#witchcraft is my religion

[ladymidnytemare]

[maythestormsnevertakefromme]

I don’t know which current pagan needs to hear this but your life doesn’t have to revolve around your religion. Every act of self care doesn’t have to be devotional, every meal you make doesn’t have to lose a portion to sacrifice.

You’re allowed to be casually religious, a “Yule Pagan” if you want to steal “Christmas Christian” from the Jesus club. You’re allowed to dedicate a day or two to worship and just stare at the sky or ground and mutter the rest of the week.

Just because the world sees your religion as invalid doesn’t mean you have to go into overdrive and let it consume every aspect of your life.

[actiwitch]

Hot take, apparently, but genuinely harassing or insulting anyone's religion is not ok.

Criticizing religious institutions, proselytizing, extremism, or horrible behaviors/beliefs done in the name of a religion? YES! Totally. That should be criticized.

Unpromptedly popping up on random posts by religious folks to say anything along the lines of "god isn't real", "the pagan gods are fake", "there is only one true religion", "[any religious group] are stupid/dangerous/barbaric" -- NO.

It's rude. It's unnecessary. And sometimes, especially in the case of minorities or oppressed groups, it's outright hateful. Theres nothing helpful, funny, or cool about randomly insulting one of the most personal aspects of a persons life. Unless it's invited or warranted, stfu.

[tadpoles-and-daydreams]

Why I cuss (affectionately) at my deities, sometimes, and why it's important to me

I'm having some feelings tonight, so here have another "Frog is rambling again" post. This one's about Loki, because they seem intent on speedrunning teaching me shit. Seriously it's been like three weeks.

I wasn't prepared for what working with Loki actually looks like. /pos

Because what that actually looks like, apparently, is sitting watching a comedy anime and getting the distinct vibe that it has a sense of humor that Loki enjoys. And then realizing that's because Loki is actively hanging around... watching fuckin' anime with me. Why the hell would Loki want to watch a dumb comedy anime with the funny little guy he works with?

Seeing a post about watching comedy as a devotional act to Loki later felt intentional, so I ended up deciding to do just that.

Thing is, I grew up exposed to the idea that God is an all-powerful being who deserves nothing less than the best and humans are the scum of the earth. I'm only now seeing that it's been damaging my relationship with my deities. I'm afraid to just chat with them 'too casually.' I apologize if I feel like I said something that's too disrespectful. I've apologized to Loki multiple times because he pulled some shit and my response was "god damnit Loki" or "you motherfucker."

And then they remind me that I call my mom the same thing, and she laughs. It's the same with my friends. All because it's not insulting, or disrespectful, it's a sign of affection. I would never say that and mean it; they know that, so it's funny. It's playful.

Amongst many other things, Loki is teaching me that joy is to be valued. This world tells us that it's dumb, childish, or any other assortment of negative descriptors- and that it has no place in spirituality. Certainly no place in the presence of a god- and that's fucking sad. I think Loki is sad about it too. I think Loki's fucking pissed, actually. How dare we be made to feel shame for what makes us happy. The gods deserve to partake in our joy and our fun just as much as they deserve to be part of our sorrow and fear.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm starting to think that hanging out with some fucker who's scrolling through memes and blasting music might just be a nice change of pace for them.

[selenophiliiaaa]

got a new book from a local witchy store and i am So Excited to read it - its “Secrets of Greek Mysticism; a modern guide to daily practice with the Greek gods and goddesses” by George Lizos,,, im only a couple chapters in but it seems like itll be a really good read !!

[wytchoftheways]

[the-devils-library]

A Brief History of Satanism

I see quite a bit of misinformation circulated about Satanism's historical origins, both online and in the pages of books, so I thought it may be worthwhile to give a breakdown of the truth as my research has shown it to me. I have no official credentials as a historian, but I'm a theistic Satanist who takes my religion and my research very seriously. I encourage all to read my words and respond with corrections if they notice a mistake in my work; that being said, I will likely demand sources if someone's "correction" conflates with what my research has shown me.

