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convexicalcrow · 2 years ago

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Oh? How normal are we about Pharaoh Cub?

Okay look. You gotta understand. I've been interested in ancient Egpyt since I was a kid. It's my longest-running special interest/hyperfixation, so much so that I've been practicing ancient Egyptian religion for over twenty years. It's something that's very, very precious to me, bc it's so personal to me, and bc I'm who I am, my knowledge of this stuff is arguably higher than the average person. This makes any kind of media about ancient Egypt actually not that interesting to me bc my brain will Not shut up about inaccuracies, so I tend to avoid them bc of that.

(I could go on about my issues with ancient Egyptian themed media, but I won't, that's a whole 'nuther essay frfr.)

(Also I hope you like infodumping, anon, bc that's what I'm about to do :D)

That said, I've actually written a whole lot of Egyptian myth rewrites, as well as ancient Egyptian stories exploring all kinds of various topics. I have some published on an old blog of mine, but some I never finished for various reasons. It's a whole thing. It's been a whole thing for me for a very, very long time.

So, you're me, someone with a more than average knowledge of and interest in ancient Egypt, and you've just become a Cub fan in s8 bc that was my first Hermitcraft season. I had heard about the pyramid, and Pharaoh Cub, and I was both SO INTERESTED but also actually quite hesitant to watch Cub's s7, bc I didn't want to be disappointed if he messed it up or did something wrong that caused my brain to Disagree. Again, very irrational bc my brain do be like that, but also based on previous experiences of seeing ppl just taking the aesthetics and doing whatever with it, and screw historical accuracy.

(Honestly, this is, like, my One (1) critism with the lore TrixyBlox built into the USW map. Can we Not have evil pharaohs plz just for once. ;_;)

I wanted to trust Cub, bc I'd seen the research that went into the canyon build. He's a smart dude. He cares about getting those kinda details right. And I did genuinely want to see how he approached the pyramid build and how he was going to use it as a base. But again, SO HESITANT. bc what if my blorbo messes it up and ruins the whole thing for me bc m brain is Stupid about this sort of thing. ;_;

But I'm so glad I trusted Cub when I did get around to watching s7, bc I fell in love with the pyramid. The fact that he cared about making it as life-size as possible, but also that he took an approach of taking what works, but also making it his own, and making it fit into the minecraft world. Like, using Standard Galactic for hieroglyphs! I loved that small little detail! It makes so much sense to use it that way.

Like, my very-not-srs gripes about the Pharaoh skin and its weird sleeves aside, his approach was very much how a lot of Egyptian pagans approach things today. Take what works, or what makes sense, and adapt it to where we currently are in the world and what we have access to. And I could tell from how he talked about it throughout the season that he really had done his research. And just- The Morning and The Evening Sun/Star epithet he gave himself like!!!!

Like, it's the little things, like the lapis roof, the stars - including Sirius!, the most important one bc its rising heralds the flood of the Nile and the new year - on the ceiling in the bedroom, the statue room and the way he built those five statues to represent aspects of himself (I cannot stress enough how much I adored those statues), allll the little tunnels and sekrit passageways, and the cartouche on the wall with his name in SGA and using SGA in the museum room, the treasure room with its traps, and the tomb of the Pharaoh himself. Like. It was such a perfect blend of Cub and Egyptian stuff. 10/10. I can find no faults. Although I do want to go back and finish the oasis room at some point. Make it a healing pool room with a shrine or two in it. Something like that.

Like, I had my doubts, but I trusted Cub and his process, and I was right to do so. It cemented Cub as my favourite Hermit at that point, bc he took my special interest and did it justice. And that's why I'm Very Normal about Pharaoh Cub.

But there are also other aspects too! Pyramids were designed to be tombs, and that's where the Pharaoh was left to rest at the end of s7. Which seems very appropriate, given where Hermitcraft went after that.

The reason I fixate so much on this is that there's this Egyptian underworld book called the Book of Caverns, that describes the King's journey through the underworld. It's not as well-known as the Book of the Dead, but the reason I keep coming back to it is because of Cub's canyon in s8. Where he built everything in little caverns in the canyon itself. And with the change of skin to young Cub, my brain just cannot let go of the idea of s8 being Pharaoh Cub's journey through the underworld, culminating with the final battle against the serpent we do not name so we do not give it power (a/p/o/p/h/i/s) that is here manifested in s8 as Moon Big. It's not a perfect metaphor, and I won't pretend it is. Especially bc while Cub escapes, the world is destroyed, and that's not necessarily accurate. But! He still escapes! He uses all his knowledge and resources that he's gained through his journey through the underworld to escape. To rise again in s9 as the new sun.

AND AND AND the fact that in s9 PHARAOH CUB DID ACTUALLY RETURN. Only now, we have the Pharaoh as a distinct entity. A divine akh/ancestor, a master magician, one who is clever and wiley like Thoth and who loves playing games and playing pranks. (Thoth is a trickster, and a very smart one.) And to have the distinction between Pharaoh Cub, who is a god, and mortal Cub, who is just Cub, like.

(Cub and his possession kink is also a whole 'nuther essay frfr)

That distinction makes sense in an Egyptian theological framework. Once the Pharaoh dies, they become divine akhu/ancestors. Very few were Actually Deified in a way we would recognise, but Cub is still not wrong when he calls the Pharaoh a god. The Pharaoh was a conduit between the people and the gods. He acted as the only high priest of the religion. He became King by hosting the Kingly Ka, the divine soul of Horus that legitimises their rule. This Ka/soul, has been with every king before it, and all the kings are attached/accessed through it. Kings live forever, after all. My own personal religious work has involved various Kings and Queens and working with them. (Not the most famous ones, tho, it's mostly the Sobek ones bc I worship Sobek first and foremost.)(Sobek being a crocodile god, a strong protector, and a god who was incorporated in Horus at one stage and gained Kingship attributes from that.)

And so it makes so much sense for the Pharaoh to be a separate entity now. The old man died, bc Cub is mortal, and ba/eternal soul of Cub was reborn into a new, younger body, with a whole new ka. Everyone has a ka, it is the soul that belongs to a particular lifetime and is the one that goes through judgement after death. The ba is eternal, and can have many kau/souls throughout its existence.

And bc the Pharaoh has died and become an akh, he can be contacted and manifest in the world again through the mortal Cub. The fact that Cub never actually changed the Pharaoh skin to reflect his younger self? It still has the old man's face? Like. This helps the distinction work. They're two different souls. This is theologically sound. And honestly I never imagined the Pharaoh lore would get to that point. But here we are, in s9, and we have the Pharaoh and mortal Cub, and I am Just So Normal about this bc I thought I'd missed my chance at Pharaoh Cub bc I only started watching in s8. BUT NO. s9 came along and is like, would you like some more Pharaoh Cub? and it's eating my brain like. oh my gods.

And also like, the Vex Magic Grimoire I've been working on? Canonically (to me), it's being written by Pharaoh Cub. Once the ConVex and ConCorp shenanigans settled down, and Cub had space to really focus on his magic, that's when he starts working on the grimoire. bc almost all Pharaohs were also master magicians. They had to be! It was part of their work as high priest and conduit for the gods. So Cub has Pharaoh magic on top of Vex magic, and in working through his new powers, decides to start recording down all he knows about Vex magic. Scar does some as well, but it is intended to be mostly Cub.

(I have an ask I STILL have not got around to about the Pharaoh's magic, and I will save a longer discussion for that there. I will get to it, I promise, anon! It's just taken a while to get my thoughts in order. <3)

It's like, in Pharaoh Cub, I can combine my love of writing about Egyptian things with my current hyperfixation on Cub, and it's so much fun omg. Cub doesn't do deep lore the way someone like Sausage does (again, whole 'nuther essay lol), but there's enough there to make a really good story, and build up these aspects of his character and make a really coherent story out of it.

And with Pharaoh Cub, I can explore all kinds of things that maybe don't work with other characters. Like death! In a way that doesn't really happen in minecraft bc players just respawn. Permanent death is something I've really only encountered on Empires, not Hermitcraft. But with the Pharaoh dying and being laid to rest in his pyramid? Like. That's something to work with. There's lore there to explore. Old Man Cub coming to terms with dying and what happens afterwards. and bc like. idk if anyone has actually ever written Old Man Cub as an actual Old Man. But as someone who's approaching 40, and has their own chronic pain stuff to deal with, like? Maybe I see it differently. Maybe I want to approach Old Man Cub as an old man. And maybe the Old Man dying as Pharaoh, and being reborn into a younger body is one way to do that.

Sure, it may not be the most popular fics for ppl. Maybe ppl are more interested in my other works. But I don't care. It's all my special interests in one place and I'm having the time of my life. :D

Even if I STILL don't know what to do with the journey through the afterlife!s8 caverns idea. Maybe one day I will find the right spark to do that idea justice. <3

#convexical asks #hermitcraft #convex #cubfan135 #gtwscar #pharaoh cub #old man cub #young cub #fanfic #cub's pyramid best pyramid #ancient egyptian magic #ancient egyptian religion #devotional writing #mythfiction #this is a lot of infodumping #but i hope it helps explain things

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blueheartbookclub · 10 months ago

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"Unveiling the Mysteries: E. A. Wallis Budge's 'Egyptian Magic'—A Scholarly Odyssey into Ancient Mysticism"

"Egyptian Magic" by E. A. Wallis Budge serves as a captivating portal to the mystical world of ancient Egypt, where the realms of magic, religion, and spirituality seamlessly intertwined. Published in [year], this seminal work by Budge, a renowned Egyptologist, offers readers a comprehensive exploration of the magical practices and beliefs that permeated the daily lives of the ancient Egyptians. The title itself hints at the enigmatic allure that beckons readers into a realm where the boundaries between the mundane and the supernatural blur.

Budge, known for his extensive scholarship on Egyptology, brings to life the magical traditions of ancient Egypt with meticulous detail. The title "Egyptian Magic" acts as a prelude to a journey through the spells, rituals, and incantations that were integral to the spiritual landscape of this ancient civilization. Budge's prose, though rooted in academic rigor, retains a sense of wonder that makes the subject accessible to both scholars and enthusiasts alike.

One of the strengths of "Egyptian Magic" lies in Budge's ability to contextualize magical practices within the broader religious and cultural framework of ancient Egypt. Each chapter unfolds like a chapter in the Book of the Dead, revealing the layers of meaning behind the magical spells and their significance in the Egyptian worldview. The title becomes a guide through this esoteric terrain, inviting readers to decipher the symbols and incantations that held profound meaning for the practitioners of ancient Egyptian magic.

Budge delves into the different categories of magical practices, from healing spells to protective amulets, showcasing the diverse ways in which magic permeated every facet of Egyptian life. The title "Egyptian Magic" encapsulates this multifaceted exploration, promising readers a glimpse into the rituals that sought to harness cosmic forces and commune with the divine. Budge's meticulous research and translations transport readers back in time, allowing them to witness the rituals and ceremonies that were once an integral part of the Egyptian magical tradition.

