#Feri Witchcraft

[paganizmturkiye]

Üç Ruh

Pek çok kültür insanoğlunun çok yönlülüğünü kabul etmiştir.

Eski Mısırlılar, her biri benlik topluluğu içinde kendine özgü bir konuma ve role sahip olan yedi ruhu tanımışlardır.

Birçok kültür İlahi üçlü kavramını resmetmiştir. Eski Mısırlılar İsis, Osiris ve Horus'a tapınarak kutsal bir üçlüyü onurlandırmışlardır. Eski Keltler üç sayısına çok düşkündü; üç mevsimi, üç elementi ve üçlü bir Tanrıçanın sayısız tezahürünü tanıyorlardı.

Hıristiyanlık Kutsal Üçleme fikriyle üç sayısının kutsal gücünü kabul eder. Baba, Oğul ve Kutsal Ruh'u temsil eden bu ezoterik kavram, tarih boyunca tanınan ve çeşitli şekillerde adlandırılan birbiriyle ilişkili üç İlahi güç arasındaki dinamik ilişkiyi tanımlar. Tanrısallığı üçlü yönleri olan bir varlık olarak nitelendirdikten sonra, insanları da aynı şekilde tanımlamak küçük bir adım değil midir? Eğer insan Tanrı'nın suretinde yaratılmışsa, neden olmasın?

Feri/Faery Cadılık Geleneği, diğer ruhani kültürlerin yanı sıra Polinezya Huna'sına benzer bir şekilde üç benliği veya ruhu tanır.

Konuşmacı (Konuşan Benlik, Orta-Benlik, Ego) Bu, dünyayla ilişki kurduğumuz enerjik arayüzdür; enerji alışverişi ve başkalarıyla bağlantı kurmakla ve aynı zamanda onlardan ayrı olduğumuzu tanımlamakla ilgilenen katmanımızdır. Analitik, mantıksal, sözel ve kendinin farkındadır. Bu kısım genellikle ego olarak tanımlanır ve genellikle en aşina olduğumuz kısmımızdır.

Getiren (Genç Benlik, Çocuk Benlik, Alt Benlik, Hayvan ruhu, diğer adıyla beden, hayalet, bilinçaltı) Kahuna tarafından Unihipili ve Yahudi mistikler tarafından Nephesh olarak adlandırılan Alt Benlik, Genç Benlik, Çocuk Benlik, çalı ruhu veya getirici, psişikler tarafından genellikle fiziksel bedenden yaklaşık 2.5 cm uzağa uzandığı ve mana veya yaşam gücünü toplamak ve depolamaktan sorumlu olduğu algılanır. Aynı zamanda fiziksel bedenin işlevselliğini korumakla da ilgilidir. Duygusal, sözel öncesi, çocuksu, masum ve cinseldir. İlkel ve hayvan benzeri olan, ancak yine de benzersiz bir şekilde “biz” olan parçamızdır.

Bilinçaltı dürtüler aracılığıyla bir şeye ihtiyaç duyduğunda veya bir şey istediğinde bunu bize söyler. Bunlar bize rüyalarda veya vizyonlarda semboller olarak ya da sadece bir “önsezi” veya yoğun bir his olarak gelebilir.

Getirici konuştuğunda, mesajın karışıklık içinde kaybolmaması için konuşmacının nasıl doğru dinleyeceğini bilmesi önemlidir. Bu nedenle majikal sanatların uygulayıcıları için temel sembolizmi anlamak gereklidir. Sembollerin bilincimizi nasıl etkilediğinin farkında olduğumuzda, getiriciden gelen mesajları daha iyi deşifre edebiliriz ve en az bunun kadar önemlisi, yanıt verebiliriz.

Varlığımızın daha derin bir katmanıyla sözel olmayan bu doğrudan iletişim biçimi, majikal gücü kullanmayı öğrenmenin kritik bir yönüdür, çünkü getirici, üç ruhumuzun üçüncü ve en yükseği olan kutsal daemon ile doğrudan iletişim halinde olan tek parçamızdır.

Kutsal Daemon (Tanrı Benlik, Derin Benlik, Yüksek Benlik, Kişisel Tanrı, Kuş Ruhu, Süper Ego) Pek çok farklı kültür tarafından pek çok isimle anılmıştır. Derin Benlik, Yüksek Benlik, Tanrı(ça) Benlik, İlahi Benlik, Kişisel Tanrı, Aumakua, Neshemah, Kutsal Koruyucu Melek, Dian y Glas, İçimizdeki Mesih, Kuş-Ruhu - hepsi de ruh yapımızın İlahi Kaynakla kişisel bağlantımız olan kısmını tanımlamak için kullanılan terimlerdir. Bu, mükemmel, eksiksiz ve sonsuz olan parçamızdır. Ebedidir ve fiziksel ölümden sonra da hayatta kalır.

Mucizeler gerçekleştiren bu parçamızdır ve onun gücünü dünyaya aktarmak her ruhani uygulayıcının başlıca hedefidir.

Bazen bu ruhun bir kuş, bir yıldız ya da başın yaklaşık 15-20 cm üzerinde asılı duran bir ışık küresi olarak görselleştirilebileceği öğretilir. Kişinin kutsal daemonu kelimenin tam anlamıyla yol gösterici ışığıdır; enkarne olduğumuz süre boyunca deneyimlememiz gereken yaşam derslerine doğru bizi yönlendiren parçamızdır. Daemon aracılığıyla Tanrılarla ve diğer yüksek güçlerle iletişim kurabiliriz ve bu yüzden ilk olarak dua ve dikkatimizi bu ruha yöneltmeliyiz.

Üç Ruhu Hizalama Topraklanın ve merkezlenin. Bilincinizin başınızda kök salmış olduğunu hissedin. Farkındalığınızı alnınızın ortasındaki bir noktaya odaklayın. Bu, konuşmacı için bir bağlantı noktasıdır. Konuşanı düşünürken yavaş ve derin nefes alın… mantığınız, aklınız ve diliniz konuşanın etki alanındadır. Üç derin güç nefesi alın, konuşmacınızın enerjilendiğini ve arındığını hissedin.

