The HellBilly Pulpit: Time is a Fraud.

Well, at least the current standard and practice of measuring time and how it affects us.

Our ancestors, thousands of years ago, didn’t have clocks to follow.  They relied on the natural order of things to help them keep track: the moon, the stars, and the seasons to name a few.

It amuses me at times. To sit here and watch people, myself included, unfortunately, base everything on this idea of the time we all follow knowing that it’s all a man-made premise.

How old am I? How old are you? Who really knows? It was practically arbitrarily decided that XYZ equals the months, days, and years we follow.

Measuring time started out as a way to keep track of the weekly Sabbaths, but there was much debate on when this actually occurred. So modern timekeeping started to be used as a way to take “man and the creator” out of the equation. This was based on the lunar cycle. The most attuned way of keeping time out of man's hands and rearrangement of cycles is using “Atomic Time” which keeps its rhythm with the moon and the stars. This sounds fine to me, but in the end, it is still a manmade practice used to determine the passing of time, which continues to still be “tweaked” by leap years and the days in a month.

We have to follow these rules of time to keep managed and maintained. Everything is rushed or put off based on these principles. “We have a deadline to meet”, “you have two days to turn it in”, or “you have a month till you go on vacation”, and so on and so on. So with the way of things, you don’t get to really experience life by always looking at your watch or phone for when it’s time to do the next chore or go to the next place. Humans were not meant to be in these little uniformed rows following each other to the same cadence. We evolved from nomads that were always on untethered journeys. But now, “You have to be back at…” is what they always say when you go on a trip now. It gives that feeling like you have to make it back at that certain point no matter what, regardless of if you have to shorten your trip or the sights you wanted to see.

No, I can’t sit comfortably here and do this anymore. I’m of an age where my hair is mostly gray, my body hurts for no reason, and even sometimes just sleeping in a certain way will jack me up for days. I know by those measurements, I’m getting older. I don’t need your clocks to tell me that my 20s were 20 some years ago. I can see it in my face when I look into the mirror. I can see it in my kids as they grow older. The clock is irrelevant to these things.

It’s all corrupt. It goes along with the wonderful concept of capitalism. It’s really rather brash if I think about it enough. Just the plain idea of man’s audacity to try to control how time is measured is incredible.

I mentioned before you can follow or observe any of the natural ways to keep track of your time. The modern use of the clock as a means to regulate our days only really just began in the 20th century.

All of our occult kin have our methods and practices to pace ourselves, a tremendous amount of groups or practices follow the moon for most rituals just as our Native American friends and others track by its stages.

The druids built Stonehenge, Sailors used the stars, and ancient travelers could judge by the position of the sun. We as pagans and heathens have to keep this in mind to live our best life. We are not bound to the clock other than when we have to get our kids from school or get to our dentist appointments.

I mostly use the change of seasons to remember how long ago something really was. Like when I think of the first ritual I attended 13 summers ago, or that I have been with my partner these 11 summers now. I’ve found this can help to keep from being so distracted and miserable watching the hours tick away every day to relate it to the experiences that you have had since that certain event, or how much life you have to look forward to experiencing before going on that next vacation or having that next anniversary

Get back to your roots.  As the stars and sun have their dance. They don’t care what day we call it, or what “time it is”. They just keep doing what it is they do… We should too.

Ava Satanis

The HellBilly Pulpit Blog by @hellbillyvvitch @thehellbillypulpit

💥NEW BLOG ALERT!!!💥

Cryptic Mystic: Apparitions or Hallucinations

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For thousands of years, humans have reported sightings of ghosts and strange phenomena around the globe. Some argue mental health is the culprit others argue for that of which we do not know or understand. Maybe it is a combination of both? Regardless of differences in situation, a person’s experience is exactly that - THEIR EXPERIENCE. Your experience is your truth. No one else knows what it is like to experience life as you except for you. So how can we then tell fact from fiction, or is what we see and experience fact regardless?

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For the complete post head over to our blog: https://lamortexiii.tumblr.com/

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Cryptic Mystic Blog by me! @psychvvitch

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The HellBilly Pulpit: The Brooding Time - Gen X in the ’90s

What can I say that hasn’t been said already about the 90s and Gen X?

Maybe, I can just reflect on what it was like from my point of view during that amazing time.

I was in high school and if I only knew then what I know now lol. I remember this was when I first became aware of what was going on in life. I was listening to something new that I had just bought, it was nothing like I’d heard before-, Alice in Chains Facelift and I thought to myself, here it is, this is a new beginning, MY beginning, I can be anything and whoever I want to be.

My time was a bit “in-between” so to speak. Big hair and glam metal were fading away and Grunge was just starting to break the surface. So weird that in-between time. We/I didn't know where to go.

During these next few years, I saw things that are now just footnoted in pop culture, although through the eyes of wonder. We didn’t have cell phones and youtube and we BARELY had anything that resembled the internet. Social media was Mtv and Mtv2. Ren and Stimpy, Beavis and Butthead, Nickelodeon, and man was it fun. We saw Waco go down, the first attack on the trade center, the first gulf war, and President Clinton. Oh, man... We also had Achy Breaky Heart and the first Gen Power Rangers. Comedy for us teens was a mixture of everyday humor, to that cutting edge of the adult world just peppered in there. It was glorious. I remember laughing harder in that time frame than I have through most of my adult life so far. Things were cool. Things were carefree. Things were getting weird.

Then something happened. We got broody, angsty, annoyed, and irritated. We didn’t end up being like our older brothers and sisters who were so eager to live out what our parents wanted for them. We didn’t want to be told who we were supposed to be. A lot of us watched our parents work themselves stupid as we became latchkey kids. Minimal supervision and a shift in our reality all fed into this, “life sucks and everything is dreary” sort of attitude that became what a lot of us perceive as “gen x”. We went from Disney to Tim Burton. We were determined to break that mold and stop living what everyone wanted us to do and be ourselves. We became the “slackers and the losers” (thanks Beck for the unofficial theme song), and not caring as each day that passed was just another dreary reminder that we did, didn’t matter in the end. Life sucks and reality bites.

Music changed our lives instantly. Record stores were a thing and we could immerse ourselves in just about any genre or style you could think of. Man, we were an eclectic bunch. My tape rotation consisted of Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden one minute and then Slayer, Pantera, Suicidal Tendencies, Danzig, and Metallica the next. The more intense, the better. It was cathartic to know that what I felt inside was felt by others too. The music told me that I’m not alone. That still resonates today, sometimes even more with all of the subgenre and side projects that my favorite bands have spawned or influenced since that time.

There was no shortage of fuel for our fire either. We had The Craft, The Crow, Nine Inch Nails, and Tool all reaching out to open our minds and set us free. White Zombie beat the normal out of us and threw on the dirt, it was amazing. Korn brought out our anger and set it on fire.  Big shorts and pants before Jnco’s were a thing. The Blair Witch, Lalapalooza, the second Woodstock, skateboards, piercings, tattoos, and punk rock on top of it all! The freaks were in and we weren’t going away!

In the latter part of the 90s, I was in the military for a brief time, got married at 20, and thought I had life planned out... SMACK- I was discharged, divorced, and living with my bros to watch the turn of the century. Lol... Y2K! Your computers are gonna die!!! Man, we were stupid back then... Wait.. we still are... Maybe worse lol.

I embraced my time as a slacker in the military where my ideals were definitely not what the military needed or wanted. I found myself once again, outcast and brooding. I discovered that I wasn’t just socially different, I was spiritually different. Basic Training found a lot of us regretting our decisions and looking for comfort. I tried the church only to find it just felt too generic. All of the people in the pews reciting the same prayers, praying for the same things, and just being immersed in their cookie-cutter spirituality. It did not speak to my individual wants or needs or feelings. I wanted... No, I needed something more. This wasn’t for me.

Enter the occult. Enter paganism. Enter the anti-established religion mentality.

I started out with learning about some ancient celt myth and magick (my first book), from there I kind of branched out in about a half dozen different ways. I read about Satanism, Wicca, Atheism, and tons of things in between. Mind that when I started this road to discovery, I was an enlisted soldier in the US Army. these things did not go over well with those in charge. We had a prayer once before a holiday-themed run where I did not participate. I stood there, looking around, being respectful to those who were participating, but  I was called into the office and asked if I practiced “the dark arts”. I had to laugh. Such a blanket, stereotype pinned on me for just being true to myself. They must have seen my barracks room. Blacked out with various metal band merch laying about with the quasi shrine to Marilyn Manson. The incense and what probably struck them more than anything was the lack of any Christian-themed propaganda, I mean decor. :)

All of this lead me to believe all the more that I was on the right path when I stood out as an individual enough to make people question who I am and what “is wrong with me”. This was the new brood infecting their rank and file and I’d like to think that I set a path for others that came after me.

When I was discharged and went home, I felt out of place. I had a new appreciation for the world, nature, and humanity all because of staying true to who I wanted to be even beyond the brainwashing that I endured. That is another story for another time though...

Those years in the ’90s really were a crazy time to come of age. But I wouldn’t change a thing about it. It set me up for life’s later difficulties and triumphs.

It was the brooding time.

Ava Satanis

HBVV

The HellBilly Pulpit Blog by @hellbillyvvitch @thehellbillypulpit

The HellBilly Pulpit: Fly Children, Fly

It’s a mess. 

This country. This world.

Our grandparents and parents have not done much to progress this world. 

We are still living with racism, classism, poverty, hunger, and homelessness. This is 2022. We should have evolved much farther beyond this by now. But here we are. Those in power, stay in power with antiquated ideas and sensibilities.

Enough is enough.

I’m going to tell you a bit of advice. I’m coming from the position of an outsider myself. A black sheep. An anomaly to my surroundings. So please. Don’t dismiss my thoughts as some middle-aged man who doesn’t get it.  I do, I did, and hope to keep up with it.

Children, younglings, teens, and young adults. Get up!  Get out there and make a difference.  Go vote. Go fight for a cause. Don’t take anyone looking down their nose at you. Don’t let them make you complacent.  You all are some of the most diverse and free-thinking people in decades and the world will soon be yours to make what it should be.

The boomer's days are numbered. Their numbers are thinning.

Take the opening and learn how things SHOULD work and get them back that way.

Be kind. Be open-minded.

Reach out to those who have less and try to help wherever you can. Set an example for your younger siblings and children of your own that you can be proud of.

Make chaos. Make anarchy. Make noise. Beat on their doors and tell them that you’ve had enough. It’s time for the new blood to take charge.

