#Theurgy

[chthonic-sorcery]

🚩🚩"Witch/Pagan" community PSA 🚩🚩

Goêteia is not evil, you dipshits.

I'm so sick of these neo-pagans getting all their information from Tumblr, Pinterest and TikTok.

Goêteia is literally just the Greek term for magic, for sorcery, which were one and the same.

Ancient Greece didn't have the word "witchcraft" it had Goêteia, and then later mageia, where we get our modern term magic from, although mageia was a misappropriated term from Zoroastrian priests or Magi.

It's so funny seeing baby witches claim Goêteia to be evil on one hand, then on the other worshipping Hekate, literally the goddess of Goêteia. The goddess of sorcerers and necromancy.

It screams puritanical morality policing. It's such a christian-centered way of looking at ancient religion.

Y'all need to open a damn book.

Goêteia was described as a "lesser" form of magic (mainly in the later Medieval period, roughly starting around the 8th century,) not meaning any less powerful, just simply the easiest or "closest" thus "lower" magic to achieve. This ability to more easily achieve success in magic was later taken and used by christian theologians to paint goêteia and Goêtes as "lesser practitioners."

There does seem to be little difference between Theurgy and goêteia as well,

Surprise!

Both Goêteia and Theurgy sharing the same goddamn workings through evocations of gods, the animation of statues, mediumship or what could be considered "divine possession" having a god or spirit speak through you, the use of iynx wheels / iynges, and mystery rites.

The only 'real' difference Theurgists claim, is that they "don't practice secularly/for selfish reasons" but supposedly rather to become closer to the divine. It's a nice sentiment, but total bullshit, because even in the Theurgic doctrine the Chaldean Oracles they bind the goddess Hekate to do their will.

Additionally, Theurgists had a more Neoplatonic belief, they essentially viewed a singular Oneness as supreme, the emanation from which all things return, a concept which was picked up by early christian theologians and is likely why while Goêtes were demonized in the later centuries mainly by early christians and christian philosophers, Theurgists on the other hand were seen as "pure" and "holier" despite Theurgical and Goêteic practices being pretty much exactly the same down to the tools and incantations.

(Agustine of Hippo for an example of these theologians, who wrote in "De civitate Dei contra Paganos", or "On the City of God Against the Pagans" how all "pagan" (non christian) gods and beliefs were secretly agents of Satan and evil, here to trick humanity into sin and that paganism, essentially any non christian faith, must be stopped–

He also wrote about how sorcerers/magicians (Goêtes) were charlatans, tricksters, that magic and sorcery were merely tricks of an invisible opposition to the divine and how only god could hold such supreme power. These ideas still seem to be deeply embedded into christian faith, particularly Orthodox and Evangelical, today.)

Practitioners of goêteia, the Goēs, was also understood to have the ability to initiate souls into mystery religions, or, in other words, to ensure through his superior knowledge of the Underworld and its workings that the souls under his care would receive preferential treatment after death, an easier way to paradise, such as the Orphic Hymns.

This likely also helped "other" the Goēs, as most practitioners of magic, of goêteia, of these mystery cults were made up of societies "unwanted" or marginalized people, such as women, foreigners, immigrants, the poor, the disabled, and the elderly. Early goêtes were described as being Thessalian (primarily women, particularly described as "old or decrepid") or. ethnically, not considered "fully Greek" to many of the era. Many critiques and fears of goêteia come from this "otherness," the fear the ruling classes of Greece had of groups they continued to harm, they feared the power they held within these mystery rites and practices.

With reliable accuracy from these critics, goêtes were (perceived to be) moral transgressors, who operated from the fringe of society in a private mago-mystical setting, offering their service for coin.

Or, in simpler terms, the Greeks were just really fucking racist

which is nothing new.

In fact, because goêteia itself is a synchronization of mainly Egyptian and Jewish magic, the Greeks and later christians went extra-hard into villifying it because they saw these people as lesser, as barbaric.

We have to understand where the fears and judgements of these critics were coming from, and continue to remain impartial. The ruling elite feared these practices because they feared losing their power, especially rich Greek men, and those early christian philosophers who saw everything outside their own faith as lies, manipulations, or tricks from "the Opposition" as well as the extremely racist and ethnocentric beliefs they held.

