Did U See Them Btw...

A Brief Introduction to Energy Work

Energy work as most of us know it was heavily influenced by certain beliefs that the body's health depended on a healthy flow or balance of vital force, and that said force could be manipulated through certain practices. The whole concept of qi energy and qigong were pretty big influences here. Other influences included persistent European beliefs in vitalism, the concept of animal magnetism, and a rising awareness of electricity and radiation, which to many people seemed to provide justification for many old paranormal and metaphysical beliefs.

Now of course, we now know that vitalism just isn't a thing and that flickering lights in your house have more to do with bad wiring than ghosts, but energy work itself continues to persist. (Although these days, it's often justified with terrible misunderstandings of quantum physics.)

I also feel that I'd be irresponsible not to mention that there is no evidence that energy healing can be relied upon to heal serious medical issues, and that many people offering energy healing sessions for sale are basically just scammers. If you ever find yourself in a position where you have to choose between paying for an energy healing service and paying for evidence-based medicine, put your money on evidence-based medicine.

With that out of the way, I do believe that energy work can have benefits. Like in my own experience, energy work can't cure chronic depression, but it can sometimes lift some of those heavy feelings. It might not completely cure your flu, but it can most probably help you relax, which will help your immune system work better. And I really can't argue with the efficacy of energy shielding so far as warding goes.

So with all that out of the way, how does one practice energy work?

Energy work is often practiced by visualizing energy moving and converging wherever you need it, often using your hands, fingers, or something like a wand to focus it. Let's say for example that you feel a sense of tightness or heaviness in your sternum area. You might place your fingers over it and visualize a white light clearing away the tension.

Energy work can also include drawing symbols. My go-to for banishing that sense of heaviness is to trace my finger over my sternum in a sun shape (a regular old circle with rays, much like this one 🌞), visualizing the lines in a bright sunny yellow.

It can also include breathwork. Here's one possible personal shielding technique using this: Take a deep inhale while visualizing protective energy from the earth coming up into your body and filling your core. Then exhale while imagining this energy pushing out of your body and forming a protective shield.

Also, while many energy work techniques involve using energy from positive emotions, you don't have to limit yourself to them. You can put your shitty emotions to good use. For example, if you're warding your space by tracing protective symbols on your walls, you might channel aggressive feelings into them to give them some bite.

Now of course, these aren't all the things you can do with energy work, or all the ways you can practice energy work. This is just a quick intro. But if you combine even just this basic comprehension with a broader comprehension of color correspondences and symbology, you'll find that it's pretty versatile.

Happy witchin'!

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Yeah, yeah... I'll read my tarot cards for you... pick 3 cards. Oh wow. It says you're kissing me in the future... Idk either, man... The cards don't lie

“but if i’m traveling how will i feel connected to my deities?”

may i introduce the

deity sachet

i fill a little sachet with an image of the deity, some small crystals that correspond to them and a piece of devotional jewelry and WHAM! to go cup altar

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Herbs I Wish Grew in My Backyard (and Why)

If I could plant a little garden of magic, these are the herbs I’d want growing wild and free — each one carrying a secret spell in its leaves.

• Lavender — for peace, sleep, and soft dreams woven into the air

• Rosemary — for memory, protection, and cooking with a little bit of magic

• Chamomile — for calming storms inside my chest

• Thyme — for courage when the world feels too loud

• Mint — for energy, healing, and sweetening every breath

• Mugwort — for vivid dreams and wandering through them safely

• Basil — for luck, prosperity, and the feeling of being cared for

• Lemon Balm — for joy, gentleness, and mending what is frayed

• Rue — for strong protection, old-world magic, and standing tall

• Yarrow — for healing wounds you can’t even see

• Vervain — for drawing love, inspiration, and secret strength

A backyard not just full of green things — but of whispered spells, stitched into the roots.

Masterlist | linktree | Patreon

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The Ultimate Grimoire Guide

So! I have been seeing a ton of grimoire ideas and thought I’d stuff them all together. A lot of ideas are from @manifestationsofasort, @banebite, and @pigeonflavouredcake. Check them out! They have a ton of cool stuff there.

What Do I Use For My Grimoire?

