#the crooked path

[cantva190]

Round or oval stones symbolize the feminine as they represent the female reproductive system, and pointed stones symbolize the masculine as they represent the male phallic side. ............................................................................................ Make a Wish: While you are in the river you can grab a stone and make a wish, while you do so focus on your wish and visualize how it has already materialized. After this, throw the stone with all your strength, go and don't look back.

[queer-folk-witch]

just found THREE (3) empty hornets' nests on the porch at work. the father of witches looks after his disciples

[icy-watch]

That's Morro, isn't it?

Oh, that poor boy.

[rainbluealoekitten]

#modern-witch-problems is having to politely decline Speaking With The Darkness that wakes you at 3 AM each night because you cannot fail your exams in the next days

[heathenvvitch]

One of the most important things I've learned in carving my own path and practice in the craft, is to follow your own path. If you identify with more main stream crafts and rather not stray from the herd, that is totally vailed. However, if you don't identify with anything in the mainstream and find it hard to connect to your craft, don't be afraid to carve your own.

I didn't identify with most wiccan teachings and that's ok. I did a ton of research and stumbled upon "The Crooked Path" by Kelden and it helped open up a whole new concept to me that I've been searching for, for over a decade. I finally realized that I don't have to follow everyone else and their ethics. I can follow my own and not care about what anyone else says.

I still very much am learning what my true path is but I'm loving the journey. I've also wanted to sink my teeth in to tumblr for years but couldn't figure out what I wanted my blog to be for the longest time. This isn't my first blog but this is the first one I've been truly excited about. Not only is being a witch my spirituality and life style but its also my main autistic special interest. I know this blog will stick. I could talk about the craft for hours. With that being said, just because I don't practice wicca, doesn't mean I wont discuss it or know anything about it. If their are witchlings or baby witches (what ever term you prefer) I'll be happy to answer any questions to the best of my ability. Stay vvitchy my friends.

[alfrungrima]

Dear witches, folklorists and pagans of Tumblr.... I am aiming to build under this post a collection of folktales in which otherworldy beings like faries, dwarfs or giants life behind a (thorny) hedge. Just like Hilbert is in the folktale (see my last post before this post) Will you all come to my campfire to share the stories you know? Or otherwise, can you reblog it?

[ashandboneca]

Modern Witchcraft's problem

I feel almost ready to give up the goat.

I feel as though modern witchcraft, in all it's iterations, is becoming more and more rigid like Christianity as times move forward.

The issues I have been encountering while interacting with other witches online have all come back to one thing:

A complete lack of and willingness to do self examination and take ownership.

I got banned from yet another Facebook witchcraft group today. I knew it was coming; I had called out someone on rabid cultural appropriation and things got heated. But today, I dared suggest that mundane things be at play rather than someone being cursed. That was apparently a bannable offense.

Modern witchcraft has attained a rigidity that could only be described as Christian inspired.

Many of the witches of my generation and my age group had access to all the same books - books that were published in the 70's, 80's, 90's - which by modern standards are viewed through a more modern lens, are intensely problematic. Many of these books took their information from the New Age movement of the 50's and 60's. The New Age movement is an intensely racist movement full of implicit bias and cultural appropriation. Most of the practices that were used for 'space clearing' were based on Indigenous North American sacred practices.

Indigenous people have stood up and loudly asked witches to stop using white sage. The overharvesting of things like white sage and palo santo make a mockery of their sacred medicines and practices.

I was taught to use white sage. I was taught to call it 'smudging'. I used to be one of those people actively participating in the mockery and cultural thievery of indigenous practices. But I learned better, and so I do better. I have worked with indigenous people to attempt to make amends and have dedicated to do what I can to open other's minds.

There are other types of smoke cleansing from open cultures that are not continuing to perpetuate a cultural genocide. Why are we not using those often times these practises are more closely related to our own cultural backgrounds. Plus, there is the added bonus of it working more effectively because it's not stolen.

