mouthporn.net
#jewish folklore – @queerkeitcoven on Tumblr
Avatar

QUEERKEIT▽COVEN

@queerkeitcoven / queerkeitcoven.tumblr.com

queer/trans-centered study & practice of Jewish magic, mysticism & folklore about FAQ links & resources
Posts
Avatar
ezzymate-deactivated20230621 asked:

hey there!! ive found myself in a research-hole and wondered if i could get some other views- could jewish witches incorporate demons into their craft?? i assumed the answer was a straight up no but now im doing research into jewish demonology and its (somewhat unsurprisingly) a lot more complicated :')

Avatar

hi! just to clarify - are you looking for the opinions of contemporary Jews who self-identify as witches, or are you trying to find historical evidence of Jews interacting positively with sheydim? 

if it’s the first one, i think the answers are going to be highly varied! but i’m sure there certainly ARE Jewish witches who incorporate demons/sheydim into their practices, though they may not be a majority. 

from what i’ve read, Jewish historical views on sheydim have ranged from total fear/rejection of them as dangerous or “evil” (though our concept of evil is decidedly not the Christian one - sheydim are part of the divine universe & have a distinct role to play, they aren’t in opposition to divinity or enemies of divinity), to considering them more like faeries in other cultures - something to be wary of, certainly something that could hurt you if angered & therefore something you should at least try to avoid or appease, but potentially useful in certain situations. the legendary relationship between King Solomon & Ashmedai (king of demons) seems to fall into this latter category. 

there’s also a story about 2nd century sage Shimon bar Yochai collaborating with a sheyd (some sources say “Ben Temalion”, some say Ashmedai again) in order to favorably influence the Roman emperor - the sheyd agreed to possess the daughter of the emperor so that bar Yochai could exorcise her & receive a reward, which was the abolishing of a decree against Jewish observance! 

so there’s precedent for sheydim being not-totally-antagonistic towards Jews, and also going out of their way to help us against greater enemies. on a personal note, i’m moving more & more towards considering sheydim a kind of patron of queer/trans/otherwise-marginalized Jews in my own spiritual practice, so you can mark me up on the “yes” side. - Ezra

#jewish magic#aromanticcaduceusclay#jewish folklore#sheydim#jewish demons#ezra's posts
Avatar
www.brandeis.edu
The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute is proud to present “Ich Bin Di Sitra Achra (I Am the Other)” by Shterna Goldbloom. Goldbloom’s wistful photographic self-portraits bridge memories and experiences of the artist’s own Hasidic upbringing, with historical and invented personae. As the artist transforms herself in each composed image through dress, posture and setting, her photographs come together to present a singular but complicated expression of self as a queer Jewish woman. 
Goldbloom reinterprets the Hasidic term “Sitra Achra,” used to describe things considered to be on the "other side" of holiness — like queers and women who don't fit traditional definitions of femininity. In “Ich Bin Di Sitra Achra (I Am the Other),” the artist presents the many faces that can exist between tradition and heresy. Her gesture before the camera makes these conflicting identities visible, giving agency to those who might otherwise be obscured.

love this queer usage of “sitra achra” - very relevant to what we’re about! if you’re near Boston, go check out this show!

#queerkeit#shterna goldbloom#art#photography#sitra achra#jewish folklore#hadassah-brandeis institute#ezra's posts
Avatar

a follow-up to my mini-zine on sheydim - for the sheyd-lovers among us! this was mostly designed so i personally could wear it on a shirt, but you can have it too at my Redbubble (on a shirt or a sticker or whatever else you want)

also, i’ll preemptively explain the joke for anyone unfamiliar: this is a tongue-in-cheek “hail Satan” black metal style design, but it’s for Jewish demons, and so uses both the “horns” hand gesture & the priestly blessing of the Kohenim. yes, it’s niche, but i imagine i’m not the ONLY Jewitchy trans queer who’s drawn to sheydim (created at twilight, the time “between the blendings,” lurking at the edges of Jewish culture, both feared & respected) in a monster-identity sort of way. of course, i’ve got more sheyd-centric projects in the works!

