The "therians/nonhumans Know They're Bodily Humans" Crowd Is Gonna Be Real Surprised When They Meet Someone

New to witchcraft? Awesome! Here's some things you should pursue.

An understanding of sympathetic magic: Correspondences, their metaphysical and theoretical framework, and their derivation.

Magical systems that incorporate the entire gender spectrum.

Energy work that isn't based on visualization.

The means of manifestation: How, where, and when spells affect physical change. The physical mechanisms through which witchcraft manifests beyond just willpower/intent/wishes/etc.

The history and subsequent influences of, and on, popular contemporary practices like Hermeticism, "Ceremonial Magick"/Golden Dawn, Wicca, and New Age/New Thought/LOA/Reiki.

How to approach and practice magic with critical thinking skills.

Influence of consumerism on contemporary practices.

Divination as systems: all methods of divination beyond tarot, their statistical applications, and their different methods of use.

The anthropology of medieval Arabia, Europe, Near East, and Asia relative to the magical or occult publications of the era. What is purely religious, parareligious, or syncretist and what does that mean for the interpretation of the text?

The genuine limits of our knowledge of the ancient world, what's possible for us to know and what can't we know?

Conversations with practitioners of closed or semi-closed practices and perspectives of POC when it comes to what the western world would label as "witchcraft".

The differences and similarities between superstition and the practice of witchcraft.

An understanding of the influence of colonialism on modern witchcraft and the language used to discuss magic.

Critical Race Theory (CRT), Queer Theory, and systems of oppression.

Botany and herbology: An understanding of the physical and medical properties of plants.

Building a personal lexicon for modern and/or colloquial terms used in and by the witchcraft community to describe and discuss practices.

Spell design: What makes a spell a spell? What is the smallest or slightest action that can be considered a spell and why? What are the most important and influential elements of the design and application of a spell?

Altars: Their use, design, and potential; whether or not an altar would benefit your practice or goals for practice.

A critical approach to spirit work and astral projection, being able to discern between personal narratives and probable experiences.

A safe and solid community to become a part of. One that does not allow the influence of personal narratives (Without addressing them as such), doesn't allow for the mixing of adults and minors, and with established and enforced logical and reasonable rules.

Collect and cross-reference correspondences from as many sources as possible, then start to create your own.

Try to find a STEM subject that interests you and study it through any non-dogmatic avenues available to you.

The items highlighted in blue are things I highly recommend!

Here is a list of things to avoid.

This is, of course, not an end-all-be-all list of possible responsible and healthy pursuits.

You can learn more about me, find my master-post, check out my Patreon, and suggest content here.

10 Simple Ways to Worship Mother Nature

These could apply to any earthly god or goddess really, so feel free to borrow any ideas that speak to you! And please tell me about how you worship your deity, I'd love to know 💚🪲

Going for daily, mindful walks. Sometimes I'll listen to music, other times I'll just listen to the world around me.

Wear a lot of greens and browns, as well as recycled and more sustainable fabrics (a lot of my clothes are also thrifted, and I try to avoid overconsumption)

Decorate my space with earthy colours, posters and pieces of the earth - I have crystals, bones, pressed flowers and even rocks and twigs in my room

Learn about nature and the world around me - I am a zoology student so my academic career is also a devotion to Mother Nature but I also learn about what animals I can see locally, I study when and where flowers bloom and how to tell when rain is coming etc

Reconnect with my more primal side - a significant part of my work with Mother Nature is reognising and accepting that humans are animals, and we behave as such; we cannot allow ourselves to become seperate from wilderness. To me, this involves connecting with my intuition and gut feelings, recognising my emotions and desires and working with them

Making and wearing daisy chains or flower crowns

Creating art inspired by the world around me and myself

Caring for animals (that includes other humans) when I can and it's safe: from helping a snail move across the path, to making sure a dying bird can rest peacefully, to giving food and money to the homeless

Loving myself, though it isn't always easy

Spending time outside with my hands in the dirt or streams, speaking with the trees and birds and listening to their replies

fang moodboard ★

div. ✩ reqs open!

🦷 ✩🩸✩ 🦷 | 🩸✩ 🦷 ✩🩸 | 🦷 ✩🩸✩ 🦷

Okay now that I got the bitchiness out of my system a bit, let's see if I can write a bit on """"rules"""" of witchcraft as I would like to see them.

Stop bitching about other people's practices and focus on your own. If you spent a lot of time worrying or raging about how other people practice, how will you ever grow your own? Focus on yourself and your own power and let other people do their thing.