The inclusion of hieroglyphic illustrations and translations of magical texts further enhances the immersive experience of "Egyptian Magic." Budge's expertise in deciphering ancient Egyptian scripts provides readers with a firsthand encounter with the original magical incantations. The title serves as a doorway to an ancient scriptorium, where the secrets of Egyptian magic are inscribed in symbols that continue to captivate and mystify.

Beyond the academic discourse, Budge's work touches upon the spiritual dimensions of ancient Egyptian magic. The title becomes a metaphorical key, unlocking the mystical teachings that guided the Egyptian magicians in their quest for spiritual enlightenment. Budge sheds light on the deep connection between magic and the afterlife, where spells and charms were believed to secure a favorable passage through the realm of the dead.

In conclusion, "Egyptian Magic" by E. A. Wallis Budge stands as a magnum opus that unravels the complexities of an ancient civilization's magical traditions. The title invites readers into a world where the mystical and the mundane coalesce, where words held the power to shape destinies and unlock the gates to the divine. Budge's meticulous scholarship, coupled with the evocative title, ensures that "Egyptian Magic" remains a timeless exploration of the enchantments that once echoed through the sacred temples and burial chambers of ancient Egypt.

"Egyptian Magic" by E. A. Wallis Budge is available in Amazon in paperback 11.99$ and hardcover 19.99$ editions.

Number of pages: 196

Language: English

Rating: 10/10

Link of the book!

Review By: King's Cat

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blueheartbooks · 10 months ago

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"Unveiling the Mysteries: E. A. Wallis Budge's 'Egyptian Magic'—A Scholarly Odyssey into Ancient Mysticism"

"Egyptian Magic" by E. A. Wallis Budge is available in Amazon in paperback 11.99$ and hardcover 19.99$ editions.

Number of pages: 196

Language: English

Rating: 10/10

Link of the book!

Review By: King's Cat

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youremyheaven · 7 months ago

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The Internal Corrosiveness of Venus: Venusian Women & Self Harm

TW: self harm, abuse, suicide, violence, trauma

Claire had remarked that "Venus is internally corrosive whilst externally pleasant and Mars is externally corrosive but internally pleasant". This led me down a rabbit hole to try to understand whether this "internally corrosive" nature manifests as self harm & eating disorders and unfortunately, it does. Venusian women struggle with perfectionism and are extremely self-critical. Venusian energy is HARSH. Venus natives struggle to uphold a certain standard that they subject themselves too because if I'm being honest Venus is the OG "not like other girls girl", they believe they're better than others, and tbh in many ways they probably are but this also means they put undue pressure on themselves to keep being that way.

All Venusian naks are Ugra or "fierce" in nature and while I've talked about how Venusian violence and cruelty can be directed at others in my other posts, I think its worth mentioning how Venusians can be just as cruel to themselves. This is especially true of Venusian women as women internalise their problems while men wreak external havoc (like causing wards and killing people) but there are many male Venusians who struggle internally as well.

In ancient religions, Goddesses of love also had other functions or powers that had nothing to do with love

the Egyptian Goddess Isis was the goddess of love, healing, fertility, magic, and the moon. She was the goddess of life and magic, Isis protected women and children and healed the sick.

She was a great magician, whose power transcended that of all other deities.

The Mesopotamian Goddess Ishtar is the goddess of love and sexuality, and thus, fertility; she is responsible for all life, but she is never a Mother goddess. She is also the Goddess of War.

I'm using these examples to show that the ancients had a more complex and nuanced understanding of Venusian energy. One cannot worship love without understanding that "war" is a consequence of it. Love & war are not very different from each other. When someone believes in something and is willing to die for it, we find that to be very honourable. Sometimes this belief leads men to kill others over it and depending on the cause, we describe the war as "good" or "bad" (kill a bunch of fascists and then its a "righteous" war, if you kill innocent people, then its an unholy war etc). Being at a state of war describes Venusian nature very well since Venus is also connected to royalty and if you're born into royalty, you get to live a very "exclusive" very privileged life that few get to enjoy but the stakes are also that much higher since you could be beheaded or executed or exiled and live a life that is far worse than the average person.

In this post I want to explore how this "state of war" can manifest internally in an ordinary Venusian and contribute to self harm, eating disorders and drug abuse.

Bella Hadid- Purvaphalguni Moon & Rising

Bella has admitted to smoking since she was a teenager and getting a rhinoplasty at 14. Her pro ana Tumblr from when she was a teen is infamous at this point. She has never openly spoken about it but it is widely speculated that she struggles with an eating disorder and possible drug abuse as well.

“I was the uglier sister. I was the brunette. I wasn't as cool as Gigi, not as outgoing,” she said. “That's really what people said about me.” I also feel like Venusians grow up feeling really ugly and completely unaware of their magnetism. They only really grow into their looks when they're older (obvs there are exceptions) and I think being bullied for what they have and don't have are also big themes.

Demi Lovato- Bharani Moon

Demi has spoken about struggling with self harm, eating disorders and drug abuse.

Lovato said, “growing up, I had been bullied in school,” saying she “felt like an outsider," and "like an outcast,” but then she became friends with a girl who was popular. “One day, I asked her ‘how do you have all these friends?,’” Lovato noted, and the girl asked Lovato “do you party?" Lovato explained, "She asked me, 'Do you drink?,'" with Lovato saying that this was her first experience with drugs and alcohol, adding, “we experienced a lot of stuff together, drinking and using, and growing up.” Bharani being an outcaste nakshatra resulted in Demi feeling like one growing one :(((

Taylor Swift- Purvashada Rising

Taylor opened up about her eating disorder in her documentary

Lindsay Lohan- Bharani Moon

LiLo has struggled with self harm, drug abuse and battled eating disorders

Oscar Wilde, Purvaphalguni Rising wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray

The plot goes like this : An attractive Englishman's image is captured in a painting that keeps him from ageing, when he exchanges his soul for eternal beauty. But for every sin that he commits, his image in the portrait rots.

This is a very deeply Venusian story, and very specifically Purvaphalguni esque because Purvaphalguni is the height of Venus. It can be said that its also true of Venusians in general. They are outwardly splendorous, they seem to have it all together but inwardly they tend to be inflicting wounds upon themselves in order to keep it all together.

Johnny Depp- Purvashadha Moon

He has also battled eating disorders, self harm and drug abuse.

Iggy Pop- Bharani Moon

"THERE IS EXTREME, there is legendary — and then there is Iggy Pop. Beginning in his earliest days with the Stooges taunting Ann Arbor frat boys and small town Michigan folk, Iggy made an art of excess: self-mutilation, self-exposure and self-destruction. His risky theatricality required an audience to respond, participate or get the heck out of there. And the sex and violence hardly stopped after the show was over."- this is how Rolling Stone described Iggy Pop and tbh this is a very Venusian description

In 1974, at his first solo concert dubbed The Murder of a Virgin. "Do you want to see blood?" Iggy asked the crowd, which howled affirmatively back at him. Then, at Iggy's urging, guitarist Ron Asheton, wearing a Nazi outfit, whipped Iggy repeatedly. Iggy began hurling racial epithets at a black spectator, hoping to goad the man into stabbing him with the steak knife he'd brought onstage. No luck, so he closed the set by carving an X into his chest himself.

Marilyn Manson- Purvashadha Sun

He has struggled with self harm in the past (there are images online if you're interested) and in 2013, he tried to simulate self harm on stage by holding a knife to his wrist in the middle of a performance??

Christina Ricci- Purvashadha Moon

Ricci has said she suffered from anorexia as a teenager and was sexually assaulted as a child. “There was no discussion at that time about trauma, and about recovering from those things, about PTSD,” she said. As a result, she ended up “acting out and coping in ways that weren't good."

Robert Downey Jr- Bharani Moon, Mars in Purvaphalguni

its pretty well known that RDJ was severely addicted to drugs at one point and it started when he was a child and drugs was given to him by his dad:///

Megan Fox- Purvashadha Rising

"I have body dysmorphia — I don't ever see myself the way other people see me," Fox said. "There's never a point in my life where I loved my body, never, ever." "When I was little, that was an obsession I had of, like, but I should look this way,"

‘However, at a certain point, I went through some trauma in childhood and I developed a pretty severe eating disorder and manic depression, which runs in my family, so there was definitely some wrestling with chemical imbalance going on,’ she shared.

its interesting how so many of these natives begin struggling with these issues very early in life

Colin Farrell- Purvashadha Rising, Jupiter conjunct Ketu in Bharani

While he did not say that he had cut himself when he was younger, Colin Farrell had some self-inflicting behavior during his younger days. He spoke on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and said that he used to actually enjoy pulling out huge tufts of his hair.

Pete Davidson- Purvaashadha Rising

'I used to bang my head against walls,' he admitted. 'If I couldn't deal with something -- if someone told me something sad or something I couldn't deal with I would bang my head against the wall, hoping I'd pass out because I didn't want to be in that situation because I couldn't handle that.

Melanie Lynskey- Bharani Moon

“I stopped throwing up, mostly. It took a while. But that was a big one. I had, for a very long time, been on this diet that was basically 800 calories a day, and if I ate anything over 800 calories, I would throw up,” she said. “I was never bingey. Sometimes I’d be starving, and I’d have another teacup of Special K. Then I’d be like, ‘Well, now I gotta throw it up.’”

Tila Tequila- Purvaphalguni Moon

On March 7, 2012, it was reported that Tequila had agreed to check into rehab after having reportedly "almost died" from an attempted suicide by overdosing on pills. The incident caused her to be hospitalized for a brain aneurysm. Tequila completed her rehab treatment on April 5, 2012.

Jeffree Star- Purvashadha Moon

images of him self harming once went viral

Till Lindemann- Purvashadha Sun

he's known for his SH scars and has even written poems about it in German??? its called "The poems: Knives on silent nights"

Portia de Rossi- Rahu in Purvashadha 2h

she's struggled with an eating disorder

Padma Lakshmi- Purvaphalguni Sun & Moon

"When filming "Top Chef," I consume about 5,000 to 8,000 calories a day,'' she wrote. "I typically gain anywhere from 10 to 17 pounds every season. Once I get home, what's taken me six weeks to gain takes me 12 weeks to take off. It's always a nail-biting extravaganza at fittings, praying that a few pretty dresses that came down the runway on a teenage model who is a size 0 will miraculously fit my 40-something body,'' she wrote. "Getting ready for the Emmys is always fun, and it's truly an honor to be nominated. But at the same time, in spite of my high metabolism, I worry each year that I'm not going to fit into anything nice. So, this year, I've decided my weight will not be my focus,'' she wrote. "If I need a bigger dress, so be it. That one day — or any day — on the red carpet isn't nearly as important as making sure my daughter doesn't measure her worth by her dress size."

i guess this is a more positive manifestation of Venusian self image struggles

Jessica Alba- Bharani Stellium (Sun, Mercury & Venus)

“I was meant to feel ashamed if I tempted men,” she said. “Then I stopped eating a lot when I became an actress. I made myself look more like a boy so I wouldn’t get as much attention.”

