#pagan discussion

[faeyramaeyra]

🌸 A guide to Plant Wards 🌸

What are they?

To put it simply, A plant ward is a plant in your home that wards and protects the room it is in or your household. How much it wards depends on the energy, effort and intent you put into it.

How do you get one?

All you need is a plant. My plant ward use to be a monstera (I had to give it away to move houses unfortunately) but yours can be any plant. My tip is to get a plant that will grow fairly large leaves. The bigger the leaves, The more negativity it can ward off. From my experience, Small plants as plant wards do not last very long and cannot take the hits to ward your space. I simply just asked the plant to protect and ward my space. Then it just started doing it’s thing from there.

Do you need to do anything for the plant?

Yes. You need to take care of it by giving it water and adequate light for whatever plant it is. Also re-pot if/when needed. Different plants have different needs. I use to communicate with mine to figure out what it needed and when. Giving offerings to your plant ward is a must since you have to give something to receive something. Fertiliser is a good offering for them. If you do not take care of the plant or provide it with offerings, It will not ward your space. Simple as that.

How do you tell if the ward has been hit?

Plant wards can react in a couple of different ways when they have been hit by something. A common sign I noticed was drooping of the leaves and the growth of smaller leaves becoming hindered. Remember to rule out mundane reasons for leaves drooping and plants struggling to grow since things like inadequate care can cause those issues. Another sign I noticed, Which is very uncommon, Was the plant having physical damages to it. I say this is uncommon because things like pets, not taking care when handling it etc can cause physical damages to it. I have only had one instance of a plant having physical damage due to negative energies it was warding off.

What do you do if the ward has been hit?

Don’t panic for starters. It’s better the plant was hit instead of you. The first thing you should do is check in with the plant. Make sure it is okay, figure out if it needs anything and monitor it. Cleanse your space and yourself, renew your protection methods if you have to. If you work with deities, Check in with them. After you have done all that is when I recommend figuring out what was sent to you or who it was sent by to make sure it is not a deep issue etc.

Can you get a plant ward as a beginner?

Absolutely, In fact I encourage it since I believe it is such an easy way to ward your home!

🌸 If you have any questions, Please ask away! 🌸

Tip-Jar and Readings

[khaire-traveler]

hello! i love your blog and I wanted to ask a question, do you/how do you balance science & faith? Do you completely ignore science (especially things like evolution), do you work it into your practice, or something else?

sorry if im not getting my question across well, this is coming from someone who has been practicing as of almost a year, i've been asking myself this recently and I wanted to know other practitioners opinions on it.

Khaire, Nonny!

I do incorporate science into my practice. Personally, I believe that trying to separate the two is kinda...not great. Being spiritual shouldn't mean that we can't be scientific also, in my opinion; both things absolutely can coexist. I'm not a mythic literalist, for the most part, so I'm sure that makes it a bit easier for me lol. Spirituality isn't an "illogical" thing, and I think that's a common misconception spread throughout the U.S. society especially: that spirituality is purely hogwash, and no spiritual person can be a scientist.

I believe in evolution, and I also view it as a very beautiful thing! I love animals and plants, I love the history of the earth, I love the science of weather and the ocean and the sky and space. I incorporate it into my practice as subtly as breathing. I say this in the sense that it's not really a big deal for me; I don't draw a line between "science" and "spirituality". Spiritual things can be scientific, and vice versa. Are the stars that burn millions of light-years away from us just beyond our atmosphere not filled with a divine beauty? Is the fact that trees that have lived for millions of years still being alive today not a reason for pause? Is the existence of our bodies at all not indicative of some divine intervention, some living miracle? There is SO MUCH that had to go right in order for us to even be here.

So yeah, I tie these things together because I don't believe they were ever meant to be separate. Someone once told me that only fools separate science and religion, and to some degree, I feel there is truth in that statement. Those who ignore vaccines on account of their religion, who deny the existence of evolution, who deny things that have been proven time and time again - those are fools. I'm not really a judgemental person, but when it comes to these things, I have rather strong opinions (some family members of mine are like this, and that's partially why; I've seen the harm directly). My advice is to not separate these things, but I'm obviously quite biased. It's ultimately up to you on what you decide to be right for your practice.

[sunlitpath]

Apollo, god of knowledge

Thank you for holding me accountable

Thank you for pushing me to be better

[sag-dab-sar]

Lazy is a Weaponized Word

Whether We Like It Or Not

Separate follow up (tags only) post

TL;DR Lazy is a commonly weaponized word against disabled people. Not everyone can discover what a spirit/god likes some of us are entirely or partially head-blind (don't communicate with gods/spirits). Mention what tradition you are before making comments on topics that span across basically every pagan & polytheist practice.

🔷Disclaimer I Supposed🔷

I'm a Hellenic and Sumerian polytheist.

I'm going through my drafts and this is from 2022 so no way I'm reblogging the original post. But as I was re-reading this, I still want to post my thoughts hence why I used screenshots.

Also with the discourse currently happening in our community its a decent time to post it.

OP mentions in the follow up tags-only post that they come from an East Asia tradition. The original post was reblogged by many Helpol blogs which is why I wanted to respond. I only found the tag post that explains the differences in traditions when I was looking through their blog— so this was never actually clarified in the original post at any point.

