#I have so much more respect for witches witchcraft and wiccans

[multifandominfj]

Thank you, My Coven.

Thank you, Jac Schaffer. 💜✨🔮🙏🏻

[traegorn]

Hi I was listening to one of the first episodes on your podcast, i'm interested in witchcraft and wicca. You mentioned how wicca was mostly created by Gardner. So like what about the concepts of god and goddess? Is this something that he just made up? But then people believe still knowing he made up? I just don't get.

You also mentioned that his book is not good for beginners. What about Doreen Valiente book you mentioned "witchcraft for tomorrow" is that a good book? From your description she seems more honest, so the book interested me

So we'll answer this backwards -- while I have a deep respect for Doreen Valiente, her books aren't that great either (especially for a beginner). If you want a solid, beginner Wicca book I still recommend Scott Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner paired with Margot Adler's Drawing Down the Moon for context. Valiente was a much better poet than she was a teacher, and we have much better sources out there now.

As for the the question are the Wiccan God and Goddess "something that [Gardner] just made up?" I guess my response is that it depends on your point of view? When Gardner put the form of Witchcraft that became Wicca to practice and paper, did he come up with the God and Goddess on his own? Sort of. Clearly he was inspired by earlier sources, but he was putting down what made sense to him personally.

Now some people think that somehow makes this conception of divinity less legitimate, because even most Wiccans think of Gardner as "just some guy." But I think that's way too simple a view.

Like I came to my understanding of divinity on my own, and found that Wicca lined up with what I already believed. What you will find most often in Wicca is that there is an extremely wide variety of beliefs about the actual nature and form of the God and Goddess. We don't have scripture, there is no authority. This leads to a diversity of understanding of divinity some people aren't necessarily comfortable with. The witch themself has to make some of their own decisions on this.

Something to keep in mind about Wicca is that it is far more orthopraxic than orthodoxic. Most Americans conceptualize religions from a purely orthodoxic perspective, where a religion is defined largely by belief and faith, because that's how Christianity works. Orthopraxic religions are far more defined on how they're practiced. Things like our rituals, holidays, ethical rules (the rede) -- those are largely what make things Wicca.

Hopefully that was helpful.

[morgandria]

My spirituality feels messy, sometimes. I don’t think that can be helped, since like the rest of me it developed organically over time. As much as Virgo-me would love to keep it all in nice neat boxes in my head, it didn’t start that way and sure as hell isn’t interested in ending that way. It can be frustrating. I have to both acknowledge its' eclectic tangle, and attempt not to cross the streams. I do my homework. I respect boundaries. I try to get into the heart of things, rather than just skimming the surface. I never want anyone to think I’m some kind of spiritual tourist. But understanding and perspective are always evolving. Shit happens. Needs change. You accumulate as you go.

The earliest things were Native. It’s like the deep earth under my feet. I was raised with stories and teachings from my grandfather, but at the same time I was not raised inside larger Métis culture. I feel uncomfortable with attempting to practice much more that a good (occasional) smudge, and a bit of plant medicine. Unfortunately, being Métis is also political. People are fast to label others 'pretendian', or a cultural appropriator days - social media is addicted to those 'gotcha' moments. I don’t feel like putting myself out there just to attract abuse from smug self-righteous assholes who assume you’re just lying for some kind of personal gain. So while there’s still potential for connecting some roots there, it will likely remain the path untrodden.

It's not a big leap between plant medicine and witchcraft. Which was always a career option, in my mind. I always knew I’d be a witch when I grew up, from a young age. I think it’s why I loved Halloween so much. It was a chance to let the inside and outside match. Early-early stuff, aside from the native stuff, I spent learning from spirits and getting to grips with energy work. It was simple, but it was wonderful to feel like infinity was at your fingertips.

I’ve had a long relationship with Wicca. I suppose the early days were more properly a kind of Neopagan practice with a Wiccan flavour, but the basic framework was there. I felt a calling to a coven for many years, and specifically for initiation into priesthood. I eventually reached a point where the things I wanted to learn were outside my reach until I found one. I was lucky, and 20 years with a coven practice has been fulfilling in many ways. I don’t doubt that the Lord and Lady truly did call me home. But I often wonder how much longer I might walk this path. I call myself witch more than Wiccan, as of late, and feel like I've lost momentum. The disconnect isn’t huge, but it’s there.

That point where I stalled out before being invited to my coven I took the time to explore Irish polytheism. I had long been a devotee of The Morrigan, and over time developed relationships with other deities in the pantheon. Deepening those ties was very satisfying, but at the time there were lots of gatekeepers. The battle over authenticity was something I wanted no part of. I also had a hard time with that style of ritual expression - trying to be ‘correct' often came at the expense of joy and pleasure. It was dry as fuck. Some of it has stuck with me (the pantheon, and some cosmology) but ultimately I decided I wasn’t interested in becoming an armchair academic whose practice was purely an intellectual exercise. There’s no point if you don’t find joy in what you’re doing. The Tuatha Dé will always be with me - just not in any way that’s so rigid.

Interwoven between all these things is a lot of Otherkin stuff. I am not going to get into it, but it’s certainly a part of who I am still. It’s just a bit convoluted, and just too personal to matter to anyone but me.

And these days there’s Lucifer, and Lilith, and Baphomet. I think it all started with simply feeling like Baphomet is a deity for the non-binary. Anything Satanic comes with a bunch of Christian baggage, which I have zero interest in engaging with, but at the same time I like rosaries and snakes and apples and the image of big satanic cathedrals. Heh. I’m not one to turn my nose up at a ready supply of ritual resonance, I guess. Like anything else, it’s not straightforward. Non-theistic Satanists are pretty quick to dismiss you as a credulous nitwit if you’re any flavour of theist. Some theistic folks are very over-the-top ooky-spooky doom cookies. And don’t get me started on the fascists hiding all the dark little corners they can find to fester in. So it's another community I won’t engage with too deeply. I’m too pagan, maybe, and I feel enough Horned God energy connected with Lucifer to acknowledge them as such. There’s a wild, feral, earthy energy to it all, and I’m here for it. This practice is still pretty new, so I’m still getting ahold of it. The whole of it feels like a call to live and enjoy life in the moment as it comes - and that you can live your best life out of sheer spite, in the face of those who would destroy you. I’m pretty good at denying myself pleasure so it’s challenging, but I’m up for it.

It’s all always in flux. I feel like primary focus these days goes to the Satanic stuff. It’ll be that way for a while, I think. When I downsized the shrines in the house in the spring I was relieved. Felt like lifting a weight off I hadn’t realized I was carrying. Everything’s good with my household gods, but they all seem content taking a step back and letting me make space for something new. The lack of coven meetings isn’t bothering me as much as it might have at one time. It feels like I need to code-switch to exist in that space, where I did not used to, and the thought makes me anxious. So I'm a little melancholy that some things I felt evoke connection and power and beauty and ecstasy aren’t raising the same energies and emotions anymore. My once very-pagan-following-the-Wheel of the Year altar space here in the bedroom is all dark gothic reds and purples most of the time. (I admit my palette for this altar type is very much lurid 70's occult novel cover.)

So yeah. Apologies if this meanders without sense. Just trying to keep one foot in front of the other, without having to stare at my feet as I walk. It’s somewhat of a relief as you get older that people don’t scrutinize you with the same levels of interest. You can exist a little more freely, messy spirituality and all. Less need for validation from those around you is also a relief.