Other people's practices are inspiration, not goals. On the flip side, if there is someone who you look up to, or someone's practice you love seeing, take it as inspiration for your own, but don't look it at as a goal to achieve. Firstly, what people share online is not the whole of their practice, and secondly you're not them and their path is not yours.

Be curious. Why are people harping on "black and white magic"? Why are Starseeds bad, but Alienkin and Starkin are fine? Why is cultural appropriation such a bad thing? (If you answered "because racism" on all three of these, have a cookie!) And not just curiosity about these concepts, but also about correspondences (Why are red roses a symbol for love?) or ingredients you have in your home (will this basil work as well as rosemary for this spell?) or other paths and techniques, or spirits, or -- you get the point. Once you know the "why" you can use your own discernment. Does this work for me? Do I agree with the why? Etc. etc.

Be respectful -. To other people, to other practices and cultures, to spirits and deities. Find out their customs and cultures if you can, and act accordingly. Did you know that not saying "thank you" to the Fair Folk is only a custom in Irish and Scottish folk tales? Yeah, exactly.

-But don't be terrified. You're a witch/wizard/warlock/unicorn/whatever dammit! Act like one! Witchcraft is about empowerment, so be fucking empowered! An anarchy saying is "no gods, no kings, no masters". As a polytheist witch who works with the Fair Folk for me it's more "lots of Gods, some Kings, no masters!" I meet them with respect, but on equal footing. I experiment because if I screw up, well, I'll have learned something, and I've learned a lot about getting myself out of weird stuff.

Have fun. For fuck's sake, your practice is supposed to bring you joy. If it doesn't bring you joy or make you feel fizzy with inspiration and energy, try something else. If you need to, toss the whole thing out and start over. Trust me, it helps.

Hi! Werewolf/wolf shifter here.

Is it possible to be both a were and a vampire?

hello!

yes, it's completely possible, as I've heard that vampirism (sanguinarian, aka those who drink blood, and the energetic type that takes energy spiritually from people or things) is more of an addition to an individual rather than a species of its own and can occur in any nonhuman species as well as humans!

For new witches:

You don’t have to accept everything you’re told, your journey is yours to create. Don’t feel pressured to label yourself or fit into someone else’s idea of what a witch should be. Trust your instincts, explore what resonates with you and remember that your craft is deeply personal and will evolve over time.

"How can I be a witch/pagan without falling for conspiracy theories/New Age cult stuff?" starter kit

Posts & Articles

Check your conspiracy theory. Does any of it sound like this?

Check your conspiracy theory part two: double, double, boil and trouble.

QAnon is an old form of anti-Semitism in a new package, experts say

Some antisemitic dogwhistles to watch out for

Eugenicist and bioessentialist beliefs about magic

New Age beliefs that derive from racist pseudoscience

The New Age concept of ascension - what is it?

A quick intro to starseeds

Starseeds: Nazis in Space?

Reminder that the lizard alien conspiracy theory is antisemitism

The Ancient Astronaut Hypothesis is Racist and Harmful

The Truth About Atlantis

Why the Nazis were obsessed with finding the lost city of Atlantis

The Nazis' love affair with the occult

Occultism in Nazism

Red flag names in cult survivor resources/groups (all of them are far right conspiracy theorists/grifters)

The legacy of implanted Satanic abuse ‘memories’ is still causing damage today

Why Satanic Panic never really ended

Dangerous Therapy: The Story of Patricia Burgus and Multiple Personality Disorder

Remember a Previous Life? Maybe You Have a Bad Memory

A Case of Reincarnation - Reexamined

Crash and Burn: James Leininger Story Debunked

Debunking Myths About Easter/Ostara

Just How Pagan is Christmas, Really?

The Origins of the Christmas Tree

No, Santa Claus Is Not Inspired By Odin

Why Did The Patriarchal Greeks And Romans Worship Such Powerful Goddesses?

No, Athena Didn't Turn Medusa Into A Monster To Protect Her

Who Was the First God?

Were Ancient Civilizations Conservative Or Liberal?

How Misogyny, Homophobia, and Antisemitism Influence Transphobia

Podcasts & Videos

BS-Free Witchcraft

Angela's Symposium

ESOTERICA

ReligionForBreakfast

Weird Reads With Emily Louise

It's Probably (not!) Aliens

Conspirituality

Miniminuteman

Behind The Bastards

•awakening (1/3•

My awakening isn’t something I’m too open about. I cannot find a single person who shares a similar experience as I. Due to this, I’m fearful and anxious about publishing this post, BUT I want to. Perhaps I’ll feel less alone by doing so. With that said, here goes. 🐺

It started off around late summer to early fall in 2012/2013. I had just moved into new house with my mother and made a few female friends who were around my age. After getting to know them a bit as kids, they both introduced me into the supernatural. At first, they mentioned they were vampires and they “turned into one” with the use of “online spells” from YouTube.

