Divination Tool Review: Halloween Oracle

Halloween Oracle by Stacey Demarco & Blue Angel Publishing

Status: Currently reading with it

Best for: Halloween and autumn but it offers the truth in an interesting and unique way. Great for all questions all year around.

Favorite cards: The Veil, Invisibility, Scrying

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I’ll admit it: I love Halloween and when I saw this Halloween Oracle it shot up on my “must have” list to #1. No regrets at all.

It’s a beautifully vivid deck with some quirks that gets you into the Halloween mood nicely. It’s also great to use during the autumn season because of the more autumnal feel to the cards. That being said, I use this deck all year around in my personal readings, especially when I’m doing readings to spark creative writing. It just has that kind of fun but serious feel to it.

 

I’ll be honest, this Halloween Oracle is a bit strange. There are some cards that don’t read as Halloween at all to me. I think some of that comes from the artist being Australian rather than American. It doesn’t have the same kind of American Halloween kind of feel. That’s not a bad thing but it’s something to keep in mind.

The deck also feels somewhat disconnected. The skull set, for example, is lovely but I think they might have been better served as a separate oracle all by themselves. The Lady De Los Muertos is kind of a surprise as it’s the only truly culturally specific addition to the deck and I’m not sure it’s appropriate given the rest of the cards. I think it would have been more appropriate in an entirely Mexican deck or a deck with traditions from all over the world.

And then there’s cards that don’t wholly seem to fit the Halloween them at all. Like Forgiveness and Hearth. I can see the connect, especially if you think of the rituals performed around the holiday. I don’t look at the Hearth card and go “Halloween!” It’s something of a logical leap.

There is a definite witchy feel to most, if not all, of the cards which balances out the deck for me, personally. A less witchcraft-oriented reader might not get that same feel.

Weirdly, the back of the deck has a very Halloween less serious feel which kind of seems like the artist was phoning it in for the deck backs.  It doesn’t really mesh well with the deck’s painted sketch style. If you saw the deck backs without knowing what the cards were suppose to look like, you’d probably be surprised.

 

The art, as you can see, has a almost painted sketch quality to it. They’re not sketches, exactly but they’re not fully cleaned up art either – and that’s the point. The art is finished but it has a washed or scraped feeling to the art. It’s kind of like someone drew it then scraped a broom over the surface of the art. The images are clear but there’s a lot of background noise.

Speaking of backgrounds, outside of a few select images like The Lamp, there isn’t a lot of background to the image. There’s a lot of the scraped colored and light filter kind of backgrounds. Which I kind of like as it focuses the main image more. It doesn’t lend any additional meanings, really, but rather serves as an assistant to the mood of the card.

The art varying somewhat in another unique way. There’s the natural styling like in The Lamp or Nightsong where it’s clearly a complete picture. And then there’s singular focuses where there’s nothing but the card’s focus seen, such as with The Pumpkin or Invisibility. And other times there’s this surreal thing happening. The Underworld, Midnight, or Ghost shows off what I mean where there’s kind of a main image and some hue background and some other elements going on all together. The Apple, Joy, and Black Cat show this a bit too. It’s like a scene but without the coherency of the scene – and yet it’s still coherent as an image. Almost like a collage except it’s all one image. It strikes me as odd and I’m not sure if that’s just me not fully liking that as a style choice or something else.

The borders are black with a color second border around the image.  The color is the most prevalent color in the image but that sometimes means the border stands out a lot and other times it melts into the image. I think I’d like to see this borderless or without the second border at least. If you’re into trimming cards, this is a definite candidate. Especially since when trimmed these cards would be so much easier to handle.

I know from looking about the internet that the art style in general is the same for all of the artist’s cards but I’m not sure about the backgrounds. That might be unique to this deck. The large and secondary border thing is definitely a Blue Angel Publishing trait as my Sacred Rebels Oracle has a similar style.

 

Personally, I tend to use this deck for when I need a push in the right direction without any sass. I also use it for daily draws a lot. One of my favorite usages is to pull a card to help build original characters for writing (oh hai NaNoWriMo participants!)