You can use anything for a grimoire! For a physical one, journals, binders, and notebooks are good. For digital ones, Notion, Tumblr, Docs, and even just your file folder are great.

Introduction

A Book Blessing

Table of Contents

About Me

Your Current Path

Your Personal Beliefs

Your Spiritual Journey

Superstitions

Past lives

Favorite Herbs/Crystals/Animals/Etc.

Natal Chart

Craft Name

How You Entered The Craft

Astrology Signs

Birthday Correspondences (birth tarot card, birth stone, etc.)

Goals

Safety

Fire Safety

What Not to Burn

Toxic Plants & Oils (to humans, plants, animals)

Crystals That Shouldn’t Be Put… (in sun, in water, etc.)

Things That Shouldn’t Be In Nature (glass, salt, etc.)

Potion Safety

How to Incorporate Blood in Spells

Smoke Safety

Wound Care

Biohazards

Core Concepts

Intention & How It Works

Directing Energy

Protection

Banishing

Cleansing

Binding

Charging

Shielding

Grounding

Centering

Visualization

Consecration/Blessing

Warding

Enchanting

Manifestation

Meditation

What Makes A Spell Work

Basic Spell Structure

What Not To Do In Spells

Disposing Spell Ingredients

Revitalizing Long Term Spells

How To Cast Spells

What To Put In Spells

Spell Mediums (jars, spoken, candle, sigils)

Spell Timing

Potion Bases

Differentiating Between Magick and Mundane

Common Terms

Common Symbols

Intuition

Elements

Basic Alchemy and Symbols

Ways To Break Spells

Laws and Philosophies

Correspondences

Herbs & Spices

Crystals & Rocks

Colors

Liquids & Drinks

Metals

Numbers

Tarot Cards

Elements

Trees & Woods

Flowers

Days

Months

Seasons

Moon Phases

Zodiacs

Planets

Incense

Teas

Essential Oils

Directions

Animals

Symbology

Bone Correspondences

Different Types of Water

Common Plants

Entities

Deities You Worship

Pantheons

Pantheons & Deities Closed to You

Common Offerings

Epithets

Mythos

Family

Worship vs Work

Prayers & Prayer Template

Altars

Deity Comms

Devotional Acts

Angels

Demons

Ancestors

Spirit Guides

Fae

Familiars

House, Animal, Plant, Etc. Spirits

Folklore Entities

Spirit Etiquette

Graveyard Etiquette

Boundaries

Communication Guide & Etiquette

Spirit Work Safety Guide

How Entities Appear To You

Circle Casting

Common Offerings

Altars

Servitors

Mythological Creatures (dragons, gorgons, etc.)

Utility Pages

Gazing Pages

Sigil Charging Station

Altar Pages

Intent Pages

Getaway Pages

Vision Boards

Dream Pages

Binding Page

Pendulum Board

Crystal Grid

Throwing Bones Page

Divination Pages

Mirror Gazing Page

Invocation Pages

Affirmation/Manifestation Pages

Spirit Board Page

Other Practices

Practices That Are Closed to You (Voodoo, Hoodoo, Santeria, Brujeria, Shamanism, Native Practices)

Wicca and Wiccan Paths

Satanism, Both Theistic and Non-Theistic

Deity Work

Religious Paths (Hellenism, Christianity, Kemeticism, etc.)

