Hermetic Library Anthology Album - Magick, Music and Ritual 5 from Samhain / Fall 2012 has started to show up on all the digital shops and streaming platforms!
It's always been on Bandcamp, but it's now (over) 10 years old, so to celebrate I'm letting it loose on the world!
It joins MMR1–4 and MMR 12, with more to come as I catch up on 10 year anniversaries!
The Hermetic Library Anthology Album — Magick, Music and Ritual 10, the release for Equinox 2014, Sun in Libra, Anno V 0 (for some reason I wasn't releasing these on the anniversary of the library's birth in December yet), has started showing up in all the places online, streamers and shops, beyond Bandcamp!
I didn't want to work on your request until I had something meaningful to say, and until last night I just... didn't.
Because I'm sure you've heard tips from other people about setting energetic boundaries, but like what does that even mean? Purification rituals are cool, but they aren't necessarily restorative and in and of themselves require energy to work.
But last night was strange. Suddenly, out of the twilight darkness settling over my house, I became suddenly and inexplicably overstimulated. It took me a moment of focus to realize why, as there were really no stimuli beyond the sounds of our footsteps walking in from outside, and the usual visual stimuli of objects in my house. The TV wasn't on, we weren't playing music, no one was talking to me.
But someone, or rather, many someone's, were talking to me. It was as though I walked through a doorway into a packed room, and everyone was trying to greet me at once. Except I couldn't tell who was speaking, I could only hear the roar of distant voices. And I'm using terms we can all understand, it wasn't quite so apparent what was going on. The stimuli was more like energetic frequencies trying to tune to my channel rather than actual audible voices, but I think you all get the idea.
This is something I've struggled with my whole life. I've always had an issue finding balance between shutting down connection with the worlds around me (if we choose to distinguish states of existence as different worlds entirely as is common) or not knowing how to shut out influences that weren't positive or that I just couldn't figure out how to channel at all.
It dawned on me that perhaps so many people have a hard time finding connection with the Divine, or the land, or even themselves, because we really are able to access communications from beings who exist in other states when we truly connect, but that's probably a thought for another time.
I've never really understood the concept of spirit work, I guess because I've never intentionally channeled spirits, they've always just accessed me somehow, and I don't know why or how that is, but it just is. So when you asked me to write about how to care for yourself when intentionally engaging in this kind of work, I was a little stumped. But I think what I realized last night, since this was on my mind already, is that the most crucial component of protecting yourself from energy drain when engaging with these spirits or beings in other states of existence is a proper, regular practice of engaging with them.
That sounds counterintuitive, but I've learned that access points are like muscles, and that the more you engage them, the more you can really feel what or who it is that you're speaking to or channeling. I'm quite early on this journey of finding balance and finding healthy ways to channel these beings' communications, but this has been the single change that has made a world of difference in my ability to not feel just... exhausted and almost even violated after engaging with these beings. Lots of practitioners say "learn to set energetic boundaries" (or the same in different terms), but I've found few resources (and by no means have I exhausted all options) on what this means or how to do it. The best guess I can hazard is that like anything this takes practice, but learning to set boundaries against influences that try to chime in while you're channeling the spirit you want to seems to be the most important thing you can do, and it takes practice to be able to distinguish between communications from different entities.
I hope that this was a worthwhile read, this is a space I have a strange relationship with because I don't feel as though my perspective is the same as many. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. I know that this veers from "energetic self care" so to speak, in that it doesn't have any tips for restoration after a session, but perhaps it'll help nonetheless.
The Hermetic Library Anthology Album - Magick, Music and Ritual 9, the Samhain / Fall 2013 issue, the final issue of 2013, released 10 years ago on November 7th, and the final 4th issue of the last year when I did 4 seasonal releases each year, is now starting to show up in all the digital shops and players beyond Bandcamp!
Hermetic Library Anthology Album - Magick, Music and Ritual 6 from Imbolc / Winter 2013 has started to show up on all the digital shops and streaming platforms!
It's always been on Bandcamp, but now (over) 10 years old. It joins MMR1–5 and MMR 12, with more to come as I catch up on 10 year anniversaries!
Some occult texts are riddled with misinformation and misdirection purposefully and knowingly included by the author. Sometimes called "blinds," their purpose is to obfuscate the secrets contained within the text, and to prevent or sabotage the work of the uninitiated who attempt to use the text without the proper knowledge, training, or experience.
:pentagram: Pagans, Polytheists, Witches, Occultists, Spiritualists, Astrologers, Diviners, and Mystics of the Fediverse :pentagram:
Below is a list of users who self-identify with one or more of the labels above. This list is intended to make it easier for us to find one another across the Fediverse!
I practice #magick and have done my three levels of #Reiki too. I see myself mostly involved in that aspect of things, but I feel I'm kind of just wandering around without a group of people, and I'm looking for company and community.
I'm also sort of involved in my local #CUUPS chapter at my local #UU#church
and I'm looking forward to meeting others on here and learning more!
My new podcast #FolkLands with #JustinChubb begins tomorrow! A dark plunge beneath the surface of forgotten British folklore and myth, mixed with 70s kids tv, magick, witches, curses and ancient river demons. Don’t say I never treat you! Available wherever you pod. Please follow us & share!
I'm gonna make a list of accounts belonging to witches, pagans, occultists, astrologers, and related fields to make it easier for us to find each other.
Please comment below if you want to be included!
It'll be opt-in only; you'll only be added if you ask to be.
I finished reading "John Dee and the Empire of Angels" by Jason Louv, and wow. This book took me in a direction I did not expect, and contextualized Western occultism in a really coherent and important way.