I sometimes find myself pulling the deck apart and putting the decks into groups and then fanning that particular group to get a reading. For example, I might pull all of the skulls and pull a card from that. I don’t really do that with other decks so I’m thinking it’s because this one’s kind of disjointed. But I also do it because it’s easier to pull out cards that are useful to character creation.

That being said, I totally do use this for your regular ol’ readings. It’s not great for large readings as it only has 36 cards but unlike the Lenormand or Tarot, it’s sometimes hard to pull a full and complete story or reading from it. Or, rather, you could create a whole story from all the cards but it would take some clever talking to cover yourself. Might be a fun experiment.

I don’t find that this deck specializes in any particular way. It covers all the questions equally but does slightly better with personal questions. For example, I’d probably pick another deck for a financial based reading but if this one was within reach, it would handle the question well enough. It’s not designed to cover a lot of the more practical questions but it can still handle them.

All of this being said, there’s not an overwhelming spirit to this deck for me. I get a sense of purpose and of mischievousness and just the right amount of shadowy darkness to really mark it as Halloween but not a spirit that jumps out and says “hi!”. This is n’t even remotely as  vocal as the Heart of the Faerie Oracle, for example. I consider the Heart of the Faerie Oracle an extremely vocal and personality driven deck. This one’s more low-key in personality.

 

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That being said, the deck reads extremely well despite the size. Blue Angel cards tend to be larger in size and this one is no exception. The size makes it rather hard to shuffle. Those folks with smaller hands (like me!) will find themselves struggling to shuffle these cards. My tip? Rotate the cards so you’re shuffling not on the side but on the top. If that doesn’t work, try the fan method or a stacking method.

The deck box and book are all nice and study. The book isn’t your average LWB. It’s 73 pages and nicely written with the meanings. It also has the images of the cards alongside the meanings. It’s set up in alphabetical order which is good because the cards aren’t numbered. Some oracle decks don’t have that and it’s frustrating.

The cards are solid. They bend nicely like cards should but can take damage. I’ve even spilled coffee on the cards and just wiped it clean (in a panic, because liquid + paper = enemies). The cards have a plastic (?) coating to them which means they can take the aforementioned damaged. But it comes with a cost – they’re highly reflective. Like “I can send signals and see myself” reflective. Their shininess makes photography a challenge, especially with strong light. It even reflects in candlelight!

Even worse, the shininess makes all sorts of damage appear obvious on the card. Bent corners, scratches, and even dust are very noticeable. Even fingerprint smudges. This isn’t a problem if you photograph in low light or use filters to correct the problem but on-the-go photography can be a challenge. It also doesn’t really show on the face of the card when you’re doing a reading unless a serious scratch. It shows more on the back of the cards.

 

While I seem to bash the deck a lot in this reading, I actually really love the deck. It had a lot of witchyness to it which means I can use it all year around. I always have fun reading with it. I find the written meanings are just vague enough to allow a greater range of usage.

I really like this deck, I do. I’m not sure I’d love it more if some of the above things were different. I wouldn’t love it less either. It’s one of those decks I love despite what I see as flaws.

 

Would I recommend it? Yes. Would I consider this the ultimate Halloween divination deck? No. There’s just enough quirks against this deck to have me continue my search for the best Halloween deck in the land. But I do love this deck!

 

Halloween Oracle by Stacey Demarco © Blue Angel Publishing

Spirit Summoning Spell (Spell Saturday #30)

There’s lots and lots of ways to summon spirits. This one is for communication rather than working with a spirit in spells.

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You’ll need:

  • Frankincense incense
  • Myrrh incense
  • Sandalwood incense
  • Basil
  • Parsley
  • Lavender
  • Rose petals
  • Wine or clear alcohol
  • Sage
  • Rosemary
  • Thyme
  • Salt or sea salt
  • Holy water, sacred water, or purified water
  • 2 Charcoal tablets
  • 3 Fire-safe dishes or bowls for burning incense
  • Divination tools or communication methods
  • Chocolate (optional)
  • Tobacco (optional)

Before you begin, boil sage, rosemary, salt, thyme, and salt in some of the water for 15 or so minutes. You don’t need much but enough to cleanse the space afterwards. Leave some of the herbs and water for the ritual.