I’m sorry. I’m sorry for any part of this situation that the elders have left you all in. I’m sorry for any part that I may have been inadvertently involved in. I saw my errors and decided that I wasn’t taking part anymore.

Empathy. Compassion. That is what is going to make the world a better place.

Believe in your science. Believe in your art. This can be a dawning of a new age and I want to see what fires you all can start.

Deconstruct religion! Tear down the church's walls. Be like those pagans before us and realize what your truth is that you carry in your heart.

Cast your spells. Speak to the other side. Look at the mother moon and ask her what guidance she can offer.

Your cards and your divine gifts will help you keep your moral path. Don’t give in. Don’t just give up, refuse to grow up! Don’t let the brimstone and fire stories they used to scare you with, keep you from walking your path.

In my spiritual path, I don’t necessarily follow one set of ideals. I use many from many sources to help me feel aligned and in touch with my soul and its connection to the universe. I’ve meditated on this issue, I’ve thought long and hard and tried to put my best energy out into the world to try to help make it a reality.

Part of what drives me is my connections to my ancestors. I’ve asked for guidance or any clues as to what the solution could possibly be. The thing I come back to again and again is that our solutions lay not with my generation, but with those following on our heels. I truly feel that this could work. So I write to you all. I try to reach out to give hope where there is none. Strength to bolster someone’s weaknesses. I write to express my message that all is not truly lost. That we need to come together in our dismissal of “normalcy” and show the world what they didn’t know they were missing.

You may not think so now. But I’m telling you all… this reality is temporary and it’s all clay in your hands.

Remember, you can cause more from chaos within.

I hope you all use your intelligence and spiritual knowledge to make this world a better place.  Make it what it should have been so long ago. These old fucks aren’t going to do it.  It’s time for you to take the reigns and get this world back on the right track.

I believe in you. My brothers and sisters believe in you. Ask us for any help you need. We will boost you up. We will give you all the advice we can along with all the support we can.

Fly Children, Fly.

Don’t look back.

Ava Satanis

HBVV

The HellBilly Pulpit Blog by @hellbillyvvitch @thehellbillypulpit

The HellBilly Pulpit: Greed vs Honor

Ethics, Valued on principal or money?

I’m just a small town, rural individual with my highest education being of a high school graduate, so this opinion of mine doesn’t come from a highly educated point of view, but rather from my life experience, common sense, and empathy.

Corporations. We all know they are wicked and do what they need to do for the almighty dollar. There have been recent changes in my life that are spurred on by a new entity taking over my work program that has been in active service since 2004.

The names have changed, but the management hasn’t really. That’s not really a bad thing in and of itself, but we have been happy with our little “work family” and we had some success in what we do over the years.

However, now that a new player that sits on the international stage has entered the game, things are no longer as they once were.

Where we once valued the employees' welfare and morale, we have pushed away for what is most efficient. Where we used to be about helping our customers being the top priority, has been relegated to a “get 'em in, get 'em out” mentality. The core of the information that we used to provide has gone from “what can we do to assist/educate you…” being the priority to making their overall experience their top priority. Damnit to hell if the information was correct, but were the customers “happy” with their contact resolution.

This is frustrating to no end for a career customer service rep. Such as myself of 22 years. This mentality and hospitality do not go hand in hand. Our company leaders have just thrown their hands up in submission and have had little to no say in how things are being run now. There’s been no attempt at a compromise. There has been no communication to the workers about the upcoming changes going into effect other than the date they are taking effect. Minimal training, minimal explanation of what the new direction is going to be. Nothing more than a “wait and see” type of mentality. One of the buzzwords in all of this has been transparency. LOL. Usually, when that word is tossed about daily as much as anything else, there is behind it, little or no transparency to speak of.

Jobs change. Corporate structures and mission statements change. That’s all well and good and expected. But, the problem that eats at me and my coworkers on this subject is that the management that we had come to have unwavering faith in, has all buckled to the new processes without sticking up for any of the employees. Some of us have been here for almost 20 years. This seems to matter little to anyone and is tossed aside as the way things are shaping to be.

This isn’t rocket science. The reason most people have come to terms with a company being evil, heartless and gutless is because of the lack of transparency, to the contrary of what they preach.

There has been much backstabbing and mud-throwing these last few weeks. All of the upper management’s actions are suspect and nobody is willing to call them out on it. Except me. I’m calling them out on their disrespect to not only the workplace, the workers, or their families, but also to the fact that they have done nothing but become pandemic deniers and self-righteous zealots preaching about how things are going to be different, how things are going to change for the better.

Nonsense.

The little company that once was run by the locals, the ones that knew what the hardships and struggles look like in this area, has become nothing but an extended tentacle of ignorance and disregard for their friends, neighbors, and citizens. They have forgotten that we are people first and foremost and NOT just another replaceable drone. The climate has changed from ethical to greed-laden ignorance.

Be careful what you wish for my friends. The universe is powerful and may throw something back at you that you wanted all along, but it could be one hell of a ride getting there.

Just because a company can do something, doesn’t always mean that it should. Especially when it’s money vs. ethics.

If you find yourself in a situation that your “gut” tells you doesn’t seem quite right, go with it. It’s usually right. I should have seen the writing on the wall long before this, but I allowed my trust in people to hold onto their morals and nature/nurture to the best of their ability and I have been beyond extremely disappointed that they fell far short of the credit I had always given them.

I’ve been doing this for far too long and have come to the realization that this is not life. Humans were not designed to sit indoors in small little cubicles or stuck in factories with little to no hope of truly living a happy life. We toil away at what we think is important not realizing what it is that is slipping away. However, humans do need work to do. That is a fact. But the hierarchy of work vs. quality of life needs to seriously be reevaluated. (at least here in the states, I know some of you out there do not have this same problem, or at least not in the same magnitude).

I am tired. I am worn out, burnt out, and exhausted from doing this wash-rinse-repeat cycle, again and again, to see that I’m no better now than where I was ten years ago. I’ve asked for guidance, I’ve asked for strength. I’ve asked for help in letting me escape this self-imposed prison and make a clean break.

Let me tell you, at least as far as I’m concerned… What you put out there in the universe, what you ask for... Well, you better be ready for what comes back to you.

I made a request for cleansing and guidance for 2022 for not only personal growth but to also help me find a way to leave my current job by the end of the year. I wrote my needs/wants/goals on my trusty writing tablet and set each one ablaze while pushing out and focusing on my intent to the universe. Meditating and musing on just how these changes I was reaching out for would play out if they would play out in a way that I would recognize. In my heart and my mind and my soul, I knew that I needed change. I was not going to be able to continue to be a functioning adult on any level if I kept on the same path that I was at the time.

The universe listens.

Now, here is where the “be careful what you ask for” warning comes into play. I received my sign... My assistance, just recently but, there has been a price to pay. I’m losing friends, I’m losing some great co-workers, and I’m seeing the true colors of people I used to depend on just change completely. I asked for help thinking that maybe I was just asking for confidence to just let go, to be able to redesign and reevaluate my life and make the necessary changes so that I may have real change.

But, what I’m getting is that and more. It’s made the filter I’ve used to look through at people in my life drop away and now, I’m seeing those people in their petty and vindictive personas, as they look for loopholes to make me and others seem like failures at what we do. And I now have to sit here and fight for my honor so that I can still look myself in the mirror in the coming days. This has made me very conscious of my actions and just what kind of consequence comes from my decisions. I must train myself now to be even more vigilant and make sure I’m doing the right thing by my conscious and to what I think, no believe, that my ancestors themselves would do or approve of themselves. Every little decision goes to the universe, whether it’s your god, your own morality, or what you fear you need to do to be successful in this life to be able to continue to your next level afterward. Your spirit world, whatever it may be that you believe in, I believe 100% is watching you and will either slap you down if you get carried away or keep pushing you along if you are struggling.

As Jeff Goldblum says in Jurassic Park- “life…finds a way”.

Be good to those around you. The universe is watching.

Ava Satanis

The HellBilly Pulpit Blog by @hellbillyvvitch @thehellbillypulpit

The HellBilly Pulpit: Music: infused in my DNA

A little more of an upbeat subject this month and one of my favorite topics in general.

Music.

As far back as I can remember, music has always been a part of me. From those times in my earliest memories when it was country music of the late ’70s (I am in Appalachia after all) on the radio that was always on, or my dad belting out his favorite songs to sing at his band practices or the last black metal album I got into last week. I’ve loved it all.

It’s a family rite of passage. My grandfather was a fiddler, mandolin, and guitar player - and he brought up my dad in much the same way. Music.

Me, I’m a drummer and used to be an aspiring singer, but not so much these days. Age, time, and opportunity have not gotten along very well to be able to be active for a while now.

But even though I’m not playing, there is always, ALWAYS, a soundtrack in my head. I carry earbuds with me everywhere and I have extra pairs stashed in multiple areas. I need it. I breathe it.

My tastes have certainly changed since those early days. I went from the country-western background to the complete opposite end of the spectrum and everything in between. I didn’t even know there were other types of music until my parent’s split up and I moved down off the mountain, lol. But there it was. Rock radio on the bus to and from school in the mornings and my mind was blown.

Michael Jackson, Roy Orbison, Tears for Fears, George Michael - on and on and on. Anyone who was anyone in the mid to late 80’s that you can think of. I was like a sponge absorbing it all.

I didn’t have a particular genre that really pulled me in. Until, (lol) of all things, ZZ Top. Man what a ride that was. It was ZZ and then Aerosmith and with that came all of the hair metal, Motley Crue, Gn’R, Skid Row, man it was electric! Then.. Nirvana happened and it was the turn of another page.

I could literally go on and on and on about the different influences that sprang out of those early days. But, I want to bring it to my adult years and where I realized just how important music really is to me.

I’m a metalhead. First and foremost. I love a lot of genres but metal is my soul.

A soundtrack to many moonlit nights, bonfires, and adventures. I turned face-first into the goth aesthetic.

Candelabras, crushed red velvet, incense, an entire wardrobe of black. I let the outside match the inside. Black metal, pentagrams, and corpse paint. They all lifted my spirits better than any drug I've ever tried.

I had three defining bands, one was The Misfits, the second GWAR, and then Cradle of Filth.

Those guitars and double bass riffs made me imagine that I was floating in a river of sound waves that would wash over me and take me wherever they wanted to.

I'm sure you know that feeling. When you know, you know. That riff, that chorus, that solo of that song that grafts itself to your brain. Your tastes may change, but you'll always be able to come back to that moment every time that song plays.

Now, there is also the use of music in rituals. Adding just the right soundtrack before, during after your practice, your prayers, your offerings.