I just want to be who I am, with joy, without judgement, without hesitation. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.

[rue-the-witch]

Five Tips and Tricks for Beginner Witches and Wiccans

I, a Wiccan of four years, am here to tell you a little about the craft, how I work with it, and how it works with me. This will be a basic beginning post, nothing too complicated, but I will have follow-up posts that touch on more detail.

Some topics I may write about later on would be: The Lord and Lady of Green Witchcraft and Other Deity Work; Tarot and How Divinations Can Strengthen Your Magic; Kitchen Witchery and How To Use the Craft in Your Cooking; Intentions and Manifestations: How You Can Influence Your Life; and, finally, Herbs and Crystals: Why They're Important.

I am a follower of Hekate, the Greek goddess of magic, the night, ghosts, witchcraft, the moon, and necromancy who resides in Hades as Persephone's companion. Of course, this is only what the extent of the internet states along with my own personal research. I have an altar to her which I light the candle on when I have time. I have not been contacted by her, so I have no deity work, but I do respect her deeply and have often sent gifts home with a friend for their Persphone, another goddess I respect, altar (with who they do deity work).

The first tip: Read. If you have even the slightest idea or inkling that you may be or are interested in Wicca/Witchcraft, read up on it using nifty internet sources or try and find an occult or Wiccan supply store near you. If it isn't for you, fine, it's not for everyone. But, if you think it might be the thing you've been looking for, read some more and do some personal digging to see if you just like the idea of the magic or if you feel a strong connection with the Craft. If you just like magic, then maybe you should read up on non-practicing Wiccans, but if you feel a connection to the Craft, you may be a witch! Only you can make that distinction.

The second tip: Find something you're good at. Finding a skill you are proficient in may help you find out what kind of magic you practice. There are multiple variants of Witchcraft, and they are separated by the kinds of magic they use and how they execute them. Do research on the different types of Witches and think about what kind of spells you've been practicing and which ones have been more successful.

The third tip: Feel the magic in your heart and think carefully about your actions. Any Witch or Wiccan will need to be careful with what he or she says because of threefold returns, a belief mostly found in Green Witchcraft's codes of conduct that states everything you do will come back threefold. Any Witch, however, should watch their actions as we are connected to nature and the elements themselves, making the Karma (if you believe in it) we experience that much more potent and powerful.

The fourth tip: Be careful with spells. Even a simple spell can go awry without proper experience. Try something easy like a protection jar or a calming tea. Do not attempt any negative spells. Do. Not. You should never curse anyone. Ever. Hexes and Jinxes are often accidental, and Voodoo is simply intentions and muddled to me, I don't quite understand it. But, you should never ever cast a spell with hurtful intent. Especially against other Witches! You draw from the same well, and the Karma, or whatever you wish to refer to it as, will be multiplied intensely. You can't just 'take back' a curse, it's not an accident. It is a purposeful intent that you seek to create and carry out. Be. Careful.

The final tip: Practice Grounding. Grounding is a form of drawing and returning energy from and to the Earth and the elements. It is also a great way to focus your energy and can even be a form of meditation. I suggest grounding before and after you practice your craft and at any point you need strength. Depending on your level of focus and how much energy you need, the time you require to ground energy will vary. I suggest being as close to the ground as possible, and to try and face North. Focus all you can on drawing energy up from the ground or allowing it to flow through you and back to whence it came. It's always good to send energy back after you've borrowed it, as loose energy can hang around your area after you've finished your Craftwork for the day.

If any of your questions need to be answered, feel free to ask them. I would be happy to help to the best of my ability, and I know I would have liked someone to help me and compare experiences to when I was a baby Witch. Goodbye for now!

[thenightling]

My favorite movies and shows of 2022: 2022 was a terrible year so here’s my favorite escapisms of the year. 1.  The Sandman Netflix series.   I only read The Sandman for the first time in 2017 and I immediately wanted more. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to wait for an adaptation since 1988.  My wait was only five years.  2.   The invitation  The best new Dracula film I’ve seen in a long, long time.  It’s just frustrating that the movie does the coy thing of never calling him Dracula out loud but you’re supposed to figure it out from very blatant clues... and there are some viewers who somehow didn’t catch on...  It’s low budget but very atmospheric and it was quite simply my favorite film of 2022.  It was the best new Gothic Horror film I’ve seen in a long time. 3.   Wednesday.  I loved Wednesday.  It was a nice revival of both The Addams Family (paying respect to all previous incarnations of The Addams Family) and also seeing Tim Burton return to form.  Many people say it doesn’t feel like Tim Burton but I think they’re just not used to when Tim Burton actually had quality.  I hadn’t seen a Tim Burton production quite like this since 2005′s Corpse Bride.  

4.     Hocus Pocus 2.  Though perhaps not as good as the original, there was a lot of welcome Nostalgia and some polite nods to non-evil / Wiccan-style magick and witchcraft, such as having the main heroes be three teenage girls who practice benign, nature-respecting Wiccan witchcraft.  There were also two new song numbers.  The Witches Are Back (to the tune of Sir Elton John’s The Bitch’s back).  And the Hocus Pocus re-working of One way or Another.  

5.  The Witcher Season 2 and The Witcher Blood Origin.  This is sort of a cheat since The Witcher Season 2 came out December 2021 but it came out so late in the year it might as well have been 2022.   And I’m putting Witcher: Blood Origin on here just for Jaskier’s two scenes and the new songs, “Song of the Seven.” and “The Black Rose” though I wish Joey Batey sang a version of The Black Rose.

6.  Morbius.  Yes, it’s cheesy.  Yes, it’s full of cliches but ...that’s how Morbius was in the comics.  My only qualms about it is that the movie never establishes that he’s immortal and weirdly Jared Leto’s portrayal of Doctor Michael Morbius is surprisingly subdued. The character (in the comics) was a bit of a ham.    7.  The anime “The Vampire Dies in No Time.”  After my grandfather passed away last January I needed something playful where I could just shut my brain off for a while and this anime about an incompetent vampire (who dies if you just look at him funny) and his weird friendship with a vampire hunter, and his familiar Armadillo (subtle joke based on Bela Lugosi’s Dracula) was a welcome distraction.  

8.   Dracula: The original living vampire. This is not a good movie at all. It was just Asylum's shameless knock-off of both Morbius and The Invitation (mostly Morbius).   The only fun thing about it is watching it and trying to figure out what time period it's set in.  

Not much else caught my interest in 2022...     

[woolandcoffee]

Something I have really noticed over the past few months as I've begun practicing Wicca again is that there is a real lack of understanding of what Wicca actually is. And I've seen it not just from beginning practitioners, but from more experienced witches and pagans as well. Beginners seem to think of Wicca as synonymous with anything vaguely mystical, while what I've seen from more experienced practitioners is a tendency to deride Wicca as nothing but cultural appropriation cobbled together into something sort of witch-shaped.

And look. A lot of these misunderstandings are completely understandable. For a long time, Wicca did get set up as the only actual form of witchcraft. Couple that with how much garbage "beginning Wicca" stuff is out there (side note but pagan publishers must be punished for their crimes), it makes sense that someone who doesn't have a great understanding of what the modern pagan/witchcraft movement is would think that it's appropriate to ask Wiccans what we think their "angel number" means. Plenty of Wiccan practitioners have also engaged in pretty egregious cultural appropriation over the years, and modern practitioners certainly could do a better job of addressing that.

