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*rubs temples*

So, here is the thing. 

A person, who is new to learning about deities, makes a post saying that one deity makes them uncomfortable because of the mythos they have read. People respond, sharing said information about deity about why they aren’t bad and how humans were the ones to write said mythos. Okay fine. Good information to share. 

Then, what happens, is that said newbie gets messages saying they should not be in polytheism because of how one deity made them feel. And that their discomfort means that Kemeticism isn’t for them. Essentially “you are not welcome here because of what you said”. Even if the newbie has stated they respect the god and those who worship him. They just do not feel comfortable with said deity. 

THEN what happens, is someone makes a long post stating essentially all of this, clearly after reading the post that the newbie made, and the discussion starts again. 

I’m so done. Like. If I cannot feel safe posting such things only to be told I should not be a Kemetic or polytheist, I don’t want to even bother with this blog. 

I should be allowed to have those feelings without being told to get out. I am not going to force someone who is not comfortable with Anubis or Sekhmet or any other deity to like them. Sure, I will ask them why, and possibly provide sources for things that MIGHT make them feel better. But I AM NOT GOING TO TELL THEM TO LEAVE. And if they still not comfortable I WONT FORCE IT. That is NOT my right. I have NO say in whether a path is right for them or not because they don’t feel comfortable with a certain aspect. 

Once more, did I ever say those who followed Seth were bad people? No. Did I say they shouldn’t follow Seth because of the mythos? No. Did I say that those people defend what Seth did and think that they agree? No. Never. All I said was he made me uncomfortable.

Yes I am angry. And yes I can’t believe this is how people reacted. Wow.

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the God Osiris (wearing the White Crown with the two feathers, holding the ‘Heqa’-scepter and the Flail) and the God Anubis. On the top, bunches of grapes hanging from the ceiling. Detail from the “House of Eternity” (TT96, usually referred to as the “Tomb of Vines”) of Sennefer, Mayor of ‘Uaset’-Thebes during the reign of King Amenhotep II

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“Ma’am, please stop your son! I don’t want any trouble!”

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the inlaid Diadem of King TutankhAmun with the Uraeus and the vulture’s head, detail. Gold, glass, obsidian, malachite, chalcedony, lapis lazuli. From the “House of Eternity” of TutankhAmun in the Valley of the Kings. Now in the Cairo Museum

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Please, please be careful with the gifs you choose for witchy posts.

I have epilepsy. Some of these gifs that are so popular with pagan and witch blogs make it impossible for me to interact with a post, either because they’re flashing, swirling, or have rapid movement. THEY ARE A HEALTH HAZARD. They can trigger seizures, migraines, and dizzy spells. I literally just came across this nice post about daily witchy things you can do, and then right as I get to the bottom, bam, a gif that i can’t look at. How am I supposed to safely view this? Not everyone has access to gif blockers, and most of them turn off all gifs, which then makes it difficult to ascertain whether it’s a safe gif or not. It’s not effective. Like please, just be a little more considerate about the gifs you use. I like gifs, they’re fun, but some make it harder for me to enjoy things.

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Friendly reminder that this blog doesn't tolerate transphobia, biphobia or aphobia

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the God Haroeri (Ḥr-wr, Horus the Ancient), falcon-headed and wearing the Double Crown with the Uraeus. Double Temple of Haroeri (Horus the Ancient) and Sobek at Ombos (“Kom Ombo”), detail from a column of the Forecourt

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ascendant deceptions

As an Aries rising, I may look fiery and come across as fearless, but get to know me.

As a Taurus rising, I may look earthy and come across as dependable, but get to know me.

As a Gemini rising, I may look lively and come across as curious but get to know me.

As a Cancer rising, I may look shy and come across as nurturing, but get to know me.

As a Leo rising, I may look confident and come across as proud, but get to know me.

As a Virgo rising, I may look bitchy and come across as critical, but get to know me.

As a Libra rising, I may look beautiful and come across as agreeable, but get to know me.

As a Scorpio rising, I may look intense and come across as sexy, but get to know me.

As a Sagittarius rising, I may look jovial and come across as irreverent, but get to know me.

As a Capricorn rising, I may look intimidating and come across as competent, but get to know me.

As an Aquarius rising, I may look unique and come across as odd, but get to know me.

