Full Moon Altar, February 2018 (thrifted!)

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Tonight’s photo is a thrifted/dollar-store altar.  We have:

• Two large candlesticks, thrifted ages ago, I think I spent $3 each for them.  Original a bronzy-brown color, I painted them black. They’re either plastic or plaster, or both.
• 22″ statue, purchased at an antiques mall in Chattanooga for $18. Had a chip in it.  Originally green and gold, I painted it black with a galaxy theme.
• Hurricane lamps – dollar store craft item.  Two candle holders glued with E-6000 to a pair of candle sticks.  Total cost: $4.
• Center: “offering bowl”. A recent purchase from the thrift store for $3.
• Center: slate carved lotus incense holder, $8 on ebay a decade ago.
• Center (unseen): string of star shaped fairy lights, bought on super post-holiday clearance, $1.50
• Left: Jelly jar containing moon water and crystal charged under the super moon.
• Left: Star candy dish, dollar store purchase.
• Right: Madonna repainted as Luna, thrift sore purchase, I think it was less than $2.
• Right: Tibetan singing bowl – this one wasn’t thrifted, it was a birthday gift.
• Altar cloth is half a yard of cotton fabric from Joann’s.
• The altar table itself is a children’s desk with storage underneath, from the thrift store, $10
• All candles are unscented and purchased at the dollar store.

Not shown are the figurine to house a servitor, also purchased from the thrift store for $1.  You can find some really cool stuff at the thrift and dollar stores, and if they have a cool look, but aren’t exactly what you’re looking for, don’t be afraid to alter them to make them suit your needs, whether it be painting, decoupage, etc.

Happy Full Moon!

An Argument for Technomancy

Recently on a few online forums that I frequent, I’ve seen a lot of backlash against people who practice technopaganism, technomancy, and cybermancy.  I found it interesting how people did not think the technological shared realms with the divine.  I beg to differ, and here are a few reasons why.

Cyber Altars

The subject of online altars was broached and many thought the idea was “silly”, and that you could not worship virtually, using either computers or VR technology.  It left me wondering about a period of time in my life where I could not practice my religious beliefs openly.  Because of this, my only  practice was through meditation and visualization, where I would use my creative mind to “act out” my rituals, manipulating the energies around me through thought.  In this, my “virtual world”, I worshiped as any other person would, simply doing so without benefit of real world tools.  It was very effective, and I practiced this way for a number of years.

I have difficulty seeing how this form of “virtual worship” is any different than the virtual environment of computers or VR.  Creative visualization has been used for thousands of years by faiths across the planet.  The use of a digital component in this instance simply provides a more concrete visual stimulus for a participant’s worship.  It is no more or less concrete than the inner workings of the human mind – undoubtedly the most complex computer of all.  Technological workings should not be discarded simply because they lack the fleshy bits of living things.  They are tools as valid as any Athame or mass produced statuary you’ll find in your local occult shop.

Non-biodegradable Faith

Another point that was brought up is that computers, components, etc. are not “natural” or “divine”, and therefore not valid tools by which to worship.  If one considers the inspiration of the Muses, the enhancement of human intellect, and the miracles of creation and evolution, then science and technology are most certainly of divine origin.  The human mind brings us art, science, music.  It brought us the Sphynx and the Pyramids, statues and buildings thousands of years old, built by technology and science that to this day we still don’t have a full understanding of.  The growth of human technology expands at a phenomenal rate, much of it as if it had a life of its own.  Without technology, we would still be relegated to the stone age.

Computers are just another step in technological evolution.  Divinity is indeed in the eye of the beholder.  While many will say that technology can’t be divine, because it is unnatural, man-made, and non-biodegradable, if you consider the astronomical leaps that humanity has made because of the advancements in computers, it isn’t difficult to see the divinity in the growth of technology.  Some say humans created their gods.  Humans also created computers.  Would it be unheard of to link man-made divinity to their computerized cousins?

In the same manner as the human brain, which runs on energy, electricity, the firing of neurons in amazingly complex computation, the computer, as connected to the Internet, transmits signals worldwide, spreading information and energy across the globe.  This could easily be seen as an energy to be harnessed, manipulated for magical or divine purpose.  Why would this be any different from the lightning of the storm?

Tools

In conclusion, we must remember that like the Athame, Wand, and Pentacle, the computer is a tool like any other.  If you have faith in the effectiveness of your tools, your tools will be effective for you.  You don’t need Joe Pagan down the street to believe that you can do magic or worship the divine using your laptop, the one who really needs to believe in that is you.  Keep in mind that paganism can be a very individualistic belief system, and that what works for you, might not be another’s cup of tea.  That’s ok.  Worship in ways that bring you closer to the divine, and let the universe sort the rest out.

Namaste.

Yet Another “Apps for Witches” Post

Call it what you will – technopaganism, technomancy, cybermancy, it can difficult to avoid the draw to combining our witchy practices with our contemporary technologies.  From the earliest stages of the Internet, you could find pages by and for witches, wiccans, and pagans.  I remember pages smothered with animated candle gifs and online altars where you could leave messages and offerings (as much as you can in the digital sphere).  In chat rooms you could find groups of practitioners holding world wide rituals.  Fun times.