Animism

Types of Magick/Spells

Pop Culture Paganism/Magick

Tech Magick

Chaos Magick

Green Magick

Lunar Magick

Solar Magick

Sea Magick

Kitchen Magick

Ceremonial Magick

Hedge Magick

Death Magick

Gray Magick

Eclectic Magick

Elemental Magick

Fae Magick

Spirit Magick

Candle Magick

Crystal Magick

Herbalism

Glamours

Hexes

Jinxes

Curses

Weather Magick

Astral Magick

Shadow Work

Energy Work

Sigils

Art Magick

Knot Magick

Music Magick

Blood Magick

Bath magic

Affirmations

Divination

Tarot Cards

Oracle Cards

Playing Cards

Card Spreads

Pendulum

Numerology

Scrying

Palmistry

Tasseography

Runes

Shufflemancy

Dice

Bibliomancy

Carromancy

Pyromancy

Psychic Abilities

Astrology

Auras

Lenormand

Sacred Geometry

Angel Numbers

Ornithomancy

Aeromancy

Aleuromancy

Axinomancy

Belomancy

Hydromancy

Lecanomancy

Necromancy

Oneiromancy

Onomancy

Oomancy

Phyllomancy

Psephomancy

Rhabdomancy

Xylomancy

Tools

Crystal grid

Candle grid

Charms

Talismans

Amulets

Taglocks

Wand

Broom

Athame

Boline

Cingulum

Stang

Bells

Drums

Staffs

Chalices

Cauldrons

Witches Ladder

Poppets

Holidays

Yule

Imbolc

Ostara

Beltane

Litha

Lammas

Mabon

Samhain

Esbats

Deity Specific Holidays

Religious Holidays (Christmas, Easter, Dionysia, etc.)

Celestial Events

Altars

Basics of Altars

Travel Altars

Deity Altars

Spirit Altars

Familiar Altars

Ancestor Altars

Self Altars

Working Altars

Self-Care

Burnout Prevention

Aromatherapy

Stress Management

Coping Mechanisms

Theories & History

Witchcraft history

Paganism

New Age Spirituality

Cultural Appropriation

Thelema

Conspiracy Theories

Cults

Satanic Panic

KJV

Witches in History

Cats in History

Transphobia in Witchcraft Circles

Queerness in Witchcraft Circles

Other

Recipes

How to Get Herbs

Foraging

Drying Herbs and Flowers

Chakras

Reiki

Witches Alphabet

Runic Alphabet

Guide to Gardening

Your Witch Tips

Resources

Other Tips

List of Spells

Cryptids and Their Lore

What is a Liminal Space?

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Lucifer historical associations

Colours:

white, which represents the angelic origins

red which represents the power of Lucifer

black which represents the darkness after the fall

Plants:

mulberry, the changing colours of the fruit from white to red to black represent the fall of Lucifer

Music

violin and fiddle music, was generally considered the devil's instrument

Sources:

Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages by Jeffrey Burton Russell

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communicating with deities

now of course this is a multi layered topic that is different for everyone. some people will use some of these techniques, some people use none, others may use all in sparing amounts. and some techniques may not work for you at all, and that's okay!

just remember that you and your practice is valid, this is just advice for whoever needs it (and that may not be you! it's okay!).

HOWEVER it should be said that a lot of cultures place an emphasis on cleanliness--both spiritual and physical. so, hey, maybe set up some incense and wash your hands before doing some of these methods.

1. Tarot, Runes, Etc.

Now this section is probably the biggest out of all of them. There are so many different physical divination techniques across several different cultures including tarot and runes, but also bone/charm casting (here's a good tutorial for that), psephoi, coin flipping, geomancy, the ogham, and gods so many more I just can't get to all of them.

I like to do this at or near my altar space while wearing my devotional jewelry or sometimes even while veiling, depending on the deity.

What I like to start with is just a simple "Please [deity name] guide this reading." before I ask my question and cast lots. I imagine the deity during the question, during the pulling, and while interpreting.

Sometimes, with deities, the question you ask isn't always the one that is answered. If there is a certainmessage they deem more important, they will give you that instead. This happens to me very, very frequently.

I don't have a particular spread that I always use, but I tend to go for a simple five card pull. I also tend to place a lot of importance in cards that fall out while shuffling, and will look at them with and apart from the other cards I pull. Other than that, a simple past-present-future can also be very useful here.

2. Meditation

This is what I know most practicioners to use, as it seems to come the easiest to most people. However, if you're someone like me who's on certain psychiatric medications, this may not work for you. Furthermore, if you have difficulty visualizing (which is Not your fault, some people are just built differently and that's okay), this may be difficult for you.

The way I used to go about it is that I would find a dark, quiet place, I would light some incense, perhaps even play some light music or nonspeaking ASMR. Here is a good tutorial on YouTube. I just needed to get relaxed enough to be almost asleep, but not so relaxed I lost focus. Recently, I've also noticed that doing some,,, gardening (iykyk),, helps a lot with reaching the right state.

You're looking for just the fine line between sleep and wakefulness, it should almost feel like you're being pulled upward (at least, that's how it feels to me).

