Category: Discussions

On Target-Specific Love Spells (tumblr repost)

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On Target-Specific Love Spells

So I’m posting this because the answer’s important but I want to protect the asker’s identify because I don’t trust any of you not to send hatemail and just in general be a big bag of dicks to them for asking a question.

I’m curious about your thoughts on sigils focused on love and about a particular person. For example, ‘I want -person’s name- to be interested in me’. Do you think it crosses the boundaries between free will and control? I apologize if this should be obvious, I just can’t stop thinking about it.

The problem is this isn’t obvious, no matter how many of us argue that it is. That’s going to have to be a personal decision. Each person will have to determine for themselves what line should and shouldn’t be crossed.

I have murky feelings on it, at best. I see pros and cons to both sides. I personally wouldn’t do it for myself because love isn’t a huge desire for me. It doesn’t even make it into my life goals. But, that’s me, for me.

I teach that love spells that are target-specific should be able to be undone. That should be a built in mechanism in the spell that when the spell’s undone your magical hold over the person is too. Therefore the spell can undone before sexual acts are committed or real commitment takes place. Now, you can write target-specific love spells with clauses that if the spell works against the target’s will then it won’t work. That’s totally a thing too and the easiest way of all to avoid the issue at hand.  That being said, I also teach how do perform and recognize these more forceful love spells because, hey, they’re out there.

However, traditional folklore and superstition that makes up many love spells are about controlling a person completely in love, both sexually and romantically. There are spells implicitly designed to make someone have sex with you. It’s a thing  and it has history behind it. Those spells are, by definition if not but intent, rape spells.

I’ll give an example that’s somewhat similar. I had a potential client ask me to perform an abortion spell – not for herself but for another woman. At first she said the woman raped her fiance and when to get an abortion and refused. I denied the request. Furthermore, the whole thing sounded off. I was right. The story changed – he wasn’t raped just “lured while she wasn’t around” (the potential client’s words) and now he was living with this other woman. The client insisted that he was too scared to get rid of this other woman but to me it still sounded off and I was rather suspicious of the whole thing. I flat-out refused the request again, this time with more a more clear-cut response and implying that while such things were within my ability (and I do have the technical herbal skill and spell casting knowledge) I wouldn’t do it. Not couldn’t, wouldn’t. She sent me a third request now saying this other woman was having twins. I didn’t respond. The request crossed boundaries I’m not comfortable with crossing. In my opinion, the woman has the right to carry a fetus to term, although the man, if he was a rape victim, should not be subject to paying the child support of a child forced from him and legal actions against the woman should be taken. However, that wasn’t the case. Instead, the whole case came off as a woman unable to accept her situation that her fiance stepped out on her and now was starting a family with another woman – if that was the actual situation at all. I don’t know because I only had this woman’s story.

Now, someone might have flat-out refused to do a spell regarding abortion. I personally would have if done the abortion spell if the other woman consented. I’m not sure what I would have done if the man had been a rape victim and the other woman didn’t consent. I would have, at the very least, needed evidence establishing that the rape occurred (by this I mean a police report or actual communication with the man himself) rather than hearsay from a third party. Would I have provided abortion herbs or just used spells? I don’t know. I would have needed more context and a possible in person meet-up to decide.

Context is super important though. Does this person even like you? Are they aware of your existence? Have you already expressed your interest and they have refused you?

Because in cases of “this person doesn’t know/see me” then a target spell where they will notice you could be done – and that’s the whole goal of the spell. For them to notice you. Have they expressed actual interest in a romantic sense, enough where outside observers can comment on it? Then a love spell to get them to take a step forward instead of wavering about could be done. Neither of those would interfere with free will or control in my opinion. If they refused you and you did a spell to make them like you anyway, that would be interfering with free will and control – such acts technically fit the definition of molestation, sexual assault, or rape, depending on the situation. However, it’s up for you to decide whether you’re OK with doing that. There’s currently no legal precedent for this. There’s no one that will come and jail you for it. (Although, if you’re discovered, other witches might do something but that’s a whole different story.)

It’s up for you to decide. Whatever you decide is up to you, just be prepare for any consequences that may occur. I’m not talking about the Rede, although that may apply if you follow that, or the “comes back to you X times” things, although that may also apply to you, but to guilt or remorse that may follow your actions. You may question if without magic this person wouldn’t love you. That sort of consequences.

