#or spiritual practices

[bharatpractice]

What is Hinduism? The Journey into One of the World's Oldest Religions

Hinduism is often called Sanatana Dharma (a tradition that continues forever).

The world's oldest religion. Uniquely, the faith lies at the core of India's deeply rooted spiritual, cultural, and philosophical traditions. There has never been a founder nor a single doctrine to bind the more than one billion people who profess this faith. Still, it indeed binds them as a way of life perhaps greater in number than any other collection of beliefs, practices, and philosophies.

Fundamental Principles of Hinduism

Dharma (The Right Way): To live a virtuous and ethical life by one's duties.

Karma (Act and Consequences): Action produces its effects and keeps the wheel rolling through life and rebirth.

Moksha (liberation): The one way, moksha, with which to escape the wheel of rebirth (samsara), the reunion with the divine.

Polytheism and Monotheism: Worship of various gods and goddesses, all considered different manifestations of the same universal truth called Brahman.

Conclusion

Hinduism is more than a religion; it is a philosophy, a way of life, and a spiritual journey in itself. Its teaching inspires millions to live in harmony, accept their differences, and search for the ultimate truth. Festivals, texts, or spiritual practices, Hinduism continues lighting paths toward personal and global well-being.

[mellowdracwitch]

Recommended tips for research as a beginner witch/practioner:

Research as a beginner can at times feel stressful if you don't know credibilties or anything about the craft really. So, I'm going to share some tips I use in my practice and would recommend when researching witchcraft.

Research what interests you. If research begins to feel like a task instead of genuine interest or fun, there will be problems down the line with researching thoroughly. That isn't to say don't research things that bore you, it means that you should take what resonates with you and from there you can begin to build the framework for your personal craft.

Does the source align with your moral standing and personal beliefs? If the answer is no, time to find a new source. For example, if a source is fully against any harm towards another person and tries to push that narrative on the reader/viewer (or vice versa) and it's not something you personally align with, find another source. The most important example of this is many authors are bigots, terfs or cultural appropriaters. Remember to research the author and their practice before trusting what they have to say.

What may work for some people will not work for you. Do not feel inclined to do everything a certain way as said by a certain practioner. The point of witchcraft is to develop your own habits and outlooks. Crystals and astrology may work best for someone, but you may have an inclination towards herbs and palmistry for example. You do not need to practice every form of witchcraft out there. So circling back to the first point, pay mind to what sparks joy and what aligns with your abilities.

Take everything with a grain of salt. Learn to question what you learn. As witchcraft and spirituality have been practiced in many cultures for many years, things have evolved and been taken from one context to the next. Research various practices and rituals as well as the authors and cultures who promoted said practices

Use multiple sources. Blindly believing one post can be harmful, especially when concerning topics that can be a manner of physical safety (fire hazards, dressing candles, consumption and burning of herbs) or spiritual safety (spirit work, baneful work, trickster spirits). The more research the better, as it solidifies understanding too.

Do not rely solely on social media, but use it as a crutch to what you already know. Many content creators care more about views or aesthetics than educating. But many creators also DO care about what they're putting out there and have genuinely good tips and tricks for various practices. Just be wary.

Don't worry about aesthetics or perfection when you're just learning. Don't let pinterest photos of altars downplay your own craft and beauty. Right now, you're learning new topics and there's plenty of time later to find pretty altar tools or to neatly scribe in a leather journal. Don't let it distract you from research, and ultimately, the goal is to grow.

Have fun with it! There are so many research topics, and it can be as expansive or specific as you make it. Remember this isn't supposed to be stressful, it's supposed to be rewarding.

(Please add your own tips too if you'd like!)

[fluidity-stupidity]

Beginner Witch Things to Research

So many older - more experienced - witches tell beginner - baby - witches to start with researching things like protection spells, grounding, cleansing and warding but what do you research afterward? These are just a few things that I would recommend every individual to research, regardless of how experienced you may think you are.

Carl Jung's Map of the Soul This is where the archetypes stem from, a what a lot of witches dread doing - Shadow Work. Shadow Work is uncovering not just traumatic ventures of our pasts but also revealing what made and makes us who we are today. Studying where it all started makes working through your own shadow a lot less stressful and a lot hammering on the soul, it also leads to a lot less martyrdom in the spiritual community.

