “publishing analysis as quickly as possible when events are taking place, in an attempt to compete for public attention,” ​​Francesco Sebregondi, a forensic architect who helps investigate human rights abuses through a technique known as forensic architecture, tells WIRED. “This is of course detrimental to the fundamental goal of citizen-led open source investigations.” The purpose of OSINT investigations is to independently verify information “and to enable counter-investigations of authoritative arguments and sometimes misleading official accounts,” Sebregondi says. Sebregondi says OSINT accounts that rush to post analyses prematurely not only mislead their followers but help bolster the narrative of political actors who may be “counting on the eagerness of some OSINT actors to use any image, material, or data to quickly publish new content or ‘analysis’—and thereby more or less directly support its version of the events.” Aside from the apparent bragging rights of being first, there is also now a financial incentive to post updates before anyone else because if you’re “first and put out a hot take even if you’re maybe not correct you can actually get paid out for it,” Koltai says, referring to X’s revenue-sharing program. Fact-checking and open source investigations have long been seen as a way to hold platforms accountable by debunking disinformation that spreads unchecked on social media, but the Israel-Hamas war has shown how the language of OSINT investigators has been co-opted by self-interested parties, says Caroline Orr, a behavioral scientist and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland who tracks disinformation online. “I think one of the most disturbing aspects of studying disinfo is when you realize that even fact-checking has become weaponized,” Orr wrote on X. “Most people don’t care about the truth about the hospital being bombed; they just care about finding a truth to use against the other side.”

Who’s Responsible for the Gaza Hospital Explosion? Here’s Why It’s Hard to Know What’s Real

[brightgnosis]

Shadow Work Is Not What You Think It Is

This new pushback against shadow work that I’ve been seeing within the last 5 to 10 years is honestly such an absolutely strange thing to me. Especially since people seem to have no genuine concept of what Shadow Work actually is anymore. And it's genuinely baffling to me at this point, as someone whose been practicing for 20+ years now.

🠶 It used to be that psychology was taught as integral to both Witchcraft and Religion within Pagan spaces; where we actually understood things such as the Snowball Effect, and Frequency Bias- and some exasperated old Hag didn’t have to explain it to us after seeing the 5th post from us in the Tumblr tags, panicking because the number of Crows picked up in our neighborhood this week. These were common knowledge among practitioners, taught as standard.

🠶 It used to be that psychology was seen not only as an important part of the Discernment process as a whole ... But that it was especially integral to the process of learning to recognize and understand one’s own intuition, and to the process of Spirit communication and discerning between one’s inner voice and “their voice”, etc- but also important to then Verifying these things instead of going off half cocked like a banshee and getting one’s self hurt.

🠶 There was also point in time where the understanding of the inner self, the true desire, and the true drive were the first steps a budding practitioner took on the road to finding where they fit within Paganism in the first place- because not all paths are meant for everyone. And once more paths started emerging, it became integral to the process of discerning one’s correct path.

🠶 Once upon a time leading students through basic Shadow Work techniques went part and parcel with all of this- as did handing them a Psychology 101 text book.

But now Shadow Work's actual meaning has been completely lost- or warped and twisted in the most ridiculous ways. So now you have the rise of this absolute nonsense like “Jung Created Shadow Work” (he absolutely did not); and “Shadow Work isn’t Witchcraft, it’s just psychology” (despite the fact that it’s all of the above and more; it was explicitly designed as the merger between Spirituality, Witchcraft, and Psychology); and "Shadow Work is just self-directed psychotherapy" (despite the fact it's not, and that's an entirely modern conceptualization of it in the last 5 to 10 years).

You get authors who act as if Jung was always this sort of super serious psychologist who never did anything even remotely magical in his life (and was definitely not the absolutely batshit insane Occult Dude-Bro he actually was, going around and proudly giving lectures on the Paranormal); all these puddle deep feel good uwu "articles” promising people they’re still “valid witches” if they never do an ounce of shadow work in their entire lives; or the much weirder: “You can’t do Shadow Work alone, it’s too dangewous and scawy to handle your own twama!”.

But it’s honestly all bullshit. Every ounce of it.

While Jung certainly was an Occult dude-Bro who had his hands deep in many pies ... Jung didn’t actually create Shadow Work as it is known and practiced among Pagans, Occultists, and Witches ... Hell, Jung didn’t even create the concept of the Shadow at all, in the first place. He just popularized a specific model of it.