However. At a certain point, some of this really starts to feel disrespectful. Wicca is a religion. It is a religion with different traditions and denominations. It is a young religion, but it is a religion with a rich history, and it deserves respect. I can forgive a beginner who is genuinely confused and just trying to begin navigating a new space, though I do think that even beginners have a duty to understand that Wicca is not a catch-all term for anything sort of spooky. Wicca can't answer your questions about angel numbers or demons or crystal vibrations because none of thise things are part of the religion of Wicca. At the same time, experienced practitioners who are not Wiccan need to stop acting as though Wicca is the only pagan religion with faults and flaws. I have seen experienced pagans effectively state that individual Wiccans need to prove that they're not like those nasty, cultural approproative Wiccans that kiss each other in circle and what have you, but then not address at all the fact that cultural appropriation is a problem is basically every pagan revival tradition. Also, please learn what a reimaginist religion is because it's going to put so much more stuff into context oh my gods.

I truly don't have the bandwidth for extensive conversation today, but wanted to make this post as a placeholder to myself for something to come back to tp expand on later.

[skogjeger]

Blog Introduction ❁ཻུ۪۪ ━ 

‧₊˚.  : · •.  * • ˚   . · * ✶   : · •  *   ˚ ✵

Welcome to my spiritual/pagan blog! I'm Ulven, or you can call me Ulve. I recently deleted my old blog because it felt outdated and worn out. But now, I'm starting fresh with this new one. I try to keep myself informed and do as much research as I can with any subjects I look into, so keep in mind, there are going to be mistakes from time to time and I'll need corrections.

There have been some changes in my beliefs, and I'm excited to share my journey with you. Here, you'll find posts about witchcraft tips, discussions on mythologies and deities, and maybe even some discussions on issues that I find within communities and provide signs on what to look out for. Remember, there's so much more to explore, so stick around!

My Beliefs ❁ཻུ۪۪ ━ 

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𖤣𖥧˚ Eclecticism & Norse Paganism

I'm an eclectic pagan, exploring various paths without limiting myself to one. I study and incorporate different practices, always respecting closed traditions. While I'm drawn to Heathenry/Norse, it's not my exclusive focus. I enjoy learning and delving into different aspects of paganism. And always have kept it as so.

𖤣𖥧˚ Witchcraft

I am a witch or occultist, but I prefer not to be confined by additional labels. It's important to note that being a witch doesn't automatically make me Wiccan, as the two are distinct. In my practice, I often engage in divination through tarot and oracle readings. However, it's crucial to understand that these readings are typically broad in nature, and I don't claim to predict the future, as the future is not set in stone.

Occasionally, I also utilize pendulums for energy guidance and confirmation. I also try to read runes or practice "bindrune" or "bandrún". Working with herbs is another aspect of my craft, whether it involves incorporating them into food, tea, or other things, all with specific intentions and goals in mind. I might at times have spirits that communicate or show visuals of what they wish to explain. That is as much as I will share for now.

𖤣𖥧˚ Polytheism

Being deeply polytheistic, I embrace a broad spectrum of divine beings instead of confining myself to a single pantheon. My belief system centres on the existence of multiple deities rather than a solitary one. However, this does not mean I pray to all, rather I try to build a relationship with a couple that I have shown interest in and or take interest in working with me. Similar to human relationships, building a connection is vital.

𖤣𖥧˚ Animism

In animism, a belief system I hold, it is my conviction that every object, place, and living being harbours a spiritual essence. The encompassing range includes majestic mountains, graceful trees, delicate plants, gentle deer, solid stones, cascading waterfalls, and countless others. Rather than opposing or disrespecting these entities, I advocate for demonstrating honour and appreciation for them.

𖤣𖥧˚ Reincarnation

I hold a belief in reincarnation, although I am still in the process of solidifying my understanding of it. In essence, I believe in the concept of past lives and the cycle of rebirth. However, I don't find myself particularly drawn to the idea of "enlightenment."

My DNIs ❁ཻུ۪۪ ━ 

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𖤣𖥧˚ I will NOT interact with anyone that is transphobic or a TERF

The damaging impact of marginalization on witchcraft and paganism is undeniable. It is crucial to recognize that these practices are accessible and inclusive for everyone.

𖤣𖥧˚ I will NOT interact with anyone that is racist and a white supremacist

Caution must be exercised when dealing with individuals who manipulate symbols of peace and twist them to suit their own distorted ideals or propagate the notion that certain deities reject specific races. Such individuals have already corrupted aspects of paganism and its symbols. It is crucial to be mindful and vigilant when encountering people like this, as I have seen it quite a bit.

𖤣𖥧˚ I will NOT interact with someone who believes that paganism and witchcraft/the occult are evil or "satanic".

Before engaging in fear-mongering and spewing hate, it is crucial to conduct thorough research on topics such as the occult, Satanism, and various practices. This applies not only to those with differing beliefs but also to individuals who may share similar practices as you (possibly).

Additional Stuff About Me ❁ཻུ۪۪ ━

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Apart from my spiritual practices, I usually indulge in various activities. I love creating artwork, singing, and immersing myself in music. Occasionally, I delve into reading, and writing poems, and short stories. Taking walks in nature is a cherished pastime, benefiting my mental well-being. I also find pleasure in playing video games, watching movies and shows, and exploring content on YouTube.

Friendly Reminder(s) ❁ཻུ۪۪ ━

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If you have any questions regarding my practice, deities, spirits, and any other kind of information, do not be afraid to put your queries into my "Ask anything" inbox or you can just shoot me a message.

૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

[jasper-pagan-witch]

Hi friend! Hope your end of the year is going well, and that you're drinking enough water.

You said that your asks were open and empty, and yooo, do I have a few questions my ADHD brain forgot about. 😂

One, I remember seeing a couple posts from you about deities and entities, and I was curious about your general experience with how you connected with them. Don't want to pry, but curious about the process you went through. (It's my next subject of study after I finish a tarot project)

Two, what things (witchcraft related or not) do you like to do at the end of the year?

Three, what is your least favorite misconception about the witchcraft community, and why?

And four, favorite source (like a blog, yt channel, book) for spell, tips, etc?

This reads like more of a "get to know you" vs anything specific, doesn't it? 😅😂

Ooo, I'm gonna have a lot to stay here, so I'm gonna break out my fun post dividers that I make over on @jasper-graphics to help split things up!

How I connect with deities is interesting compared to all of the 101 posts I see about deity work. I build an altar, verbally introduce myself once, and then proceed as though they're definitely already there. I'll use divination such as tarot to interact with deities and interpret messages, because I fucking love tarot.

Other than that? As long as I feel like I'm getting a go-ahead, I'll just go ahead. If I don't, I'll thank them for their time and put things away - sometimes some of the stuff will go to other deities, but otherwise everything gets put in a box together in case I need to talk to or work with that deity in particular again.

I just fucking rest at the end of the year. I don't care about "preparing for the new year" or "saying good-bye to the old year" in any way. I just have to remind myself to use the right year for a good couple of months while I get used to the forward march of time.

Boring? Yes. Do I care? No.