[midgart]

Happy Halloween & Theurgy Anniversary!!!

[dailyshinji]

he heard ''cunt'' instead of ''cut''

[crimescrimson]

Theurgy Attacks in Persona 3 Reload (2024): Yukari | Mitsuru | Fuuka | Akihito | Makoto V1 | Makoto V2 | Junpei | Aigis

[apollophanes]

"Truth is coexistent with the Gods, in the same manner as light with the sun."

-Iamblichus on the Mysteries of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Assyrians.

[ome-magical-ramblings]

Water, Undines, and Nymphs.

O Vastness wherein all the Rivers of Being seek to lose themselves, which renew themselves ever in thee. O Ocean of infinite perfections!

I love the water, the sea, and all the spirits of water are amazingly beautiful but somewhat dangerous!

Working with water element and undine is an interesting work, on multiple front it is both a tricky topic to deal with because the water is the channel of communication with spirits and reflective of our own nature. If we come knocking on water's door and say this, that without respect to anything then we are asking that demanding nature to be reflected on us and the spirit themselves would be more demanding of us. Water and water spirits really reflect what put into it, it is the channel, the mirror, the fluid, and all the forces and qualities we give it, it gives it back. That's WHY the traditions have moral codes and ethical teachings to allow us to come to the spirits truthfully, honestly, and confident in them would lead them to be confident in us. If we come from a religious or a pious approach then the spirits of water will come pious and religious!

Emotions

That's the first thing people think about when they think of water, water elementals, undines, and nymphs. Of course there's more to it than just the emotional aspect but also hearing, talking, and listening about this first is better than bringing it later on. Watery emotions as most of them are the fluids that animate us, that truly are e-motions, give us that motion stirring out of spiritual fluids. The Water is that animated movement of our divine spark and without we would be dull and jaded, we can easily restrict and cause stagnation if we are not careful. Then what? the water become this toxic, stagnant, stale water full of bugs, mold, and gunky growing inside of it :( similar to the real world stagnant water, when our emotions and spiritual water become stagnant then it become a breeding ground for astral larave and toxic parasitic spirits to feed off our jaded and barely flowing water. It doesn't matter if you get worked up, loosen up because in the end where does it matter? when it reach the fruition of it. If you imagine the stuff at the "start" and the "end" of it, that's where your emotions is most important but in the middle you can let it transform and transform you alongside it. If you try to micromanage the flow of your emotion at every step of the way then you would strangle it but that doesn't mean you shouldn't start positively and choose in the end if the emotion is worth expressing outwardly or not.

River of Enlightenment and Stream.

Sotāpanna or stream entry, a term of someone who have entered the stream of enlightenment in buddhism. It is very similar to the way traditions operate in the worlds. We can often get lost in the "it's all the same" or the over syncretism without the important thing, which mean that you have to follow through the stream, go down the stream into the ocean. You can't just say "oh they're all the same streams leading to same ocean". Walk it out, go through it, that's a motivating thing to say that despite how shallow or how thin and weak your connection to the supreme reality, to God, to guru, to Jesus, or to the divine providence you can foster it. That's the wonderful thing you have the chance no matter how far you're from Divinity to draw yourself and walk toward it and gain the blessings of it, you just have to follow that refreshing stream of water. Next week...Sylphs and Air.

Holy, oblique, who swiftly soar thro' air, Fountains and dews, and mazy streams your care: Seen and unseen, who joy with wand'rings wide And gentle course, thro' flow'ry vales to glide; With Pan exulting on the mountains height, Loud-founding, mad, whom rocks and woods delight: Nymphs od'rous, rob'd in white, whose streams exhale The breeze refreshing, and the balmy gale;

[bolszaja-miedwedica]

me: why are there so many horny posts on my dash

pendulum: hmm sounds like someone reaching out

pendulum: ah yeah its a demon btw

me: Asmodeus?

pendulum: no you already work with Asmodeus and the demon is female so-

me: Lilith???

pendulum: girl do you only know two lust demons? be so for real

me, googling: succubi?

pendulum: nah

me:

me: Astaroth???

pendulum: yeah

Astaroth: sup

me: but wait... Ashtarte? Inanna?

pendulum: no... its Astaroth you dumbass

Astaroth: 😐

me: but it's written here that you're male

Astaroth: haha yeah.............gender huh?

me: ah

[ascendingaeons]

The Story Behind My "Hymn to Sekhmet"

I was very surprised with how much traction my Hymn to Sekhmet has gotten… so I decided to share the story behind it. This might be quite long, but I think a lot of you would appreciate it.