An hour or so before midnight, set the ritual space. Make sure that you have somewhere comfortable to see and work. Don’t cramp your space if possible. Prepare yourself with whatever ritual methods you use – cleansing, purification, creating a magical circle, ritual robes, entheogens, whatever. Make sure to prepare both incense bowls with herbs before you start. One should have basil, parsley, lavender, and rose petals. The other should have sage, rosemary, and thyme in it. Pour the holy water in a fire-safe bowl and keep within reach.

Lay out your offerings. You can add other offerings if you’re summoning someone specifically but you’ll want to start with what’s listened. Place your basil, parsley, lavender, and rose petals in an offering dish or dishes. Add in the tobacco and chocolate if you have it. Pour out the wine or clear alcohol and put it in the offering area.

Light your incense and say the following,

 

“Spirits, I offer you sustenance in exchange for communion until the midnight hour.

If you bring me and mine no ill will,

Come to me and speak

And I will listen.”

 

You can use a meditation or a trance to listen for the spirits to speak. Or you can use technology. Or you can use your divination tool. You can use automatic writing, scrying, pendulum, or tarot. Anything, really.

After midnight, thank the spirits that appeared and dunk any remaining incense in the prepared holy water to smother it. Light the second bowl of incense and cleanse the room with the herb infused holy water. When the second incense bowl is burned up (or you’re sick of standing around), dump that in with the rest of the incense and throw it all away or bury it in your yard.

Dispose of the offerings by burying them if possible. If not, leave out until morning and throw away in the garbage.

Notes:

  • Put the cleansing and spirit banishing water in a spray bottle. The misting will cleanse the room without leaving water everywhere.
  • While tobacco is a traditional offering, chocolate isn’t in many places. Chocolate might not be appropriate for your summoning and I’d only use tobacco for spirits from a certain era or people I know who smoked.
  • You can buy incense to summon spirits or cleanse rooms in exchange for the herbs here.
  • You could also sprinkle the herbs in white candles and burn those instead of creating incense. Pick unscented candles or candles of frankincense, myrrh, or sandalwood. It can be mixed scented like vanilla-sandalwood.

Happy casting!

 

Dealing with Spirit-Induced Trauma and Injuries

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This is one of those posts I bring back once a year or so to remind people that it’s definitely a thing that needs to be discussed!

My friend duskenpath got an ask on tumblr about links for dealing with spirit-induced trauma and I remember kicking myself as I read it because I actually have a fair amount of experience with this and I haven’t posted on it. Which I feel guilty for.

First, let’s talk about spirit induced traumas and injuries. You can absolutely be abused, harassed, raped, assaulted, and tortured by spirits. You can absolutely bare physical injuries caused by spirits. This can absolutely happen and anyone who says otherwise… well, they haven’t talked to enough people then.

 

I have a finger that was broken by spirits. My finger grew crooked afterwards, the nail growth stunted, and now fifteen years later it causes me pain enough to wear a finger brace and have to pop it back in place daily. I have a knee that was damaged in a fight with a monstrously sized hill toll. I played a decoy for my companions and for my effort I was snapped up into the air, whipped back and forth like a child’s toy with my knee being the bending point. I couldn’t walk for days afterwards and now, almost two years later, my knee still gives me trouble as if I had physically injured it. I’ve seen scratches pop up before my eyes after a spirit encounter where I’ve only been sitting in the middle of a couch with no way for such marks to appear otherwise. I’ve been possessed and nearly thrown off cliffs before. Sure, maybe it is psychosomatic but the point is you can be injured by spirits. But I have and always will attest this: just because your mind is producing the phenomena doesn’t mean that it isn’t also real. It may simply be that spirits use our minds to hurt us.

Experiences in the astral can be extremely traumatic. I’ve been in situations where I’ve been trapped and tortured where in a single night days worth of trauma was inflicted. Time doesn’t work the same way in the spirit realms. So much can happen in a short period of time. Seeing someone murdered – or murdering someone yourself – can still affect you. Although it’s rarely spoken of, we have a tendency to view spirits as “others” and thus murdering or harming them doesn’t count. You can wake up and it’s over, not matter how much you’ve hurt a spirit. This isn’t universally true, of course. Some people treat spirits as equals and others will have to deal with the consequences of their actions long after the event occurs. It depends on the situation and the individuals involved. You can be hurt by them and they can be hurt by you.