A lot of people agreed with this in the tags, including disabled people. This is just my view as a disabled person. I am not being a spokesman for every disabled person.

🔷How Do You Know?🔷

In my opinion, water is a lazy offering. Yes across certain periods of time and locations it is a prized commodity, and yes it is life-giving and wonderous. But that does not change the fact your average witch/pagan who reads this post on tumblr gets it in 2 seconds from the tap.

Did they though? Did it only take a few seconds or did it take more effort than you might realize.

How many of the authors or people in the notes about water not being a lazy offering require much more than a few seconds (or minutes) to actually get the water? How can you possibly answer that question. Did you somehow magically pull out this statistical ""average"" number from somewhere.

((And I do not want to hear "well I said the average" or "I meant in general" because trust me I will get to that.))

There are people who have to use a mobility aids to get to that tap water that may make it more difficult for them. There are people who have to properly sit before turning the tap on, and may even need someones help setting the stool or chair up. There are people who have a hard time getting out of bed (for physical or mental reason) and doing so can be an difficult task, making this trip to the sink for a water offering is going to take up a good chunk of energy.

"Well yes you're correct and those things are not necessary

........if they are not necessary why did you go on to say that such things are effort, hard work, and discipline.... and should be strived for. Those who don't do these things aren't putting in the appropriate effort, are unwilling to work hard, and have no discipline is the implication.

...and not everyone can do them all the time

That implies that every one can do it at some point. What about the people who will never be able to make offerings the way pagans envision spirituality— those who can only offer a sip of what they are drinking. What about the people who will never be able to be more elaborate? What about the people who will never be able to make a daily practice?

🔷Words Means Things🔷

I don't know if the OP is disabled or not but if you (any one reading) haven't experienced the weaponization of this word first hand please don't speak over the experiences of the people who have experienced it. Wheelchair? Lazy. Classroom accommodations? Lazy. Extra time in bed? Lazy.

However, a cup of water being lazy and convenient is exactly why it’s so great. Lazy and convenient are not inherently bad things, you understand? 

No. I definitely don't understand. Because this word is damaging.

Words have power. "Lazy" is a weapon wielded against disabled people all the time.

The sheer power of this word isn't going to poof away due to social media. Ignoring the word lazy's connotations, by simply stating "its not inherently bad" is not a solution. Its just furthering its harmful impact.

#discourse #water offering #dont take it personally #people see the word 'lazy' and immediately panic #lazy and convenient are not inherently negative #that's the real capitalist conditioning you know

Immediately panic. Yeh at times for pretty good reason.

I disagree that "lazy" is "not inherently negative" meaning we should ignore its connotations because its "capitalist conditioning." The conception of "lazy" existed before modern capitalism. Not all words can be washed away as not negative because arguments like "capitalist conditioning,."

Many people get called lazy enough for many things— needing more rest, using mobility aids, asking for accommodations—we do not need our offerings to be put in that category FOR ANY REASON. And reasons such as "well its just a capital mindset" aren't an excuse. An offering is more than the actual liquid. It can take concentration, prayer, emotional or spiritual strength; it'll depend on the person and traditions.

"Putting efforts into things such as daily practice, and more elaborate offerings. Is an expression of discipline and hard work and these are worthy things to strive for"

Funny I'm certain there is a word specifically used by society to claim disabled people are not disciplined and not hard workers.... oh right, I remember the word—its lazy.

🔹Disabled People Exception to the Rule🔹

All the Tumblr discord around spiritual practices seems to be from people who feel threatened by putting effort into things. 'Like you don't need offerings!' and water is not a lazy 'offering!'

"Seems" to be? Did you ask any of the authors of those posts what their disability is? Did you ask them of daily practice could ever be a possibility based on their life constraints? Did you ask any of the authors of those posts if they could ever give more than just water based on their life constraints or disabilities?

If the answer is no, how are they supposed to read this entire post and not feel bad and not "take it personally" as you suggest? You literally just indirectly called the authors out for making these posts that you don't like.

"Honestly it just feels like the people who write post arguing against things like daily practice or otherwise reassuring people that you don't need XYZ are actually feeling threatened by these things

YES. CORRECT. Anyone saying something that takes effort—like a water offering— that a person does not posses is just another thing to put in the pile of "people things call lazy and leave me out of the conversation because I'm disabled thus an outlier"

It IS threatening— the word is genuinely threatening.

The word quite literally keeps people out of places without wheelchair access because ambulatory wheelchair uses can "technically" walk therefore they are being lazy by asking people to find wheelchair accessible options.

It literally prevents students from learning. Requesting the ability to use a laptop in class (which professors insisted made a student absorb the information inefficiently) instead of writing notes? Lazy. Need to request extra time on tests? Lazy.

It can literally prevent people from being in any profession— need extra breaks at work? or short naps throughout the day? an extra place to sit? Lazy.

It can literally prevent people from graduating if the professor flunks you because they saw your disability as simple laziness.

It can literally prevent a judge from giving people disability benefits because according to the judge's decision the person can work they're just being lazy and choosing not to.

These things happen in real life.

People are afraid to ask for accommodations for fear of being seen as lazy or burdensome.