Katie Couric- Purvashadha Sun

“I wrestled with bulimia all through college and for two years after that,” she shared with Lovato while interviewing her, per Glamour. “I know this rigidity, this feeling that if you eat one thing that’s wrong, you’re full of self-loathing and then you punish yourself, whether it’s one cookie or a stick of gum that isn’t sugarless, that I would sometimes beat myself up for that. How do you have a healthy relationship with food, and say, ‘You know what, I can have one cookie and it’s OK?’ That is such a huge thing for people who wrestle with this.”

Zayn Mailk- Purvaphalguni Moon

In his 2016 autobiography, Zayn, he shared it would sometimes cause him to go two or three days without eating a single bite of food. “Something I’ve never talked about in public before, but which I have come to terms with since leaving the band, is that I was suffering from an eating disorder. It got quite serious, although at the time I didn’t recognize it for what it was,” he wrote. “When I look back at images of myself—before the final tour—I can see how ill I was. The workload and the pace of life on the road put together with the pressures and strains of everything going on within the band had badly affected my eating habits. Food was something I could control, so I did.”

Zoe Kravitz- Purvaphalguni Moon conjunct Ketu

“I think it was part of being a woman, and being surrounded by [fame],” she said. “I think it was definitely about being around that world, seeing that world. I felt pressured.” After playing an anorexic character in a movie, she hit her lowest of lows and was so malnourished that her immune system shut down. Months later, she decided to make a change. “I just felt it was different,” she said. “I don’t know… if a f—king spirit came over me and said: ‘You have to stop.’”

Mel C, Purvaphalguni Rising

"When I was in the Spice Girls, the stress of suddenly being thrust into the limelight led me into an unhealthy relationship with food and exercise,” she told The Mirror in 2012. “I became obsessed about what I ate and I cut lots of food groups, like carbs and protein, out of my diet. I survived on fruit and vegetables and little else.”

Nicole Scherzinger- Mars conjunct Rising in Purvaphalguni

"I really struggled with feeling like I fit in. I even had a hard time feeling like I fit into my own skin. I was really hard on myself and had a lot of struggles with self-esteem and a lot of insecurities,” she said. “Later on, that resulted in me having eating disorders because of my body dysmorphia.”

if you're reading this and struggling, you're not alone. please get help!! its not too late to turn things around!! youre so strong and you can do this!!

#venus #purvaphalguni #bharani #purvashadha #astrology notes #vedic astro notes #astrology observations #nakshatras #sidereal astrology #astrology #astro notes #astro observations #vedic astrology #astroblr

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blue-lotus333 · 4 months ago

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💕Goddesses of love💕

Aphrodite: Greek Goddess of love, beauty, sex and lust.

Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, emerged from the sea in a scallop shell and sailed to Cyprus. She possessed a magical girdle and had many lovers, including Ares and Adonis. Ares killed Adonis out of jealousy, leading to the creation of anemones. Adonis became a god split between the Underworld and Earth due to Aphrodite's love. She travels with the Three Graces and bestows joy, brilliance, and abundance upon mortals. She aids in romantic love and is associated with myrtles, roses, and anemones.

Freya: Norse Goddess of love, war, fertility and magic.

Freya, the Norse goddess of love and ruler of war and death. She mediated conflict between warring groups of Norse gods and established peace in Asgard. She is known for her beauty, sorcery, and sexuality, as well as for riding a cat-drawn golden chariot. Freya wears a falcon-feathered cloak that allows her to move quickly between heaven and Earth and has an enormous palace in Asgard where she celebrates with the souls she chooses from the battlefield. In one myth, she obtains the famous amber necklace, Brisingamen, from four dwarves by sleeping with them, beauty for beauty.

Oshun: African Goddess of love, beauty, prosperity & femininity.

Oshun is a goddess of love in the Yoruba religion. She is one of the 7 orishas and the source of power for all the other orishas. Oshun has the ability to make all things flow in the universe through her love and strength. She played a significant role in encouraging Ogun, father of civilization, to continue creating. Oshun is the only goddess who can carry messages between the mortal world and the Supreme Creator in heaven. In Nigeria, there is an annual ceremony called Ibo-Osun where women dance for Oshun during a feast of yams, with the best dancer winning Oshun's favor and becoming the village adviser on healing and fertility.

Parvati: Hindu Goddess of love, fertility, harmony and motherhood.

Parvati is a golden Hindu goddess known for love and devotion, forming a holy trinity with Saraswati and Lakshmi. She was born in the Himalayan mountains and embodies nurturing feminine energy. Parvati won over her husband, Shiva, through patience and determination in asceticism. Parvati is the creator of her son Ganesha, the elephant-headed god of wisdom. She is also worshiped for her strength and ferocity. In one legend, she transformed into the fearsome goddess Kali-ma to overcome & destroy demons who threaten the earth, showing her protective nature.

Guan yin: Buddhist Goddess of compassion, love, peace and kindness.

Guan Yin, originally a mortal princess named Miao Shan, was known for her compassion and kindness. Despite her father's cruelty, she devoted herself to helping others and performing miracles. After her death, she chose to remain in human form as a bodhisattva to help suffering beings, eventually becoming a goddess. By simply invoking her name, people can receive protection from harm. Guan Yin is often depicted in a white gown on a lotus throne and is revered by her followers as a symbol of love, compassion & purity. Her devotees often follow her vegetarian diet on her sacred days. Guan yin is not only the goddess of compassion, but the literal personification of it.

Hathor: Egyptian Goddess of fertility, love, womanhood and the sky.

Hathor, ancient Egyptian goddess of love and joy, has been revered for over 3,000 years. Known as the Gentle Cow of Heaven, she provided milk to the Sun God Ra, making him and other pharaohs divine. Hathor created the Milky Way and is often depicted wearing a crown with cow horns. She is worshipped through joyful ceremonies of music and dance and is the most beloved goddess in ancient Egyptian belief. Hathor is also the goddess of the Underworld, protector of females, and champion of romantic bonds. She can appear in different forms and her symbols are the sistrum and hand mirror.

Laka: Hawaiian Goddess of love, wilderness, the hula & music.

Laka is a Polynesian goddess of love and wilderness who taught humans the art of the hula dance. She is married to the fertility god Lono, and rain is considered a sacred time for them. Dancers in training build altars to Laka with her favorite flowers and plants, and offerings are taken down to the ocean after performances to thank her for her blessing. She is a Goddess who rules over all vegetation. Plants sacred to her are: maile, Lama, hala pepe, `ie`ie, ki, `ôhia lehua, `ôhelo, and palai.

Aine: Irish Goddess of the summer, love, wealth and light.

Áine is a powerful and loving fairy queen in Irish legend, associated with agriculture, animals, and light. She is celebrated at the Midsummer Festival in Limerick, where people run up her hill to seek her blessing. She is also a survivor of sexual abuse in legends, where she shows strength and guides women to empowerment. Áine is depicted with red hair, a headband of stars, and surrounded by her animals. She can transform into a red mare who is unbeatable in speed.

Xochiquetzal: Aztec Goddess of fertility, beauty, flowers and love.

Xochiquetzal was a powerful and complex Aztec goddess known for her beauty and seductive nature. She was worshipped as a patroness of lovers and prostitutes, encouraging love-making for pleasure rather than reproduction. Despite her associations with sexual relationships, she also had the ability to absolve humans of sins unrelated to sex. She was married to the water god, Tlaloc, and was considered a consort to the creator deity, Tezcatlipoca. Xochiquetzal was widely worshipped and honored through great rituals that included acts of sacrifice and confessions.

Ishtar: Mesopotamian Goddess of love, war, fertility and power.

One of the oldest goddesses in the world, Ishtar, the goddess of war and sexual love, was the queen of heaven. Ishtar is considered a member of the special class of Mesopotamian gods called the Anunnaki. Ishtar is often called Inanna, she is also an astral deity, linked to the planet Venus, and was worshipped widely in the ancient Middle East. She was known as the Queen of the Universe and had powers attributed to various other gods. Ishtar was the very first goddess of love, Mesopotamians described her in her many legends and poems as young and strikingly beautiful, with piercing, penetrating eyes.

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creature-wizard · 5 months ago

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Fritz Springmeier and Cisco Wheeler: Two Of The Most Dangerous Conspiracy Theorists Most People Have Never Heard Of

Fritz Springmeier is a conspiracy theorist who has written a number of absolute doorstoppers (the content of his books is poorly arranged and highly repetitive) claiming the existence of a global satanic cult that secretly controls the world - basically, your typical Protocols of Zion redux shit. Some of his books were written with Cisco Wheeler, a(n alleged) multiple system he claims to have deprogrammed from Illuminati mind control in 1994. Their work has been deeply influential on today's general belief in alter programming. Even if you've never read Wheeler and Springmeier's work directly, you may have come across their ideas. If you've seen anything about jewel programming, flower programming, alpha/beta/delta/epsilon programming, etc.? That's from them. Writers such as Unwelcome Ozian and Svali get their material from their work (in fact, Unwelcome Ozian's book Chainless Slaves literally copypastes some of their material), and people such as Ellen P. Lacter and Alison Miller of the ISSTD/RAMCOA-SIG frequently cite Svali. Furthermore, their work has had a huge impact on David Icke's reptilian alien conspiracy theories.

Here's a selection (yes, seriously, the following wall of text is only a small sample) of their claims from their trilogy series on Illuminati mind control (They Know Not What They Do - An Illustrated Guide To Monarch Mind Control, The Illuminati Formula Used To Create An Undetectable Total Mind Controlled Slave, and Deeper Insights Into The Illuminati Formula), which they wrote/published in the mid to late 1990's:

The Illuminati is a multi-generational satanic cult made up of thirteen elite bloodlines, who are working behind the scenes to enthrone the Antichrist in the year 2000. (It's been over twenty years, still no Antichrist.)

The Illuminati is behind the French Revolution and the Abolition movement. (Conspiracy theories invented by people who were pro-monarchy and pro-slavery.)

The Illuminati is pushing for gay rights as part of their plan to bring the Antichrist into power.

The Illuminati creates effeminate gay men by dosing pregnant mothers with progesterone and estrogen.

The Illuminati practices "trauma-based mind control," which in this context refers to an alleged (and very unsubstantiated) practice of inflicting brutal tortures to trigger the formation of alters, which will be programmed for various tasks, and made accessible to programmers via special codes and triggers.

TBMC practices often (though not always) take the form of satanic rituals. (Evil is always very, very theatrical in the minds of conspiracy theorists.)

The Illuminati's rituals are "based upon the most ancient mystery religions," because "one of the secrets of the Mystery Religions, especially the Egyptian Isis mystery religion was the ability to use drugs and torture to create multiple personalities." (Citation needed, Fritz.)

The European witch hunts were actually justified, because Europe was full of satanic practitioners of trauma-based mind control. (Seriously, what kind of ghoul claims the witch hunts were in any way justified?)

