JOURNAL ENTRY 3 ☆

The Duties of a Magical Girl

A few people have asked me what I would consider to be valid work for a magical girl. In a similar vein, I’ve seen a lot of folks here struggle with the idea of ‘concepts’ and feeling that they need to conform to a preconceived notion of what magical heroes do.

This post has been a long time coming but I think I’m finally feeling confident about what I want to convey here. If you’ve been waiting on this, thank you so much for your patience and I hope it helps you in your journey!

This post is part of my Magi Praxis series. If you have any suggestions for future topics, or you have attempted anything I have shared and want you share your experiences, please send me a message! I am always happy to go back and provide further explanation as well. ☆

While tasks like tracking down Labyrinths and vanquishing evil entities seem to be almost standard for many magical girls, these by no means define what it means to be a magical hero. I would also go so far as to say that you do not need to transform, whether that would be physically or astrally, to be a magical girl.

Our jobs boil down to a simple idea: to make the world a better place. How we then decide to go about that is what ultimately makes our individual approaches and practices unique.

While a statement like ‘making the world a better place’ can seem grandiose and unachievable, we can decide to start smaller or on a more personal level. Realistically, it may be more feasible and responsible to approach your work in a way that makes the world better for you, your friends and family, or your communities.

We do not all need to tackle big, existential problems through our magical duties—especially if you’re just starting out on your journey. Focus on making the world happier, more welcoming, and more habitable for you. This may take the form of self-care, confidence boosting, or glamours through the use of magia. You can also do this through volunteer work, community building, and mutual aid; I often find that helping others helps me with my complicated feelings of confidence and self-worth.

This is not to say that the astral battles and the like aren’t worthwhile, but they should be done with the goal of making our world and communities better—however you envision that to be.

┈─★ GOD PROFILE : MADOKAMI ❤︎

(note ; this is not roleplay, fictionkin, or delusion, though roleplayers, fictionkin, and delusional people are allowed to interact. this is pop culture paganism. please do not call me delusional, as this can cause me to doubt my experiences and reality, which can send me into pyschosis.)

before this post starts, i just want to say that this post isnt meant to be taken as "absolute truth". take what resonates with your own personal practice, and leave behind what does not.

who is Madokami ?

Madokami is a character from the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Canonically known as "Ultimate Madoka", she is a canon god character, and is the law of cycles.

domains

love, the law of cycles, karmic destiny / potential, salvation, life and death, wishes, magic / magical heroes, protection, time (past, present, future), hope, purity / innocence, generosity, compassion

associations

The colors red, pink, white, gold, and galaxy colors, love / symbols representing love, sticks or twigs, bow and arrows, bows and ribbons, flowers, stars, soul gems, feathers

titles

The law of cycles, the savior of magical girls / heroes, protector of magical girls / heroes, she who keeps away witches

offering ideas

Flowers, sweet foods, drinks, or candies, heart shaped objects, crystals or gems, shiny objects, star shaped objects, acts of love or compassion, good deeds, self care, making people or yourself happy, objects that are colored red, pink, white, gold, or galaxy colors, art,

altar decoration ideas

Flowers, sticks or twigs, heart shaped objects, crystals or gems, shiny objects, objects that are colored red, pink, white, gold, or galaxy colors, star shaped objects, art, bows or ribbons

"teens are prone to tantrums and are emotionally unstable" - okay, yeah, puberty is real, and emotional regulation is a difficult skill to learn. but also. any adult person would be pissed if their opinions were disregarded, they had no say in what happens to them, their emotions and feelings were downplayed and their privacy were intruded on.

If you’re new to visualization and astral projection, are having some difficulties with it, or even if you’re a veteran looking for resources, I highly recommend The Mentalist's Handbook: An Explorer's Guide to Astral, Spirit, and Psychic Worlds by Clint Marsh with illustrations by Jeff Hoke.

It was one of the first occult texts I picked up that I found refreshingly succinct and accessible. One of my biggest pet peeves is when occult authors describe tools or techniques but fail to explain the mechanics or don’t even attempt to offer any insight; Marsh not only details an approachable practice regimen but Hoke’s illustrations offer a bit of whimsy and inspiration for your own visualizations. Not to mention, the publication itself is just beautifully printed! Of course it is also available online in many formats but I definitely do not regret having a copy in my personal library!

