#placebo magick

[booksandwitchery]

My library is growing at an alarming rate, and I cannot control myself. It doesn’t help that cover designs are getting so good

[beththeskepticalwitch]

On skeptical witchcraft:

"I realized that most of what I was doing already could be explained through science/psychology, with the placebo effect being the main aspect of it. If I was doing the spells and the rituals in the same way that others do and they were having the intended outcome, how could I not call it magic? Even if the belief behind the way it works differs from most’s. It is about why I do what I do, and what I do to achieve my desired outcome; it is not about how it is achieved."

Quote from @beorhtsgrimoire (reposted with permission)

[thejaymo]

The combination of expectation and conditioning could not only help us maximize the placebo effect, it could also reframe our understanding of what a placebo is: It’s not just an external intervention, but something that happens within us. “People really like that,” Gaab said. “They have this sense of: It was me.”

“The combination of expectation and conditioning” this is of course traditionally known as ... Magic.

[cavorta]

A thing by many names...

Nice reel on Facebook by Chloe Hoerter: Witches call it magick. Religious people call it prayer. Spiritual people call it manifestation. Atheists call it the Placebo Effect. Scientists call it Quantum Physics.

Everyone seems to argue over what it should be called. But no one is denying its existence. Your thoughts can control your reality.

Credit: @ladylunafication

[dumbass-fae]

✨️🪞Glamour Magick🪞✨️

Glamour magick is a spell that you cast on yourself to change how others perceive you. 

The key to this working is to manifest your intent. It's a placebo effect. If you believe it is real, it will become real (in a sense). 

Normally glamour magick is preformed while getting ready for the day, night, or an event (school, date, outing exc. exc.) Which means it blends into the mundane. 

You can create oils and blends anything your heart desires, even magickly infused foods and drinks, or you can use what you already have: shampoo, hair brush, makeup, moisturizer, toothpaste exc exc.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

A good place to start is with:

color magick/correspondences

♡Red- confidence, romantic love, strength 

♡Pink- self love, kindness, platonic love, softness 

♡Orange- creativity, energy, sucess

♡Yellow- happiness, joy, positivity 

♡Green- luck, healing, money manifestation 

♡Blue- peace, calm, clairity, communication 

♡Purple- imagination, intuition, peace

♡Brown- friendship, security, stability 

♡Black- protection, banishing

♡White- clensing, peace, truth

♡Silver- healing 

♡Gold- sucess, wealth

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Moving on, we will get into more correspondences/enchantments in glamour magick. 

Bath/Body 🛁

• Shampoo- clenses negativity 

• Conditioner- restores positivity 

• Body scrub- removes negative energy

• Lotion- (varies by scent), softness

• Hair oil/ leave in conditioner- protection 

• Deep conditioner- restores positive energy 

Skincare 🪞

• Facial cleanser- removes negative energy 

• Facial scrub- clenses negativity 

• Moisturizer- protection, restores positive energy 

• Serums- (varies by ingredient), locks in good energy 

• Spot treatments- conceals what you do not wish to be seen 

• Eye masks- clairity

• Lip masks- sweetens your words 

• Suncreen- protection 

Makeup 💄

• Mascara/eyeliner- see through lies, enhance your eyes beauty 

• Lip products- people will listen when you speak, sweeten your words/influence

• Eyeshadow- (varies by color)

• Concealer- to hide what others should not know 

• Highlighter- to apear more radiant/glowing 

• Blush- to appear innocent and soft 

Other 🐚

• Toothpaste/Toothbrush- clense negativity

• Hairbrush- remove negative energy 

• Nail polish- (varies by color) 

• Glasses- to see what others cannot 

• Hair- Braid your hair with your intentions 

• Perfume- (varies by scent) 

• Clothing- (varies by color) 

• Jewelry- (varies by intent) 

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Remember, affirmations and enchantments are key to glamours 

• say or think corresponding affirmations while doing your skincare or makup 

• enchant everything you use with intentions, you could even put sigils on them 

• enchant your jewelry for a specific purpose

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

This is from my personal grimoire, thus my own opinions on glamours.

you can reblog with other glamour related tips and tricks 💕

[thatdruidgal]

00.01 table of contents

Grimoire Table of Contents

This is my personal Grimoire, so it will be focused just on the information that I need/use! If you’d like more info on anything that I haven’t included, please do more research!