The Nazis' eugenics program wasn't actually about eugenics. It was actually a front for researching mind control, and that Project Monarch was based on research conducted by Dr. Josef Mengele, whom they claim was an "adept in Caballistic magic" assisted by "Askenazi hasidic black magic adepts." (This is a variation on the claim that Jews actually orchestrated the Holocaust)

Groups that are part of the Illuminati and practice Monarch mind control include (but are not limited to) The Catholic Church/Jesuits, Mormons, Assembly of God churches, the Watchtower Society, Hasidic Judaism, modern witchcraft, Druidry, Santeria, Freemasons, Golden Dawn, NASA, and professional baseball. (I think we can agree that some of these groups are very harmful, but that doesn't mean they're part of this conspiracy he's talking about.)

There are many different types of Monarch alter programming, including but not limited to gem programming, elemental programming, flower programming, color programming, Gumby programming, beehive programming, sex kitten programming, Greek letter programming, carousel programming, demon programming, alien programming, Mensa programming, Atlantis programming, paper doll programming, tumbleweed programming, waterjar shaking programming, Cinderella programming - it goes on.

"Body programs" can be installed to cause hearing problems, circulation issues, headaches, digestive problems, heart failure - basically, all those health problems that people who aren't conspiracy theorists would explain through allergies, stress, mental illness, or just common flaws of the human body.

Most slaves have "end-time programming," and will be activated to round up and kill opponents of the NWO when the time comes from the Antichrist to take power. (Again, it's been over twenty years.

Cisco Wheeler was programmed to be part of the Antichrist's elite imperial guard.

They claim, and I quote, "drugs, torture, hypnosis and MPD all work to enhance memory" and "most slaves have some photographic memory capability." They also claim that systemwide photographic memory can be created through brain stem scarring. (Conspiracy theorists literally made this up.)

The brains of Monarch slaves are more active than normal people's brains, because both sides of the Monarch slave's brain work simultaneously. (Both sides of everyone's brains are working all the time, that is literally how brains work.)

Mind control implants have been a thing since the 1960's. One woman had an implant disguised as a pubic hair. JZ Knight had an audio implant in her teeth that activated her to become a New Age leader. Microchip implants can affect DNA growth. "Fiber optic" mind control devices can be shot into the skin from a distance. (You can tell they rely on their audience to not understand anything about electronics in addition to neuroscience.)

Switching alters can literally change the color of your eyes. (It's impossible for someone's eyes to instantly switch color in the same way it's impossible for their skin to instantly change color.)

Fairy tales, fantasy media, movies, and television shows are full of deliberate programming. Some (but not all) of the media Springmeier and Wheeler implicate includes The Wizard of Oz, The Chronicles of Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, Disney films in general, A Little Princess, Star Trek, Star Wars, E.T., Tiny Toons, The Simpsons, Frankenstein, Bewitched, and Labyrinth.

Basically, any piece of entertainment that isn't morally pure from a far right Christian perspective is part of the Illuminati's plan to corrupt the youth and lead them down the patch of witchcraft and into satanism.

The story of the Golem is actually about a mind-controlled slave, and that "the main goal of the Cabala is to create a mind-controlled slave called a golem." Also, the Brothers Grimm were "Cabalistic Jews." (For a guy who insists he's not antisemitic, Fritz Springmeier sure likes to accuse people of being Jewish and demonize Jewish stuff.)

Famous Illuminati slaves include (but are not limited to) Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Roseanne Barr, Bette Midler, Madonna, and the Beatles. They claim Charles Manson was programmed with Beatles music.

(List break here because this whole thing was longer than Tumblr's allowed block length. Again, I emphasize, I am only posting a small sample of the BS they put in their books.)

The Illuminati's intelligence agencies have programmed "thousands upon thousands of slaves." The Naval Ordinance Test Station at China Lake was actually a Monarch programming facility, where thousands of babies were kept in cages. "Lots of 1000 babies was a small batch," and "many batches were 2000 or 3000 babies."

The average Monarch system is programmed with 1000 alters.

The Illuminati prefers to program blond, blue-eyed children without visible body defects or scars. (Funny how these conspiracy theorists keep claiming to hate white supremacy, then insist blond, blue-eyed children are special targets.)

The Illuminati has no trouble finding sadistic torturers because, and I quote, "essentially all human males can be taught to engage in sadistic behavior." In fact, the Illuminati's Mothers of Darkness are often necessary to make sure the male torturers don't go too far.

The Illuminati used chimpanzees to physically torture children. (The pair of them clearly do not understand how strong chimpanzees actually are.)

Babies can learn to read by six months old with the use of subliminal tapes.

Learning to write backwards makes you more likely to dissociate. (Bizarre variant on old 'Satan does things backwards to mock God' canard.)

Failed Monarch programming/TBMC causes autism. Autism is when children withdraw from the world and retreat into themselves. (If there's two things we know about autism, it's that it's not traumagenic, and it's not about withdrawing from the world to retreat into your own mind.)

If you hang someone upside down long enough, they will begin to reverse pain and pleasure. Yeah, supposedly, if you physically reverse a person's body, their mind will start reversing, too. This, apparently, is how we get kinksters who like pain.

Scars can be made more visible via hypnotic command, and this has been a thing in the occult world for centuries. (Modern version of the Devil's Mark/witch's tit myth.)

Moles are a sign of prior electroshock torture. (Another modern version of the Devil's mark/witch's tit myth.)

King Hezekiah - yes, the Biblical King Hezekiah - was a child victim of satanic ritual abuse. (Of course the Bible chapter they cite - 2 Chronicles 29 - mentions nothing of the sort.)

Direct quote, "Vice-President Al Gore is a vampire and carries a briefcase of blood with him." (Modern conspiracy theorists love to sling blood libel at Democrats.)

Hillary Clinton is an Illuminati Grand Dame and programmer. (Gotta accuse those Democrat women of being witches.)

Roma people practice cannibalism. (Pure anti-Romani racism.)

The Illuminati has the cure for AIDS.

Adrenochrome is a secret black market drug. (This is a modern form of blood libel.)

Snuff pornography is a real thing. (It's really not.)

Being on Prozac makes you susceptible to becoming homicidal or suicidal if you're exposed to certain electromagnetic frequencies. The Illuminati is deliberately exposing people to these frequencies to increase these behaviors in order to get anti-gun legislation passed.

Cellphone towers emit electromagnetic frequencies that can control people's minds.

Putting one's hands behind one's head is a secret Illuminati hand signal meaning "I'm master." Folding one's hands is a secret Illuminati symbol for "you can't break the circle." Thumb-twiddling is an Illuminati hand signal for S&M. Other normal, everyday hand positions/gestures/movements are given equally conspiratorial explanations.

The "Vulcan peace sign" is an Illuminati/occult greeting. (This claim isn't just demonizing Star Trek - it's antisemitic.)

High-ranking members of the Illuminati hold fancy cannibal dinner parties and feed children to lions and tigers.

Lots and lots of child sacrifice happens. There's even rituals where children sacrifice other children and eat their hearts.

The shape of your skull affects your personality, and the Illuminati creates permanent personality changes by changing the shapes of people's skulls. (This is literally phrenology, which is pseudoscience.)

The Illuminati implants real, actual demons into victims, which can only be removed through Christian deliverance. Also, accepting Jesus as one's Lord and Savior is the only way for victims to truly heal, no ifs, ands, buts, or maybes.

Down's Syndrome can be cured with cranial manipulation. (Craniosacral therapy is quackery.)

Many people diagnosed with schizophrenia have actually been given implants by the government.

Ronald Reagan is "our future president." (Yes, Fritz Springmeier wrote these words during the Clinton administration.)

The US government has built 140 massive underground bases for various purposes, including housing "several varieties of aliens."

The Illuminati has been creating human clones and biological robot doubles for years, and has created such doubles for politicians such as Jimmy Carter. (Allegations of clones and duplicates goes back to the witch hunts, where witch hunters would claim Satan conjured up doubles for witches so their families wouldn't miss them while they went to the witches' sabbath. Also, it's a form of dehumanization.)

Therapists treating victims of alter programming/trauma-based mind control should separate their clients from their programmer (read: isolate them from friends, family, and acquaintances) and hold multi-hour therapy sessions to help them remember their abuse and discover their hidden alters (read: make sure they're constantly exposed to this narrative so they'll start to internalize it and begin "remembering" what you want). Wheeler outright says that the "better therapists" will wear down their clients with lengthy question and answer sessions. She recommends having a team of therapists to work on a single client, with a female mother figure and male father figure.

Depression is a sin that comes from a lack of faith.

Trance-Formation of America is a good example of how mind control victims are treated. (Trance-Formation of America is also part of the Project Monarch/alter programming conspiracy theory.)

Full quote, "All Illuminati victims of mind-control have been terrorized by their abusers about how God hates them and how God will punish them for their badness." (In other words, much of what these people are chalking up to alter programming/TBMC can very easily be explained by religious trauma from being brought up in a conservative Christian environment.)

Again, these are the types of claims made by the two people from which all of this stuff about all of these specific types of alter programming, body programs, etc. originate. Whether or not people on RAMCOA sites acknowledge Springmeier and Wheeler outright, much the stuff they're claiming can very much be traced back to them.

Now, some of you reading this might still be wondering whether the alter programming could more than a conspiracy theory; like, maybe there's actually people out there who are really doing this, even if they aren't involved in some grand sinister conspiracy. And the answer is still no.

First, this conspiracy theory effectively proposes that there was an epidemic of people engaging in this very specific practice back during a time period when the most that people knew about DID (if they knew about DID at all) came from from the Sybil book or movie (and the real "Sybil" never had DID); or even before that point, if we include the people who claimed they were programmed in the 40's-60's. The idea that all of these unconnected people all independently came up with this is simply beyond absurd. If this was a real practice being done out there by any significant number of people at all, extensive technical literature describing the procedures in full detail would have to exist. This literature would at some point have been found in the homes, workplaces, etc. of programmers. Alter programming has allegedly been practiced since at least the 1940s, and not a single piece of this literature has ever been found anywhere; not on the most depraved 4Chan user's computer, not in the edgiest occultist's library, and not in the home of any child molesting priest. The only literature that describes these supposed practices comes from conspiracy theorists, and they aren't nearly detailed enough to constitute any kind of actual manual. It's very telling that when Fritz Springmeier et al name books that supposedly contain this sort of information, the books either contain nothing of the sort (for example, old grimoires), or have no evidence of ever existing in the first place.

And while it's true that extreme trauma can cause dissociation and the formation of alters, that's about the only thing this conspiracy theory gets right. Everything else is like some kind of edgy sci-fi take on it, about as accurate to real neuroscience as Jaws is to real sharks. The people who thought they saw evidence of "structured DID" back in the day made a similar error to the people who look at natural hills and mountains and think they're seeing ancient pyramids, or look at Bimini Road and actually think it's a real man-made road rather than a natural rock formation. People would look at someone having literally any trauma response or distress behavior (which may or may not have actually involved DID or OSDD), and think they were seeing the work of some diabolical mastermind. Basically, it's a form of pareidolia. The therapists would share their beliefs with their patients, who would internalize it in their own minds, and come back with stuff that seemed to confirm their therapists' suspicions.

What's going on here is a pretty straightforward case of confabulated memory cultivation. This kind of thing happens all the time in places like the New Age starseed movement, where people start learning New Age mythology and what kind of alien beings they supposedly could have been in a past life. Whether through hypnosis, vivid dreams, or even incredibly vivid flashes of mental imagery out of the blue, people begin "remembering" supposed lost memories that simply cannot be real because real historical evidence contradicts them at nearly every turn. You can see examples of this for yourself over here and over here.

