The thought of only doing witchcraft and magic as a chore is such a bummer. It's like studying really hard to do the dishes.

i hard agree with this this is why i feel a lot of witches actually get burn out or lose passion. i feel to many online witches make witch craft like a chore or something that isn't supposed to bring you joy. witch craft is exhausting in some cases and difficult, but you should enjoy it. people are allowed to follow their craft any way they choose, but i do see a lot of people shaming others for seeing it as a 'fun' thing

mabon

Support Black witches

Support Black healers

Support Black tarot readers

Support Black occultists

Support Black astrologers

Support Black magicians

Support Black pagans

Support Black spiritualists

Support Black spirit workers

End racism in spiritual and occult communities.

Racism, Spirituality, and Witchblr

As a Black witch, it first made me relieved to see so many people in the community band together for Black Lives Matter. Over the past 5 years as a member of the Witchblr community, I have been subjected to numerous acts of racist microaggressions and attacks ranging from slurs being thrown at me, death threats, insults to my cultural practices because they’re different from European witchcraft and folk magic, attempted doxxing, and more because I was outspoken about anti-racist action. And that doesn’t include the many accounts of racism and bigotry that I witnessed secondhand. So seeing the community come together to support BLM made me hopeful that there would be a cultural shift within the community. 

But, as time went on, the amount of support for BLM that I saw in the tags slowly began to dwindle as if the movement had some hidden expiration date for allies, as if all the work was done after the mass spells performed on the eclipse.

The work is far from over, witchblr. We still need to protest, sign petitions, donate, and do our part to end police brutality, defund/disband the police and abolish prisons, and address the systemic racism that exists in all facets of society.

To look “locally,” the same problems in our community still exist. And while we alone cannot eradicate racism from the whole of society, we can absolutely prevent its spread on witchblr and in other spiritual/occult communities. 

Being an ally means more than posting a black square on your Instagram page or changing your profile picture to “heathens against racism.” Being an ally means actively being anti-racist and doing your part to ensure the community is truly inclusive and safe for people of color.

So, how can we begin to address the problem of racism in the spiritual communities both online and offline? Here are a few tips. I’ve focused largely on how white allies can address racism as it impacts Black practitioners, as I can only speak from my own experience as a Black person. Other people of color of all races are welcome to add onto this.

These points are only the tip of the iceberg. Racism is so deeply embedded in our society that it won’t be removed overnight. But if you want to claim the title of “ally,” you need to join in and continue doing the work. Unlike you, we don’t get to “opt out” of caring for the movement as racism impacts us every single day of our lives. Don’t opt out on us now.

Hey Yall! Here is the link to the shop lists for witches of color. This will be updated weekly (hopefully), and as more people submit. If you’re a witch of color or practitioners of color and want to submit your shop info to be added to this list, HERE’S the link. 

You don’t just have to offer witchy services, if you are a practitionor of color and have ANY TYPE OF SHOP feel free to submit. 

Its been updated!

i’ve written before about how uncomfortable it is being Jewish in most witchcraft/magic/occult spaces, but right now i’m feeling it particularly acutely as i try to navigate this queer & trans witchy renaissance we seem to be having (which is, i think, a direct response to the terror & loss of control we all feel in 2017 - magic has always been about resistance & survival to me & a lot of other people)

i’m tired. i’m scared a lot of the time. i want community & inspiration to help keep me going, so i reach for something like a zine that bills itself as an inclusive mix of queer & trans voices on witchcraft, resistance, activism - because it’s a group of marginalized folks, i (maybe foolishly) have this expectation of seeing myself in it, or of the editors being conscious of the many forms of cultural appropriation that happen in these spaces & working to educate about them

but what i’m finding, over and over, is two things: the first is that despite the fact that we exist in greater numbers than i’d ever have expected, there are no Jewish voices in any of the witchcraft-focused publications (indie or otherwise) i’ve ever encountered. the second thing, that cultural appropriation of Judaism & other forms of pervasive anti-semitism DO exist in these publications, just makes the lack of Jewish perspectives more glaring

so in the interest of being direct, here are a few things the queer & trans witchcraft community (i’d like to ask the ENTIRE witchcraft community, but i am speaking to people with whom i share something right now) can do & think about to help:

if you’ve stayed with me this far, i appreciate it - i know this post is long & that confronting this stuff can be difficult, but i urge you to do some reading & listening before you push back. i’m writing this because i want to see things change - i want to see communities where people connect meaningfully to their own heritages & participate in actual cultural exchange & learning based in equity & mutual support. 

i’m speaking to my own experience, but all of this goes for ANY marginalized culture/tradition being “drawn from” in witchcraft communities without actually including members of said culture. 

many of us got involved in witchy things because we felt locked out of mainstream religious practice due to a mix of oppressions - let’s not replicate that in our own spaces.