Playing a phone game because its what you can actually manage, instead of using that "time to be productive" is branded lazy.

It can even effect medical professionals who call patients lazy and "giving up" because they assert to the professional that physical therapy is harming them and a mobility aid is better.

"I know disabilities are a thing yes but"

NO. No "buts" we should not be put to the wayside because we are the minority. We should not be a "but"

But yes water is safe, lazy and convenient for many of us.

If you do happen to live in an area with water issues, then of course a water offering takes on that extra special meaning and becomes a far greater sacrifice on your part. If you do not have this problem, then rejoice!

This is essentially saying "of course there are SOME exceptions to the rule." I refuse to be an "exception" in discourse about offerings. And that is exactly what society does. All. The. Time. to disabled people for everything. That is what this post does. The minority is cast aside so we can talk about the majority of people and just leave the others out of the conversation.

Is it safe. lazy, and convenient for all of us? No. Then don't call any water offerings lazy because that inherently ignores the "rest of us" and invalidates people who you may not know are disabled.

You cannot know if the authors of the post—who you claim feel threatened by effort—fall into the outlier disabled community; unless everyone of them states they are fully able bodied and neurotypical. You cannot know if the people in the notes agreeing with the sentiment in the "water isn't lazy" posts are disabled and can give only water. Worst of all you cannot know if anyone disabled is going to read your post and take it to heart, that water is lazy.

🔹Unequal Offerings🔹

Water offerings will never be as valued as a personalised offering after getting to know the spirit’s likes and dislikes. Don’t kid yourself.

This is just .... gate-keepy. Also ignoring the diversity of traditions since you didn't state what yours were in the original post.

I've said it once, I'll say it a million times if necessary. Not every pagan or polytheist can "know" a spirit or god's preferences. Plenty of us have no 'communication' no interpersonal 'relationship'

The idea that personalized offerings are more valued after an individual takes the time to "get to know," a spirit or god just makes headblind or mostly headblind people feel even less at home in these spaces, more than we already do. Since most of us in that category will never get the chance. It reinforces the annoying emphasis on communication and interpersonal relationships that gets said over and over and over again in pagan & polytheist spiritual spaces. Pushing us with rare or zero "communication" out.

But why pretend that sacrifice is relevant to you?

There may be a difference between sacrifice and offering depending on the tradition you practice.

If you come from a tradition that eats the food or drinks all of the liquid after it is offered, then milk is no different than water in value if both are readily available to you. If you come from a tradition that pours out some or all of the liquid than there may be a monetary sacrifice depending on your individual life circumstances— and how you personally view it.

Using my own personal experience to discuss this one. One of my rare UPGs is that Athena likes coffee. In university I would offering some of my morning coffee as libation to Athena Ergane. It certainly was a sacrifice in my view. Coffee was practically essential for me to get through my classes. I'd have to leave my residence earlier than I normally would, wait in a very long line at the campus cafe/shop, spend money to buy it— then pour some of that coffee out onto the ground. Coffee felt like precious gold at that point in my life.

Nowadays coffee is in my home and I could probably ask someone to make it for me. So it isn't a sacrifice, in the same way I considered my Uni morning coffee; but it is still an offering. And to add to my dislike of the "personalized offering is better" concept— yes, I enjoy giving her something I believe she likes but my offerings of coffee is no less valuable than my offerings of water just because I know her "likes." Not to mention some traditions specifically dictated what should be offered.

Saying otherwise with "don't kid yourself"—a very condescending phrase— is just so odd. Not everyone see personalization that way or even has the ability to personalize things.

🔹Different Traditions🔹

Frankly, if you are speaking solely from an East Asian perspective maybe mention that in the post directly—not a separate tag post—before calling water a lazy offering and justify it by saying lazy is just "threatening" and "capitalist."

I just can't get over how ridiculous "will never be as valued as a personalised offering" is.

Sumerian polytheism doesn't require personalization, nor imo does Hellenic polytheism (described here), nor does Shinto. Anyways, these traditions have traditional offerings that require no spirit communication, UPG, divination, personalization etc. Those offerings are just as good as "personalized" ones, water offerings are just as good as "personalized" ones.

🔷Final Remark🔷

"people who feel threatened by putting effort"

Two professors deciding I was lazy due to accommodations nearly making me flunk out of university during my senior year. A judge quizzing me (and a witness) about if I could actually work and was just choosing not to was humiliating.

Don't call any offerings lazy. Don't put disabled people to the side with the word "but"

Lazy is a weapon. I will stand by that statement.

[jezzzebel]

Some kiiiiinda unconventional things you can do for YULE!

1. Make paper snowflakes with intentions and hang them on your wall! For stuff like house protection, abundance, and good fortune!

2. Do a Yule themed reading with an uncommon divination method!

3. Do a bibliomancy reading with a book about winter, Christmas, Yule, or holidays!

4. Make a Yule log but with things corresponding to what you wish to achieve next season!

Example: Put something purple on the log for psychic power strength.