Are there other topics you’re looking for more information on or are interested in other recommendations? Feel free to send me a message and I can try to point you in the right direction! ☆

to our younger mahous, i want you all to know more than anything that it's okay to set boundaries. yes, even hard boundaries. you can say with your whole chest capital N-O to people who you feel are taking advantage of your kindness and generosity. it says nothing negative about you, and it doesn't make you a bad person for setting that boundary.

don't feel like you have to feel guilty about it. you matter, too. your comfort matters. your time matters. your energy matters. your patience and wellbeing matters.

it's okay to set boundaries. set as many boundaries as it takes to make you feel comfortable.

its kinda hard to tell the difference between rp blogs and real puella magis,,, could non rp blogs reblog this for me? just trying to figure the two out...

HOW-TO : DIFFERENTIATING MAGIC AND THE MUNDANE 。

NOTES . this is not a roleplaying account nor is this a type of delusion. this is a spiritual belief and practice that can be achieved through various means such as witchcraft and manifestation.

the real life magical girl community can be considered as an incredibly niche spot not only on the internet, but in the world as well. to most people, it is a far-fetched fantasy that can only exist in pop culture media and thus, some of us began to question even the validity of our own existence.

whenever we get introduced to a subject that is novel to us or at least outside of what we think is normal and we tend to either be critical and cautious or excited and enthusiastic. this can be seen in how most of us begin in our journey as real world mahou shoujo. while having an ability for critical thinking and the trait of hopeful enthusiasm are both positive qualities in my opinion, there are circumstances where those can become imbalanced and vague.

the mahou shoujo community in this side of the internet is predominantly made up of people from the adolescent age group, this possibly is one of the plenty reasons why people may not take us seriously despite the reality of our duties. this is based on what i have observed, although i've seen a few adults lingering around both as magical girls online and offline.

many of us who stayed in the path of being a real life mahou shoujo may have frequently doubted ourselves—are our personal experiences with magic even real? to what extent is the validity of our existence? is this simply brought by our imagination, and how can we confirm it? these are all perfectly valid questions, magic is something that isn't studied and explored that much via well-known and pragmatic scientific methods after all.

this post is not intended to make someone fall into a cycle of wariness, but rather, to aid in preventing those worries that might trouble our minds and to mitigate the possibilities of online harassment over our perceived mental capacity, such as how other people might refer to what we do as another separate form of varied delusions. this does not only apply to the magic that we magical girls do, but to other types as well, just like those in the areas of occult and witchcraft.

—

the lack of definition between what's magic and what's mundane can lead to numerous misinterpretations of supernatural phenomena. these can range from misreading asoects of day-to-day life as a sign from a higher being, a confusion on what path should one take, doubtfulness on a person's own capability for rational judgement, and maybe even to the point of being disconnected from tangible reality.

these are not meant to scare people off, they dont entirely describe what everyone else go through. but, these are, from what i've seen, among the most common dilemmas met in this community—not only on the tumblr side of it, but in other social media platforms as well. early detection of such is vital in order to know the next steps that an individual should take for the betterment of their mental health and to not cause any further damage to their well-being, while remaining in active participation of their magical duties.

the methods that will be mentioned can be applied to any form of magic, whether it is the one that we magical girls use or the thing that's prevalent in the witchcraft and occult community.

01 — the value of logic and skepticism

in the witchcraft community, these are two of the many traits that a person is encouraged to have and it's not meant to push anyone who's interested away, but to help with discerning between what's real and what's fake. in the reality shifting and law of assumption community, logic and skepticism are both viewed as 'limiting beliefs' that hinder us from achieving our objectives.

from here, we see quite of a conundrum. but the truth is that both logic and creativity, and objectivity and subjectivity, should be seen together and not as opposing qualities. instead, it should be encouraged to view them as helping hands or tools to assist in what we do. this is because it will never be a limiting belief to put yourself and your mental health above other things—it will only become a limiting belief if it actually begins to restrict what you're capable of.