Trauma caused by spirits isn’t just spiritual in nature however. You can be affected even outside of the astral. You can be abused, manipulated, and gaslighted. The abuser could be anyone from a ghost, to a nature spirit, or even a deity. Just because these individuals might be nice and beneficial to someone else doesn’t mean they won’t hurt you. Never think that. These beings are far more complicated and complex than many practitioners realize. There’s no reason to think that a deity could be a savior or role model for one practitioner wouldn’t also be a spiteful, cruel abuser to another practitioner.

 

The ways to deal with the situations as they arise can be easy. Say no. Defend yourself, violently if needed. Distance yourself. Protect yourself. And let others know of your experience so you can help help.

These steps get trickier when the being is non-corporeal. Binding, banishing, and cleansing can do wonders. Surround yourself in protections and wards designed to keep them specifically out. And keep saying no.

But just because they’re gone doesn’t mean the situation’s over. Spirit wounds take longer to heal and the trauma you’ve experienced isn’t suddenly gone. It’s a long road to recovery. Spirit wounds linger and should be treated with both healing spells and magic and physical healing techniques like physical therapy and appropriate medicines. Improper care can lead to long-term damage and some wounds won’t heal (like my knee which did receive proper care but was shattered horrifically in the astral.)

Trauma should be handled similarly. Look up treatments and ways to handle similarly experienced trauma like PTSD. And take it slow. What’s good to keep in mind is that just because you experienced the trauma from a spirit doesn’t invalidate it. Try to find an open-minded or pagan-friendly therapist. You may also want to find a clergy member, community elder, or mentor that can help you work through the trauma and be someone to talk to. While licensed therapists are better, they’re not always the best solution for all problems so choose carefully. There’s also support groups that meet to discuss and support one another through the recovery process.

 

Victims of trauma suffer a wide variety of symptoms and trauma can occur from a wide variety of sources such as breaking up a significant relationship (which many spiritual relationship can also fall into), abuse, car accidents, humiliating or disappointing experience, physical assaults, surgery, death of someone significant, sustaining an injury… It’s actually very common. The thing to remember is that your reactions are normal for an abnormal situation – whether that trauma’s from a sport injury or a spirit injury.

Symptoms can wary widely but the most common is to be in shock and deny it ever happened. Anger, irritability, and mood swings are also common. Guilt, shame, and self-blame are extremely common, especially when one’s in a situation where they felt helpless or hopeless. Continuing sadness, hopelessness, and feeling disconnected or numb also occurs. Suffers may also feel confusion, have difficulty concentrating and withdrawn from others. Fear and anxiety, sometimes coupled with depression can linger long after the event occurs. Physically, nightmares, flashbacks, insomnia, agitation, and inability to focus can happen. The opposite might also be true. You may have blank spaces in your memory and sleep excessively while plagued with fatigue and apathy. The body also responds with aches, pains, muscle tension, and paranoia which can lead to being easily startled.

Each person responds differently to trauma. My brother, for example, was hit by a car and permanently damaged for life when he was 13 while riding his bike. His dream of opening a dojo could never be realized with his injuries and he was bedridden for two years. He’s never ridden a bike since. He hates driving for any length of time and driving for longer than ten minutes will result in chain smoking and extreme agitation for him. He will always prefer someone else driving him someone to the point where he’ll schedule appointments around other people’s schedules. That’s trauma. He also experienced spiritual trauma. A few years before his accident we lived in a severely haunted condo complex. The kind of haunted where we didn’t go into certain rooms and visitors reported seeing a child ghost. Every single visitor, including the ones from out of state and never met described the child the exact same way. My brother and I have always been sensitive to spirits and always had them attracted to us. By this point I had buckled down my personal protections so spirits’ attentions shifted to my brother. Nightmares every night and physically seeing the faces of the dead. Therapy did nothing and everything I did to help didn’t help. Eventually he got sick of it and started to destroy them and banish the spirits. It led him down the path of necromancy and dealing with the dead because if they wouldn’t leave him alone he’d make them leave him alone. That’s also trauma.