00.00 introduction

00.01 table of contents (you are here)

00.02 book list

00.03 advice

01.00 correspondences

01.01 triquetra Druid elements

01.02 quarternary elements

01.03 crystals

01.04 herbs

01.05 waters

01.06 colors

01.07 metals

01.08 chakras

02.00 lunar magick

02.01 lunar ingredients

02.02 dark moon

02.03 new moon

02.04 black moon

02.05 waxing crescent

02.06 first quarter

02.07 waxing gibbous

02.08 full moon

02.09 blue moon

02.10 waning gibbous

02.11 last quarter

02.12 waning crescent

02.13 lunar eclipse “blood moon”

02.14 solar eclipse

02.15 moon void

03.00 tarot

03.01 numbers 1-10

03.02 court cards

03.03 suits

03.04 major arcana

03.05 yes/no/maybe

03.06 spreads

04.00 basic spells

04.01 warding/protection spell

04.02 cleansing spell

04.03 safe travels satchet

04.04 luck/prosperity tea

04.05 fire cider + chutney soup

See this post for all of my favorite recipes

05.00 favorite ingredients

05.01 quartz

05.02 amethyst

05.03 obsidian

05.04 citrine

05.05 sodalite

05.06 salt

05.07 rosemary

05.08 cinnamon

05.09 lavender

05.10 moon water

06.00 spirits + fae

06.01 signs of fae

06.02 attraction/offering + repelling fae

06.03 (some) types of fae

06.04 spirit guides

06.05 spirit signs/omens

06.06 working with spirits

07.00 calendar

07.01 yule / dec 21st

07.02 imbolc / feb 2nd

07.03 ostara / mar 21st

07.04 beltane / may 1st

07.05 litha / june 21st

07.06 lughnahsadh / aug 1st

07.07 mabon / sept 21st

07.08 samhain / nov 1st

07.09 history cycles

08.00 druidry

08.01 druidry overview

08.02 bard

08.03 ovate

08.04 druid

09.00 science and magick

09.01 quotes

09.02 matter and energy

09.03 placebo effect

09.04 energy and physics

09.05 more matter, energy, and theoretics

09.06 measuring energy

09.07 psychometry and "imprinting"

09.08 aether

09.09 green magick and plants

09.10 synchronicity

10.00 theism + beliefs

10.01 witchcraft practices

10.02 deist quotes

10.03 deism workings

11.00 margin notes [upg]

11.01 low budget options

11.02 how to practice around burnout

11.03 small ways to practice

11.04 notes

12.00 worldview [upg]

May or may not include this

12.01 personal beliefs

12.02 creation of the universe

12.03 death + otherworld

12.04 time

12.05 institutionalized religion

12.06 magick

12.07 aspects of world

12.08 spirits

13.00 library

13.01 Viridarium Umbris

[herbalgrimoire]

Really struggling with believing in magick and witchcraft, as someone who is completely skeptical of religion in general. just trying to find some meaning and joy in the rituals and practices associated with witchcraft. I really like the aesthetics. I like smelling herbs, I like collecting and handling my crystals, I like gathering pretty glass jars and curating my ingredients and objects. I’m just so afraid of being mocked or feeling stupid, or not doing things the “right way”. I don’t want to piss anyone off or appropriate anyone’s culture. I also am legitimately mentally ill and I’m afraid to put too much stock into the abilities of magickal manifestation, I know that I have to actually make positive changes in my life or else I’m just relying on something that feels like a placebo. Idk if anyone will see this. I just needed to vent.

[dreamingmappist]

what would be one brief thing you could do to make your space more livable?

NaClYoHo Day 1

I have a routine before work so I could only do a little sweeping under the bed and compiling trash (today’s garbage day) and putting some laundry away and cleaning the gunk around the tub’s drain. Will see how I do after work.

I’m going to have to dig through my podcasts again. I haven’t caught up on Maintenance Phase bonus episodes, and I currently support a show called Placebo Magick. Or I could use my current fave playlist which is a lot of soothing Asian pop.

I started thinking about cleaning a few weeks ago when I found out my sister will stay with me for about a month in March next year. Nothing like a pair of second eyes to make me reflect on my mess.

Today’s task is to bring leftover chocolate to work, and maybe drop off more books for the college booksale. Clean up the Halloween decor (I drew on our windows and put up a little glow in the dark skeleton)

[slayerdurge]

10 songs, 10 people

Tagged by @illusivesoul (thank you!)

Rules: Put your music on shuffle and list the first ten songs. Then tag ten people.

I decided to use my top songs of 2023 playlist from my spotify wrapped. And I decided to link directly to spotify for convenience's sake.