5. Drink tea flavors you've never tried before. And stir them with intention.

6. Make a Yule themed poster, art, zine.

7. Drink hot chocolate. Just that. I love hot chocolate.

[devout-of-the-elder-scrolls]

Positive Aspects of Daedric Princes and Things They Help With

This post is primarily UPG, and focuses exclusively on the positive aspects of these wonderful beings and what they can do for you, so while I acknowledge the negative aspects, it's not the point of the post. This is in no way an exhaustive list of everything. I use the term "follower" in here to refer to worshipers, deity workers, etc as a general catch-all. Sorry if it's not accurate to your relationship! /gen

Read more due to being a long post.

AZURA

A very calm, collected, loving individual who wants followers to love themselves the way She loves them.

Teaches divination and warns us mortals about upcoming events that may harm us. Focuses a lot on growth, healing, and progress within life. Blesses mortals with divinatory powers and prophetic dreams. She's really lenient and patient.

BOETHIAH

Generally protective and shares His wisdom to all who seek it. Is stated to be the patron of rebellious exiles in TES lore, and accepts those who have been exiled for one reason or another.

Teaches and preaches strength and personal power to a high degree. Getting vengeance and standing up against the cruel and those who wish to hurt you. Teaches a lot of baneful related magic.

CLAVICUS VILE

Very active in the lives of followers, and often works to help them achieve their goals and what they want. While deals with Clavicus tend to have you receive in a way you didn't quite expect, They usually work out in your highest good. Quite silly and goofy overall.

Doesn't sit by while followers are upset and enjoys cheering up followers into better moods. Spends time with followers when upset or hurting. Fulfills deals and grants wishes.

HERMAEUS MORA

Answers questions and delivers knowledge easily and quickly, and with just an offering in return. Calm, collected, and quite chatty when you get It going. Protects mortals from knowledge they're not meant to know that would genuinely harm them.

Teaches about pretty much anything. Generally calm and collected, making a good person to debate with, such as pros/cons on a situation, or anything else like that. Works hard to beat ignorance in all forms, and will educate followers in places their knowledge lacks even without being asked.

HIRCINE

Calm, collected, quiet, and acts as a pack leader. Cares a lot about followers, and is very clear about what They want. A very calm worship/working with/etc experience.

Brings in more people into a followers life that truly care for them and want their joy. Helps with achieving goals. Helps with anything life related, guiding to a better future.

JYGGALAG

Acts as a stern yet kind teacher. Will make it clear to a follower what they need to do for each thing.

A great god for the neurodivergent, especially ones stuck living in very neurotypical pushing lives. Puts things in your life in order, and makes sure you have a peaceful place to live within, or at least as close as They can get it.

MALACATH

Protective and strong-willed, and generally cares a lot about building people up in their circles and helping them regain themselves.

Regaining personal power, and establishing yourself within society. Helps with rebuilding from the worst of the worst, and with rebuilding your status/reputation after someone harmed it. Protects against abusers, and protects people who have been betrayed. Ensures followers keep their oaths and that those around them keep theirs to them. Helps with lying and deception for the sake of self-protection. Helps with curses and other baneful magic.

MEHRUNES DAGON

Has a lot of interest in making things better for people.

Helps with change and revolution. Aids with making plans for such changes. Helps with destruction of those who have wronged followers. Helps with big shows of power and greatness, helping a follower to assert themselves and their capabilities to others. Protection from natural disasters to followers.

MEPHALA

Watches over a followers life in every way, and often notices problems very quickly. Very sly and cunning, often using this to a followers benefit.

Teaches skills to avoid enemies and harm. Helps uncovering plots against followers, and rats out those who wish to harm them. Helps reveal secrets that are kept that don't help ones highest good. Helps with gender related things.

MERIDIA

Cares a lot about followers and their safety, wanting a better life for all of them.

Freeing followers from struggles and difficulties. Brings light onto situations that require of it. Helps re-find the joy in life and in living. Helps with surviving day to day and dealing with life matters.

MOLAG BAL

Very, very protective.

Protects against abuse and helps with vengeance. Fights back against bigotry and discrimination. Teaches to be strong and grand, and helps with facing fears. Provides guidance about how to be strong and with strength.

NAMIRA

Watches over a followers life, much like Mephala, to help notice when things go wrong.

Helps those in deep need, be it from poverty or anything else. Helps with that you can't discuss with everyone/anyone. Overcoming anxiety and fears. Finding beauty in things you didn't think you could before.

NOCTURNAL

Calm, collected, and generally kind to followers that listen to Them.

Revealing hidden things, and finding lost things. Being hidden from harm, cloaking during spells, and keeping cruel spirits from even noticing you. Uncovering mysteries and that which confuses you, bringing enlightenment.

PERYITE

Cares a lot about illness and healing in all sorts of ways.

Healing from illness, and managing chronic illness or physical disability. Accepting the above three things when they occur to you. Dealing with and finishing tasks, especially ones you don't want to be doing.

SANGUINE

Generally a kind and sweet person when in a good mood.

Succeeding in all forms of interpersonal endeavors. Managing addiction. Obtaining an lot of something you want.

SHEOGORATH

Very silly and goofy, doesn't take things too seriously unless it really calls for it.

Managing mental illness and neurodivergency, and accepting it too. Finding fun and having a good time. Cheering up during hard times.

VAERMINA

Rather friendly to followers, and enjoys helping them out.