I have been an eclectic pagan for most of my life. Heathenry was my focus in that sense that I worked with the Vanir and studied runology since I was fifteen. Kemeticism was my passion since childhood, but I was never formally a devotee. I pretty much worked exclusively with Set for most of my life. Our relationship is somewhere between father and son and student and guide. In the summer of 2020, I decided to finally set up a Kemetic altar.

It comprised of three statues and three candles on a small, very old nightstand and was otherwise unadorned. One statue was to Set, another to Bast, and the third to Sekhmet. I focused exclusively on Set and Bast for a while. I was afraid of Sekhmet. I read every book I could find about Her and they nearly all had one thing in common about a Sekhmet-based practice: if you cannot do it yourself, do not ask Her about it. That really intimidated me to the point I took Her statue down several times before it earned a permanent place.

One day in September of 2020 I finally prayed to Sekhmet with an offering of cold water. I felt a circular window of fire about 16 inches in diameter open up in front of my face just above my altar. It felt hot, like the heat of a campfire. I felt that She was looking at me. After a few seconds, the window disappeared. I didn’t interact with Her for a while after that.

In November of 2020, my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He was given six months to live and chemotherapy was prescribed. I was immediately thrust into the role of caregiver. I drove my dad to and from chemotherapy, gave him his meds and food, helped him to the bathroom, cleaned him up, and anything else I could do. I was awake for about 22 hours a day for six months, even with the help of a hospice company.

One night, when my dad was on respite (what hospice companies call when a patient is sent to a nursing home for a few days so the caregiver can recover), I felt… really bad. I felt alone, afraid, numb, and lost. Without any offering or formality, I prayed to Bast. I asked Her to just stay with me. I suddenly felt myself wrapped up in a blanket of what felt like bubblegum-pink energy. It felt like stuffed animals, cotton candy, a fuzzy quilt, and just… pure love. I later learned that this describes the higher heart chakra’s energy but to me, it was just Bast. She hugged me like that for about an hour until She decided I was okay, and then, very much like a cat, She left.

The days went on with barely any sleep, a lot of emergencies and scares, until one day my dad was finally asleep. It was around four in the afternoon. I was thinking a lot about Sehkmet at this point and Her domain of healing. It was very near and dear to my heart. At the time I was thinking of going back to school to finish my psychology degree and become a counselor. I took the time to get cold water in a nice glass and some fresh bread I had delivered that morning. I put it all on a golden plate I ordered for my altar.

I prayed to Sekhmet, solemnly and respectfully, naming Her Epithets and offering praise in addition to water and bread. I asked… that She let everything be okay and help me to be a better caregiver to my dad. The sad thing is, I was very hard on myself. I felt like I was not doing enough but I later found out that every nurse and social worker from the hospice company had, individually and separately, reported to the company’s administrator in high praise of me. I didn’t know then that some caregivers are really horrible to the point of neglect and abuse. I was doing the best I could in a situation that was out of my control and was given a level of praise that floored me.

After concluding my prayer, I lay down in my bed next to my altar. I was lying on my side when suddenly Sekhmet’s etheric body manifested beside me. I could feel it and somewhat see it with my third eye. She started to rub my back as I lay there. Her hand felt like the sun’s heat reflected off of water, a sensation I knew well from fishing in summer. It felt almost like fire but one that would never burn me. As She rubbed my back, I felt Her head come next to mine. I felt Her face, soft and bristly, next to my left ear as She began to speak words I couldn’t hear. I could even feel the heat from Her breath.

Unlike Bast, Sekhmet stuck around. She followed me everywhere for the next two days. It hadn’t really sunk in yet but I had received what, for me, was irrefutable proof of the Gods’ love. Set was with me my entire life, my teacher and friend. Bast and Sekhmet creaked open the door to theurgy a little bit more. It wasn’t until my Reiki Attunement ceremony that the door was blown clean off its hinges when over a dozen Netjeru physically manifested. During my Attunement, Bast held my left hand and Sekhmet held my right. By the end of the ceremony, the two were hugging me as I lay on my teacher’s table.