in philosophy, skepticism refers to questioning the possibility of knowledge, either in a particular domain or in general. in either case, to be skeptical means to believe that certain knowledge is not always possible. there are several different schools of skeptical thought. source

as mentioned above, it is the act of constructively criticizing and verifying a form of knowledge if it really was any kind of knowledge at all. in magic, we can describe it as figuring out if what was deemed as magic really was actual magic at all. i believe that this is an important thing to have so that we wont be easily fooled by what's at face value. for example, you could be making a contract but you have to make sure if the entity you're talking to really is kyubey or if it's just someone who's pretending to be kyubey.

there is nothing wrong with seeking logic and stability on concepts that may be unfamiliar and difficult to comprehend for us, it doesnt make you a hater of any kind. if we're unaware of the true essence of something, then it might cause fear, and the fear of what is unknown is the seed that sprouts into narrow-mindedness, hatred, and anger. the best thing that we can do is to avoid that seed from growing inside of us, and to stay curious about everything that we see — what i'm talking about is skepticism as in the pursuit of knowledge, not in the avoidance of knowledge and the act of being close-minded.

i think that people are too afraid of finding out that their experiences are not universal, there shouldnt be any reason to be anxious on learning about a point of view that's entirely different from your own and there's nothing wrong with applying a rational framework to most things, including magic (eg. "this works because [insert personal understanding]"). just because you apply rationality to something doesnt mean that it will no longer work. of course, all of what i mentioned should be applied in healthy moderation. it can be a pretty loose framework, it doesnt matter as long as it helps in outlining the way that you experience magic.

questioning the actuality of things help us in realizing not only its real essence, but its deeper potential.

"how can i be sure that this is a sign?"

"is this so-called sign caused by an internet algorithm?"

"is this so-called sign something that i found on purpose in order to validate myself?"

"how can i make magic work?"

"what do i think are the fundamentals of magic? how is it different and identical compared to everyone else's?"

"before diving into any magical explanations, could there be any grounded and logical reasoning to this?"

"what influences does magic hold over the mind? how can it affect our psychological and physiological state?"

here is an example of how it can be applied in real life and based on my own experiences as well.

whenever i pass by a witch labyrinth or a spot that could possibly hold a grief seed in it, i tend to feel the following: being lightheaded, nausea, an odd tightened feeling in my chest, etc., but how was i able to confirm that it was from a witch labyrinth?

i took in all possibilities — what are some factors that can affect my health and produce the 'symptoms' in the previous paragraph? what was the temperature that day, is it too hot that it can cause someone to feel dizzy? does my body need immediate medical attention? am i dehydrated, have i been lacking sleep? if i walk far from the spot i felt awful at, do i feel any better or do i feel the same? did i only begin to feel bad when i walked past it? did the feeling disappear when i walked away, but does it also return when i come back to that spot?

it was a lot to consider, but i was able to remove all other possible mundane explanations because they were inapplicable for my situation at that time. afterwards, i began to check my clairsenses, took a photo of spots i felt strange energy at, and had people tell me if they feel anything from it too, and what they told me matched my experiences as well. there was no way it's a figment of my imagination.

to summarize this section, before you think that something is caused by the supernatural, you should first eliminate any grounded explanation to it.

02 — developing trust and intuition

in order to balance out the attention placed upon logic, it is also important to simply trust in your instincts and let it be — if a magical occurrence was shown to you in an obvious way, and if you feel resonated with it without any lingering fear nor hesitance, then by all means pour your belief into it.

intuition, in philosophy, the power of obtaining knowledge that cannot be acquired either by inference or observation, by reason or experience. as such, intuition is thought of as an original, independent source of knowledge, since it is designed to account for just those kinds of knowledge that other sources do not provide. source

i mentioned earlier that it's beneficial to be skeptical of what you encounter, but it should be with the intention of figuring out the truth that's veiled behind the event and if it feels like there is another probable cause to something. i think that skepticism and intuition should coexist within an individual. always keep in mind what your instincts told you for future purposes but do not forget to be cautious, play it safe if you must.

by developing your intuition, you not only learn the value of progress but you will also enhance your senses — i am referring to the spiritual senses that we utilize here in the community in order to make a sense out of our magic, such as clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, clairgustance, clairaulience, and things that are similar to that. through the growth of these senses, you sort of get used to what it feels like to use 'magic' and what it feels like to encounter something that's completely mundane, and interchangeably your intuition.