Messages may come in the form of images or words, and can be direct or very vague. Just remember to be patient with yourself and your deities, the time may not always be right for you to hear some messages.

3. Pendulums

The reason why pendulums get their own section is just because they're so dang good. Yes, pendulums can and do answer yes/no questions, however they can also be used with certain alphabetical charts to discern individual words and phrases from your deities.

Again, like with tarot, I like to set myself up near my altar with my devotional jewelry. Then I'll ask my pendulum to please contact the deity in question. The reason you want to do this is because I've noticed pendulums may have energy of their own, and may answer questions themselves if given the opportunity. This is not inherently bad, it's just not what you want.

Remember to always ask your pendulum if they're okay being taken over by a deity, some will already be occupied by their own force and won't appreciate being budged out. Others won't care and you'll have an okay time with it.

4. Dreams or Visions

Some of our polytheist friends will be given the ability to receive dreams or visions from their deities. This often comes in it's own package of strange messages and symbolism, but it works nonetheless. Keep a look out for dreams that include your gods' symbols, holy animals, or popular visages.

Remember, it is totally alright if you don't receive direct messages from your gods. I, for one, do not. Sometimes I will dream about my deities but I almost never remember what happened in the dreams, much less if there was a message. Those that receive dreams and visions are not better than you, nor do they automatically have a better relationship with that god than you.

In this case, there isn't much you can do except pray for visions. You can't force them to happen, there's no way to make yourself the perfect vessel or devotee (unlike what some might claim), it just works or it doesn't.

Also if you're having frequent visions and seeing full apparitions while awake that are convincing you to do things or are encouraging paranoid delusions, please seek therapy. I don't automatically believe you need to medicated because you see apparitions of the gods in broad daylight, but you should see someone who can help you discern if these are real messages from your gods or are figments of poor brain chemistry. Take care of yourselves, please.

5. Devotional Acts

Some people, especially in antiquity, communicated the gods in a mostly unidirectional manner. This includes burning offerings and incense, setting up altars, engaging inprayer, and doing devotional activities.

My favorite devotional activities include:

-going thrifting for fun nicknacks for my altar space

-eating food in their name, especially ones that remind you of them

-making devotional jewelry, including prayer beads

-doing divinational readings for others

-going out to look at the sunrise/sunset/moon

-spending time with family, especially female family members

-doing kind things, like making donations to charities you like or giving money to the unhoused

-reading books or stories about your deities

-loving and taking care of your furry friends, especially strays

Anyways, that's all I've got for today, Khaire! <3

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Compiled List of Elder Futhark Runes and Their Meanings.

A list of runes and their meanings that I compiled from watching EVERY video in the runic series by Arith Harger. All credit goes to him and his youtube channel.

Fehu ᚠ: Power, luck, fortune, cattle, feminine, fire, life, new beginnings, nourishment, comfort, luck (Norse positive energy,)sexual energy.

Inverted: failure, loss, greed, bad luck, infertility, negativity, loss of a loved one. 

Uruz ᚢ: Aurochs (giant bull,) strength, health, endurance, vigor, persistence, courage, male, rage, warrior spirit. Thor(his uncontrollable rage,) unconscious power, fury resourceful, manifestation. Tread lightly with power. New beginnings, change, growth. Your true self and getting to know you. Overcoming your wild nature. Healing, inverted: weakness, physical and mental fatigue, health issues, see a doctor. Change your lifestyle. Your own power used against you. 

Thurisaz ᚦ: Chaos, destruction, defense, strength, protecting without strategy but with rage. Boundaries. Know your limits. There are barriers you’ll overcome later. Potential risks. Snakes. People betraying you. Regenerating, fertilization, breaking barriers. Inverted: Sexual and menstrual problems. Take no action. Possible trap. 

Ansuz ᚨ: Odin, creation, breath, intelligence, communication, speech, poetry. Reversed: Miscommunication. Unable to be heard. 

Raido ᚱ: Journey, other worldly or physically. The need to find the right path. Reaching a goal. Evolution, sleipnir, spiritual journey, shamanic sacrifice. Prepare for journeys.

Inverted: Don’t take the advice of others, think for yourself. Feeling stuck. Accept the inevitable. Trouble will pass. 

