I had a dream I made a potion necklace out of resin. I’m not sure what my guides are trying to tell me but now I’m thinking about making my own necklaces for jewelry enchanting.

I also got back into mediating from my long period of foggy depression and everything seems so much more clearer imma try to keep a frequent meditation routine for my health now. Of course not in front of family.

Yule is my favorite word for Christmas.

Yule (spelt as Jul in Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish but pronounced as Yule to us English speakers).

I love Yule because it actually entails multiple religions. It may be the result of cultural appropriation but I like to think of it as sharing.

Yule (Jul) is the Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish word for Christmas. It's also the Wiccan Winter Solstice Holiday. It's also the Asatru Winter Holiday. It's also used by many other Neo Pagans.

Yule is so versatile because it means the December Holiday for so many people, from Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish Christians to Wiccan and Asatru.

I take a sort of “rule of cool” approach to my pagan faith. I use archaeology and history as my baseline, and I freely incorporate elements from folklore and superstition to fill in the gaps. However, I think there’a an argument to be made that if we want Gaelic paganism to thrive as a living religion, we have to allow innovation and reinterpretation. Do we have any proof of Ogham being used for divination? Nothing concrete. Is it cool and do I still do it tho? Fuck yeah.

As long as you’re honest about what’s historically attested, what is speculative, and what is newly created, I don’t see why old and new can’t coexist. They do in my faith anyway.

Fuck that neo Druid and Celtic shaman shit tho. Get that shit right tf outta here.

The Sacred Changed

ok so I've wanted to set this idea out and I've noticed some people floating around in a sort of meme fashion. But as with my last post I wanted to try and establish a more formal theological reason for this.

The idea I'm posing is what I'm going to call the pagan acceptance of trans people, now while not absolute the vast vast majority of pagans (aside from fascists but fuck them) are trans accepting. I want to expand on this idea that not only should trans people be accepted. But they're experience of transition should be seen as sacred. And further that this idea should be spread in order to oppose the idea that trans people are broken or confused particualrly as the US seems to be falling more and more into theocracy by the day.

The fundamental basis of my argument comes from a couple of sources. The first and most important is the Hymn to Inanna which was written by a woman called Enheduanna who served as a priest of the goddess Inanna (better known as ishtar) and who lived about 4300 years before the present. One of if not her most famous surviving works is this Hymn whose most famous line goes. "To turn a man into a woman and a woman into a man are yours, Inana." (line 120). In this line Enheduanna specificly uses this transformative power as evidence of how supreme the goddess is.

The action is treated as amazing and powerful. In preceding lines Inanna is described as a goddess who has the power to "shatter the earth" and before whom all other gods prostraight themselves before at her power. and amoungst these pasages where the goddess is given power of victory in battle the wellfare of cities and the wealth of lords and kings she is also given transformative power. In effect the text calls the men and women changed into the opposite gender (what we would call trans men and women) not onlt sacred but evidence of the supreme power of the goddess the text was written to exult.

Further Inanna/Ishtar as well as later goddesses derived from her maintained a long lasting class of priests known as gala as well as preist roles specific to her origonal cult (group of worshipers or priestly organisation) who enaged in actions which violated the gender binary, these included wearing womens clothing and adopting feminine roles in terms of singing religous songs and hymns. While not exactly trans individual as we might identify them today this role clearly shows an affinity for gender non conforming individuals within the cult of the goddess ishtar.

And this idea is not limited to ancient mesopotamia. Both ancient greek and ancient roman sources though they often have a different idea of transition than we would (often filtered through misgony). This is seen not only in the cult of excplicitly gender non conforming gods like hermaphroditus (who depending on myth was either born half male half female or became half male and half female). or numerous myths in which the gods change someones biological sex. with the change in all cases being seen as divine power if not an exact positive (specificly male to female transitions are often thought of as negitive with a couple of possible exceptions).

In addition to this the Galli (Potentialy a contiuation of the Gala of mesopotamia) though refered to as eunchs in contemperary writings. seem to have occupied a similar space to modern trans gender people and again were seen as sacred to their goddess Cybele.

Across the ancient mediteranian trans people (or a probable ancient equivilent) not only existed but often held localy important religous positions. And beyond that the transformation was treated as an almost supreme act. In fact it could be argued that transitioning is in fact the most religous act a human can perform because the gods may change their shape at will and choose the form in which they appear therefore it follows humans who change their own form to one which they feel is true to so in imitation of the gods and so are the most like them.