I don't like any of the general ideas of the witchcraft community, even back when I was a witch. I don't care for people calling us all Wiccans, or all dark, or all "black magic users" (which is SUPER RACIST btw), or all soft and sweet, or that we all follow the Wheel of the Year...I just don't like stereotypes, even if they're "accurate" to myself or others.

That's why I'm a wizard, not a witch. I gave up on the whole thing because I was tired of having to scream not all witches at Generic Wicca Is Witchcraft Is Wicca Book #347.

I have many favorite sources for ideas. I tend to hoard posts on @jasper-grimoire, but I'm a big fan of the following things:

Books:

Grovedaughter Witchery | Bree NicGarran/@breelandwalker

Ozark Folk Magic | Brandon Weston

Queer Magic | Tomas Prower

Morbid Magic | Tomas Prower

Do I Have to Wear Black? | Mortellus

honestly most of the books in the beginner magic section of my bookshelf

YouTube Channels:

Annabel Margaret | The Green Witch (same person, two YouTube accounts)

The Witch of Wonderlust

Chaotic Witch Aunt

I'm also becoming fond of The Stitchin' Witch, but that's one of those channels where I have to speed up the voice.

I watch a few more magic/tarot YouTubers, but I keep yelling at them to get to the point and to script their videos because they stumble over their thoughts, repeat things over and over, or fill their speech with "uh" and "um". It's YouTube, you can edit your videos before you put them up, I promise-

Ahem. Moving on.

Tumblr Blogs:

@crazycatsiren

@will-o-the-witch

@serpentandthreads

@stagkingswife

@traegorn

@windvexer

@breelandwalker of course

And more, but once you follow all of these people, you can look at the recommended blogs on their pages and go from there. Go observe their posts and read their masterposts. Give them your money if you can. They do so much to better this platform and the magic community as a whole and deserve to be supported.

Hopefully this gave you a bit of insight into what I consider to be pretty decent things! Above all, be respectful.

~Jasper

[cloverwitch]

Khaire and welcome to my blog!

About me:

You can call me Clover or Clove, and my pronouns are she/her. I am nebulously in my 20s.

This is just a little side blog dedicated to my spiritual practice—somewhere between a digital grimoire, devotional blog, and the online equivalent of a cool rock collection. I mostly reblog things I think are funny, useful, interesting, or pretty. I may occasionally make original posts as well.

My original content tags are #personal for rambles, and #clover's grimoire for spells and things (though it's pretty sparse atm).

More info under the cut! Please read if it's your first time here. 💛

About my practice:

I'm a solitary witch of close to 10 years, though my practice has ebbed and flowed, and I still have much to learn; what knowledge I do have has come from a combination of research, community interaction, observing the practices of others, and trial and error. I focus especially on green magic, herbalism, cartomancy, and dream magic.

I am a Revivalist Hellenic Polytheist going on 5 years. At present, I am a devotee of Apollo, and work closely with Thanatos as well.

I am NOT a Wiccan or Pagan, so please do not use those labels for me/my content. I do NOT offer any divinatory/spellcasting services, free or charged, so please refrain from asking. I am NOT a New Age believer/follower, and I don't wish to interact or be associated with that community. I do NOT advocate for the use of spiritual/magical remedies in place of medical treatment, and if you try to tell me that my chronic illnesses can be "cured" with oils and crystals, I will block you.

I am pro-baneful magic, and sometimes use cannabis in my practice (though I don't talk about it much, and tag it appropriately if I do—and, for the record, I live where it is legal for recreational use). If either of these things make you uncomfortable, I understand, and you can avoid/block me with no hard feelings. Please do not shame me for these parts of my craft though.

Feel free to ask me questions, but bear in mind that I may choose not to answer; some parts of my practice I am not very open about, and I don't consider myself knowledgeable enough (nor do I have the time/energy) to be a teacher. If I do share anything, know that it will be information relevant to my knowledge, my experience, and my practice, and you may not find it applicable, agreeable, or useful.

Please note:

On this blog I do not stand for any form of bigotry, including biphobia, transphobia, ableism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and so on. If you hold any such beliefs, I kindly ask that you simply block me and carry on with your day. If you go out of your way to try and provoke me, I will simply block you. I do not have much energy to spare, and the last thing I want to do with it is waste it on bad-faith discourse and dead-end arguments with people who don't actually want to listen.

I strive to be open-minded and self-aware, and if I ever say or reblog something closed-minded, misinformative, offensive, etc. please don't hesitate to let me know. I believe the witchcraft community should be inclusive and respectful of all.

Banner and profile pics not mine. The sun dividers I use were made by @liminal-creations !

💛☀️💛

[inlibrariusvenefica]

Revisiting this since it's been 100 years

1. Are you solitary or in a coven?

Still solitary. I used to go to a group but they were really Wiccan focused so I stopped going. Sweet people though.

2. Do you consider yourself Wiccan, Pagan, witch, or other?

Just generally pagan practitioner

3. What is your zodiac sign?

Libra

4. Do you have a Patron God/dess?

Freyja

5. Do you work with a Pantheon?

No

6. Do you use tarot, palmistry, or 
any other kind of divination?

Tarot and pendulum

7. What are some of your favorite herbs to use in your practice? (if any)

Mostly mugwort and lavender

8. How would you define your craft?

Mostly hearth/cottage witchcraft

9. Do you curse? If not, do you accept others who do?

I don’t curse, but I don’t have a problem with people who do

10. How long have you been practicing?

About 15 years

11. Do you currently or have you ever had any familiars? 

Nope, no familiars

12. Do you believe in Karma or
Reincarnation?

Yes to reincarnation

13. Do you have a magical name?

No

14. Are you “out of the broom closet”?

Kind of, to certain people I know I feel safe with

15. What was the last spell you performed?

I remember, but I'm not saying

16. Would you consider yourself knowledgeable?

In some parts, yes. I know there's always more to learn

17. Do you write your own spells?

Yes, when I don’t have a lot of things going on in my mundane life and I have the time

18. Do you have a book of shadows?
If so, how is it written and/or set up?

I do, but I don't really use it anymore. I do have it on hand for correspondence reminders, but I pretty much just do my own thing with spellwork nowadays (w/o culturally appropriating)

19. Do you worship nature? 

No, but I’m respectful of it

20. What is your favorite gemstone?

Sapphire

21. Do you use feathers, claws, fur, pelt, skeletons/bones, or any other animal body part for magical work?

Nope

22. Do you have an altar?

Yes

23. What is your preferred element?

Air

24. Do you consider yourself an Alchemist?

No

25. Are you any other type of magical practitioner besides a witch?

Nope

26. What got you interested in witchcraft?

I’ve been interested in general occult stuff since I was a kid, so it’s always been there, I just had to find my path

27. Have you ever performed a spell or ritual with the company of anyone who was not a witch?

No

28. Have you ever used ouija?

No

29. Do you consider yourself a psychic?

No, even though I’ve had a couple of premonition dreams

30. Do you have a spirit guide? If so, what is it?

No

31. What is something you wish someone had told you when you first started?

You don’t have to be super formal and get all the things

32. Do you celebrate the Sabbats? If so which one is your favorite?

I've stopped celebrating the Sabbats as Wiccan holidays, I approach them more from a secular viewpoint now. And I've just been really busy or tired nowadays, so I have to set reminders. And then I don't celebrate all of them anymore, mainly the ones that I can't relate to thanks to not living in an agriculturally focused society

33. Would you ever teach witchcraft to your children?

Don’t want kids

34. Do you meditate?

I meditate more now than I did when I first started out

35. What is your favorite season?

Fall for sure

36. What is your favorite type of magick to preform?

Candle magick

37. How do you incorporate your spirituality into your daily life? 

Daily tarot pulls, ancestor work (talking to them, visiting their graves)

38. What is your favorite witchy movie?

Hocus Pocus

39. What is your favorite witchy book, both fiction and non-fiction. Why?

I don't have a fav witchy fiction book, but almost anything advanced astrology for nonfiction

40. What is the first spell you ever performed? Successful or not. 

I think it was a friendship spell and it was a little too successful, got warped thanks to some subconscious stuff on my part.