 

Knowing your triggers are key. I know that being held against my will, even for a few seconds, will result in me lashing out with extreme violence. I’ve literally thrown a six foot 260lbs man across the room and drew out a knife because he wouldn’t let me go when I said so. I know this and so when someone grabs me even while playing around I warn them in a no bullshit voice that if they don’t let me go I will hurt them. I let that boundary be known. Communication is important to making sure that boundaries aren’t crossed and triggers aren’t hit. That’s not always easy or doable for everyone though.

Isolation from the situation is common. You may pull back from astral travel and all spiritual contact. You may even pull back from talking to friends about spiritual pursuits and stop your practice all together. Stop your practice as needed but don’t isolate yourself. Talk to others in the community. An elder, mentor, or clergy member may be able to help you and there are support groups that can help. Talk to people, even if it’s not about the problem at hand. It might take a lot of motivation to do it but try for just fifteen minutes. If you still don’t want to after fifteen minutes, then don’t.

Grounding yourself and staying grounded is really important. Grounding techniques vary but my favorites are eating high carb foods like bread, pushing the excess energy into an object like a ball or necklace, or sitting/laying down and letting the energy bleed away from you. This isn’t just good for excessive energy. If you’re feeling confused, disoriented, anxious, or lost, sit down and take slow, even breaths. Rocking may help keep your breathing even but it depends on the person- it might make you more anxious. You may even want to concentrate on keeping the body tight and pick out objects in the room to concentrate on – like all the green objects. Feel the ground around you. Touching solid things may also help steady you.

 

Allow yourself to feel what your feeling. I hate that I lose my compassion when I’m triggered. I’m angry, violent, wild. I hate it. But I let myself feel it. I get it out and forgive myself later. It’s not always easy though. It may take days of self-care and losing myself in books or video games to reconcile it with myself. Doing normal things and keeping to my daily schedule also helps. Doing dishes, going for a walk, petting the cat. All these normal things helps. I’m a big, big fan of breaking up big tasks into smaller ones in any circumstances but it’s especially nice to even write them down when I’m feeling triggered. It helps ground me that these are things I can do. Accomplishing those things helps even more, even if it’s something like folding laundry. Keeping up your practice, even if you aren’t reaching out to anything spiritual, can help cement things for you. There’s many elements to many spiritual practices that don’t requires spiritual involvement.

Be kind to yourself. Self-care isn’t just about mental care but also physical care. Eat balanced meals regularly. The easiest way to do this is to make a huge bowl of salad and cut up hard boiled eggs, meats, cheese, and other additives and keep them separate. Mix and match at will. It keeps you from being bored and still having regular, balanced meals. Avoid drinks and foods with lots of sugar or caffeine in excessive. Chocolate may help calm you down but six ounces of chocolate and ten coffees isn’t healthy. Avoiding alcohol and drugs is also recommended as they might make symptoms worse or could give you an escape route from the trauma that can lead to addiction. Exercise, even just stretching, can give you an excellent venue to use excess energy or work out aggression or anxiety. It can also keep you grounded and feel more in control. Sleeping regularly the recommended amount is ideal. Not too much or too little. 7-9 hours is recommended by physicians at the moment.

Meditation and yoga can be useful. I’ve written on meditation before so pick the kind of meditation you prefer from the more “I’m going to sit here and ponder this” to the more new agey “breath in and out and go on a spiritual journey”. It might be more useful for you to do neither and just spend time sitting and listening to soothing sounds. I recommend the noise generators over at mynoise.net. Deep breathing, swimming, or activities you enjoy will also work. I like napping outside in the sun. It’s grounding, relaxing, and provides a favorite hobby: falling asleep while reading.

Many times we can treat our own trauma with time, patience, and self-care. This isn’t always the case. If you find yourself unable to engage in relationships or the trauma is affecting your life long-term such as affecting job performance, sleep months later, or trouble functioning in day to day life. Escaping into addictive behaviors such as alcohol, drugs, video games, or sleep is also a sign. Depression and enhanced anxiety or fear are also signs. If this happens to you seek out a professional therapist. If you have thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please seek help.