Delivers messages through dreams and nightmares. Helps with dream/nightmare deciphering. Delivers omens and warnings to followers. Deals with corruption.

GENERIC THINGS TO NOTE

They all work to protect their followers in some way, in some way that relates to their sphere.

They'll all teach Daedric magic to those interested in it.

[enbysiriusblack]

Sirius was in the middle of taping a dung bomb underneath a desk in Flitwick's empty classroom when Peter spoke.

"You going home for the holidays?"

Sirius easily slid out from under the desk, folding his arms on the top as he glanced over to Peter, "Nah. I'll probably go to James' instead. See how long it takes them to come drag me back themselves instead of sending that wretched Kreature."

Peter nodded, "I might come join you, Mum's place is always packed during winter."

Sirius grinned, "Brilliant", he climbed over the table and jumped off it, "We can spend Yule together."

Peter smiled back, "Yeah. The Potter's made you your own guest room right?"

"Oh, I forgot you haven't seen it! It's much cooler than my room at Grimmauld Place."

"Oh, no naked women?"

Sirius laughed, "Absolutely not. Maybe I want my mother to have a fit, but definitely not Mia. But Monty got me these proper band posters and there's this huge Queen one over my bed, and last summer when I flooed to the Potter's, me and James stole this traffic cone so that's in there. Oh, and Mia met me in Camden as well and she got me all these muggle clothes and Marlene built me a cupboard to put it all in."

"It sounds nice, can't wait to see it."

Sirius grabbed Peter's hand to drag him to the next classroom, "Merlin, neither can I. And you can borrow any of it, of course. I actually got a guitar for when you come over."

"You got a guitar? What kind?"

Sirius shrugged, "Fender Strat, I think. You'll play it right? I love hearing you play."

Peter beamed, "Course, I will."

Sirius tousled Peter's hair before glancing at his bag of dung bombs, "Only got a few left", he sighed.

Peter held his hand out, "Pass them here, I was thinking if we put them on the doors instead and leave them open then the smell would reach to a further distance."

Sirius instantly perked up, grabbing Peter's face and quickly giving him a kiss before turning to the windows, "Make sure all the windows are shut as well!"

Peter, cheeks still bright red, walked over to shut the remaining open windows.

[lavendermoonlove]

Imposter syndrome in witchcraft - A discussion

I often feel like my practice is not good enough. Or that I am not actually a witch and just faking it, or playing pretend. This feeling stems from me not being born in a family of witches or from “only” practicing for a year. From barely having any otherworldly experiences. For not being able to see or talk to spirits, for not being able to astral travel, for not actively practicing every single day. I tend to feel bad about myself and compare my path to that of others. Not only that, but I also feel like I will never be at the level I want to be, because I keep doubting myself due to this comparison.

I have to remind myself however, that these creators or witchcraft influencers we see online also had their own journeys and didn’t start at where they are now. I have to remind myself that progress isn’t linear and that all will come in due time. I have to remind myself I have a life outside of witchcraft and that witchcraft is here to enhance my life not hinder it. Whenever I start to feel this way, I tend to step out of the online witchcraft community for a while. This helps me align myself again with my own path and rationalise things. Especially since the online community can tend to be overwhelming, especially over on social media. It is what feeds the imposter syndrome for me. Seeing all those extravagant rituals, or people talking about their amazing experiences with x deity, or people being a witch since the day they were born can make me feel like a less of a witch.

But in reality I am not less of a witch because I don’t do spells every single day. I am not less of a witch because I haven’t been practicing for that long. I am not less of a witch because I haven’t worked with spirits yet. I am not less of a witch because I missed a full moon. I am not less of a witch because I haven’t read all these books.

And in times when I need to be reminded of it, I opt out and go through my book of shadows and look at the growth I have made as a witch and at the path that lies before me.

I hope that for those who also struggle with imposter syndrome like me, this post can help you put things in perspective. I am very curious what everyone’s thoughts are on the subject and how you deal with the feeling. Thank you for reading my little thought ramble!

[wiredghosts]

I see a lot of posts talking about how some people see Hellenistic polytheism as a fandom. I have some opinions on this. I started being a major like s tier Percy Jackson fan. This introduced me to different religions that were not talked about or known about where I grew up (very small Bible thumping southern town) I agree that people who have committed themselves to their gods and/or their practice should not see this as a fandom. It's a religion and a practice for some. I do not just devote myself to my gods but I accept their help in other areas of my life. I feel like if you were introduced to this by a fandom you shouldn't be ashamed as long as you don't blend the two.

But at the same time, how can you determine how someone sees the religion? This is a genuine question. A lot of practices and offerings in our community are often seen in the fandom space. Making art as offerings is akin to fan art. Being emotionally connected to the gods in one way or another could be in line with certain fandoms. I would really like to open up a discussion on this topic bc I've seen it time and time again.

Anyways toodaloo⭐

Ps. This is not a very well drawn out post I just wanted to open up a discussion on it, I'm still getting used to typing my thoughts out in a coherent form.