41. What’s the craziest witchcraft-related thing that’s happened to you?

I wouldn't call them crazy, but just premonition dreams. So many to choose from. Examples: dreamt of one person getting a managerial job over another person at a former workplace; dreamt some random guy messaged me on Linkedin and told me he was waiting (I checked the next day and yep some unknown random guy from England wanted to add me as a connection)

42. What is your favourite type of candle to use?

Birthday candles. Quick and easy

43. What is your favorite witchy tool?

My cauldrons

44. Do you or have you ever made your own witchy tools?

No

45. Have you ever worked with any magical creatures such as the fea or spirits?

Does ancestor work count?

46. Do you practice color magic?

Yes, I pair it with candle magick

47. Do you or have you ever had a witchy teacher or mentor of any kind?

No

48. What is your preferred way of shopping for witchcraft supplies?

I like to go to this one physical store for incense but otherwise, it's online shopping

49. Do you believe in predestination or fate?

Kind of in fate

50. What do you do to reconnect when you are feeling out of touch with your practice?

I read up on my practice, check out some blogs

51. Have you ever had any supernatural experiences?

Yep. Shadow figure in Italy

52. What is your biggest witchy pet peeve?

Hearing about the "Burning Times"

53. Do you like incense? If so what’s your favorite scent?

I like lavender

54. Do you keep a dream journal of any kind?

Yes!

55. What has been your biggest witchcraft disaster?

My first spell going wrong, brought nothing but trouble

56. What has been your biggest witchcraft success?

Getting this one administrator at a workplace to leave

57. What in your practice do you do that you may feel silly or embarrassed about?

Nothing comes to mind

58. Do you believe that you can be an atheist, Christian, Muslim or some other faith and still be a witch too?

I haven’t really thought about it, but I guess so, if it works for some people.

59. Do you ever feel insecure, unsure or even scared of spell work?

Sometimes unsure

60. Do you ever hold yourself to a standard in your witchcraft that you feel you may never obtain?

Nah

61. What is something witch related that you want right now?

Nothing. I used to think I needed all the tools, but I've gotten over that

62. What is your rune of choice?

I don't work with runes

63. What is your tarot card of choice?

9 of Pentacles

64. Do you use essential oils? If so what is your favorite?

I use them when I make my own bath bombs. I LOVE the rose scented ones

65. Have you ever taken any kind of witchcraft or pagan courses?

I started one back in 2012, 2013, but I didn't have the time like I thought I did so I had to drop out.

66. Do you wear pagan jewelry in public?

Yes

67. Have you ever been discriminated against because of your faith or being a witch?

No, I don’t let people know, as a rule

68. Do you read or subscribe to any pagan magazines?

Not a pagan magazine but The Awake Space Astrology magazine

69. Do you think it’s important to know the history of paganism and witchcraft?

Yes

70. What are your favorite things about being a witch?

Being in touch with the divine yourself and creating a relationship with them, as well as being in charge of your own beliefs and practice, and not having to be hovered over and being told what to believe by an “official” who acts as mediator between yourself and the divine

71. What are your least favorite things about being a witch?

The hostility from other people

72. Do you listen to any pagan music? If so who is your favorite singer/band?

No

73. Do you celebrate the Esbbats? If so, how?

I used to, but it got to be too much work and I didn't have the energy to keep up

74. Do you ever work skyclad?

No

75. Do you think witchcraft has improved your life? If so, how?

I think so. It’s helped me figure out who I am and to listen to myself more for what I need in terms of self care

76. Where do you draw inspiration from for your practice?

Reading up from others’ blogs

77. Do you believe in ‘fantasy’ creatures? (Unicorns, fairies, elves, gnomes, ghosts, etc)

Not sure. It’s hard to say. But for ghosts, even though I’ve never seen one, it’s certainly possible for them to exist, human energy can do a lot of things.

78. What’s your favorite sigil/symbol?

None pop out to me at the moment

79. Do you use blood magick in your practice? Why or why not?

No, not my thing

80. Could you ever be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t support your practice?

I don't want a relationship anymore, but if I did, no I couldn't

81. In what area or subject would you most like your craft to grow?

Mundane astrology

82. What’s your favorite candle scent? Do you use it in your practice?

I like clean scents (like linen or beachy scents). Nah, I use unscented candles for my practice

83. Do you have a pre-ritual ritual? (I.e. Something you do before rituals to prepare yourself for them). If so what is it? 

Just grounding and clearing my mind

84. What real life witch most inspires your practice?

Never thought about it

85. What is your favorite method of communicating with deity?

Just talking to them

86. How do you like to organize all your witchy items and ingredients?

Now that I have my own place, I have a little buffet cabinet for all my things

87. Do you have any witches in your family that you know of?

LOL no, they’re all Catholics. MAYBE my 2x great grandmother was the one who got closest to being a "witch", more like spiritual, but you know, forced into Catholicism

88. How have you created your path? What is unique about it?

???

89. Do you feel you have any natural gifts or affinities (premonitions, hearing spirits, etc.) that led you toward the craft? If so what are they?

Nah, no natural gifts or affinities led me. 

90. Do you believe you can initiate yourself or do you have to be initiated by another witch or coven?

You can initiate yourself

91. When you first started out in your path what was the first thing or things you bought?

Oh man, what did I buy? I remember a cheap chalice, a mini cauldron, a bell, and a metal cookie sheet to put candles on 

92. What is the most spiritual or magickal place you’ve been?

A lot of places in Britain

93. What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone who is searching for their matron and patron deities?

Research deities and find one you feel a connection to

94. What techniques do you use to ‘get in the zone’ for meditation? 

Deep slow breathing

95. Did visualization come easily to you or did you have to practice at it?

I used to be good at visualization when I was younger but now it’s pretty hard

96. Do you prefer day or night? Why?

Day, for no reason. I just do.

97. What do you think is the best time and place to do spell work?

For me, it’s at night at home with no one around to bother you

98. How did you feel when you cast your first circle? Did you stumble or did it go smoothly?

I definitely felt something powerful, but it wasn’t too intense. Surprisingly, it went very smoothly

99. Do you believe witchcraft gets easier with time and practice?

Oh yeah

100. Do you believe in many gods or one God with many faces? 

I used to think One God with many faces but I've been bouncing back and forth between many gods and One god w/ multiple aspects

101. Do you eat meat, eggs and dairy?

Yes

102. What is your favorite color and why?

Blue, it’s just so calming

103. What is the one question you get asked most by non-practitioners or non-pagans? How do you usually respond?

No one’s really asked me

104. Which of your five senses would you say is your strongest? 

Touch

105. What is a pagan or witchcraft rule that you preach but don’t practice?

Nothing comes to mind!