This to me is as much a part of the magick as your wand, your cards, or candles. Music helps set the mood and your mindset to be open and receptive and to offer a hospitable place for your deities and ancestors to have a tranquil and receptive gathering place as you go through your rites.

There’s something about finding just the right soundtrack and how it can transport you to another time and another place. You feel it in your soul, it helps transcend you to another level of connection to your deeper self.

I have always used some kind of ambient, instrumental music, as described from videos as “Pagan” or “Norse” or “Celtic” and that has always set the tone just fine.

One night I discovered a deeper connection to my spirituality and music like I had never known before. It anchored itself to my core. (I hope everyone gets to have a true experience like I had and can make it their own). I was enjoying a playlist from YouTube that was in this category of “pagan” music as I had mentioned and relaxingly fell asleep. But, I woke up in the middle of the night and was completely and totally transfixed by what I was witnessing. It spoke to me in a way that no other group or artists in this genre had ever come close to hitting. A group named Heilung. Absolutely amazing. That’s when I felt that pull on my soul from the inside and understood that I was missing an element in my spiritual life. When you know something that connects to you from the past deep inside you, don’t let it go. Embrace it, let it speak to your subconscious letting it take you further into your spells and ceremonies than you ever thought possible.

No matter your religion or practice be it Pagan, Christian, Satanic, or anything in between. There's a soundtrack out there that will add just that extra element to your setting and your practice.

A poesy for the music ingrained into us that gives us our motivation and soundtracks to memories.

Spilling into your mind

Like a dam that broke away

Sonic envelopment

Rhythmic understanding

Lifting you higher and higher

When you didn’t know you were down

There’s nothing as moving as music

When your soul is so hard to be found

Ava Satanis HBVV

The HellBilly Pulpit Blog by @hellbillyvvitch @thehellbillypulpit

The HellBilly Pulpit: Come to Silver…

Come to Silver…

We are a new breed. The first generation to not adapt to the typical middle-aged monotony. No Golf shirts or shorts, no adult contemporary or easy listening radio. No, we are not going to adapt to that “norm”. We are going to make our own path in life... Still.

I know my brothers and sisters of Gen X have a totally new perception (imagine that lol) of what it is to get older.

No. We will NOT grow up. We will NOT be complacent. We will NOT be “normal” or “act our age.”

We are still going to wear our t-shirts and jeans (or cargo shorts ha!), get tattooed and piercings, and forever be loyal to our rock ‘n roll (or whatever genre floats your boat). We are still going to go to concerts and act a fool!

Who said that just because you’re “old” you have to be boring and stagnant?

I wear my gray in my beard as a badge of honor. We’ve been through some shit and we’ve seen better days. But here we are. Still angst-ridden as fuck and goddamn annoyed by everything.

We are coming to take control from the boomers (our parents) and telling them to sit the fuck down and shut up! They’ve once again, embarrassed us with their cluelessness the same way they did when we were kids. This time just on a grander scale.

We are gonna pave the way for the next generation so that they can jump into the driver’s seat and leave all of this bullshit behind where it belongs.

It’s a real mindfuck to look back and see where we have been and how long ago it really was, but it seems like just yesterday in so many ways.

There’s an awakening (not in the force young padawans) of a new spirituality. The new primitives are here. Witches- Satanists- Occultists of all sorts are stepping out of the shadows. We are reevaluating what our spirituality means to us.

I’ve lived in their gospel, only to be pushed back and embarrassed or shamed. Well, yes. I’m ashamed. I’m ashamed of the old school establishment. The patriarchy. The ignorance. The lack of empathy. And the lack of common-goddamned-sense.

The gods, the earth, the moon, and the sun are all speaking to us now. They are telling us to put our emotions and intentions out into this world so that they can manifest and become so much more with the power of many coming together. It’s amazing to think, to know, that your intentions and energy are out there in the world and that they matter in the grand scheme of things. It’s time to find our voices in speaking out against the established/organized religion(s) and fight for fairness, not just for ourselves, but for everyone in the world, especially those who cannot speak for themselves.

Listen with your heart, your mind, and your feelings. Let yourself be gravitated to what needs you. Trust yourself and feel. Claim your cauldron, find those stones. Make them not just your tools, but extensions into the world. Make your offerings, speak your spells! Your soul will feel it and your mind will crave it. Just let the feelings out to flow with the waves of the now. Be true to yourself and others.

Take your time mid-agers, you Gen x kids. Your younger brothers and sisters need us to lead by example so that they can take up the reigns and fight, fight, fight for everyone and everything… as above and as below…

They need us.

Ava Satanis

HBVV

The HellBilly Pulpit Blog by @hellbillyvvitch @thehellbillypulpit

Cryptic Mystic: We Are the Mask

The things you like, how you socialize, your reactions - all make up parts of your personality. Deciphering the truth from the lies; we possess the ability to morph who we are. How much/what do we mask, and what purpose does “masking” serve? This month’s blog dives deep into a few topics that all tie together to create one collective theme. As most things in life, these topics are intertwined. You’ll likely take something different from this blog than the next person, but that’s how my blogs are, as you probably well know… Now, without further adieu, let’s jump into this one.

To start, I’d like to take a moment to ask that you visit the website 16personalities.com and take their personality test. I guarantee you’ll gain valuable insight into your personality, and how you compare with others. It may even help you to better understand yourself or others. I always get the result of “Protagonist: ENFJ-A”. This result hasn’t changed in the last 5 years, however, psychologists and layperson test-takers alike will let you know that throughout life the results can change. So, on a scale of 1-100, here are my detailed results: 

MIND (Introversion VS extroversion): 89% extroverted

ENERGY (intuitive VS observant): 79% intuitive

NATURE (thinking VS feeling): 53% feeling

TACTICS (judging VS prospecting): 94% judging

IDENTITY (assertive VS turbulent): 56% assertive

Personality is a somewhat stable thing but has the potential to change over time in certain ways. There are some parts of us that I fully believe will never change. I term those the “concrete personality factors.” However, there are plenty of things about our personality that we can change if we try. Strong willpower and mind can aid in changing one's personality traits that are malleable. The not-so-malleable personality traits are much harder to change (if changing them is even possible) and would take a great amount of self-discipline and maybe even some serious professional therapy. My perspective: embrace who you are! If there is something about yourself that you would like to change because it is harmful to yourself or others, then work towards that change. At the end of the day, you are the only person who holds the key to changing who YOU are. The choice is ultimately yours. I tell people, no amount of therapy can change a person unless they truly want to change in the first place. Just like no one else can force you to change. Changing requires work and effort on YOUR part. 

So how do masks tie into all of this? People hide who they are behind metaphorical masks all of the time. We see this in several realms, however not all always apply in this context to everyone. We see examples of people “masking” who they really are through makeup, clothing, behaviors, and actions on a daily basis. Some are better at hiding who they are than others, and some of these folks you likely believe that you know who they are, but in reality, you have no idea. That’s one of the interesting things about the internet - you can be whoever you want to be. Whether that is your true self or a figment of who you are, the internet is a place where we see the most “masking.” Deciphering the truth from the lies in this digital world can be challenging.

I’ll tell you a story about an encounter I had early on in the age of technology and computers. Back in the olden days of dial-up internet, we had these things called chat rooms. Haha. Okay, I’ll stop acting like most of you don’t know what the hell dial-up and that whole era of technology looked like because I’m sure that a majority of you experienced it firsthand like me. Anyway, so I was in a chat room talking with random strangers. I really hit it off with this one guy. We liked a lot of the same music and had a similar style. He sent me some pictures and I thought he was attractive. We had good conversations. It was a good friendship so far, so after talking with him for a few months I decided to set up a meeting. I decided to be on the safe side just in case and take a friend with me to meet him for the first time. A friend of mine needed to go visit her boyfriend so she agreed to give me a ride to the location and agreed to leave me there while she ran to her boyfriend’s house only if I was comfortable. If I wanted her to stay she agreed that she would stay with me. We drove the 30 minutes into town and approached the location in her pickup truck. As we came closer to the building I could see a guy standing outside of the building (it was a bar) and he was smoking a cigarette. He was wearing all black, chains hanging off of his pants, and a front-facing black baseball-style cap. I knew that had to be him. We stopped in front of the building and he walked towards the truck on the driver's side where my friend was sitting. Upon reaching the window, he looked absolutely nothing like the picture he had sent me. In fact, he was much older than the picture he had sent me. Yes, you can laugh, your friendly neighborhood witch Kavita was officially catfished before catfishing was a thing. *cue laughter* He had an extremely creepy energy coming off of him (and not the good kind). He asked what we were up to, and I told him we had some errands to run, but that I just wanted to stop by and say hi. He was eyeballing me like a piece of meat. I grew intensely uncomfortable. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. My friend sensed that this was not the meeting I had intended and explained to him that we had to go, but that it was good meeting him and quickly drove away. She began laughing, looked over at me with a sheepish smile, and said, “what in the fuck was that?!” 

Oh, the early days of the internet. It was the wild west. It still is to a certain extent, but back then it was a much different time. My story paints an important picture about how people can easily put on a mask to impress others or to lure in their prey. I’ll never be certain of that man’s intention, but he lied about many things for one reason or another and that’s not cool. 

Looking at masks from a literal perspective and their origin, the first masks are from at least 9000 years ago. They were thought to have been used for occult rituals in countries like China and Africa. Some masks were to ward off evil spirits, while others were used for disguise, entertainment, or even for religious worship. The earliest masks were made from tree bark and leather. Some of these masks were in the shape of a human face, however, some were shaped like animal faces. Animal face masks often symbolized the connection between native people and nature. Many tribes and ancient cultures (some of which still exist today) gave utmost importance to nature, animals, and the world around them. As time went on, sometimes animal masks were used in sync with someone’s zodiac as a form of personal representation.

Masks have come a long way since their invention. Today masks can be used for protection (as we know all too well in this day and age), as well as to supply oxygen and other drugs during procedures or in life-threatening situations. We see people wear masks on Halloween (counting the days over here!) as well as for social gatherings, such as a masquerade-themed party or on New Year’s Eve. 

So, we’ve talked about metaphorical masks as well as masks in the literal sense. I hope that you were able to take something from this blog. Whether you learned something new that you found interesting or maybe you even learned something about yourself through that personality quiz. Until next month, be easy and stay safe out there my fellow earth wanderers. 