Kaunaz ᚲ: Torch, intellect, knowledge, power, ancestral knowledge, creation, self control, inner strength, will to create, magic, energy, passion, lust, vitality, protection. Heimdallr, warmth, friendship, love, 

Inverted: Lost love, friendship, destruction. 

Gebo ×: Giving, taking, trade, gift for a gift, sacrifice, gift from the gods, gift from Odin, give to the poor, compensation, give with an open heart, be yourself, soon feel honor bound to help but don’t help TOO much. 

Wunjo ᚹ: Joy, hope, harmony, happiness, family, kinfolk, attraction, like mindedness, favor from the gods, will to live, fulfilling life, good news, relationships will work. Finding yourself. 

Inverted: Be guarded emotionally, use logic. Sadness, fear. Be patient. 

Haglaz ᚺ ᚻ: Hail, violent change, long term good, inevitable, bad news, catastrophe, destruction in life, chaos, obstacles that can’t be overcome. Disruption, fate, heed the warning, ymir, norns, harsh cold, unpredictable weather, your limitations, the unexpected, harmony, death. Rethink plans. Hope. 

Naudiz ᚾ:  Need, necessity, hard times are coming/here, poor life choices in the past, take action, limitations, constraint, obstacles, learning through necessity, control negative emotions, recognize limitations.

Isa ᛁ: Ice, focus, self preservation, concentration, self control, being in control of our ego, facing harsh reality, self reliance, aware of our existence, our own hidden power, will, defense against our emotions, pulling ourselves from the darkness, emotional fragility.

Jera ᛃ: Year, end of the cycle, reap what you sew, cyclical actions, you’ll be becoming greater, reward for honorable actions, when life is tough…dig deep and stay strong, favorable moment, harvest.

Eihwaz ᛇ: Yew, gaining spiritual knowledge by going up and down the world tree, learning rune mysteries of life and death, sharing knowledge. Trees: apple yew and ash. Connection between realities, life from death, circle of life, past growing into the future, mysteries of death, hidden secrets, movement towards enlightenment. Set yourself free of the fear of death, Yggdrasil. 

Pertho ᛈ: The unknown, interacting with fate and the norns, the web of the wyrd, Norns, events yet to happen, having to guess due to lack of knowledge, limitations beyond your control, free from worry, let the universe decide, good omens, joy, stagnation that you can turn to your advantage. 

Algiz ᛉ :  Elk/moose, protection, higher self, connection to the gods, listening and being attentive to that which is beyond the physical world, awakening, spiritual defense, cosmic stags eating at the needles of Yggdrasil, being in contact with the divine, human life reaching for the divine.

Sowilo ᛋ:  Sun positive, success, light, strength to move forward, guidance, hope, knowing our own power and strength, faith in ourselves and the choices we’ve made, the seat of the soul.

Tiwaz ᛏ:  Justice, sacrifice, balance, wisdom from a higher state of rationality, self sacrifice for the well being of the whole, something bigger than you, the greater good, denial of selfish actions, righteousness, rationality, victory, faith, fairness, empathy, no justice without empathy and rationality, spiritual warrior, honor, bravery, 

Berkano ᛒ: Birch goddess, growth of the self, rebirth, change, end of a cycle, throw away what no longer has a purpose, life and renewal, (mental and spiritual) let go of old mentalities, Female (blossoming of the true self), motherhood, let go of the past, be happy, taking care of life.

Ehwaz ᛖ:  Horse, team work, trust, solidarity, common goal, cooperation, unity, friendship, finding real value in friendship, harmonious connection, movement, journey, travel, wild inner self, hunger for change, filgia, relationship between body and spirit, rational and magical, shaman.

Mannaz. ᛗ: Higher reasoning, mankind, true essence of the human, divine spark in the structure of human intelligence, thought and memory, the difference between the human spirit and everything else, cycle of everything, connection of the anima and animus, male and female consciousness (trans?) balance between conscious and the subconscious, the memories of the ancestors.

Laguz ᛚ: Water, fluidity of life, the ocean, lakes, waterfalls, the underworld, afterlife, movement, voyages, source of life, fluid water, beginnings, evolutionary process, primordial life, origins, cyclical existence, wisdom, history of mankind, instinct, psychological power, depths of our conscious, what lies buried in our mind, collective wisdom. 