Şimdi farkındalığınızın yavaşça bedeninizin içine doğru inmesine ve göbeğinizin yaklaşık 5-6 cm altındaki bir noktada durmasına izin verin. Bu, getirici için bir bağlantı noktasıdır. Bir ritim içinde nefes almaya devam getiricinizi düşünün. Duygularınız, rüyalarınız, anılarınız ve vücut fonksiyonlarınızın hepsi getirici alanındadır. Üç derin güç nefesi alın, getirinizin enerjilendiğini ve arındığını hissedin.

İlahi Ruhunuzun bedeninizin üzerinde gezindiğinin farkında olun. Onu mavi ışıktan bir küre, bir yıldız, bir çiçek ya da alternatif olarak bir kuş olarak imgelemek isteyebilirsiniz. Kutsal daemonunuzun başınızın yaklaşık 15-20 cm üzerinde parladığını hissedin. Bunun İlahi, kutsal ve sizin en iyi çıkarlarınızı gözeten parçanız olduğunu bilin. Ellerinizi başınızın üzerine kaldırın, böylece üzerinizdeki ışığa dokunabilirsiniz. Daemonunuzdan yayılan sedefli bir ışık görmeye başlayın. Bu ışığın üzerinizde ve içinizde parladığını hissedin… yavaşça aşağıya, getiricinize ve sonra yavaşça yukarıya, konuşucunuza doğru aktığını hissedin. Bu kutsal ışığın her hücrenize nasıl nüfuz ettiğini ve şimdi sizi parlak ve ışıldayan bir varlık haline getirerek auranıza nasıl yayıldığını hissedin. Dikkatiniz kutsal daemonunuza odaklanmışken şöyle deyin:

“Üç Ruh da içimde hizalandı Üç ruh da içimde hizalandı Üç ruh da içimde hizalandı Bizler Bir olarak konuşan Üç'üz.”

Kaynak: Storm Faerywolf

[midwestbramble]

Betwixt and Between Book Review

I read this book in the Pagan and Witches Amino Book Club, that doesn't exist anymore. At the time, the host of the book club was practicing feri and none of us had heard of it so they asked us if we wanted to read this book to learn more. I did a review on that app (that no longer exists), but here's my extended thoughts.

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Contents:

Synopsis

What I Liked

What I Didn't Like

Overall Thoughts

Conclusion

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Published 2017

"Faery (also known as Feri) is a tradition of great power and beauty. Originating in the West Coast of the United States separately from the Wicca tradition in England, Faery's appeal is grounded in its focus on power and results. This book provides the tools you need to begin your own Faery-style magical practice. Discover the foundational mythology and rites of the Faery tradition as well as steps and techniques for:

Creating an Altar

Summoning the Faery Fire

Engaging the Shadow

Exploring the Personal Trinity

Purifying the Primal Soul

Working with the Iron Pentacle

Aligning Your Life Force

Developing Spirit Alliances

Journeying Between the Worlds

Exploring Air, Fire, Water & Earth

Enhancing Faery Power

Personal experimentation and creative exploration are the heart and soul of Faery. The rituals, recipes, exercises, and lore within will help you project your consciousness into realms beyond this world, opening you to the experience of spiritual ecstasy."

-from the back of the book

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What I Liked

The book starts out with the creation myth for the Feri tradition. Not many books on witchcraft traditions/religions do this and it was really refreshing. From there it talks about it's mythic creation as well as it's modern history with Victor Anderson. Seeing both, one after the other, was also enlightening. Faerywolf was definitely taking the creation of this book seriously.

The exercises within the book are very thorough and broken down in a very easy to follow, step-by-step way. There's also some wonderful journaling prompts and art projects once you get into the elemental chapters. These all help the reader to explore the concepts described by the author and decide what makes sense to themselves.

There's a great breakdown of the three soul concept in Feri. Rarely do you see people talk about the conception of the soul and what it means in religion and witchcraft traditions. It's easy to understand how they are all supposed to work together as well as their importance to the Feri tradition. Other traditions have a similar conception of three souls and it's easy to use these to build off of that knowledge.

Additionally there is a chapter for each of the three worlds (Upper, Middle, and Lower). Each chapter talks about spirits found there and how to connect with them. Only one talks about important holidays in Feri such as Halloween and Beltane, relating to the connection of faeries.

The tradition appears to be very accepting of LGBTQ, having special designations for covens that specifically cater to gay men or women if that's something you want to connect to people with. The author himself is LGBTQ so it would make sense that the book is friendly toward the community at large.

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What I Didn't Like

I don't want to make this book review a review of the tradition itself, however there are a few things that are directly taken from other cultures. Such as Melek'taus, a variation of the Yazidi Tawusi Melek; a peacock angel, labeled as Sheytan or Satan. The Yazidi are an ethnic group in Kurdistan who have been persecuted as devil-worshippers by the Muslims in the region. Some of the creation myth even resembles that of the Yazidis. There's also concepts taken from Hawaiian traditional religion, Victor Anderson claiming to have been Hawaiian in a past life. The book does not shy away from these facts, and lays them out for you as it introduces them.

The whole book ends up feeling like a lead up to the Feri tradition's circle casting. While you do learn about their worldview as well as the iron and pearl pentacles, it's kind of an anticlimactic way to end the book.

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Overall Thoughts

As an outsider to the tradition, this seems like a good introduction to the Feri tradition. There are similarities to both Wicca and your average Traditional Witchcraft tradition though with a more artistic flair, let's say. There's a lot of focus on the arts and experiencing things for yourself. Which is great, in my opinion.

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Conclusion

It's always interesting to see how specific, established traditions do things and think about concepts in witchcraft and magic. Even if you do not wish to follow said tradition, it can be good to see another perspective. Though we must be mindful of and sensitive to other cultures and their boundaries. If you wish to look at this book further you can find it on amazon, Barnes and Nobles, the author's website, at the publisher, Llewellyn, and others.

[ihearhercalling]

Please like or reblog (ideally reblog so other people in your sphere can find the post) if you post content about any of the following. If you reblog, please say which, or if you just like please reply and say which! I want to be more active on this blog and need people to follow.