Confabulated memory cultivation isn't really practiced on purpose, per se; at least, not typically. What happens is you have people who legitimately believe that they can retrieve lost memories, whether from their childhoods or from a past life. And unlike literature that tells you how to program alters, literature that describes methods to supposedly retrieve lost memories exists in abundance. People have made jobs out of allegedly helping people retrieve lost memories ever since people believed that was a thing they could do.

The alter programming conspiracy theory was part of a mental health fad where people believed that repressed memories were the root cause of many ordinary mental and physical health problems. Symptoms of anxiety, depression, chronic stress, PTSD, C-PTSD, BPD, schizophrenia, bipolar, autism, ADHD, allergies, mast cell activation syndrome, fibromyalgia, and more are all chalked up to repressed memories and alter programming. Very, very tellingly, many of the symptoms described in this type of literature are exactly what you'd expect from religious trauma in a conservative Christian environment. In fact, the alter programming conspiracy theory implicitly denies that it would be possible to develop serious trauma from the kind of abusive parenting that conservative Christian culture encourages and condones.

Also, the fact that the ISSTD/RAMCOA SIG continues propagating the claims made by Springmeier and Wheeler definitively shows us that the purpose of ISSTD/RAMCOA-SIG is repackaging Satanic Panic and far right conspiracy theories more generally, and that the very term "Ritual Abuse, Mind Control, & Organized Abuse" is in fact a Trojan horse intended to slip all of this stuff back into legitimate psychological discourse and discussions of systemic abuse, religious abuse, human trafficking, etc. The fact that people cannot question RAMCOA without being accused of denying these things shows that this is working out really well for the the ISSTD/RAMCOA SIG right now.

I'd like to emphasize that I am not trying to say that people who were led to believe they were victims of alter programming haven't been severely abused in some way, or that none of them have DID. This conspiracy theory is very much built to prey on these sorts of people. The point I am making is that it is indeed a conspiracy theory, and that it harms many people, both with and without DID.

Now, I know there's some folks out there who have been led to believe that real evidence of widespread alter programming or even widespread ritual abuse (ie, the practice of abusive occultic rituals) were found, but conservative Christians simply co-opted real events to attack the people they didn't like. And that simply isn't what happened. It was the conspiracy theorists - people like Dr. Lawrence Pazder and Mike Warnke - who positioned themselves as ritual abuse experts and instructed police and therapists on what to look out for. It was always a literal witch hunt from the very beginning.

If you are looking for any kind of mental health support, or wish to talk about real forms of abuse, I strongly recommend avoiding terms like Satanic Ritual Abuse, Ritual Abuse, Mind Control, & Organized Abuse, Organized Abuse, Organized Extreme Abuse, Ritual Abuse, Mind Control, Trauma-Based Mind Control, and so on, because these are all terms created and used by conspiracy theorists. We have other terms to talk about real abuse, including spiritual abuse, religious abuse, systemic abuse, institutional abuse, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and so on.

Likewise, if you see someone using these terms, you know that their information is downstream from conspiracy theorists, and therefore, is highly suspect. If you're looking for any sort of mental health/trauma support whatsoever, be very wary whenever you see someone using them. Even if they mean well, what they're putting out there is still contaminated by the myths and misinformation of the Satanic Panic, which will never support actual healing.

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chthonic-sorcery · 4 months ago

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The Ars Goetia didn't originate from "King Solomon" as it claims.

If it did, it wouldn't be heavily influenced by fucking Greek magic, since Solomon supposedly lived thousands of years before that period.

Medieval monks, who really wrote the Ars Goetia, had a very well documented habit of assigning parentage of magical texts to apocryphal figures like Solomon to make them seem cooler or more powerful. Particularly to christian adjacent figures, since otherwise these books would be considered hersey.

Even the word Goetia itself derives from the Greek Goêteia, meaning sorcery, specifically sorcery utilizing chthonic powers, or the Underworld: Gods, Daemons, and the Dead.

Goêteia comes from the proto Indo-European word goos, meaning to mourn, cry, or to wail; it comes from ancient funeral laments and mourning practices.

Also, Solomon likely never existed, hate to burst your bubble, but there has been zero archeological evidence found to support his, or his "father" king David's existence. Unlike other real kings of roughly the same periods, like King Nebuchadnezzar II.

Even the fact that the magic circles within the Ars Goetia utilize the same coiled serpents and five-pointed stars that Greek goêteia uses, stemming from EGYPT and Egyptian practice, not some psudeo-biblical figure like Solomon.

But wait, there's more

Even the use of demons isn't Solomonic, nor is it Jewish or christian.

It's also fucking Greek.

The word demon itself derives from the Greek daemon, meaning earthly divinity (rather than heavenly/ouranic) or a messenger of the Gods.

It was taken and absorbed into early christian theology like many other concepts such as Tartarus due to early christianity rising in the same region.

Particularly the use of daemons in magic through evocation, or even invocation (calling them within yourself to become possessed, a hallmark of Daemonism and the Engastraitai) through ritual incantations of voces magicae and nomina barbara.

All of it is fucking Greek, no Solomon to be found.

I'll add a step further: even the use of Jewish aspects of magic within the Ars Goetia stems from Greek goêteia, as Greek goêteia was a syncretism of Greek, Jewish, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian magical and spiritual practices.

Fuck, just take a look at the Greek Magical Papyri sonetime if you don't believe it.

Hell, even take a look at the Coptic Magical Papyri, which was a syncretism of early christianity and what we would call "ancient Egyptian" religion and Magical practices:

See the similarities?

Solomon my ass.

☆ ☆ ☆

Learn more here

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grey-sorcery · 3 months ago

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[Title]: Taglocks: How to Target a Person or Place

Related to Taglocks

Threshold Theory Binding Basics Introduction to Gnosis Energy Work Fundamentals Anchors Energetic Constructs Spell Logs Path of Least Resistance Blood Magic Spellcasting Basics

Introduction

A taglock stands as a fundamental element of spellcasting, bridging the material world with the energies, places, and people practitioners seek to influence. A taglock is, at its core, a tangible object that establishes a direct link to a specific target. This object serves as a conduit through which energy can be directed, manipulated, or harnessed in various spellwork and ritualistic practices.

The term "taglock" itself is derived from the concept of 'tagging' or marking something with a specific identifier, and 'lock,' which implies securing or anchoring a connection. Thus, a taglock effectively anchors the essence or energy of a person, place, or thing to the practitioner’s ritualistic focus. This tangible item could be something inherently connected to the target, such as a personal belonging or a biological sample, thereby ensuring that the magical workings are precise and targeted.

History

The use of objects to establish a connection with a person, place, or entity is a practice that can be traced back to ancient civilizations. The principles underlying taglocks are fundamentally tied to the broader concepts of sympathetic magic and animism, both of which have been integral to human spirituality and ritualistic practices for millennia.

Ancient Civilizations

Mesopotamia and Egypt: In ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian cultures, magic was an integral part of daily life and religious practice. Objects such as amulets, talismans, and personal artifacts were often used to protect, heal, or curse individuals. These items were believed to carry the essence or influence of the person or deity they were associated with. For instance, in ancient Egypt, hair, nails, or pieces of clothing were sometimes used in magical rituals to exert influence over an individual, embodying the early concept of taglocks.

Greece and Rome: The Greco-Roman world also embraced the use of personal items in magic. The Greek Magical Papyri, a collection of ancient magical texts, includes numerous spells that call for the use of personal objects such as hair, nails, and garments. These items were believed to create a sympathetic link to the target, enabling the practitioner to influence them from a distance. This practice reflects the underlying principle of sympathetic magic, where "like affects like," a foundational concept for the use of taglocks.

Medieval and Renaissance Europe

Folk Magic and Witchcraft: In medieval Europe, the use of personal items in folk magic and witchcraft was widespread. Cunning folk, wise women, and witches often employed objects belonging to their clients or targets in their spells and rituals. These objects served as conduits for magical influence, much like modern taglocks. For example, poppets (dolls representing individuals) were frequently stuffed with hair, nails, or clothing scraps from the person they were intended to influence.

Grimoires and Magical Texts: The grimoires and magical texts of the Renaissance period also provide evidence of the use of personal items in magic. The "Key of Solomon," a well-known grimoire, includes instructions for using personal items in rituals to bind or influence others. The "Malleus Maleficarum," a notorious witch-hunting manual, documents the belief in and fear of witches using such items to cast spells.

Indigenous and Non-Western Cultures

African Diasporic Traditions: In various traditional religions and spiritual practices, the use of personal items for magical purposes is common. For example, in Vodou and Hoodoo, personal items such as hair, clothing, and personal effects are used in rituals and spellwork to create a link to the target. These items, often referred to as "personal concerns," function similarly to taglocks by establishing a direct connection between the practitioner and the individual they wish to influence.

Asian Traditions: In Asian cultures, particularly in traditional Chinese and Japanese practices, the use of personal items in magic and healing is also prevalent. In Chinese folk religion and Taoist magic, personal items are used in rituals to heal or protect individuals. Similarly, in Shinto practices in Japan, personal items can be used in purification and protective rituals.

Modern Revival and Adaptation

Contemporary Witchcraft: The modern revival of witchcraft, particularly since the mid-20th century, has seen a resurgence in the use of taglocks. Contemporary practitioners draw on historical and cross-cultural practices, adapting the use of personal items to fit modern magical frameworks. Books on witchcraft and magic frequently discuss the use of taglocks, emphasizing their importance in creating a tangible link to the target.

Neo-Pagan & Occultist Movements: Neo-Pagan movements, such as various forms of Wicca, have incorporated the concept of taglocks into their practices. These movements often emphasize the importance of personal connection and the use of physical objects to ground and direct magical energy. While these practices have evolved, they continue to reflect the ancient principles of sympathetic magic and the use of personal items to establish a magical connection.

How do Taglocks Work?

Energetic Connection and Sympathetic Magic

In the practice of traditional witchcraft, the efficacy of a taglock lies in its ability to establish a connection between the anchored spell and the target. This connection is primarily rooted in the principles of sympathetic magic, a foundational concept that posits that objects can influence one another through their inherent similarities or direct associations; as well as energetic entanglement, the process through which identical energetic compounds can interact without direct spatial contact.

Sympathetic magic operates on the premise that a taglock, due to its intimate connection with the target, acts as a proxy or representative. The energy directed towards the taglock is believed to transfer seamlessly to the target, facilitating the intended transformation or influence. This is often articulated through the maxim "like effects like," underscoring the principle that items connected by similarity or direct contact can impact each other even when physically separated.

The energetic link established through a taglock is akin to an invisible thread that connects the practitioner’s will to the target. This thread is not a physical entity but an energetic conduit through which influence flows. The strength and clarity of this connection depend on the nature of the taglock and the amount of genetic material it carries. For instance, a strand of hair or a piece of clothing with trace amounts of skin cells creates a more potent connection than a mere photograph or written name. This is due to the energetic compounds that are unique to each person’s genetic sequence and their higher probability to be energetically entangled. While a sympathetic connection works well in most situations, having an energetic connection is significantly more reliable.