Honing in on your psychic abilities and Intuition Gaining the ability is easy, everyone has these abilities, you just have to work to get them to where you want them to be. Remember a spiritual practice is still a practice, you have to put in the effort to get better, just as you would a physical sport or an instrument.

Egregores and Amalgamations vs. Deitys vs. Pop Culture Deitys Egregores and amalgamations exist solely in the astral plane and can (and will) mimic, imitate, and parody deities. Being able to decern these, especially with your intuition will always provide useful. Learning that Lucifer from Dantes' Inferno is reaching out to you versus aspected, epithetic source Lucifer will give you a much better relationship and outcome in your practice.

Deity Work vs. Deity Worship Offering play a key role when learning to decern these from each other. You can in fact, do both, but be warned deities get jealous of each other.

Find what you love and surround yourself with it Incorporating things that you love into your practice and not actually doing what you love about your practice is one of the key differences I saw in my practice when I learned how to differentiate them. I found incoporating pop culture media into my practice made me get burnout from both that piece of pop culture and my spiritual practices.

Finding a form of divination that you are most comfortable with Everyone likes using cartomancy, divination using cards or pieces of paper, is the most common form of divination, but learning your favorite form of divination will help avoid burnout and creating tension for yourself in your practice.

[delusionalisted]

“Low Spoon” witchcraft doesn’t exist.

This is a post for all my disabled siblings. (But it applies to broke or low-income siblings as well.)

By the way, you heard me. What does exist is capitalism, consumerism and scarcity, all things that don’t belong to witchcraft. Witches in the past were mostly poor, unprivileged and unhealthy individuals with just one skill: knowledge. Yes, for today’s americentric standards they’d have been called “low-spoons practitioners”.

No fancy candles? No cauldron? Just one heavily used tarot deck?

Yes, no fancy candles Susan, you can keep those paraffin toxins to yourself.

Cauldron, Deborah? I have no money to waste for your pinterest aesthetics. We cook in this house, I can simply use a kitchen pot.

Mais oui Elizabeth, just one old tarot deck. It’s used my dear Elizabeth, you know… that’s something that happens when you actually use… tarot instead of purchasing 15 decks, then ending up using just one or two of them and leaving the other 13 to collect dust and resentment towards you.

*Sigh*

This is all to say, witchcraft doesn’t need a 9-steps process to be achieved. Calling it “low-spoons” practice just means “high spoons” practice is the norm. It is not. Most importantly, it never was. You don’t need 30 specific crystals to perform a spell, you don’t even need one most of the times.

— Addition: If you fit into the “Low Spoons” type of witch and you noticed that your spells or rituals don’t work, then let me share one of the possible reasons why they fail: you followed a “low spoons” recipe or spell preparation, consciously or unconsciously gave the title “too much power” (your subconscious registered your spell as something lesser than a proper ceremony) and any energy that you and the ingredients released just plopped like a pudding on the floor.

Branding something as “lesser” in spirituality can lead to two results: failure or high delays. Yes, the herbs you use still have, nourish and release power, but without YOUR faith, their power alone can do so much; in most cases, your subconscious skepticism rejects your desired manifestation leading to a delayed or completely failed magickal attempt.

[thespectralcottage]

Spiritual Hygiene

Spiritual hygiene is basically keeping yourself, cleansed, protected and grounded spiritually. People tend to try and do this through daily practices, which for some can be hard to upkeep. As someone with depression and can be lazy at times- sticking to routines can be difficult for me. So here’s some “basics” you can try to slowly add to your day to day that will give you a regular spiritual hygiene routine.

Cleanse yourself when you shower: This can be as simple as asking the water to cleanse you while you shower. Sometimes showering can be hard- for times like this i recommend a cleansing spray. Quick and fairly low spoons. But if you want to put more energy into this step you can enchant your soap/body wash for cleansing, hang eucalyptus above your shower and ask it to cleanse you, make a shower sachet, use spellcrafted oils for cleansing, ect.

Enchant your jewelry and/or skincare for protection: Obviously this one is for when you feel up to doing an actual spell. But, once its done you can just put your jewelry or skincare on for the day and be good to go. Every once in awhile take a moment to check in with your jewelry/items and see if it needs to be cleansed (or make a jewelry cleansing bowl) or needs to be re-enchanted.

Ground yourself when you wake up: once you wake up take even a minute to ground and center yourself. This works both if youre a person like myself who needs to lay in bed for a few minutes before getting up, or if youre a crazy person whos ready to go right away.