[travelling-witch]

Hello & welcome to my little blog of Craft.

I'm specka, the travelling witch (I've lived in four countries so far!).

At the moment my broom is in Andorra, a wonderful tiny country between Spain and France.

It's like the misty mountains when the clouds roll in, and those mountains surround the capital.

It's beautiful, but also rather claustrophobic, not being able to see flat ground.

I have been a practicing Witch since September 2023.

Whrn I was in my early teens, I've always been interested in the beautiful, cultural aesthetic (I blame shows like Charmed),

and as an adult, I had been struggling with what it meant being a Witch yet being an Atheist too.

How could I let myself flow, respecting what it means, yet not believing that magick is real?

It took a lot of time to understand why I've been drawn to Witchcraft, and how I could even practise.

I'm possibly an odd duck to the Craft,

what I am comfortable with,

is that the Craft has no rules,

( a caveat of, know what you are doing, why you want to do it, and respect the culture it is from. That the product is sustainable, and research about closed-practises.)

Health & Safety,

Don't inhale, digest, apply topical lotions, burn, spray products without knowing the side effects. For your health, your loved ones, and your pets too. )

Also I really find it beautiful that energy never seems to end, but only transition, merge with another.

Of course the example of water being liquid, solid, vapour..

That there is always a reaction/ consequence that not only affects us (in/)directly, but how that transfers to everything else.

My Craft is based on meditation, self-analysis, positivity, & focus.

Whether that's via tarot, runes, candle, crystal, spell bags, jars, or srpell work.

I don't believe in deities, although I do think there is an ancient beauty to polytheism, different deities for trees, rivers..

Community-wise,

I started on a Wiccan app, and shortly realised that I wasn't Wiccan at all.

Being a Witch has been just as much of a journey as moving to different countries, it all builds and develops who I am, what I perceive, basically what feels "me".

My power of energy to change, focus, be mindful, comes from me.

When using divination tools, it isn't to "tell the future" in a psychic sense, but more-so psychologically.

What do the cards mean?

What moments does it connect to?

Has it made you think of something that you want to change, to strive for?

Because the Craft is lawless (no rules), compared to other practices & religions,

(And I include myself here) It can be a nightmare to know where to start, what books to read!

So I do think it's helpful for new Witches to find some processes to follow, but then I think it's important to find what works for you.

For myself, if it's something that appears supernatural or difficult to analt, I look at the mundane possibilities first to understand it.

If it's about how I'm feeling, then first is going to a medical professional

If you like working with candles, and follow the popular list of what the colour correspondences are, that's great!

But if you want red to represent money, success instead of green go for it.

What everything should be, is what you connect with it, and not just because someone else wrote it.

Again Witchcraft (whether using deities, following a particular religion..) is what you need to gain from it.

So that is generally how I've become far more relaxed,

and I still continue to read and learn, my journey, like so many Witches, will forever carry on.

So... that's the one other caveat to being a Witch... you will never stop researching, and learning!

✨

[chronichlesofnillory]

Most folk practices are based around people who were dirt poor. People who were using sympathetic magic like driving a nail into a certain tree with some of your hair, or planting something and seeing if it came up and that was your divination. Most of the remaining texts we have outside of folk traditions are because these people were rich/well off/respected in some way. They were the exceptions not the rule. Even outside of folk traditions, you could go total pop culture magic and use digital altars, techno magic in the form of emoji spells. Go the anarchist route and forage your herbs/materials. Go totally eclectic and build your own framework from the ground up based on the foundations you observe through several different magical traditions you choose.

You could get all your herbs at the grocery store and plan to work through some kitchen magic. Get a nice cast iron pan too and some wooden spoons to put sigils on.

I'm not wiccan and have really not read into it much so I can't give a "well historically" reason, but I can say that haul culture has pervaded everything. If you have nothing to add to the conversation as far as imagination or skill or personal experience you can always add "look at all my pretty stuff" and that's how a lot of people interact with each other inside and outside of magic. Our culture is so deeply embedded in capitalism that we can't conceive of even a magical practice where you don't buy anything. (even though as some other people pointed out this is really a-historic.) After 2 years of practice I've bought 2-3 things. One is a bell, one is a scribd membership (which I use to read more than just magic/occult stuff but that's why I *originally* bought it), and a piece of devotional jewelry that broke after 2 wears. That's it. But I also don't call myself a witch or say I practice witchcraft. I just say I interact with magic and if you pin me down I'd say "practitioner." (I also have a lot of crafting/art supplies that I repurpose or incorporate. Like making a devotional piece out of leftover embroidery bits.)

I've seen several other people who are 10-15 years into their practice say the same thing about having next to nothing when they started (although for them it was cause they started as a child/teenager, not like me starting in my 30s).

I'm a maximalist at heart so I can't say "stuff is bad, get rid of the desire for stuff". But as someone with basically no disposable income my entire life I can say if you want to find a way to make something you will. It might not be of the highest quality materials or look like what everyone else has, but if your deity likes the cardboard cutout statue you made for them then why does it matter it isn't cast in bronze or something? I'm planning to get second hand legos to build a replica of my house and use it as a way to set up blessings and wards. If you don't have money, creativity will get you through. I believe

weird tangent of the day: witchcraft has a finance problem

I think there is a high probability that I would be a witch if I liked spending money. I've been leaning in a kind of witchcraft-y direction for about four or five years now. I currently attend a Quaker meeting but it's a very kind of new-agey, universalist sort of group where that kind of synchretism wouldn't be completely unheard of.

The problem is, modern witchcraft as a group of religions (I use it as an umbrella term that includes Wicca & others) is a religion that implicitly requires you to have things. To do a spell you need to have all sorts of items: candles, oils, crystals . . . things that I don't want to be spending money on when I could be buying other things I need and/or want. Even if I did have endless money to throw around, I live in a loft that's about twenty feet wide, and I have to go downstairs to get to the kitchen. I don't have space to store all of the things you're told you need to have to be a witch.

The things you need to be a witch have been a severe barrier to taking up the practice for me. And the more I sit in this, the more I explore also the thought processes of occultists like Osman Space who put forth systems you can use with only pen and paper, the more I have come to realize that motern witchcraft is a religion that, even if unintentionally, gatekeeps the poor and those living in high density situations. It's something I think modern witches need to reckon with.

Because I'd like to be one of you. But I can't if it means being told implicitly over and over again that I need to have all these things.

[marigoldwitch]

Things I think are red flags in the spiritualist community and why:

❗️ Those who claim to speak for deities or who claim to receive messages (about other people) from deities :: I’ve had many people in the spiritualist community contact me claiming that their deity gave them a message for me. Sometimes I’ve had people be respectful and ask me first “can I give you a message from ____” and I appreciate that but I always tell them “no.” Other times I’ve had people send me messages that start with “My Goddess ____ told me you’re relationship is in danger of…” with a whole message attached, from this stranger, proclaiming their God/Goddess told them to tell me this. I find these interactions to be super uncomfortable and I think they cross many common sense boundaries. I’ve also been told by self proclaimed psychics that “God” wants me to know [insert something scary, toxic or dangerous here] and that now that they’ve told me this, I’m reasonable for what happens next. — This goes without saying but if you’re actually seeking out someone who works with, receives messages from or claims to speak for deities because you want to get a message, then obviously take this warning with a grain of salt. But also be careful of those trying to manipulate you and scare you into obedience with these sort of claims.