Incorporating Taglocks into Spellwork

Anchoring is a necessary step in the utilization of taglocks, involving the establishment of a lasting connection between the taglock and the target within a spell. This process entails affixing the taglock firmly to the desired magical outcome, thereby ensuring that the energy directed through the taglock manifests effectively in the target’s life. Anchoring is not merely about physical attachment but the energetic binding of the taglock to the spell's energetic design.

To anchor a taglock, the practitioner must first select a taglock that has a strong and clear connection to the target. The effectiveness of anchoring is directly proportional to the relevance and potency of the chosen taglock. The next step involves ritually preparing the taglock. This can include cleansing the taglock to remove any extraneous energies, thereby ensuring that it is a pure conduit for the spell’s purpose. Common methods of cleansing include using elements like water, fire, or salt, each method tailored to the nature of the taglock and the spell.

Once cleansed, the practitioner imbues the taglock with the desired energy through a ritual. This may involve chanting, the use of symbols, or the invocation of natural forces to charge the taglock. The ritual acts as a ceremonial binding, infusing the taglock with the energy necessary to enact the spell’s purpose. During this process, the practitioner focuses intensely on the connection between the taglock and the target, reinforcing the energetic link.

Finally, the taglock is integrated into the spell structure. This can be achieved by pulling an energetic conduit from the taglock and into the spell’s anchor. This way, a solid circuit can be established. The key is to position the taglock in a manner that aligns with the natural flow of energy, ensuring that the spell’s influence is directed towards the target with minimal resistance. Just placing a taglock into a jar with other elements has a chance of establishing its own energetic connection, however it is not very likely.

Unbinding Taglocks

Energetic Dismantling

The most effective method of unbinding a taglock is energetic dismantling, which requires the careful and deliberate dismantling of the energetic connections that have been established during its use. Energetic dismantling is a method that involves consciously deconstructing the energic structures and pathways that link the taglock to its target. This process ensures that the influences exerted through the taglock are effectively neutralized, preventing any residual effects from lingering.

The practitioner utilizes their energetic awareness in order to visually and mentally map out the energetic connections emanating from the taglock. This step is crucial, as it allows for a clear understanding of how the energy has been structured and directed. Once these connections are identified, the practitioner then introduces energetic compounds that are of the opposite frequencies of the energetic connections. This will cause the energetic connections to cancel out and become inert.

After all the connections have been severed, the practitioner proceeds to cleanse the taglock to remove any residual energy. This can be done using elements such as water, salt, or incense, depending on the nature of the taglock and the preferences of the practitioner. The cleansing process ensures that the taglock is fully neutralized, rendering it inert and free from any remaining influence.

Anchor Destruction

Anchor destruction is a more direct and often physical approach to unbinding taglocks. This method involves the literal destruction of the taglock itself, effectively dismantling the anchor that connects it to the target. Anchor destruction is particularly effective when the taglock is a physical object that can be easily manipulated or disposed of.

The first step in anchor destruction is to identify the nature of the taglock and choose an appropriate method of destruction. For physical objects, this could involve burning, breaking, or burying the taglock. Each method carries its own symbolic significance and energetic impact. For instance, burning a taglock in a fire ritual symbolizes purification and transformation, reducing the object to ashes and dispersing its energy into the air. Breaking the taglock into pieces represents a forceful severing of the connection, while burying it in the earth signifies grounding and neutralization.

During the destruction, the practitioner may recite incantations or prayers to reinforce the unbinding process, so long as they do not cause the practitioner to break their state of gnosis. This could serve to solidify the practitioner's will and direct the energy towards severing the connection. As before, cleansing is also recommended afterwards.

Cord Cutting (Not candle divination)

Cord cutting is a technique used to sever the energetic cords or ties that bind the taglock to its target. These cords represent the strings of fate, or channels through which energy flows, maintaining the connection established by the taglock. Cord cutting is a powerful method for releasing these ties, allowing both the practitioner and the target to move forward unencumbered.

To perform a cord-cutting ritual, the practitioner begins by grounding and centering themselves, creating a stable foundation for the work ahead. The taglock is then placed before the practitioner, and a clear intention to sever the energetic cords is set. This intention is crucial, as it directs the focus and power of the ritual.

A common tool for cord cutting is a ritual knife or athame, though other tools such as scissors or even one’s hands can be used depending on the practitioner’s preference. The practitioner then uses their awareness to feel for the energetic cords extending from the taglock and uses the tool to cut through these cords. Each cut is made with deliberate precision.

During the process, the practitioner may also employ visualization techniques to enhance the effectiveness of the ritual. This could involve imagining the cords dissolving into light, evaporating like mist, or being absorbed back into the earth. These visualizations help to solidify the disconnection on both an energetic and psychological level so long as one is aware that visualization in and of itself is not a spell nor energy work.

After the cords have been cut, the practitioner performs a cleansing ritual to purify the space and themselves. This ensures that any residual energy from the cords is fully cleared away, preventing any unintended consequences or lingering attachments. The taglock, now devoid of its energetic ties, can be safely disposed of or repurposed as desired.

Cord cutting not only releases the target from the influence of the taglock but also frees the practitioner from the energetic investment in the spell. This liberation allows for a fresh start, unburdened by the previous connections, and opens the way for new magical endeavors.

Taglock Alternatives

Taglock alternatives are useful in situations where obtaining a physical item linked to the target is impractical or impossible, such as when working at a distance or in covert operations. Methods like visualizations, sigils, memories, elemental representations, and astrological correspondences may still establish a sympathetic link to the target. However, these alternatives often lack the direct energetic connection that taglocks provide, making them less efficient. The inherent uncertainty and reduced potency of these methods can lead to weaker or less reliable spell outcomes, requiring greater effort and near flawless spell design from the practitioner to achieve the desired effects.

Sigils and Symbols: Creating a unique symbol or sigil that represents the target can be a powerful tool. This symbol can be charged with energy and intent to direct the spell's effect.

Visualization Techniques: Instead of using a physical object, practitioners can employ detailed mental images of the target. This involves deeply focusing on the target’s attributes and characteristics during the spellcasting process.

Memories of an individual or location: Using specific memories that encapsulate the essence or identity of the target can serve as a focal point. Repeatedly recalling or chanting the target’s name or a descriptive phrase can help direct the spell.

Elemental Representations: Associating the target with a particular element (earth, air, fire, water) and using that element in the spell can establish a connection. For example, water could be used to represent a person with a flowing, adaptable nature.

Astrological Correspondences: Using the astrological sign, planetary influence, or birth chart of the target can provide a non-physical link. Aligning the spell with specific astrological times or planetary hours that correspond to the target can enhance the connection.

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#taglock #traditional witchcraft #secular witchcraft #eclectic witchcraft #energy work #beginner witch #baby witch #witchcraft resources #witchcraft guide #informational post #Gspell

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daenystheedreamer · 1 year ago

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Valyrian Pantheon Headcanons

We know the names of 5 of the Valyrian gods and that's it. We don't know anything about the practices or even what those gods were patrons of. Here is my headcanon reconstruction of the pantheon ^_^

I think the Fourteen Flames (the volcanoes) are named for fourteen gods who constitute the main pantheon, similar to the 12 Greek Olympians or the 12 Roman Dei Consentes. There are many minor gods, usually personifications of concepts like seasons/emotions.

I imagine them like Egyptian gods, who are personified sometimes as humans, sometimes as animals, sometimes as animal-headed humanoids. I imagine the main fourteen as dragons, though idk how silly that would look lol.

I think they were also androgynous gods. Why? That's fun. That's so fun. Dragons are theorised to be hermaphroditic/intersex who can change their sex at will, but also are referred to as she-dragons if they are confirmed to lay clutches of eggs. So some of these gods are gods, and some are goddesses, despite being a-gender

Canonical Gods

BALERION: I believe Balerion's name is at least a little inspired by Ba'al, an ancient Semitic god who was very important to the religions of the region (Canaan, Babylon, etc) and features as a false god in the Hebrew bible. I think he's the King of the gods, like Zeus. God of war or fire or conquest or all of the above. Many ancient gods shifted their patronage and powers.

VHAGAR: Consort of Balerion, similar to Hera. Goddess of war/wisdom, similar to Athena. I think this fits a person like Visenya.

MERAXES: Perhaps a concubine of Balerion? Like how Zeus had thousands of lovers. Metis, Leto, Demeter, etcetera. Goddess of love, because Rhaenys seems like a woman who enjoyed love and life. Perhaps also a goddess of marriage?

SYRAX: It's gotta be someone Rhaenyra would think is cool. Perhaps a goddess of the sun/moon? Another war goddess? A queen? Actually, perhaps Syrax is the Hera of the pantheon, while Vhagar is not necessarily virginal like Athena but 'unmarried' so to speak. Goddess of beauty/wealth would also fit Rhaenyra. Goddess of the sun or moon would be fun in opposition to Sunfyre.

BOASH: called 'The Blind God' Mentioned as the god the Lorathi worship, whose religious followers (dissidents of the Valyrian Freehold) founded the city of Lorath. The name doesn't follow the typical Valyrian naming traditions, perhaps he was originally Boax/Boaxes? Would be fun. He's a very esoteric god connected to 'higher truths', the priests are eunuchs and the followers are vegetarian teetotalers and a main tenant is that everyone is equal. They also wear hair shirts which is an old Christian practice. I think he's a version of a Valyrian death god

the BLACK GOAT: Whose followers founded Qohor. I think he's a minor god, perhaps of magic or agriculture even, agricultural deities tend to be very important to common folk. However the goat imagery evokes Satan and Baphomet, so I think a villainous or death deity would be fun.

Non-canonical gods

A lot of the Targ dragons are given names with similar naming style to the canonical god dragons.

VERMITHOR & VERMAX: The naming conventions of Vermax and Vermithor intrigue me... I think one is the name of the God and one is a theophoric name in reference to the god. Perhaps a god of justice, law, order, etc, since they were the dragons of Jaehaerys and Jacaerys and I can see them picking that kind of God.

ARRAX: Lucerys names his dragon this, so I think a coming-of-age god or god of youths would be fun since he, yknow, got eated at 14.

CARAXES: This is Daemon's dragon so I'm saying Caraxes is the Dionysus/Hermes trickster god. Daemon picking the bacchanalian drunk sex god for his dragon is real to me.

MELEYS: Rhaenys TQWNW's dragon. Rhaenys gives off SUCH demeter vibes idk so agricultural god would be fun but idk i don't think she'd pick something like that. Perhaps its based off of Meraxes since Rhaenys is her namesake. Perhaps an oceanic or weather-based god.

MORGHUL: Morghul is simply the word for death in High Valyrian e.g. 'Valar Morghulis', but I like it as a euphemistic name for a God of death. Like his name is so tabboo that you just refer to him as death, or he's just named death in relation to afterlife, like how Hades refers to both the god and the underworld. I think perhaps Boash and the Black Goat are actually interpretations/aspects of the same deity, perhaps a death - morghul - god.