First off, I'm going to disappoint many of my fellow theistic Satanists with this announcement: Satanism is not ancient. It's not older than Christianity, it's not even as old as Christianity, by a long shot. I suspect this need to insist that Satan and his followers are an ancient faith (or that they can somehow be found within other faiths, such as comparing Satan to Pan or Shiva) stems from Christianity. Christianity was once a very new religion in comparison to those that surrounded it, and in order to gain followers and create legitimacy for themselves, Christians had to insist that their religion was the only true one, that their god had been pulling the strings from the beginning, and that if you looked back in Jewish holy writings you'd find evidence of Jesus and his teachings. Let us Satanists not make the same mistake.

And secondly, to disappoint the atheists in the crowd: LaVey didn't invent Satanism. Yes he was very impactful on the Satanic scene, especially in the anglosphere, but he didn't invent the entire religion.

Alright, let's start at the beginning.

Satan, and the concept of worshiping him, began in the minds of Christians. That may seem like a let-down to some people, but it's the truth. Satan as a powerful lord of evil and enemy of God didn't exist before Christianity. The concept of the satan, or adversary, existed within Judaism, a famous example being the satan of Job, but this was a job for an angel working under God. For further understanding of the Jewish satan you'd have to look into Jewish writing on the topic, but if you want a basic historical explanation, Elaine Pagels' The Origin of Satan gives good context in simple terms. For now I'd just like to emphasize that Capital-S-Satan does not exist in Judaism. That's where the word came from, but it had a different meaning from what Christianity gave it.

When Christianity came along, of course, they began to use the word Satan to refer to the enemy of God, and thus anything they considered to be ungodly or against their beliefs was instead under the domain of Satan. Jews, Pagans, other Christians with differing beliefs or customs, anyone was fair game to be accused of being a Satanist.

This does not mean any of those people were actually worshiping Satan.

"Satanist" was not a real religious identity that anyone claimed, it was an insult and an accusation hurled by Christians at those they wanted to oppress, silence, and control. The Christian worldview did not allow for cultures and religions other than there own (or even variation within their own). If someone wasn't a follower of God, then they were a follower of the Devil, end of discussion.

It is very dangerous, therefore, to assume that any of these people accused of Satanism in the far past would actually have self-identified as Satanists. In my mind it is comparable to thinking the "witches" of the Salem witch trials would've self-identified as such (they did not, they "admitted" to witchcraft under torture. I hope I don't have to explain why that isn't a reliable thing to cite when trying to parse whether someone was a witch or not). By claiming that any group persecuted by Christians in the far past were secretly Satanic, we are not only stripping those people of their actual identities and cultures, we are agreeing with the Christians who harmed them.

To my knowledge we don't see anyone actually viewing Satan in a positive or sympathetic light until the emergence of Romantic Satanism in the late 1700s through the 1800s, with writings by poets like Percy Shelley and of course John Milton. Romantic Satanism, it should be emphasized, was not a religious movement, but an artistic one. Different writers of the era had varied religious identities, from Christian to the beginnings of Atheism, but while they were writing about Satan with more nuance and personality than he'd ever been given before, they were not worshiping him or intending to write holy texts.

It isn't until the 1900s that we begin to see inklings of truly religious Satanism, and not always by that name exactly. Aleister Crowley, founder of Thelema, had some Satanic flavor to his persona (calling himself the Beast 666), despite saying he did not consider himself a Satanist nor worshiped Satan. Crowley's contemporary, Maria de Naglowska, founded a sex-based magical society and religion called The Brotherhood of Eulis, which centered on Satan as the embodiment of Reason, and the story of Adam and Eve as the original magical act of a woman granting magical knowledge to her lover through sex. The Neo-pagan religion Adonism was founded by Franz Sättler, who equated Adonis with Satan in a positive way. There are more to name but this post is already lengthy.

