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I hope none of you disappear in the coming days. Seriously don't do anything that can't be undone.

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How to Connect with Nature

Now you may have heard this phrase of “in order to connect with nature spirits first you need to be in nature.” Or something similar which is true but they don’t tell you how or the etiquette of spirits of the land. It’s more than just walking or sitting in a park it can most definitely help get to know the place but in order to really understand and bind with these spirits is to really communicate with them which is key.

First go to a local park, your backyard, local forest, wherever you’re closer to. Even a pot plant in your home will do. My favorite spirit to connect with trees and know the moss wives and wood spirites. Go to any plant or tree you’re feel drawn to. Just sit and feel the plant gently, if it’s a tree put your hand and use your intuition and it’s okay if you’re not feeling any energy this is the point. You’re trying to connect drawing in the energy and sharing yours, write down whatever comes to mind even if it’s wrong and exercise to get comfortable with your intuition and senses. Feel what that plant is feeling, is this tree masculine or feminine, is it happy or sad, what color are you relating this tree or plant in your minds eye. What are you feeling right now? Does this plant want you to be in its presence, communication with you? You may not know the answer right away but it’s essential to really get to know.

After you write down your answers in your phone or notebook, take any divination tool Tarot, Pendulums, Runes, Automatic writing, etc. and clarify what the plant or tree spirit is saying to you. There is nothing wrong with using divination before you connect with its energy if it helps you lot more. Think of connecting with the spirit as a handshake a mutual acquaintance and understanding what each others intent. Some spirits will talk to you immediately, some be hesitant especially if it’s area that has been mistreated by humans at times you can feel the hurt and sadness that spirit will release.

Once I held a broken branch from a tree that came from a forest area that was so mistreated and vandalized by humans that holding the branch almost made me cry as I felt it’s pain but also happiness that someone came along and was willing to help them and the forest. If you make your intentions known and why you’re connecting with them is important for them to know. You can leave offerings for the spirit just along its environmentally safe for it. Put fruits, crystals, coffee grounds to promote growing of vegetation, veggies, libations of water or tea. It’s best to research what foods are safe to be place in the wild in case any animal comes across it, for instance salted roasted peanuts can be harmful for Squirrels google your food items just to be sure! 

Now Asking For Permission

Now humans have tendency of taking without asking especially from things that cannot verbally consent or least they think they can get away with it because trees aren’t talking to them. It’s common courtesy to ask if you can take a leaf or berry or flower from a stem or tree because it shows you’re taking care of their feelings. The best way to do this is to take a branch you feel drawn to or a random one for practice, hold it in your hands and focus on the broken branch even when a branch is broken it’s still connected to the tree spirit. Ask out loud if you can take this branch with permission from the tree spirit, you may hear a voice in your head telepathically, a feeling of an answer. If you feel strongly the spirit is telling you should or shouldn’t then so be it you have an answer. By asking permission not only your connection is becoming stronger but all the nature spirits and guardians of that area sees that you’re honoring and being very respectful of the forest they will become very happy and comfortable more and more of you when doing so. Again if you’re not too sure on intuition there is nothing wrong of taking out your handy divination tool for clarification.

After Thoughts

I hope this was helpful for some people, I'm sorry this took awhile since I was trying to find the right approach of talking about this. It's hard to explain at times of connecting with spirits its all base on your intuition really and I know there's some people have a hard time with trusting with intuition but it's essential in paganism and witchcraft, yes even though your intuition isn't strong currently with time and practice of developing intuition it will become stronger and stronger.

I will also say meditation is also important and energy work, to feel and recognize certain energies is important when connecting with local spirits and nature spirits. I truly hope this blog is able to help people and understand it's not so complicated.

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Since my Sag 3rd house and Gemini 9th has been particularly active lately, this provides some good food for thought.