- Celtic polytheism (Irish, Welsh, Brythonic, Gaulic, any really)

- Celtic witchcraft and folk magic, particularly Welsh

- British folk traditions

- Druidry

- Proto Indo-European polytheism

- Venus, Aphrodite, Ishtar and Inanna worship

- Actual genuine Wicca as opposed to the random stuff that gets passed off as Wicca in mainstream book shops

- Feri tradition

- Goddess-centric paganism (Dianic tradition, Deanism, Filianism, Reclaiming, Avalonian) and female mysteries

- Arthuriana from a pagan or feminist perspective (or pagan/feminist friendly)

- Sacred sexuality and tantra

- Herbalism, particularly with herbs native to the UK

[elmfae]

✨🧚🏽‍♀️Welcome to Fae Friday✨🧚🏽

˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊

On this faery friday, here is a list of some faery friendly plants that the fae folk love. It’s said that any plant that attracts butterflies and bees will attract faeries as well. Happy Friday:)

˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊

Bluebells

Buttercup

Chamomile

Clover

Elderberries

Foxglove

Honeysuckle

Lavender

Primrose

Thyme

Tulips

Roses

Rosemary

Vervain

Violets

~Fae

[reno-matagot]

Méditation devant ce magnifique prunus en fleurs aujourd'hui 💞

[gefdreamsofthesea]

The Andersons Do Not Get Enough Shit For Their Bullshit: My Thoughts on Feri.

First of all in case this post breaches containment, a little about myself. I'm Gef, I'm a thirty-something white cis disabled Canadian lesbian. I have a BA in Religion and Culture from Wilfrid Laurier University and an MLIS from the University of Western Ontario (I think it changed its name since I graduated). I also have minors in Medieval Studies and Women's Studies but they don't give you pieces of paper for those. My spiritual journey looks something like Catholic - New Ager - eclectic Wiccan-ish - Dianic-ish (the TERFy kind) - Heathen - Vanatru - now I kind of just read about witchy stuff, goddess-y stuff, and I collect divination decks. This isn't the first I've heard of Feri, but this is the first time I've sat down and read up on it.

I would just like to take a moment to recap what I've read so that everyone is on the same page:

Heart of the Initiate: Feri Lessons

Fifty Years in the Feri Tradition

Evolutionary Witchcraft by T. Thorn Coyle

The Wikipedia pages for Feri and Victor Anderson

A couple articles on feritradition.com

I read The Spiral Dance ages ago and am currently rereading it but am not including it here.

I think that's all the basics covered, let's get to the meat of the discussion.

I'll start with what I found appealing about the tradition. Both the founders and initiates stress that Feri is an ecstatic tradition, not a "fertility religion" like Wicca. It is a tradition of the poet, of being in your body, of dancing with the gods. It's also pretty explicitly queer (but see below): God Herself catches Her own reflection in a mirror and makes love to Herself, creating all the other deities in the pantheon. Coyle in particular talks about the Gods and Guardians (think like the Guardians of the Watchtowers in Wicca) as being genderfluid. The tradition practices ritual possession where the genders of the deity and their host don't matter.

Regarding Evolutionary Witchcraft specifically. I found the exercises (which involve a lot of breathing and awareness) to be useful and I think they would be of use to any witch. I also love the way she speaks of the Earth element in particular, as I think a lot of Pagan books are like "Oh Earth is money and other boring mundane stuff" whereas she talks about Earth as money but also as safety, security, the place where you incubate things (like in a cave), and the tomb. Despite my issues, I think I would recommend it.

Having said all that, I feel like the Andersons do not get enough shit for their bullshit.

Based on his students accounts, Victor sounds like a bit of an asshole at best. He's described as "a taskmaster" and that "One could ask for clarification, but to even hint that one disagreed with him, or worse yet, to contradict him, would result in an immediate and permanent order to leave," which is maybe just me but I wouldn't want to study under a teacher who didn't allow for disagreements or questioning, that's a cult leader thing. His wife Cora comes across as a yes (wo)man "my husband is a great shaman and an expert on x, y, and z." Now honestly I feel like people should hype up their spouses, but this is a constant throughout their writings.

Honestly though, I didn't get the chance to know them personally. Maybe they were awesome people irl. I'm just going off what I've read, but even if they were both very nice people, I still have some major issues.

One of these issues are the Andersons' claims about their own religion. Feri dates back to the Stone Age (uh huh), Feri's origins are in Africa (sure). Victor claimed to be a kahuna and an expert on Vodou. Apparently, once Victor read something he thought was true, he decided it had always been true. I should note here that near as I can tell, his source for info on Hawaiian religion is that Huna book by that white guy writing about what he thought Native Hawaiians believed. I've heard people justify this by being like "oh well Victor was being poetic and not literal" but that doesn't change the fact that it's straight up bullshit. Poetic lies are still lies. So yeah you'll often hear "Feri draws from a variety of traditions" but I'd say in some cases it's less "influenced by" and more "appropriated from" (I do feel the need to mention that some initiates have moved away from, say, using Hawaiian terms for their concepts).

I mentioned the deities in passing but Feri has its own pantheon. Most of the deity names are Welsh and many deities go by several names or are seen as similar to named deities in many cultures (the Blue God, for instance, being compared to Krishna) and they also have secret names that only initiates know. One important aspect of the Blue God is the Peacock God, at first I was going to include him under the section on appropriation, but Feri practitioners have apparently been in contact with actual Yazidis who have given their blessing re: Feri worship of Melek Taus but I'd prefer to hear it directly from the Yazidi that they are cool with it.

Okay so way back at the beginning I mentioned Feri was very queer but I really should amend that to say "unless you're asexual" because oh boy sex is inescapable in this tradition. It's implied that sexual activity between initiator and initiate is a thing that happens but there's an alternative ritual called the Intentions of the Heart where you do (non-sexual) ritual things and then "your first act of sexual intercourse" post-ritual is your initiation. The foundation of Feri practice is the Iron pentacle, where "sex" is at the top. There is also the Pearl pentacle, seen as the "higher energy" version of Iron, where sex becomes love. In Evolutionary Witchcraft, Coyle makes a few unfortunate statements about the relationship of sex to love that imply you cannot have love without sex. I don't really see a lot of room for asexual practitioners in this system, which is a shame because I know of some wonderful queer initiates of this tradition. I would be interested in an initiate's view on this because I know queer practitioners have talked about using an amethyst pentacle, for instance. I should note however, that Coyle states that not everyone needs or wants initiation as it involves marriage to the deities and responsibilities to the tradition, but as I said the tools and techniques she talks about are fine to use.

I did actually like Evolutionary Witchcraft so even if the tradition is not for me, I do what I usually do: take the bits I find useful and leave the rest.