❗️Anyone who claims to be an authority on magic or witchcraft :: “This is the only way to do [insert very general practice here] and if you do it differently then you’re not an actual witch (or you don’t practice real magic).” Usually these types of toxic spiritualist lurk in Wicca communities (no offense to my wiccan witch friends, a lot of y’all are cool) or they’re, unsurprisingly, culturally appropriating a closed practice that they’re actually not a part of or have any rights to.

❗️ Witches who culturally appropriate from closed practices they have no rights to and aren’t a part of :: I’m sorry but non Indigenous American 20 and 30 something year old “shamans” on Instagram, Etsy, YouTube wherever selling dream catchers and smudge sticks will never sit right with me. And if you even hint that they’re doing something wrong by profiting off of someone else’s culture they either block you or claim some long lost relative from 200 years ago was apart of X culture and so they use that to claim some sort of rights to it. I don’t trust these people.

❗️ Anyone who suggests that you use drugs to “open up your psychic abilities” :: This is really just a red flag in general lol. Don’t take drugs from random strangers and don’t start doing drugs just because some white woman with dreads and dirty feet told you an acid trip would help you get to the astral plane or receive messages from your “spirit animal.” Just be careful who you’re trusting in these situations.

❗️ Anyone selling “spirit companions” :: This is an ethical issue with me and also I’m just hardwired to not believe that the rock or bottle you purchased for $40 is anything more than a rock or bottle. These “spirit shops” are cringe at best and scams at worst. I do not trust them and I don’t trust people who participate in them. It gives very much LARPing vibes. — if you’re interested in the idea of something kinda like “spirit companionship” I suggest looking into chaos magic, specifically Servitors. It’s not exactly the same thing but at least you’re not putting your trust into someone claiming to capture spirits to then sell or “adopt” (as they like to call it).

❗️ If they claim that you’re disability or mental illness is at all related to your spiritual practice or is some sort of karmic thing :: I don’t trust anyone who says that the voices people, with mental illnesses like schizophrenia, hear are demons or spirits or god. And you’re not disabled because of some “generational” curse (or any curse). If someone tells you these things I suggest you politely excuse yourself from any further interactions with that person.

— all opinions in this post are mine and are based on my own personal experiences —

[le-coffee-witch]

About me and my blog!

Greetings New Followers,

With the influx of interactions and follows I have gotten I feel like now would be a good time to reintroduce myself. My name is Alabaster Crow, it's so good to meet all of you. You can call me Alabaster, or if you come from a family that has rejected you (as I know a lot of you are (LGBTQIA+) you can call me Uncle or Unky, if you are in need of a family member who will love and support you.

I practice namely divination and cottage magic, and you'll see many posts about that here on this blog. Though recently I've been branching out to a few more interests. It's good to at least dip your toes into new waters to see if you like it.

I am going to be doing free readings at my other blog @the--alabaster-crow , where I answer question every Tuesday in video format! If you would like a free reading you may head over that way, but be sure to read the pinned post on that blog.

I do have a rule I would like all of you to follow. If you are underage you can follow me, but please don't DM me or send asks. In my state it is still illegal to teach witchcraft to anyone below the age of 18 without parental consent. Furthermore, I am a 26 y/o man and I have no interest in speaking with anyone underage. It's nothing against you, it's just that I'm not a creep. However, with that stated, if someone else is creeping on you... then you can DM me or even @jasper-pagan-witch and we will drag them publicly. We do not tolerate THAT behavior in our community.

Thank you everyone for being cool and respectful!

Alabaster Crow

(Nothing against Wiccans as individuals, my own practice and morals just conflicts with a lot of the things taught in wicca, and I would like to avoid having it on my dash as much as possible as an ex-wiccan.)

[creature-wizard]

Schnoebelen starts talking about the history of Wicca, and I can't find anything that's outstandingly wrong or anything. Most of this information might have been shocking in the early 90's, but I think by now it's fairly well-known in witchcraft and neopagan circles; at least, among people who aren't new to this stuff.

Some of this information I'm just not sure about, but it seems plausible enough - EG, that Alex Sanders was calling himself King of the Witches and claimed his coven had an older lineage, and just generally being pretentious and outrageous. If true, it's certainly not an indictment on neopaganism or witchcraft itself, so much as something you'd expect to see in a new spiritual movement where social rules and norms are still being settled, and where people can just say or do whatever without meeting too much resistance.

(But seriously, can anyone tell me whether Alex Sanders and his covens performed in nightclubs as "Alex Sanders And His Topless Coven"? Or is this fake?)

Schnoebelen refers to Aleister Crowley a "the notorious Satanist." Crowley was a lot of things - including very racist - but a Satanist, as such, he was not.

He talks about connections between Gardnerian rites and stuff Crowley wrote, and like, yeah, we all know Gardner cribbed his stuff from Crowley, so.

And then he says:

Thus, we began to see where time honored truths and “ancient mysteries” were actually falsehoods, benign falsehoods perhaps, but dishonesty, nonetheless. In the mid ‘70’s, the “Myth of Wicca” had already begun to crumble, both from attacks from cowans (non-witches) and from serious witches like our initiators who had dared to open their eyes, investigate their origins and admit that the “emperor” had no clothes (in more ways than one).

However, we learned that all this was okay, because “myths” could be true, even if they were false.

Well... um, yeah? Most people don't take everything completely literally? Including most Christians? Except for y'all weirdos who get into Flat Earth and stuff?

After talking about Jung and his influence for a bit, Schnoebelen says this:

Although I had primarily joined Wicca as a religion, like most members, I was intrigued by the idea of psychic powers and the ability to do miraculous things. As a beginning witch, the magick worked spectacularly! I did spells, and could truly affect people with things like healings or prosperity. But now, as a High Priest, even with increased dedication to the ideals of the goddess, I began finding that the magick was losing its zing. Our students were still able to have success with their spells, but ours seemed to be falling flat. It was finally pointed out to me that to rectify this, it would be necessary to pursue the “left-hand path.”

Yeah, no. Joining the LHP is definitely not necessary in fixing magical burnout. Anyone who tells you it is, is trying to get you in on some bullshit.

He talks about how the simple rule "An' it harm none, do as ye will" isn't actually easy to follow in practice because, in a nutshell, trolley problem and such. But like, that's a problem basically anyplace an idealistic rule is going to come in contact with reality? Let's be real, Christianity is full of idealistic decrees and proclamations that simply don't work out so great in real life. Like, when's the last time you sold off all your worldly goods and gave the money to the poor? When's the last time you plucked out your eyes because you lusted over forbidden flesh?

The he claims that:

Then we discovered that our teachers, people we had come to thoroughly respect and regard as ideal role models, felt that in order for us to grow and become more “evolved,” we needed to come into a relationship with the Lord of the Underworld. The Second Grade of our rite of Wicca contained the ritual drama, “The Descent of the Goddess into the Underworld.”

He's talking about an actual Wiccan myth, which a lot of people find uncomfortable due to its violent nature. But he claims that this myth is part of how Wicca is a tool to lead people into satanism, because the Horned God represents the Shadow Self, who is actually Satan.

