#asian witchcraft

[river-in-the-woods]

greetings! i'm new to buddhism and i would be curious to know if you have any tips for westerners regarding the practice. i see a lot of people online aggravated by western attitudes at times and as new convert, i would like to avoid contributing to that. thank you!

Hi there :)

I suppose one of the greater issues is that there is a mindset of... shall we say, pioneering and innovation that can be unhelpful when approaching Asian traditions.

Western practitioners like to experiment, change the rules, "fuck around and find out" as they so often say. This works out well enough for them – in fact I think Western practitioners often thrive on their enthusiasm to explore, when it is balanced by discernment – but it is not an attitude that will get them far if they decide to train properly in an Asian tradition.

What we have in Asia that is lacking in Western traditions, are culture, history and esoteric lineages spanning thousands of years, and techniques that have been refined through trial and error with each passing generation. European traditions don't have this kind of unbroken lineage, which creates some distinct differences in mindset.

A Western practitioner might consider themself 'advanced' after 5-10 years of practice. But to become a Buddhist monk, guru/lama or Daoist method master, in that time you might only have just completed basic training (depending on tradition; I'm making broad generalisations here).

There is such a thing as spiritual authority, and Westerners sometimes don't like to hear this. After all, for many, becoming a witch/sorcerer/magician/spiritualist is all about taking fate into your own hands, claiming the universe's power, the church be damned, etc. Asian witchcraft and malefica does exist, however it is not treated as the path of self-liberation and sovereignty as it is in the West, so please do not mistake it as such.

(Diasporic Asians like to claim titles such as 'witch', and this is fine, but just bear in mind this has a decidedly negative connotation when you visit countries in East Asia).

The line between laypeople and ordained monks and priests is very clearly defined, and one is expected to show deference. This does not mean any sort of self-deprecation, rather, to understand one's own limits and keep an open and curious mind. Just as a layperson would not presume to know better than a trained doctor or surgeon.

Therefore, having ample patience will serve you well. You should expect to repeat the same basic practices 100s and 1000s of times, because cultivation is grueling and the path to Buddhahood, Immortality, or what have you, is something that takes lifetimes to achieve.

Now, that may not be your goal. You might simply want to live well in this life, and that is fine. The above message is more for those who aspire for mastery, importance or greatness, but do not yet understand what the journey requires. (I don't claim to understand it myself either).

This might be obvious, but in case it is not... be discerning about who you trust to guide you. There are genuine European/white practitioners who have entered their respective traditions the correct way, and there are Asian frauds and charlatans who have no qualms about using their cultural traditions to con people out of their money. You should respect what people have to say about their cultures and experiences, naturally, but don't use someone's ethnic background as a validation of their skill or character.

Most of all, maintain humility. Humility is the virtue that supports all other virtues. One that I think all of humanity struggles with the most, perhaps because we don’t understand it very well, and our survival has so often required its opposite.

Beyond that, I advise you not to place too much emphasis on seeking knowledge in books or written texts. The main reason for this: published texts on Buddhist practices come from oral traditions that may require empowerment and transmission. The people who publish these texts might not understand this, or they are relying on the good faith of spiritual seekers. One does themself a great disservice if they believe they can bypass the guidance of a teacher from a long-standing lineage.

The other reason is that the wisdom, capacity and personal growth one gains through cultivation is experiential. It can only be gained through consistent practice. A skillful teacher can guide you on the path, but ultimately, the real thing cannot be taught, and all words fail to capture its true majesty.

I hope this helps, and doesn't come across as too intimidating. Take it slow, let the path unfold before you, and enjoy each day as it comes. Keep a green bough in your heart, and the singing bird will come 💚

[the-eastern-witch]

From this Friday magic ritual - it's been a while since we did " Mimbar Holistika " ritual, last time was before pandemic. And now we did this magic ritual again, the special ritual for gaining wealth

[crazycatsiren]

Me: *dumps a dollop of hazelnut creamer into coffee, followed by a big heaping spoonful of sugar* I'm making my ancestors proud everyday.

[astral-witch]

witch boy

[prescriptionquality]

HELP Venmo @Yuri-Sisson

[ex-coolgirl]

Klaus Mikaelson x Cordelia Catapang (OC)

Love reading Klaus fics with oc’s and decided to come up with my own oc, shamelessly having my oc as Filipino as you don’t really see many of those (yet alone an Asian oc 😅) so I thought I try and contribute 🤷‍♀️

Cordelia is a 21 year old werewolf-witch who moves to New Orleans after dropping out of nursing school to see if she can find any information on her werewolf side of the family. Unfortunately for her she gets tangled with the originals, especially the big bad hybrid.