[elhoimleafar]

Maria Lionza is an Indigenous Queen Goddess from Venezuela turning incredibly popular in different countries of South America like Brazil & Colombia, her popularity is growing and her magic is powerful.

She is known as the Queen of fairies, ghosts, and wild spirits, also, Goddess of magic and witchcraft, and a protector of sacred natural places.

Join us on a magickal full-moon night to learn her history, folklore, magic, and relation with other pantheons and local spirits, and take notes while we learn and practice 13 powerful rituals of her.

CLICK HERE TO SAVE YOUR SPOT

[thewitcheslist]

I dislike the phrase "traditional witchcraft" in a language and cultural studies kind of way because like... Do y'all mean witch-cult? 'Cuz Margaret has been discredited over and over and over again.

Do you mean Wicca? Cuz that started in '54; as far as world religion, it's practically an infant. (Author bias note: I was raised in a Wiccan Cult from ages 2 to 12)

Do y'all mean Cochrane's craft? Cuz he was literally a High Priest of Gardner's Bricket Wood Coven (Which would make him an exWiccan or make it a denomination of Wicca instead of a completely separate faith)**

Well, maybe you mean Feri? Nope. That is widely considered a denomination of Wicca too, even by those who practice it.

Crooked Path/Sabbatic? Andrew Chumbley started practicing witchcraft in the 90s, his teachings are patchwork made of Tantra, voodoo, and Christ.ian doctrine... And imo, Christ.ianity is definitely not where witchcraft originated... AND it is also considered a denomination of Wicca by scholars but considered a completely separate religion by practitioners

Thelema was started by a very very rich Englishman after he was apparently visited by the Egyptian god Horus and a disembodied voice called Aiwass in 1907 which would make it the oldest in my list here, but the majority of the scholarly writing on Traditional Witchcraft I could find doesn't include Thelema and it is considered a separate New Religious Movement (NRM) entirely.

Britannica defines traditional as

1 a : based on a way of thinking, behaving, or doing something that has been used by the people in a particular group, family, society, etc., for a long time : following the tradition of a certain group or culture b : typical or normal for something or someone : having the qualities, beliefs, etc., that are usual or expected in a particular type of person or thing 2 based on old-fashioned ideas : not new, different, or modern

This definition feels fuzzy to me, because Neopaganism is definitely new and modern, right? That's what the prefix Neo- means

The only (reputable, published scholarly *) sources I can find basically sum up Traditional Witchcraft as just Wiccan. I have found some (published) sources saying it isn't Wicca, but they are far fewer in number and are religious works, not academic.

I am not a religious scholar. But Neopagan seems to be a much more accurate word to describe these organized practices -- Or does the existence of a Hierarchy and religious leaders makes it "traditional."

And... Neopagan is a very very very broad term, making it somewhat impractical to use as a label when looking for your communities/learning resources/supplies

In my search for information I found this quote from Kelden Mercury, author of The Crooked Path: Introduction to Traditional Witchcraft

“Traditional Witchcraft is an umbrella term that covers a vast array of non-Wiccan practices that are inspired by folklore. These practices may be viewed as religious or spiritual depending upon the group or individual practitioner. Traditional Witches focus on the use of magic, connecting with the natural landscape, and working with various spirits in both the physical realm and the Otherworld.”

But 1) every single other source I'm finding is calling it a branch of Wicca - because the core values originated within Wicca. And 2) it isn't traditional if every practitioner does it differently and 3) What folk lore? There's a lot. I don't know which culture is being referred to here 4) this sent me down a secondary metaphorical rabbit hole to find what "The Otherworld" is, because my only prior knowledge was from my Wiccan Coven upbringing, and in this context, I'm being told we are definitely not talking about Wicca - but we are getting off topic

I have come across one paper grouping all the practices I listed in this post together as "contemporary traditions," and Contemporary Traditional Witchcraft is a bit of a mouthful and possibly an oxymoron but it definitely makes more sense from the perspective of this language nerd. Someone needs to write more on this from a scholarly and historical point of view and I am almost certain I am far too undereducated to do it.

And now, I'm super hyper fixated on the cultural impact of various NRMs, Neopaganism, and modern religion in the west. I cannot afford more student loans but I desperately want to learn more. I might audit some classes just for the hell of it honestly. This is so fascinating at this point. Why isn't this stuff getting studied yet? Does anyone know Ethan Doyle White? Can you give him my email address? (this is a joke, he probably doesn't want to talk to me.) Belief in witchcraft as malevolent magic has been around since ancient Mesopotamia and I can find records of that... But I want to study the cultural impact of this religious movement and there just isn't enough literature to satisfy my inquisitive nature.

Someone smart should be writing this down, because seeing how it spreads and how different groups respond to the movement as a whole could really help historians understand the very very old dead religions, and their cultural impacts.

*I want to emphasize the word Scholarly. I said SCHOLARLY and I mean it. Witchcraft is something very difficult to find historically accurate information about.

** edit to correct pronouns; this information came from PUBLISHED SCHOLARLY ARTICLES. I am not asking you to explain Traditional Witchcraft to me as a practitioner. I am NOT asking to be converted to Wicca. I literally escaped a cult. Have some decorum.

[DISCLAIMER: I'm not arguing the validity of any of these religions, nor am I saying they are bad. Religion, in my opinion, is a good thing. I like paganism. It brings me comfort. This is my brain struggling with the verbage used and lack of written history. I have absolutely no ill intent, I'm just frustrated at the lack of historical records and the limits imposed on us by the English language.]

[lailoken]

Hi Lucien.

I saw somebody talking about a "faerie religion" that is being revived in traditional witchcraft spaces? I was wondering if you know anything about that and if you can point me towards any sources. It caught my interest. You're the best account I know that deals with this type of thing.

Thank you!

I appreciate your kind words, and I'm glad I can provide some sort of resource for you. However, I can't really say I know what you're talking about. You're not thinking of the "Feri Tradition," by chance, are you?