Freud and several others throughout history had already invented their own psychological concepts of the Shadow well before Jung ever did. Jung's just became the most popular for a variety of reasons. Namely because of his actual theories (which the Shadow was only a very minute part of) were the concepts of the Collective Unconscious and Collective Archetypalism- which were very popular with Occult practitioners at the time. And likely because Jung was also, again, a seasoned Occultist in his own right- giving his theories more frequent space and weight within the various Occult spaces that were burgeoning at the time.

(We can argue which one came first- Jung's theory of the Collective Unconscious and therefore shared Collective Archetypalism, or Occults obsession with Mythopoeticism and Archetypes as vehicles for Ritual and Mystery ... But it's honestly a moot argument that doesn't really matter in the grand scheme).

It was, honestly, more of a "perfect storm for the solidification of an extant idea already swimming around" kind of situation that Jung was just lucky enough to happen to be at the head of at the time, rather than the "one dude had such a damned brilliant idea everyone stole it from him (and now we're all pretending it's Witchcraft when it isn't)" kind of thing everyone seems to be tying to make it out to be these days.

Anyways: The actual Craft (as in Witchcraft) of Shadow Work was a later development based on many elements of Jung’s work in relation to Collective Archetypalism. But while Jung's psychology may have formed the foundation of it, the Craft of Shadow Work was ultimately developed as a pathworking tool by Pagan Elders that explicitly combined this psychological theory with witchcraft and ritual for spiritual and religious purposes; it was explicitly a magico-spiritual and religious Craft focused on The Self, utilizing Jung's theories as a base root from which to work.

Jung’s major contribution is really just the concept of Collective Archetypalism- but specifically how he conceptualized of "The Self" within that Archetypal system; in his theory, the Ego, a force called Anima / Animus, and the Shadow all existed alongside one another within an individual in order to create The (whole) Self.

Jung's own process of actually confronting this Shadow was called Individuation. And Integration or Assimilation of the Shadow during that process of Individuation was only occasionally considered a possibility- but not always. More importantly, Integration or Assimilation during Individuation wasn't even really the point of his process overall. It was just ... Something that might sometimes happen; you weren't supposed to necessarily Integrate or Assimilate it. You were just supposed to acknowledge it in order to better understand The Self.

In other words: Original Shadow Work, as it was developed in those spaces, when correctly practiced, is the complete process of ritually / magically manifesting, confronting, and embracing your Shadow (though not necessarily integrating or assimilating it. However, that did sometimes come to play an important part as Shadow Work continued to develop). And it was explicitly concerned with uncovering the inner self and finding one’s true will- particularly in regards to one's religious and spiritual development, and specifically as part of the overall process of self actualization as a magical practitioner.

It was not conceptualized as purely psychology, nor as a psychological tool in and of itself (indeed, it was often said you should see an actual Psychologist on the side in addition to Shadow Work, as they were considered "complimentary to the same goal" but distinct enough to not be the same). Uncovering and working through your trauma or other psychological issues was, and has never really been (until incredibly recently), the point of Shadow Work in Pagan, Witchcraft, and Occult spaces. And this is in keeping in line with Jung's original intent of Individualization, and the lack of Integration or Assimilation of the Shadow as a necessity of its acknowledgement and confrontation, even.

You will also recognize the actual intent and reasoning behind true Shadow Work as being much more in line with the teachings, beliefs, and work of people like Crowley during the time for a reason. Because while the foundation of the work may come from Jungian psychological theory? The reasoning and methodology is largely influenced by things like Crowley's concept of True Will- which itself was highly influential to most Witchcraft of the Revival.

The reason Shadow Work- or this blend of spiritual, religious, magical, and psychological methods in order to uncover one’s true inner voice and will- was so important to our Elders, and to the budding revival, was multifold. And most of it's already been mentioned.

🠶 First, its practice helped Seekers and Postulants determine which spiritual path was right for them in the first place; even today, not all paths are right for everyone. One of the main tenants of belief was the ability for everyone to chose their own path (as opposed to being “born to it” or “forced into it” as many had been with Christianity). And the ability to properly discern, evaluate, and describe one’s true beliefs is absolutely integral to determining which path is right (or, if none are right at all)- thus determining if a Seeker becomes a Postulant to them, or to some other Coven, or to no one.

🠶 Secondly, once a path is established, it becomes integral to helping one connect to their inner intuition- which is considered an integral guiding force within many of the paths that were developing during the Revival (and is still considered an integral guiding force among many paths today, religious or not). It was also integral in further aiding one in discerning what was one’s own voice and intuition, vs what is genuine Spiritual communication from the Others.

In the process of teaching that, people naturally learned about things such as The Snowball Effect, Frequency Bias, and other things which may effect our personal (and natural) penchant for overblowing things or seeing signs that aren’t actually there; they were explicitly taught to critically evaluate their own experiences, and the process of Discernment, Verification, and Validation; this was a common process, and a required one that everyone was expected to participate in.