[siren-nereide]

Speculative post on Lucifer's aspects

Lucifer, He has a mischievous side. In my experience, He does sure like medieval, circus imagery at times. Do not try to use this for any first contact, keep it professional, keep it respectful. Freak shows, in history, were always been deemed the "other" regardless of time period. A hub of individuality even for those they would reject as a heinous lifestyle, but so it persists. It's deemed an inversion to order for the nail that did not quite fit. I find it interesting though in my times before pop culture used Him for this archetype, I had a similar experience. I am divided about this but, I trust my own discernment.

Faustian stories, often evoke this mischievous character which is an inversion of light. Furthermore, the name Mephistopheles is a corrupted Greek compound. The Greek particle of negation (μή, mē) and the Greek word for "love" or "loving" (φίλος, philos). Three possible meanings have been proposed, and three different etymologies have been offered as"not loving light" (φῶς, phōs; the old form of the name being Mephostopheles), "not loving Faust", mephitic, pertaining to poisonous vapors arising from pools, caverns, and springs (Wikipedia). Faust appears as a servant to Lucifer, now the discussion if Mephisto is Lucifuge. I have speculated with others that Lucifuge's etymology could come from a name similar to "Lucifer Reficul" which is just Lucifer forwards and backwards. Think of it as peter pan and peter pan's shadow, same but different. In which, if we go back about a thousand years the Greeks & Romans had Esophosos/Hesperos which are in turn Lucifer/Vesper with some other names like "noctifer" mixed in. With some pondering I do believe Mephisto = Lucifuge but, as the evening star counterpart to Lucifer, I am not as sure. Lucifer's aspect as Vesper seems contemplative, introverted but an underlying mischievous aura to it. Now, I have thought about it for over six months. It could be Mephisto is a developed egregore that with enough energy became its own entity in which funnily enough seems like Luciferian archetype to me, but who knows right.

The medieval & circus connection can be answered as clowns & jesters and all who side with them must be servants of the devil. Some examples are, "Fools for Satan" – Some Christian theologians (like St. Augustine) argued that jesters, with their mocking humor, were agents of the Devil, tempting people into sin. Carnival of Fools – Medieval festivals (like the Feast of Fools) featured role reversals where jesters imitated clergy, which the Church condemned. Physical Deformity – Many jesters had dwarfism or disabilities, which superstition linked to demonic influence or curses. As society changed the role changed, it was not castles but, tents of all the same types of people whom would see it as "home". This aspect is one of most attractive to people in general due to its alluring quality of deals. Sometimes, if this is how you perceive this energy it would be one of first experiences with the spirit. In that case, Lucifuge could be Noctifer which is an aspect of Satan which in turn could be an aspect of Lucifer but its up to you to decide. The Temple of the Ascending Flame does discuss this.

Now, back to pop culture with Hazbin Hotel's Lucifer leaning into these motifs. I am neutral about this piece of media because as it's not perfect it has glaring issues, as a critical fan of her work. It did help me in the right direction back to my practice indirectly. I do believe the Lucifer in concept has some validity to it, characterization wise NO.

Jan Matejko (1838-1893) ~ Polish, Oil on Canvas

Anyway's Happy Venus day! ♡ Multum amor ♡

[faeyramaeyra]

🌷 Dream work - Interpretation help 🌷

I don’t usually ask for help with things in general but I had a dream last night that made me feel really unsettled and I can’t get it out of my head. I just have the nagging feeling that it’s meant to be something I need to learn/be told/etc so I’m wondering if anyone could help out and give me some ideas on what it could mean? Interpreting dreams is really not my strong point.

Quick warning, The dream is disturbing and is slightly TW so do not read ahead if you are likely to feel uncomfortable etc 💕

The dream: It was set in a creepy old boarding school where it never seemed to be day time. All the teachers and other staff didn’t seem to be human. I don’t even think they were actually alive either. Anyways, I had to sneak about the school to try and get a little girl her eyes back. I had to collect three floating blue orbs to get her left eye back then had to collect three yellow orbs for her right eye. For some reason she wasn’t allowed in the school though (they made her stay outside in the cold) and she would only meet up with me when I wasn’t meant to be out of bed. I may as well have gotten murdered for this kid because of the stuff that happened. I won’t add details. She got her eyes back in the end and we were both able to leave.

Just to answer some things:

1.) Has anything changed recently? I moved houses about two or three months ago and I have been meaning to unpack Mother Hekate’s altar since then. Last night I got around to finally unpacking it but some of her items do seem to be missing.

2.) Do you usually have vivid dreams? I had a “phase” where I wasn’t experiencing any vivid dreams (about 5 months ago that lasted about 3 months). Other than that, Yes, They’re usually pretty regular.

If you need to know anything else to help me, Just ask away! Thanks in advance 💕

[buriedpentacles]

Umwelt

I've been reading 'An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us' by Ed Yong - and he introduced a really interesting word/concept that I hadn't really read about in any of my other ethology studies:

Umwelt /ʊmvɛlt/ noun 1. (in ethology) the world as it is experienced by a particular organism. "the worlds they perceive, their Umwelten, are all different"

As written in An Immense World:

"Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every animal can only tap into a small fraction of reality's fullness. Each is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving but a tiny sliver of an immense world. There is a wonderful word for this sensory bubble—Umwelt. It was defined and popularized by the Baltic-German zoologist Jakob von Uexküll in 1909. Umwelt comes from the German word for "environment," but Uexküll didn't use it simply to refer to an animal's surroundings. Instead, an Umwelt is specifically the part of those surroundings that an animal can sense and experience—its perceptual world... a multitude of creatures could be standing in the same physical space and have completely different Umwelten."