Yngwaz ᛝ: Earth god, fruitful attributes in male sexuality, agriculture, growth, male growth, masculine magic, break social rules towards gender, opportunity for men to come in contact with the supernatural, male spirituality, male potential, male role in the origin and continuation of life, gestation of male abilities, peace, wealth.

Othala ᛟ:  Homeland, ancestral roots, evolution, leave a legacy, learn, spreading knowledge, individual growth, wisdom, reach out and help people reach wisdom, better world through knowledge spreading, property, right to shelter, family, protection, finding your roots, creating a safe space for others, respect peace, hope, hearth cult.

Dagaz ᛞ: Dawn, day, light, end of a cycle and beginning of a new era. Creation, birth, life, development, experiences. Settling down, rest, coming home, our roots are deeper than the illusion of identity. Our true roots of the mind. New cycle, rebirth, a new hope.

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How to Become an Occultist:

An easy (?) step-by-step guide.

SO YOU WANT TO BE A WIZARD?

There's no easy step-by-step guide to the occult; someday I'd like to write a course on it for my patreon, or maybe a book. But for now, I'll give the short version:

I’m just going to say upfront, research is the enduring and eternal step. You can’t become an occultist without doing research, and you’re never going to stop doing research. I have a list of pdfs of classic occult texts and grimoires here, and a recommended reading list here.

Step 1: Pick a tradition, practice, or subfield.

The first step is to know what you’re signing up for. Western esotericism is a large field with lots of different subsets. Here’s just a few of them:

Witchcraft: A broad umbrella term that covers everything from historical folk magic, to Wicca and its offshoots, to modern WitchTok folk magic, and beyond. “Witchcraft” has become something of a general term for pop-occultism in recent years, and it’s what people tend to see first. Witchcraft seems more folk-magic-focused than some of the other fields, but that’s not universally true. Modern witchcraft is almost the melting pot of the Western occult tradition, so, if you’re able to find good reading material, it’s a good place to start.

Wicca: Wicca is an neopagan religion founded in 1951 by Gerald Gardner. Wiccans worship a God and a Goddess, practice magic, and call themselves witches. The ritual structure of Wicca is largely inspired by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (see below), but it also takes inspiration from folk magic, witchlore, early anthropology, and a bunch of other things from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Wicca is probably the best-known occult religion, and it’s mostly responsible for the association between witchcraft and paganism in pop culture.

Ceremonial Magic: Ritual magic or “high magic,” mostly codified in the Renaissance era by grimoires like The Lesser Key of Solomon. This kind of magic is characterized by the evocation and binding (summoning) of spirits — angels, demons, “olympic spirits,” and so forth. One can theoretically command these spirits to do one’s bidding. Modern magicians who work with demons typically fall into two camps: traditional Solomonic magicians who believe that the demons need to be bound and controlled, and demonolators who worship and work with the demons the way witches might work with pagan deities. Also in this subfield is planetary magic, rituals that exploit the powers or influences of the planets by using the tools associated with each one and doing rituals at particular times on particular days, etc. Enochian magic, a system of communicating and working with angels developed by John Dee and Edward Kelley, also falls into this category.

Folk magic: Folk magic or “low magic” is a catch-all term for magic practiced by average people to solve everyday problems. This is your healing magic, love magic, apotropaic (protection) magic, luck charms, spells to find lost objects, curses, etc. etc. Almost every culture has their own local form of folk magic, but there are also some ideas and techniques that are consistent across most of them (e.g. “like attracts like”). There’s also considerable overlap between folk and ceremonial magic; sometimes the only real difference is the social class of the practitioner.

Hermeticism: A system of philosophy based on the Corpus Hermeticum, a set of ancient Greco-Egyptian philosophical dialogues about the nature of the universe. It’s a short but dense text, not the simplest introduction to occult philosophy, but still worth reading because of how influential it was. It’s the loose basis of a nineteeth-century occult society, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which is the great-grandfather of most modern occult societies (including Wicca). The HOGD was concerned with a lot more than classic Hermeticism; they also practiced ceremonial magic, astrology, alchemy, and mysticism. Golden Dawn liturgy is so common in modern occultism that you should probably look into it, whether you plan on practicing it or not.

