Buttercups Tatt Commish!

On twitter I’m seeing dozens of threads from Black activists warning people against burnout, giving all sorts of useful tips about preventing and managing it for the sake of a long-term, sustainable effort.

On tumblr I’m seeing a hell of a lot of young white kids yelling at anyone who actually follows those steps, and acting like burnout is a moral falling rather than a well-proven psychological phenomenon.

Be careful who you get your information from. Don’t let guilt lead you to make choices that will harm both you and the movement.

honestly, if you don’t know why something is part of your craft, maybe it shouldn’t be there. 

if you don’t understand why you cleanse a space, why are you doing it? are you cleansing away something that might be necessary to that space? if you have no connection to the wheel of the year, why celebrate the sabbats and esbats?

there are so many witchcraft resources and books that will just dump a whole load of unsourced things into your craft, and when you’re just starting you might feel like you need to build your craft up quickly, take on all these things. but it’s important to examine every aspect of your craft, whether it’s deep research of a few minutes of contemplation. 

if you don’t know how it got there, or if it should even belong there at all, maybe you need to marie kondo that shit

if you think you can just follow me and start talking to me as if we were friends well you are correct

things that made me stop wanting to die that require no effort whatsoever

change the color used to highlight text on your laptop

move the pictures on your wall

stack whatever clutter is in your room into piles even if you don’t have time to clean it all

slightly vary your commute, even just by one street

change where you sit and scroll aimlessly on your phone even if it’s only to the chair in your room instead of your bed

drink water or juice out of a wine glass in the morning because nothing is real

shower with the lights off, without music

buy $3 flowers at trader joe’s—they look bad next to the more expensive ones but they look so good in your room

start typing things you don’t post into your notes. your thoughts can be worth documenting even if you don’t deem them worth sharing

wake up super early just once. you don’t have to make it a habit it’s just extra satisfying to go to bed that night

listen to the entirety of your favorite album from 2015

How do I know which deity I’m talking to, or if it’s just my own inner voice?

Silas’s guide to Deity Communication 101:

Okay, so the absolute first step is to get to know yourself. You need to be able to identify what it feels like to be alone in your head/body, in order to identify when something else is there with you. So step away from your altar, don’t call upon any deities, and just spend a few days alone. Things to pay attention to:

what does your inner voice sound like? does it change or is it always the same?

do you think in a monologue, or have conversations with yourself? do you play different voices?

have some imaginary conversations, with your mom or best friend or a celebrity even. what does that feel like, sound like, etc?

how often do you hear your own voice? are you monologuing constantly? do you have to convert your thoughts into words?

is it usually quiet in your head, or pretty loud with lots happening? what do each feel like to you?

how often do you visualize? what does that look like? do you pick what you’re seeing or does it pop up randomly?

Talk to yourself out loud. does your inner voice respond?

Talk to someone else out loud. what happens in your head during that conversation?

Really pay attention to these things and getting a solid grasp on how your own brain works and responds to all sorts of situations.

Ready to move on? Now you can start learning to identify your deities. Depending on how your brain works and how your relationship with each specific deity works, communication could look any number of ways. Be open to learning what that is, rather than trying to force a certain communication style!

Start out by just trying to get time with your deity:

pray or talk to them, out loud or in your head!

spend time at your altar, gather things that remind you of them or that are associated with them.

write them letters

meditate while focusing on them & your connection to them

Hold crystals you associate with them, light them a candle, so a spell for them with herbs they like, etc

give an offering, invite them to join you for a meal

read their stories and myths, get to know them, learn how their worshipers usually get in touch with them

go out in nature, find a spot that reminds you of them. Could be a tree, a body of water, a clearing in the woods, a patch of wildflowers or mushrooms, a big rock, etc. Make that your place, meditate there and invite them to join you.

use tarot, a pendulum, etc. (pay attention to the energy you feel, if the same cards come up frequently, etc.)

Look for art, music, etc that reminds you of them. or make some!

Now WHILE you are doing all of the above, pay very close attention: does it ever feel different than when you’re alone? what does it feel like? Pay attention to all your senses!