 

You may need to revisit the event in order to move past it. Coming to terms with what happened often is part of the healing process. This might not happen for years later but it probably will happen. For some people, it never will. For spirit related traumas, I usually recommend joining in on a group ritual where someone else is in charge and someone is aware of your history. That last bit is exceptionally important. They watch to see if you’re overwhelmed and extra protection can be laid on you as needed. You may even want to watch a ritual instead of participating to help soothe your anxiety. One-on-one sessions with another practitioner who has a solid hand on the spirits they work with is also a good idea.

This isn’t always possible however so lead meditations or contacting healing spirits may be something you’ll want to look into. Go slowly and take your time. If you ever feel unsafe, disengage slowly and ground yourself. Reach out and contact people to help solidify that you’re here and safe. It’s a good idea to keep some protection and cleansing implements at the ready to boost your space’s safety and to reduce any anxiety.

When dealing with spirits afterwards, it may be a good idea to come up with a set of rules on how to treat each other. Penalties of the rules should also be listed. For example, my home has a “no assault” rule. No one is to be touched. So when an aggressive spirit chased a friend this past winter to his car, my brother and I didn’t just chase the ghost away but purged the entire crossroads my house sits at. I later invited back those spirits who had been banished but had done no harm. The rule stands however and no one has harassed us since. Spirits should agree to the rules but watch the way they agree to them. They might try to find loopholes just because they can. (Fae are especially known for this.)

 

What’s really important to keep in mind is that healing will take time but your experiences and feelings do matter and are important. Just because the person or situation responsible for your trauma is spiritual doesn’t make it less valid. You’ve been hurt and the wound sits deep in you. It will take time, patience, and work to heal. Each person is different and your healing process may vary wildly from someone else’s. Just know that you’re not alone.

Spirit Destinations: Valley of the Witch Seer

Valley of the Witch Seer is a massive valley filled with a vast forest surrounded by tall mountains and a wide ocean. It has a wide, white sand beach that’s excellent for lounging on. Ruled by a well-known spirit seer, this area is largely peaceful and friendly.

This is my go-to area when entering the astral. It’s peaceful, it’s relaxing, and people let you do what you want without bothering you so long as you aren’t cruel. War is kept to a minimum too which is always a bonus.

Names

Something to know is that “Valley of the Witch Seer” isn’t actually the real name of this area. It’s also known as “Valley of the King Seer”, “Valley of the Seer King”, “Witch Seer’s Kingdom”, and similar combinations. The king here sometimes calls it “Myrdin” or “Myridin” and various approximations of that but that’s fairly rare. Largely, it’s just left unnamed. Before it was known as the Golden Tree Valley or Deep Forest. The beach and ocean area wasn’t part of the original territory either and had a wide-variety of names that have been largely forgotten since the ruler left the forest and conquered the beach.

These cliffs are known as the Hanging Cliffs or the Golden Cliffs. The mountains to the far left (straight across when passing by the Hanging Cliffs) are  known as the Aerie locally. Elsewhere, they’re known as the Diamond Cut Mountains, or the Waves of the Earth.

The ocean is known as the Ocean of Fallen Tears, Sea of the Giant’s Tears, Sunlight-Glances-Off-This-Body-of-Water-and-Dances-Across-the-Sands-to-Scatter-on-the-Sea-Glass- Castle-and-Dies-at-Sea. Locally, it’s known as the King’s Sea or Dragon Sea or Mermaid Cove.

 

Directions

You’ll have to travel past a modern-appearing city known as Raika or  Toreeh City. This city is really great for commerce or dance clubs. The modern roads go right to the edge of a cliff where it switches to dirt. Asking directions from this location usually gets you into the valley fairly easily.

Following the road  as it winds around the bottom of the large bluff and cliffs known as the Hanging Cliffs or the Golden Cliffs. This road dumps you into the huge forested valley.

Sometimes the road’s called “The King’s Road” but it’s mostly only called that by the locals.

When asking for directions, you’ll probably do best by asking directions to the witch seer (king). The king is largely implied for this particular ruler but most people will be able to fathom out which seer you’re asking about. Information brokers and certain fox spirit clans in particular are good sources of information. The kingdom is very large so it’s a popular destination, despite the sparse population.

 

Climate and infrastructure

Infrastructure in this area isn’t terribly well-built. Homes and villages are constructed with wood, stone, and magic but some residents live in trees or burrows. There are a few scattered buildings but the most noteworthy building is the ruler’s castle. It is made of sea glass and sand, towering up like the mountains it mirrors on the right of the beach. It half sits on the water. The is a modern-appearing city on the other side of the cliffs before entering the valley.