<3 Ezra

#sheydim#jewish demons#demons#art#ezra's posts#jewish folklore
Avatar

magic stones in Judaism: the hoshen (priestly breastplate) gems

you may have seen modern-day Jewish talismans (in the form of jewelry, wall-hangings, key-chains, etc.) bearing a particular sequence of precious stones - these reference the stones set in the breastplate worn by the kohen gadol or high priest of the Israelites, as described in Exodus.

this passage from The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism by Rabbi Geoffrey W. Dennis lists some of the stones’ properties:

Jews...have many occult traditions related to gemstones, and their power is suggested in the Latin proverb, Judaeos fidem in lapidibus pretiosis, et Paganos in herbis ponere (“Jews put their trust in precious stones and Pagans in herbs”). 
The most famous gems mentioned in the Bible are the twelve stones, set in three columns of four rows, in the breastplate of the High Priest. Miraculous properties have been ascribed to the twelve stones, primarily as tools in divination. Since the exact translation of Biblical mineralogical terms is now lost, there are multiple conflicting lists for the stones that were actually used. This list comes from the medieval text Sefer Gematriot:
Odem (Ruby) has many benefits for fertility—it enhances male potency, prevents miscarriage, and eases labor pangs. Pitdah (Topaz) combats fevers and is also useful in love potions and rituals. Bareket (Carbuncle) sharpens the mind and combats the effects of old age. Tarshish (Beryl) helps digestion. Nofech (Jade, Emerald or Carbuncle) enhances strength and courage. Sapir (Sapphire) has medicinal value, especially in treatment of the eyes. Yahalom (Emerald) is a good luck charm and a sleep-aid. Leshem (Jacinth) can be used for scrying. Shebo (Agate) keeps a person secure and stable on foot or on horseback. Shoham (Onyx) is a charm that will gain favor for the wearer. Ahlamah (Amethyst) increases physical courage and is a phylactery against evil spirits. Yashfeh (Jasper) is useful in keeping one from revealing secrets and in curbing ardor.

as mentioned above, we don’t know for certain which stones actually correspond to the names given in the text, and there are many different alternatives suggested based on both the color described and the likelihood of finding a particular mineral in this historical context/location. 

each stone was meant to represent one of the twelve tribes of Israel, and the name of each tribe was supposedly inscribed on the gems using the legendary shamir worm (who also aided in the construction of Solomon’s temple).  

magic crystals (particularly crystal healing) may seem like a modern “New Age” fad, but belief in the power of stones can be found in the history of many cultures, and Jewish tradition has plenty of its own lore!

#jewish magic#jewish folklore#hoshen#hoshen stones#crystals#crystal magic#rabbi geoffrey w. dennis#priestly breastplate#sefer gematriot#ezra's posts
Avatar
humxo asked:

i'm jewish diaspora without a background in judaism, and i love and appreciate your kinda content. i'm also very low-magic witchy in a way that's a lazy mix of my experiences and the practices and superstitions i've picked up directly from other people who learned it from an aunt who'd learned it from her mom etc, and i'm always pleasantly surprised by reminders that's not ancestrally irrelevant as jewish witchcraft goes, either. (there's something homey about a history of common candle magic.)

Avatar
[cont.] (like. i get embarrassed about it a lot? a lot of it is me hijacking my ocd traits into something positive because i like small rituals, tangible representations of an act of prayer, making spiritual tribute from the aesthetic in simple ways with small things. so the reminder that someone in every generation has ALSO probably, say, been doing something like arranging specific baubles and candles around a small mirror because it was Right and had Good Energy? is nice)

yes! this is very much the way i practice too & i think really gets to the root of what folk magic is about. comfort, connection, family - especially across time & distance! 

if you haven’t already, read Seven Commentaries on an Imperfect Land by Ruthanna Emrys - it’s a beautiful short story, totally steeped in this same feeling. glad you’re finding that our blog resonates with you!

- Ezra

#ezra's posts#jewish magic#jewish folklore#humxo
Avatar
Early Jewish Magic
Judaism has a rich tradition of magic going back over two thousand years [...]
asorblog.org
“Magic is a practice and its language is performative: words are a form of action. Rather than describing reality, magical speech strives at generating a defined change. But it also is intended to communicate. The Jewish worldview ascribes high significance to various hidden entities in general, and in particular to their influence on human life. Foremost among these is the Lord. Subordinated to Him are the archangels, countless hosts of heavenly angels and other heavenly powers, such as the constellations and planets (once thought of as living entities). On earth, myriads of demons and other maleficent spirits dwell side by side with human society. At the margins exist the deceased. These entities are directly addressed by the magical oaths or adjurations, through which the practitioner tries to gain control over and then to enlist them at his service, or to expel them.”

more Jewish magic history from Yuval Harari, over at the ASOR blog!