[bookofforbiddenknowledge]

Occult Book Reviews: The Crooked Path

[I'm sharing some of my old reviews from Quora because I will refer back to them in the new ones. This one is from 2023]

The next big field of magic on my list to study is folk magic. I realize I don’t know enough about folk magic. I’ve gotten it through the filter of Wicca, or through the PGM, but I don’t feel like I’ve absorbed much folk magic that I can actually… y’know… use. So much of folk magic seems impractical to me, utilizing ingredients I don’t have access to or being too Abrahamic for my taste. I haven’t done a lot of spellwork (in comparison to theurgy and the like), and most of what I have done is an awkward form of sigil magic. This is a shame, because spellwork was the reason I became interested in occultism in the first place! I stopped calling myself a witch because I didn’t do enough practical “low” magic for it to feel right, and it’s about time I learned it. I’m finally cycling back around to witchcraft, and this time I know what to search for. So, I’m starting off with The Crooked Path by Kelden, which is an introduction to Traditional Witchcraft. Traditional Witchcraft, at least how Kelden presents it, is mainly based in the British tradition of cunning folk. It’s spiritual, but also practical — very firmly rooted in the pragmatic application of magic. It’s hedge witchery. Kelden explains in the introduction how he was originally taken in by Wicca, but ended up forgoing it for the older and more irregular practice of Traditional Witchcraft. I have no idea if this will end up being my path, but it seems like a decent place to start.

Up until now, I’ve considered Traditional Witchcraft to be basically Wicca with the serial numbers filed off; I assumed it’s all the same sort of stuff, and certainly the same aesthetic, but without the doctrines and rituals that are specific to the religion of Wicca. This is not accurate. Though Traditional Witchcraft owes a lot to Wicca and related movements from the twentieth century, it owes just as much to folklore. I’m intrigued by the emphasis on developing a working practice out of folklore. I like that Kelden draws a distinction between drawing from historical sources, and drawing from folklore. Concepts like the Witches’ Sabbath, flying ointments, and familiar spirits are not necessarily grounded in any sort of historical tradition (especially if they come from confessions under torture), but knowing that, modern witches can still use these ideas to inform their practice.

Kelden associates three specific practices with Traditional Witchcraft: folk magic, hedge-crossing, and reverence for nature. This means that Traditional Witches perform practical magic, travel to the Otherworld to work with spirits, and work directly with the natural world. Kelden provides a brief but nuanced take on the role of religion (or lack thereof) in Traditional Witchcraft — not all witches are pagan, not all witches are theists, and many traditional spells are Christian or syncretic.* I breathed a sigh of relief, because I was afraid that this book was going to be based in a vague, wishy-washy Wiccanate paganism in the manner of Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard. I regret my initial assumptions, because I really sold Kelden short. This book is well-sourced. It references medieval and Renaissance-era Christian lore, upon which much of the cunning tradition is based. It contains a succinct but really interesting and useful history of modern witchcraft, describing the various witchcraft traditions that sprung up around Wicca. The only one I was previously familiar with was Feri; I’d never heard of 1734 or the Clan of Tubal Cain. I’d also never heard of Cecil Williamson, which is criminal. And there’s no airy-fairy, pseudo-historical nonsense about vaguely-defined ancient pagans worshipping the moon goddess!

Though Traditional Witchcraft still takes a lot of cues from Wicca, it is less like Wicca than I expected. Differences include a heavier emphasis on folklore as a resource, animism, more direct and personalized interaction with the natural world (as opposed to a standardized Wheel of the Year), and explicitly including baneful magic. Based on the information in this book, Traditional Witchcraft seems to “fix” many of my personal grievances with Wicca. For one thing, Traditional Witchcraft rituals tend to be more idiosyncratic than standardized, which works better for me. I’ve realized that I’m working “backwards” with respect to certain magical skills, and it’s far more productive to adapt techniques to suit the skills I already have than to try to force myself into a system that doesn’t work for me. Traditional Witchcraft rituals are also more ecstatic, in contrast to Wicca’s very ceremonial rituals. I definitely prefer the ecstatic kind. I quickly grew weary of rituals that consisted mainly of reading long verses out of a book or off of a website, and the stress of having to plan and set up rituals deterred me from doing them. Many of my own best rituals have been spontaneous. A more ecstatic practice also better suits the particular gods I work with.

Kelden does describe the gods associated with Traditional Witchcraft in similar duotheistic terms. This book’s discussion of theurgy is brief, simplistic, and still very Wiccan. But it also makes the point that many witches have differing conceptions of divinity (or none at all), which is reassuring. I’m very tired of the Horned God/Triple Goddess, but Kelden has one of the most interesting takes on this concept that I’ve seen in years. He comes right out and says that the Witch Father (which is what he calls the Horned God) is the Devil. By this, he means that the folkloric conception of the Devil is more intrinsically associated with witchcraft than any other entity. The Devil has some very pagan dimensions, even on his own. Regardless of however much the Devil has been directly influenced by pagan deities, he occupies the same “space” in folklore that would have been filled by trickster deities in a pre-Christian context. He assumes whatever roles and aspects that the Christian God won’t touch. That doesn’t mean that Kelden or that any other Traditional Witch is necessarily a Satanist, but it does mean that the Devil in folklore informs the Traditional Witch’s conception of the masculine Divine. I really, really like this. It’s a nice middle ground between Margaret-Murray-ism and the edginess of Satanism. Everything Kelden said about the characterization of the Witch Lord (a bringer of enlightenment, tricksterish, likes dance and sexuality, dual-natured, both frenzied and somber, associated with life and death, represents the Shadow and primal aspects of the psyche) resonates for me, because that’s Dionysus. Much of what he said about the Witch Mother also resonated — that she facilitates initiation, that she presides over birth and death, and that she is a cosmic wellspring from which the universe is generated. Despite how jaded I have become with the duotheistic model, I am starting to warm up to these archetypes again, swinging back around to them after having been devastated by the amount of modern constructs and outright fabrications that surround them. The two gods I’m closest to, Dionysus and Hecate, embody these archetypes perfectly — even in their original forms.

Traditional Witchcraft is more ethically neutral than Wicca (or at least, mainstream Wicca) because it is grounded in the folk magic of disenfranchised people who didn’t have any other way of standing up for themselves. Kelden emphasizes that one should not haphazardly cast curses, hexes, banishments, and bindings, but that one should always know how to cast them if the need arises. This dual approach to magic is appealing to me. Turns out I actually know much more about folk magic than I thought I did, because all of the techniques that Kelden outlines are ones I’m familiar with. I wish he went into more detail about how to adapt historical spells into modern ones, because that’s where I feel I have the most trouble, but it may be that I’m overthinking it. I really like having the examples of workable spells that have been derived from these older sources.

