creature-learns-spirituality

[creature-learns-spirituality]

I logically understand what people are getting at when they say stuff along the lines of "christianity is fine when it's love based and not fear based!" but... 99% of churches will self identify as being love based regardless the actual doctrine they're preaching.

And certain doctrine are fear based doctrine no matter how you dress it up. Hell (especially eternal conscious torment) as a concept is fear based. It doesn't matter if you scream about brimstone and hellfire for hours or if you gently preach about how lucky we are to be loved enough to be saved from that fate (if we only give up our entire lives). "Love me or burn for all eternity" is coercion. And coercion is not love.

"Fear based" churches genuinely believe the most loving thing to do is to make sure people are aware of what's at stake. It's a parent using corporal punishment and saying "I'm only doing this because I love you", despite study after study indicating that any "benefit" of changed behavior comes with long-lasting harm... because it's abuse. It's not a metric that will actually promote any kind of meaningful change because of how prevalent the belief of "the ends justify the means" is in christianity.

[creature-learns-spirituality]

No more of this " magic is black,grey or white" bullshit. Magic is a goddamn RAINBOW and i am willing to die on this hill.

[creature-learns-spirituality]

Why are closed practices only for POC??

I got this question on the same day I got the "why are your polls only for POC" question so I'm going to assume they're the same Anon. And I'm going to assume this is asked in good faith.

I'll pretty much copy and paste my answer from that poll:

People of color have had their own practices for years before colonizers came to our countries, forced Christianity on us, and tried to wipe us out. We were torn from our ancestral beliefs, and punished if we dared step out of line. And they had the gall to say that all the genocide they committed against us was for “the greater good”, because it was “civilizing” us.

So after all those horrible things happened to us, naturally we wanted to connect back to our roots. For a lot of us, we did! But after the horrors colonizers forced on us, we decided to close our practices (please note that not all closed practices are closed for the same reasons! This is more of a general reason) to keep them safe from further harm and marginalization. You want to join our practices? Go through the proper channels, or don’t touch them AT ALL.

But this colonizer mindset of “I want to take everything” still persists to this day. Go to any blog of a person of color and you’ll see white people trying to force their way into closed spaces. Spaces that are not for them. But they aren’t in the wrong. They can’t be, because they’re good people! No! It’s the evil people of color who are gatekeeping their cultures, and who think they’re better than everyone else who are wrong, not the poor little white people who try to take things that don’t belong to them*.

I'm going to add on that a lot of closed practices don't even mind initiating outsiders! They aren't all closed for the same reason, or to the same extent. Some might allow outsiders, some you must be a certain race, some you have to have parents who were in it, etc.

If you're going through the correct doors to try to get initiated? No one would mind because that's the respectful thing to do. Because you're taking time to learn about these practices in their contexts, and are treating the practitioners like actual human beings instead of people you can just steal from.

What begins the issue is when people sneak into our practices, take them for their own, and then act as though they made it, when all it is is a bastardization of the love and care we put into our practices. It's not kind! It's not nice! But they don't care, because all they want is something "exotic".

We close off our practices to keep them safe from the people who steal from us. Not because we think we're better than anyone else, or because we want to be an exclusive club. If you can't see the horrors that have been inflicted on us in the past and be compassionate about it, then we know you just want to be part of a closed practice because it's "exotic".

[creature-learns-spirituality]

Hello! I hope all is well with you. I've become interested in spirit keeping and spirit work recently, and I noticed that spirits can be purchased on Etsy? Maybe that's not the right way to phrase it, but essentially you can adopt a spirit and the seller binds them to you (or an object.) Is this legit? I was hoping to purchase one but I really don't want to end up wasting money. The seller in question has like 1000 positive reviews.

Thank you for your time!

Hello!

So as far as "spirit keeping" i generally dont use this term do to its original negative connotations versus "spirit work". As spirits do not need to be "kept" if that makes sense?

And spirit shops are a legit thing. As a retired spirit shop owner. Some practioners use discord but others use etsy or any other e-commerce platform.

When you want to adopt a spirit, the seller usually does a ritual that binds them to you or an object, aka "vessels" normally this requires the consent of the spirit itself. Alot of spirit shops have to go through a lengthy process of "vetting" a spirit throughout a certain time span to make sure that spirit is who they say they are before even getting to the pairing process.

I believe i touch more on those topics HERE and HERE

But as far as etsy goes and any other shop the only advice i can give is to check the reviews (which youve already done) BUT ALSO look at the particular listings.

Some things to think about (potential red flags) when looking at the shop are: ⬇️

What species of spirits do they have? Are they selling entites of a closed species from closed cultures? (species from closed cultures are not to be messed with. Theyre closed for a reason)

Are they selling entities that are classified as children? If so i would avoid at all costs.

