Magic Deities.

Which sign are you? 🍀🌪️🔥🌊

Watch Out For Online Cults

A lot of talk about cults and manipulative people in the community is focused on an in-person level. Things that an in-person group will do, how their control extends into your offline life, but cult behaviors and mindsets can absolutely be used online and may not be as visible or as obvious. Here’s a small, incomplete checklist of things to watch out for, red flags and the like. (Note: I’m not talking about any specific group or individuals here. None of these on their own make a cult, but a lot of them together can potentially mark a toxic environment at least. This isn’t intended to be a diagnostic tool, just things to analyze and reflect on. Please always be safe and don’t let yourself stay in toxic environments whether they “count” as a cult or not.)  

The “leader” can do no wrong. They are not capable of truly making mistakes, or any misstep they do make is quickly explained away or defended by their followers. Any criticism is quickly punished, labeled as problematic, or otherwise shut down. Online, people will often sing the praises of or “lovebomb” the leader after these incidents.

It’s Us vs. Them. Anybody who criticizes the group is an enemy. Anybody who chooses not to be a member of the group must have something wrong with them. Critics/people on the outside just don’t “get it” like they do. The “outside” may be painted as threatening/the group as a safe haven, and opposing viewpoints should not be given any attention, even to consider them critically. You’re discouraged from joining other similar groups.

Using social justice lingo as a way to control people. Manipulators can speak the language too. They may bring up gaslighting, gatekeeping, policing, invalidation, and other things and accuse an individual or group in order to either guilt the person into acquiescing or vilify them to the other members. This is a really effective tactic for shutting someone down.

The leader is elevated or enlightened in some way. They claim to be a deity, or at least closer to the divine/enlightenment than you. They have a more effective/direct line of communication with spirits or entities.They have wisdom or knowledge you must stay with them to take part in. 

Dictating parts of your online life. Members must change their names, icons, speech/typing patterns, etc. to conform to the group. The rules for behavior in an online setting go beyond what is needed to maintain order. Members may be asked to do a lot to “prove” they deserve to be/stay in the group. 

You’re scared to leave. You can’t imagine your online life without this group. You feel like you need the community/resources it provides you. You’re worried members will turn against you if you leave. You’re worried that leaving or voicing concern about the group will have negative repercussions on other platforms. 

Basic ideas for kitchen witchery

These are not recipes, but ideas - what meal could serve what purpose. They are simple, so you either should have your own recipes for them, or find them on the internet easy enough. 

Happy cooking!

BANISHING

chili (cayenne pepper, black pepper, chili - generally spicy things)

lemon-infused water (lemon is a repellant, and water is uncrossable for some entities)

sugarfree coffee with cinnamon (coffee and cinnamon are both banishing ingredients)

curry (cayenne pepper, black pepper, chili - generally spicy things)

PROTECTION

caprese salad (basil, tomatoes)

margarita pizza (basil, tomatoes)

apple pie (apples)

corn-on-a-cob (corn)

mint tea (mint)

herb soup (rosemary, basil, mint, thyme, bay leaf…)

HEALING

apple pie (apples)

golden milk (milk and turmeric)

elderflower tea (elderflower)

mint tea (mint)

onion syrup (onion and honey)

chamomile tea (chamomile)

lemon-infused water (lemon)

ginger tea (ginger)

nettle soup (nettle)

pumpkin soup (pumpkin)

pumpkin cookies or bread (pumpkin)

curry (turmeric, garlic, onion)

LUCK

cinnamon rolls (cinnamon)

orange juice (orange)

chamomile tea (chamomile)

corn-on-a-cob (corn)

pineapple juice (pineapple)

poppyseed buns or bread (poppy)

HAPPINESS

orange juice (orange)

honeyed tea (honey)

mint tea (mint)

lemon-infused water (lemon)

vanilla-flavoured ice cream (vanilla)

sunflower seed buns or bread (sunflower)

sugar cookies (sugar)

PEACE

lemon balm tea (lemon balm)

lavender-infused water (lavender)

cucumber-infused water (cucumber)

vanilla-flavoured ice cream (vanilla)

