Tonight, I didn't do much Beltane-ish magic or so, just lighting a candle and some incense, giving some offerings ... and then I took a look what's in that box and found one spell from 2022.
I guess it's time to release that. 😅Or do a new one.
As the personification of the Moon, the Roman goddess Luna (and her Greek counterpart Selene) are important aspects of any witch's practice. Our exclusive Astronomical Events Expansion Pack for the Eclectic Witch deck will give you some insight into Moon magick and other celestial events.
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.
It's been a long period of necessary isolation due to some really intense psychic experiences after the Solstice event, and yet it feels as though the intentions I worked towards at that & the previous ritual I held are slowly beginning to manifest.
A long time friend of mine was kind enough to furnish me with exercises to improve psychic hygiene, and I recently just met with someone who has been working with a spiritual healer on the same and who is willing to engage in ritual space together to share some of her techniques with me. It's incredibly profound to have begun to build or find this community, and I am so grateful to everyone who shares their time and space with me.
I have some really interesting tattoo work planned that I can hopefully pick back up in April or May, after this month's push to improve the land and the two weeks in April I'm dedicating to a survival medicine class.
Spring feels fruitful and hopeful, and there is grass growing everywhere, triggered out of dormancy by the rain we received in January and early February.
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.
“ This workshop is an introduction to and exploration of decolonising your magical practice. Respecting the spirit of this ancient land; acknowledging the Traditional Owners and their kinship to the land, honouring Ancestors and Spirits of Place. Deep listening, respectfully connecting to country and being in active solidarity with First Nations communities and causes. […] Raphael Lavallee is a Ngarigo-Buhlung from the Ngarigo and Yuin nations. Ngarigo is their Grandmothers country, and Yuin is their Grandfathers country. They are a Reclaiming Witch a WildWood Witch, a Priestess, artist, ritualist, a ceremony and law/lore keeper, meditation teacher, expressive and cultural arts therapist, experienced workshop facilitator and fat activist.”
It is widely understood that Christian proselytism is one of the most damaging aspects of the colonisation of so-called Australia. However, many aren’t aware that even less mainstream spiritualities inherit similar attitudes which invalidate or exploit First Nation peoples and cultures. This workshop is an excellent way of showing solidarity to Indigenous grief surrounding the events of 26th January, 1788 (Invasion Day or so-called “Australia Day”). :firstnations:
I have personally attended this workshop, and found it extremely insightful. Raph helped answer questions I had on how to ethically connect with nature on a spiritual level as a non-Indigenous inhabitant of so-called Australia, and enhanced my understanding of Indigenous wisdom, culture and truth-telling. It is my strong belief that we should support local/indie initiatives, especially those owned/run by Indigenous people. 💚
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!
The Geminid meteor shower was incredible, although we just about froze to see it, and we hampered our visibility a bit by huddling around a fire (it was necessary).
We also finally got this piece up: "The Lamb", a collaboration between myself & my partner.
Night & day differences shown. I have a goat skull in the works right now and lots of ideas for how to use it now that I've gotten more comfortable cleaning & bleaching bones.
Some of the best advice that I can give to magick practitioners is to avoid comparing yourself to other practitioners. Comparing yourself to others won't lead to growth like focusing on your path and putting in the Work will, but it will steal your joy by inciting feelings of inadequacy.
#NowReading - john szwed's new harry smith bio "cosmic scholar" is absolutely inspiring, both as a life & a piece of research. insightful inside tour through american bohemia & its chaotic early undergrounds (#folklore! record collecting! #art! #nyc! #magick! #film! #drugs!) with a glorious & chaotic weirdo/polymath who connected them. i think any nonfiction reader would love this, no matter if they've heard of harry smith or not. #books
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!
I struggle back and forth about whether I want to continue using #occult and 'magical' models for the #paranormal phenomena I experience and discuss.
One of the warning signs that keeps flashing at me is that all the occultists I have met and interacted with are mentally ill and getting worse. For some reason, at this time this year, many of them are starting to spiral.
At The Crossroads: A Personal Journey Beyond Occult Paradigms
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.
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!
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.