I try to post at least once a week, though work has started to get busy and I’m sick as a dog rn🫠

Currently have prologue + six chapters up which can be read on either wattpad or ao3!

[sebflix]

shes serving face

[lumismagicshop]

Welcome to Lumi's Magic Shop💖🌙

Hi there! I’m Lumi, a Vietnamese witch and welcome to my page!

This blog is my public journal of things I want to keep a record of and observations I want to share! Feel free to interact, ask me questions, or message me! 

Some Things About Me:

♡ I love all things pink 🌸

♡ I''m obsessed with Stardew Valley, Catan, video games, books, and fanfiction.

♡ I worship a range of different deities, spirits, and beliefs due to my background as an Asian American.

♡ Currently studying shamanic principles and traditions and dreamwork 🪄

🌙You can also find me on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

[the-eastern-witch]

From our magic ritual last Friday - the 2nd step of the ritual where clients fed our sacred alligator ( 4th and 5th pics ) and prayed to the tombs of spirits who originally are the spirits inhabit the place since beginning ( 3 last pics )

[mercurycore]

thinking of exploring christopaganism, but only for the vietnamese kitchen gods (and maybe ong dia and than tai too idk). i thought maybe i could replace them with st. martha (patron saint of homemakers and cooks) but i don't really feel much of a connection to her tbh. but obviously, i'm not gonna worship them, i'll just ask them to pray for me like they're saints.

[crazycatsiren]

When will white people understand that rice is holy.

[sword-in-the-sea]

✷ some silly interactions i've had with local gods & spirits ✷

//blue texts in a conversation are their words

lighting incenses for them, or sharing my kretek cigarette when i smoke with them. the scent of burnt spices and herbs feels like home

an javanese god who looks like a 40-yrs-old javanese man with leathery skin and calloused working hands, responding "bapakmu, le." (it's like a your mom joke, but to express disbelief and irritation. literally translates to "your dad, son (derogatory)".) to a dumb rethoric i made

"what are you doing?" "hiding." "in my bathroom??"

in response to seeing an incorporeal lady dressed in all white while going to the bathroom, my first reflex is to grab the bug spray

seeing a pair of child's feet behind my own and having a momentary cardiac arrest before i realised what's happening. looking to the side to the incorporeal children with a frown as i said, "...can you not."

"(in distress) please give my ring back, i'm rather attached to it." (sudden silence before my ring fell out of thin air right beside my feet) "...thank you."

bodyslamming a monkey-like creature who was sent as a santet (curse) to my house at 1 am

"can someone please get that ghostly child away from the stairs, i nearly had a heart attack seeing him crawling up and down."

giving a non-human home intruder bombastic side eye until they left

additionally, staring contest with them until they left

"le (son), it's 3 am which is the time where humans go to sleep. some even call it the demon (witching) hour and would avoid being awake at this hour." "..your point?" "why are you awake cooking instant noodles?"

"le, that tree can't survive here. the sun doesn't hit it well."

the goddess lady whom guarded the forest where i had a summer camp in; who wore a kebaya and apologised to me because her children possessed a camp counselor out of fear and defense response. the strange feeling of acknowledgement as we both nodded to eachother before parting ways

the old gods in kerep, ambarawa who never failed to greet me whenever i made a trip back to ambarawa

the stoic silence of the jogjakartan court of old gods. yet even in their stillness, there's a comfortable acceptance of me amongst them whenever i visited

"you can return whenever you need to. this is your Home, you are Ours. no matter how far you've voyaged, you can always return. this is your Home and no one can take that away from you."

the two tigers who followed me all the way to dublin and back home as i studied abroad

✷✷✷

[indnwitch]

Asian inspired tofu/chicken/rice sauce!!

Sesame oil in a hot pan, be generous with it. Fresh or powdered ginger and garlic, let that get to know each other and get fragrant, add in onion powder, half a cup of honey and mix constantly is gonna bubble let it do that! Add in red pepper flakes, a little bit of water to thin it out. Constantly stir and adjusting the heat you want bubbling not boiling or burning! Mix 1:1 ratio of corn starch and water add it in and whisk to thicken! Add in hot sauce and ketchup about a tablespoon this is gonna cut the sweet and bring heat. If too thick add in some water, a little bit! Whisk and let it heat for a few minutes and boom baby it’s that easy

[asiangirlsarehott]

[arcane-ally]

¤ Pretty danger, is all I wanna be ¤