Herbs, Plants, and Why They Have Their Associations (tumblr repost)

Anonymous:
Hi! I love your blog! Thanks for being so willing to answer questions! I was wondering if you knew why it is that certain herbs work better for certain purposes more than others? Is there any reason other than “Just because they’ve always worked like that”? (And at the same time, I know there are some who think it’s all intent and that the herbs don’t really matter.) I’d love to hear what you think on it.Image

I actually don’t think it’s all about intent. Personal opinion of course and others are perfectly welcome to work within that belief but I don’t.

Why certain herbs are ascribed certain characteristics depends on who you talk to. For our purposes, I’ll detail why I’d ascribe a particular characteristics to an apple, mostly because I’m noming on an apple right now. But I can probably do this with most herbs.

  • Mythology – There are mythological reasons why an herb would be associated with something. Iðunn kept apples for the youthfulness of the gods. There’s also a myth involving those apples, Iðunn, and Loki. Apples also have a Norse association with fertility if I recall my Volsunga Saga properly. (I believe there have been some Norse finds that discovered apples and nuts among offerings). Apples were part of Hercules’ Twelve Labors (golden apples from the Tree of Life). Hippomenes who tossed golden apples to distracted Atalanta leading to his winning the race and her hand in marriage. Of course there’s Eris the goddess of Discord and the fiasco that was the marriage of Peleius and Thetis, indirectly causing the Trojan War. I’m not sure on the etymology of it but apples are associated with Aphrodite  I believe because they are part of a folkloric or symbolic act of expressing love but don’t quote me on that. This, of course, doesn’t include the story of the Garden of Eden. Conle of Celtic mythology is given an apple which feeds him for a year but thrusts him into the world of the fae (? My version of this mythology is likely not the original.) Avalon translates to “the apple land”, “land of apple”, or “apple island”. Breaking that down, an apple can be used for love, sex, marriage, fertility, youthfulness, secrets and trickery.
  • Folklore – Local and cultural folklore is important, often coming from a local tradition, festival, or even a particular person. Then there’s William Tell, Issac Newton, and Johnny Appleseed. For example, Irish/English folklore states that if an apple is peeled in one continuous piece like a ribbon and is thrown over the shoulder it will reveal the shape of a future lover’s initials. This doesn’t count the vast amounts of saying involving apples such as “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”.
  • Fairy tales – Snow White’s dealing with the apple is quite famous. In the original myth Snow White actually chokes on the apple instead of being poisoned by it.
  • History – Historically, apples travel well and keep well for a very long time. They’re one of the oldest fruits to be cultivated and are very popular. Not just that, they were often dried and eaten both fresh and dried over the coarse of the winter months. There’s about eleventy-billion ways of cooking, canning, or otherwise preparing apples for consumption. Some foods even have specific meanings to them such as apple and honey for Rosh Hashanah to symbolize a sweet new year. Because apple trees were common, apple wood was also commonly used in hearth fires and buildings. In fact, buildings boats from apple wood was said to be unlucky because coffins were built of apple wood. There’s a few scholars that have said the apple is a symbolic substitute for Amanita muscaria (fly agaric mushroom) and mandrake. Settlers were told to plant apple trees (upwards of 50 trees) when settling in America so they wouldn’t starve. Apples are BIG money and there’s a great many contests relating to apples (apple pie contests and bobbing to apples).
  • Cultural Associations & Art – Apples are given to teachers by children as gifts. Because of this, it can be used in association with education or enlightenment (especially if combining with Issac Newton’s legend.) Beauty is often linked with love, sex, and marriage because most cultures associated beauty as a desireable trait for all three. In the Victorian era, apple blossoms became known in floriography for generosity and love. Apples can be dried to look like shrunken heads or be used on dolls or as fetishes or poppets.
  • Biology – Apple seeds are actually toxic (amygdalin, which is a sugar-cyanide compound) but safe in small amounts. The larynx on men is called the Adam’s Apple (I believe coming from Garden of Eden story but Christian mythology is NOT my thing.) Falling back to the “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” there is suggested research that states that apples may reduce the risk of certain forms of cancer, increase skeletal muscle, decrease fat, obesity, glucose intolerance. It’s great for fiber and vitamin C.
  • Appearance & Color – Apples vary in colors depending on type while apple blossoms are white and pink. If you associate color with the apple, you’ll get fire (especially in gala breeds). Red for action, motion, courage, and passion. Pink is gentler, warm, love, comfort, and good for healing, and to relieve depression. In appearance the flesh is smooth and can be shined with a white, crisp flesh and a core of tiny black seeds. The seeds are rather eye-like aren’t they? And in shape, apples are fairly round and I can attest from personal experience make fairly entertaining baseballs.

tl;dr: I’d use apples for love, fertility, marriage, sex, lust, secrets, taboo or forbidden things, beauty, youth, trickery, poison, death (because where there’s fertility there’s death), education, knowledge, contests, trade or commerce, and suspended life (apples are stored long-term for food plus Snow White’s story). And that’s just the simple apple.

