The Veil Is Thinning.

Why are ‘witch tips’ always like “use quartz as a substitute for any crystal!” and not the good stuff like “River spirits are almost always looking to fuck shit up, so if you rile em up and then feed them a name, they’ll lay someone tf out.”

after a day of thunderstorm

With spooky season coming upon us… let me tell you about one scary thing: Shadow work

There’s nothing more scary than facing yourself, the parts you don’t like about you, the ugly parts you want to keep hidden. The parts you want to deny about yourself. Dare I say lie about yourself. 

But shadow work is that necessary pain you need. You need to check yourself, work through your issues, whether that is trauma a reality check or something else. It overall should make you a better person or at the very least help you move on your way to becoming the best you you can be. And it’s hard to admit things.  Humbling yourself is a bitch. Admitting things about yourself is a bitch and it all hurts. But with that comes acceptance and change. Addressing an issue is the first step to overcoming said problem. You have to admit you’re addicted to something before kicking it. You have to acknowledge you’re a quitter because you’re either afraid of failure, success or…both at the same time. And I’m just naming things off the top of my head. 

When I first started looking into shadow work, I first thought it was more like Persona series. You gotta fight yourself and defeat yourself like the inverted version of yourself. But a lot of it isn’t about who wins and who loses. It’s all about you and what can be your best self. You don’t do shadow work to eliminate the darkness, you accept it and work with it. It reminds you of your mistakes, your shortcomings, your flaws. But most importantly, it allows you to not be perfect and I think that’s what we need the most. Like persona, your dark selves, the parts you hate, want to deny, ignore, can destroy you just as much as it can help you. It can easily become your armor, your weaponry, because it is you, but those dark parts of you don’t have to rule you. 

silly witch tip #3

this one *can* be targeted at our lovely neurodivergent witches!

you dont have to close your eyes while meditating. You can zone out staring at a thing, for me it's candle flame :)) 🕯️🔥

correct me if im wrong! :)

Bonding with entities

Small offerings here and there

Invitation to touch/interact

Questions about them in general

Talking to them about your day/feelings

Sleeping/Dreaming

Giving them a space/an object to inhabit.

Singing/sharing music with them

Automatic writing

Learning to not fear signs of their arrival

Greeting them

Tarot/pendulum sessions 

Ouija (if you would like to…you don’t have to. Also be careful when doing any of these things but ouija seems to give everyone the heebie jeebies)

These can also be used to bond with your deities as well.

Racism, Spirituality, and Witchblr

As a Black witch, it first made me relieved to see so many people in the community band together for Black Lives Matter. Over the past 5 years as a member of the Witchblr community, I have been subjected to numerous acts of racist microaggressions and attacks ranging from slurs being thrown at me, death threats, insults to my cultural practices because they’re different from European witchcraft and folk magic, attempted doxxing, and more because I was outspoken about anti-racist action. And that doesn’t include the many accounts of racism and bigotry that I witnessed secondhand. So seeing the community come together to support BLM made me hopeful that there would be a cultural shift within the community. 

But, as time went on, the amount of support for BLM that I saw in the tags slowly began to dwindle as if the movement had some hidden expiration date for allies, as if all the work was done after the mass spells performed on the eclipse.

The work is far from over, witchblr. We still need to protest, sign petitions, donate, and do our part to end police brutality, defund/disband the police and abolish prisons, and address the systemic racism that exists in all facets of society.

To look “locally,” the same problems in our community still exist. And while we alone cannot eradicate racism from the whole of society, we can absolutely prevent its spread on witchblr and in other spiritual/occult communities. 

Being an ally means more than posting a black square on your Instagram page or changing your profile picture to “heathens against racism.” Being an ally means actively being anti-racist and doing your part to ensure the community is truly inclusive and safe for people of color.

So, how can we begin to address the problem of racism in the spiritual communities both online and offline? Here are a few tips. I’ve focused largely on how white allies can address racism as it impacts Black practitioners, as I can only speak from my own experience as a Black person. Other people of color of all races are welcome to add onto this.

Stop supporting cultural appropriation. I don’t care if they’re your favorite blogger, your favorite diviner, your favorite occult supply store, etc, but if they’re posting about hoodoo sweetening/honey jars and they’re not Black, it’s time to block and unfollow. If they claim they speak for the Orisha or the Lwa and they aren’t initiated, it’s time to block and unfollow. If you don’t respect our cultural practices, you don’t really respect us.