<3 - K

Cryptic Mystic Blog by PsychVVitch @psychvvitch

www.LaMorteXiii.com

Cryptic Mystic: The Psychology of a Serial Killer

There are hundreds of serial killers, both in the fiction and non-fiction world. I don’t have near enough time to cover the story and the psychology of all of them - hell, there is so much information that is relevant, one at a time will suffice. Today we take a look at John Wayne Gacy. Gacy was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1942 to an auto mechanic/WWI veteran and a home-maker. There are some interesting things about his childhood that, from a psychological perspective, most likely played an important role in the way that Gacy developed. Had things in his childhood been different, he could have very well turned out to be a different person. He may not have killed anyone. Unfortunately, his life began down a troubled road early on. He was close with his mother and two sisters, but he had a rocky relationship with his father, as his father was an alcoholic and severely mentally and physically abusive on a regular basis. 

Gacy’s father would often talk down on him, call him names, and whip him with a leather belt in excess. Gacy wanted a relationship with his father more than anything, but unfortunately, he never got to really have much of one. Instead, he lived most of his life never feeling good enough for his father - always feeling the need to try harder and to be better. This feeling manifested a more widespread entity within Gacy, which led to him feeling as though he was never good enough for anyone. Some speculate that his issues with his father perpetuated his obsession with young boys and men. I would have to agree that there was likely something there. People who have serious issues with their parents (male or female) are said to have “mommy issues” or “daddy issues”. The conflicts with the male/female parent iis then projected onto all or most people of that biological sex either during periods in life or, in some cases, for the rest of the individual’s life. To add to this recipe for disaster, Gacy was also regularly molested by a family friend. Gacy reported that he was afraid to tell anyone about being molested due to the fear of his dad blaming him (fear of not being good enough again).

Gacy was well known in his community. Viewing him on the outside, you would have never guessed what was happening inside of his mind. The torment. The torture. His first job at the age of 18 was working as an assistant precinct captain for his local Democratic party. He admittedly reported that he decided to pursue this job because he sought attention and recognition from others - that which he never received from his father. Growing tired of his father’s abuse, he left home and moved to Las Vegas where he began working with an ambulance service. Shortly thereafter, he switched jobs and became a mortuary assistant. It is during this three-month period that Gacy reports having first realized he “may have a problem”. One night when he was alone at the mortuary he said he climbed into the coffin of a dead teen-aged boy and caressed the body as he laid next to it. It seems as though he was seeking affection from the body. Gacy reports he did not realize what he was doing until it was already happening, and upon realizing what he was doing he became scared and felt out of control. He immediately called his mother and asked if he could come back home. It is important to note that as early as age 7, Gacy was said to have sexually fondled a young girl with another young boy. We begin to see some potential disturbances with Gacy pretty early on, but he did not gain self-awareness of this until he was a young adult. It is important to note that the average age that a person starts to exhibit symptoms of a severe mental illness and gain self-awareness of those symptoms is typically in their late teens/early 20’s. Gacy fits this statistic like a glove. This is when things really start to ramp up. When he returned home he got a job at a shoe factory that transferred him to Springfield, Illinois. While there he received a promotion, and shortly thereafter was set to be married to a co-worker of his, Marlynn Myers. Gacy joined the local Jaycees. Things were really starting to look up for Gacy. He was doing well. One night a colleague of his from the Jaycees invited him over for some drinks and then performed oral sex on Gacy. Gacy did not decline.

Gacy and his wife moved to Waterloo, Iowa where Gacy got a job managing his father-in-law’s Kentucky Fried Chicken chains. Marlynn’s parents provided them with a free house. Again, things were looking good. But things aren't what they appeared to be. The damage to Gacy’s psyche had already been done, and things were just beginning to develop. Gacy began running a “club” in his basement, allowing underaged boys that he employed to come over to drink alcohol and play pool. He would make sure they were drunk before he would make sexual advances towards them. He was never reported because if they rejected him, he played it off as a joke or a “test of morals”. In 1966 they had their first daughter. Gacy’s father has finally apologized for his wrongdoings - Gacy had finally gained his father’s approval. He joined the Waterloo Jaycees and again gained notoriety and popularity. In 1967 he sexually assaulted the son of a fellow Jaycee member, Donald Voorhees, who was 15-years-old at the time. He began to sexually assault many teenage boys, some of which he blackmailed. In 1968 Donald told his father about the assault. Gacy was found guilty of sodomy. His wife divorced him. It was at this time that Gacy was given a diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder.

Antisocial Personality Disorder is often mistaken as meaning someone is not social. This is a common misconception. People with APD have difficulty keeping long-term relationships and have complete disregard for others. People with APD often violate the space/rights of others. People with APD may appear to not have a conscience, may have a history of breaking rules or disregarding the law, have substance abuse issues, and typically exhibit aggressive and impulsive behavior. This particular disorder is often developed in childhood, and the individual will present symptomatology between the ages of 8-11. Conduct Disorder is often seen in children who go on to develop APD in adolescence/early adulthood.

Gacy served in prison from 1968-1970 and was then released on parole. He returned to Chicago. Gacy continued to have run-ins with young boys. He was accused of attempted rape on several occasions. He remarried in 1972. In 1975 he came out to his wife as bi-sexual. On Mother’s Day that year, they had sex, and he told his wife this was the last time they would ever have sex. He began bringing young boys home to “hang out” and would leave and come home at odd hours of the day and night. That year Gacy and his second wife divorced upon the fake terms that he engaged in infidelity with another woman. He was working at a PDM company (painting, decorating, and maintenance) and performing as Pogo the clown and Patches the clown as a side hustle around town. During this time Gacy bribed several of his male coworkers for sex. He joined the Moose club and made himself familiar with those in the local political world. Things were (again) looking good.

Gacy’s first murder took place in 1972. From 1972-1978 Gacy murdered 33 boys and young men, burying 26 of them under his own house. There is speculation that he murdered more than 33 people, but this has not been proven. He would lure young boys and men to his house, bribing them with things like money, drugs, or alcohol. Once the person was inebriated, Gacy would put handcuffs on them to “show them a magic trick” from his clown routine. He would then proceed to rape and torture his victims for as long as he liked. After he was done with the torture and rape, his signature murder move was to use a rope tourniquet that he twisted with a hammer to suffocate the victims to death. He reportedly stated “this is the last trick” as he listened to his victims breathe their last breath. Gacy took his own last breath on May 10, 1994, at the Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois after sitting on death row, where he was given a lethal injection. 

Now, I want to make an important point known. None of this information given is to say that everyone who has a troubled childhood, or even everyone in a similar situation to any of these serial killers, is destined to have issues (or to become a serial killer). There are many factors to consider when talking about mental health in a specific individual. I like to refer to the biopsychosocial model often when talking about several things in the mental health field. The three key factors that affect a person’s development include their biology (how they are born/things they are physically predisposed to), their psychology (how their brain/mind works), and their social environment (how the environment and people around the person affect them). There is no “one size fits all”.

Gacy was a sick man. It is apparent that a combination of his biology, psychology, and social surroundings, and environment combined to create the perfect storm. People often ask if serial killers are born or made. The argument between the two can get hot and heavy very quickly. In my opinion, I think it’s a little bit of both. I don’t think that either side is totally wrong here. Someone may be born with a predisposition for certain behaviors and traits from a biological perspective. A person’s experiences and biological make-up form how they perceive the world, thus affecting their psychology - brain/mind interaction. Their social environment (the things that are out of their control) are also a factor affecting their growth and development. One small change in any of these factors and a person can develop in an entirely different way. Unfortunately for Gacy, he had a lot of different things going on that contributed to his development of APD/psychopathy. Firstly, he was born into an abusive home where he was constantly ridiculed for most of his young life. He was physically and mentally abused on a regular basis at the hands of his father. Second, while we can’t physically look into Gacy’s brain or body to understand his body from a biological viewpoint, he was likely born with certain personality traits which predisposed him to react and develop the way he did after his early childhood experiences. Gacy stated he was bi-sexual, but it is unclear as to what Gacy truly felt inside as to how he identified sexually. In the time Gacy was alive, anything aside from heterosexuality was seen as forbidden or “bad” by a majority of American society. Gacy, being seemingly confused about his sexuality, likely felt guilt and shame for having sexual feelings towards those of the same sex. Tie this in with his father’s constant disapproval; I am sure Gacy felt trapped and completely unable to express himself as an individual. It appeared that he began to try to express himself sexually with boys/young men, but he did so in an awkward way at first - still never seeming to truly feel accepted as a bisexual (or) gay man. Later these confusing and awkward social and sexual experiences turned sadistic and volatile in nature. By this point, his disorder has already begun developing and worsening, as it was untreated. This is when we start to see the abusive nature of his father manifest in his actions. He began to talk down to his victims, as his father talked down to him. In fact, research shows that there is a correlation between victims of abuse abusing others. You would think that people who had been through abuse would want to be better and never treat someone in that way. Again, depending on the person, sometimes the opposite happens… 

What do you think? What are your theories on why Gacy became the person that we know him as today? What other factors do you think were at play? Let me know in the comments or send me a message. I hope that you learned something new. I plan on writing more blogs that unravel the mind of serial killers. If there is a particular serial killer you would like me to cover, let me know. I take blog topic requests!

I wish you all a happy Halloween. Stay weird, stay curious, and stay safe out there.

Cryptic Mystic Blog by PsychVVitch @psychvvitch

www.LaMorteXiii.com

The HellBilly Pulpit: The Stigma of the Stigma

Saturated

This is a painful, yet necessary entry. It envelops me and I must address the situation.

There is a real issue in this country, or even the world over, about mental health. You can't see it in someone. You can have no idea just how bad someone is suffering. Suffering because they don't have a choice. Their problems are discounted, downplayed, and even ridiculed. But make no mistake. They are very much real to those who live it.

This is a personal account of just this sort of thing.

There was a certain movie that came out in 2019 that had a line that sums up the truth. “The worst part about having a mental illness is that people expect you to act as if you don’t.”

I can not agree with this more.

I am currently going through a situation where this exact scenario is taking place. I know that I am not alone in my struggles. I feel that there are probably many of you out there with a similar story.

This pandemic over the last two years has completely laid to waste many of the daily rituals and habits that I had spent my entire life building just to be able to function as a (semi) normal person on any given day.

I suffer from OCD- Anxiety- Depression- and ADHD. That is one heck of a ride as it is, but toss on the pandemic and it’s a real rollercoaster that is out of my control. My job is not very critical. It’s deemed “essential” because of the relation to the finance market it has. Honestly, that’s just a super vague excuse to keep us going to work at the boss’s wishes. Some of us have been working from our dwellings for two years. The problem with this is that now is the time when the bosses want to start pulling people back into the office a couple of days a week despite the current spike of COVID cases. In doing this they have said, “all safety measures will be implemented”. What a crock.