If you're witchcraft is exclusionary I don't want to see it.

Witchcraft is a practice that anyone can partake in.

Including men.

Including trans women.

Including trans men.

Including black people.

Including indigenous people.

Including people with disabilities.

Including satanists.

Including atheists.

Including literally ANYONE.

Do NOT be a piece of shit.

On that same note, since it’s the season, and witchcraft has become so big in pop culture these days, I hate to be Like this, but after browsing the “pagan/esoteric” section in a big-name bookstore last week, I feel the need to warn y’all that the MAJORITY of these books are full of bad information, mistakes, or just blatant lies.

You get used to spotting BS as you go, but here are two major and common red flags:

No, no, and no. They almost Exclusively cited Other Authors in the same section, and when I pulled THOSE books, they also cited other pagan & esoteric authors.

At this point, it was just a paper trail of people making stuff up at worst, believing BS without question and spreading misinformation for money at best.

If you want to learn about this stuff, I’m Begging you to skip (most of) the bookstore pagan section and head to your local or university library’s folklore and history sections instead! You will find a Lot of relevant, and Real information there!

You CAN find good books on magic practices in the witch community, and there are some authors even now with blogs putting out some great literature, but just watch out for those signals that something may be amiss!

Also, keep in mind info changes all the time. In the last decade, researches have totally overhauled a LOT of what we’ve recognized as “Celtic” history and facts, and text books are still trying to catch up!

Let’s take a minute to discuss the notion that one is not a “real witch” if one is not frequently casting spells. I’m not here for this kind of gatekeeping.

I do not cast spells very often these days. Am I still a witch? You bet I am.

At the end of the day, spells are tools. We reach for these tools when we need something from the universe. Powering such tools takes time, energy, and consumes resources. 

I don’t have enough time to waste any of those things if I don’t really want/need something or if someone has not asked me specifically to write and cast a spell for them. 

This is not to say that casting spells just to cast spells isn’t bad or wrong. If you have time for it and want to, go for it. It can even be really beneficial when you’re just starting out (I’m a big fan of learning by doing).

Basically, focus on your own craft and how you live and work with it. It’s very much so none of your business how much or how little someone else is doing with theirs.

traditionally, kabbalah is jewish mysticism that isnt supposed to be studied until one is 40 and has studied the entire torah and talmud several times. nowadays you only really start learning kabbalah or other ideas inspired by it when you already have a strong foundational base. anyway what im trying to say is that the co-opting of kabbalah by wealthy celebrities and ‘””””” new age”””””” people is straight up cultural appropriation and wearing a red string doesnt make you a kabbalist.

This is a problem with the occult in general. So much Jewish influence is appropriated left and right, coupled with the anti-semitism its just awful.

Honestly as an occultist myself I want to rewrite and reexamine many of our occult books and text and remove the Kabbalah-istic influence. I’m currently redoing the Smith waitte deck and going through to remove appropriative content.

The funny thing is that despite being seemingly against witch craft Christian mysticism exist and is completely open for people to use and can be used without appropriation. On top of that it’s also legit textbook occult content and can be studied as well.

Not to mention Enochian magic…basically what I’m trying to say is that there are tons of other alternatives to going the route of appropriation people just need to do the work.

and of course, I want to clarify that not all aspects of Christianity are open to practice, especially those aspects tied to cultural communities. But the part that screams occult to most people is open, it’s just a matter of learning. It’s much better to learn those than to steal from a culture that’s constantly oppressed.

also just to clarify Christian mysticism =/= witchcraft. 

Even a lot of Christian mysticism is stolen or fabricated from Jewish practices, or in some cases from Muslim practices. Very little of it (in my experience) isn’t appropriated, and a decent amount of the stuff that is is usually not considered Christian- it just comes from a Christian majority culture.