As a Pisces rising, I may look soft and come across as sensitive, but get to know me.

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What To Do When You Are A Witch Suffering From Mental Health Issues

Otherwise known as; I am in a rut of self-pity and can’t muster the energy to get out of bed, let alone do a ritual.  I have eaten onion rings and regret for the past 3 days as my main meal, I am breaking out in acne, I can’t remember the last time I had a wash. Time has become meaningless. I can’t get out of bed.

Devotional Work

This is a big area where depressed witches start giving themselves a really hard time. The guilt of not being a good devotee can become overwhelming, you can convince yourself that your higher power is starting to hate you. None of this is true.

 You wouldn’t expect someone with a physically impairing illness to be able to go out and buy a higher power flowers and gifts. Please do not expect it from yourself. One of my biggest tips is that you need to find peace in the reality that you are hurting. Instead of trying to live like you’re well and exhausting yourself by doing tasks you are not ready for or giving yourself huge amounts of guilt by making yourself promises you can not keep, live within your means. There is no need to kill yourself trying to live a life that isn’t possible for you at the minute.

Have an honest conversation with your higher power. Let them know that right now, you are unable to perform conventional acts of devotion and assure them that the love is still there. They will understand. Sometimes they will give you help. One of the perks of being divine is that this higher power has known millions of people just like you. You are not the first devotee to suffer from depression and you will not be the last. They understand.

 Here are a few alternative acts of devotion that are more realistic to give you a base to start from.

Eat a meal in front of your altar / dedicate your meal to your higher power

Take a shower.

Clean a small portion of your messes (This can be as little as removing 1 cup from your room, remember, do what you can)

Take 5 minutes to just sit and think about your higher power.

Talk out loud to your higher power like you would a friend. 

Go outside for two or three minutes. If you can, go for a walk.

create a Spotify playlist for your higher power; play it only in times of devotion.

Watch a YouTube video about your higher power.

Make your bed.

Spend quality time with a pet.

Light a candle.

Spells

Spells as any seasoned witch will know, require at least a small modicum of personal energy. if you have none to spare, do not push yourself into doing one. There is no witch council looking down and judging you because you have not done a spell in a few months. A lot of people think I am a ‘perfect’ witch. I haven’t done a spell since around March and I hold absolutely no guilt over this. It’s not a requirement. There is more to witchcraft than doing spells. 

Having said this, if you are ready to do a spell, do not try to ‘cure’ yourself. You will only be disappointed and have more doubt and self-hatred in your craft when it does not work. You can NOT witch your way into curing depression. Fuck what Facebook groups and crystal healing ebooks have told you. No amount of rose quartz is going to make you love yourself until you are ready to do so. These things are fine used alongside treatment, as an afterthought.They are an aid; they are not and never will be a solution. See a doctor.

Instead of going into spellwork with the mindset of ‘I want to fix x problem’ go in with the mindset of ‘I want to aid the process of my body and soul being able to deal with x’. ‘I want to remind myself that I CAN recover from x’. This is why self-care is a very powerful form of witchcraft. You are merely asking for the traits you already have (power, strength, love) to be enhanced and renewed once again. You are not changing yourself. You are refining yourself into the person you always were. You are reminding yourself how wonderful you have always been.

Here are a few links I think you’ll find useful.

I am free and proud of what I have become sigil

Self Care Sachet

Dreams Of Success Sachet

I am strong in the face of my fears sigil

I do not think harmful things sigil

i deserve to love and to be loved sigil

Self Loving Spell

Motivation Charm Bag

Simple Self Love Spell

Emoji Spell For Personal Growth

Emoji Spell ‘I Am Capable’

A Spell For Going On When It Seems Impossible

Research

When your brain is clouded from fog and time is a word you’ve forgotten the meaning of, do not worry about memorising long lists of spell item correspondences. It is an actual, medical fact that when depressed our memory gets worse and we are unable to retain, process and recall information like we once could.

The reality is that the 99% of witches do not remember spells, simple correspondences or tarot meanings off the top of their head. They all use a mix of pure intuition and double checking. I’ve been practising in various different forms for a long time now, somewhere between 7 and 9 years depending on how strictly you use the term witchcraft, and I can not and never will remember the meanings of every tarot card, spell ingredient or colour. I can’t remember ritual orders, incantations or the dates of the sabbats.

