@siochanta@pagan.plus
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

siochanta

@siochanta@pagan.plus

(she/her) Queer intersectional pagan Polytheist and eclectic witch from Northern Germany. I have published a few pagan/witchy books, I blog and do a bit or art.

Languages: English, German
I used to be on another instance in the Fediverse, but it doesn't seem to work anymore.
#paganism #pagan #witch #witchcraft

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

siochanta, to magick
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

I keep a box with long-term spells in it. I have written a short blog about this:
https://cavorta.substack.com/p/decluttering-for-witches-or-one-box

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.

siochanta, to random
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

As a vegetarian who tries to buy as much vegan products as possible it is my opinion that we do not need leather-bound books.
There are hardcover books and softcover books and that's enough, isn't it? And of course ebooks. There simply is no necessity these days for books to be bound in leather.

I think about this because an author in the pagan/witchcraft/magick community has announced a special edition of one of his books, which will be leather-bound.
Not happy about this. Besides, it's really expensive. If at least it was faux leather. sigh

siochanta,
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

@SavahRellcast
Yes, I heard about various plant based faux leather types. I do not know much about it, I have to admit. I guess I have to do a bit of research about that.

siochanta, to Magic
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

Here is a good blog by John Beckett, including a quote from a book by Mat Auryn:
"Avoiding Discouragement in Magic and Devotion"
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnbeckett/2024/03/avoiding-discouragement-in-magic-and-devotion.html

#witchcraft #magic #paganism

siochanta, to random
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

Something about the self-help industry:

I watched some videos of a YouTube channel exploring scams in the spiritual community, self-help gurus and such.
This reminded me of why I do not read self-help books anymore.
I have written a blog about this some time ago:

https://cavorta.substack.com/p/why-i-dont-read-self-help-books-anymore

Following the Law of Attraction or similar ideas, some self-help gurus preach that in order to have a life of abundance you must immerse yourself in that mindset and actually live as if you already experience abundance. And, you guessed it, this can be expensive.
And some people take it too far. Here is an example for this, a cautionary tale:

Life coach GOES BROKE living "in abundance", by KeyasWorld:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-iPyuYQjlw

siochanta, to random
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

I just watched an interesting video where Doctor Eilers explains that self care is not what most people think. It’s not treating yourself to a nice dessert or a day at the spa, or a weekend trip.

Instead it is more about fulfilling your most basic needs, as shown in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: mainly enough sleep, rest, healthy food, physical activity, contact with loved ones, friends, family etc.

But there is a whole industry out there that wants to sell you self care products.

I have written a blog about self care a few years ago but I think I need to revise that some time.

The video: "Self Care is a Scam“
by Doctor Scott Eilers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCWVihE4skI

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs

siochanta, to Magic
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

Here's a joke I like to tell when I look at spells on the one hand and mundane measures to achieve something on the other hand. Often, both is needed.

A man wants to win the lottery. Every evening he prays to his God, "Oh, dear God, please let me win the lottery." This goes on for a while, weeks, months ...
A year goes by, but the man still hasn't won the lottery. So he prays again, more fervently than ever: "Oh, dear God, please let me finally win the lottery! I've been praying for it for so long. "
Then suddenly a heavenly voice can be heard, telling him, "If you want to win the lottery, give me a chance, man! You have to buy a lottery ticket!"

Cat_LeFey, to paganism
@Cat_LeFey@pagan.plus avatar

It is literally impossible to be an expert in everything relating to and/or . The umbrella is too broad. So after the initiate stage, we tend to settle into a few niches.

I think this is a great humbling and equalizing factor within the community. We are all novices at something, and it's possible to find experts in all kinds of specific fields of study.

Here's my :

Expert- regional plant life, tarot
Intermediate- astrology
Novice- Greek pantheon and mythology

What are yours?

siochanta,
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

@Cat_LeFey
I am not an expert at anything in the pagan/witchcraft topics.

I have read ca. 60 nonfiction books about witchcraft and pagan topics so far, and have read several blogs and articles. But I have a really poor memory for details (maybe because of my neurodivergence), so I have to constantly look up things or re-read parts of books.

But that is okay for me.
I'm not an academic and I don't intend to approach pagan and witchcraft topics with research like an academic would do. Instead, I like to think of myself as an interested layperson.

siochanta,
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

@Cat_LeFey
No, as I said, I am not an expert at anything. I am also not good at remembering or organizing details in books.

Only this, I do look up key words in e-books, using a Kindle app on my PC. This is often helpful, at least if I can remember useful key words for my search.

What I have done to organize a bit are some book lists, like this one about books which focus on pagan deities, as well as some pantheons:
https://bit.ly/books_pagan_deities

siochanta, to random
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

If you are annoyed by unwanted visitors knocking on your door (salespeople or people on a mission to proselytise you etc.)
how about a sign like this?

Text from the sign:

"Door Knockers Please Note:
This household charges $50 per minute to listen to sales pitches, religious messages & fund-raising stories.

This charge is payable in advance!

By knocking on this door or ringing the door bell, you signal your agreement with the terms outlined above."

siochanta, to paganism
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

Reblogging a blog: "A Social Justice Sigil" - if you work with sigils, feel free to use it. More details in the blog:
https://cavorta.substack.com/p/a-social-justice-sigil

siochanta, to paganism
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

Today, someone asked an interesting question in a Facebook group. It was about the Norse deity Loki, but I am going to rephrase their question.