Additionally, there’s the animistic belief that plants have souls or inherent power. Either the power or spirits exist there or the power and spirits can be “unlocked” or “encouraged” to a specific purpose for spell work. Or if one worked with a linked deity, you can use those herbs as a substitute for those deities or those deities’ power.

So there’s a lot of reasons why someone may use an herb for something. It really depends on the person. For example, some won’t use the physical appearance of an herb. Others will rely entirely on the folkloric or mythological attributes. The medical and biological attributes are often used by herbalists and are sometimes ignored by some witches. It really depends on the person themselves and their practice. I like to use all of the above in my witchcraft.

(Also, thanks so much! <3)

Originally posted on tumblr here.

Let’s talk servitors

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I have a wide variety of spirits and beings that attend to me. I don’t work with them or for them. They work for me. Some run messages and collect gossip, others protect various things, a few have specific roles, and others still run business for me on the Other Side while I’m away. I have a small army of folks working for me. In trade for their services, I grant them various things according to our arrangements and, most importantly, protection.

I’m gathering from what I’ve seen on the internet this is somewhat unusual. Frankly, on the other side I have a huge tract of territory and people inside that territory. Mostly, they do their thing and keep what few laws I have and I leave them alone. They need help I help them. They don’t then I don’t. Simple.

Now, I tend to group things together. All spirits are spirits. They could also be demons, fae, ghosts, local deities, etc but I call them a spirit unless they have a specific title they want me to use. Most don’t bother defining themselves so I don’t bother defining them. I might have suspicions on “what they are” (whatever that means) but it doesn’t usually factor into anything for me.

Yes, all this is important for this discussion.

I also group all servitors, constructs, thoughtforms, egregores, and even some familiars together. If they are a being created by a person, they get dumped into this category. I actually use thoughtform, egregore, construct, and servitor interchangeably. But I also personally define them as separate things. Thoughtforms, for example, are creatures made of thought, usually for specific purposes. Egregore is a group thoughtform. Servitor is a created creature that serves while a construct is just a created creature without that desire to serve built in. Thoughtforms and egregores are purely non-corporeal and totally reside in the realm outside the physical (although they may exist in this physical realm.) Servitors may, but not always, be connected to an object or have a body whereas constructs, for me, will always have a body it cannot go far from.

These beings can evolve or go from one title to another. A construct can develop into a servitor and extend itself from its body far more than it should. A thoughtform or egregore can become servitor or construct. It’s all really fluid.

For example, I may make a construct for a spell. I might put together a clay poppet or something and place it at a crossroad to become a guardian of that place. I might make a construct to ruin someone’s life, literally creating a spirit who will torment a person. (Hey, I warned you all I’m not a nice person.) I might make a construct to protect someone.

Now I have a construct that is attached to some jewelry. I developed it so it would eventually work as a weapon and, with any luck, activate itself if I was in danger and didn’t know it or was unconscious. At first, I needed to be aware of its existence and truly activate it to get it to work. Over the last year or so, it has slowly but surely become more active, more self-aware, and more self-sufficient. It can now extend itself out of the body and home and it can be about a hundred feet from its body with no trouble so long as it remains on my body. I’m thinking that it could now ride storms if we had such storms at the moment.

Anyway, it has begun to develop its skills and has branched out from its original purpose to new ones – which is super awesome and exactly what I want. I’m totally OK with my servitors becoming self aware and eventually leaving my service if it so wants. Most people who work with servitors don’t like that because 1) that servitors know all your shit 2) it can become unruly and destructive if not properly cared for or malformed.

So why a servitor? It depends on the person themselves. I like having a servitor to watch my back. Often, my servitors remember shit way better than me and can remind me of shit I need to do. It’s companionship and someone to talk to. My servitors also are required to have some sort of attack. I like them to be able to defend themselves and me if necessary. If they are body-less and more free-moving thoughtforms, I send them on missions for certain things. To check the status of this herb in the wild or to find someone to serve my needs for something. They’re useful as shit – if you’re willing to do the work. Much like a pet or child, you have to train them, care for them properly, or they can become very destructive and unruly. And it really, truly sucks having to destroy what you’ve created like that.