As I began working with the Netjeru in my shamanic practice, Sekhmet communicated something to me. She asked me to offer Her my pain and fear. And so I wrote that hymn on what was proving to be a very hard day.

I can never go back to a world where the Gods do not exist or do not love us completely, irrevocably, and unconditionally. My relationship with the Netjeru is one of mutual loyalty, love, admiration, and service. For all intents and purposes, I am a new Kemetic. I have studied Egyptology since I was seven years old and regarded Kemet as a far-flung home, a feeling that has never left my heart since it ignited there when I was a toddler. But that is a story for another day.

Well… that is my story. I hope it finds you well!

Dua Sekhmet! Dua Netjeru!

Image is “Sekhmet Devotional” by Valoreanthes. A Mother Lioness and Her cub, a side of Sekhmet far too often overlooked.

[barncultus]

A recent acquisition, Jack Grayle the poet that you are.

This is my most recent addition in what is quickly becoming a rather large reference library for all things PGM. Amongst my "must reads" for those interested in theurgy or magic practices which center gods and devotion.

[magickfromscratch]

During the month of July, my friends and I will be creating theurgic polytheistic ritual.

Ritual is art. Ritual is devotion. Ritual is awesome.

I will be doing my entries ceremonial magic style. I’ll also be posting links to resources for inspiration.

Feel free to join in, and be sure to tag your creations with #polyCM or if you’re creating other types of ritual, with #ritual writing month so I can see what y’all are making.

Be sure to say what the purpose of your ritual is, and if your deity is not widely known, a little bit about them.

The rituals don’t have to be perfect. They’re meant your be first drafts, and this should be a creative and fun thing.

I’ve had a hard year, and seeing this kind of content will be really fun and energizing for me.

[wytchwyse]

I Dream Of A Witcblr Renaissance.

Witchblr back in the day was an absolute social mess. The cyberbullying was brutal to say the least. But it had a few redeeming qualities, it had solid information about magic(k),Witchcraft,Occultism, and Paganism. Witchblr back then may have been a bit rough around the edges but the Insistence on cited sources really made tumblr a great resource to start looking into topics of interest more deeply. Also Witchblr had some dedicated practitioners who were happy to help, if not a bit snobbish (myself included) we all had a lot of growing up to do. But could you imagine a Witchblr revival. Quality information, commitments to accountability and open communication, collective stance of anti-cyberbullying, the resources, etc

I like a good aesthetic as much as the next Queer Witch. However magic(k),Witchcraft, Occultism, and Paganism are not aesthetic, they are something you engage with actively. Witchblur once facilitated that even if a bit toxic but surely we have grown up by now? we could do it better then before.

[shinjiro-aragaki99]

[midgart]

Happy Halloween & Theurgy Anniversary!!

[alephskoteinos]

The fact that Shaw uses the term "sorcery" to describe how the Neoplatonists felt about Christianity and that Neoplatonists used the myth of the Titans and Typhon to describe the rise of Christianity kind of tells me that, for Platonists, "sorcery" or goeteia was always just words for religions that they didn't like, whether that be the marginal practices of wandering pagan magicians or even Christianity. That's pretty telling. The irony, of course, is that the Christians ridiculed the theurgists for their "mystical theosophy" and alleged animal worship, and of course the same gods worshipped by the theurgists were among the gods that the Christians interpreted as demons, and these demons were very probably the demons/gods of goetia. The other irony of course is that, insofar as there could have been an actual practice of goeteia, and in this respect Jake Stratton Kent can tell you all about it, Christianity was practically almost nothing like what pagan goeteia was. Perhaps it sort of is as Crowley said: the Devil is the god of a people you dislike. But perhaps both Christians and Neoplatonists were playing a very similar game, and it just so happened that the pagan Neoplatonists lost that game.

[morphic-mythos]

We call on those who have come before us,

Ancestors of our bodies and spirits.

We are the ones who walk in the world now,

The link between the future and the past.

As we walk on our living journey

Grant us the support that ancestors can give.

—Brandy Williams, For the Love of the Gods

[saintmachina]

I'm starting to feel like I'm the only one pursuing theurgy in this club :/