VAUNT

Shadow work - Chair technique 🪑

I thought about this yesterday, while I was having a conversation with @sonofreddoinverno and He reminded me the existence of this technique.

I thought this could be useful somehow...

Shadow work ain't something easy. Looking into ourselves isn't always nice, especially when we've been avoiding it for a while.

In psychology there's something called "projection", to sum up: is the act of projecting something we don't like about ourselves on another person. This will cause a negative feeling towards the person we project on, instead of ourselves. By doing this, our brain protects our self-esteem and our sense of internal coherence. (Keep this info in your mind a little, I'm about to get to the point)

Most of the people tend to solve this in an "abstract way" with meditation, for example. But since we're not all the same...this technique is something more physical, It require a lil bit of..."trusting the process".

Take a chair, place it in front of you.

Focus. Imagine a person sitting on that chair (Yourself or someone else).

You're going to have a dialogue, talk about events/things you need to work on/things you don't like about someone, or even yourself. Whatever you think your shadow work needs to be. Project everything you have on that person on the chair. Ask for explanations, say your needs at loud...

Now you're going to change your pov, sit on the other chair and reply to yourself.

End the practice when you feel like you've had enough.

Take it easy, cause you're going to be at ease only after a while, it may be really weird at the beginning.

After you get used to it you may start to perceive that chair in a different way (example: it might become hot/cold/far/near etc.). Try to pay attention to how you feel because that is going to be one of the hints to work on, find an explanation to your feelings.

It's not over yet...

After every time you practice this... you're going to feel in a certain way... sometimes relieved, sometimes not so good.

Write it down, read it, give yourself an interpretation and choose the next step to take

Good luck ✨

Can you tell us a bit about Jophiel? She fascinates me.

Hello fierysword :) (I'm actually flattered that you've sent me an ask!)

So Jophiel. She's not one of the "seven" in my own practice, but I'd be more than happy to talk about an archangel 💫

Archangel Jophiel

Jophiel (Jofiel, Zophiel, Iophiel, Iofiel, Yofiel, and Yofiel) is the "beauty of God" also seen as the "Angel of Beauty". She is also regarded as a companion to Metatron

You can petition her or pray to her for:

Seeing beauty in things (such as God's creation)

Seeing beauty in God (and his holiness)

Self esteem (seeing yourself as the divine see you)

Creative inspiration

Helping your thought patterns and addictions

Joy in life

Transformation

Considering this, her domains could be conflated with Haniel's (Anael, joy of God. Harmony, poise and grace) and Zadkiel (Sachiel, angel of Mercy. Who can help with stress, anxiety etc.)

But looking to her domains, you can consider her an Archangel of gratitude, perspectives and inner thinking. A great archangel for shadow work in combination with other angels (like Zadkiel, who according to the Zohar, helps her and Michael battle evil), a very strong contender as a transformer of negative to positive thoughts

Additionally you can consider her domains to be:

Wisdom

Spiritual and religious reading

Knowledge

As Jewish tradition notes that she is the angel guarding the Tree of Knowledge with a flaming sword (sword is also attributed to Uriel, and being a wisdom archangel can be conflated with Uriel) and so she is a guardian of knowledge. She is also said to oversee Sabbath day Torah readings

She has also been written to be the angel of the seventh heaven and guardian of the Torah, who also taught 70 languages to souls at creation

As a patron angel you can call her:

Patron of Artists and Intellectuals as the angel who can bring beautiful inspiring thoughts (also attributed to Gabriel and Uriel)

Patron of Recovering People, as she can bring joy and light after darkness (also attributed to Zadkiel)

Patron of Balance (though typically attributed to Anael), as her association with bringing beauty is also associated with Feng Shui

Some systems may replace Jophiel with Raziel though places Jophiel is mentioned, other than what has been mentioned, includes:

Pseudo-Dionysus works

Kabbalah

Calendarium Naturale Magicum Perpetuum

The Veritable Clavicles of Solomon

Sixth and Seventh book of Moses

In terms of planetary correspondences, Agrippa attributes Jophiel to Saturn (Cassiel in ars paulina) and Paracelsus assigns to Jupiter (Zadkiel/Sachiel)

Robert Ambelain says Jophiel is in charge of this cherubim ("Prince of Cherubim"); Haziel, Aladiah, Lauviah, Hahaiah, Iezalel, Mehahel, Hariel, and Hakamiah

It is said that Jophiel's colour is yellow (though typically I have my own associations with colours and angels. This is just a fun fact). Though it can make sense with yellows association with illumination, the mind, the element of air and all associations to follow

Her symbol and element is fire which is for her light, illumination of knowledge and the flame that leads the way

Her day of the week is Sunday (shared with Michael).