I expressed my concerns about coming back not only because of this new surge of the newest variant but also because the situation really hasn’t changed any in the last few months from what it was in 2020. My coworkers and my boss know that I have OCD (extreme contamination fears) already with the workplace, but now, as I’m sure some are aware, it’s been kicked up a bunch of notches. My concerns were met with deaf ears. It was like this friend (who happened to be my boss) completely disregarded my concerns in dealing with trying to resume “normal” life. My life never was normal and now it’s even a different version than it was two years ago.

The sum- “get over it, you’re needed here… get here”

It didn’t matter what I said about the situation. Now, in this nightmare cocktail of disorders, I have developed a huge amount of empathy for others, especially if they are having any of the mental struggles that I am having. I spoke up that this is not just for me that I am bringing these things to attention, but for others that don’t have the same platform or comfortability to say for themselves.

The sum- “stop being a baby”.

Long story short… Thankfully I have a great therapist and doctor who knows how deep in the weeds I am with all of this and they have helped me sort out the situation, much to the annoyance of my bosses, so that I can continue to remain a cave dweller for the time being.

My point is this… it’s been said but it’s true and bears repeating. There is a stigma about mental health.

A person can be burning inside with the torment of depression and anxiety and any or all of the little variations or caravan of side issues that accompany any one of them. BUT.. since it is not a physical ailment, it’s perceived that it does not exist. Why? Why is it that to be taken even a little bit seriously, there has to be a physical manifestation of an ailment?

To add to the fact that I am a middle-aged male does nothing but amp up the opinions of others who don’t understand, nor do they want to understand what we go through inside.

For some of us, just the simple act of getting out of bed and putting that first foot on the floor takes ALL of our willpower, and we often sit right back down to attempt to regain it all over again. Or we drag ourselves to the shower only to stand in there and let the water try to distract us and wash away our pain. Knowing that in about an hour, we are going to have to put on our “normal” face and walk into the world carrying that weight on our backs that nobody sees.

There was a joke that I heard a few days ago- The doctor asks the patient if they have had any issues with depression or anxiety recently. The patient says, “doesn’t everybody?” and the doctor said... “No.”. That hit. That was an eye-opening moment. Not everyone knows what that is like. I can’t fathom that.

I have this group of bosses that have known me for years, as I said earlier, and they know that this is me. They know that I’ve been in therapy and medicated for years. And like any other millions of bosses out there in the world, they didn’t care.

It’s a mission of mine to bring as much attention as I can to the stigma surrounding mental health. That I can express how important focus on mental health is.

If you were to break a leg, you'd wear your cast and take your painkillers. Well, when dealing with your mental health, what's broken is your brain, your spirit, your ambition, and your will - the invisible things that people can’t see.

Seek out the help that you need - be it from a professional, family, your best friend, or someone you know who just “gets” you.

Reach out in your prayers, spells, cards, or whatever you use to help guide you. Your spirituality may be a surprising comfort in new ways that you hadn't thought of. I’ve found that I can rest my anxiety with a cleansing shower, letting the water run, cool not cold, over me as I focus my intent and purpose of removing the negativity that has attached itself to me.

I also use meditation to refocus and empty my mind by sitting in a dark room with my favorite ambient music to rest and let my mind float and take me wherever it wants to go. Falling asleep this way is ok as well, I’ve found that’s a great formula for a relaxing nap.

Tarot. This is new to me. I’ve started with a simple shuffle and letting my thoughts go into my cards. Not necessarily asking for a definitive answer, maybe just some insight that I may be missing myself that the cards can lead me to.

I’ve always been interested in the cards, but always as a spectator. I’ve recently met a few people who have some good experience with giving readings to people. I asked one of them a few weeks ago to give me a reading. He lives over in Europe and there’s a good bit of time difference but he is the first to inspire me to get a deck of my own. He did a reading for me, simple pull, nothing fancy and he came up with a certain card in a certain position and it corresponded with my current station in life. That was an eye-opening experience. To have someone do a reading with their cards for ME after all this time of being curious.

My second friend that I’ve turned to for guidance in the cards also did a reading for me. This was maybe 3 or 4 days after the first. This person is stateside and not far from me. I feel this is an important detail. She pulled my cards and one of the cards jumped out of the deck as she started to shuffle. This was the same card that my friend overseas pulled for me as well.

That was it. I’m in.

I bought my first deck. The one in the picture for this blog and I’m ready to start down that path of self-discovery that I’m learning is possible to achieve.

Tarot. Always curious. Never studied. Now I’m ready for the insight that is possible through the cards.

Opening my mind and spirit to the universe, I have found that this has been one of the most refreshing feelings in the world.

I try to live by the idea that the energy that you put out into the universe, will come back to you. Don’t be afraid to look within yourself and use the tools you feel compelled to use and are comfortable with. You’ll be much for the better than allowing the demons to hang out in your mind 24/7.

Always remember that you are not alone.

I promise you.

We are here and we reach out with open arms to be the support that you didn't know you needed.

Take care of yourselves everyone.  

Be cool

I leave you again this month with another poesy. This was inspired by the cards themselves.

Fnip.. fnip.. fnip... Sitting and shuffling Brooding and clenching The flutter of the cards calming my senses What will they show? Maybe they haven’t determined yet Guide me on my path, lead the way Give me insight, security Calm my thoughts Show me what you want to say Ava Satanis HBVV

The HellBilly Pulpit Blog by @hellbillyvvitch @thehellbillypulpit

The Hellbilly Pulpit: The Hellbilly Poet Commences

`HELL-o all!

I’m @hellbillyvvitch and I’m here to engulf you with my love of poetry and prose. I am however a realist. There are no sunshine and rainbows, nor puppy-dog love to be found in my writing. I cut myself to the bone, bleeding out thoughts and feelings. I will take you to the darkest, loneliest corners of my mind sharing my thoughts and feelings, leaving nothing sacred.

My little corner of the blog “The HellBilly Pulpit” will be about the influences of religion, music, art, mental illness, society at large, and 

what I take away from the world’s treatment of all of these, and how this Appalachian Hellbilly comes to terms.

I started out writing lyrics for some of the trash punk/metal bands that I was in back in my youth and over the years it has become a part of me. A place to release my internal anguish, misery, and frustration. And with the way that 2020/2021 has unfolded, I was given a chance to review who I am and where I truly want to go with my writing future.

What I’ve learned is you will always be evolving. It’s never too late to learn something new. Don’t be afraid to bleed on your page. Be you. Be real. Be honest. Be art.

I hope you enjoy what I have to offer. I hope it entertains and gets you to think about the bigger picture that surrounds you.

I look forward to what comes next. Ava Satanis! Talk to you soon H.B.VV

Make sure to follow the blog for updates: https://lamortexiii.tumblr.com

The Hellbilly Pulpit Blog by @hellbillyvvitch @thehellbillypulpit

www.LaMorteXiii.com Attitude is Everything.

Shades and Shadows: The Art of Connecting with Deities

As someone who previously held mostly agnostic beliefs, and still does to a certain extent, the idea of connecting with deity is something relatively new to my practice. As I explained in the last post, it wasn’t until I discovered the purpose of ritual that it even began to interest me. I was raised Catholic, so my notion of deity was this absurd man in the clouds who may or may not decide your fate in the afterlife. Praying to the white-bearded man in the sky was essentially pleading with him to fix your life or absolve you of your ungodly sins. It didn’t make sense to me, it definitely didn’t resonate with me, and the older I got the less I wanted anything to do with it. As Jim Jefferies so eloquently stated, “have the magic man, don’t have the magic man, I don’t give a fuck.” I never wrote off the idea entirely, I simply felt as though no one could possibly know one way or the other, but I definitely didn’t want much to do with the deity I was raised to believe in. He certainly seemed to cause more trouble than anything else. After all, it wasn’t the devil drowning the world and plaguing humanity. Since connecting with deities is somewhat new to my practice, it is something I’m still exploring. It’s not a necessity for every witch to include in their practice, and it may even be something I ultimately decide isn’t for me. But while I’m currently exploring it, let’s talk about it… 

There are a number of different reasons a witch may choose to develop a relationship with a deity as a part of their practice. It could be part of the tradition they follow, they may want to honor an innate sense of connection they feel to a particular deity, or it could be that having a working relationship with a deity (or deities) would be of benefit to them in one way or another. There’s really no right or wrong here, and there certainly isn’t anything wrong with a witch that isn’t interested in such or decides it’s just not for them. If it’s something you’re curious about though, it’s something worth investigating. The one thing I will say, especially if you’re new to the craft, is not to feel pressured into making it a part of your practice because it seems like everyone else is doing it.  

So how do you know which deity to connect with? I’ve often heard stories of witches whose deity came to them in a dream, through meditation, or while “hanging out on the astral.” A good place to start, especially if you find the aforementioned ways off-putting or intimidating, is with the deities that are of interest to you. If you’re already following a specific tradition or interested in a particular pantheon, this can help narrow it down. Understanding your personal goal for having a connection with deities can also be of help. I’ll use myself as an example here… It was a few years ago now that I first became interested in the idea of forming a connection with deities. More than anything, I really wanted to know what it was all about. I remember the name Santa Muerte coming up quite a bit, so I decided to look into it. I was able to find a wealth of information on who she was, what she stood for, and how to work with her. At the time, I was also learning cartomancy (which for those who don’t know, it’s basically tarot with playing cards) and I happened to have a tattoo imagery deck of playing cards that made me think of this particular deity. I figured why not use the deck as a way to reach out to her. Having already purchased a Santa Muerte candle and incense, I lit both and sat down with the cards; one question in mind, “would you be willing to work with me?” I will never forget the feeling I got upon seeing the imagery of the cards I pulled. Not only was it a direct answer to my question, but a blatant “yes” at that. I also couldn’t help but feel as though the room had suddenly filled with this loving, almost grandmotherly type of energy (yes, I know we’re getting a bit woo-woo here.) Ultimately, through a number of mistakes over the years, I learned from Santa Muerte what it’s like to have a working relationship as a witch with a particular deity--which, after all, was what I was going for. 