Are the prices reasonable? Personally i wouldnt pay for a vessel that costs over $200+ depending on the spirit and any exlcusive add-on packages the seller offers

Do they they have a multitude of the same species that looks like theyre being mass produced? Spirit conjuring takes alot of energy and is not easy. The likelyhood of a person housing a 1000 spirits at a time is not realistic. Ex: Sanguine Vampires and the product says that have a 100.

Do the profile prompts look copied and pasted? Does the information look the same but just reworded differently? No spirit is one in the same.

Does the species abilites look to good to be true? Ex: Spirits CANNOT heal you/alter or interfere with any form of your health physically or mentally. They cannot cure physical sickness. Most can only aleviate and heal energetic pain or most likely provide energy rebalancing, and aid in specific forms of magic.

Whats their binding ritual like? Do they provide any information about their vetting and binding processes? Are they transparent and professional when interacting with potential clients? (ime i would let the spirit form a bond with a client or object naturally as i always felt the bond was much stronger vs. an artifical binding)

But this is just a short list of things to look out for. Its really up to you to decide if your ready for a spirit companion. Personally i wouldnt recommend getting one until a deep dive of research is done. Especially considering of what type of entity you want to interact with.

Assuming you might be a beginner i usually recommend local elemental spirits as i find theyre the easiest to work with.

[creature-learns-spirituality]

Regular reminder to Witchblr that you should take "black magic" and "white magic" out of your vocabulary.

That's all. Carry on.

[creature-learns-spirituality]

Shadow Work Questions for BIPOC

✨How have societal expectations and stereotypes influenced your self-perception?

✨ In what ways have you internalized historical or systemic injustices, and how does it manifest in your daily life?

✨ Are there aspects of your identity or experiences that you may be avoiding or suppressing?

✨ How has the concept of “respectability politics” shaped your behavior and choices?

✨ Reflect on instances where you may have internalized prejudices or biases. How do they impact your relationships and worldview?

✨ How do you navigate code-switching, and what impact does it have on your authenticity?

✨ Consider experiences of intergenerational trauma within your family. What are its influences on your beliefs and behaviors?

✨ Reflect on any internalized messages about success, worth, and beauty. How do they shape your goals and self-esteem.

✨ Are there parts of your heritage or cultural identity that you may have neglected or rejected? Why?

✨ How do you handle and express anger, particularly in response to systemic issues or personal challenges?

“I am powerful. I am valuable. I am a force for positive change.”

[creature-learns-spirituality]

"I don't have a religion therefore you can't either" isn't any less colonialist than "my religion is valid and yours is not", by the way, people.

[creature-learns-spirituality]

"Celtic shamanism" literally does not exist. The Celts never practiced shamanism. Whatever spiritualism that is Celtic in origin, it is not shamanism. White people actually learn your own histories and stop stealing shit from people of color challenge 2024.

[creature-learns-spirituality]

White allies on witchblr really need to start calling out the appropriation of Afro-Diasporic and Latin American spirituality by other white witches the same way they've started doing so for things like smudging. It's honestly incredibly fucking annoying seeing our spirits, deities, rituals, sacred items, etc. appropriated every other week on here

No, your egg shell powder is not cascarilla

Those "egg cleansing" posts that keep floating around are almost all appropriation of limpia con huevo

High John the Conqueror root is closed if your not Black

The Abre Camino (Road Opener) plant and spell is closed if your not Black or Latine

Tapa Boca "Shut Your Mouth" is closed if you're not Black or Latine

Copal and Palo Santo are closed if you're not (Indigenous) Latine

Florida Water is closed if you're not Black or Latine

Santa Muerte, La Llorona, and La Lechuza are not crone goddesses. Not to mention several Indigenous Latines have stated countless times that working with Santa Muerte (in a sorcerous manner) if you have not been properly initiated into her Culto is not only cultural appropriation but also dangerous. La Llorona and La Lechuza have literally no interest in working with anyone who isn't Latine whatsoever — They're not interested in working with Latines 99% of the time either — and will just straight up kill you

[creature-learns-spirituality]

Question for Pagans and Polytheists

[creature-learns-spirituality]

People need to be less concerned with Christians stealing things from Pagans and witches and more concerned with Pagans and witches stealing things from BIPOC, ethnic minorities, and closed practices, by the way.

[creature-learns-spirituality]

✨For black spiritual practitioner here are some tips that can enhance your spiritual journey:

1. Embrace your heritage: Celebrate and honor your ancestral traditions and practices. Incorporate elements from your black culture and heritage into your spiritual path, as they can provide a unique and meaningful perspective.

2. Seek community: Connect with other black spiritual practitioners who share similar beliefs and experiences. Join local or online groups, attend workshops, or participate in cultural events to foster a sense of belonging and support.