#asor#yuval harari#jewish magic#jewish history#jewish folklore#early jewish magic#jewish magic before the rise of kabbalah#ezra's posts
Avatar
“Born in 1945, the Russian artist Grisha Bruskin graduated from the Art Department at the Moscow Textile Institute in 1968. As a member of the Soviet Artists' Union, he staged a number of controversial exhibitions, most of which were closed down by the Soviet authorities. Bruskin immigrated to his current home, New York City, in 1989.
Refusing to adhere to the government-sanctioned style of Socialist Realism, Bruskin became a major figure in the Soviet Non-Conformist Art movement, dedicating himself to the research and presentation of his Jewish heritage and its associated mythologies, mysticism, and sacred texts. Bruskin's work juxtaposes this powerful visual vocabulary of Judaic imagery and text with symbolic remnants of the now dissolved Soviet Union. In Alefbet (1984) and Alefbet-Lexicon (1987), his most reknown painting series, Bruskin combines Hasidic text, figures in religious uniform and a slew of Jewish mystical symbols to produce an image system. Bruskin's prints continue this exploration of the conflict between religious and political mythology, investigating the point of intersection between two prescribed notions of social identity as manifested through tradition, image and text.”
(biography text & images from the Marlborough Gallery, additional images from Meyerovich Gallery)
#jewish art#grisha bruskin#jewish folklore#jewish mysticism#jewish mythology#art#soviet jews#ezra's posts#a personal favorite!
Avatar
reblogged
Avatar
hexnovo

Guardian sheyd for @esoteriqueer Aside from keeping evil entities away, this devil gifts their summoner with prosperity, righteousness and wisdom, guiding them through the right path and ensuring them a serene and fulfilling life.

thank you so so much again, i’m absolutely in love!

there’s a long folkloric history of Jewish demons working harmoniously with Jews (including the king of demons helping Solomon build the temple) - so as a queer Jewish witch, i felt that a sheyd protector would be appropriate for me!

@exnovo was so thoughtful & thorough with the details, and i couldn’t ask for more beautiful artwork. i’ll be keeping this one close!

#art#exnovo#sheydim#shedim#demons#definitely need to share this with the group!#jewish magic#jewish folklore#jewish witchcraft#ezra's posts
Avatar
reblogged
thejewitches-collective
Avatar
keshetchai

A modern demon trap as thanks for @yidquotes! Ancient Jewish people would make Babylonian incantation bowls - “demon traps” or wards to protect people in a household. The center is my own spin on the little crude demon drawings, and the spiraling texts are prayers and blessings and wards for life’s metaphorical “demons.” 

My hebrew handwriting is hardly what you’d call calligraphy worthy - I copied directly from verses from Chabad and Ritualwell’s website, and of course, the english goes in the opposite directions. 

I had lots of fun doing this! In my mind, the incantation bowls of the past were ways we could ease our anxieties and remedy things we didn’t yet know how to manage with therapy or medication, or just to speak with G-d about naming and trapping our troubles or concerns. I looked up some of the formulas commonly found in incantation bowls and used some of the linguistic quirks like “by this name or any other” - as a way to cover your bases with synonyms, basically.  This small trap is against anxiety or depression, with blessings for health and happiness. 

Anyways I’ve been thinking of doing more of these. I have clay for small bowls, trading card sized artist cards like these, or might try larger paintings - maybe do them on commission, if anyone would be interested! 

Shabbat shalom!

Text reads in spirals (with translation):

Keep reading

Avatar
yidquotes

Thank you so much, I can’t wait to get it.

Avatar
queerkeitcoven

beautiful!!!

#jewish magic#demons#amulets#protection#art#jewish folklore#ezra's posts
Avatar
reblogged
Avatar
kuttithevangu

Midrashic Grandma Story

In Torah it says at the start of Sh’mot, “these were the ones who went down to Egypt blah blah blah Sons of Him, Sons of Him, Sons of Him, and Serach, daughter of Asher”

And then at the end when they’re leaving Egypt it’s like “and these ones were leaving, Sons of Him, Sons of Him, Sons of Him.  And Asher’s daughter was called Serach.”