Forming a connection with a deity doesn’t necessarily mean you need to have a working relationship with that deity. As I stated earlier, it could just be a connection you choose to honor. One of the things I want to stress about connecting with deities is that some may come and go, and that’s ok. Some witches maintain a relationship with one particular deity for the rest of their life. However, sometimes we’re called to certain deities because they have something to teach us or are there to help us through something. There are also times when choosing to form a connection with a particular deity actually leads you down the path to a different deity. Again, there’s really no right or wrong here. Connecting with a deity is a deeply personal thing. Two witches working with the same deity can have an entirely different experience from one another. 

With all that being said, I see deities as a means of connecting with the creative energy of the universe through a personified form. The desire for connection to universal creative energies is something inherent in human nature. Where we differ, and rightly so, is how we go about finding and expressing that connection. As an art witch, I generally feel this connection most when I’m painting. Having learned from my working relationship with Santa Muerte, I much prefer to just simply honor the energies I feel connected with while painting--at least for the time being anyway, that could always change again further down the road. The lessons I learned in working with Santa Muerte and how they influenced my practice could be a post on its own. I would love to know in the comments if that’s of interest to anyone. Most importantly, what I want you to take away from this is that building a relationship with deities does not make or break your practice as a witch. Like any other tool, it only enhances your craft if it’s of use to you. Coming from an artist though, you may be surprised at some of the rather unconventional tools we make work for us. If you stay open-minded and curious, you’ll always have an abundance of tools at your disposal.

Shades and Shadows Blog by @thecraftyvvitch @thecraftyvvitch

www.LaMorteXiii.com

The HellBilly Pulpit: The Poesy of a HellBilly…

A conjurer of words…

Poetry.

It’s what keeps me sane. It keeps me in reality. I’m afraid that if I don’t let out the inner turmoil and anguish, self-imposed or otherwise, I will go insane. 

Well, maybe insane is a bit of an embellishment, but it is definitely something that I do to relieve stress. 

I have many muses that make me put pen to paper. Sometimes it may be something I’m personally dealing with or maybe seeing someone else struggle with their own issues and demons. I feel empathy and that sets my pen to flow. I have always been an underdog and a fan of the underdog. I like to speak for those who can’t themselves. 

I write for not just myself any longer, but for maybe even… you. You see, I’ve climbed out of those holes that seem to have no end. I’ve wrestled with that despair and torment. I’m still fighting those battles, but now, I sit here with my pen letting it all out. 

I believe I was invited to contribute to this blog for a reason. I believe that most things aren’t coincidental and as I’ve learned on my path, speak and be true. Everyone has a purpose and a meaning. I believe that in my willingness to put words to page while focusing my intent, that is me casting my spell. That is me letting those demons out that shouldn’t be kept in. 

The world needs to see that we are stronger than what they think of us. We have the strength. We have the creativity. We have the resolve to keep going forward. We are as above as we are below and we aren’t afraid to lay it all out and bleed till we can no more. As we push and push through that everyday rat race of life. We need to call out the bullshit that is given to us every day. 

I will bleed so you don’t have to. I will be your voice. I will cry your anguish and scream your pain. We can get through whatever is thrown at us. We have to stand up when we get knocked down and make something positive out of it. 

That is why I write.

To get us started on this journey together, I’ll leave my first piece here with you now.

Abandoned to your own Feeling lost and afraid No comfort in your childhood home

What will give you solace? What will make you safe?

Only you know the answers Make your own leap of faith Don’t be afraid to be all your own

This is your vessel Your temple Your place

Wield your feelings Throw away your doubts Nobody can judge you

You are your own….

Inside and out

Till next time.
H.B.VV.

The HellBilly Pulpit Blog by @hellbillyvvitch @thehellbillypulpit

Cryptic Mystic: Intelligence, Perception, & Originality

Intelligence, Perception, & Originality: Blaise Pascal (1670/1961), the great French philosopher and mathematician wrote, “The more intelligence one has, the more people one finds original. Commonplace people see no difference between men.” Does intelligence have anything to do with how much one can see/feel? Why do we hold certain people to higher standards than others? Does originality even exist?? Well, I may not have all of the definitive answers, but I can speculate and provide you with some of the important information that is out there. As I always say, in the end, you decide what you believe. 

We will start with some basic definitions, just so we are all on the same page as to what we are talking about specifically within this month’s Cryptic Mystic blog. I do this because we may all have different ideas as to what something may be; our perceptions may be different. For this blog, I feel definitions are crucial to the reader having a solid understanding of the full content - not because I believe the reader to be stupid (FYI).

We will begin by defining intelligence. Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. A more broad definition: intelligence is the ability to perceive and retain information as knowledge to be used towards an individual’s behaviors and how one interacts within a situation or environment. Humans are most often the subjects of intelligence testing, but animals and plants have also been subjected to this research despite some believing animals and plants do not possess intelligence. There is another type of intelligence called artificial intelligence that refers to the intelligence found within computers and other electronic devices and machines. 

Next, let’s look at the definition of perception. Perception (from the Latin perceptio, meaning gathering or receiving) is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information to represent and understand the presented information or environment. Perception begins with a stimulus that triggers our body’s sensory system. This information then travels from the input of where the sensory phenomena took place (e.g. light coming through the eye) to the brain, which processes this information. The way your brain processes this information and the way you react to the stimuli around you is all thanks to perception. 

Lastly, we will define originality. This definition is high up on the debate scale, as many believe true originality does not exist. This is due in part to the lack of boundaries between items/works that are derived from others; things become cyclical. Originality is commonly known as the aspect of created or invented works as being something new. Any reproductions, clones, forgeries, or derivative works would not be considered original (to an extent). Something that is considered original is believed to not be derived or copied from someone else’s work. Originality is unique, fresh, and new. Many famous artists, including Shakespeare, do not claim to be 100% original but to have drawn off the work of their predecessors. The United States did not even begin to harness the concept of originality until the 18th century. 

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we can get into the beans and cornbread of what this blog is actually about. In knowing these definitions, what do you think about the original questions posited above at the beginning of the blog? How does intelligence shape the way we feel and see the world around us? Why do we hold certain people to higher standards than others (e.g. famous individuals)? Are higher powers at play or are our intelligence, perception, and abilities purely destiny from birth? Does originality even exist? Think about those questions and what you believe at this moment, for your beliefs may change by the end of the blog. Write your beliefs down now if you’d like to engage in this as an activity for yourself.

How does intelligence shape the way that we feel and see the world around us? Our brains are the epicenter of our existence. The intellectual abilities that we are born with do shape our perception of the world around us and ultimately how we live our lives. Now, knowledge can always be acquired, and there are outliers within every scenario, so do keep this in mind - I do not dispute those facts. Our intelligence and cognition help us to learn, form concepts, understand things, apply logic and reasoning, and so many more things. Our intelligence breeds the way we see the world around us, and thus how we form opinions and choose to interact with other people and the environments around us. We are all on different levels of processing and understanding - some more similar than others (those who are similar “click” or “have a connection” while those who are opposite tend to not “click” or have those same connections very often at all). 

Have you ever encountered a situation where you just didn’t understand the way someone was thinking, and it frustrated the hell out of you? I bet it’s safe to say that you have. I know I have - several times throughout my life. This is because you and that individual were operating on different frequencies. You possessed different ways of seeing the world, different ways of understanding, different ways of communicating, different levels of intelligence. All of these things are interconnected. I know when most people think of intelligence, they think of how smart someone is. However, intelligence is far more than that. Intelligence is said to be purely natural - something you are born with. While there are opportunities in life to learn so many things and strengthen your cognitive processes, at the end of the day you are who you are. You can’t learn intelligence - it is something you are born with. However, you can change your brain structure through learning and engaging with others and the environments around you. This is a huge conversation for another blog, but the point is - you can change your brain structure. So, the big question becomes, if you can change your brain structure, can you alter/change your intelligence?...

Why do we hold certain people to higher standards than others (e.g. famous individuals)? Intelligence produces our perception. Part of this perception is how we see others and the world around us. While some famous individuals may have a special talent, other famous individuals don’t have any talents. For every famous person who has a special talent, there are thousands (if not millions) of other individuals around the world who hold the same talent - and some may even have a higher skill set! Why do we put famous people on a pedestal when they are people just like us? They were born with the same abilities as many of us. There isn’t much that makes a famous person any different from you, except the fact that they’re famous - and of course (for most of us) they have A LOT more money than we do. But what does money have to do with anything? Can we then say that is the reason we put so many famous people on a pedestal - is it money? Do you idolize your favorite musician for their actual musical talents or is it something else? What about the person down the street who is equally as talented who gets no attention? I know this answer may look different for all of you, but I want you to think about what your answer would be if we were having this conversation, or if you were having this conversation with someone else. Now, take this example and flip it to something more day-to-day. Why do you put certain family members or friends on a pedestal when compared to others around you? Is it about your relationship with those individuals? Do they do something for you that benefits you? Is there a reciprocal give-and-take relationship to where both parties are benefitted? Is it all about you and that’s how you like it? Can you run over these people and take advantage? Again, your reasoning and answers are going to look drastically different from the next person's because we are all unique individuals, but I want you to think about this as well. The hard truth is that some people do not possess the ability to distinguish realistic differences and similarities between other individuals. Some people believe that famous people are somehow better than the rest of us. Some people possess the ability to pick apart similarities and differences between others, but just don’t care. This kind of ties back into the quote mentioned at the beginning of the blog from Pascal, “The more intelligence one has, the more people one finds original. Commonplace people see no difference between men.” Do you believe this to be true? Why or why not?... What makes a famous person, your best friend, whomever you put on a pedestal and hold to higher standards - what makes this person so special; so different? Your intelligence is playing a much bigger role here than you realize. I understand this may be a lightbulb moment for some of you, and a clusterfuck of thoughts for others - and that's okay. Whatever way you are processing this is fine because it’s part of what makes you who you are - and that’s pretty cool. 

Are higher powers at play or are our intelligence, perception, and abilities purely destiny from birth? Each of us is born with unique attributes and abilities. In psychology, we call these abilities innate (born with) and learned (acquired) abilities. As I mentioned earlier, you do possess the power to change your brain through the use of the neurons within your brain. The neurons that aren’t used often eventually fade away, and the ones that are used a lot will strengthen. You can even regrow certain neurons that you lost long ago or strengthen smaller neurons that may not have been used in a while. So, the ability to change is always there. However, change can look challenging for some and isn’t as easily obtained. For the most part, how we are born and the environment that shapes us as children/adolescents are a big part of what makes us who we are today. Intelligence is a large part of how we perceive the world around us, and our abilities are a large part of how we interact with the world around us. All parts are tied into one giant working system that propels us through life. In short, much of what we possess we are born with and this ultimately guides us through life amidst the continual editing from our environment. As for a higher power, this is something personal for everyone. You may or may not believe that something is aiding you in your journey through life; guiding you as you go. You may believe in nothing. 