The issues I have are in confronting these people is that they become so incredibly offended and fragile when they are questioned on their beliefs. They display inflexibility and a lack of critical insight when presented with the very idea that something in their practice is unethical. It makes it exceedingly difficult to have an open dialogue with people who are so dedicated to misunderstanding why you were pointing out what they're doing, and how you were trying to help them.

It has gotten to the point where I actually fear that the modern witchcraft community is so complacent and complicit in their comfort of cultural thievery that they are not willing to enact any level of change. And it mostly seems to be white witches of my age group (30's-50's) who are the worst at perpetuating these types of practices. And I would say the vast majority of these people are cis women or femme identified people.

We as witches need to be willing to take on new information and adjust things as we are provided with better information. The cultural mores of the 1990s versus modern cultural mores are very different. So why are we continuing to live with our cultural mores in the 1990s when it comes to listening to indigenous people? Why are we not listening to POC when they are asking us to stop stealing from their closed practices?

Why have grown so inflexible to the point of almost rivalling Christians in their inflexibility?

Why are we so willing to alienate members of our own community who are not white for our own comfort and our own nostalgia? The excuse I frequently hear is "white sage makes me feel calm and good". That's great, Karen, but your comfort and your feeling good is not more important than a cultural genocide.

I have been fighting for the decolonization of witchcraft for a number of years now. I have been constantly trying to educate people about their responsibilities as humans in this world, and as witches to the earth. There are no people who are closer to the earth than that of indigenous people.

It is beginning to feel like a losing battle. I feel like I am going mad.

So if you are somebody who is actively trying to decolonize your witchcraft, or you are interested in teaching other people on how to do that please, reblog this post. Please interact with this post. Please comment on this post and tell me how you feel. I just want to feel like I am not alone in this.

I also want to say that both indigenous people and POC have been fighting for the decolonization of witchcraft for decades. In no way am I claiming to be doing anymore than what I should be to measure up to the standard in which they have set. We owe a lot to our indigenous and our POC witchcraft practitioners. They have been the ones leading the charge. They have been the ones speaking up and dealing with the same garbage bullshit that I have dealt with. But I have my privilege to act as a shield for me. They don't.

I am only doing what I feel is right to do, and I am following in their footsteps. I don't claim to speak for them, and I don't claim to speak on their behalf. I am speaking on behalf of myself as a white person, and I am speaking to other white people to amplify what we all should already know. I am trying to encourage my fellow white practitioners to do the right thing.

Have some introspection and seriously examine your practice to see if your practice is ethical. If there are things that you need to adjust and change, do that. It is your practice and you can adjust what does not work for you.

[mariocki]

An uncredited Jacqueline Hill appears as an unnamed Irish barmaid in The Vise: Death Pays No Dividends (1.5, ABC, 1954); in the UK, this episode wasn't seen until 1960 as part of ITV anthology The Crooked Path

[felifey]

Research is perhaps the most important aspect of learning the craft as such I have acquired many texts to peruse in my endeavour.

The first is perhaps one of the two most important topics when on the road to witchcraft, as the name of this Tumblr suggests the path I am walking is the traditional one, as such the first book I purchased and the one I will rely most heavily on whilst on my journey is

The Crooked Path: An introduction to Traditional Witchcraft by Kelden.

This is an amazingly wonderful text for any who chooses to undertake the traditional path, it’s filled with much information that is factual and unbiased. It covers many topics from creating tools, introducing yourself to spirits, digging deeper and learning who you truly are, and providing tips for your journey, it also provides of texts that were used in the creation of this book if you wish to further per-sue certain topics .

[arsviridia]

“We could even say that in the context of this book, itself an exercise in meditative walking, that the scholarly component of witchcraft lore is the 'straight track' and the path of experiential gnosis via occult practice is the 'crooked road' that winds and snakes around it.”

– Lee morgan, A deed without a name: unearthing the legacy of traditional witchcraft

[agnes-come-back-challenge]

"I wore a black coat and had never existed." (209, "The Black Coat")

"Did she lean over your sobbing face and ask you, 'Why are you crying when you don't even exist?' […] Have you ever decided you wanted a lightweight wool button-up coat, all black?" (171, "Go to the Mirror?")