3. Educate yourself: Study various spiritual traditions and philosophies to broaden your understanding. Explore African spirituality, such as Ifa, Vodou, or Candomblé, and discover their rich history and teachings. Additionally, you can explore universal spiritual principles that resonate with you.

4. Practice self-care: Engage in self-care practices that nourish your mind, body, and spirit. This can include meditation, yoga, journaling, spending time in nature, or engaging in creative activities that bring you joy and peace.

5. Listen to your intuition: Trust your inner guidance and intuition as you navigate your spiritual path. Connect with your inner wisdom and cultivate a deep sense of self-awareness to guide you in making decisions and choosing spiritual practices that align with your authentic self.

6. Balance tradition and personal growth: While honoring and respecting ancestral traditions, allow space for personal growth and evolution. Explore new ideas, challenge old beliefs, and adapt your spiritual practices as you continue to learn and grow.

7. Cultivate resilience: Recognize and embrace the resilience that has been ingrained in black culture throughout history. Draw strength from the resilience of your ancestors and use it to overcome challenges and setbacks on your spiritual journey. Embrace your inner power, tap into your spiritual practices, and persevere with determination and courage. Remember, your journey is unique and valuable, and your resilience will help you navigate any obstacles that come your way.

[creature-learns-spirituality]

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.

[creature-learns-spirituality]

Special reminder to all the new Luciferians that forgot that he is the adversary, yeah, he’s gonna fuck with you FOR FUN.

If you’ve been working with Lucifer for a week or so and have started getting “conflicting” messages, you are not alone 😩. Lucifer loves to test us, he loves to see how deep our values go. He will purposely say things you disagree with or it would seem like he would disagree with just to fuck with you. This dude LOVES to debate.

For example, a large part of my relationship with Lucifer involved coming to terms with my neurodivergency. For weeks we were working on accepting my limits, being aware of my disorders and having patience for myself. But during a meditation I got the very strong message from him “People with mental illnesses are just looking for an excuse to be lazy”

and I was like ????? what the fuck???? No they’re not??? You fucking idiot???? Who am I talking to right now???? And he was like “yes and anyone who claims to have a disorder without a diagnosis are just looking for attention. Prove me wrong if you think differently”

and I blew up, providing so many arguments for why he’s wrong and why that stance is so stupid, and eventually after a while he was like “Hm… that’s interesting. I guess you’re right. Now that we’ve established this I guess we won’t need entertain the idea anymore”

and any time after that, when I was having self doubts, maybe I’m just faking it for attention, maybe I’m just lazy, Lucifer has been like “OH! So I guess I WAS right!” and I’ve been like NOOO!!!!!! YOURE WRONG!!! THE ENTIRE IDEA IS STUPID AND I WONT LET YOU TELL ME OTHERWISE!!!

and Lucifer will then be like “Oh, good then. Don’t let you tell you otherwise either”.

He will press your boundaries, even if only to make sure YOU know where your boundaries are. When writing a spell together Lucifer has been like “yes, we will also need to sacrifice a cat”

and I’ve been like “wtf no we’re not sacrificing a cat why the hell would I do that”

and he’s responded “Because I said so. You will obey my order without question.” (again, extremely out of character, this is a test’!)

until I finally put my foot down and say “I don’t care who or what you are, doing this goes against my core values and I will not abandon those for you or anyone. With all due respect I refuse to do this task”

and Lucifer will be like “I’m just fucking with you, I really liked the way you stood your ground against me though, that was very hot”

and for even less obvious things, Lucifer will test you. He wants to know why you think the things you think. We recently had a very long conversation about the concept of Pedophilia. Super uncomfortable, a conversation I didn’t know we’d ever have, but it was important. He starts by asking me if pedophilia is wrong. Um what??? Obviously???

“Why is it wrong? Explain your reasoning.”

Well because it hurts kids.

“What about non offending pedophiles? What about pre offending reformed pedophiles?”

You don’t have to have the answer to those questions, but you must understand that the answers to those questions matter, even though they are incredibly uncomfortable. Are there evil people? Do evil people deserve empathy? What is an evil person? I don’t like thinking about that, that’s the reason why I don’t have an answer. Lucifer will force you to come to that answer.

“How do we conduct a society where we prevent pedophiles from hurting children without creating another form of discrimination? Do you believe pedophiles deserve empathy? Do they deserve to die? How do we deal with murderers and rapists without becoming murderers and rapists ourselves? How do you console yourself with the reality that some people genuinely enjoy evil things? If you were the Emperor of Hell, how would you manage all the most wicked people who have ever lived? Why is incest bad? Why is murder bad? Do racists deserve to die? Do war criminals deserve to die? Who should be allowed to determine who deserves to die? How far does your empathy extend to people who have done horrible things? How does your moral compass navigate these complex scenarios? What is right and what is wrong? Why do you believe the things you believe?”