PROSPERITY

milk with honey (milk and honey)

apple pie (apple)

pumpkin soup (pumpkin)

pumpkin cookies or bread (pumpkin)

chocolate chip cookies (chocolate) 

sandwich - any (bread)

fried rice (rice)

curry (rice)

fries (potatoes)

Witch Tip #4

Stop looking for/buying “Tarot bags” and similar things and start looking at DICE BAGS at your D&D/Tabletop game store.  Seriously. The medium-large sizes fit a tarot deck nicely, and the smaller ones can be used for runes and other things. They are just as high quality bags, still plenty of colors and designs. And they’re WAY CHEAPER. 

Suddenly feline familiars make perfect sense

Why You Should Keep Track of the Tarot Cards You Pull

People will often notice patterns to the cards they pull - you’ll notice that certain cards come up more often. This tends to be based on a feeling though, rather than any real data about which cards you’ve pulled - and the real data may surprise you. 

I’ve kept track of the cards I’ve pulled in my single card readings over the past three months, and here are some things I’ve noticed: 

I pull one card more frequently than any other card. In my case, that card is The Magician. It’s really useful to know - not just suspect - that one card turns up constantly for me. 

Some cards don’t actually appear as frequently as I think they do. I recently pulled the Nine of Pentacles and thought, “Again?? Why do I pull this card so much??” but when I look at the actual data… I’ve pulled other cards way more frequently. I think it’s a form of the Baader-Meinhof effect - a card can stick in your brain for some reason and you remember it as appearing more often than it actually does!

There are interesting things about the cards that I don’t pull. In three months, these Major Arcana cards have never come up at all: The Emperor and The Devil. I can look at the data of what archetypes don’t appear in my life and draw some interesting conclusions. I’ve also not drawn a single court card (page, knight, queen, or king) from the suit of swords - swords tend to deal with conflict, which I maybe have less of during this particular time in my life

I can identify which suit and which numbered cards appear the most and the least in my readings. While the totals of Swords, Wands, Cups, and Pentacles I pull are pretty close to even, Wands eke out a little bit higher total than the others. Cups and Pentacles are tied, with Swords coming in last. If I didn’t have this data, I’d probably assume I pull Swords the most - because they leave the biggest impact on me when I do pull them! Of the numbered cards: I pull Aces of any suit the most, and Twos of any suit the least. This makes for some interesting patterns: The Magician is sort of the “Ace” of the Major Arcana, as well. Aces are about a very singular willpower whereas Twos are about partnership and duality. Through this pattern I can identify the focus the cards have on my life at this particular point in time.

I pull Major Arcana cards more than is statistically likely. The Major Arcana makes up 28% of the deck, but 39% of my pulls. The Major Arcana are more associated with long-term messages, and so my life may have more long-term type changes needing to be made during this period.

This is a quick guide to how you might interpret some of the overall themes you notice:  Minor Arcana: temporary, easily changed, daily life, current situation Major Arcana: long term, archetypes, themes, life lessons, current lesson Wands: spirituality, inspiration, determination, strength, intuition, creativity, ambition and expansion; energy, motivation and passion. Cups: love, feelings, relationships and connection; emotions, intuition and creativity Swords: action, change, force, power, oppression, ambition, courage and conflict; thoughts, and words Pentacles: work, business, trade, property, money and other material possessions Aces: new beginnings, news, movement in a positive direction Twos: duality, connection Threes: creation, creativity, growth, action Fours: stability, structure Fives: tension, conflict, challenge Sixes: relaxation, harmony, reevaluation Sevens: mystery, disruption, adjustment Eights: action, movement, growth, change Nines: contemplation, reflection, looking to the next step Tens: conclusion, culmination, new beginnings, complexity Pages: youth, vitality, fascination, learning, and focus Knights: adventure, energy, missions, conviction, willfulness, recklessness Queens: curiosity, openness, expressiveness, creativity, flexibility Kings: authority, leadership, expertise, mastery, inflexibility

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