From what I recall, I wanted to be a vampire alongside with them. These two girls “turned” me with the online spells and boom. I thought it had worked. I was going to simply live my life as a vampire. Of course, I was fooled.

Later on around the age of 12/13, I had discovered “werewolf spells” once again all online. I did one and I thought it had worked. I thought I was experiencing “symptoms”. I stated what kind of wolf I wished to be. A polar wolf with yellow eyes.

Before my true awakening, I discovered the world of physical shifting and the community. I was beginning my journey into it and tried out mental shifting through various methods on my own. I recall I tried to visualize myself as a wolf but nothing came of it. Disappointed but still determined, I kept going…

Soon enough, I had heard my “friends” no longer believed in the supernatural but I still held onto the belief of it. I even told myself, “no one will ever take this away from me. I’m determined to see this through and to discover myself.” My gut told me to keep pushing, for there is more out there than I realized…

•awakening 2/3•

At this point in my journey at the age of 12 or 13 years old, I knew I was about to discover something bigger than myself. Excited, I just kept going.

I was uploading videos on YouTube of myself. My posts consisted of me posting about “real werewolf spells” and spiritual guides. I truly thought my guide was a wolf and nothing else. I’d do quizzes as well back then to “help” find more about myself as a wolf and my guide. I was also in contact with a friend of mine on Kik messenger back when it was gaining popularity.

While discovering that there were others out there who had similar experiences and beliefs of my own (p-shifting), I realized I was a lot less alone and more focused on how to shift physically. I also had tried out meditation all on my own. I even joined a lot of toxic “packs” on Kik from the ages of 12/13-16?

For a while however, I still felt lost. Lost about myself and those around me. I didn’t know what was real and what isn’t. I didn’t know if p-shifting truly existed. I just kept wanting to genuinely shift…

February of 2015 hits. By now I had moved out into the countryside, went to a middle school where I was bullied and other traumatic situations were happening. I recall however that I didn’t feel entirely alone anymore. I had created my own online pack where a lot of drama took place and I thought I was encountering real p-shifters. While none of us could p-shift, we were deep in belief.

In February of 2015, I had met someone online. Let’s call her C. C was only 13 and I was 15. I’ve never forgotten this moment ever. When C and I had met, I immediately let her join my pack. Something in me told me she was a legitimate nonhuman. After getting to know her personal experience and life in DMs, we became close friends…

I remember as clear as day about this experience. It was winter and there was a severe snowstorm brewing. This was at nighttime. The electricity went out, we used candles for lighting, I had zero internet, and it was freezing. I recall looking at my phone while my data was in and out. Typing out a message to my pack, I was bombarded with messages…

It was about C…

•awakening 3/3•

As my messages from Kik were surprisingly delivered, C had vivid flashes of wolves. Visions from a deep meditation she had done.

While my memory doesn’t serve me well, I was in shock at what C had seen. I knew it wasn’t just make believe or lies… this was all real.

She managed to make contact with various wolves. She had seen an entire pack one at a time.

The winter storm was blowing and wind was howling. As I read through these messages, she had seen the following:

• a pure-ish looking white as snow polar wolf with yellow eyes laying down in snow.

• some sort of black wolf but I cannot recall what it was doing.

• a cream blonde wolf with white and pale green eyes. Medium in size. This was C’s vision of her wolf, Fern. Her wolf was standing side by side with mine. A silver looking black phase wolf with mahogany eyes by the name of Dusk…

I had seen photos of Dusk like a mixture between two reference photos as seen in the second and third photo. In shock, I was surprised that she had seen these wolves.

On the day of my near awakening, the electricity came on. I was all happy about it however curious of what else was said by C. DMing her, I asked about what happened. I cannot recall the conversation due to time, but she had shown me the photos. She suggested I look on my own for a better photo and see what I feel…

Feeling it out, I came across a photo of a particular wolf (timber I believe). I had shown the photo to C and she had said it was what she saw, expect for a few minor details were different.

At this point, I cannot recall how exactly I awakened or what triggered it, BUT I’ll always remember what I felt.

It was like something came to life again from a deep state of sleep. Dormancy if you will. I had truly felt something was.. with me. It was like another presenc but female in nature. At this point, I was told to meditate immediately afterward. It was like another being was with me and always had been… Dusk it was.