I tend to be very intellectual about things to the point where I spend too much time just thinking about things and never get around to doing them. Perhaps leaning more into my Sagittarius side would help balance my overactive brain.

the difference between gemini and sagittarius

gemini -> learns through curiosity, deepening their knowledge through research, investigation

sagittarius -> learns through adventuring, life experiences, taking risk and trying new things

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Correspondences for Days of the Week [quick reference]

Sunday 

Sun 

Gold, white, yellow 

Diamond, amber, tiger’s eye, sunstone, topaz, gold 

Cedar, frankincense, lemon, St. John’s wort 

Success, fame, prosperity, hope, healing, fortune 

Monday 

Moon 

Silver, white, blue 

Moonstone, silver, aquamarine, selenite 

Jasmine, lemon, sandalwood, honeysuckle, myrtle, willow 

Peace, dreams, emotions, illusions, glamours, psychic abilities, insight, wisdom 

Tuesday 

Mars 

Red, orange 

Bloodstone, ruby, garnet, flint, rhodonite, iron, steel 

Basil, patchouli, ginger, black pepper, dragon’s blood 

Power, lust, force, passion, will, courage, physical strength, war, energy, action, independence, practicality, protection 

Wednesday 

Mercury 

Yellow, purple, grey

Emerald, agate, fluorite, citrine, aventurine, mica, pumice, quicksilver, zinc 

Lavender, eucalyptus, jasmine, sweet pea 

Communication, arts, travel, luck, change, chance, gambling, creativity 

Thursday 

Jupiter 

Blue, purple, yellow 

Amethyst, lepidolite, sugilite, yellow sapphire, lapis lazuli, tin 

Clove, oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, sage 

Abundance, gain, riches, prosperity, wealth, success, luck, self-confidence, investment, gatherings, favors, ambition, mercy, humanity, publicity  

Friday 

Venus 

Pink, green, aqua, peach 

Jade, lapis lazuli, rose quartz, coral, emerald, malachite, copper 

Rose, yarrow, saffron, vanilla, thyme, sandalwood, strawberry  

Love, fertility, romance, friendships, passion, creativity  

Saturday 

Saturn 

Black, grey

Jet, obsidian, onyx, lead, pewter, hematite 

Cypress, myrrh, patchouli, black poppy seeds 

Safety, protection, intellect, life lessons, loss, past lives, law, justice, sincerity, restraint, discipline, responsibility, caution, time, chaos  

updated version [2024]

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This pretty. Me like. Sparkle, sparkle.

✨⚜️🤎⚜️✨Interstellar Gold✨⚜️🤎⚜️✨

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On fixation: I've found using a crystal ball to be particularly helpful in inducing a deep meditative state. In the past, I've also used a candle flame as a focus, but that can hurt your eyes after a while.

Methods of Trance:

Fixation: Like Trataka. Samadhi is often induced after a while. The state is to become so fixated on the item of meditation that the world ceases, and that the person, the space and the item of meditation blend into a single unity. Most often found with sigil work, the sigil is activated by the full blending of the personal will with the sigil by this meditation. Can be internal or external (i.e. an object made be meditated on externally, or an object made be meditated on internally via a visualization, organ or concept).

Sound: Repetitive Sounds can often be used to induce trance. The mind latches onto the sound, following its movements, which allows for the magus to move deeper rather than remain at a purely conscious level. Metronomes are an example of this sound, so too is drumming. The sound can also be internal, such as mental recitation of a mantra. The latter is potent as it turns the self away from the external world and into the internal nature.

Pain: Noted part of the Poison Path, where certain herbs induce pain or states of pain that are then used to overwhelm the physical senses and turn the mind inwards. Somewhat alluded to in Christ's Crucifixion, the ecstatic state gained towards the end. See Martyrs (2008). Also noted with self-flagellation or other methods of mortification.

Dance: Possessed Dance, rocking movements, spinning movements (such as those noted in Sufism's whirling), Dhunuchi or other such movements are also useful. Often used with sound, causes an overwhelming of the senses and thus trance and altered state. Consider Physical Exhaustion as way, especially in terms of Chaos Magic. May also be devotional, that is that the worshiper dances as the deity or object of devotion, or for the deity's pleasure.