There are actually three books within this volume. The first examines the life of John Dee and his political contributions to England in the early 1500s, as well as the overall cultural and political context within which he existed. The second examines and summarizes the angelic conversations themselves, and provides some analysis that links them to the overall apocalyptic eschatology that was described in the introduction and first book. The third book examines Dee's contemporaries and influences, including the Rosicrucians, Freemasons, and Crowley & Parsons, and analyzes especially the latter two's relative roles within this overall cosmology and influence in Western occultism.
Overall, this creates an historical narrative that deeply contextualizes a significant amount of modern Wicca, witchcraft, neopaganism, and Western occultism. It doesn't aim to define these, of course, but it explains the steps through which our modern view of spirituality and its practice were shaped. While at first I thought I might be reading an interesting and yet somewhat distant and irrelevant historical narrative of this interesting occultist from the Rennaisance, I found myself instead reading of the events and people that shaped the "modern" esoteric schools, as well as dominant Christian eschatology in America and how that influences our politics.
Louv does a great job of playing fair with historical figures: contextualizing them in a nuanced way, outlining their faults and being critical of the cults of personality they've built over the decades while not disregarding their important role or influence over history.
I would dare say (and I wouldn't say this about many things) that most neopagans or self-proclaimed occultists should absolutely add this to their reading list and try to read and comprehend the entire tome.
No one will believe this, but that's ok. We'll couch it in a what if to make it easier to digest.
What if, when you brought your creative will to bear, the energy that drove you to create was bound in your creation? A piece of your soul woven into reality. What would that look like from the other side of veil?
What if I spoke to someone from the other side last night, and they said that these creations are alive? That they ripple like firefish on the surface of an obsidian pond, the poetry swimming with the music, slipping through art and magick in fractal schools of imagination, the brilliance of math waltzing with philosophy, storytelling a prophecy of infinite possibility.
What if they sang that the Akashic record is a living ecosystem of imagination when seen from the in-between? And that the most curious thing is that even as we create it, it creates us - our dreams brush it as we drift in sleep, our desire is born within it, and we ourselves are the result of the creative spark in our parents eyes (or thighs, as it may be)....?
And what if this is why the fractal elves (themselves woven of this weave) laugh at us when we cross the boundary - just as we laugh at NPCs and characters like Deadpool who break the 4th wall?
Dia Sacrificia was transformative, and incredible.
The postponement of the event led to a smaller turnout, which ended up being a blessing. The tight group forged quick bonds, and was more open to ceremony and participating in the rituals than I think they would have been otherwise.
A 40 foot heptagram was carved into the earth, a fire dug out into the middle, candles placed for each of the seven planets. In this space we ended ceremony, warmed bare feet by the fire, made offerings to the earth.
I hand painted our altar, which my partner built on Friday, a temple to Osiris and to our ancestors, who were most certainly with us throughout the evening.
The meditation I led brought us into connection with the true nature of time, of different states of Being, with our ancestors, with our guiding spirits,
and the ritual I performed, my first performance in years, a ritual self-tattoo, commemorated years of transformation and spiritual work, and was rejuvenating in ways I can't even begin to describe.
All were welcome, all joined the following day in meals and communion, in cleaning up and drying marigolds, in play and laughter.
Like shaping the earth, shaping a life takes years, but it feels as though we are on a wonderful path with wonderful people, and I am so grateful.
So, a few photos from the morning after, to share what I can of the experience.
The thing people get wrong about The Force is that it's not a tool to be used. You can't say "The Force isn't Light or Dark, the intentions of the wielder make it so." Well, you can but you'd still be wrong.
We identify people as being sensitive to The Force for a reason. Because the Force is alive. The Cosmic Force that surrounds us. The Living Force which binds us together. Why else do you think the Force can have a Will if it's just some inert object or power to be manipulated by our Will?
Remember, the phrase goes "The Force is my Ally, and a powerful ally It is." Not my Tool. Not my Weapon. My Ally. You cannot be an Ally to something inert.
Hello to here! A quick little introduction as this is an alt account for now. My name is Hannah, I go by Jaedia online.
I'm a pagan witch - mostly working within Celtic Paganism (English and Welsh, primarily), Druidry, a little Norse Paganism (I grok Heathenry a lot but I lean much more Celtic/Druid), and Anglo-Saxon. And then intuitive witchcraft, British traditional folk, Hedge witchery, and fairly Wiccan inspired (though I do not practice Wicca, I have to give credit where it is due). Sooo... I usually just say "pagan witch" and perhaps "eclectic" because I follow where the path leads. 😅
I also work with tarot and other card-based divinations, incense and candles, tea, dreams, energy... many things.
I'd love to learn more about the runes and nature divining and so many things but have learned not to bite off things before I'm ready.
"Outside of magickal things" (because are they really?) I cross stitch, I GM for a lovely TTRPG group, I play video games, I read books and watch movies, series, and anime - particularly love horror, fantasy, history, folklore and scifi.
Oh and I'm from Britain. Born and raised in the East Midlands, currently living in South Wales along the coast. I adore old parks, castles, Cornwall and Glastonbury, finding magickal things where the mundane believes they have a hold. :chickwizard: It's lovely to be here!
Part of my magical work involves devotion to the goddess of my home city. I know her by the name Spanish missionaries gave to the place: Nuestra Señora, la Reina de Los Angeles.
I have had a clear image of her in my mind for decades. Now, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I can share it with you. Not surprisingly, she likes publicity.
I found this interesting little website. I had a few spells cast and now I'm all aren't I rich yet? (www.calastrology.com)