Like most witchcraft books, this one describes the method of hedge-crossing to be quieting down one’s body and mind through deep breathing exercises, to trigger an Out-of-Body-Experience. I’ve never had an OBE, not even once. This led me to believe that I’m incapable of hedge-crossing, when I’m actually really, really good at it. I just have a weird way of doing it. Quieting my body and mind down makes me more aware of my physical discomfort and more present in the real world. I travel to the Otherworld when I pace, or otherwise keep my body occupied with repetitive movement. I’ve had some pretty spectacular experiences like this, and I’m working on structuring my practice around them. I’ve even experienced the “Witches’ Sabbath” in meditation before, which I realized while reading this book. (Just like with the Devil, Kelden puts a positive spin on the concept of a “Witches’ Sabbath,” describing it as an otherworldly festival attended by witches and various types of spirits. You can go there to do business with spirits, perform magic, or just have fun.) I still hope to have an OBE someday, but if I don’t, I understand I’m not missing anything. Because of my unconventional methods, I don’t know how to explain hedge-crossing to newbie practitioners, so I’m glad I now have this book as a resource to point to. I also really appreciate the recipe for non-toxic flying ointment.

The final section of this book is about communing with nature, which I have something of an ambivalent relationship with. On the one hand, I scoff at the notion that paganism in general is “nature-based.” Paganism thrived just as well in ancient metropolises that celebrated their “dominion” over nature. And there are so many different varieties of paganism, that generalizing them all as Druid-stereotype tree-hugging is, at best, reductive. On the other hand, I do really like being in nature. It improves my mental health. I ended up spending a lot of time in the nearby forest at my school. And, I distinctly remember that the most witchy I have ever felt was when I was dancing in my front yard with a hoop made from a wisteria vine. I haven’t been as interested in the wortcunning side of witchcraft, but I won’t pretend that the natural world holds no interest for me or has no relevance to my practice. As a child, I built fairy-houses in nearby trees and left food offerings. Who says I couldn’t do that now? I think my biggest hurdle is that I see local plants as mundane and boring in comparison to mandrake and mugwort, so I don’t really know how to magically engage with them. Kelden has some great advice about how to discover the “virtues” (correspondences) of native plants, rocks, and animals, and about how to safely work with poisonous plants for baneful magic. I also appreciate his advice about adapting the Wheel of the Year to suit your own seasonal patterns and landscape, as well as the spiritual/cultural associations that are actually important to you — no sense in celebrating agricultural or pastoral milestones if you’re not a farmer or a herder! Kelden closes off the book with a short chapter about how to actually apply all of the information in the book. Not enough beginner books do that. Establishing a regular practice is still something I haven’t quite gotten down, so even though it’s a short little section, any help is welcome.

Color me impressed! I liked this book more, and got more out of it, than I expected. I loved how accessible it was. It was a really easy and fast read (this is the quickest I’ve gotten through an occult book in a while). Kelden does a great job of distinguishing where all these different ideas or practices come from — which bits of folklore, which preexisting occult traditions, which primary sources, when it’s UPG, etc. The Crooked Path somehow walks the line between having just enough specificity to not feel generic (i.e. it’s a guide to a particular tradition), and being universally applicable enough to work for people of different creeds and locales. There are some things I would change: Kelden could have included more advice about how to connect with the natural world when one lives in a completely urban environment, and the Otherworld chapter could have used a section dedicated to Shadow Work. But this is still one of the best and most accessible beginner books I’ve read in a long time. I’m definitely going to start recommending it as a non-denominational intro-to-witchcraft book, of which there aren’t many.

Not that it’s bad to start with Wicca, but you have to know that’s what you’re doing; my biggest problem with Wicca 101 books is that most of them make certain beliefs/practices/approaches seem universal when they’re actually distinctly Wiccan, or draw no distinction between Wicca and witchcraft: “Witches” worship the Horned God and the Moon Goddess. “Witches” celebrate the eight Sabbats and Full/Dark Moons. “Witches” cast the circle and perform the Great Rite with the chalice and blade. “Witches” greet each other with “Blessed Be” or “Merry Meet,” and seal every spell with “so mote it be.” “Witches” follow the Rede. All of these things are features of Wicca specifically, but you have to know enough to be able to separate out the distinctly Wiccan aspects from everything else. As a neophyte who lacked that prior knowledge, I took all these things as a given. Early on, I frequently parroted “Wicca is a religion, witchcraft is a practice.” But somewhere along the line, I realized I didn’t know what that practice actually was. Wicca and witchcraft were so intertwined in my mind that I didn’t know what witchcraft looked like independently from Wicca. Traditional Witchcraft is still a specific path with its own history and associated practices, but it gives me a good idea of what “witchcraft” looks like on its own. It cuts out all the "pomp” of the Golden-Dawn-esque ceremonialism and focuses only on the “low magic” stuff, giving me a better sense of what “witchcraft” is at its core, and providing me with a framework that I can more easily adapt.

This book got me feeling witchy again, which is saying a lot. This is the most excited about witchcraft I’ve been in years, and Traditional Witchcraft scored a lot of points with me. I’m not comfortable with every aspect of it, but it gives me the freedom to change the things that don’t work for me. I read descriptions of other Traditional Witchcraft books on Amazon, and most of them also emphasized formulating an authentic and personalized craft based on one’s own environment. I wouldn’t expect something called “Traditional” to be so idiosyncratic; that seems a bit oxymoronic, but it’s also comforting and promising. If you’re a beginner and you’re interested in witchcraft, I highly recommend getting this book (or other books on Traditional Witchcraft) in addition to Wicca 101 books. That way, you can see what your options are, and select or combine practices as you see fit.

*Note: The top critical review on Amazon is written by a person who seemed utterly appalled that so many of these traditional spells have God or Jesus or the Devil in them. That person does not seem to know very much about traditional British and American folk magic. If you have an anti-Abrahamic bias, I encourage you to put it aside when studying any kind of historical or historically-inspired folk magic (or ceremonial magic, for that matter). You can adapt these old Christian spells to suit any religion or spiritual tradition, and Kelden says as much.

[wytchwyse]

Your aptitude for magic is not in your tradition of magic. It is in your effort to learn your system/tradition/religion.

These are my opinions, and observations.

Traditional Wicca, Folkloric Witchcraft, Feri, Appalchian folk magic, Hoodoo, NOLA Voodoo, Santeria, Hellenism, Celtic polytheism, Obeah, curanderismo, Sabbatic Witchcraft, Luciferianism, ceremonial magic, catholic folk magic, folk religions etc.