I have fairly consistent music taste. Energetic... angry... dark... and kinda sci fi.

All right... let's see if I can get 10 tags...

@kirschewine, @merge-conflict, @fereldanwench, @bnbc, @gamerkitten, @just-a-cybercroissant, @luvwich, @dataheights, @edwardellric & @butchsquatch!

Woot, I did it! That's 10!

[featherlover]

—Amanda, Have you been taking your medicaments?

—Yes... no, it's not like that! you gotta believe me.

—Amanda, this sounds exactly like a relapse, you know i am just trying to help you.

—I was taking them, but... the anxiety... The changes... they do not help... I feel better this way.

—Are you seeing things?

—No, please! Im not hallucinating. Doctor... I beg you, let me explain.

—Ok, let us relax, and tell me what is going on, ok?. Want something to drink? I only got water though.

—Yes please.

—Ok... so, tell me about these... Changes and visions you talk about.

—Eh? Ok... So... My...

—Ok, what about this... Let us start with the beginning. Our last date was one month ago, since when have you been seeing... Perceiving these changes.

—It's been... 3 weeks ago... But, i swear, i was taking the meds back then.

—It is alright, do not worry about it. Proceed.

—So... My sister left on vacation. I was alone at home, i felt uneasy, i started feeling anxiety. And i started imagining i was not alone at home... Then i started to hear voices, calling... for me, they were saying my name.

—Huh, ok.

—I got scared and... I was looking around, the voices got closer, deeper... And... Then... I... I opened the door, and there it was... Something... like a demon... Giant, pitch black skin, mouths all across its body, dripping some kind of black goo... I... I got so scared i covered my eyes, all i could do was yell at it... I said "leave me alone!"... but nothing happened... I opened my eyes, and, there was nothing, i was all alone, in silence, laying on the floor...

—Amanda, this is serious, auditory hallucinations are severe already... If you are seeing things...

—No! Listen... I think i can make things move, just by thinking about it, things pop into existence when i think about them, the other day, a hole opened in the ground and ate a rat i saw at my house...

—Do you trust in me?

—Why? What do you mean?

—I am asking you, do you trust in me? do you trust i only want to do the best for you?

—Yes... I think, nothing bad has happened to you... So i guess i trust...

—Because you have the power to do something to me just by thinking about it? Listen, Amanda, what you are experiencing right now... it is but a trick of your mind, it is not your fault... It is just a way for you to cope with reality, deep within you, you wish you had more confidence, you wish your house was clean, that is why you see it clean itself, you see monsters because you think of monsters. I do not want you to put yourself or someone else at risk... I just need you to realize that you are capable of overcoming your fears, all you need is help, and we are here to help you... So... Would you let me help you?

—I... Uhh...

—You dont have to answer right away, think about it.

—Thanks... I guess... But...

—Listen, Amanda, let me give you a refill on your pills, ok? You can do whatever you want with them. When you are ready, i will be there for you, got it?

-Humm... S...sure... Thanks doctor... I... I dont know... But... I guess i can try...

—Wonderful Amanda, thats the first step. Now... Just wait for me, i need to pick them here, and we can continue talking....

—So... How is the girl?

—Amanda?

—Whatever.

—She is worse than i imagined. Im not done with her.

—How so?

—According to her own words... Reality bending, clairvoyance, Grade 6 summoning... And no need for a ritual, she is... always on, she just... Thought they were real, and they were...

—Don't you think it's a little bit too much?

—I tried to use a placebo effect on her, i have her sweets. She gave me back a bottle of actual Clonazepam, i poured lemonade, and told her it was water, it became water before i sat down.

—So... This random girl is using chaos magick without even realizing it? God forbids the day she finds out what we do in here.

—Well... She is atheist... So...

Chaos Magic is the hardest to learn but the easiest to master. All it requires is the abject belief that your ritual will have an effect, despite all evidence to the contrary, and then it will.

[booksandwitchery]

Wish me luck because I’m desperately going to need it

[devildollplacebo]

some notes & clarifications

on the purpose of this blog:

this blog is a personal diary into spiritual explorations. It is not intended as an instructive for anyone else. It is not intended to impose on or undermine the beliefs of others.

what are you?

good news! I have no idea! Whenever I think I settle on an easy answer I realise it is hopelessly incomplete. Probably the most accurate answer is that I am a secular demonolater. I am making this up as I go along and I suspect many other people are doing this too.