Obviously I've understood this concept previously, but now there's a nice, neat little word to explain it. It is fascinating for me to consider the different senses and experiences of other animals; all the things I cannot see, or hear, or feel. I am infinitely curious about the ocean's secret melodies, and the colours hidden among the wildflowers, and the strange sensation of a magnetic compass in your brain.

Umwelt goes beyond this: it isn't just "snakes can see heat and birds ultraviolet", Umwelt is also the semiotic world of an individual, it includes everything that is meaningful for the organism. Its flexible - it changes as you experience new things, shifting to adapt around you. In this model, the mind and the world are inseparable, because the mind is what interprets the world. Beyond this, your Umwelt is not just you passively experiencing the world, it's taking in the stimuli and building the world around you - we create our perception, and thus our reality.

Our umwelten is wildly different from a dog's or jellyfish's (different - not better, worst, more or less), we cannot comprehend what they may experience because we are bound by our Umwelten. There are things that we KNOW (or assume) are outside of our Umwelten (like ultraviolet or magnetic fields) but we cannot truly experience them. We may be able to understand them, but we will only be translating these other senses into something we can handle.

Then, I thought of how it might apply to my spirituality and to my magic.

Our Umwelt, our bubble of perception, includes how we perceive magic, and spirits or divinity (insert your preferred terminology), and we are bound by that. No matter whether we "see" or "hear" or just "sense" the magic, our understanding is always constrained by what we can perceive. (This fits neatly into my belief system, where Magic and the Universe appear to us in certain ways so that we can understand them, not because that is how they truly are.)

We each have our own bubble of perception, both for our physical and magical sense. But so must dogs, and jellyfish, and trees and mushrooms and the wind. Spirits and gods have their Umwelten too, though I'm sure they're far beyond my comprehension.

I'm not sure exactly where to take this post, as there's so many wild thoughts going through my mind about this!! But, I wanted to share and discuss the concept! Though I'm not certain how and to what level I will, I do want to integrate this concept into my practice, even if simply by recognising that I cannot understand everything, I am bound by my perception, I am bound by the way my brain builds my world around me.

Please comment, message, whatever - I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this!

[kareenvorbarra]

...I must confront Apollo with his wrongs. To force a girl Against her will and and afterward betray! To leave a child to die which has been born In secret! No! Do not act thus. But since You have the power, seek the virtuous path. All evil men are punished by the gods. How then can it be just for you to stand Accused of breaking laws you have yourselves Laid down for men? But if--here I suppose What could not be--you gave account on earth For wrongs which you have done to women, you, Apollo and Poseidon and Zeus who rules In heaven, payment of your penalties Would see your temples empty, since you are Unjust to others in pursuing pleasure Without forethought. And justice now demands That we should not speak ill of men if they But imitate what the gods approve, but those Who teach men their examples.

Ion (from Ion by Euripides, translated by R. F. Willetts)

[samwisethewitch]

What Non-Pagans Need to Know About Fiction Featuring Pagan Gods

In light of Marvel's Loki show dropping a second season and a new Percy Jackson series on the horizon, I want to say some things about how fandom spaces can be respectful of real-life pagan religion.

Let's get one thing out of the way: literally no one is saying you can't enjoy fiction that uses pagan gods and heroes as characters. No one is saying, "Stop writing stories about our gods." In fact, many ancient cultures wrote fiction about their gods -- look at Greek theater or the Norse Eddas. The act of writing fiction about the gods is not offensive in itself.

But please remember that this is someone's religion.

The gods are not "just archetypes." Their myths are not "just stories." Their personalities are not a matter of artistic interpretation. For many pagans, the gods are very much real in a literal sense. I don't think Thor is a metaphor or a symbol -- for me, Thor is a real, autonomous spiritual being who exists outside of human perceptions of him, and who I have chosen to build a relationship with. Even if you are a hardcore atheist, I would hope you could at least be respectful of the fact that, to many modern pagans, the gods are both very real and very important.

When authors are not respectful of this fact, they reduce the gods, these very real objects of worship, to fictional characters. And here's the thing about fictional characters: they are fundamentally tools for authors to use to draw a desired emotional response from an audience.

Dracula's personality and behavior is wildly different depending on who is writing him, because different authors use Dracula to create different reactions in their audiences. In the 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi, he's equal parts alluring and disturbing, a symbol of America's mixed desire and disdain for foreigners. In Nosferatu, he's more strictly frightening and disgusting. In Francis Ford Coppola's movie, he's a tragic, romantic figure clinging to the last scraps of his humanity. In Netflix's Castlevania, he's an incredibly powerful being who has grown bitter and apathetic in his immortality. All of this is Dracula, and all of it is fine, because Dracula is not and never has been a central figure in anyone's religion.