All of these are magical traditions/ systems and many are religious in nature. None of them are more "powerful" then another. Spirituality is no different than anything else, you get out of it what you put into it. Once more I see a disturbing Trend within occulture This concept that some systems are greater than others. Magic, sorcery, occultism are not games that we play, they are not an aesthetic, they're not a costume. they take time, they take effort, you are expected to grow as a person as you grow with your practice.if what you care about is arguing over whose God is more powerful than I can assure you any magic that you think you're doing you're not. That is not the point of why we practice the arte magical.

If you are still experiencing these delusions of grandeur as you practice your magic you have a lot of work to do within yourself. Your magic should be used to propel yourself forward Psychologically, exoterically and esoterically. The practice of magic no matter where it came from, or what point in time it came out of has no bearing on its potency.

Let's remember the importance of rationality in the occult , it is okay to keep our heads in the clouds as long as our feet are firmly on the ground beneath us. So just to reiterate no, your God will not beat up someone else's God that's childish and ridiculous. Sorcery demands maturity, otherwise you're just LARPing.

[midwestbramble]

The Crooked Path Book Review

This book I read when it first came out. I’d been watching Keldens YouTube channel for more information on traditional witchcraft and was excited to see this book announcement.

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Contents:

Synopsis

What I Liked

What I Didn’t Like

Overall Thoughts

Conclusion

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Published 2020

“Part the thorny bramble and take a walk along the bewitchingly mysterious Crooked Path. Within these pages discover a wealth of hand-on tips and techniques to begin your journey into the realm of Traditional Witchcraft. Learn to weave a powerful personal practice that is informed by folklore and grounded in your own location and natural landscape. Along the way you will find valuable information regarding the tools, rituals, and spells of this fascinating tradition, together with lessons on connecting with deities, familiar spirits, ancestors, and the spirits of place. With supportive advice and encouragement, Kelden provides everything you need to successfully navigate your own path, helping you master even advanced practices such as hedge-crossing as you transform your day-to-day practice into a life filled with magic and spirit."

-from the back of the book.

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What I Liked

Kelden starts the book with what traditional witchcraft is. He decides the best place to start with this is looking at the word "traditional" and going through some of our assumptions about what that word means. He explains that traditions aren't necessarily old nor are they static. They are ever changing to fit into the modern age, and that is how they survive. So you can easily create your own tradition based on what's around you. Which leads us into the discussion of the role of folklore in traditional witchcraft. Lessons are often taken from folklore about witches, magic, and spirits; with the witch trials having a specific influence over the many traditions within the umbrella. What the trials can tell us isn't whether those being tried were really witches, but what people of the time BELIEVED about witches. Which can inform our own practices.

Kelden also breaks down some of the key elements of trad craft; which in his view are the working of magic, working with the otherworld, and working with the natural world (which is about how the book is organized as well). For most practitioners that I have seen this is very true and remains true for my own practice. From this place he has an exercise where the reader is meant to define traditional witchcraft for themselves. Which is good for helping people to really think critically about what they just read.

Chapter two talks about the different figures that have spear headed traditional witchcraft starting in the 20th century. People like Cecil Williamson and his relationship with Gerald Gardner, Doreen Valiente who is more famous for her role in Wicca but also worked closely with Robert Cochrane, the most generally credited of traditional witches. He also goes on to explain a little bit about 1734, feri, and other American traditions of traditional witchcraft. As you've seen there are some names reminiscent of Wicca here. Kelden does his due diligence and speaks to the relationship between traditional witchcraft and Wicca which are often seen as opposing forces in witchcraft spaces. Not only does he speak to the differences but also the similarities. The two have influenced each other in many ways that some practitioners just don't want to acknowledge.

The next chapter is about the actual working of magic. Kelden has a breakdown of baneful magic and what the differences between hexes, jinxes, curses, etc. are and why people might do them. After this section is an exercise for reflecting on your own ethics and what you would consider justified. In this chapter is also a great break down of the magical process. From determining the intention (aka goal) of the spell work all the way to projecting the intent infused power. If you've struggled with getting a spell to work or figuring out the different steps and how to do them, this is a great section to take a look at.

There's also a chapter which explains the different rituals found in traditional witchcraft such as the compass round, treading the mill and housel. The chapter which discussed the differences and similarities to Wicca has already introduced these as concepts, but now we get to go more in depth and really see how they are done. The compass is given two different exercises for how to lay one which I think is good. You get to see a more Cochranite compass and then one that I would say is more practical.

He also talks about how to adapt spells from folklore, which I think is where some people can get tripped up. This is about looking at the folklore that includes witches and seeing how you can make what they're doing applicable to modern life. He gives some common examples (and instructions) for common spells like this such as charm bags, witch bottles, ladders and knots, as well as poppets (the instructions he gives is for a hexing poppet).

The section of the book that talks about spirits starts you off with the witch father (aka Witch King or Devil) and witch mother (aka Witch Queen), explaining that they are more archetypal titles than beings in and of themselves. So someone could have the Queen of Elphame as their Witch Mother while someone else works with Baba Yaga as Witch Mother. After this discussion, he goes into working with ancestors. The first thing he goes into is that ancestors don't have to be blood! There are many more to which he mentions but Kelden specifically talks about ancestors of the land (spirits who lived and died in the region you are working) as well as spiritual ancestors (sometimes called the Mighty Dead; this could be Isobel Gowdie or Doreen Valiente).

After ancestors is familiars, and I really enjoyed that Kelden brought up how they became misconstrued as flesh-and-blood animal companions. He then goes on to explain that within traditional witchcraft, and the original understanding of familiars, is that they are spirits of the otherworld; going on to give examples of famous familiars such as Robin Artisson and Tom Reid. Just with each of the types of spirits mentioned before, he has an in depth exercise for calling on and meeting a familiar to contract with.

There's also a decent section discussing the fetch within traditional witchcraft and the concepts behind it as well as how it's depicted in folklore about witches. This is paired with one of the books "From the Spirits of Lore" sections sprinkled throughout the book (which highlight different witchcraft folklore) about Peg Wesson and the Silver Button. Paired perfectly.