And it is this idea pagans must encourage as attacks on the LGBT community and trans people especily grow and mount. we must hold the line we must stand with this community and defend them not only because it is the moral action but because it is the pious action. Because to stand with this community is to say "Here are those the gods have chosen and risen up as sacred here are those who are like the gods and so we shall defend them" and that is the lession of Inanna great goddess of Uruk and greatest of all the anunaki and igigi. She who Enheduanna glorifys as the one who "opens the roads and paths who is a place of peace on a journey and who is companion to the weak" and she the goddess whose power is exulted as supreme by Enheduanna "she who changes men into women and women into men"

Dedicated to Ishtar-she who changes

Uneducated: A Question for Modern Witches on Gender

So, hi. I'm learning about the practices and beliefs of Wiccanism as an intellectual curiosity. To do this, I've begun by reading "A Witch's Bible," written by Janet and Stewart Farrar. As far as I know, this is a relatively good source outlining "Gardnerian Wiccanism," which seems to be one of the most popular contemporary understandings of Wicca and Neo-Paganism (as far as I know? Forgive my ignorance, if I am mistaken).

As I read it, I have thus far found it to be a very illuminating read, that goes in depth on the largely progressive, naturalistic, and idealistic belief systems of the "modern" witch. However, as good a source as this book may be, there is one repeated aspect that feels dated by today's discourse-- the concept of gender, and how this topic is discussed.

Now, this book's major components were written in 1981 and 1984, then compiled into a single manual in 1996(?), so it's obviously somewhat dated. We've had four decades of growing social progress since.

In brief, let me explain my understandings thus far, to see if I am on the right track in following this book's vision of Wicca: there is a huge emphasis on "polarity," i.e. opposites. This includes man and woman, written in very binary black/white terminology. This book states that man and woman's nature is inherently different (but equal) on a level beyond physical. Women have a "cyclic nature" due to ovulation and menstruation; whereas men have a "linear nature." Women are afforded more psychic ability because they have the "gifts of the goddess," and can be a symbolic vessel and avatar for the Goddess. However they can also serve as the vessel for the God, if there is no man able to do so during a Sabbat gathering, ritual, or event. On the flipside, a man can only ever be a vessel for the God-- never the Goddess. The domain of Goddess is strictly a role afforded to the high priestess and women in an "ideal" Gardnerian coven structure. (Again, not stating that this IS 100% the case, just explaining how I've understood it thus far.)

So the question burning in my mind is simply this: how have Wiccan beliefs and communities adapted and changed in their thought processes on the relation between sex and gender, considering we live in an age where the topic is now more mainstream than ever? What are the psychic and spiritual roles of man and woman in modern day, considering the newfound greater questioning of what it even means to be "man" or "woman" in the first place?

To anyone in those communities who sees my long winded wall of text in the tags of your community and you actually read it, I hope you'll forgive my intrusion. I don't mean to espouse my ignorance of your religious beliefs. On the contrary, I find many of them to be engaging and very beautiful. However, I consider myself a pretty strong pro-trans ally in the LGBTQ+ community, and I just became too curious on the thoughts and attitudes of modern witches on the subject. I know there are a lot of trans people who are in wicca and neo-pagan circles, so I hope you wouldn't mind my probing. And while I could Google this topic, I feel an appeal to those in the community directly would be more engaging and personal.

Definitions of Magic(k)

There are a few definitions of magic (as it pertains to Paganism and witchcraft) that I feel properly counter the stereotypes perpetuated by pop culture (namely that magic involves the supernatural):

"Magic is the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will." - Aleister Crowley

Magic is "folk parapsychology, an art and science designed to enable people to make effective use of their psychic talents." - Isaac Bonewits

"Magic is a convenient word for a whole collection of techniques, all of which involve the mind. . .we might conceive of these techniques as including the mobilization of confidence, will, and emotion brought about by the recognition of necessity; the use of imaginative faculties, particularly the ability to visualize, in order to begin to understand how other beings function in nature so we can use this knowledge to achieve necessary ends." - Margot Adler, Drawing Down the Moon

Magic is "using your intentions and the power of your mind to direct your energy and create the changes you desire." - Tonya Brown, The Door to Witchcraft

if i see the word chakra one more time i will rip my eyes out

News of Cipher’s plan to invade spread like wildfire, the Lord himself was beginning to stress from Cipher’s on and off going attacks on Team Neo Plasma. Honestly, he wanted to rip Cipher apart with his own hand, Pokémon Team, and Kyurem… If only he finds N once again out in the wide world. Returning to his office with a heavy exhaust sigh…upon looking at his chair, the Lord tense up with shock to find an odd man sitting on his chair and feet on his desk.

“I demand to know who you are! And how dare you?! To not only foolishly breach in the Plasma Frigate, but to be here in MY OFFICE?!” Ghetsis snarled out, making the man chuckle as he got up and walked over. The Lord’s Hydreigon burst out from his Poké Ball to defend his trainer…but it shuddered at the same time… The feeling of dread and cold fierce darkness radiating off from the stranger.