I have crafted a personal mythology with a pantheon of demons (both biblical and from chr1stian mythological tradition) that resonate with me. Demons feel very appropriate for my personal narrative of trauma recovery, but I have also just been goth and edgy all my life, so I can draw on a vast amount of personal connection with the demonic.

My practices pilfer from demonolatry, w1tchcraft and s4tanism and add a layer of kin experiences as the icing on top. I feel a deep kinship with dolls that is 100% kinky but is also borne from trauma and how I relate to my disabilities. I feel this is related to my kinship with demons because dolls often become a vessel for demons to possess. in my personal mythology, this is no bad thing. Benevolent demonic influence grants organic form to dolls and sets them free from their music boxes, department store windows and dollhouses, so they can forge their own path. Devil dolls are alienated, objectified workers under capitalism who have been granted the opportunity to live deliciously regardless.

The more fetishistic component of my doll kinship allows me to view my practice as a willing and healthy act of submission to the power I have chosen alone. I am extremely resistant to orthodoxy and organised religion, but I deeply appreciate the masochistic components of worship and adulation, and so I accentuate them in my practice. Those uncomfortable with this are welcome to block this blog!

can you explain secular magick/spirituality?

This is a deeply personal thing and will be different for everyone. For me, secular magick is an acknowledgement that supernatural forces don't "really" exist, but it's possible to achieve close -to-supernatural experiences through altered states (in my own case trance states), and very elaborate performance and method acting. It carries a deep respect for mythology, narrative, symbols and associations, and a belief in their capacity to change one's life for the better. It is an earnest and autobiographical form of performance art, poetry and play. If I ever speak pithily about my practice being LARP or fake, this is not a disparagement. My last twenty years in fandom makes it clear to me that "fake" things are actually lifeblood.

on the name of this blog:

Devil Doll, beyond just being a quick summary of my spiritual preoccupations, is also the name of a band I love whose work and publicity stunts feel very magickal to me. "Placebo" centres the secular nature of my practice.

"A man is the less likely to become great the more he is dominated by reason: few can achieve greatness – and none in art – if they are not dominated by illusion."

-- Mr. Doctor of Devil Doll, recruiting for the band

[themageiboline]

Apologies to anyone that thought I'd actually do something with this blog like I said I would, and where I'm going with it now.

Several times now I've on a whim started a blog, or made promise to resurrect one for fun yet it's always fallen through for various personal reasons I won't get into now. So, I'm giving up on any serious blogging anytime soon.

Instead I'll be trying to steadily transfer over to a more broad personal space to vent and shitpost and share into the void willy nilly, and give that a try. Forget about sleek aesthetics or professionalism or whatever tf I was hung up on before. I mean this is Tumblr afterall, not an opinion column on some respected journal or something. With that said, I'm not necessarily ready to turn this one into shitpost central either.

So I'll just make a side blog for my totally random musings and share any relevant ones over here. I'm not ready to abandon this blog concept just yet but it's certainly staying on a back burner for the foreseeable future. Heck let's be honest here, it's been stuck in the closet to collect dust.

That dust might be getting wiped off right now but I make no promises it won't go back right where it came from in no time. Apologies to anyone made curious by a premise I never fully followed up on, but unfortunately some things have just had to take priority over hobby blogging I'm afraid.

If you've landed on this blog and want to explore the concepts I touched on here further, have a look at these pods (note these link to Spotify but I'm pretty sure both can be found elsewhere):

1 - The Placebo Magick Podcast

2 - THE WONDER: Science-Based Paganism

In addition, you may also look into SASS witches, and I'd also suggest having a look at your local UU church for a communal space of diverse progressive religious ideas if you haven't already, as I seem to be seeing a good deal of potentially in my own local church here. Your milage may vary though, as from what I understand attitudes can vary greatly from congregation to congregation. Atheopaganism as described by Mark Green and in his book by the same name is very nearly exactly what I was getting at here, and he happens to co-host The Wonder podcast as well so he's a very strong recommendation for this subject.

[thekeyholdersociety]

✨ Design Spotlight ✨

🗝️ Pathfinder [Genuine] Skeleton key Pendant Necklaces

For as long as I can remember I’ve been drawn to certain objects: a sparkly rock in a parking lot, a feather on the beach, or even an old, forgotten key in someone’s junk drawer. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I began to pay proper attention to that instinct and recognized it for what it truly was: the perpetual hunt for Magick and meaning in a world that everyone around me insisted was nothing more than mundane…but we knew better, didn’t we Key-Holders? 😉

Old keys are the type of object that have inexplicably been recognized throughout history for their other-worldly properties. Across countless countries and cultures, we seem to have an unspoken agreement that they carry with them a special sort of energy despite the fact that many of us carry them with us as we go about our day to day lives without much thought to what they really symbolize or what they can do for us on our journey when imbued with something as simple and prevalent as our intentions.