Even doing these three things through the week will help build you a strong spiritual hygiene routine and daily practice. Remember to take your time when building a daily practice, and forgive yourself if it’s not done everyday. ✨🫶🏻

[spiritchill]

This vibe ain't right, better fix it. ✨

[phlorealcalicanto]

I just read all of Worm in like a month and I kept frantically reaching for the next chapter thinking surely, SURELY this is the one where the tension between Taylor and Rachel reaches a breaking point and they fuck messy style while some unspeakable calamity happens around them. And it just. never happens. (the fucking I mean, the calamities keep happening a bunch)

[serpentface]

Faiza performing the Kagnoma Odo (pretty literally 'lion dance'), a weapons dance and one of the more important ritual duties of Odonii priestesses. A relatively new addition to this traditional dance involves the musket as the primary weapon, which is fired mid-twirl into the ground at the climax of the dance. Faiza is experiencing an 'oh fuck' moment because her shot is more than ideally diagonal, but she’s being so cool with it.

This is a wholly ceremonial performance at the onset of the pilgrimage, performed in full regalia and lion skin (of the small, semi-domesticated strain) but no armor. It’s also distinctly a display of political allegiance between the powerful and beloved Odonii priesthood (and its loyal military) with the increasingly reviled and destabilized imperial family, with Faiza prominently wearing a bracelet of the royal serpent, which was gifted (along with the musket) by the usoma Stavis Amanti himself (Usoma is the Wardi word for king, which has been retained in the context of emperors).

The Kagnoma Odo is the ultimate demonstration of the Odonii as an embodiment of the Lion Face of God and living vessel of military might and sovereignty, demonstrating her fitness and proficiency with weapons and as a spiritual unifier for soldiers. It is accompanied by drumming and occurs in stages, running through the three keymost weapons used in war- the spear, the sword, and the musket. The musket is of the most significance, given the weapon has developed a particular esteem as the ultimate embodiment of might and superiority. Assistants (almost always other priestesses, occasionally high ranking soldiers) load and prime the musket to be fired at the climax of the dance, where it is shot into the ground as the priestess leaps out of range of the shot. The firing signals the end of the dance and the rite itself.

While not the utmost exemplar of trigger discipline, only fully inducted and senior (and therefore very thoroughly trained) Odonii are permitted to perform the dance, and injuries during actual performances are quite rare (though are known to occur during training, more than a few Odonii have burns and wounds on their feet).

The most important renditions of this dance are performed upon declarations of war and before battles (in this case, generally done in full armor along with the lion pelt). It is also done during some trainings (while a dance, it is carefully choreographed to include naturalistic maneuvers of the weapons involved and helps soldiers limber up and learn to move their weapons). It is regarded as an impressive and motivating sight and a morale booster, and, seen at a distance, potentially intimidating to enemies.

A special variant of this dance is performed as means of fully incarnating the Odomache, which is done in full nudity with the body covered in the blood of the freshly sacrificed lion and cloaked in its raw pelt (the lion has become the corpse of Odomache in the moment of death, as part of its recreation of God's sacrifice). Her public, full nude appearance once (and only once) in this act is what allows the Lion Face of God to incarnate within her. Those in attendance see the spiritually vulnerable, naked human body obscured with the sanctified and deified blood and cloaked in the sanctified and deified skin. It is a merger of the contradictions of mortality and divinity, the boundaries between the two indistinct in flickering firelight and the flash of musketfire. She is witnessed by her people, dangling in between humanity and divinity and leading them in dance, and and is thus transformed.

[auraofrose]

im in my research era (it never ends)

[thepersonalquotes]

Thoughts create emotions, emotions create feelings and feelings create behaviour. So it’s very important that our thoughts are positive, to attract the right people, events and circumstances into our lives.

Avis J. Williams, The Psychic Mind: A Practical Guide to Psychic Development & Spiritual Growth

[natalchartnurtures]

PAC: How can you wear your "Big Boy" pants right now?

Sometimes we need reminders that we can in fact, be "big boys" in our lives and take responsibility to change what we don't like about our lives. Happy reading!