🠶 Third, one’s True Will- knowing exactly what you want to achieve, and (through the proper study of the system you have chosen) precisely how to achieve it- is integral to the concept of Intent, and the very act of performing magic itself; someone who does not have strong a strong will does not have strong intent, and therefore does not have strong magic. Strengthening one’s will and ability to solidify their intent, then, becomes and active part of learning magic in the first place, and improving one’s self as a practitioner.

🠶 And finally, they are also susceptible to danger if not … Not in the way that “like attracts like” and other completely modern corruptions of the idea. But because confidence in one’s work and abilities actively makes one less likely to make mistakes, more able to navigate the realm of magic and Spirits safely- though there is a lot to be said about overconfidence. By contrast, someone who is second guessing themselves and their work constantly, and their true will and intent, is more prone to making mistakes and leaving holes or loose ends in their work.

There are many other reasons, of course. This is just a simplistic list of the main ones. But that is ultimately what it's supposed to be about ... And so you are guided through "Shadow Work": The magico-spiritual process of deeply centering within yourself in order to find and uncover your True Self and True Will beneath all that which society and previous systems have placed on you (made manifest as your "Shadow" in a way that you can "tangibly" interact with via ritual)- and of gaining the active confidence to embrace it, and then apply it to both the world and especially your magic.

More importantly? While some elements of proper Shadow Work should reasonably be done with a guide- such as a spiritual teacher or therapist, or at the very least some kind of text materials so that you’re not flying blind as a bat and actually have some kind of idea of what you’re doing and where the end posts are? It’s frankly not “dangerous” for the vast majority of people who attempt it. Because confronting any kind of mental heath issues or trauma isn’t even a part of properly practiced shadow work 99.99% of the time to begin with; the point is to find your True Will and True Desire. Sometimes that necessitates confronting trauma. But most times, and for most people, however, it does not- or, at least, most people do not have significantly dangerous trauma that would make it disasterous to do such work alone and unguided.

Anyways: I’m not here to say “you’re not a valid witch if you don’t do psychology / shadowork”. That’s nonsense; the only maker of the ‘validity’ of a Witch is in whether or not they’re actually doing Witchcraft as defined by whatever Tradition you're a part of. If you’re doing Witchcraft according to the definition of whatever established practice or tradition you belong to, then congratulations, you’re a Witch. There’s no question of validity there- and anyone who says otherwise can piss up a pole.

But I am here to say- even as someone who loathes Jung and Freud both with every fiber of its being ... That Shadow Work was never any of ... That ... Originally; what is being practiced now isn't Shadow Work. It's not even Jungian based at all at this point. It's all modern Pop Psychology now- focused largely on using Therapeutic Journaling and other methods, done under the false guise of "Inner Exploration" and "Healing Your Trauma". And I think that's where a lot of this misunderstanding is coming from. But honestly, I don’t know where this new pushback against it is coming from.

As someone who's been practicing Witchcraft and Shadow Work for over 20 years now, though? This has not been a thing until recently. And it's absolutely an uneducated and completely ahistorical take on Shadow Work’s traditional usage within the community (there is a reason that Shadow Work was seen as so integral to Witchcraft by our Elders). It is entirely a modern bit of nonsense that has only recently cropped up. It's brand new. And I need y'all to understand that: This is not normal.

Honestly ... A lot of this ignorance about things in general now, I genuinely think, honestly just comes down to how little we value our education anymore; there’s a lot of Pagan history that has been outright erased in the push for “Anti-Wiccanization” of Witchcraft in the last decade, and the push for its “Secularization”. And I've noticed over the last decade that it's literally all come at the cost of understanding the history of Modern Witchcraft, and why we do what we do (and how to do it correctly). But a lot of the ignorant things I see could legitimately be easily rectified by just reading a book that was written more than 5 years ago by another Silver Ravenwolf knockoff.

Maybe before completely abandoning an idea or practice (and encouraging others to abandon it, too)- especially based on a false ideology and premise about it; and writing puddle deep Tumblr think pieces about your perception of its supposed lack of necessity these days ... Just maybe ... You should actually stop erasing its actual development and history within our community. Learn about that proper history within Paganism and Witchcraft and the Occult, and why it was used, how it was used, and how they understood it.

You can really only do that by actually picking up and reading books that were written by our Elders and listening to them, though. Not because they are always "good" and always "unproblematic" (they are usually neither, frankly, and that is something you must learn to make peace with)... But because they contextualize our faith and practices in the modern era and help us understand why things are the way they are to begin with. And that is so incredibly important.

