ye-spirits

[ye-spirits]

Nebula 💫

[ye-spirits]

[ye-spirits]

Raymond Buckland: Sensory deprivation is a useful tool for producing extrasensory perception

Me: ok, cool! I think so too! you're probably going to suggest putting earplugs in and wearing a sleep mask or something right? I can see how that works!

raymond buckland:...

me: right?

raymond buckland: behold... the witches cradle :)

[ye-spirits]

Online Diary | November 17, 2024

Something hasn't been working for me when it comes to the God and the Goddess lately. I couldn't put my finger on it at first. It wasn't until after I'd done a determined makeover of the Goddess statue I have that I realized what the issue was. I don't connect with any of the popular conceptions of her floating around. This was a hard pill to swallow and something I've been avoiding for a while. The same goes for the God. I like the ritual structure of Wicca, I like the concept of worshipping two deities, a God and a Goddess, and I quite enjoyed learning about other people's favorite conception of the two-- but none of them really resonated with me.

This realization came around the time that I realized that I don't want to join a coven right now. In fact, these two things are deeply tied. I did find faces for the Goddess and the God, but they are not what other people use. Indeed, it might look like I made them entirely wholecloth to some folks, but they work for me. Call it divine inspiration. Due to this I really don't want to join any existing traditions because I'm honestly having so much fun with my solitary tradition now! It's weird because I was so stressed about finding the right coven, getting initiated, fitting in and devoting myself to the way they practice. But I think if I did that at this point in my life, I'd be miserable, and I don't see myself successfully convincing a bunch of people to start calling the Goddess a random name that came from the seedy depths of my brain, or indeed, believing that she's some eldritch creature representing the very fabric of our reality (I'm having a lot of fun with this conception of the Goddess, like lots of fun).

I seem to be doing fine now chugging along with the basic ritual structure provided by Wiccan classics, like Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft. Today, I was practicing casting a circle and creating sacred space. It was nice and I actually found myself getting into that mysterious state of flow where everything goes right and feels properly occult-y. It was also my first time using the names I have for the God and the Goddess. And it was the first time in a long time that I felt... I don't know... connected. It's sort of like I've been doing things wrong for a while, talking to a brick wall, experiencing very not enough satisfaction and feeling deeply frustrated by the whole ordeal. Then suddenly, I get the formula right, turn down the right path, and holy-shit-I'm-actually-feeling-the-presence-of-a-higher-power-right-now-it's-been-so-long. It's funny to imagine the gods watching me stubbornly muddle through my practice for the last few years, grumpy and obtuse, and then finally, finally getting it.

I also still like learning about how traditional Wiccan covens operate. I think it's interesting and cool, even if I myself do not resonate so much with all of their practices. I still do want to find a coven one day, but maybe not a traditional kind. I had a very non traditional one with my friends for a while that was more like a generalized pagan meet-up. We met by video chat every month and talked about magic and whatever we'd done with our various hodge podge of gods that month. It was nice and intimate! I'd be happy with that again-- maybe I can get those friends to revive our little group. That's an idea!

I've also found that Hekate has slowly rolled into my new concept of the Goddess. I've been devoted to her specifically for many years now, and I found myself getting pulled past her. In many ways, she's been subsumed into this Goddess in my head, but she's still there and I still treasure her guidance and her frankly dizzying number of roles in my life so far. I was afraid of this change for a long time. I felt that it was going against my commitments to Hekate. I've come to see things differently though! Change is a natural and normal part of life and I should not be afraid to let it happen.

Pictured: the Goddess in all her eldritch glory (and yes I was a fan of H.P. Lovecraft growing up). The statue's details are a bit hard to define in this photograph, but it's a black statue with a black, tentacle shaped cloak with eyes on it. It also has a black headdress on. I added the cloak and headdress. It kinda reminds me of a nun's habit, which was unintentional but fun.

[ye-spirits]

[ye-spirits]

Hekáte's Night

Mother, I honor You,

Mother, I thank You,

Mother, I praise You,

Please accept my offerings, blessed Goddess,

Hekáte, I worship You,

Hekáte, I magnify You,

Hekáte, I revere You,

Please accept my devotion, mysterious Goddess.

[ye-spirits]

If you come to a point in your practice where it changes radically, don't be afraid to embrace the change. Change is the only constant and a part of the initiation process that you'll inevitably go through as you advance on your path. Never cling to the old.

[ye-spirits]

Committing piracy as a devotional act to Hermes

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[ye-spirits]

Join me now in reciting an invocation to Gerald Gardner's hair.