Let's take a look at what happens when authors give this same treatment to real gods:

In Hellenic polytheism, Apollo is one of the most beloved gods, both historically and today. Apollo loves humanity, and humanity loves him back. He is the god of sunlight and of medicine, but also of poetry and song. He is one of humanity's most consistent defenders when one of the other gods gets wrathful. And while he does have dangerous or wrathful aspects of his own (he's also the god of disease, after all), he's also kind and soft with humanity in a way other gods often aren't, at least in some historic sources.

In the Lore Olympus comic series, Apollo is a villain. He's characterized as an abuser, a manipulator, and a violent man child. LO!Apollo is downright hateful, because the author wants us to hate him. Lore Olympus is a retelling of a myth about an abduction and forced marriage. Lore Olympus is also a romance. In order to get the audience to sympathize with Hades and root for his relationship with Persephone, Rachel Smythe needed to make someone else the villain. Apollo is the most obvious and extreme character assassination in Smythe's work, but several other gods (notably Demeter) also get the asshole makeover to tell the story Smythe wants to tell.

Here's where this becomes a problem: Hellenic polytheism is a fairly small religious community, while Lore Olympus is a massively popular webtoon with 1.3 billion views as of August 2023, print books available from major retailers, a TV adaptation in the works, and a very active online fandom. Rachel Smythe currently has a MUCH bigger platform than any Hellenic polytheism practitioner. Smythe and other authors are shaping how modern culture views the Hellenic gods, and that has a very real impact on their worshipers.

This means "Apollo is an abusive asshole" is becoming a popular take online, and is even creeping into pagan communities. I've personally seen people be harassed for worshiping Apollo because of it. I've seen new pagans and pagan-curious folks who totally misunderstand the roles Apollo, Hades, and Persephone play in the Hellenic pantheon because of Lore Olympus and other modern works of fiction.

There are tons of other examples of this in modern pop culture, but I'll just rattle off a few of the ones that annoy me most: Rick Riordan depicting Ares/Mars as a brutish asshole hyped up on toxic masculinity; Rick Riordan depicting Athena as a mother goddess; Marvel depicting Thor as a dumb jock; Marvel depicting Odin as a cold, uncaring father; DC depicting Ares as purely evil; whatever the fuck the Vikings TV show was trying to do with seidr; the list goes on.

All of these are examples of religious appropriation. Religious appropriation is when sacred symbols are taken out of their original religious context by outsiders, so that the original meaning is lost or changed. It requires a power imbalance -- the person taking the symbols is usually part of a dominant religious culture. In many cases, the person doing the appropriation has a much bigger platform than anyone who has the knowledge to correct them.

When Rick Rioridan or Rachel Smythe totally mischaracterizes a Greek god to tell a story, and then actual Hellenic pagans get harassed for worshiping that god, that's religious appropriation.

Religious appropriation is a real issue. This isn't just pagans being sensitive. To use an extreme example: Richard Wagner and other German Romantic authors in the 19th century used the Norse gods and other Germanic deities as symbols in their work, which was a major influence on Nazi philosophy. Without Wagner, the Nazis would not have latched onto the Norse gods as symbols of their white supremacist agenda. To this day, there are white supremacist groups who claim to worship our gods or who use our religious imagery in their hate movement. We are still reckoning with the misinterpretation of our gods popularized by Wagner and other German Romantics almost 200 years ago.

Again, no one is saying you can't enjoy fiction based on pagan mythology. But there are a few things you can do to help prevent religious appropriation in fandom spaces:

Above all else, be mindful that while this may just be a story to you, it is someone's religion.

Recognize that enjoying fiction based on our gods does not mean you know our gods. You know fictional characters with the same names as our gods, who may or may not be accurate to real-life worship.

Do not argue with or try to correct pagans when we talk about our experience of our gods.

Don't invalidate or belittle pagan worship. Again, this mostly comes down to recognizing that our religion is totally separate from your fandom. We aren't LARPing or playing pretend. Our sacred traditions are real and valid.

If you see other people in your fandom engaging in religious appropriation, point out what they are doing and why it isn't okay.

Please tag your fandom content appropriately on social media. Always tag the show, movie, book, etc. that a post is about in addition to other relevant tags. This allows pagans to block these fandom tags if we don't want to see them and prevents fandom content showing up in religious tags.

For example, if I'm posting about Athena from the Percy Jackson books, I would tag the post #athena #athenapjo #percyjackson #pjo. You get the idea.

And if fiction sparks your interest and you want to learn more about the actual worship of the gods, you can always ask! Most pagans love talking about our gods and trading book recs.

If you are writing fiction based on real mythology, talk to people who worship those gods. Ask them what a respectful portrayal would look like. If possible, include a note in your finished work reminding audiences that it is a work of fiction and not meant to accurately portray these gods.

[jasper-pagan-witch]

A discussion question for those of us pop culture mages/pagans/witches who work with pop culture entities who are dead in their source material:

Does their status in their canon make their influence or presence different? Is it more or less difficult to interact with them? Does it even matter?

[jezzzebel]

Can i... Can i be honest.. like, 1000% honest...

I gave up on answering questions about my practice because, usually, people's "genuine" questions about how something i do in my practice works, turn into a "ha! Gotcha!" situations and arguments.

If you are going to ask questions about my practice just to tell me that "it doesn't work like that" when i reply to you, then don't. really, don't.