_________________________________________________________

Pile 1:

There's a lot you CAN do. In fact, you have been doing a lot by yourself, weathering proverbial storms all on your own. Unfortunately, you haven't been conscious enough to acknowledge all the effort you've been putting in to simply push through. Let me be the one to give you the kudos you deserve, Pile 1. You've been doing way more than you think, albeit these are mostly internal efforts (like maintaining a headstrong attitude in the face of a challenge). You currently feel challenged to take active steps in your external life, though. You might find it hard to apply things you learn to your life or simply lack the discipline to see your (quite excellent) plans through. You need to be reminded that you do have the free will to choose to make all your plans come to life :) You have what it takes, sweetie; you really do.

Bonus - How do you need to go about it? One thing that can EASILY help you execute your plans is to bring in help (trigger warning though). You all seem Independent AF, and I get it, sweets. With everything you've been doing, of course, you can handle anything, but you definitely need some support too right now. Especially if you struggle with something like discipline (or whatever challenge you're facing right now). Bringing in even just ONE person (or multiple) to help hold you accountable to your plans, with compassion, would help you a lot (that person/people don't have to be real too; you could bring in a bot from an app or AI, I don't care) as long as you feel like you have a buddy, you know? Somebody who makes you feel like your plans matter. It's an excellent way to pour into yourself right now and show yourself some TLC ✨️ You deserve to make your plans a reality and have a bit of fun on your path towards it.

Love, light, and hugs!

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Pile 2:

Doing things your way and rejecting convention might be a BIG step for you, to be honest, but it's well worth it, Pile 2. Celebrate yourself, basically. Slow down and enjoy yourselves a little bit. Maybe you've been living your life BY THE BOOK so far, and now you're going to put your big boy pants on by letting loose and doing things differently for once. You're not abandoning yourself and your needs nearly as much anymore, and so you're quite stable in your own skin as a result. That's really impressive, Pile 2! You have lived in fear (possibly a fear of failure), and I'm sensing some mommy wounds maybe? This is where your fear stems from, and this fear has kept you from really truly living. You might identify as a workaholic too. Maybe you prefer to keep yourself busy as a coping mechanism to ward off any feelings of anxiety. This has a direct correlation to childhood wounds of yours. So put your big boy pants on and put an end to conforming to standards that don't respect you and what you stand for, Pile 2.

Bonus - How do you need to go about it? I feel like this pile needs extra guidance on how to exactly wear their big boy pants. Start by acknowledging that you do have wounds from childhood, specifically those from female (motherly) figures, if not your mother herself. Take a radical approach to your healing journey right now. Look into the concept of mothering yourself and come up with customized ways to do just that. You got this, Pile 2 :)

Love, light, and hugs!

_________________________________________________________

Pile 3:

It seems like you've already been wearing your big boy pants, Pile 3. Good job! Looks like you've been on a healing journey, and you're now at a point in life where you can reap the benefits of all the inner work you've done. You've reached a level of mastery over the mind, and now it's time to make room to tend to your heart. You need something that your authority figures couldn't give you readily, and that's unconditional compassion. Show yourself kindness even when things don't go as you'd like them to. Hold yourself through the thick and thin of life, as you would a child. This should open up a brand new way of living and viewing life that you never thought possible. It has always been waiting for you and your attention. Nurture yourself on a whole new level and be ready to receive 10X from the universe. You're going to feel so spoiled, I love it, haha! 😄

Love, light, and hugs!

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[blasphemousclaw]

What are your thoughts on Romina? Was she a Hornsent? We actually do see her in that story trailer without obvious horns.

I think Romina is indeed hornsent… when the story trailer is depicting the burning of hornsent lands, we see her holding the bud that became her weapon with her church burning around her:

the Church of the Bud is built in the same style as other hornsent architecture:

(Theatre of the Divine Beast, Divine Bird Warrior Ornis temple)

the Church of the Bud was not originally dedicated to the scarlet rot:

“There was a time when these buds were not touched by the scarlet rot's blight—when they were the symbol of the small church deep in the ancient ruins of Rauh.” (Scarlet Bud)

I think the church used to be dedicated to hornsent spirituality, as it overlooks Enir-Ilim and is located deep within the Ancient Ruins of Rauh, which was a very important place to the hornsent because it was perhaps the origin of the Crucible itself:

“It is said Devonia quested in search of the Crucible's origin, and departed from the lands of the Erdtree alone.” (Crucible Hammer-Helm)