Flash forward, we’re at now now.  Most people have or have access to smart phones and tablets, and with that comes the extension of our spiritual selves – the app.  There are quite literally hundreds of apps related to the metaphysical, and while some are good, a lot of them are just outright crap.  I don’t want this to be just another “apps for witches” post – who knows, it might be.  What this is, is a collection of the apps that are on my old Samsung Tab 2.  It’s old, clunky, and minimalist, because it really can’t handle too much abuse.  It functions as my “cyber grimoire”, a technological sacred space.  Everything on it solely exists to further that spiritual and metaphysical goal.  Below I’ll post the apps that I have installed on this machine (Android only – sorry, I don’t own any i-devices).

What you WON’T find on this list are apps of spells.  I hate those things.  Spells are better off written by the caster, with research done into correspondences, implements, and ingredients.  Do the legwork, people, don’t expect one person’s opinionated app to do the work for you.

NOTE:  I am not being compensated for this, these are my own opinions.  So here we go:

Diary with lock

OMG look at that bright pink flashy icon.  I was looking for a effective, lockable journal to keep notes in, and this seemed to be the best one.  Aside from the terrible icon, it’s highly customizable, so it doesn’t have to stay pink when you open it up.  It’s lockable, which is superb.

The features as listed on the app site are:

• Password & pin code protection
• Emojis via Quick access keyboard (requires Android 4.1 or higher)
• Personalize background color (Pink, Purple, Blue, ++)
• Change text-size and font-style
• Automatic reminder to write
• Easy to use
• Search entries
• Make unlimited entries
• Download backup (as text-file)
• Sync notes between devices
• Private & Secure cloud storage

It seems to have everything and the kitchen sink, too.  Worth a try.

Autodesk SketchBook

As someone who likes to make sigils, art, and other magicky goodness, I really wanted a drawing app on my tablet.  I have a stylus, so drawing isn’t really too much of a bother.  SketchBook is one of the more highly regarded drawing apps in the play store.  It’s got one of my favorite options in drawing apps, and that’s symmetry.  You can set it up to draw symmetrically, which I absolutely love, for making sigils, mandalas, etc.

Compass 360 Pro Free

Witches need compasses.  How are you going to know where to point your altar without one?  What about calling quarters?  There’s tons of compass apps out there, but this is the one that I use.  It’s got the compass, and levels to make sure that you’re holding your device perfectly level when gauging your directions.  Pretty handy stuff.

Deepware Changes I Ching

I Ching is a love of mine.  I have at least three books of interpretation, and antique coins.  This particular app is kinda neat, because when you are casting coins, you have to shake your device to randomize the results.  It does the casting, reads the answers, as well as line changes.  Very thorough!

 

Galaxy Tarot

I wanted a tarot app on my phone mostly for reference.  I’m not terribly effective at tarot.  I had hoped to install the Golden Thread Tarot that I’ve heard amazing things about, but sadly my tablet is too old and feeble to run it.  This one however is good enough, and does what tarot apps need to do – read tarot.

 

Kamea Sigils (paid version)

Sigils sigils sigils!

This particular app aids in the creation of “magic square” based sigils.  I haven’t had much chance to play with this one, but from the looks of things it has the potential to be a very useful app for sigil-based magickal endeavors!  I sprang for the paid version, because it was less than $2, and looked worth it.

Lunar Phase

The app no witch should be without.  If you need lunar info, this is the place to be!  I’ve had this app on nearly every device I’ve owned since my first smartphone.   Not only does it give you lunar information, you can set a widget of the moon that’ll show you the moon phases at a glance.

 

Planetary Hours

This app gives you planetary hours.  That’s really about it.

 

 

 

The Complete Herbal

This is a copy of Culpeper’s Herbal, with an additional 100 herbs added, with their “medicinal and occult qualities” outlined.

 

 

 

EsoClassics Plus

This is a fun little app.  It’s a collection of books and documents on various occult subjects, including: Alchemy, Hermeticism, Theosophy, Yoga, Anthroposophy, Cabala or Qabbalah, Sacred texts (western and oriental), and more!  They’ve made the app free for everyone, so jump on this!

 

Fireplace HD

This one might seem kind of silly.  I was looking for candle apps, in case I had my tablet open during a ritual, it seemed appropriate.  Sadly, all the candle apps sucked.  So I thought “hm, what about a bonfire?” and in walked this app.  It’s a fireplace fire in HD, with audio, so you get that great crackling sound that comes with big fires.  I highly recommend this one, if only for the ambiance.

And then some…

I downloaded a file manager, so I could set up folders on my home screen for easy access to the occasional PDF.  I have a few PDFs of correspondences on the tablet and plan on keeping a minimal amount of reference books on it.  I don’t have connections to any social media on it at all and don’t sync with my email.  That’s not it’s purpose.

I’ll be doing another post specifically on my tablet and it’s purpose sometime soon.  For now,  hope you find these apps useful in your practice, and consider adding a little “cybermancy” into your life.