I only really remember feeling her in my mind. I felt her emotions and energy throughout me. She felt close to the surface and at the forefront of my mind. It was a new sense of energy. It was as if I could feel my wolf throughout my veins. From here, the rest is simply history.

Thank you for reading!! 🌸🐺

Low energy land spirit work

Please note that I would recommend properly greeting land spirits before talking to them, or making offerings to them. If you're intrested in reading about my thoughts and experiences with land spirits, give this previous post a look!

Open the window and let the outside air in. If your window is equipped with a screen against bugs, you can place a drink at the window for a few hours to serve as an offering

Taking a walk around the block, spotting the nearby trees, gardens, flowerbeds, rock formations...

Journal about your personal relationship with local natural spots, indigenous plants, wildlife...

Become interested in local birds! Birds are among the most common types of wildlife to be observed in urban areas, which makes it all the more relevant to do so. Setting up birdhouses also makes for a great offering!

Limit the amount of processed foods in your diet

Read up on plant identification in your area

Engage in artistic activities in order to depict nature! It might seem silly, but it's a good visualization exercise, and any time spent meditating upon the land spirits may be considered devotional. Drawing, painting, writing... no matter your activity of choice!

Reflect on what local issues might affect them, especially concerning environmental protection

Leave a bowl of clear water outside as an offering

Do your part to respect nature: composting, recycling, saving water and the like make perfect devotionals

Talk to them regularly, if only once a week. Spend a moment outside to tell them of your appreciation for their presence and protection

Use natural elements to decorate the house: get flowers when available, pick up the acorns or fallen leaves that strike your fancy...

The hard truth about occultism and witchcraft is that you genuinely do have to be willing to lose your mind. That’s not me romantisizing mental struggle or psychosis.

The thing no one talks about, at least not honestly, is the threshold one passes in initiation, where the mystical, psychological, symbolic and literal merge. When I say you have to be willing to lose your mind, I mean you have to be willing to accept the possibility that you may in fact be crazy. Your worst possible fear, none of this is real and it’s all happening in your head. What will you do if you realize you’re simply crazy? The wise man will turn away, but the initiate, the alchemist, will be unphased.

All people who dabble with spirituality and occultism will eventually meet this threshold. When things actually start working, when your spells yield results, when the impossible occurs and you truly have no other explanation. When the Gods finally respond. Be willing to lose your mind, be willing to experience things you cannot explain. And be willing to talk to yourself with the honesty that you simply cannot know. That’s what makes your faith and pursuits worthy.

The most talented and most powerful witches and magis are those who do not flinch when the impossible occurs. They no longer question themselves about the absurdity, they no longer wonder if any of this is real because they know it doesn’t matter. And that’s why they’re so powerful, they have complete faith that their work is very real. And when someone challenges that, they don’t crumble, they rise. Because the challenge in that idea is worthy of pursuit itself. Maybe we are crazy, maybe this is just in our mind. The significance however, that is real and that stays, regardless.

Yap yap yap

We talk a lot in this community about the concept of “awakening” to your psychic abilities. Sensing energy, having divine intuition, telling fortunes and affecting the world through intention. But we hardly ever expose that before those gifts explode, there is always a period of what feels like insanity. The mind interrogating itself. Sensitivity to the mystical. It feels like being given access to the background code of your simulated reality, and realizing that the same code is written into your flesh, mind and soul.

Tldr. Witchcraft is very aesthetically pleasing, very pretty. We often don’t show the very ugly side of it, the white knuckles, the tears and chaos. Inviting these forces into your life is not trivial, not at all. They will force you to change and they will force you to lose your mind, even if only to teach you how to find it.

Every few months a friend of mine who is also a witch will come to me and express that she thinks she’s losing her mind again. And I smile because I know that she must be growing so much, getting so much more powerful. And a couple days ago, when I went to her and expressed that I was losing my mind again, she laughed too.

“Welcome to the next phase of your journey with Lord Lucifer!”

and her saying that immediately made everything click. I’m still being tested and cultivated. This bought of insanity is surely far from the last i will experience. Getting this far and surviving means I am not only advancing, I am continuing to grow into the role I was meant to serve for him.

Anyways, if you get to that point in your practice where you feel like you’re at your breaking point, I won’t fault you for stepping back. That’s the logical decision.

But I can also assure you, you are not alone. The mystic floats in the same waters the psychotic drowns. It may feel like you’re drowning and struggling, you may in fact just be learning how to tread water. and if you think you’re beyond this phenomenon, if this has never happened to you.

Oh, just you wait.