It’s a pretty classic magician sort of thing. Familiars work similarly but I tend to find that familiars are spirits that find you not beings you create. Do you need one? Hell no. You don’t need a guide, familiar, servitor, or any damn thing if you don’t want it. It is a being that is useful but takes a lot of time and energy to make and create and if you don’t consistently care for it and forget it (which is super fucking common) terrible things like hauntings and nightmares can occur.

Turtles and Crown’s Symbolism of Them.

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Today my turtle decided to come out and play.

Background information. I have a box turtle. His name is Tama (although everyone calls him ‘Turtle’) and he’s just over seven years old and is lazy. Now, I’m not talking about lazy compared to a human or a cat. I mean lazy compared to other turtles of his species. And he’s always been like that. There’s nothing wrong with him. He at one time shared his container with another turtle but we never got a new one after the other one died because he seemed happier. He has a huge rabbit cage he lives in all to himself. He likes his turtle pellets and occasionally will eat the vegetables and fruit we provide (which we do, constantly, but he rarely touches the stuff.) Really, he likes his hide-away cave and to be left the hell alone.

Today though, I was walking by to talk to the Necromancer about E3 and the turtle was out and about in his cage. Looking for delicious food, mucking about in his huge water pond, and generally being active. This is surprising because I haven’t seen him for about two weeks. We check, daily, to see if he’s alive. We change the food and water. Weekly we switch out the soft coconut we use for cage cover. But it’s something of a marked occasion when we see him come out on his own.

Because I needed to clean his cage anyway, I took him out of his home and checked him over. I don’t know a whole lot of detailed anatomical information about turtles, but I can tell whether or not they’re healthy or need a vet. He was active, alert, and wanted to be put down. So I put him on the ground and he wandered the living room while the cats watched him from a distance.

Why am I talking about my turtle?

Mostly, because I really love turtles. I find them easy to manage and great pets to keep (if you’re willing to put in the work and expense for them). I don’t use turtles in my witchcraft but I really love symbolism for what they stand for (to me).

What symbolism? Longevity. Quick to hide and seek shelter. They have a hard shell which they are connected to but are so soft inside. They don’t carry their homes with them, but at the same time they do. Their homes are literally a part of them; they can’t be parted from them. They wander, always attached to their home, but bury themselves in their homes as well. The original wandering hermit. Always alone even in a group.

To me, turtles are wise, determined creatures (and they are determined little buggers). When they set out for something, they stick to it. Unless a predator is coming towards them, they do not deviate from their paths and plans. They don’t move just laterally but climb too, and they soak in the sun (I have a great love of the sun) and the heat.

Omnivores, depending on the species, they’ll consume insects, fruits, vegetables, fish, and even some meats. (You can feed turtles cat food, for example, depending on species. Best ask a vet or herpetologist first.) Turtles can make this hissing sound and can snap or bite when they need to. So while they might defend themselves by pulling deep into their shells, they’re willing to attack too. Turtles tend to be able to camouflage themselves and are great at hiding (not just in their shells but in the environment). They are slow to move but sometimes they’re quick little bastards. (I’ve personally spent several minutes chasing turtles around the living room.)

Brave little creatures, I’ve seen my turtle look directly at the cats and keep on trucking as if they weren’t afraid of this huge creature willing to eat them. (My cats leave him alone. Bothering the turtle never ends well for them when they’re caught at it.)

Turtles frolick. They do. A land turtle, upon discovery of a pond of water, will frolic. They’ll frolic when placed outside. They have fun and play.

I associate turtles with divination, although why I can’t say as I don’t use turtles or turtle shells as a divination method. Possibly due to the hermit idea that they could spend a lot of time in deep introspection.

Now, as I listed above, I have my own symbology for each animal. Some of it based on the animal itself or what I associate with them. Some folklore or historically based. Some of that symbolism is common, some not so much. I tell all my students to consider creating their own symbology for animals as they go. It’ll help discover the meanings of dream, visions, and in general is incredibly useful for divination.

Witches, Jars, and Burying ‘Em

[Witches, Jars, and Burying ‘Em tumblr repost June 4th, 11pm]

I can’t be the only one that sees how many witch jar spells tell you to bury said jar in the ground and winces. Why? Because reasons, that’s why.

Don’t roll your eyes. Read on.