Looking for Guest Submissions!

Hey all! I’m looking for people who are interested in posting guest submissions to the blog! I’d like to see creative thinking and unique perspectives in the occult community. Please send a link to your work to the above listed contact form, and I hope to hear from you guys soon! Namaste 🙂

Witchcraft & Paganism 101 (or “Shoot! Why haven’t I learned that yet??”)

First, I would like to thank the members of PaganSpace.net chat, who both contributed to and inspired this post.

Through many a night in chat it has come to my attention that a great many people have forgotten to learn the basics.  I’m talking the uber-basics-of-the-basics.  It usually starts off with:

OMG! HELP MEH!  I summoned a demon/cursed my dog/blew up my mom  and I don’t know how to fix it!  PLEEEEASE!!!

Sigh.

Usually in these circumstances, various suggestions are bandied about, most often replied with “But I don’t know how to do that! Help MEEEEE!!!!111one”.

So, I’ve decided to throw together a series of blog posts geared for people who are just wetting their toes in the pagan pool.  These are the level 101 lessons that all of us SHOULD have learned in the very beginning, but probably bypassed for the cooler pages of the book.

For this first post, I’m going to basically throw out a few here’s and there’s that might sound like common sense, but you’d be surprised exactly how many people just don’t grok some of these concepts.

Apprenticeship.  It’s what’s for dinner.

Apprenticeship is basically you (the Apprentice) accepting teaching and tutelage from a teacher (the Master).  I know some people kind of cringe at the whole Master/Apprentice dichotomy.  Taking on a teacher or student is not necessarily a bad thing.  Like any other relationship, however, it has it’s pros and cons.  It’s always nice to have someone knowledgeable to bounce your ideas and questions off of, or to have someone to guide you through the tougher exercises that magic brings.  But like anyone else, Masters and Apprentices are also human, and subject to the failings of the human condition.  Some Masters overestimate their abilities, or might take on too many Apprentices in an attempt to inflate their egos.  Apprentices are equally fallible.

Like most things on the pagan path, Apprenticeship is an optional practice.  It might take longer or be more difficult to self-teach or work without some kind of mentor, but if done properly, it can be equally beneficial.

In my instance, I did a year-and-a-day apprenticeship with a Celtic Wiccan coven during my college years.  About a half a year afterwards, I realized that Wicca was not for me, and I left the coven (there were some disputes of dogma between me and the High Priestess as well, but hey, it happens).

Magic is NOT a cure-all.

If you think that magic is going to make you rich, find the man of your dreams and fix all the problems plaguing your life, just stop and close the browser window now.  Magic isn’t a cure-all.  Example:  You’re in a shitty abusive living situation – magic isn’t going to help.  You need to step away from the computer and find real life mundane help.  Before you turn to the old spellbook, stop and consider if there’s some kind of mundane action you should be taking first.  Magic isn’t meant to do the work for you.  Think of it as the additional “oomph” needed to push your hard work in the right direction.  “Find a job” spells aren’t going to do jack for you if you’re not first out there filling out applications and doing interviews.

I’ve used juju to help find jobs, to find lost objects, to cut through administrative red tape, but always knowing that the mundane work goes hand in hand with the metaphysical mojo (and it works!).  Don’t just rely on the magic.  Do the legwork too.

There is nothing new under the sun.

This is an interesting one.  The reason I post this one is because so many people pop up thinking their problems are so unique and their situations make them special snowflakes.  Fact: You are not a special snowflake (thank you, Tyler Durden).  I don’t care if you’re a possessed vampire lycan godkin starseed with poltergeists coming out of your ass.  It’s been said, done, heard, and dealt with before.  Nobody is surprised.  You’re not frightening anyone.

Anything that you’re looking for has either A) been published, B) the directions on how to adapt it to your own ends has been published or C) someone somewhere has already been done/heard/said it and can tell you how (should they so choose).  Go out and look for it, or ask around.  You might be surprised, someone might just help!

WARNING: Herbalism

Lastly, it was suggested I give a quick warning about herbalism.  Herbs have been used by witch doctors and wise persons for ages.  Even in prehistoric times, herbs were used to tint skin and hair, used in early tattoos, and buried with neanderthal dead.  It took a lot of experimentation for those people to learn what would help, and what would kill.  Don’t think that you can learn all that during a weekend excursion to the local occult shop.

Herbs can be macerated, eaten, smoked, incensed and made into oils, vinegars and waters.  Not only do you have to consider the effects of just the herb on it’s own, but also how that herb might interact with other herbs, oils, vinegars and waters that you decide to mix together.  Some herbs are irritants to the skin, others are dangerous when smoked or burned as incense, some tinctures that might be made with edible oils, vinegars or water, become poisonous once you infuse it with certain herbal combinations. So how do you know which is which?

RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!

I think I might have 20 books on herbalism, both magical and mundane.  I won’t dare burn an herb without knowing absolutely sure that it’s not going to make me sick, or worse.  As stated before, when in doubt, ASK!

That’s it for now.  Upcoming topics will include:  Grounding & Centering, Shielding, Meditation, Drawing up energy.

Namaste!