Here's her sigil/seal you can use when working with her:

Here's a prayer you can say to her:

Dearest Archangel Jophiel, archangel of beauty and wisdom, please bless my creative endeavors.

Open my eyes that I may notice the beauty in the people around me as well in every part of Creation, including myself.

Empower me to maintain a clear mind even in times of chaos and make my mind orderly and serene. Inspire me to trust in God’s greater purpose for me and lend me the patience and the wisdom to recognize God’s beauty in every situation. — Amen

You can find my sources and further reading here:

https://unifycosmos.com/archangel-jophiel/#How_can_you_work_with_her

https://casaalhambra.com.au/blogs/the-archangels-and-their-sigils/the-archangels-their-sigils-gemstones

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jophiel

https://www.learnreligions.com/how-to-recognize-archangel-jophiel-124276

https://www.learnreligions.com/meet-archangel-jophiel-124094

https://www.theblackfeatherintuitive.com/archangel-jophiel/

https://www.ivyroses.com/Angels/Archangels/Archangel-Jophiel.php

@saintlyfawn anything to add?

Hope you enjoyed this information and learnt something new! And thank you for the ask. Feel free to send more

There are certain things deities will never do and would be wildly inappropriate for them to try.

As a rule of thumb, deities will never do the following:

Dictate who you can/can't be friends with

Dictate which deities you're allowed/not allowed to venerate

Dictate who you can/can't be romantically involved with

Dictate your course in life

Threaten to leave if you can't/don't fulfill their requests

Ask you to stop taking your medications

Require you to observe a daily practice

Require you to spend tons of money on their behalf

Rush you into an oath, marriage, or some other binding contract

Prohibit you from doing certain activities

Withhold their affections if you do something they don't like

Shame you

Court minors (not in this day and age. Deities answer to the sensibilities of our time and society.)

If you see a deity act in any of these ways, you might be dealing with an impostor spirit or a mental sock-puppet, rather than the actual deity.

Impostors are petty spirits who disguise themselves as deities to mooch off undeserved worship.

Mental sock puppets are personal thoughts and insecurities projected onto an imaginary being.

And in instances where a deity is doing something you don't think is appropriate, you're always free to set boundaries. Gods don't get to act with impunity simply because they're gods.

🧜🏻‍♀️Mermaids From Different Bodies of Water🌊

Tidal pool mermaids-

🐚 tiny

🐚usually colorful

🐚 intricate patterns

🐚 helpful with positive energy and protection

Offerings:

Ethically sourced pieces of coral or coral agate

Colorful sea shells

Visit an aquarium

Fruit

Seaweed

Sun water

Rocks

Lake mermaids-

🐟 usually grey, dark blue, grey, green, or light blue (depends on water quality)

🐟 can be benevolent or malevolent depending on location

🐟 experts at camouflage

🐟 behavior and magical qualities depend on the lake they’re in

Offerings:

Lake plants

Lake stones

Lake glass

Freshwater pearl, clam, or oyster

Moss or moss agate

Marimo

Turtle and fish imagery

Tropical mermaids-

🏝 vary in size and can include reef mermaids

🏝 usually colorful or teal

🏝 usually have a calm but very playful demeanor

🏝 love to swim with dolphins and usually stick around their pods

🏝tend to venture to shallow waters

🏝 tend to be active during the day and enjoy sunlight & warmth

🏝 helpful with peace and love spells

Offerings:

Conch shells

Pink sand

Scented salts

Shiny things (shells & crystals)

Larimar and holey stones

Colorful stones or sand

Fruit or palm tree

Sun water

River mermaids-

🏞 usually benevolent

🏞 loves rocks and animals

🏞 may be very small or normal sized

🏞helpful with grounding

Offerings:

River pebbles

River water

Moss or moss agate

Freshwater pearl, clams, or oysters

Forest plants, especially infused with water, for example: pine water

Reef mermaids-

🐙 hides in reefs and anenomes most of the time

🐙 very very colorful

🐙 usually small

🐙 benevolent but temperamental

🐙 very diverse and high energy

🐙 helpful with protection

Offerings:

Coral agate or coral pieces

Sea shells or hag stones

Any high energy and colorful stones

Shark teeth & sand dollars

Visit an aquarium

Crab, starfish, fish, eel, and stingray imagery

Swamp mermaids-

🐊 usually grey, green, or brown

🐊 thrive in murky water, good at camouflage

🐊 can be kind to people who are connected & kind to the swamp, but otherwise are usually malevolent

🐊 love to sunbathe

🐊 helpful with curses and banishing

Offerings:

Alligator teeth

Snake skin

Agate

Sun water

Swamp mud

Spring mermaids-

💧blue coloring

💧tend to be gentle but very distant

💧very helpful with cleansing

Offerings:

Spring water

Lemons or cucumbers

White and blue flowers

Clear quartz or blue lace agate

Arctic mermaids-

❄ white, grey, clear, or navy blue coloring

❄ helpful in glamours and sheilding

Offerings:

Ice cubes

Glacier water

Glitter

Orca, seal, and other artic animal imagery

ways to incorporate magic into everyday life

here are some mudane and simple ways to incorporate magic into your everyday life witchcraft does not have to be extravagant or a ritual all of the time it can be as simple as tending to yourself or going out into nature.’there is magic in the mundane’

meditation mediate daily to clear your thoughts and maintain a good headspace

pray to your deities or whomever you work with/believe;deities,spirt guides;universe

visualize how you want the day to go

hydrate to fuel your mind body & soul

open window allow the air in

charge your water with crystals

cleanse yourself to remove negative energies

cleanse aura with crystals

cleanse your environment

journal write down your thoughts dreams and intents

yoga stretch your body to get the energies flowing

breathe

hold yours crystals allow there energies to fill you up

pick a book from your bookshelf and close your eyes flip to a page read the page look for any signs clues or advice

write on a piece of paper what you want to release for the day then watch it burn

burn a sigil

pick a tarot card

tend to your plants and garden water and feed them

tea based on your intent

coffee magic

read & research witchcraft

tea leaf reading

do kitchen magic

draw sigils on food

put moon water into tea

give pets moon water

bathe to cleanse yourself both physically and spiritually

look into the mirror and say affirmations

do glamor magic

pick clothes based on intents;black for protection

pick jewelry on based on intent;sun for harmony

put essential oils on based on intents;lavender for peace

carry spell jars with you

pick a crystal based on intents

light a candle based on your intent for the day

bless objects

go out into nature

ground yourself

hug a tree

allow the wind to cleanse you

allow the rain to cleanse you

leave an offering to mother nature

keep an eye out for animals you see and later look up their symbolism

listen to the sounds of nature

look for plants and research their symbolism

forage for flowers or stones

water flowers or trees

bathe in the sun

make sun water

bathe under the moon

talk to the moon and stars

place items under the moon to charge

make a wish on the first star you see

make moon water

place crystals under pillow

smile!raise your vibration

be kind to yourself and others

take care of yourself you are magic!

blessed be 🍂

soft witches 🌼

my print shop 💗

☆15 Things That Give INFJs A Natural High...

Thunderstorms & windy/breezy nights.

Long showers after extroverting all day.

Meeting someone who is refreshingly honest.

Laughing over theoretical & terribly tragic stories/jokes that would never be funny in reality (Dark Humor).

Epiphanies, unconscious realizations & discovering undiscovered dimensions of our multifaceted personality.

Checking off items on our 'To Do List'.

Someone validating our otherwise invisible intuition.

Effectively helping the once helpless by identifying and educating the root cause of their problems.

Releasing pent up emotions of sadness, anger or frustration that we've procrastinated for a tad bit too long.

Long drives/walks in nature.

Encountering a dog, cat or any living thing that isn't human.

Meaningful conversations & being understood.

Sunsets & the arrival of darkness.

Cancelled plans (Before we've gotten ready to go out).

Wild & adventurous sex with someone we trust.