Alchemy: A historical practice that is at once science, philosophy, art, and poetry, alchemy is a thing unto itself. The short version is that alchemy is early chemistry. Alchemists’ attempts at understanding how matter worked was understood to be a philosophical study of the nature of existence, on both a physical and spiritual level. That’s why the goal of alchemy is called the Philosopher’s Stone. The Philosopher’s Stone is allegedly a perfect substance, crystallized divinity, that is able to physically and spiritually perfect anything it comes in contact with. Alchemy is very complicated and hard to understand without diving deep into it, but some alchemical imagery and maxims (“as above, so below”, solve et coagula) have made their way into the general Western esoteric sphere.

Thelema: A religion developed by Aleister Crowley in the early twentieth century. It combines Golden Dawn material with a lot of Crowley’s own personal philosophy and general edginess. Its core tenant is “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law,” which means that one should always follow the guidance of what Thelemites call the “True Will,” the divine intention of one’s Higher Self. Its most important foundational text is a short, cryptic… poem, I guess?… written by Crowley, called The Book of the Law.

Chaos Magic: When Thelema meets postmodernism, you get Chaos Magic. Chaos Magic is more of a philosophical approach to the study of magic than a particular practice. It does away with the pomp and trappings of ceremonial magic and cuts right down to the basics, the magician’s relationship with their subconscious mind. That makes it very straightforward, but also difficult, because you can’t rely on any of those more complex tools. Chaos magicians (or “chaotes”) interpret belief as just another tool, so, they aim to pick up and put down different beliefs and traditions at will, based on whatever suits them in the current moment. The only specific practice associated with chaos magic is sigils, a symbol or other abstract representation of one’s desire that one uses to cast a spell. Chaotes tend to be deliberately haphazard — they have a “fuck the rules, do what you want” kind of attitude.

Satanism: The best-known of the spookier, edgier, “left-hand path” occult traditions. There’s two main varieties of Satanism, atheistic and theistic. The Church of Satan or LaVeyan Satanism (after its founder) is atheistic. It uses Satan kind of like a mascot for their beliefs of self-indulgence and free will. Although they don’t believe in any gods, they do practice magic; it’s mainly Golden Dawn material with an edgy “black mass”-style twist (like invoking demons, using a naked woman as the altar, etc.) The Satanic Temple is also atheistic, and it’s not really an occult society. It’s more a political activist group that fights for religious freedom in the United States. Theistic Satanists believe that Satan is an actual entity, and usually believe that he’s a positive being that represents free will and enlightenment. Some are demonolators, meaning they evoke and work with the demons of traditional ceremonial grimoires as though they’re gods (some believe that they literally are gods). The majority of Satanists are pretty chill. Very few believe that they worship literally evil entities.

That’s just scratching the surface, and keep in mind that this is all in the realm of Western esotericism. It’s a huge field. I recommend having an idea of what you want to study going in, because it’s a lot of material, and it’s easier to find good sources if you know what you want to focus on. Speaking from my own experience, I wish I knew what my options were going in.

Step 2: Learn a divination method.

Every occultist needs some kind of divination method. There are potentially thousands, but I’ll give you some of the big ones:

Cartomancy is card reading. There's lots of different kinds of cards: tarot cards, oracle cards, Lenormand cards, you can even use normal playing cards. It's a super common and super popular method. Tarot is definitely the most popular system. This method is easy to learn and very accessible.

Cleromancy is divination by lot, or casting objects onto the ground — dice, sticks, bones, stones, etc. — and reading the random pattern they make. There's lots of different types. This method is very old and very common. One of the more popular methods nowadays is casting runestones, which use Norse letters.

Scrying is gazing into a blank object until you see visions projected onto/into it. The object can be a crystal ball, a black mirror, a bowl of water, even a dark window or a blank wall (though that's not particularly mystical). Scrying is often used to see spirits in ritual magic. I can't scry worth a damn, so I can't tell you more than that. It's worth trying if you're a visual person, though.