This is an opinion post based in 20+ years of experience and research. If you found this helpful or interesting, please consider Tipping or Leaving a Ko-Fi (being Disabled, even $1 helps); you can see my other "Original Content" here

This account is run by a Dual Faith «(Converting) Masorti Jew + Traditional NeoWiccan» & «Ancestral Folk Magic Practitioner» with 20+ years of experience as a practicing Pagan and Witch. If that bothers you, don't interact.

[errantabbot]

On Metacognition, Samadhi, Sadhana and the Places In Between:

The psychologization of the dharma in the west has not been an entirely negative movement. In many ways the marriage of psychology and mindfulness has been a fruitful one that has made Buddhist principles more accessible to the masses. Certainly the ongoing dialogue between observational science and Buddhist spiritual practice has helped to both verify and refine the transmission and translation of various doctrines and practices into a culturally accessible format.

However, this hasn’t been a movement without shadow. The conflation of the dharma with mindfulness alone, as the crown jewel of the psychological reductionist perspective has been a hindering force for many practitioners, who often come to conflate awakening with metacognitive awareness. That’s a grave mistake.

The dawning of metacognition is a substantial doorway, but a doorway nonetheless. It’s not the path made manifest. Likewise practice cannot be reduced to metacognition. Metacognition is a relatively early consequence of meditative practice, but it’s not samadhi, and it’s certainly not prajna.

Samadhi is often misunderstood as some kind of blank absorption into mindless being. This is a substantial pitfall, a trapping of the mind that the ego is all too happy to allow the practitioner to become infatuated with. Hanging out in “nothingness” after all is a safe space for the ego, wherein subject-object dualism can be safely maintained. After all, samadhi as it is most frequently reported is a state of “I” slipping away for a time, after which it can emerge from its bath in nothingness fully aware of its journeying, and often proud of it to boot.

True samadhi on the other hand, true meditative absorption into the heart of reality, is a manifestation of nondualism. It is the realization and effortless expression of subject-object sameness, and embodying of the true-self, which is limitless in time and space, while somehow yet identifiable through the singular body of one’s birth (after all, form IS emptiness and emptiness IS form). It is from this samadhic state that prajna, or the spontaneous expression of wisdom before thinking, can appear.

Zen Master Seung Sahn often noted that practitioners must find “correct situation, correct relationship, and correct function.” Situation, relationship, and function in spontaneous harmony and accord is, in effect, prajna arising from samadhi.

In this it may he further understood that samadhi is not a drop into some well of neutral blankness, but a conscious swim in-and-as the dynamic tension that may be interpreted through such terms as rupa and sunyata, purusha and prakriti, yin and yang, waves and particles, etc.

It is not with any degree of levity that Zen prescribes the essentials of great faith, great doubt, and great determination. We must have some degree of considerable degree of faith that our practice can yield resolution to the matter of life and death. We must uphold a continual resolve to push beyond the limits of what we hope to be the end of the path and into the real, doubting that the full picture has ever quite entered our conscious regard. And too, we must devote ourselves to persistence in this faith and doubt, understanding sadhana (shugyo) as the only path to true liberation and awakening.

~Sunyananda

[ener-chi]

Do you have any posts on astral projection? I've been trying to do it for years because I knew I could do it as a child. I remember hovering over my body in bed but I haven't been able to do it since. The most I get is the feeling of falling when I wake up. I can lucid dream though since I just started practicing the craft I'm looking to enhance that as well. I've tried everything for astral projecting though from guided meditations to binaural beats, and just trying it on my own using things like the rope technique but I always fall asleep. The farthest I've gotten was feeling the room spinning but I could never pop out. I've gotten into dragon magic and I world hop in my dreams so I would like to explore everything more and use astral projection to connect deeper with the dragons. Do you have any advice, tips, or books to recommend? Thank you!

Heya!

I think that the biggest tip I can give you is to not let your expectations block you. I've been interested in astral projection intermittently throughout my life, but I got really serious about doing it about 2018. I was trying and trying to do it like you are now, but... nothing.

But I realized something. Like everyone else does, I was expecting astral projection to be where I'm thrust out of my body and I have this hyper-real experience that is as real and vivid and lucid to me as waking life is.

And so, as I was going about trying these different methods and techniques, I realized that I was doing them with the goal of reaching this expected experience.

But I realized... I don't know what it feels like to astral project. I had absolutely no way of knowing what it could feel like, and that by me having this expectation, I was automatically stopping myself from experiencing whatever it could ACTUALLY be like.

And so, I let go of all expectations, and I decided to try some techniques, and instead of trying to force a certain experience, I just decided to just... see what happens. And I did. And it worked.