These movements were scattered, some were not well-documented, and many happened in Europe and the original texts were never translated to English. I believe this is part of the reason why Americans and others in the anglosphere may only know of LaVey as Satanism's modern father, because of course, in the 1960s, we got the Church of Satan, and their accompanying Bible. Again, this is a lengthy subject I'm sure I'll make more posts on later, but LaVeyan Satanism is, to my knowledge, the origin of the atheistic Satanism movement, the worldview that deities aren't real (though magic may be, depending on how closely we're sticking with LaVey's worldview) and Satan is a figurehead used to symbolize self-worship. Though they share very few philosophical values, it is due to this version of atheistic Satanism that The Satanic Temple exists today, practicing their own version of Satanism, also without literal deities. It is also due to the CoS that the Temple of Set came to be, as it was originally formed by LaVeyan Satanists who wanted something more theist.

With the creation of the internet we have seen many Satanist authors and some scattered churches, covens, and groups arise; Marie RavenSoul (edit: RavenSoul no longer considers herself Satanic, and has converted to Christianity), Aleister Nacht and Magnum Opus, Rev. Cain, Brother Nero, and others. Some of these groups and authors inspired one another, others seem to have sprung up on their own. Others, I'm sure, have been lost to time, and that saddens me as a scholar of Satan and his followers. But that is part of my mission with this blog, is to track down and keep record of every Satanic resource I can find, no matter how obscure.

Follow The Devil's Library here on Tumblr for more posts like this, as well as book reviews in the future. Ave Satanas to my fellow followers of Satan, and to all others, I bid you good day.

[DISCLAIMER: The Devil's Library is not affiliated with any of the previously mentioned groups or authors. It is an independent project by a single Satanist. Do not mistake my mentioning of an author or group as endorsement for their beliefs and practices.]

[noknowshame]

hello- on your jesus birthday post you said The Child Is The Price. What does that mean?

Okay THIS one I will answer. this is a reference to Roberte Icke's adaptation of Aeschylus' tragic play(s), The Oresteia. simplifying as much as possible, the story begins by following Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek army during the Trojan War. the winds he needs to sail his army to Troy have not been blowing, and Agamemnon receives a prophecy/instruction on what is needed in order to return the winds. the prophecy states "The Child is the Price". this phrase is repeated throughout the play, and what it is asking him to do is make a human sacrifice of his young daughter, Iphigenia. eventually, he goes through with it, and the winds do indeed return.

In the original plays by Aeschylus, the actual death of Iphigenia has already happened and is referenced as something the audience should already know all about. Icke chooses to add an act to the play that allows us to linger on that decision much longer. As a whole, the play deals heavily with themes of the nature of sacrifice, narrative inevitability, and cycles of guilt and violence.

When I was drafting my... infamous christmas post, I was trying to think of the story of the birth of jesus like a greek tragedy, involving very similar themes. factually, in a textual sense, jesus is the sacrifice. his death is the price paid for - according to christianity - absolution. and what I was attempting to point out is that we spend so much time celebrating jesus' birth as this wondrous arrival of the savior that we don't stop to meditate on exactly how bloodily that saving is going to play out. it's the exact same thing: The Child is the Price.

As a last note, many many many people have told me in the tags that me saying "Mary did you know? that your womb was also a grave?" is stupid because "all babies are born to die, Jesus isn't special" ...but there is a Very important difference I'd like to point. yes, all babies will die eventually. but NOT all babies are born to die. Jesus was. it was God's plan from the start for him to horrifically die on the cross, and it was inevitable as soon as Mary agreed to give birth to him. I feel that is an important part of the story. The Child is the Price.

(...anyway go read Robert Icke Oresteia and also watch Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) while you're at it)

[grimoiregradient]

Baptism By Eclipse

A ritual to inspire radical change of the self

Before the eclipse, prepare ashes of cedar and mesquite wood

Make a pitcher of the following and be sure to charge under the sun for several hours. (Do not drink!)

water

rosemary for mental power and motivation

bay leaf for manifestation 

sage for wisdom

lavender for peace and acceptance 

cinnamon bark for personal strength 

comfrey for protection during transition 

Prepare three offerings of your choosing for the sun, moon, and earth.