Trade is flourishing in this area and the villages tend to be friendly. The port attached to the castle especially is a current focus. If you need a place to stay, you may be able to find room & board in the villages or even in the castle. You can also camp out in the wilderness.

Roads do exist in this area but there isn’t a road to the castle. Instead, roads lead in and out of the valley and to villages or the mountains. Water is extremely common in this area and you can follow most streams and rivers  to villages or right to the beach itself.

Temperature wise, this area is temperate with a late summer-early autumn season. It does snow, on occasion but that largely depends on the ruler’s moods. This realm is largely stable, topographically speaking, but the weather fluxes to the ruler’s moods. The sky is usually very blue and the forest near the entryway will be golden and red birches fading into your “average” green forest trees.

There will be tall mountains will be in the distance on all side of the forest, save for the road you’re on and the sea. The mountains are very hard to climb and tower so high they are cloaked by clouds. The ones right of the castle are known as the Taira Mountains. In the mountains and cliffs there’s an aerie city of griffins. There’s other beings living in those mountains so it can be pretty fierce at times. Clan members of the fox guards also live at the base of the mountains by the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean so be wary of hurting any of them. This fox clan tends to hold a grudge.

The ocean in the distance is very blue and cool. The sand is bright, white, and clean. It smells slightly floral, from the local beach flowers along the edges. the beach is framed by low cliffs on the left and right sides. The ruler’s castle sits to the right on the beach.

 

Friendliness of the locals and how to identify yourself

Identify yourself as a “dreamer” or “spirit walker” if you don’t specifically have a name or title you want to be known by.

This region is extremely welcoming to humans so don’t be afraid to say hi to people. Even the king themselves is rather friendly. The king’s court is large but often has time for visitors.

If you run into trouble or are attacked, you can informed the king. Whether they address the issue or not depends on the situation but they’ll take care of problematic people.

 

People to know in the area: 

The spirit ruler is very powerful both personally and politically. So long as you don’t cause a fuss or incite violence, they won’t concern themselves with you. Don’t cross them though and don’t hurt their people. They’re vicious when necessary and they might not use violence to get back at you. They may just smear your name for all to hear or to block you from the astral.

Many guards are fox spirits so they make tricks or try to bribe you – you do not need to pay to gain entry into the kingdom or the palace. They also don’t appear human so prepare yourself mentally. Much of the staff is like this.

There’s a lot of staff that’s willing to help out but we’ll get into that in a future post.

 

Sights and things of note in this area:

That castle has a pool and waterfall of cleansing water. Visitors and staff can bathe in the lower public part of the castle to cleanse themselves spiritually and receive minor healing. There’s another part of the pool in the ruler’s audience hall which is worth seeing because it’s beautiful but they’ll gut you like a fish for trying to use it.

The spirit king here uses magic, especially in combat often leads battles. It’s kind of like watching a video game or anime so they’re worth watching from a safe distance if you’re into that sort of thing.

 

Warnings and things to be wary of: 

Be careful around the beach. There’s a very large sea dragon that likes to bask in the sun there. The dragon’s pretty ambivalent in general towards most things and won’t like being bothered with questions.

Merfolk also like to sun themselves on the beach, near the rocks, but they might try to drown you for the fun of it. The ruler and/or their staff will probably stop them but it’s better safe than sorry. The dragon, however, won’t help.

 

Honestly, this is a great place to visit if you’re looking for a less modern and less populated area. The folks are friendly and helpful but it’s sometimes a journey to get here. But, if you want a good place to start your astral exploring, this is a good beginner area.

 

I’ll add to this post when there’s a new information to add so check back often.

Does some of this sound familiar? This location and people have been mentioned here, here, and here. Been here before? Drop a line and let me know if I need to add information.

Protection from Spirits Spell (Spell Saturday #29)

There’s plenty of protection spells out there. Most are general. They protect from everything but it’s a good idea to have protection spells for specific reasons. Protection spells of this nature not only allow you to tailor the spell to specific desires (like a fire protection spell when you regularly run the fireplace or a fire pit) but it also allows you to remove that protection as needed. Like if you want to invite spirits into your home on Samhain but you don’t want to deal with them on your average Tuesday.