The book goes on to talk about the three worlds and what can be done within them; such as healing, learning new techniques, performing magic, speaking and connecting with spirits, etc. This leads onto what to expect at the folkloric witches' meeting, which takes place in spirit. Eventually we get to the discussion about how to get to these otherworlds through hedge-riding or spirit flight. He gives some very beginner techniques followed by the history and folklore of flying ointment and a non-toxic recipe for it. Though I would warn that mugwort does have cumulative toxicity.

The section of the book that talks about working with the natural world starts off strong with a discussion of BIOREGIONALISM and creating a bioregional profile. Bioregionalism "refers to the significance of things that are local or belong to a specific area of land." Within witchcraft, this looks like working with your own region where you are more likely to be "experiencing the mysteries of the natural world and it's wisdom" (according to Kelden). For me that is the Midwest Tallgrass Prairie and Forest Transition. Find yours with One Earth.

He goes on to discuss connecting with land spirits (which he calls wights). The suggestions he gives are great beginner steps, and once you get past these the relationship you build with the land will lead you to next steps. There's also a quick discussion of the fair folk, their role in traditional witchcraft, and how to get started with them.

When it comes to actually working with pieces of the land (plants, stones, etc.) I really enjoyed that Kelden doesn't just give you a list of correspondences. Especially since this book could be speaking to someone in a very different bioregion, he talks about determining correspondences for your native plants and stones yourself with an exercise for each individually. I really liked the emphasis on local stones, many people have already caught on to local plant life, but with the horrible mining practices for crystals, it's so refreshing to see something about working with what you can get for free in your area. Plus people seem to not realize just what kind of rocks (or crystals) are under their feet.

Kelden also has a section on working with animals. He talks about how to perform augury, work with different types of animal parts (such as feathers and fur) as well as shapeshifting, which is a spirit flight technique. I see quite a few questions asking about working with animals these days, and this is a great place to start.

Something that has been discussed within the witchcraft community over the last several years is reimagining the wheel of the year for your local landscape. Kelden talks suggests looking to the land around you and what is happening throughout the year, then what this may mean to you, ending the section with an exercise to create a personal seasonal ritual.

Weather is another aspect of spell work that I've seen people asking questions about. Kelden covers working with the wind, rain, thunder and lightning, as well as snow and ice. These are a good place for beginners to start with spellwork as well, I remember some of them being suggested in older books when I started practicing, or at least a variation on them.

Kelden also talks about the planets. Traditional ways of working with planetary energy includes planetary squares and timing. The squares remind me a lot of sudoku while the timing has to do with the day and then the actual time of day. So 1 am on Monday will have a different planetary ruler to 1 am on Tuesday or even 3 pm on Monday. This timing can help add oomph to spell work. And lastly Kelden gives some information on why traditional witches work with the moon cycles.

At the end of the book, Kelden posits a series of questions so you can reflect on your own practice and if there's anything you would like to delve deeper into. Then there's a dedication for those who truly want to walk the crooked path.

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What I Didn't Like

The visualization technique utilized in the magical process laid out by Kelden doesn't account for people with aphantasia. There are plenty of advice out on the internet now for people struggling with visualization techniques but I'll just add here that you can also focus on the feel of something, whether that's tactile or emotional. How does it sound? How does it taste? These things can also paint a metaphorical picture of what it is you're a looking to manifest.

I don't like the use of the word "sabbath" when it comes to the witches' meeting. It's a word from Judaism that is their holy day. It's used as a term for the witches' meeting due to blood libel antisemitism. So I prefer to say witches' meeting, but Kelden has decided to use Sabbath here. He talks about this issue in another book of his but it is sadly missing from this one.

When talking about plants, Kelden does mention baneful, poisonous plants. While this is meant to be an introduction to them, I don't feel there is enough information for beginners to be handling poisonous plants safely. I suggest the book "The Poison Path" by Coby Michael for more information.

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Overall Thoughts

This is a great book to get someone started on the path of Traditional Witchcraft. It goes into enough depth to get your feet wet and have a grasp on what is going on while pointing in the direction of other areas to explore. With that in mind, I do wish there were recommended reading but I suppose you'll just have to go through the bibliography or you could look at my recommendations list if you want (or someone else's, I'm not your mom). This could be a person's first book on witchcraft and it would still be a good starting point. It's very clear that this is just one type of witchcraft a person could practice.

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Conclusion

Kelden did a wonderful job writing an introductory book on traditional witchcraft that is easy to understand. If you want to read the book for yourself, it can be found on Amazon, Llewellyn, and Hamilton Book. You can also check your local witchy/occult shop if you have one near you.

other reviews:

Inner Circle Sanctuary

Medium

[teawitch]

Do you have any thoughts about railroad tracks from a witchcraft perspective? I know I shouldn't walk on the tracks cuz a lot of people die that way but I think they are like a crossroads

Railroad tracks are wonderful liminal spaces because the trains traveling on them are in a constant state of not being in a specific location. So, yes, they can function like crossroads. But like crossroads, they must be treated with respect. Walking on tracks, particularly active tracks, is dangerous. Now, a deserted stretch of tracks would be a place to do magic.

If you can't find a deserted set of tracks, old railroad spikes have a lot of iron in them and are good for all sorts of protection magic. A common one is to hammer an iron spike into each corner of your property to protect it. Others place them by entry ways. I have one from when one of those massive hurricanes was aiming for Orlando that a Feri-tradition witch charged to protect my house. You can even find ones that have been hammered into knives or athames for ritual use.

If you come across an old iron railway spike, even someone selling the actual old spikes at a good price, they can be worth obtaining.

(Modern spikes are a different steel. Still useful but the old spikes are what witches really want. There is an old guy who shows up at the local gem shows with some interesting things Railroad spikes, iron nails, deer antlers. He pretends he has no idea why people keep buying these things. You can get a good idea as to who knows what by watching who is buying shiny cheap things from the New Age crystal stall and who is negotiating for a bunch of rusty iron nails.)

Oh, also - if you need to dispose of something and live near a railroad, placing it in the railroad's trash can is a safer substitute for burying it. I usually use convenience stores for this since they're conveniently located at intersections and have trash cans. If I buy a soda or something while I'm there, I've paid the guardian of the crossroads for their service.

[elmfae]

Tip for living like a fae

˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎᷀ົཽ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊

Write as much as you can in ways that are significant to you. Journaling/diary keeping, writing poetry, or writing short stories. The fair folk are masters of language.

~Fae

[reno-matagot]

Luci'Feri Altars, October 2024