[queer-folk-witch]

Example of a contract to make with a familiar spirit

Agreement between Witch and Familiar Spirit:

1. Assistance:

- The Familiar agrees to assist the Witch in any endeavors it is able to, when requested.

2. Communication:

- The Familiar will communicate insights, warnings, and guidance to the Witch through dreams, intuition, divination, or other methods as necessary.

4. Respect:

- The Witch and Familiar acknowledge each other's autonomy and agree to respect each other's sovereignty.

5. Offerings:

- The Witch agrees to provide offerings of food, drink, and enrichment to the Familiar.

6. Duration:

- This agreement is effective indefinitely, unless either party wishes to terminate the partnership.

Take what works for you, leave what doesn't, it's your own practice, etc.

[icy-watch]

Oh, honey, they aren't going to free you.

[echosblanketfort]

I'm so glad I ordered a physical copy of The Crooked Path because everytime I open my phone to read it, I get distracted

[chronicteller]

Concept: The savior, the chosen one, the promised hero to save the (world/town/kingdom)is an utter buffoon that fails before getting ten feet, let alone the thousand of miles away, from their home. They don’t even go out with a bang but with a pathetic whimper. The one left behind is the faithful sidekick that everyone overlooked their entire life, even though they are the whole reason the proclaimed hero had even made it as far in life as to be sent on this poorly thought out quest. The sidekick who everyone side glanced and discussed in muttered voices that they were a tad too blood thirsty. That they had a scary amount of passion and fire in their eyes. That their morals were not at all straight and narrow, did not always fly true. They are left to carry on because the hard jobs always fell on them and everyone always, always, look the other way. Mostly they carry on because it would be quite inconvenient if the (world/town/kingdom) came to an end and they had to figure out something new with their lives. Which turns out to be in everyone’s favor since at the end of the road the necessary sacrifices are made. The chosen one was never the holier than thou lily white savior but their darker counterpart that was always meant to finish their journey alone. It’s just that the prophecy of said fate didn’t jive as well with the masses so it was tweaked a bit. The end justifies the means.

[ashandboneca]

Simple Summer Purification

Now that the dog days of summer are here, I feel less energized. It's so funny, as a fire sign I tend to gravitate to fire in all forms, but the summer just drains me.

In summer, I tend to focus on purification. Shedding the dry skins of winter and the new growth of spring to come to the climax of being. But that takes so much energy- and as a disabled witch, I need to conserve all the energy I can.

So here a few very simple purification activities for these scorching hot days:

light a stick of incense or an herbal bundle and do a quick smoke clearing of yourself or your general working area. It would be ideal to do your whole living space, but focus primarily on the areas you do your workings or spend the most time.

take a cooling purification bath or sponge bath. Add cooling herbs, like lavender, chamomile, peppermint, or lemon balm to a muslin bag or steep in a tea ball. You can cold infuse if you have the time to allow the herbs to steep for a few hours, or you can steep them in warm water for 10-20 minutes and then refrigerate the tea. Add to a cool bath or wash basin and submerge yourself or use a clean white cloth to wash your body. Focus the energy on sloughing off the negative or stressful things bothering you.

make a soothing iced tea brew, and speaking purifying intentions into it as you brew it, as you pour, and as you drink.

If you can get to a natural body of water safely, plunging yourself into the water can act as a great reset. If not, with help as needed, you can get a bucket or pail of the ocean, river, lake, or pond water and pour it slowly over yourself, starting at your head.

If you have a garden, harvest plants during the appropriate moon phase and hang to dry in your home. Their energies will help to reset your home.

freeze a bunch of ice cubes with food colouring (or natural edible dyes) for different purposes - purification, abundance, calming, healing, etc - and add them to your water as magical way to stay hydrated. Please also remember the dye when you go to pee later!

Do you have any fun, low energy workings you do in the heat of summer?