Except. I didn't Astral Project; I Astral Traveled.

What is the difference?

Astral Projection is what everyone thinks of, where you are thrust out of your body and you experience it as visceral and lucid as you do waking life.

With Astral Travel, your consciousness is not 100% out of your body, like you expect it would be with Projection. A part of your being/consciousness remains in your body, and it is nowhere near as lucid or visceral as astral projection would be - it feels similar to how dreaming or hyper-real daydreams would be like.

Despite not being the Golden Standard that astral projection is, astral travel is still real, and quite effective. Most of my practice is based on it, and I've had many verified, shared experiences with other practitioners.

But what about astral projection? Here's the thing - I've found that astral Projection is extremely difficult. To put it into perspective, I've been astral traveling regularly (basically every day) for the past couple of years now. I've only successfully astrally-projected a handful of times. It takes insane will, intense mindfulness, and it is a very intense experience. I haven't really done it enough to have much more to say on it, or to give tips. But suffice it to say that I, a seasoned astral-traveler and energy worker, find it very difficult to do.

So. My advice? Don't let your expectations block you from experiencing. And also, I recommend looking into astral travel, rather than into astral projection. I think that you'll find greater success with that than with projection - at least at first, anyways.

I do have quite a few resources. I have my technique for astral traveling, as well as some tips and tricks, which you can find here. I also have tagged quite a few posts on my blog. Posts about traveling can be found at #astral travel, and posts about projection can be found at #astral projection. Also, if you see the tag #astral, that's for pics and stuff that I find that remind me of the astral plane. Maybe you can find some inspiration to draw from there ((:

Also, one other tip. You said that you can lucid dream - it is possible to access the astral plane through lucid dreaming. While you are lucid, imagine the barrier between the dream-world and the astral plane (yes, there is one). Travel to it, then go through it. I have found that my most vivid astral travel experiences happen when I do this.

Thanks for the ask! I hope this helps!

Blessings!

[anakatos]

I'm going to record the experience that lead me back to Leviathan after our separation. I thank Him for reuinion.

It was my first time fishing on a boat. Night was falling, and I hadn't yet caught a single thing. The waters cast in the shade of the pine trees were almost black, black like his sea. I thought of Him and nearly wept.

It had been a long time since I had spoken to him last.

As a human being, my existence is terribly mundane. I see so many practitioners who experience visions, who hear the voices of their gods, and who travel the astral in search of answers to life's greatest questions. That is not me by a long shot. What words I might have heard of his are distorted by doubt, and I take ages to discern messages and signs. The last time Leviathan had been active in my life, he had put me in a situation I had never been in before. He had found me a new home away from my abusive household, and given me the chance at a different life.

Of course there were trials with the arrival of such a blessing. I have always suffered from neuroticism, anxiety, and various mental illnesses, and the change was rather overwhelming to me. I lost sight of what I was doing with my practice, and of any clarity. Instead of coming to him, I was afraid to show him that weakness, to bear the nakedness of my trembling, vulnerable state. So I fled. For nearly a year and a half.

Entirely to long for one to be away from their God.

So there I was. Surrounded by water on all sides, far from shore. I felt the weight of his presence bear down upon me, and his tears in my eyes. On my brass hook was a dead minnow hooked through the mouth and chin. Silver is His color. Silver like the moon that wasn't there that night. The last of the sunlight bled pink and orange into the sky, and instead of replacing the dead fish, I simply added a live one.

It wriggled, peirced through the tail beside its dead kin. My intuition told me where to cast my line. I decided to put aside my fears and trust.

I wasn't sure what I was waiting for. The last scarlet drops of blood from the sun slowly dripped away, and there was one single star drifting in the dark waters. I prayed to him. I apologized. I asked for a sign.

At that very moment, my line danced! Something had touched my hook for the first time since I'd arrived at the lake hours ago! My soul felt cold. I watched the bobber, waiting for it to dip under the waves, but it never did.

I reeled in my line. Only one minnow remained. The fish bucked and gasped, still alive, desperate for freedom. Something had taken the dead minnow, and left the living one. The presence dissipated. I stared at the fish, heart pounding. What did that mean?

I let the minnow go, and of course, it immediately flickered deep into the depths.

Of course, I had no idea what to make of it. Was that a sign at all? Was I attributing undue significance to yet another part of my simple existence? I felt as though he had said something to me... I felt as though I knew the Lord well enough to hear his answer... but what if?

I had to ask a very kind fellow practitioner to verify what I was thinking, but reflecting on the experience, I think I understand what He meant to tell me.

If that tiny, silver, simple minnow deserved a second chance... perhaps I do as well.