“Ah, Lord Ghetsis! A pleasure to finally meet you in person!~ I do apologize for my sudden intrusion to your humble domain. I only wish for the two of us to talk. You know, Lord to Lord talk.~” The man spoke with a cold, raspy, but calming tone. He didn’t look like a threat nor did Ghetsis see any Poké Balls equipped on this stranger…other than the sharp claws he was wearing which made the man speak again. “Ah come now, I’m not here to fight you. If I did I would already have done so by now. I guess I’ll tell you my name to make you a bit relaxed.” The man cleared his throat a bit as he finally spoke.. “I am Durai Schrade Tova, I am the head Leader of Cipher. I have come here to-” The very moment that Durai spoke that he is the leader of Cipher, Ghetsis’s rage grew. This was the very man who allowed his Commanders to kill and harmed his Men. Raising his can as he pointed at Durai.

“Hydreigon!! Rip this excuse of life APART!!!” As he roared out his command the dark dragon flew straight after the Lord of Cipher. Durai surprisingly sighs as he lifts his left hand, showing a gem stone as it glows with red strings forming. Now wrapping around the dragon tightly as it fell to the ground, struggling to break free. “W-What did you-“

“Rude my Lord, I expect you to know when to keep your cool. Unfortunately even with Kyurem’s power it’s sadly not possible. Now, before you interrupted me; I’ve come here to make a deal.~” Durai spoke, walking over to Ghetsis in a non threatening manner. Ghetsis however held the cards that the witch gave him in case of an emergency. At the same time however; he wanted to hear the Lord of Cipher talk.

“Fine…make it quick, after you are done free my Hydreigon and leave this place, or you’ll find yourself as one of my frozen collections…” The Lord of Plasma spoke with bitterness, making Durai smile with gleeful pride. Not caring about the threat that was said to him as he began to walk around Ghetsis.

“Very good! Now, it’s about what my men and Commanders have been doing.~ Yes, I know two of my Commanders took out three of your men, but they can be replaced, no?” Durai spoke, the last part of what he said did infuriate Ghetsis. This man has no remorse for any life, or the well-being of anyone other than his own! “I believe there is a VERY easy way to end all of this and you can focus on your little land conquering.~ What I want are two things, of course it does involve Kyurem…but the last one I want, either dead or alive, is the Wiccan of Nasrin.”

“Wiccan of Nasrin? You mean Grunt 121? Despite my agreement with her in helping us to stop you, I will not allow her nor Kyurem to surrender to the likes of you! You slain my grunts as if they are nothing but weeds stripped out from the ground!” Ghetsis responded back with fury, he wasn’t going to give up Kyurem that easily nor getting rid of someone who sacrificed her freedom to help him and the rest of Plasma. Durai however went quiet, his calm demeanor changed to match the freezing coldness around the two men.

“You surprised me, since when did you give a damn to your own men? Aren’t they just your personal stepping stones to get what YOU want?” Durai spoke with a dark chuckle as he swiftly placed a hand on Ghetsis’s shoulder and gave a wickedly wild smile with razor sharp fangs showing along with his eyes flashing to match his wicked grin. “Of course, I don’t blame you. However, are your sure you want to make this very choice?~”

Ghetsis instantly felt the uneasiness oozing out from Durai. This “man” is not here to play games as he originally thought… “I can give you one more chance Lord Ghetsis, I can also throw in some…extra information about that Grunt you recruited. She knows where the abomination that is your “son” is hiding.~ My Commanders do tracking well, unfortunately she is that much of a fox as she keeps giving them the slip.” Durai noticed a baffled expression formed on the Lord of Neo Plasma. However, it quickly turned to anger as he was able to push the Lord of Cipher off from him.

“Get out. I will not play this game with you…whatever you are! Leave or I will summon more of my Pokémon and my Grunts!” Ghetsis howled out, seeing Durai’s face turn to disappointment as well he rolled his eyes.

“Then don’t be surprised tonight, you are a foolish human Ghetsis. Just like your son and perhaps future daughter-in-law, you are a Foolish Freak without a Soul. I shall return, until then, I hope you are prepared.” Durai turned into smoke as he vanished in front of Ghetsis’s eyes, thanks to that his Hydreigon was finally freed as it floated over to its trainer…Ghetsis was bewildered and very furious…

“They will pay…they’ll all pay!…We are strong! I AM STRONG ENOUGH TO SHRED THEM ALL APART!!!” He hollered out, looking at one of the screens to see the Witch and the other…the creature that attacked the Frigate the second time…he didn’t know what to believe or what’s going to happen. All he does know, a fight is coming tonight…and he has a lot of questions that need to be answered… Mostly from the Witch herself..