I hadn’t even thought of that, but Christianity itself depending on the sect has a way of absorbing and using other practice in not so good ways. I think of anything Catholicism is what I had in mind, though I should have made that clearer. Catholcisim itslef dabbles into the supernatural considerably, and many of what is used in mass and in other rituals, of harnessed can be applies to the occult in a way that can get you very similar results. We make it a habbit of speaking to angels and saints, and communicating with deities on the other side in a way that’s non-appropriative (if that’s what you’re looking for). Catholocisim literally screams occult, and if you’re just scratching the surface to harness that power, it’s pretty much fine to use as long as you’re respectful and stay in your lane. Catholicism is a cornerstone of the occult imo, and I think people can dissect it in order to use it for that without being appropriative. Of course my opinion on this is likely to change over time, but for the most part if you’re respectful of the practice, then you should really look into it for occultism.

sexual liberation comes not just from having sex

but from the decision to have your sexual experiences on your own terms

which can mean deciding to have sex with whomever and however many times you want

or deciding to have no sex

the empowerment comes from the decision and having that decision respected

I like to remind people who somehow think that sex is an important part of all witches’ practices that ace witches exist. Witches who just choose not to have sex exist. Witches who feel no power from sex exist. We’re here and we don’t appreciate it when anyone says that sex magic or rituals is the most, or even one of the most powerful energy sources. 

Witchcraft Authors to Avoid

None. And I’ll tell you why.

I know, I know. I’m a horrible person. How could I possibly agree with all of these horrible authors? But here’s the thing: You don’t have to–and shouldn’t–agree with an author 100% just because you read them. 

Instead of telling beginner witches not to read books or presses, I think we should tell them to read A LOT of source material instead, and read with a critical eye. Here are some things to look out for:

Pay attention to when it was published. Yes, I know Scott Cunningham’s info is old and not often followed anymore. And in ten years, my information will be outdated, and so will yours. Witchcraft trends change. Yarrow and rue used to be very popular beginner plants, because they are commonly found in many areas of North America. Nowadays, it’s more popular to use kitchen spices such as cinnamon and rosemary, and therefore these two herbs became outdated and are no longer used for what they were originally used for. This is something to keep in mind when reading a book from 1988.

(As a side note, different witches use different techniques and materials. I use bloodstone to connect with ancestors; I’ve never seen any other death witch do that. That doesn’t mean I’m wrong, it means I do things differently.)

Whenever you read a work, read critiques on it as well. Triumph of the Moon is well-written, and has a lot of acclaim! But it also has a lot of backlash–cultures the author glossed over, historical inaccuracies, biased claims, and the like. Read up on these critiques, even summaries. Hell, the amazon comments section and wikipedia articles even have some necessary critiques. I know tumblr can be an echo-chamber sometimes, but when you’re studying witchcraft, you shouldn’t remain in an echo-chamber. Read other sources. You’ll decide which one to agree with. 

Research the author. How you approach the work depends on how trustworthy the author is. If people have problems with them–if they’re historically inaccurate, or disregard other cultures–keep that in mind while you read. You don’t have to completely avoid an author just because they’re inconsiderate about some things, especially if that work is historically significant. I know Gerald Gardner was iffy at best, but I still recommend reading Witchcraft Today if you’re studying Wicca, because that book was a HUGE influence on modern day.

Don’t avoid a press entirely. I see a lot of people shitting on Llewellyn Worldwide. If you don’t know, that’s one of the biggest Pagan/Witchcraft publishing presses in the world, and they’ve been around for a long time. For those who aren’t familiar with how publishing works, there are two things to know about presses. (1) It is not the press’s job to fact-check people for inaccuracies; it’s the author’s. Especially in big presses, editors and curators are there to make sure the book is readable and sells. That’s it. (2) Presses often like to change their footprint. This means that they like to publish things that haven’t been published before, or, if their last book got shit on by the community, they’ll want to find an author who’s better. Hence, the quality of authorship varies in a press. So there’s no need to flat-out avoid presses.

Read with an open mind. These books are here for us to learn. They’re even here for us to learn what NOT to do, or what we don’t want as a witch. You should be disagreeing. You should be questioning. You should be asking other peoples’ opinions on the subject. Because at the end of the day, your craft is your own, and you want to make it as uniquely “you” as possible. 

To clarify, I’m not here to disregard anyone’s opinions of certain works. It is my opinion that people should form their own opinions of works, and learn from them. Especially beginners.

Thanks for your time. Have a good one ♡＾▽＾♡

Thanks for the recommendation!

@acecraft @aroacewitch and @aroacewitches while not super active, are also all good blogs to look through for resources

an aroallo witch aesthetic

let 2k19 be the year the non-native witch/pagan/wicca community stop appropriating the term ‘spirit animal’

Spoonie Witch Masterpost

All of my spoonie/disabled/low-energy witch posts…

Bedridden witch:

Spells - range in level of energy required:

Tips and tricks:

Other:

@amarielunnemonet