ExCUSE? said the rabbis. A woman has a name? And she is in the list both going INTO Egypt and also going OUT of Egypt 400 years later??? WHAT IS UP WITH THAT

(a woman having a name kind of bothered them more than a woman living for 400 years. that wasn’t a problem apparently. they could have been like “well it’s her great-great–great-whatever-granddaughter” but no.  IT WAS SERACH BAT ASHER, THE OLDEST JEW IN EGYPT.  Time is fake in Torah anyway)

So anyway… to answer their own question, as to why this lady appears twice, generations apart, the rabbis said, well.  What happened is, when Joseph’s brothers found out he was alive, they didn’t want to just TELL JACOB about it, because Jacob was OLD, and they didn’t want to be like “so remember when your favorite son died? Yyyyyeah, we made that up.  Actually we sold him to some dudes? He’s ok, he’s in Egypt, he’s fine, though.” Like what if Jacob had a heart attack? They couldn’t just DO that to him

So instead Asher gets his daughter Serach to play on the lyre for Jacob. “Play something soothing,” he says. “Make it, like, poetic.”

“Soothing,” says Serach, “Yes that is my specialty, I am an excellent soother.”

She goes and sits n Jacob’s tent and plays the lyre while crooning a soft song of her own composition. “Jooooseeeeeeeeph~ is alive~ yalalalai~ Joseph is alive in Egypt~ yaDAdadadai~ he has two sons called Ephraim and Menashe~ lailai~” and Jacob after about 40 minutes of this is like wait a SECOND

and he’s like “THE MOUTH THAT HAS TOLD ME THAT JOSEPH LIVES, THAT MOUTH SHALL NEVER TASTE DEATH!!!!!” and Serach is like “cool”

So she goes down to Egypt and everything.  She’s still there 400 years later.  Sometimes someone goes to her like “so this guy says he’s our redeemer?” and she’s like “did he have the PASSWORD” and they’re like “no?” and she’s like “then it’s NOT THE GUY” until finally they’re like “so this guy Moses?” “PASSWORD?” “well he said something about the god of Abraham Isaac and–” “THAT’S HIM OMG GET HIM BACK HERE”

She also tells Moses where Joseph’s bones are buried because we couldn’t leave Egypt without them.  It’s the night before Pesach and everyone is running around like headless chickens and Serach is like SHIT.  MOSES IS GONNA FORGET JOSEPH! so she goes and says “Our father Joseph was buried in a lead coffin and thrown in the Nile, go get him” and Moses is like “ok???” and goes to the edge of the Nile and like, yells over the water “JOSEPH! JOSEPH! WE CAN’T LEAVE WITHOUT YOU!” and Joseph’s coffin floats to the surface (presumably glowing with a faint supernatural phosphorescence) and Moses is like “cool”

So that’s how things went down in Egypt.  Bubbe Serach had all the Secrets that everyone else had forgotten, because she had Seen It All.  She had all the passwords so we knew who to trust when it came to fleeing the country.  Et cetera.  Pretty neat, right? Thanks rabbis

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL, for what does the Talmud say in a totally different area?

“The sages debated the appearance of the waters when the Israelites crossed the Reed Sea.  Rabbi Yochanan said, “it was like a wall of lattice.” But Serach Bat Asher became angry, and she declared, “what are you saying? I was there, and it was like glass windows!”” (incidentally, this is important to debates over mechitzahs to this day)

BUT WAIT, u say.  BUBBE SERACH IS STILL HERE??? It’s been the ENTIRE HISTORY OF ANCIENT ISRAEL.  Temples have been built! Temples have fallen! Exiles have occurred! Rabbi Yochanan has been born and grown into a beautiful ornament for the town square who also has opinions on what water looks like! and SERACH IS JUST SITTING IN THE BACK OF THE BET MIDRASH LIKE “excuse me that is NOT how it happened” while the rabbis presumably look at each other like “shit we forgot grandma was gonna be here today” and Serach is like YOU LISTEN TO ME YOUNG MAN

SHE CAN NEVER DIE!!! SHE IS STILL OUT THERE!!! LOOK BEHIND YOU, WHO’S THAT CLICKING HER TONGUE AND SHAKING HER HEAD AT THE DVAR TORAH???