What's funny to me is that so many occultists fall back on Wiccan views so easily while still railing against all things Wiccan/adjacent. It always gives me a good laugh to hear how folks have circled back to a system of 1 Female-Presenting Goddess : 1 Male-Presenting God (Wiccan) or 1 (Maybe Agender) God, Source Of All Gods (Abrahamic God, obvi). Like damn you really peered "far" beyond the "veil" there, huh, buddy? But don't get me wrong: if it works for you now, kudos, good looks. Just maybe do us all a favor and keep it out of the traditional witchcraft tags

Ostara is Icumen In: A Poem

Summer is a wild time              of endless gaiety;A lazy, balmy, mild time;              of human laxity.Of days with cares abandoned              beside a socky shore,And breeze-swept, heathered stretches              of Scotland’s ageless moor. Autumn is a time              of summer’s finishing;A child’s tearful, tired, mad time              of summer love’s diminishing;When hearts are…

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For all my Broom Closet Witches if you have sims 4 you could just make a altar for your deitie(s)!

I just got this idea when I was looking for witchy stuff for my sims.

Like I can’t make a altar at home because I still live with my parents but this is the best idea I have so far.

Wicca and "Cultural appropriation"

I am sick of other Neo Pagan sects deciding that Wicca is "cultural appropriation" and "problematic." Tonight someone tried to scold me and tell me that I should not say that Wiccans celebrate Yule (it was actually a post with a list of Neo-Pagan faiths that have a version of Yule) because they "appropriated" it from Scandinavian religions that had it first and Wicca was "only created in the 1950s." Okay, let me break a few things down here. 1. Yes, it's easy to say Wicca is "new" because it wasn't an official religion in the UK until the 1950s but let's consider an important point. Until the 1950s Witchcraft was still illegal in the UK. No religion was allowed to be officially recognized that practiced witchcraft until then. America didn't even acknowledge Wicca as a religion option for military personnel until 2007. Scooby Doo acknowledged Wicca as a religion before The American government. The actual word Wicca Is Old English for Witch (masculine spelling). The feminine spelling was Wicce. They were pronounced as Witch-ah and Witch-uh. There was a very slight difference for gender specification. Eventually middle and modern English would drop the a and e at the end and settle on "witch" as an (intended) gender neutral term. Like the word Wizard (which came from Wizened) the word Witch meant (Someone who had their wits about them. Until the early middle ages the word meant "Wise person." And that's how Wiccans use the term now. 2. It's become fashionable to pearl clutch and say all cultures should stay separate and not borrow from each other because it's "cultural appropriation." Some "helpful" people even DMed me Youtube videos about why Wicca is a "Problematic" element in Pagan communities solely because it borrows from multiple religions. But literally every religion does it if you look at it long enough. So does Christianity, and Judaism, and Islam. And even Hermeticism which is part Greek, part Egyptian. Merging the two together. (And a LOT of Neo-Paganism is Hermetic) How come all of those can do it but when Wicca does it, that's the one called out where people are shamed? The people practicing "Real Paganism" forget the "Neo" part. That means "new." It's cobbled together from things that were suppressed and often lost to history. Even the Nordic Eddas are incomplete and were first written down by Christian Monks who altered things to (among other things) make Loki more of a Satan figure than he actually was. Almost all Neo Paganism uses hermeticism. Do you know what that is? It's from an era in Greek history where the Greek God Hermes was merged with the Egyptian God Toth. The two were merged into a single being and that's where a lot of Neo Paganism comes from. The teachings from that period where there was Greek / Egyptian appropriation. The Roman Gods evolved from the Greek Gods. Even when we discuss the beliefs of the First Nations there are overlaps because one Nation borrowed from another and beliefs spread. Modern Voodoo is a mixture of West African, Catholic, and Hattian folk beliefs. Mexican Catholicism is very different from French Catholicism. Imagine The Day of the Dead and Saint Death in Paris. When you believe something, truly believe it, you don't covet it as something only certain people are allowed to believe in. If you think of it as truth - as fact, you want others to believe it too. This is not cultural appropriation. This is cultural appreciation. 3. If you think Wiccans shouldn't be allowed to call their winter holiday Yule, you are essentially saying it's okay to call Christmas by Yule and the Christmas season Yuletide. And Christians can even burn Yule Logs but you'll Pearl clutch "How dare Wiccans call their festival the name of the millennia old Scandinavian festival!" Because Wicca = Bad? Christian = Well, they did that a long time ago and Wicca's new-ish despite being a re-adaption of a lot ancient practices.

Yes, Wicca is a hodgepodge religion of many beliefs cobbled together. So are most religions when you break them down. None are truly safe from "contamination" from other religions. This separate yet equal / segregation and "Wicca's bad because it appropriates" needs to stop. Aren't there enough prejudices that ALL Neo-Pagan faiths need to worry about? We don't need this "in-fighting".

If you’re a Gaelic Polytheist/Pagan, I love you.

Why don't neopagans just call themselves pagans? /gen