Just before the eclipse, invite the mind, body, spirit to the ceremony

"I invite the Human Spirit in the form of the Sun, the Human Mind in the form of the Moon, and the Human Body in the form of the Earth to witness this ceremony. As these three celestial bodies align, I offer the following gifts in exchange for your favor." 

Present the offerings. 

"I ask the Earth, the body, to nurture me and guide me through this time of transformation as you have always done."

As the eclipse begins, use the ashes to draw a dark circle on your forehead and say,

"I ask the Moon, the Mind, as you eclipse the sun, let your shadow pass over me and carry my old self with you when you depart."

Meditate on the aspects of yourself you are letting go of, visualize yourself releasing these things, picture yourself as an empty vessel, a clean slate.

As the sun begins to appear say,

"I ask the Sun, the Spirit, as you return, let your light shine on me and grant me the strength to manifest my best self. " 

Pour the water over your face, letting it wash the ashes away. 

Meditate on the person you will become. How will you act, think, feel? Feel the suns warmth on your skin, charging you. Feel the herbs working their magic to inspire you and guide you. You will be a better version of yourself.

[everdeenxmellark]

“I know my girlfriend is a witch”

- october country

[violetmoondaughter]

Last week I visited the Archeological area of Agrigento in Sicily. 

In the valley of temples there is an ancient spot dedicated to the chthonic cult of Demeter and Persephone. The area, located near the Gate V, was used to celebrate the Thesmophoria, the ancient women celebration of fertility in honor of Demeter and Persephone. 

The area is formed by remains of the temple dedicated to the chthonic deities and the ancient gate from which women entered the sanctuary to gather in the celebration of Thesmophoria. Near the temple there are wells and passages leading to underground caves where the worshippers threw their offerings, including piglets used in the festivities in honor of Demeter and kore.   

Within the Agrigento area there are two other sites (that I couldn’t visit) dedicated to the worship of Demeter and Persephone located on the slopes of the Athenian cliff (Rupe Atenea). These are the ancient temple of Demeter, later converted into a church dedicated to St. Biagio, and an older rock sanctuary of pre-Greek origin. The sanctuary, completely excavated within the hill, was probably used by indigenous pre-Greek peoples and was dedicated to a fertility deity later assimilated to Demeter or a nymph cult. 

[ladymidnytemare]

Cloudy, gloomy and pouring with rain... Perfect time to switch my Altar over for Spooky Season 🎃🍁🍄

[cozy-coven]

Hello friend. It’s always so special when you bloom 🌸

[labrujasolar]

I offer honeyed wine of lethe,

I offer magic ✧

[silverskye13]

So I started reading House of Open Wounds, by your sagely recommendation, and I think it's my new favourite book. The magic? the Magic? Okay but The Magic.

And the way gods work, and, and the cultures, and and and, The characters especially! Poor Jack, he just wants to help. Every line between him and his God had me howling. Prassel is my favourite but I'm biased. Honestly I have so many feelings about this book and not any of the words to explain them.

I have not finished the book yet, (im at the part where we find out about Masty's identity) but I am seriously enjoying it so far! I will definitely be taking a look at the other books on your list.

Ayyy I'm glad you like it! It is a stellar character study and I'm starting to learn that's a strong point for Adrian Tchaikovsky's. And the world building is definitely some of the most unique I've ever read.

I think Banders had to be my favorite character. All of the characters were complex and interesting, but I really loved her? Dichotomy? She's a rebel of her system and also a product of her environment. She has major blind spots to her privilege and station and also near all-inclusive compassion for people she deems are hers. I have known people like her in real life, and they were also uniquely military. It's so so interesting, the odd gaps people build to encompass people they like, and she has them in a very human way I've never seen a character showcase before.

Also, she is a thief and a scoundrel, and I love her.

[beatcroc]

otherkin but only for sounds therian but only for movements yet i hate all mysticism and most spirituality. truly what a joke of an existence this is