through this, you'll be able to figure things out even with little to no problem. i believe that intuition is something that we all have but the less we use it, the less we would be able to distinguish between what's an intuitive response and what's something born out of anxiety. practice with feeling your magic and familiarizing with it, for as long as you can and as you want, until it feels like it's only second nature to you.

build a bond with your magic and your magical familiar or mascot if ever you have any — communicate with it and play with it until it feels comfortable, until it feels recognizable, until it feels easy to differentiate among worldly matters. do it until you are confident in what you're doing, as long as you are certain then it will be okay. for example, the time i've spent with berry (nickname for my familiar) allowed me to know if the entity that visits me in the astral is berry or not even without thinking too hard about it. in another case, i've interacted with incubators a good amount already that i am now able to know if what visited me is an incubator — this applies to other entities as well, not just familiars/mascots.

the point is that if a magical experience feels natural to you, then you would be able to 'just know'. if you doubt it, even for a little bit and you feel like something is off, then by all means attempt to understand it even at the slightest bit. you shouldnt be afraid to trust your judgement, nor should be wary about yourself, unless you have a good reason to.

03 — divination tools

whenever we struggle to comprehend whenever something is a byproduct of magic or if it's caused by a happening in the pragmatic world, then you can lean onto divination tools to clarify it for you. is this entity giving out a sign? or is it not? you can learn and gouge out more information via means like this, but it's vital to not let it be the only thing that leads you. otherwise, you will become a slave to what should've been a mere tool.

i consider this as a last resort attempt for me. i recommend that you use it if something feels too blurry and cloudy for your judgement to handle all alone because we do not want to become overdependent on it. another situation that would make sense for you to utilize divination is when you to ask for guidance and it's a completely valid thing! your tools should be able to interpret its energy and assist you in clarifying it.

there are plenty of divination methods such as cartomancy, pendulums, rolling dice, boards, scrying, but none of them are required to do a proper divination. if you do not have the money to get proper divination materials, then you can create it yourself and that way you'll be able to form a deeper connection with your items. still, it shouldn't be left forgotten that you should cleanse your tools every now and then, specifically before and after the divination session.

if you have any confusion, then you can ask for any additional answers, or you could try to figure it out on your own if ever you want to go down that path. there's no shame in whatever option you use and do as long as you are aware of it.

04 — keep track

it's a good method to ensure that whenever you experience a magical event that stands out among the rest, you write it down or type it up on your device in order to keep it in your memory. a lot of the people in our magical girl community are still in the process of becoming one, and if there are any significant thing that may arise then it's useful to jot it down for later if ever you begin to think that it's not real.

this is a way of also developing a form of trust with your own perception of things and your memory. you suddenly feel like magic isnt doing you any good? do you think that magic is only a piece of your imagination? look back into your past experiences and find any moments that made you feel 'magical', try to know why it felt magical, and see if there could be any other explanation to it. see how that 'fragment of imagination' was in fact a reality.

when i do this, i more often than not think to myself: how come i am doubting myself when i went through various things with magic, and they were all real? if magic wasnt real, then how else would this happen?

this was what frequently got me back on track in most days where i felt unmotivated and close to giving up on magic, but i remembered all of those times i personally fought and transformed as a magical girl. i recalled all those times where magic has shown itself in front of me over and over again, i get reminded of those times where i was able to see a magical familiar in the physical world, all of those spots where i found apparitions and puella witches in and had it confirmed, and the moments where my heart would feel warm with joy at the fact that i was able to save and protect people as a result of being a magical girl.

how could i ever deny those experiences when they were as real as it can be? this was my exact same method whenever i began to doubt both manifesting and reality shifting — how could i ever forfeit all the incredibly good and wonderful things that happened to me just because of one little disbelief?

summary

logic and skepticism

developing trust and intuition

performing divination

keeping a record of your experiences

an extra message from me !