There will be times when it seems like he’s trying to do everything in his power to just disagree with you. It’ll seem like he’s leading you to argue with him, and that’s exactly what he’s doing. He’ll ask you questions that should seem like common sense. He’s establishing that not only is it okay to disagree with him, but that at times, he will force you to, to ensure that you are not deriving your own personal values from “whatever God tells you”. He will lie to you, just to see if you’re able to identity a lie. He will say things that he obviously doesn’t believe, only to hear why YOU don’t believe it. It’s important to be firm on your boundaries even if your God is pushing them. You should not be afraid to disagree. You should not be afraid to disobey if it is important to you. Lucifer is not a Shepard and you are not a sheep. You need to understand your own morality alone, without God, without a cheat sheet telling you the answers. and you need to be firm on those. To the point that if God Himself told you differently, you wouldn’t budge.

So if you’ve started working with him recently and are confused as to why he suddenly started saying things you disagree with, investigate what he may be trying to get across. You’ll learn a lot more about yourself.

[creature-learns-spirituality]

I've seen a lot of people say that Islmaophobia isn't real, that Islam is an inherently violent and oppressive religion and that the concept of islamophobia was made up by Islamic regimes (usually the Islamic Republic of Iran), and I want to be clear that I think that is absolute and complete bullshit and deeply ignorant of how Muslims and people perceived as Muslim are treated outside of Islamic countries.

Muslims being in power in some parts of the world does not negate the violence and cruelty and bigotry they face in other places. Islamophobia is a cruel and violent reality and it is vitally important that we stand up for our Muslim neighbors and for Muslims, especially women, fighting for their right to practice their religion how they want (or not practice at all) in Islamic countries.

[creature-learns-spirituality]

i wish catholics understood that queer people are not welcomed in the church.

the most progressive pope in history still lambasts gender theory and gender-affirming surgery.

yes, there was some semblance of community in that space. but not for me, never for me. i was never whole, in church. the person i was in that space was always an empty shell, because i was forced to cut out my heart and insides and leave them at the door to come in.

now that i have freed myself, i am outside and whole and more joyful than i ever was in that space. can you begin to see how inviting me to subject myself to that again is not love?

i understand that you want the best for your queer ex-catholic friends. but listen to us and our experiences when we tell you about the selves we had to kill just to be accepted, and how we were only able to begin to accept and heal ourselves after leaving. i was told constantly that this desire, this part of myself, my very heart, was sinful, that it had to be culled. can you begin to see why this led me to believe i was better dead than alive?

please understand this, before you ask. that is all i request.

[creature-learns-spirituality]

Hi! I want to open with a heartfelt thanks for running this blog seeing other trans & queer folk means a lot. I'm Haitian American, & for many reasons I've grown up isolated from that part of my heritage. For the past couple years I've been doing on-and-off research into Vodou & something always pulls me back. I want to reach out to a sosyete & ask to learn in ways besides reading; but I'm lost as to how. Do you have any advice for someone in my position? Thank you for your time :)

Hi,

I'm so glad this has been useful for you; that has kind of been the whole point for me. For me as a queer and gender non-conforming houngan, leaving a door visible for other folks like me is important, especially now.

Your experience is not unique; I regularly speak to Haitian folks who, for whatever reason, did not have the benefit of being connected to these particular roots. I hear more and more from queer and trans Haitians as well, who have felt their roots are unavailable to them because of their queerness or transness, and that's simply not true at all. There is a rich and vibrant history and present of very visible queer and gender non-conforming vodouizan. It is complicated in Haiti for any number of reasons, but it is always there and the temples have always been the places where queer and trans folks have been safe in Haiti.

Starting with a reading is honestly a good place to start; it can give you a very basic feel for what the sosyete may be like, regardless of whether you are sitting with the lineage head or one of their children, and a reading can tell you a lot about the reader and not just about yourself and your spirits and situation.

Many sosyetes have public ceremonies, and going to ceremonies can be a good way to get a feel for a house and it's people. Going a bit early and seeing if there are things you can help with is good, too... though maybe not on your first visit!

It can def be intimidating as a queer and/or trans person going into a new spiritual space, and I imagine it can be challenging and complicated as a Haitian person entering a new-to-you Haitian space.

I'd be happy to chat with you privately, if you'd like; for me, I have a big, big place in my heart for other queer and/or trans folks finding their spiritual way. If you're interested in a reading, I'm happy to hook you up, extend my created-just-this-minute discount for queer and trans folks on readings, and give you some options. Feel free to reach out by message here, either through the ask box (just give me a way to reach you) or the messenger, or at hounganalex@gmail.com.

All my best wishes for you; your birthright is waiting for you.