Intoxication: Another point of the Poison Path, but also noted throughout. The use of incenses, herbs, mind-altering substances like wine, flying ointment or other such items which affect the state of mind. This results in a more liminal state in which the person may act as mystic or oracle (see, for example, the Oracle of Delphi and the use of Volcanic fumes)

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I've gotten some interesting responses to my post wondering if Um Actually 3 AM Is The REAL Time For Supernatural Occurrences was a traditional thing before I first noticed it in the creepypasta boom of the late 00s-2010s, as many of those creepypastas claimed. some of them along "guys. please. reading comprehension" lines, I admit

"Lots of cultures have a Witching Hour!" yes, true, but that's not 3 AM specifically. for a long time it was usually midnight, or an unspecified late night/wee hours of the morning period

"This author says 3 AM feels like depression or vice versa!" that is not about Spooky Things Happening; try again

"early Christian beliefs say-" "well, in traditional Japanese folklore-" sources??? (also from what I've seen while looking into this, the Hour of the Ox in historical Japanese timekeeping was between 1 AM and 3 AM- 3 AM specifically was the end of it, not the beginning. but it was a traditional time for curses)

A mention of 3 AM as a particularly bad time of night re: health, sleep, nightmares, etc. in Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962), which DOES seem reliable and close enough to what I'm talking about

Apparently the 1974 Amityville murders happened at 3 AM, and of course that house had a highly public (probably faked) haunting. So that could have contributed

I haven't yet found anything earlier than that Bradbury reference that SPECIFICALLY mentions 3 AM as a time when scary and/or supernatural things happen, WITH ACTUAL SOURCES

Interestingly, the Bradbury quote doesn't seem to refer back to an existing cultural belief in the idea of Evil 3 AM(TM). rather it's framed as the narrator's personal feelings around that particular time of night:

"Oh God, midnight’s not bad, you wake and go back to sleep, one or two’s not bad, you toss but sleep again. Five or six in the morning, there’s hope, for dawn’s just under the horizon. But three, now, Christ, three A.M.! Doctors say the body’s at low tide then. The soul is out. The blood moves slow. You’re the nearest to dead you’ll ever be save dying. Sleep is a patch of death, but three in the morn, full wide-eyed staring, is living death! You dream with your eyes open. God, if you had strength to rouse up, you’d slaughter your half-dreams ... And wasn’t it true, had he read somewhere, more people in hospitals die at 3 A.M. than at any other time." [I can't find any credible studies of this, for the record]

so it seems like the seeds of the idea were floating around in the cultural consciousness for a long time, between unspecified Witching Hours and the Hour of the Ox curses and this probably erroneous but popular belief that most people who die in hospitals do so at 3 AM. but as for the very strictly-defined notion that Supernatural Things Are Most Likely To Happen At 3 AM...the earliest anecdotal reference I saw to someone having heard that was from the 1980s, and it doesn't seem to have really entered the zeitgeist with force until the late 2000s, earliest

unless someone shows me a source on something earlier, that's what I'm going with

which leaves my takeaway, as a paranormal believer, being: there's nothing supernaturally special about 3 AM, unless it has individual significance to a specific entity or haunting (ie residual apparition of an event that took place at that time). it's something people came up with for interesting fiction, as a fresh take on the longstanding western idea that the Witching Hour is midnight, and not even that long ago

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Messages from Tarot

Since I enjoyed doing the general reading last night, I'm going to make a habit of posting one every few days or so. Remember, the interpretation is meant for the general public. Feel free to post any comments or suggested interpretations.

Cards:

The Hierophant rev

5 of Pentacles rev

Death rev

There is resistance to approaching sources of wisdom and support in an effort to save face. Authority figures in the public sphere and in our personal lives may not always have our best interests in mind, and perhaps prior experiences with abusive authority has contributed to the resistance. However, there are times when we need to rely on the systems of power as may be the case now.

There is, of course, a stigma attached to needing assistance. Asking for help is often met with judgement from others, and people often struggle needlessly out of a desire to appear self-sufficient. If pride or fear of judgement is getting in the way of getting much-needed aid, it will need to be put aside. That's not to downplay how painful it can be to face our own limitations, but, rather, to suggest that it's worth working through the pain instead of trying to hold everything together alone.

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You can also look up the planetary hours online if you don't want to do the calculations.

Planetary Days And Hours

Magick is at its best when performed during certain days and hours of the day. These time periods are associated with the seven celestial bodies in our solar system that we can observe with the naked eye. The associations are as follows:

A magical day is measured starting at sunrise and ending at sunset. Each sunrise and sunset period is divided into twelve equal parts, resulting in a (roughly) 24-hour day. Depending on your location relative to the equator, the planetary hours you calculate in your area may be longer or shorter than conventional hours.

The first hour of the day is always that of the planet the day represents. The hours then repeat infinitely in the following order: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon.