please PLEASE be kind and gentle to yourself no matter what, okay? magic is not supposed to be too stressful for anyone, you are allowed to put yourself at a higher priority than your magic if it comes to the point of possibly hurting you. magic isnt supposed to make you feel pressured as if you're in a race of who gets to become a magical girl first, there is no rush and you have all the time that you need, there is no need to compare your own journey to anyone else's. there is no expiration date for us magical girls.

if there are circumstances where believing in magic causes detrimental harm to your physical and psychological health, then you are allowed to take a break in order to help your mind rest and see things from a better point of view. it can feel scary sometimes to pull away from magic, but it's also a necessary step to clear your thoughts of any possible biases. you can come back at a healthier state, you dont have to but it will always remain an option.

regardless of whether you've managed to successfully transform or not, even if you're able to physically see magic or not, and whether or not you're a magical girl who struggles with mental health issues that might lead to you feeling disconnected from reality or your emotions (if so, seeing immediate help is valid and if it's not available then grounding yourself back to reality with a healthy support system is a safe option), you are still worthy and it will remain that way forever. you are worth every breath and spark of excitement, you are worth it and should be treated as such.

i love you and your existence and no amount of ability nor inability can ever take that away. you deserve appreciation not only for your magical and/or spiritual aspects and expectations, but for your own self too — your mundane self as well, the you that's reading on this screen. i understand that it can be frustrating a bit sometimes but do remember that it's a journey. i know it's easier said than done, but try to be nicer to yourself and have the patience if ever you begin to feel distant from your spiritual practices.

extra (i promise this is the last extra in this post)

hello it's me polaris from @dreamerarchives, if anyone is confused because of the identical layouts then im really sorry about that but i'll be posting more on this blog 😭 BUT i do have helpful and informational posts in my old blog that could possibly be useful! if you think they could be of any use, feel free to have it be a reference material, especially for magical girls that are just starting out!! i really genuinely love this community because it feels really fluffy and warm whenever i interact here so i want to do my very best for you as someone who has been in the community for years. no amount of anything can push me out of my desire to help other mahous!! if you need any advice, feel free to send an ask in my ask box. thank you so much!

thank you Canada 🇨🇦

The World post-Rebellion Story is a Manichaeistic Paradigm.

You don’t have to choose between  Devil Homura or Goddess Madoka. The world is built on complementary forces. 

I’d say they both have attributes you’ll need in your spiritual journey, thus both are very, very important. 

Madoka

Madoka is selflessness and sacrifice, the sacrifice of the self to attain a greater good. She is a bodhisattva. She is passive.

Her love is universal and bright, but reflexive and not passionate. 

She is hope.

She is the world of Salvation, she is Transcendence.

Accepts that her laws bring about her own dissaparition. 

She is what a post-modern mage would call “The Right Hand Path”

Homura

Homura is doing the bad thing for the juste cause, fixing unfair situations by doing the wrong thing. She is a rebellious goddess of chaos and knowledge, a Lucifer, a Prometheus. She is active.

Her love is focused and passionate, destroys and creates, but above all, it binds.

She is rebellion and change.

She is the Material World, not the unknown beyond.

Accepts that her world will bring her hate, even her own self-hatred.

She is what a post-modern mage would call “The Left Hand Path”

(I hope I can go and add more to this post in the future!)

What are egregores?

Disclaimer: this post will have no mention of tulpas. I see them grouped with thoughtforms constantly, and from my limited understanding of tulpamancy, the definition that I see passed around on Tumblr is fully incorrect. Tulpamancy is also a closed practice. It isn't mine to be part of, and in all likelihood, it probably isn't yours to be apart of either.

Second disclaimer: this is all 100% my opinion and my own personal beliefs. You do not have to agree with me

Egregores are definitely a new age idea, and disconnected from Hellenic Polytheism, which is why they're so controversial in the circle. But the broad definition of an egregore according to Wikipedia is

To understand what an egregore is, you must first understand what a thoughtform is

A thoughtform is an energetic being, entity, whatever you wanna call it, that has been brought about by manifestation. This manifestation can be intentional or unintentional. A thoughtform exists because of the belief in it.

(Important note: This is NOT the same philosophy that HelPols apply to gods, we do not believe that they exist because we know about them. We believe they exist as fully separate entities regardless of if we believe in or observe them)

Different types of thoughtforms exist, here is an incredibly simplified list of different types

Sigils: a very low energy type of thoughtform, not built with physical appearance or personality.