Educate yourself on non-European practices. Did you know that there are more ATRs than just Lucumi, Vodou, and hoodoo? Can you explain the difference between Voodoo/Vodou and hoodoo? What is the difference between hoodoo and witchcraft? If you can’t answer these questions, time to do some reading! Educating yourself prevents you from appropriating or saying/spreading ignorant misinformation.

Stop supporting spiritual/occult organizations that act as performative allies and/or refuse to explicitly support practitioners of color. That means covens, fraternal organizations, Discord servers, pagan temples, conventions, and other spiritual organizations (large and small.) Don’t donate to these groups and don’t attend these groups or their events.

Amplify the voices of Black practitioners. How many Black spiritual/occult authors, diviners, bloggers, podcasters, astrologers, priest/priestesses, and/or vloggers can you name? How many African or Black philosophers can you name? Our voices and contributions to religion, spirituality, and the occult matter. Listen to us.

Deplatform racists. If you are a moderator or leader of a spiritual/occult community, delete/ban/kick out anyone who expresses racist or bigoted ideologies. Defending racists under the guise of “freedom of speech” just allows them to spread their hate and potentially harm or traumatize POC. Even if you’re not in a position of power, refuse to engage with bigots to prevent their message from spreading. Don’t reblog their posts, watch their videos, buy their products, etc. If you can, spread receipts of their racist acts instead.

Stop speaking over practitioners of color. If we say that something is racist/appropriation/insensitive, listen to us instead of arguing in an attempt to “save face.” We all make mistakes. Just own up to it and do what you can to fix the situation. Attacking us just because we demand equal respect is an act of racism in and of itself.

Support Black-owned businesses. Instead of buying your herbs from Amazon, go to a botanica. Get readings or other metaphysical services from Black diviners. We deserve to be compensated for our labor. It’s the least you can do considering a large chunk of modern folk magic is inspired by, influenced by, or straight up stolen from Black spiritual practices.

De-center yourself from the conversation. Cool, you’re an empath or a “sensitive”, but venting all day about how much pain you’re in is honestly insulting. And, if you want to rant about all the racist things your family has done, maybe go to one of your other white friends instead of forcing us to listen to you repeat their racist garbage.

Acknowledge your own biases and privileges. There are tons of resources out there on white privilege, white fragility, and unconscious forms of racism. Educate yourself.

Keep up the work outside of witchblr and spiritual communities. Keep donating, keep signing petitions, and keep using your platform for anti-racist action.

These points are only the tip of the iceberg. Racism is so deeply embedded in our society that it won’t be removed overnight. But if you want to claim the title of “ally,” you need to join in and continue doing the work. Unlike you, we don’t get to “opt out” of caring for the movement as racism impacts us every single day of our lives. Don’t opt out on us now.

Autumn Healing Brew

(Standard Disclaimer: I am not a physician. This is purely a suggestion and is not meant to circumvent, supersede, or replace modern medicine. Please consult your doctor before trying any new medication or treatment and take all proper mundane measures to care for your health. Avoid or replace any ingredients to which you are allergic.)

This is my favorite recipe for recovering from cold and flu. I made a batch of it this morning for some of my officemates who haven't been feeling well and I thought I would share in case anyone needs a pick-me-up.

You will need:

Black tea (I usually use Earl Grey for this recipe)

Honey (local is best if you can get it)

Ginger paste

A fresh orange

Cinnamon stick (if desired)

Brew the tea on the strong side and fill your favorite mug about 2/3 of the way. Add a pea-sized amount of ginger paste plus honey to taste and stir well. Slice the orange into wedges. Select a piece and prick the rind with a fork before adding it to the cup of tea. Macerate the orange a little to release the juice and pulp. If you want, you can also add a cinnamon stick for flavor.

Breathe in the steam while the tea is hot, then sip slowly once it's cooled to a drinkable temperature. It's best to drink it while it's hot. I find this really helps with cough and sore throat, plus it's tasty and comforting. Nothing like a good cuppa to put oneself right again.

Pro-Tip: If you want to make a decongestant version, add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Your nose will run like a faucet, but it helps.

Happy Witching! 🤧