SHRYKOS: Sick name sorry just had to say that. He's Jaehaerys (son of Helaegon)'s dragon. got no clue what he could be a god of cos jaehaerys is a plot device character. I think he's just a cool Valyrian word, like Morghul, since Jaehaerys and Jaehaera are twins. Be fun if they picked life/death dichotomy for their dragons :p

TERRAX: ridden by the pre-doom character Jaenara Belaerys, who flew further south in Sothoryos than anyone else. God(dess) of travel/wisdom/conquest/oceans would be fun since she's a traveller who flew across oceans and sort of exemplifies the Valyrian conquest/adventurer spirit.

TESSARION: Okay the blue queen has to be a goddess of the ocean or the sky<3

TYRAXES: Joffrey's dragon :) I think a god of animals would be cute also cos he sounds like T-rex. I would name my dragon T-rex. Possibly a bastardisation of Terrax though...

URRAX: This is the name of a legendary/fairytale dragon from the story of Serwyn and Daeryssa from the Age of Heroes. By Daeryssa's naming convention and the fact she is mentioned only in AGOT, I think she was perhaps supposed to be a Targaryen before GRRM had established a full history. I think he's just a bastardisation of perhaps a Valyrian god like Arrax.

So my vision of the Valyrian pantheon includes Balerion, Vhagar, Meraxes, Syrax, Vermithor, Arrax, Caraxes, Terrax, Tessarion, which is 9 gods

plus Meleys and Tyraxes who I'm not sure if I want to be referring to above gods or just the name of a god entirely, which makes 11

Adding a death god (Boash, Black Goat, Moghul) makes 12,

which leaves another two unnamed for my personal idea of a Valyrian pantheon :)

#old valyria #valyrianscrolls #asoiaf

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thesirencult · 1 year ago

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THE TRUTH ABOUT ESCAPING TWIN FLAMES AND OTHER MLM NEW AGE BULLSHIT

"You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion."

L. Ron Hubbard (Founder of Scientology)

I won't lie to you. What got me into tarot was a very raw and real dream about a man I've never met in my life. I had this dream when I was 15 and it felt like I was floating in a parallel universe.

Dreams with this "stranger" kept coming and going and during a search I stumbled upon the concept of "twin flames".

As with anything NeW AgE it is nothing new. All New Age bullshit are concepts familiar to human civilizations for thousands of years. In all ancient cultures these concepts show up again and again.

Astrology, cartomancy and other forms of divination and guidance have been used by Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks and Hindu people for centuries. They were villainized after the come up of Christianity.

I always have believed there is a higher power. Some name it Allah, others Moses, other Dias etc. Doesn't matter, it's one God above us. Actually contrary to what many want you to believe the Ancient Greeks didn't have "12 Gods" but 12 (and much much more) expressions of DIVINITY. Metaphors and symbolisms.

Hermes Trismegistus has written everything about "manifestation". Others just repackaged it. Some help us understand the concept and others just want to make a quick buck.

All people have some primal needs. Connection and love. Money and wealth. Wanting to be beautiful and powerful. Some people prey on that and, in my opinion, the self-improvement industry will only keep on growing.

The concept of twin flames can be found being expressed by Socrates in the dialogue "Symposium" by Plato :

“Now, since their natural form had been cut in two, each one longed for its own other half, and so they would throw their arms about each other, weaving themselves together, wanting to grow together...

This, then, is the source of our desire to love each other. Love is born into every human being: it calls back the halves of our original nature together; it tries to make one out of two and heal the wound of human nature.

Each of us, then, is a ‘matching half’ of a human whole, because each was sliced like a flatfish, two out of one, and each of us is always seeking the half that matches him."

Sidenote: Obviously I used only two snippets of the dialogue. Socrates' stance on homosexuality and other matters of love can be found in there and it is a good read. It will definitely show you that some concepts have been around since humans walked on this earth.

Moving on, I want to give you some tips on how to best use astrology and tarot/oracle cards as TOOLS to better yourself.

1. First try them yourself.

Don't let others dictate how you see astrology and tarot. Go online and search up your birth chart on astroseek or visit the Light Seer's Tarot/Muse Tarot website which has an incredible pick a card feature.

Don't contact an astrologer or tarot reader before familiarising yourself with the tools and "taking the magic out" of them.

2. No one and mean NO ONE can predict the future 100%.

In our lives there are moments who seem synchronized. They make you believe in fate. I do believe that God intended for us to live through some things but I also absolutely believe in FREE WILL. I always say that to clients especially those who have tarot readings.

Tarot and astrology can help you see the paths laid in front of you. They help you dive in your unconscious mind. Don't let anyone fool you that they are magical and whatever the cards say can not change.

3. If you purchase a reading don't purchase a love/romance one at first.

Don't get me wrong. I love love and romance. I love doing love readings. They are sweet and sexy.

BUT. Even in my love readings I incorporate a "general energy of you" for the person. I do that cause I want to show to my client, who trusted me and chose me that a tarot reader can be vetted.

Sadly even with PAC readings I can see that the romance ones are read and reposted way more than ones that assist with personal development. I try to keep a balance and do both.

The thing is a good tarot reader, astrologer even a therapist or a fitness trainer want to help you become INDEPENDENT. I don't want you to keep coming back and purchase love readings about your ex.

It's toxic. I won't accept that.

4. You are perfect the way you are.

Telling you that "yeah, you have an issue right here and it can be fixed by doing so and so" is okay.

Telling you that "YOU SHOULD LOVE YOURSELF. YOU DON'T LOVE YOURSELF THAT'S WHY YOU WON'T FIND LOVE UNTIL YOU DO THAT" is toxic. People control you this way.

It's like saying give me more money. Ask me how I can make you LOVABLE.

Your other half won't cheat, manipulate or make you feel awful. Your ex who was an asshole is not your Twin Flame.

Light up the flame within and love out your dreams. You will attract people who will adore and love you by being AUTHENTIC.

Anyone that abuses you and puts your flame out should GO.

5. All big corporations prey on your weaknesses & Do not trust anyone who tells you they are the only ones that can set you free or solve your issues.

Be disciplined. Control yourself and your mind. Read "The 48 Laws Of Power" and other books on influence and manipulation. Learn how narcissists and cult leaders operate.

All big companies do not sell you products (I will probably post this part by itself too).

They sell you emotions, feelings, status. BMW doesn't sell cars, it is selling power and prestige and confidence.

Nike doesn't sell shoes and shirts, it is selling dreams of being powerful and different, of making it in the jungle, of WINNING.

But there are some companies which I'M NOT GOING TO MENTION by name who influence you by breaking you down. Astrology apps that send you negative predictions about your day to make you anxious so you will check back every single hour. Cult like influencers who sell "How to get rich quickly" courses that cost thousands of $ and offer no value.

Be careful. Be prepared. Be strong and firm.

I hope everyone who was taken in this cult (wait ! myy username is the siren cult, lol) can find peace and the power within them.

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traegorn · 1 year ago

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This long ask came in, and it's so ridiculous I'm going to have to chop it up and respond to it piece by piece.

Because it's that's fucking dumb.

I will, in fact, get pretty hostile in this -- because I've been getting a shit ton of this. So, before we start -- I am not a Christian. I am not fond of a lot of what's been done in the name of Christianity. This is not a defense of anything ever done in the name of the Christian Church.

But I am sick and tired of uninformed bullshit, and this ask is the latest in an unending pile of this nonsense I've gotten this week.

So buckle up, buttercup.

So time to brace myself for something stupid. Like reusing "monuments and temples" is like a textbook example of syncretism, but let's see what their examples are.

Stolen from who, buckaroo? Stolen from fucking who.

I'm pretty sure I've seen the unsourced meme all three of those claims come from, and literally there's no evidence. You're going to go into some Horus bullshit, aren't you? Written by someone who outright lied about actual Egyptian mythology.

You're just making shit up here -- like the twelve disciples? Say what you will, but those were, like, actual guys. Crucifixion was literally a common means of execution by the Romans. Why would they "steal" that when it was the way a lot of folks were executed.

Does your ass not possess an ounce of critical thinking skills?

I need you to fucking think about this for a few seconds.

If a tradition came into being in the last few hundred years, whomst the fuckst do you think came up with it? If the people who invented it were Christian... it was created by Christians. Like pull your god damned head out of your ass. "Gee, we don't have a lot of written records about what non-Christians did around the solstice -- but somehow centuries after the Christianization of Europe we're just going to somehow know about an ancient Pagan tradition and steal it! For reasons!"

There are pre-Christian traditions that have been incorporated through syncretism, but also... a living culture sometimes invents new shit. It happens.

"Elves and flying raindeer and a magic man who can come into your home are not the result of syncretism." Well some of those are the results of Department Stores and Capitalism, so you're like half-right on accident there.

Santa is actually a classic example of the fusion of multiple figures -- mostly Father Christmas and Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas was a a fucking actual guy who got stories made up about him and embellished through folklore. Father Christmas may have been adapted from a pre-Christian figure from the British Isles, but it's one we literally know nothing about if its true.

...and decorating the hearth... is literally syncretism. That's, again, like textbook. The church didn't tell people to do that. People just kept doing that in spite of the church.

You have a fundamental misunderstanding of how culture, history, and even religion work.

You overripe aubergine.

#witch #witchcraft #witchblr #pagan #christmas

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talonabraxas · 5 months ago

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Temple of Ra Talon Abraxas

In ancient Egypt the people closest to the gods were the priests. To better understand them, we will journey through a day at the temple of Ra.

The Egyptian priesthood that served Gods such as Anubis and Ra was established in the Early Dynastic Period in Egypt (c. 3150-2613 BCE) but developed in the Old Kingdom (c. 2613-2181 BCE). During this period, priests became immensely powerful, rich, and political, as they represented a check on the power of the pharaoh. Their decline and disappearance came during the 4th century, due to their corruption and the rise of Christianity.

What was a Priest in Egyptian Religion?

The defining feature of an ancient Egyptian priest was his one single duty: To take care of the god of their temple. Compared to priests from other faiths, priests in ancient Egypt did not perform any functions or preach, nor did they convert the unfaithful.

Furthermore, both men and women could take the cloth, and they would perform the same duties and receive the same wages. However, in most cases, women served female gods, while men served male gods. Exceptions were the worship of Serket and Amun, where both genders could worship them. Worshipers of Serket could be doctors, and priestesses of Amun could rise to the position of Wife of Amun, rivaling the king in power and influence.

The high priest was always assigned by the pharaoh. He would perform the most important rituals, was seen as the prime mediator between men and gods, and managed the business of the temple. Consequently, high priests were seen as figures of both political and religious authority.

The driving force of Egyptian religion was the important principle of Ma’at (harmony and balance), maintained by Heka (magic). Heka and its godly personification, according to Egyptian religion predated the creation of the world and the first gods. Every social category in Egyptian society had to respect Ma’at by performing their duties. Priests play a vital role by honoring and caring for the gods daily.

What Types of Priest Were There?