Servitors: a tiny split piece of your own consciousness, created to perform a task for you, and be reabsorbed by you when it's done. These are not sentient, and they only contain your own energy. They may have different names and different appearances to you.

Thoughtforms (broad term): an entity created by your belief in it

Sentient servitor: a servitor that you have chosen to split off from yourself, that has a more complex personality. These are entities that usually need to be created very carefully, and they need to be built in with "food sources", things they like, dislike, what they exist to accomplish, what they look like, their name, etc. These are created with the knowledge that they may become sentient fully. These are lifelong commitments and it's extreme energy work I won't get into, but it's a lot of concentrated effort from one person. They also may not like the things you've chosen for them, such as food sources and appearance and tasks. It is your responsibility to change these things if you didn't give them the ability to.

Egregores: a thoughtform which is known about by a large group of people, who's collective knowledge and energy give it sentence. Think of Santa Clause. We all know he isn't "real", but we still give him that thought every year through decor, songs, even offerings of milk and cookies! Enough so that the "spirit of Christmas" is a very real feeling that people experience.

Pop culture egregore: an egregore based on a fictional character and people's belief in it

Pop culture deity: an egregore based on a fictional god/goddess/divinity, fuled by both real life knowledge of the character, and in universe worship of the god.

Egregores have two points they're usually brought up alongside in modern times, so let's unpack both of those.

"Celebrities and high profile individuals have an egregore, and you can't cast spells on them because it will just fuel the egregore"

In my own personal opinion, this is bullshit fear mongering. In my opinion, I think there are dangers to casting spells on big figures. I mean, everyone and their mother hexed trump in 2020, and he just had the biggest political turnaround in modern history that literally nobody saw coming. Some might say it's connected. My personal opinion is that there's OTHER reasons you shouldn't cast on big figures like this. But historically, we cannot ignore the fact that hexes and curses have been used by the oppressed to fight back against the oppressors. Erasing that erases so much history that it's important we don't forget.

"Characters and entities from pop culture can be worked with like gods"

In my opinion, I agree with this! From my standpoint as a Hellenic polytheist, I will never hold any spirit as highly as I do the gods, however I do believe that egregores can be worked with like any other spirit. Even the PGM has a spell for creating a personal daimon, and in many ways I see this as no different.

But what are you ACTUALLY worshipping??

There are two schools of thought about this, and in my own opinion, I think it's somewhere in the middle.

Some view working with a pop culture character as working with the things they stand for. I'm going to use Twilight Sparkle as an example, because why not.

So if one wanted to work with Twilight Sparkle, under this school of thought, you aren't actually working with a personified spirit of a cartoon horse. It's more like a way to visualize a spirit of kindness, knowledge, magic, friendship, learning, etc. Some might just use the image of Twilight Sparkle as a way to bring those things into ones life. A lot of autistic practicioners do this because it's a way to link your practice to something you already know about and like.

The second school of thought is obviously, as per the post, that you are actually working with an egregore of Twilight Sparkle, and that it can manifest as the cartoon horse, because that's the collective belief in it.

Both of these are completely valid, and in my own experience meeting people, for most, the belief of what it actually is lies somewhere in the middle. This is also where I would like to remind everyone that as long as it makes you happy, doesn't break any laws, and doesn't harm anyone INCLUDING yourself, then it doesn't really matter what it is. If it's genuinely improving your life, who cares if it doesn't turn out to be real? If praying to Twilight Sparkle helps you, who is anyone to tell you that you can't do that just because it's "cringe" or whatever?

How do I know this isn't all bullshit??

Completely fair question, I would be asking the same thing. And the answer is simply that you just don't. I thought it was completely main character syndrome bullshit from the darkest depths of the chronically online, until a few years back I actually tried it. I have found so much fulfillment, so many answered prayers, and so much joy in my time working with egregores. It actually makes me sad how many people probably would love it and will never try it.

I don't judge anyone for not understanding it, but I urge you to give it a try even if you think you won't like it. Opening yourself up to energy work is so rewarding if you're willing