[ye-spirits]

A degree in magic being offered in 2024 will be one of the first in the UK, the University of Exeter has said.

The "innovative" MA in Magic and Occult Science has been created following a "recent surge in interest in magic", the course leader said.

It would offering an opportunity to study the history and impact of witchcraft and magic around the world on society and science, bosses said.

The one-year programme starts in September 2024.

Academics with expertise in history, literature, philosophy, archaeology, sociology, psychology, drama, and religion will show the role of magic on the West and the East.

The university said it was one of the only postgraduate courses of its kind in the UK to combine the study of the history of magic with such a wide range of other subjects.

[ye-spirits]

Spooktober Celebrationⵈ🎃ⵈSpiritualism Movement

Spiritualism became a social and religious movement toward the end of the 19th century. In which, followers believed in a static afterlife, the ability to contact spirits, and that these spirits had moral and ethical insights. Scholars claim Emanuel Swedenborg as the father of Spiritualism.

By 1897, it is believed that spiritualism had 8 million followers across the United States and Europe. Most of these followers: came from upper and middle classes, were women, and supported abolitionism and suffrage.

The movement would weaken from accusations of fraud, but spiritualism is still prevalent today regardless.

[ye-spirits]

Ode to Hekate

O Hekate, wonderous, wise;

Queen of Night,

Welcome in Shadows, bringer of light,

Your Moon and Torch Illuminate my paths.

You guide me at the crossroads, Holy Keeper of the keys

O’ Chthonic Goddess! Veiled in Darkness,

You wear a mask of gold in company of the gods.

At night you take my hand in true countenance and wisdom

And I worship you, Holy One, as you appear in all knowledge and age

In all humility and purest soul,

I humbly ask your guidance remain through the dark.

[ye-spirits]

✧ ʜᴇᴄᴀᴛᴇ • ɢᴏᴅᴅᴇss ᴏғ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ, ᴅᴏɢs, ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴏɴ, ᴛʜᴇ ɴɪɢʜᴛ, ᴄʀᴏssʀᴏᴀᴅs, & ɢʜᴏsᴛs ✧

[ye-spirits]

Hellenism Books I have compiled

ahhh so public library for beginners and closet pagans

Also anyone who wants to find an epub file or send one here and DM me :D

[ye-spirits]

Online Diary | November 8, 2024

It's been a long time since I did one of these. I mostly just wanted to share my thoughts somewhere online and show off my altar. Just recently, I was moaning to myself about the lack of Wiccan content in the tumblr tag that isn't just an aesthetic photograph of the moon over a field or a crow or whatever generalized witchy aesthetic thing you can think of. I love those as much as the next aesthetic obsessed libra, but it's not enough. Anyways, the lesson I gleaned from that was "Be the change you want to see in the world," so here I am.

I've been reading the book "All Acts of Love and Pleasure: Inclusive Wicca," recently. It's been a great and wonderfully validating experience. The author confirmed a lot of thoughts I'd already had-- most of my self study on Wicca specifically has come from older sources, the classics of Wicca if you will, and while I have a lot of affection for Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft and the Witches Bible, neither are exactly up-to-date. I really liked that in All Acts of Love and Pleasure, Abburow, the author, addresses a lot of my major issues. I'm not super about the masculine-feminine, male-female dynamic, for instance. I'm very queer and it just doesn't work for me and I did a lot of improvising, especially in ritual, lots of changing around the wording in invocations and rites and such. To my delight, Abburow recommends this.

It's nice to see a Wiccan author take the bull by the horns and come up with something that feels right and works! This book was also on the recommended reading list for a coven I'm interested in joining, so I feel better about getting to know them.

I think I'm going to start collecting my favorite poetry/hymns/invocations/etc. about the God and the Goddess. I know for many, it's their practice, not their beliefs that seem to define Wicca for them-- at least, that's what I hear a lot in online spaces. I think it's because in pagan and occult spaces, belief can seem like such a fluid and even confusing thing to nail down. I don't know, really, I'm just throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. I've found belief to be important to me lately though and I've been exploring my beliefs in a higher power through the frankly moving poetry that people have created about the God and the Goddess. I think that's what makes Wicca special to me specifically! My favorite one about the God is by Raymond Buckland. It goes like this:

How evocative! How beautiful! And, at the risk of sounding extremely religious, how strangely true it feels when I think of my experiences with this part of divinity, whatever it may be. I really can't wait to use this in ritual somehow, I think it'd be very moving.

Anyways, this post is getting rather long so I'm going to cut things short here. Cheers!

[ye-spirits]