By gender, male priests were known as hem-netjer and females as hemet-netjer (servants of the god). The priestly hierarchy started with the lowest tier, wab, and ended with the high priest (hem-netjer-tep). The wab had an auxiliary role taking care of the temple or assisting at or preparing for festivals.

Between the wab and the high priest, everyone who performed a certain activity withing the temple complex, such as kitchen staff, janitors, porters, and scribes were priests due to their relationship with a god. Singers and musicians were required to train with priests to be able to perform their duties. The hour-priests were astronomers whose activity was to keep the calendar, interpret signs and dreams, and decide lucky and unlucky days.

The priests who had medical training were known as the swnw (general practitioner) and sau (magical practitioner),trained in both the ways of magic and medicine. A priest paid by a family to perform the daily offerings at the tomb of a deceased relative was known as a Ka-priest (or ka-servant). Sem priests were tasked to preside over mortuary rituals and conducted funeral services. They were the embalmers who performed the mummification of a corpse and recited magic incantations while wrapping the deceased. They were held in high esteem for their service and spells, which would guarantee eternal life to the dead.

Right below the high priest was the lector priest (hery-heb or cheriheb). His tasks were to write down religious text, instruct other clergymen, and recite the “authoritative utterance,” the heka, in the temple or at festivals. As the position of the priest passed down from father to son, we do not have records of female lector priests, although there is circumstantial evidence which proves their existence.

Early Morning Rituals and Awakening the God

Ancient Egyptian priests started their days like everyone else. They got up and dressed, getting ready for a new day. However, all priests were expected to be ritually pure, which meant three main things. First, after dressing up, priests had to shave off all the hair on their bodies, even their eyebrows and eyelashes. Furthermore, every third day, they underwent a hair removal procedure to keep their bodies incredibly smooth.

Second, they were required to bathe several times daily in the temple’s sacred lake to remain as clean and pure as possible. Finally, they gargled with natron salt solution before dressing in linen robes and reed-woven sandals. They always wore white linen clothes as a sign of purity. All of this happened right before the dawn. After these preparations, the first ritual of the day took place. Known as the Fire Ritual, it gathered all priests in a sacred room close to Ra’s shrine to re-enact the first sunrise by lighting a fire in a brazier.

Once the sun was up, a priest had to prepare to sing a morning hymn, “Awaken in Peace, Great God,” which as the name suggests, was meant to awaken their sacred god, Ra. The next ritual, Drawing the Bolt, had the senior priest walk right to the center of the temple. Here, he unsealed the sanctuary doors, and performed a ritual prayer four times over the image of Ra. This ritual represented an exchange, where the priest gave his soul so the god could take a new earthly physical shape. After awakening the god, it was time for breakfast.

After breakfast, priests sprinkled water over the sanctuary and the image of Ra. They left by saying a final prayer and sealing the doors of the sanctuary. At noon, the high priest re-entered the shrine, this time burning myrrh resin while sprinkling water to further purify the temple’s shrines and sacred spaces.

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egypt-museum · 10 months ago

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"An entertaining and informative introduction to how ancient Egyptians practiced magic in their daily lives.

In the ancient world, if you needed a love charm, wanted to contact your dead wife, or needed the ability to fly like a bird, the magicians of Egypt were the ones who could make it happen. In Ancient Egyptian Magic, Christina Riggs explores how the Egyptians thought about magic, who performed it and why, and also helps readers understand why we’ve come to think of ancient Egypt in such a mystical way.

Readers will learn how to cure scorpion bites, discover why you might want to break the legs off your stuffed hippopotamus toy, and uncover whether mummies really can come back to life. Readers can also learn how to save a fortune on pregnancy tests―urinating on barley grains will answer that question― as well as how to use the next street parade to predict the future or ensure that an annoying neighbor gets his comeuppance.

Was magic harmless fun, heartfelt hope, or something darker? Featuring demons, dream interpreters, the Book of the Dead, and illustrations from tomb paintings and papyrus scrolls, Riggs breathes new life into ancient magic and uses early texts and images to illuminate the distinctions between magic, religion, and medicine."

— Ancient Egyptian Magic: A Hands-On Guide, by Christina Riggs

#ancient egypt #books #magic

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cursecuelebre · 2 months ago

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What is Zoolatry or Theriolatry?

Zoolatry is the definition to describe the religious worship of animals and animal spirits. It is probably one of the most ancient form of religious practices other than ancestral worship that occur among early humans (hunters and gatherers) worshiping animals they hunted and saw them as.

Zoolatry is practiced throughout almost every culture and religion in some form. Either worshipping the animal itself as the god/divinity is within the animal or animal associating of a deity. Countless of myths and legends and sacred rites include animals. This might look like the following examples:

Worship of sacred animals

Worship of Gods with or as animals

Animal Sacrifices

Fasting or dietary restrictions

Rituals and Ceremonies

Offerings

Animals can be the signs of the gods and goddesses or even spirits. Deceased love ones can send you an animal. For instance my grandfather who is pass leaves bird feathers for my grandmother to find. When I hear or see crows or ravens it’s Odin. Each animal can mean different omens and signs, whether it’s divination, mudane world, or in your dreams I.e a raven eating a dead animal can mean a lot of different things to certain people based on off socially and cultural beliefs but also personal beliefs as well.

The gods can be shape into animals or depicted as animals for instance in Egyptian religion and mythology the gods are usually depicted as human figures but their sacred animal as the head. Bastet’s animal is the cat, her head is the form of a cat’s head. Many cultures have animorphism for example Gorgons, Centuars, Satyrs, Werewolves, etc. the deity Cernunnos has deer antlers or a deer’s head and with the body of a man.

In Norse and Saxon sorcery it’s said that when a person practices Grandir (magic of primordial force) their spells are sending out in the form of an animal. Whatever their soul takes form is usually believed to be an animal. They also believed diseases and poisons are in forms of spirits but take forms as Nesso (snakes/dragons/worms) many charms to drive them away. That being said mythical animals can be worshipped and honored as well like Dragons, Unicorns, Cryptids (they’re essentially part of folklore), Satyrs/Fauns, Griffins, The Phoenix etc.

In witchcraft in general especially in the western world is believed that witches can shapeshift into animals like owls. Witches are also well known to have animal familiar which are allies of the witch during spellwork.

Animals in Your Practice

Depending on where you live and what culture you’re from and religion you will have a different interpretations of each animal. If you’re a Hellenic polytheist you might associate Owls with wisdom because of Athena, some will associate Owls with Diana with Magic and witchcraft it’s all on your own interpretation. It’s best to sit down and write about each animal that comes to mind here’s a prompt that I created for myself, “What does_____mean to me” the blank being said animal. It might come to you immediately some it will take some time. This list might help push you in the right direction! Witches have used animals and animal spirits for countless of things just reminder do it ethically if you want to use cat magic, use SHEDDED fur, claws and whiskers it’s more easier and less stressful to the cat. This goes for any kind of animal. But bones in the wild (you can purchase them as well) just make sure they’re very clean and you have permission from the spirit as well.depending on if you want to worship using animals solitary you can essentially make your own rules and sacred rites. You can use color associations as well for instance Black cats will mean different than Calicos or White cats.

This list is a starting point and an idea of how to see animals and their meanings. Some are how I see them but they also base on what the practices they stem from. I put deities that I found or associated with these animals to help with the meanings. It’s a really great idea to look up the associations of deity and animal for an accurate understanding of their meanings.I put elements to them for the same reason but you can mix it up if you want to if you see an element with an animal and you disagree feel free to replace it.

Bulls: - Zeus. Dionysus, Baal, Hapi, Utu, Sin, Mithras. Hekate, Enlil, Shiva, Moloch, Taurus, Poseidon - Fertility, Life, Creation, male potency, Protection, Earth, Strength, The Earth Element.

Horses - Poseidon, Freyre, Odin, Loki, Athena, Epona, Rhiannon, Étain, Zeus, Demeter - Speed, Strength, Endurance, Wildness, Connection to Spiritual realms, Sovereignty, Movement. Earth or Air element.

Cats - Bast, Freyja, Hekate, Artemis/Diana, Sekhemet - Magic, Healing, Fertility, Independence, Clarity, Cleverness. The Fire Element

Snakes/Serpants- Hekate, Lucifer, Athena, Quetzalcoatl, Jörmungandr, Loki, Minoan Snake Goddess, Angitia, Circe, Medea, Wadjet, Asclepius, Apollo - Death, Healing, Change, Destruction, Transitions, Knowledge , The Underworld and Earth Element.

Dogs - Artemis, Diana, Skadi, Hekate, Hermes, Anubis, Wepwawet, Xolotl, Hel, Hades - Hunting, Companionship, Guidance, Protection, Guarding, Leadership. The Air Element.

Bears - Artemis, Hera, Artio, Artaois, Odin, Thor, - Leadership, Strength, Wisdom, Patience, war, fighting, healing. - It’s said that in Norse paganism warriors will wear bearskins while doing a ritual taking the “form” of the bear before battle. The Earth Element.

Wolves - Artemis, Diana, Odin, Skadi, Hekate, Fenrir, Hel, Tyr, Loki, Ares, Mars, Apollo, Anubis- Teamwork, Silent, Treachery, Aggressiveness. Air Element.

Ravens/Crows - Odin, Apollo, Lucifer, Sol Invictus, Mithra, Athena, Bran The Blessed, Nephthys, The Morrighan, Valravn, - Death, Messages, Wisdom, Ancestors, Spirits, Change, Transitions. Air Element.

Deer- Apollo, Artemis, Skadi, Ullr, Cernunnos, Diana, Beith, Herne, Beith, the Horned God, Arawn - Healing, Energy, Guidance, Protection, Stability. Earth Element.

Bees - Demeter, Presphone, Melissa (nymph), Aristaeus, Beyla, Potina, Mellona, Ra - Productivity, Prophecy, Abundance, Endurance, Purpose, Working Relationships, Teamwork, Victory, Hardwork. The Fire Element.

Otters - Loki, Uto, Dobhar-chú, Cerridwen, - Balance of emotions, Calmness and Peace, Patience, Stop Overthinking and use all tools before jumping to conclusions. Water Element.

Elephants - Ganesha, Kangiten, Indra, Queen Māyā, Vinayaki - Patience, Wisdom, Courage, Prosperity. Earth Element

Hares/Rabbits - Freyja, Aphrodite, Ēostre, Cerridwen, Andraste, Unut - Fertility, Abundance, Wealth (domestic), Love, Nature, Harmony, Accomplishments. The Earth Element

Dragons - Hekate, Lucifer, Ares, Apollo, Hel, Tiamat, Quetzalcoatl, Keto, Jorumgandr, Loki, Nidhogg, Saint Michael, Nabu, Python, Gaia, Madurk, The Dragon King - Protection, Guidance, Teacher, Lessons, Wisdom, Strength, Courage, Challenges, Reflection, Knowledge, Solitude. No specific elements since Dragons can be more than one.

Spiders - Athena, Loki, Neith, Arachne, Iktomi, Ananasi - Luck, Fate, Change, Creativity, Protection, Wards, Inspiration, Connecting, Inheritance, Power and Control. Air Element.

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