“A record of crafting techniques left by the hornsent academics who studied the ancient ruins of Rauh.” (Antiquity Scholar’s Cookbook)

we find Devonia in the Ancient Ruins of Rauh, and the hornsent (who revered the Crucible above all) studied the place, so I think it’s fair to say that Rauh is the origin of the Crucible! I think it’s possible that the Church of the Bud might have originally been involved in Crucible worship!

the co-op summoning pools seem to confirm the Ancient Ruins of Rauh as a hornsent stronghold, because they are listed under the “Land of the Tower:”

there’s also some cute inquisitors near the Church of the Bud praying to the Tower:

and of course, there’s the deathblight Divine Beast Dancing Lion in the middle of Rauh!

so basically, it makes sense that the Church of the Bud was targeted by the Crusade… it’s a hornsent church involved in hornsent spirituality. Romina herself is most likely hornsent too; it isn’t super clear if she had horns or not under her hood in the trailer, but if she doesn’t, that doesn’t mean she can’t be hornsent. at the very least, she was involved in hornsent religious practices!

Romina also has cut voice lines! (at 0:31 in the video) she says, “Children of the Tower; butterflies take wing.” we don’t know the context, but “the Tower” obviously refers to the hornsent, so Romina is calling upon the hornsent here, which I think further suggests she was one of them!

[cozy-saged]

What energy winter will bring to you? ❄️

Choose a pile and let`s find out!

The Beginning of Aspirations. Gaining new resources, both material and moral. A cozy time for domestic matters. Dedicate time to your abilities and talents, and develop them

You’ll need to show flexibility and cunning in your approach to tasks. There is no need to invent anything new—focus on what's already available and make good use of it. Be diplomatic

It's worth changing your perspective and paying attention to previously ignored things. Miracles are close by; you just need to notice them in the routine of everyday life and keep your heart open

[starphenie]

whenever i think of how nikki's personality has changed from her first game to her latest i get so emotional.. bring back silly lazy genki girl nik </3

[moonlit-hexes]

Witchcraft Practice & Disability

I have often struggled and grappled a lot with the concept of my practice being able to co-exist with my disabilities. I have been practising witchcraft since before I was made aware of my disability, but my disability sure made themselves aware throughout my practice.

From being unable to get up, plan or do Anything for major events and days, to the simple mundane task of going up to my altar and saying thanks to all my spirits. Every single task was dictated or rather, negated by my disability and my inability to function or do anything.

The only discourse for the same, is a persistent reminder of, "meditate everyday only then are you a witch," "you cannot be a witch unless you have a daily routine and do something everyday" and the list just goes on.

When will we have a collective talk about how such ideas are rooted in sheer ableism and the capitalistic idea of constantly working and being active? Rest is objectively a part of the cycle of nature, periods where we flourish and are active and others when we rest.

Why are we not allowed to extend the same to our bodies and our spirit?

And this is not to say that all spirits and deities you will be working with, will be okay with you vanishing for months on end. Unfortunately promises and oaths made to the spirits do not follow the same rules for disabilites. There are deities and your spirit team that might excuse you and give you that time, but not every spirit you make a contract or contact with are obligared for the same. They are not obligated to stay or do anything in the period that they are not being fed or given something in return. And that is okay. That is why we bite how much we can chew.

But that is in very specific situations, with very specific spirits. You are not ruining yourself or your practice by not being active for a week or for months or hell, even years.

Your disability does not make your practice "armchair witchcraft" (i really bloody hate that phrase).

You are allowed to take breaks. You are allowed to come back later. You are allowed to mourn being unable to practice when you want to. And you are allowed to ask for grace and time from your spirit team and deities.

Your practice is your own and it is horrifying how norms are policed by non-disabled, able-bodied and neurotypical witches for what they feel entitled to.

If you are one of them, clearly, this space and post are not for you. If you do not understand how people go months and years away from their practice, then this is also clearly not for you.

I want to talk more about what can be done during the major periods of breaks, and what not to do. This is not to throw shade at the posts that talk about - pulling 1 card from your bed because sometimes even the energy for that is lacking. (and that is for future posts)

We are disabled. We have needs. We will take up space. We matter.

And a special fuck you for the people who believe that taking medications will "hamper" your intuition.

I would love for other disabled witches to also share about their experiences and how they navigate these periods <3

Happy witching to you and a protective period of Samhain for your loved ones ✨🎃🍂

[spiritchill]

You know, healthy obsessions 💅