* Power hours; ** Witching hours

The first, eighth, fifteen and twenty second hours are called power hours. These are the hours in which the seven-planet cycle repeats. Notice that the cycle resets after the twenty fourth hour with the power hour of the subsequent day.

The two hours after the final power hour and the twenty third and twenty fourth hours are called the witching hours. (Conventional hours place the witching hours between midnight and 3am, or 3am to 6am) These hours are favored by black magicians for casting baneful magick.

Use these tables to reference ideal days and hours when scheduling your spells. The finer you tune the time of the ritual, the more potent your magick will be.

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Messages from Tarot

As an exercise in reading, I have drawn three cards with the intention of posting my interpretation for the general public. Feel free to post any comments or suggested interpretations.

Cards:

3 of Swords rev

Ace of Swords rev

The World

These cards are indicative of a painful and confusing situation coming to a close. Hard decisions were likely made which, though it may have been uncertain at the time of making them, will prove to have been for the best. Situations that come to mind include cutting off a friend or family member, digging up a painful topic with someone, sharing bad news, turning down an opportunity to tend to other responsibilities, or agreeing to new responsibilities you're not sure you're up for.

Through the pain and uncertainty of this reading, there is also a small thread of optimism as indicated by the 3 of Swords in reversed position and The World. There may have been a gut feeling that everything would work out that seemed to defy logic. Perhaps the pain from any hard choices is already waning even though the tangible benefits are still a way off. Either way, the worst is behind.

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From a cursory google search, it seems that this belief stems from Catholicism and has been in poplar consciousness from at least the 1700s. However, it seems that both midnight and 3am have been considered to be the "witching hour" somewhat interchangeably throughout history.

Some of the comments on this post allude to the belief that Christ died at 3pm, making 3am an evil inversion, as well as the common occurrence of people waking up to use the bathroom around 3am, making it more likely that people who are half-asleep will get spooked as they relieve themselves.

I also think there's something to be said for the fact that, depending on the time of year and latitude, people may go to bed at different times, leading to a variability in when they wake up to use the bathroom. This may, to some extent, explain the variability in the witching hour.

seriously though, when DID 3 AM As The Spooky Hour enter folklore?

some sources online insist that it's traditional, but I never heard of it until maybe high school at the earliest (2008-2011). and then it was often phrased as "many people think midnight is the Spooky Hour, but AKSHULLY it's 3 AM!!!!" like a diversion from normal ideas, not something that had been in the zeitgeist forever

sadly nobody has done a deep dive into this online, with actual sources, and I don't really have the resources to do more than poke around on Google Books and be like "well, no English-language writing from the 19th century that's been digitized in this specific database mentions it!"

thoughts?

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Honestly? I'm not entirely sure myself. I know it has its own definition in Jungian psychoanalysis, but I'm talking about a witchy sense. I feel like it's deeper than just journaling, but that a lot of people who say "shadow work" just mean journaling and going to therapy.

I was actually just thinking about it today. Maybe it's a combination of contemporary mental health practices (journaling, therapy, meditation, etc) which are then augmented with spiritual practices such as divination, communing with spirits, meditation, spells, and rituals. I feel like the spirits I work with are good at pointing out my blind spots and showing me perspectives I wouldn't see on my own or even with a therapist, so I'd say that's what shadow work is for me.

guys i'll be so real how do i even do shadow work

like is it just journal prompts

like i never feel like it does anything for me

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Being whimsical and witchy is all fun and games until you go out to your car and remember there are approximately 20 acorns sitting on your passenger seat

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Frankenstein, I can’t build you a wife. No. It’s not because I’d be creating an abomination against god. I’ve already done that. It’s a women’s rights issue Frankenstein. Maybe even grooming if you want to get technical

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Question

Would you guys be interested in free one-card tarot readings? I’ve been reading tarot for a few years for myself, but don’t have much practice reading for others and would like to offer free readings to get into the swing of it.

This would be purely on a first-come-first-serve basis, and I’d probably cap them off at 10 readings at a time just to keep from getting backed up. The only thing I ask is that you provide feedback on how helpful or accurate you feel the readings are.

Eventually, I’d like to charge for readings. However, I don’t think I’ll be comfortable with doing that for a while, so please take advantage of the free readings in the meantime. You can do so by dropping me a message stating your interest in a reading and your question.