IT’S GRANDMA SERACH!!!!

Avatar
queerkeitcoven

magic grandma definitely needs to be on this blog

#serach bat asher#midrash#talmud#jewish folklore#jewish magic#sacha when will you write a book of jewish lore written exactly like your tumblr posts#ezra's posts
Avatar
reblogged
Avatar
darkhei-noam
Why I’m Baking Key-Shaped Challah This Week – Jew and the Carrot
blogs.forward.com
Can challah baked in the shape of a key unlock the gates of productivity? The upcoming post-Passover Sabbath is the time to find out.

I got published in The Forward! Why some people are baking a key on their challah (or a key-shaped challah).

“Parnasa for the rabbis is the concept of self-sufficiency, that every person has the ability to be a contributing member of a community, that they can create things, that they can support themselves, their community, a family… Parnasa is about taking wheat and making bread. And since everything has a gate, the Apter Rebbe concludes, the key represents the opening of the gates of parnasa.”
#noam's posts#a little late#jewish magic#Jewish folklore#ashkenazi#ashkenazim#hallah#challah#food#jewish food
Avatar
autumndogforge.deviantart.com

the protection of matriarchs & handmaidens: iron in Jewish folklore

many different cultures throughout history have viewed iron as having the ability to protect us from supernatural harm, and Jews have our own unique folklore about its power and uses! 

in YIVO’s Folklore of Ashkenaz class, Professor Gottesman shared a story about his father asking him, on Christmas day, to cover all the pots in the kitchen with iron lids so that the contents would be protected - an Ashkenazi custom that grew out of a combination of old winter solstice beliefs and a reaction to the Christian celebration of the day, making “unique Jewish folklore for a non-Jewish holiday.”

Jewish tradition tells us that iron is powerful against demons, both because it was the material of weapons, and because it was created after demons came into existence, so they have no immunity to it!

possibly the most interesting thing about iron is its connection to four important biblical women. the letters of the Hebrew word for iron, barzel - B R Z L - are believed to represent the names of Jacob’s wives and their handmaidens: Bilah, Rohkl, Zilpa, and Leah. according to Professor Gottesman, “because of the merits of their good deeds, iron protects us.” there are other Kabbalistic connections to be made: iron is “taken from the earth” and therefore connected to the sefira of malchut, which is viewed as feminine. the matriarchs and handmaidens represent different transitional aspects of malchut - you can read more here!

the image above is a hand-forged iron mezuzah created by Autumn Dog Forge.

#jewish folklore#jewish magic#jewish mysticism#iron#folklore of ashkenaz#YIVO#barzel#ezra's posts
Avatar

sacred geometry: circles in Jewish folklore & mysticism

we’ve finally made it to unit four in YIVO’s Folklore of Ashkenaz class, which deals directly with folkloric ritual & belief - this is what i signed up for! in the first lecture, Professor Gottesman discussed the importance of circles - believed to be perfect shapes with the power to ward off evil - throughout many different Jewish customs. some examples:

  • circling one’s body to keep away demons
  • circling the groom under the wedding canopy for luck/protection
  • circling while beating willow branches on Hoshana Rabbah
  • eating bagels after returning from a burial to evoke the cycle of life and death, including common Diasporic Jewish belief in reincarnation
  • circling graves of pious Jews with thread, which is later used as wicks for candles in the synagogue (read more about kosher fodem here)
  • a folk remedy for eye swelling includes circling the eye with a ring
  • another folk remedy to prevent the further growth of hunchback calls for circling the hump with the hand of a dead man (!)

circles are a common motif on Jewish amulets, and ilan sefirot (diagrams of the Kabbalistic tree of life) often represent each sefira as a circle. feel free to reblog with more examples of Jewish circles! (kippahs/yarmulkes come to mind)

the top image is from a copy of the Sefer Raziel HaMalach published in Vilna in 1875, and while i couldn’t find a source on the bottom image, it appears to be a medieval volvelle with Hebrew lettering - would love to know more!

#jewish folklore#jewish magic#jewish mysticism#folklore of ashkenaz#sacred geometry#ashkenazi#circles#YIVO#ezra's posts
You are using an unsupported browser and things might not work as intended. Please make sure you're using the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.
mouthporn.net