2016-03-29 22.09.35

Here’s a few reasons why burying all the witch jars you make can be a pain in the ass:

  1. It can break. Broken glass can eventually make its way to the surface and that barbeque you’re having can turn into a trip to the hospital. This is especially dangerous if the glass was coated with or holding poisons, rust, metal, or other harmful materials.
  2. Finding the jar again. Let’s say you want to undo a spell. Or you just need to find the damn jar after you buried it. If you didn’t mark it, you’re going to be playing the guessing game on locating it in the earth.
  3. Too many jars makes for a full garden. Think about it. Bury six jars in small space then try to plant a garden over it. You can do it, absolutely, but that’s a lot of earth being taken up for a spell.
  4. You’re burying a perfectly good glass jar. I hate using glass jars for spells. I prefer to use and reuse glass jars until I can’t any more. By can’t I mean they shatter, are given away, hold poisons, or contain a smell that can’t be dispersed.
  5. It isn’t your land. (Maybe) You’re renting? Live in an apartment? On campus? Maybe you shouldn’t be burying shit in places you don’t own a deed to.
  6. Someone else could dig it up and find it. And how much would your plan suck then?
  7. Glass doesn’t decompose. Technically called devitrification (if I remember correctly) only some glass actually “breaks down”. In this process, the glass crystallizes as typically seen in art glass, crazing, warping, etc will occur before the glass actually becomes so fragile it will break. This occurs over long periods of time. Some types of glass can be broken down with chemicals such as hydrofluoric acid. But most glass we use, such as silicates, don’t break down naturally.

So what the hell am I bringing this up for and what am I suggesting otherwise? Because I find a lot of people are bottling things up and shoving things in jars as a matter of course. It’s just what you do. And, that might be personal practice and belief coming into play but it’s not necessary. Easy and convenient but not necessary most of the time (from what I can see).

arsp 01

Ask yourself this when gathering ingredients for a spell:

  1. Does it need to be buried? Does it really? Are you sure? There isn’t some other way to solve the problem?
  2. Is this a short term spell? Maybe burying it in a potted plant is better.
  3. Does it need to be liquid? You can soak herbs in vinegar, hot sauce, protection oils, water, etc. without needing to fill a jar. It might even be easier to soak said herbs then leave them for the spell’s target to stumble upon. Hell, you could even spritz some vinegar/water/oil/etc on it and it would probably work (depending on your paradigm and all that).
  4. Does the spell need to be contained? Sometimes spells don’t need to be contained. Sometimes you need them to leech into the soil, earth, and world. If it doesn’t need to be contained, perhaps you should try putting it in a paper bag or a “biodegradable” bottle (most of these aren’t fully biodegradable and don’t do it in five years as advertised so keep that in mind) Jars contain things. Why would you put something in a jar if you want it to get out?
  5. Is it a funeral? A lot of the time I see “bury this” spells is because you’re suppose to be given it a funeral. If you aren’t doing that, then you may want to rethink burying it.
  6. Is it a secret? I don’t bury my protection witch jars. Instead, I hang them up. I put them on display. I let the world know this place is protected. Besides, it also serves as decoration. (Obviously, if you’re in the closet or the spell has a secret purpose, this isn’t an option).
  7. Will some other container make do? I paper bag half my “bury this” spells. Especially if they don’t contain liquid. And the ones that do sometimes don’t need that much liquid. Instead of shaking the jar, I’ll shake and squish the bag instead.
  8. Can you reuse the jar? One your spell has gone off, are you willing to dig up the jar and use it again? I’m not talking about the ingredients. I would bury the organics and bring the inorganics to a recycling station or dump. I’m talking about the jar itself. This comes down to personal belief and practice. I go either way on it personally but to each their own.
  9. Does it need to be sealed? Many witches seal their jars in wax. Why not make a container of wax instead?  Or seal a paper bag or whatever. It’s still sealed and yet you’re not burying glass.
  10. Does it actually need a jar? Many jar spells don’t need to be jar spells. It’s for convenience. You can pour hot sauce or vinegar over paper to curse someone. You don’t always need to stick it in a jar.

I’m not talking about just curses. This applies to ALL spells. And sure, I still make spell jars. It’s easy to make a jar. It’s harder to deal with a spell when it’s messy and everywhere. And I’m not saying everyone should suddenly not use jars. But I hope this little spiel has given at least one person a second’s pause before they reach for that glass jar and consider an alternative.

In the end, this is going to come down to personal practice, personal belief, and convenience. Do what you do and I’ll do what I do.