 I was not blessed with an encyclopedic memory, in fact, I’d go as far to say that my ‘off the top of my head’ memory of witchcraft is worse than someone who has been practising and studying for as little as 3 months. What I do have, however, is notes, books and 6 years worth of blog links to refresh my memory. There is absolutely no shame in having to refer to these resources and it does not make you any less of a witch. 

This is why grimoires are a thing. We all have this notion that it’s so you can look back in the future on your old workings or pass them down to a relative. While both of these things are true, grimoires are working active reference tools, just like any other website or book. Don’t be afraid to use them.

I hope you found this post useful and if you have any other thoughts feel free to add them!

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Guys this is real, I share because I care.

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Respecting the Gods

Don’t… treat them as tools. Deities aren’t obligated to help you, even if you do everything “correctly” to ask. They’re not vending machines, or a list of correspondences that only gets value from how they best serve you. They’re gods! Instead… treat them like people. (Really high-status people.) Build a relationship before asking big favors. Compensate them for their time. Respect they have their own autonomy. Respect that your will is not the center of their universe. 

Don’t… reduce them into archetypes. Putting Frejya or Aphrodite into just “love goddess” takes out so much of their depth. (Example, both of these goddesses also have warlike aspects.) Putting them into narrow categories and treating all deities that fit as the same can be reductive at best and insensitive to the root cultures at worst.  Instead… address who you’re really talking to. Do your research. See how a god either lines up with or defies your assumptions. See what makes them different from a deity with a similar domain. If you wish to speak to the Horned God, speak to the Horned God, and if you want to speak to Cernunnos or Pan, call them Cernunnos or Pan.  Don’t… ignore the lore. UPG Can certainly exist and add depth, but the lore has survived and is what all these gods are largely founded on. It’s important for us to recognize it and know who we’re approaching.  Instead… do your research beforehand. Did you know Aphrodite is widely considered to HATE pigs and be offended with offerings of pork or images of pigs on the altar? Might be a good thing to know before you accidentally offer some fresh bacon. (But if you recognize the lore and find a way to spin it so it works, more power to you~) Don’t… insult other people’s gods. If those gods don’t resonate with you, they have a lot of meaning for other good people. I’m tempted to say don’t insult your own, either. Playful banter is one thing, but there’s a line between affectionate jabs and straight up disrespect. Find where that line is for you. Instead… talk to other people. If something about a god you don’t worship feels problematic, talk to their followers and devotees and see what they have to say about it. They probably have an approach you haven’t been exposed to. Analyze your own relationships with deities. And if the way you speak about a deity makes someone else uncomfortable or upset, respect their right to feel that way, apologize, and learn from it. Remember that each deity has changed someone’s life for the better.

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Relief depicting Nile god Hapi from a throne base (limestone, 45.5 x 36.5 cms). Reign of Ay. New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1327-1323 BC. Now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

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something i wish that was asserted more in general pagan spaces: it’s okay to choose your gods.

what i mean by this is, a lot of people will boast about how ~their gods came knocking, not the other way around~ and how finding The Sign that a god is expecting your worship is tantamount to proper pagan religious practice. and while these things can absolutely be a part of any practice, the flip side is rarely, if ever, discussed at all.

it’s okay to look at a religion and decide you want to be that religion (barring closed religions, of course). it’s okay to say, “these are the gods i want to worship” and then just go about your business worshiping them. while many of us will sort of backtrack and look at things that happened in our lives and say, “yep, i was oblivious, but that was ____”, the decision to worship is ultimately ours.

the Theoi didn’t grab me by the hair and demand my worship. Apollo didn’t kick me in a dream and tell me to worship him. being a hellenic polytheist, and everything that entails, was and IS a conscious choice. it is my choice to abide by hellenic ethics, to indulge in hellenic traditions, and to worship the Theoi.

it’s okay to choose your gods. just because you’re not getting some Ultimate All-Encompassing Sign from the gods you want to worship, it doesn’t mean your worship is in vain or means nothing. it’s okay to choose to be religious. it’s not shameful to choose to be religious.

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I will never get cursed. Why? Fucking won’t let it happen. Nope. I’m uncursable. Sorry to anyone who has tried, that energies going back to you.