Now like, I can't prove that some Wiccans or Wicca-adjacent people weren't getting edgy with Wicca and shadow work in this particular way, because people in neopaganism and the occult get up to all kinds of shit. But this is definitely not a popular take. The Horned God is generally taken to represent the divine masculine.

He claims:

The chief theologian and educator of Wicca in this country seems to be Miriam Starhawk, a woman who was just beginning to make her presence known nationally when we were involved in Wicca. She has written:

“The depths of our beings are not all sunlit; to see clearly we must be able to dive into the dark, inner abyss and Acknowledge the creatures we may find there.”

Of course, Starhawk doesn't even mention Satan, but that's not going to stop Schnoebelen, who quotes a passage from an unrelated book:

Nor is Starhawk a lone crackpot voice. Others, echoing her Jungian psychological rationale even more explicitly, have recently counseled: “The shadow… the beast, the devil… is the multifarious figure whose features can be detected somewhere behind the personamask of every man and woman. It is the beast that haunts every beauty, the monster that awaits the hero on his quest. But if we recognize, acknowledge and come to terms with it, a great deal of knowledge formerly hidden, unconscious, in the shadows, becomes conscious. When we recognize this devil as an aspect of ourselves, then the SHADOW functions as a teacher and initiator… providing us with the greatest gift of all, self-understanding.”

What he's apparently citing is an article titled Owning our Shadow: Recognizing and Accepting the Enemy Within, published in the January/February issue of New Realities. It was written by Ralph Metzner, who wasn't even a Wiccan.

He says that some Wiccans (including the Farrers) were referring to the Horned God as "Lucifer," which like... is a So Fucking What moment when you remember that there's a whole neopagan conspiracy theory that "the Devil" was made up to demonize the Horned God.

He claims that Wiccan monism is bad because:

But if all is a part of God/Goddess, then nothing can be evil. If nothing can be evil, then even Satan becomes an archetype to be reconciled within your own psyche (to use Jungian terms).

And he claims that:

You see, anything can eventually melt into the morass of monism! Without a solid rock to depend on like Jesus Christ, you are totally awash; and the heart is desperately wicked and deceitful in getting what it wants (Jeremiah 17:9). Believe me, all the idealistic intentions in the world won’t help once you’ve taken one step too many onto the path of paganism.

This guy is basically just making up problems with Wicca so he can reaffirm what his Evangelical Christian audience wants to hear: that Jesus is supreme.

I figure the next Satanic Panic literature I'll look at will be Wicca: Satan's Little White Lie. It was written by William "Bill" Schnoebelen, a guy who claimed to have been involved not only in Wicca, but also Freemasonry and Mormonism, and discovered that each one of them was Satanic. The dude claims he was involved with the Illuminati, which was of course Satanic.

Now of course, if you're active in witchcraft and neopagan discourse, you'll know that Wicca has been subjected to lot of criticism - particularly regarding its members being culturally appropriative and overstepping boundaries by claiming that all gods and goddesses are aspects of Wicca's Lord and Lady. But I think you'd also agree that it's not Satanic, and that claiming that it's part of a giant Satanic conspiracy is just... silly.

The book was published by Chick Publications, as in Jack Chick, as in Chick tracts. Jack Chick, for the unaware, spent his life creating small comics meant to lead others to Jesus. They were full of conspiracy theories and general hatred toward anyone who wasn't an Evangelical. Though it seems that as of late, Chick Publications (no longer run by Jack Chick, who is deceased) has cut ties with him, because Schnoebelen has been getting into flat earth and defending Christian use of Kabbalah.

So. Yeah.

On the first page, Schnoebelen describes Wicca as "one of the more seductive deceptions that Satan has come up with." Now Bill, I know Gerald Gardner was... not great, but I don't think he was Satan.

He claims:

It claims to be a “back to nature” religion which worships the sky and earth, and thus has attracted many adherents among those sympathetic to environmental and ecology issues. Yet, for all its charm and nostalgic fantasy, Wicca drew me into the deepest quagmire of satanic evil imaginable.

Dude... if you decided to jump ship from Wicca to Satanism (or at least, Satanism According To Evangelical Conspiracy Theorists), that's on you. If you were so greedy for power that you went as far as you claim, that's your fault.

Um. What:

The actual spiritual difference between Wicca and satanism might best be illustrated this way: Practicing Wicca is like having a hand-grenade blow up in your face, in terms of the spiritual impact. Practicing satanism is like having an neutron bomb detonate in your face. The difference is there and discernable, but it is still an utter disaster for you, either way.

Schnoebelen points out that Wicca was created in the mid-20th century, which I mean, fair enough. But then he tries to assert that Wicca Is Bad because Etymology and also the Dictionary and also there's arguments over what a witch is among neopagans, and like. It's just absurd because it's not like Christianity is free of questionable historical claims or infighting.

And then he claims:

In my own personal development as a witch, and the development of almost all our colleagues, I found that after about five or six years it was necessary to begin pursuing the study of the “Higher Wisdom” of Satan in order to keep growing. Magick is like a drug. You keep needing more in order to stay at a level at which you feel fulfilled. There is no end to it! If you’ve stayed a Wiccan or “white” witch for a long time, it’s only because you don’t have enough of the Promethean itch to grow. OR it may be that you have many Christian friends or loved ones praying for you.

Did you ever think of that?

Bill. My dude. The problem is that you are a power-hungry fuck, who apparently lacks any ability to recognize when a spiritual claim or worldview is just kinda ridiculous or fucked up, and drop it like the crap it is. I'm guessing that's why you're getting into Flat Earth these days. You just don't know where to quit, and you're projecting this onto everybody else.

[elminx]

Since I've gotten a bunch of new followers, I thought that it was far past time that I (re)introduce myself.

I'm Elminx, aka the Pesto Mystic - you can call me Elmin, Min, or Minx. She/her or They/them, please. I live in Southern New England out where Thar Be Dragons but close enough to the old witchcraft stories to have grown up with it all around me. I have been studying astrology since 1996 and I practice eclectic cottage-style witchcraft. I am here to record my observations of my own efforts to combine two of my great loves.

Depending on your definitions my alignments might be seen as Chaotic Good, Poly, Kinky, or Queer. Combine in whatever makes sense to you, or don't.

I believe in Divine Timing in the sense that if you can align your actions with the movement of the heavenly bodies, you will get a large boost of energy to your task. This can be used for anything - wash wash washing your house on a Monday when the moon is in a water sign, or giving a presentation when Mercury is well aspected. My partner and I planned our wedding date so that we could get married on the Taurus new moon.

I was born under a dark moon, which always seems important. Don't let my fairy crown fool you, I am very into vulture culture. Though I am by no means a Wiccan, I will never stop celebrating Beltane and Samhain. I walk both in the darkness and in the light.

I work with liminal beings.

I have been a witch for longer than some of you who will read this have been alive. I was raised half-foot into a large Catholic family but primarily by a retired hippy so I heard more stories of karma and reincarnation than much else. My father is also the one who put a Raider Waite deck into my hands. I still have his old books on witchcraft that he got copies of because he worked at that old book mill.

I'm not a young witch. I'm not here to impress anyone. My guides demand that I write this publicly, so here we are. Come as you are, treat people with respect, and don't tell me what to do, and you are welcome to stay as long as you like.

- Minx