A pendulum is a stone or other heavy object on a chain. You can use it to answer yes/no questions. Lots of crystal shops sell fancy pendulums, but you could just use a pendant. You say to the pendulum, "show me my yes" and "show me my no." Usually the "yes" is going around in a circle and "no" is going back and forth, or vice-versa. Pendulums are fun, but not super reliable because you can influence them easily. I wouldn't interpret any answer a pendulum gives you as final.

Oneiromancy is dream interpretation, and it’s another ancient method that’s used all over the world. I don't have significant dreams very often, though, despite my best efforts. With the abundance of other methods, I don't recommend relying solely on this one.

Automatic writing or “free-association writing” is my personal preferred method. It’s writing a question, and then writing whatever comes to mind as the answer, regardless of whether it makes sense. This technique is very, very effective for me, and has triggered full-on mystical experiences more than once.

Astrology is also a type of divination that involves interpreting the position of the stars and planets on the 2D plane of the sky to learn about the future and/or about specific people. It’s a much more complicated system than horoscope apps make it look. Practically a necessity for planetary magic, but in this century, you can be a wizard without being an astrologer. It’s good to have at least a foundational knowledge of it.

Different methods are useful for different things. Automatic writing and scrying are good for talking to spirits. Astrology is pretty useless for talking to gods, but is a good way of determining the outcome of your spells and the various influences upon your life at a given point. Cartomancy and cleromancy can be used for either, with some benefits and drawbacks. I recommend playing around with different methods to find one that works for you.

Step 3: Develop basic magical skills.

In addition to divination, you’re going to need some other basic skills. The most important one is meditation — if you don’t know how to meditate, learn. Meditation doesn’t have to mean sitting still. I definitely can’t sit still; I meditate by pacing back and forth. Anything you can do to lull yourself into a trance state can work, even singing in the shower.

You’ll also have to practice visualization, imagining your magic as though it were something tangible. For example, a lot of ritual formats will begin by asking you to imagine a white circle of light around yourself, or imagining taking each of the four elements into your body. Next is energy work — manipulating these imaginary forces and seeing how they affect your body, your emotions, other people, and the external environment.

You’ll also have to learn the basics of how to conduct a ritual, and gather your basic tools (which don’t have to be fancy or expensive). Rituals can feel awkward and silly at first, but that changes with practice. The basic point of a ritual (“supernatural” stuff aside) is to create the conditions to put yourself in a particular state of mind.

Finally, magic requires a lot of introspection and self-awareness. You have to really know what you want, not just what you think you want. And when your magic is successful, you have to have the humility to not have it go to your head (or else you’ll be afflicted with the dreaded “Magus-itis”). And that’s without going into the fact that ritual can drag up some intense stuff. Work through your shit, do your Shadow work. It’s hard, but it pays off in the long run.

Step 4: Practice a simple ritual.

Once you have some basic skills, it’s time to try your first ritual! You’re not going to want to try anything that’s labor-intensive or life-changing. Save the demon-summoning and stuff until later. The first ritual you do will probably be a banishing — a simple spell that’s intended to clear the space of any spiritual crap. Ideally, it should be used before and after every rite. Even if you don’t believe in evil spirits or “negative energy” or anything like that, a banishing is like the magical equivalent of turning it off and back on again. It’s a systems reboot. It wipes the slate clean. You’re gonna want to know how to do that, so you can 1. know what a space feels like when it’s free of influences, and 2. put down whatever you call up. It’s a good first thing to learn because it’s so essential, and also because it’s almost guaranteed to have no major repercussions.

The standard banishing ritual in the Western esoteric tradition is the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP), which is from the Golden Dawn tradition. It consists of intoning or “vibrating” the names of God and invoking the angels of the four directions. If that’s too Abrahamic for you, there are plenty of other variants that use different divine names. The Wiccan “circle casting” is essentially the same thing, trimmed down a bit. If the LBRP doesn’t appeal to you, there’s plenty of other banishing rites out there.

The first full ritual I did was actually a simple variant of the Wiccan “Drawing Down the Moon” invocation. I remember really feeling something the first time I did it, and that was enough to convince me that I wanted to continue.

And there you have it, a step-by-step guide to becoming an occultist, as simple as I can make it. Keep it simple to start, take your time, do your research. Whether you want anything specific out of occultism, you want to satisfy your curiosity, or you just like the idea of being a wizard, it’s fun to study magic.

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