Based solely on my personal lived experiences I can say that I believe there is something that aids me throughout my life - what it is, I can’t be sure. However, I do not believe that this was always the case. Until my early mid-twenties, I felt lost and relied heavily on substance abuse and those around me to make my happiness. One day when I was probably at the lowest and most stressful point in my life, I met a powerful, talented, successful, dark, and mysterious man who challenged me to be better. For years I had always had a natural attraction to him when I would see his face, but getting to know him was a completely different scenario altogether. He challenged me to be the strong and powerful woman that I am today. As our relationship grew, he helped me to find my way and see what I needed to do to reach my full potential. I took his words and actions and held them close, that which I have never forgotten. I know it may sound silly, but I can’t help but wonder if some of the power he most blatantly wields still to this day has somehow been transferred to me? But maybe this power was with me all along, and he just aided in bringing it to fruition? I jokingly tell people I made a deal with the devil, but then I think to myself… maybe I did? I have found since meeting him that my entire world has changed. He is no longer a regular part of my life. Nothing bad happened between us at all, and we departed from one another on good terms. Life moved on and years have gone by. But as the years have passed, I noticed that good things would consistently happen to me; like... really good things... all of the time; things that almost seemed magical. It was almost as if those around me were under some sort of spell or mind-control. Everything that has happened to me since has been so random, but so amazing - I can’t even begin to explain the complete turnaround that my life has made. It started with small things (e.g. random free items at events, strangers paying my way, fun opportunities, an influx of compliments every time I’m in public, receiving unexpected money in the mail when I needed it). Now every chance I take ends with success - no matter how big or small. I am not saying this to sound big-headed, it’s the truth and is my reality; my new way of living I suppose. Granted, I have worked hard to get where I am, but damn have I had some sort of phenomenal luck along the way. To be clear, I still experience downtimes and unfortunate events from time to time (that’s just life) but for the most part, I have really good luck… or something else? I don’t know. I have tried to put the pieces together for years, and meeting my dear friend and departing from him seems to be a coincidental timeline. That paired with other things I have discussed in past blogs about myself, and that’s all I’ve got. No valid explanation - just more questions. But, you know me, I’m always seeking the truth and questioning everything anyway... 

Does originality even exist?? This is a tough one and I am not sure that I have the answer. Talk about a hot debate. I could sit and ponder this topic for hours - which I did when I wrote this blog. For this question, I will let you decide. I want to know what you think, so shoot me a message or drop me a comment on Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr and let me know. I’ll post responses on social media anonymously - maybe we can come to a group consensus?! To conclude this month’s blog, I’ll share my opinion - but it is not certain. I think there is potential for someone to concoct an original idea. However, you have to ponder where these ideas come from. Did the person subconsciously remember something they saw when they were five years old, and that sparked their idea? The person could very well believe that their idea is original, not having consciously remembered the thing they saw from all those years ago. In all actuality, their idea is not original, but a product of something they saw when they were younger. It is hard to say whether our ideas are 100% original or partly made from someone else’s ideas. I believe most “originality” that we see today is a culmination of several generations of thought and invention. So then would that not be considered originality to some extent? Or does originality not exist? Again, I’ll let you decide what you believe. Take care. Until next time... 

<3 - K

Cryptic Mystic Blog by PsychVVitch @psychvvitch

www.LaMorteXiii.com

Cryptic Mystic: What’s Your Sign?

Many of us are fascinated by astrology and all things outer space related. The great unknown that is beyond the stars has been a hot topic for centuries. But, how did the zodiac begin? What makes astrological signs and the alignment of planets and stars so magical? Is it truly prophetic? Does your sign define your personality, past, present, and future? Or is this simply another product of the Barnum Effect?

So I’ll start by asking the obvious: “what’s your sign?” I’m a Leo through and through. While I’m skeptical about the claims of some astrological signs and their relation to my life on a daily basis, I do believe there is some truth here - as is with most things. This topic is one that I have been wanting to write about for some time now. I have always found outer space, stars, planets, etc. to be fascinating. As a child, I remember laying in the grass and watching the stars above me. In my little valley in the forest, I could see so many stars that wouldn’t be visible if I were in the city. I am so thankful I had that childhood experience of growing up somewhere where I could truly connect with nature and the simple things around me that most take for granted on a day-to-day basis. I still stargaze to this day, but I can’t see near as many as I once did in my childhood forest valley home. I’ve seen a plethora of shooting stars throughout my lifetime, two meteor showers, two solar eclipses, and plenty of unidentified objects that were likely satellites… or were they…?

One time when I was driving home from work late one night I saw something that befuddled me. As I drove down the winding 2 lane highway in the darkness of the night I saw what appeared to be a helicopter hovering right above the trees. Now, this area I was driving through was rural. There are few houses in those woods, but there are some. The backroads leading to the site where the “helicopter” was hovering are seldom traveled, especially this late at night. I began processing the event in my mind and questioning if it was a helicopter, why would it be hovering so low and what exactly would it be doing in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. It just didn’t make sense. I thought about logical explanations and could only come up with one. There is the slim possibility that someone driving on one of the many backroads in that area may have got into an accident and was getting airlifted to a hospital. I’ve seen it happen before on backroads near there. Aside from this idea, I had nothing. By this point, I had obviously slowed down so I could get a better look. Hell, there wasn’t any traffic so it’s not like I was worried about causing an accident or anything. As I looked closer I noticed it wasn’t a helicopter at all. There were about 4-6 large bright lights shining down below the area that the craft was hovering over. The circumference of this craft was much wider than a helicopter - more circular. The lights were far too big and far too bright. Whether it was fear, shock, tiredness, or my stomach growling, I continued to drive on and leave the peculiar scene behind. Now, I know this has nothing to do with astrology or zodiac signs, but it is an interesting story nonetheless. 

In reference to zodiac signs, I find that descriptions of a Leo with my particular birthdate are genuinely pretty accurate when describing my personality and conflicts. However, the daily horoscopes are definitely not accurate in my experience. I will say that when I read/listen to them I try to apply something positive from the reading to my daily life. I engage in a deeper thought process and practice mindfulness throughout the day, keeping that positive focus within my mind on the positive message I am supposed to be implementing into my day. I have also found that compatibility readings have been somewhat inaccurate as far as certain zodiac signs getting along or not getting along with other zodiac signs. The biggest obvious red flag for me is how many different sources there are. And guess what? They all say something different on the daily. If zodiac signs and horoscopes are supposed to be accurate, then why don’t all individuals who report them online all say the same thing - or at least something similar?? To play devil's advocate here, I did say earlier that I believe there is some truth to all of this, which is why it interests me so much and also why I believe in this stuff to a degree. There is a lot of magical and wondrous history to unpack in regards to the zodiac and horoscopes. So, let’s jump right in, shall we?

Interesting fact: the word zodiac is derived from Greek terminology meaning “circle of little animals.” We’re a circle of little animals - cute visuals there, eh? Hieroglyphs in Egypt dating as early as the 14th century BC were found to contain a circle of decans (constellations) depicting something that looks a lot like the constellations and zodiac symbols that we know today. In total there were 36 decans found within the temple.

During the first half of the first millennium, Babylonian astronomers created our modern zodiac. They also mapped the previous constellations that were seen in the Egyptian hieroglyphs but continued to add more as they were discovered. In the last half of the 5th century, the Babylonian astronomers divided the many constellations into 12 equal "signs” to represent the 12 months of the year at 30 days per month. Each sign contained 30° of celestial longitude, thus creating the first known celestial coordinate system. According to calculations by modern astrophysics, the zodiac was introduced between 409 and 398 BC and probably within a very few years of 401 BC. Unlike modern astrologers, who place the beginning of the sign of Aries at the place of the Sun at the vernal equinox, Babylonian astronomers fixed the zodiac in relation to stars, placing the beginning of Cancer at the "Rear Twin Star" (β Geminorum) and the beginning of Aquarius at the "Rear Star of the Goat-Fish" (δ Capricorni). Due to the precession of the equinoxes, the time of year the Sun is in a given constellation has changed since Babylonian times, the point of vernal equinox has moved from Aries into Pisces. 

You’ll be pleasantly surprised, intrigued, or disgusted to know that all of this does have some roots within religion. The Hebrew Bible shows knowledge of the Babylonian zodiac. E. W. Bullinger noted that the drawings found in the book of Ezekiel were quite similar to the middle four quarters of the zodiac (Lion/Leo, Bull/Taurus, Man/Aquarius, Eagle/Scorpio). You read that right, Scorpio is noted as being an eagle - not a scorpion. Some say that the twelve tribes of Israel are correlated with the zodiac signs found within the Hebrew 12 month calendar. There is an argument that the position of the Israelic tribes around the Tabernacle from the book of Numbers correlates with the exact order of the zodiac, with Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan representing the middle signs of Leo, Aquarius, Taurus, and Scorpio, respectively. It is shocking how I have heard religious people in modern times talk about how this is all a bunch of garbage, even though some of this is literally correlated with items from the Bible.

To explain daily horoscopes and the connection between the stars, planets, and our zodiac signs, you must engage in a bit of math (yuck). When planets and constellations of the zodiac would align, the Babylonian astronomers of that time would note the experiences that people had and found similarities. These experiences, along with the position of the Earth, Sun, Moon, and constellations and the positions relative to the zodiac signs were stored within a catalogue. This went on for several years and is essentially what began our modern-day daily horoscope. However, it is my personal opinion that a lot of these “professionals” who have their own magical websites where you can get a free daily horoscope, just make shit up to sound interesting. That is obvious by the previously mentioned differentials found within each page. I encourage you to do a quick Google search and you’ll see what I’m talking about. This ties into the belief that the Barnum Effect is in play here. You’ll remember the Barnum Effect from last month's blog. If you haven’t read the June 2021 blog The Imaginarium of Barnum, I suggest you head there next to get a deeper understanding of what I’m talking about before you continue reading. Much of what is broadcasted in daily horoscopes, zodiac sign descriptions, and even within mediumship and tarot readings is full of extremely vague generalities. Because the information is presented in such a vague and generalized way, it then becomes an instance where anyone could apply any of the information to their life in some way. So as you can see, there is some psychological manipulation at play here. Now, I am not saying this is true for all who present the information. I will say that there are A LOT of shams out there. I have seen far more fake sites/readings/etc. than I have seen legit ones. If I had to give a percentage from my personal experience, I’d say about 85% of what I’ve seen is bullshit. But you choose what you believe at the end of the day. I just ask you to keep an open mind and a wise eye about you when scanning the web for horoscopes, zodiac information, tarot, and mediumship. 