"Who do you see your deity in around you? What musicians and actors and artists and writers, directors, etc. make you feel like your deity is trying to connect with you through them?"

That's some food for thought, isn't it? It's especially interesting if you combine aspects of your spiritual practice with pop culture, I think.

siochanta, to paganism
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

In a Facebook group, an interesting topic came up: If the deities teach us lessons via harming or punishing is. In my eyes, this is a rather (fundamentalist) Christian concept.
And I was reminded of an excellent blog by John Beckett:
"No, You Didn't Choose To Suffer"

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnbeckett/2021/07/no-you-didnt-choose-to-suffer.html

siochanta, to paganism
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

Now, all over my social media with my other, non-spiritual profile, lots of people start to wish everybody Merry Christmas, including wishing this for me.
Not considering that some folks do not celebrate Christmas.

I am not a recovering ex-Christian or something like that, but since I have become a , it feels so strange to me when someone wishes me Merry Christmas. It's almost like a cognitive dissonance.

I always say, "Happy Holidays" and I wish more people would use that phrase instead of "Merry Christmas". December 25 and 26 are holidays here in Germany, so even if you do not celebrate Christmas, you have two holidays.

siochanta, to random
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

Tonight, I wondered if there is any corner of the internet where not everyone and your neighbour are talking about Christmas today and during the coming days.
Then I decided to mute a few related words. Problem solved, at least in the Fediverse.😅
(I am a pagan polytheist and not interested in Christmas.)

siochanta, to paganism
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

If you need some last minute #pagan #music for #WinterSolstice, I have a playlist for that on YouTube. Mostly English songs, two in German:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQFvs1GKllL6R0e7_26XgNF6WWxZzJsuM

siochanta,
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

@SavahRellcast
Yes, that's right, there are no Xmas songs in the playlist and also no mentioning of Christmas in the lyrics.

siochanta,
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

Do you mean, "Emerald Rose - Santa Claus is Pagan Too"? Or another one? I do not want to add more music to my playlist atm. I have too many playlists already. 😅Not only on YouTube, but also on Spotify.

siochanta, to paganism
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

I know that some pagan people like to celebrate #wintersolstice AND Christmas. That's not for me. Christmas was always celebrated in a purely secular way in my family (all non-denominational) and since I have become #pagan, I am no longer interested in that.

I'm not celebrating with my parents and siblings this year. This is very relaxing for me: No travelling stress, no sitting together at home for days on end because there's hardly anything to do locally - and I'm rather not in the mood for walks in icy winds.

What's more, my parents live in a draughty house that never gets really warm in winter and, as they have energy-saving light bulbs everywhere, it's also pretty dark. Not exactly inviting, unfortunately.

As I'm not giving any presents this year and don't want to, there's no need to stress about presents. Instead, I've donated something to charity.

I met a nice and helpful neighbour earlier today, but I don't know him well. He once helped me with something I couldn't do on my own. I wished him happy holidays. He asked me if I would be alone over the holidays. I replied evasively, "Everything's fine!"

Maybe he would have invited me to celebrate Christmas with his family and him if I had told him that I was alone. And that's pretty much the last thing I want. 😅

siochanta,
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

@SavahRellcast
Thanks for sharing this, it sounds wonderful. Merry Winter Solstice to you too. 💛

forteller, (edited ) to random
@forteller@tutoteket.no avatar

If you liked that plagiarism video from @Hbomberguy, you should also watch his video about the war on christmas, now that we're in the middle of this years war!

It's only 1 hour long!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbZo4x0NbbI

siochanta,
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

@forteller
Thanks. I watched the video about plagiarism and am currently watching this one by HBomberguy: "Sherlock is Garbage and Here's Why"

But what is "War on Christmas" about? And what is that reference? I've seen the hasthag several times now and I don't know what that is about. Or does it get explained in the video you linked?

siochanta, to random
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

I have nothing specifically planned for the Winter Solstice. I am solitary, there are no pagan events in my area - and if there were, I wouldn't go there because most people around here do not wear masks, but Covid is not over.

Why do I write this? Let's normalize that you do not have to celebrate the Wheel of the Year celebrations if ...

... you are a witch or pagan in the broom closet and your family or other people wouldn't understand

... if any of the Wheel of the Year celebrations are not important to you personally.

... if you are alone and have nobody to celebrate with.

... if it would mean a lot of stress for you, but you don't have the spoons

... or any other reason.

Btw, I have written a blog, "Adapting the Wheel of the Year"
https://cavorta.substack.com/p/adapting-the-wheel-of-the-year

siochanta, to paganism
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

It's that time of the year when there are articles and blogs everywhere about traditions and their alleged origins.

I can recommend this essay by Morgan Daimler, it can be read for free on their Patreon. Morgan has researched this thoroughly.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/christmas-and-94066283

siochanta, to paganism
@siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

In case you are looking for specifically for the or ,
I have a playlist on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQFvs1GKllL6R0e7_26XgNF6WWxZzJsuM

khthoniaa, to random
@khthoniaa@pagan.plus avatar

deleted_by_author

    •
    siochanta,
    @siochanta@pagan.plus avatar

    @khthoniaa
    Ah, I see. In that case, I can join this challenge. 😊 Thanks for the explanation.

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