How does it sound in your head? is it louder or quieter? does your inner voice respond the same as usual? does it take on a different tone or pace sometimes? do you hear a different voice altogether?

do certain things pop into your head, like you don’t hear a voice but knowledge or answers are just kinda… air-dropped to your brain?

How do you feel emotionally? is there a sense of calm/peace? is there a rush of excitement? does your energy feel different?

what do you see visually? is anything different about your visualizations? do you picture certain animals, imagery of your deity or things associated with them (plants, the sun/moon, water, etc)?

do you taste or smell anything specific?

do you have any bodily sensations, like butterflies in your stomach, a tingle down your spine, hair standing on end, goosebumps, a warm feeling in your chest, a sudden burst of energy, or a suddenly so calm you’re almost sleepy?

does music play in your head?

do you recognize an energy or “vibe” when you’re interacting with them? what does it feel like?

Be patient with yourself, it may take time to really tune into these things and feel the connection. But eventually you might see a pattern of how you feel when you interact with your deity. I recommend trying to start with just one, and really master how it feels when you’re together.

Once you know what they sounds like or feel like to you, it will be easier to tell when they’re around or communicating with you. You’ll learn to recognize them even when you’re not at your “spot” or specifically praying to them.

10:03pm

Magickal Misconceptions

There are so many types of magick and along with them, so many types of witches! Learning from other witches is a wonderful way to make friends and immerse yourself into witch craft.

Sadly though, things get mixed up or lost in translation, so I asked some of my witchy friends to help me come up with some misconceptions about magick and witchcraft. Feel free to add anything!

Misconceptions about Witches:

Witches don't worship the devil. In fact, most witches have no involvement with the biblical devil. (a lot of witches don't even believe in the biblical devil tbh) That being said, there are certainly some witches who do.

Witches are not evil. Some of the nicest people I've ever met are witches. Even before I started practicing, most of the witches I met were sweethearts. That being said, witches are still human so there are 100% some mean witches out there. Steer clear of them, we do not claim them.

Witches are not inherently wiccan. Wicca is a religion started by Gerald Gardner in the 1900s. The religion has branched off and created different types of Wicca since it's creation.

Witches aren't strictly female. Without going too deep down the rabbit hole of gender, just know that male and nonbinary witches exist and are just as magickal as female witches.

Not all witches deal with spirits/ghosts/other worldly beings. You don't need to deal with any other worldly existence to be a witch. If you just want to use earthly items like herbs and stones and never touch spirit work then that is totally fine.

Not every witch follows the wheel of the year. That is a neopagan creation, melding Celtic and Anglo-Saxon holidays. There is no right or wrong to this fact. So long as you're honoring these holidays by learning their origins you are doing great.

You don't have to sell your soul to be a witch. That's it, that's the end of the fact.

Misconceptions about Witchcraft:

You don't need every single item in a spell book to make a spell happen. I am a college student so obviously I don't have the money to buy every herb and rock I want. (though that'd be nice) But the idea that you need all of these things to create magick is wrong. Ultimately it is your willpower and intent that will create magick.

Smudging is not smoke cleansing. Smudging is a specific ritual used in some Native American cultures. Smoke cleansing is using a bundle of herbs or even an incense to create some smoke and use that to cleanse an area, person, or object.

Magick isn't free, in the sense that spells don't suddenly make things appear or make things be how you want them to be. If you don't put any work into whatever it is that you've done a spell for then it's not going to manifest.

Your practice will be different from others and that's ok. Witchcraft is a very personal thing. You're more than welcome to learn from other witches and teach other witches but just know that it's ok if people practice differently from you.

Pop culture magick isn't "fake magick". This one is more of an opinion but I think ragging on pop culture magick is distasteful. Magick now, even if you try your best to be as close to ancient rituals and magick as possible, is different than how it used to be. Magick evolves with magick users.

That's all that I can think of right off the top of my head, but feel free to add to this! If you would like clarification on any of these let me know either by replying to this or sending me an ask.

Have a wonderful day!

There are 54 days until HALLOWEEN

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