All of this information is interesting to stew on within your mind. I hope that you learned something new. I know I did when I was researching this topic for the blog. The religious ties were the most surprising thing to me. What did you find most interesting? Drop a comment under the blog on Tumblr or under the Instagram post for this month’s blog and let me know. Tonight if you are able, take a look at the stars and see if you can find the constellations. The plethora of shapes within the brightest stars are brilliant to gaze upon. Who knows, maybe you will find your zodiac constellation. Maybe you will depict a new constellation on your own by combining different combinations of stars. Or maybe you’ll see something that you can’t explain…

Cryptic Mystic Blog by PsychVVitch @psychvvitch

www.LaMorteXiii.com

Cryptic Mystic: The Imaginarium of Barnum

Have you ever heard of the Barnum Effect? It is also known as the Forer effect or the Barnum–Forer effect. This phenomenon is said to occur when someone believes in the accuracy of vague generalities about their personality (e.g., believing in fortune-tellers, astrological signs, fortune cookies, etc.). For example: let's say you go to a restaurant and you are given a fortune cookie. Within the cookie, the slip of paper reads, “stay strong in your beliefs and good will come to you.” Now, this can mean many things depending on the person reading it. Vague general statements can all be taken in different ways by different people. One person may view this statement as meaning that they need to stay strong in their religion and that their deity will bless them. Someone else may view this statement as applying to the struggles they have been facing with being their true self, as they have been pretending to be someone they weren’t to impress others. Vague general statements are objective, open for interpretation, and thus are typically considered as carrying a personal meaning.

Now, it is important to note that the power of chance is at play here. Fortune cookies, tarot readings, your astrological sign based on the time and place you were born - all of these are in fact determined by chance. But what creates chance? How much of chance is actually chance at all? What if someone or something is in control of coincidences, outcomes, and happenstance encounters. Or what if we are in control of these instances somehow, but just don’t realize it. Maybe it’s a combination of these things, or maybe it’s something else entirely…

The term "Barnum effect" was coined in 1956 by psychologist Paul Meehl in his essay “Wanted – A Good Cookbook,” because he relates the vague personality descriptions used in certain "pseudo-successful" psychological tests to those given by showman P. T. Barnum. The Barnum effect is manifested in response to statements that are called "Barnum statements", meaning general characteristics attributed to an individual are perceived to be true of them, even though the statements are such generalizations, they could apply to almost anyone. Such techniques are used by fortune tellers, astrologers, and other practitioners to convince paying customers that they, the practitioners, are in fact endowed with a paranormal gift. The effect is a specific example of the so-called "acceptance phenomenon", which describes the general tendency of humans to accept almost any bogus personality feedback. A related and more general phenomenon is that of subjective validation. Subjective validation occurs when two unrelated or even random events are perceived to be related because a belief, expectation, or hypothesis demands a relationship. For example, while reading a horoscope, people actively seek a correspondence between its contents and their perception of their personality.

In 1947, a psychologist named Ross Stagner asked a number of personnel managers to take a personality test. After they had taken the test, Stagner, instead of responding with feedback based on their actual individual answers, presented each of them with generalized feedback that had no relation to their test answers but that was, instead, based on horoscopes, graphological analysis, and the like. Each of the managers was then asked how accurate the assessment of him or her was. More than half described the assessment as accurate, and almost none described it as wrong.

In 1948, in what has been described as a "classic experiment", psychologist Bertram R. Forer gave a psychology test – his so-called "Diagnostic Interest Blank" – to 39 of his psychology students, who were told that they would each receive a brief personality vignette or sketch based on their test results. One week later Forer gave each student a purportedly individualized sketch and asked each of them to rate it on how well it applied. In reality, each student received the same sketch, consisting of the following items:

You have a great need for other people to like and admire you.

You have a tendency to be critical of yourself.

You have a great deal of unused capacity which you have not turned to your advantage.

While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them.

Your sexual adjustment has presented problems for you.

Disciplined and self-controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside.

At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing.

You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations.

You pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof.

You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others.

At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, reserved.

Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic.

Security is one of your major goals in life.

On average, the students rated its accuracy as 4.30 on a scale of 0 (very poor) to 5 (excellent). Only after the ratings were turned in was it revealed that each student had received an identical sketch assembled by Forer from a newsstand astrology book. The sketch contains statements that are vague and general enough to apply to most people. Forer attributed the effect to gullibility. The effect has been said to confirm the so-called "Pollyanna principle", which states that individuals tend "to use or accept positive words of feedback more frequently than negative words of feedback."

Two factors are important in producing the Forer effect, according to the findings of replication studies. The content of the description offered is important, with specific emphasis on the ratio of positive to negative trait assessments. The other important factor is that the subject trusts the honesty of the person providing feedback. The study was repeated again in 2011 with the statements altered so that they applied to organizations rather than individuals. The results were similar, suggesting that people anthropomorphize organizations and are gullible when interpreting their characters.

The effect is consistently found when the assessment statements are vague. People are able to read their own meaning into the statements they receive, and thus the statement becomes "personal" to them. The most effective statements include the phrase "at times", such as "At times you feel very sure of yourself, while at other times you are not as confident." This phrase can apply to almost anyone, and thus each person can read a "personal" meaning into it. Keeping statements vague in this manner ensures observing the Forer effect in replication studies. Individuals are more likely to accept negative assessments of themselves if they perceive the persons presenting them with those assessments as high-status professionals. Evidence also suggests that people with authoritarian or neurotic personalities or who have a greater than usual need for approval are more likely to manifest the Barnum effect.

Studies suggest that the Forer effect is universal – it has been observed in people from many cultures and locations. In 2009, psychologists Paul Rogers and Janice Soule conducted a study that compared the tendencies of Westerners to accept Barnum’s personality profiles to the tendencies of Chinese people. They were unable to find any significant differences. Later studies have found that subjects give higher accuracy ratings if the following are true:

The subject believes that the analysis applies only to him or her, and thus applies his or her own meaning to the statements.

The subject believes in the authority of the evaluator.

The analysis lists mainly positive traits.

The method in which the Barnum personality profiles are presented can affect the extent to which people accept them as their own. For instance, Barnum profiles that are more personalized – perhaps containing a specific person's name – are more likely to yield higher acceptability ratings than those that could be applied to anyone.

Subjects who, for example, believe in the accuracy of horoscopes have a greater tendency to believe that the vague generalities of the response apply specifically to them. Studies on the relationship between mild symptoms of schizophrenia and susceptibility to the Forer effect have shown high amounts of correlation. However, Rogers and Soule's 2009 study also tested subjects' astrological beliefs. Both the Chinese and Western skeptics were more likely to identify the ambiguity in the Barnum profiles.

Self-serving bias has been shown to cancel the Forer effect. According to the self-serving bias, subjects accept positive attributes about themselves while rejecting negative ones. In one study, subjects were given one of three personality reports: one consisting of Barnum profiles containing socially desirable personality traits, one containing a mixture of positive and negative traits, and the last containing profiles full of negative traits (also called "common faults"). Subjects who received the socially desirable and mixed reports were far more likely to agree with the personality assessments than the subjects who received negative reports, although there was not a significant difference between the first two groups.

In another study, subjects were given a list of traits instead of the usual "fake" personality assessment. The subjects were asked to rate how much they felt these traits applied to them. In line with the self-serving bias, the majority of subjects agreed with positive traits about themselves and disagreed with negative ones. The study concluded that the self-serving bias is powerful enough to cancel out the usual Forer effect.

In a 1971 experiment by Bernie I. Silverman, subjects were presented with twelve personality sketches drawn from a set of horoscopes and asked to choose the four that best described them. When the descriptions were not identified by astrological sun sign, subjects were not particularly likely to pick the horoscope for their own sun sign. When the descriptions were labeled by sign, subjects were more likely to pick the horoscope for their sun sign.

C. R. Snyder and R. J. Shenkel carried out a study in which they asked their students to prepare uniform Barnum descriptions for a group of subjects; these descriptions were then presented to study participants under the guise of being individualized horoscopes. Subjects in one group were not asked for personal information; those in a second group were asked to provide their month of birth; those in a third group were asked for the exact date of their birth. Those in the third group were most likely to say that their "horoscopes" applied to them; those in the first group were least likely to do so.

In 1977, Ray Hyman wrote about the way in which hucksters exploit the Forer effect to take advantage of victims (or "marks"). He provided a list of factors that help these tricksters to dupe their prey. For example, hucksters are more likely to be successful if they exude an air of confidence ("If you look and act as if you believe in what you are doing, you will be able to sell even a bad reading to most of your subjects") if they "make creative use of the latest statistical abstracts, polls, and surveys" showing "what various subclasses of our society believe, do, want, worry about, and so on", if they employ "a gimmick, such as a crystal ball, tarot cards, or palm reading", if they are alert to the clues provided about their clients by such details as their "clothing, jewelry, mannerisms and speech", if they are not afraid of "hamming it up", and if they use flattery.

Michael Birnbaum, a Professor of Psychology at California State University, Fullerton, has noted that the Forer effect is used by magicians and psychics when they give so-called "cold readings", as well as by certain TV personalities who claim psychoanalytical expertise and profess to be able to diagnose a guest's psychological problems in a few minutes. "Real psychologists are horrified by this practice", states Birnbaum, but they fail to criticize it vigorously enough in public, and so it continues to be treated with a respect it doesn't deserve. "It is regrettable that academic psychology has not paid more attention to the cold reading technique", Denis Dutton wrote in 1988, "inasmuch as the widespread practice of successful cold reading forms the basis for much of the belief in paranormal powers to be found in society today." While academic psychologists had focused in their studies on students, Dutton called for "analysis of the actual techniques and methods used by proficient cold readers." In a 2016 article, editors explained to marketers how to use the Forer effect to win customers. The main piece of advice was to employ flattery.

I’ll leave you with the wise words of Birnbaum regarding the moral of the Barnum Demonstration: "self-validation is no validation. Do not be fooled by a psychic, quack psychotherapist, or a phony faith healer who uses this trick on you! Be skeptical and ask for proof. Keep your money in your wallet, your wallet in your pocket, and your hand on your wallet." 

You may think this is rubbish, or you may be intrigued. Maybe you learned something new after reading this month’s blog. As I always say, you choose what you believe.

Cryptic Mystic Blog by PsychVVitch

www.LaMorteXiii.com