Keys are tools that open doors 🚪 in our lives, both literally and metaphorically. They represent the transition from one stage of life to the next and, historically, have even been given as protective talismans to individuals set to enter a new chapter in life. This could be the beginning of biological adulthood, a school graduation celebration, or in the traditional sense: through home ownership.

These everyday objects also bestow the wielder with a heightened sense of direction/intuition and are believed to help guide them towards the next “door” they’re meant to pass through as they journey through this plane and surround them with a shield of protection to ensure they arrive safely at the threshold.🧿🙏🏼

_______________________________________

One of my favorite discussions to have with new members of the Key-Holder Society typically begins when they ask me one very simple question: “does all of this stuff really work?”

To which I respond: “that’s entirely up to you, my friend.” ✨

Here’s the thing: Magick is inherently intertwined with what we know to be true about basic psychology. When you set your intention, make a point to continuously hold mental/energetic space for it, and align your actions towards supporting your goal(s), you’ll find that The Universe has a funny way of making sure you ultimately get whatever it is that you’re seeking out. Call it what you like, but I’ve never viewed the concepts of Magick as any less real than proven psychological phenomenons like the placebo effect. Through one avenue or another, we’ve seen time and time again over the course of human history that if you choose to believe it and take the steps to open yourself to it, you’ll find a way to achieve it; whatever IT may be, for YOU.

So rather than asking if Magick “really works”, I’d argue that a better question to ask yourself is “what do I have to lose if I choose to believe that it does? Or more importantly, what do I have to gain if I surrender to my intuition and trust that what is mine will find its way to me?”

~

For every locked door we encounter over the course of our lives, there’s one thing we can know for certain:

SOMEWHERE out there is a key…

waiting patiently for us to find it 🗝️🚪

[twelvelms]

Felix Scarlett grew up in one of the most secretive covens in the Alliance. He's theatrical, bombastic, and treats conversation like a comedy bit, but there's an edge to many of the things he says, like maybe he's like this because he thinks his feelings really are just a joke.

Felix loves Quinn and Reilly, but he's not very open with them. He gets frustrated when people act concerned about him; he doesn't like to feel 'handled'. He's a jokester until he isn't, and sometimes takes things WAY too far, upsetting those who are closest to him.

Despite his aversion to verbal affection and emotional vulnerability, Felix is a hugger and a sprawler. He can usually be found lolling dramatically over the furniture, with as many of his limbs as possible anchoring his friends to his side.

Felix' talents in magic are focused mainly on aesthetics - this is how he manages to have such excellent hair - but he also excels in all areas involving detail and dexterity. He has a careful hand and a light touch which means he thrives in magicks requiring fiddly spellmanship.

One of Felix' greatest strengths and weaknesses is his determination and singleminded-ness. He's usually pretty distractable, but when something catches his interest, that's it. He'll know EVERYTHING he can about it. Many people find this aspect of his personality a bit full on.

A song I associate with him is Teenage Angst by Placebo, particularly these lines: 'Shine the headlight, straight into my eyes/Like the roadkill, I'm paralyzed/You see through my disguise'

Want to help Felix come to life? Support the show on IndieGoGo! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-twelvelms-conspiracy-a-fantasy-audio-drama/x/26066738

[thatdruidgal]

09.03 placebo effect

Science and Magick

“…the efficacy of magick will depend on the extent to which the act has meaning for the practitioner…”

Placebo Effect

Sourced at https://skygardentarot.com/2020/02/22/magick-and-the-placebo/ and https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episodes/brain-magic-the-power-of-the-placebo

Placebos can have powerful — and real — effects on our mind and body. (A patient experienced relief from the symptoms of a painful medical condition, even though she knew she was taking sugar pills.)

Placebos cause changes in neurobiological signaling pathways and have measurable physiological effects on heart rate, blood pressure (including affecting coronary blood flow and fainting), gastrointestinal tract (including contractions, nausea, motion sickness, bowel motility, functional gastrointestinal disorders, the pulmonary system, especially asthma), immune responses (such as psoriasis, allergic rhinitis, lupus erythematosus).

If we operate from the paradigm that magick is a placebo then by definition the efficacy of magick will depend on the extent to which the act has meaning for the practitioner.

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