This spell is designed to work for a most spirits. It doesn’t work as well against the fae or spirits with a gift for illusion and glamour. It hampers them but doesn’t work as well against them. Still, the spell’s great for most entities and worth having.

What you’ll need:

  • Basil
  • Thyme
  • Sage
  • Salt or sea salt
  • Rue (not Syrian rue)
  • Large nails or spikes (see notes)
  • Sun water (see notes)

Take your sun water and wash the large nails/spikes in it. Let dry in direct sunlight. Avoid letting night or big shadows touch them. (Putting them outside is a good idea but setting them in a window works well too.) Keep them wrapped until you’re ready for the next step.

Powder the herbs and salt together. Set aside until you’re ready.

On a sunny day, step outside. Sprinkle the powder over your nails/spikes. Go to each door, ground level window, and gate, touching the nails to them and sprinkling the powder in a line across the ground or windowsill. You’re creating a line that can’t be crossed. Take the nail or spike and drive them into the ground at the edge of your property. This should all be done before the sun sets.

pfs

Notes:

  • To get large nails or spikes, check either a hardware store or online. Railroad spikes are the best option but I’ve gone to a hardware store and picked up a foot and a half long aluminium-steel nail for less than $1 so do what works best for you. This works no matter what kind of nail or spike you use.
  • Sun water is water that’s been left in the sunlight. It can also refer to rain water collected on a sunny day (when it rains while it’s still sunny).
  • You can drive the nails as deep as you like into the ground. I’ve put them underground before and I’ve left them sticking halfway out of the ground. Remember that you’ll probably need to mow the lawn or walk near that space so keep that in mind with your placement. Replacing lawn mowers can be very expensive and tripping over your own protection spell is embarrassing.

Happy casting!

Undead, a short story

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She wasn’t dead. She wasn’t precisely alive either but she wasn’t dead and that’s all that mattered.

Mostly.

She knew something was wrong. Her skin itched and when it didn’t itch, she didn’t feel it at all. That didn’t seem right but she wasn’t sure how it was wrong either.

It was just so hard to think.

The witch woman was back again too. She wasn’t entirely sure how long it was between when the woman left and returned. Maybe it was only a few minutes but it seemed like longer, felt like longer. Or maybe the woman was gone weeks or years and the time felt faster. She didn’t know and that felt wrong too.

The woman always grinned, hugely, when she saw her. Always reached out with young hands with long nails and ran her strong fingers through her stringy, dry hair. That didn’t seem right either. She felt like her hair use to be soft, beautiful, and shining. Now it was lack and hung limply. Why did it do that?

“Ah.” The woman would coo and the sound would spark rage and fear in her. She couldn’t seem to unlock either of those emotions externally, couldn’t seem to work them up out of her heart and into her mouth or face. She only tried to lean away a bit, unable to move with the chains around her neck keeping her to the rotting wooden wall.

“Ahh. There’s my little zombie. How are you today? Not so pretty now, are we bitch? I rode his dick all night last night. It was magnificent. He hasn’t mentioned you once. He doesn’t even care what happened to you. Bitch. He’s mine now.”

The woman often went on like this. She didn’t know why, but that filled her with anger too. More hidden anger she couldn’t tap. Sometimes, she tried to curse back at the woman but nothing more than a guttural moan ever passed her ragged lips.

She had this feeling that she was here because of that woman. That the woman had done this to her. Whatever had happened had been because of the woman. She didn’t know why, but that seemed right somehow. It was very hard to think, like she was thinking through a thick, hazy fog. That didn’t seem right either but it was how things were.

She didn’t know about the ‘he’ the woman referred to. Clearly, it was a man who was suppose to know her. But she didn’t remember any man. She remembered no one and nothing. Just the shack with the rotting wood with night and day slipping through the cracks in the walls. She knew nothing.

And she wanted to know. She very desperately wanted to know. She didn’t know her name or why she was there or what was happening to her. She wanted to know. But she was never able to ask her questions to find out. She thought she should be frustrated by that but she couldn’t work up that emotion either.

The woman usually just ranted at her. Sometimes the woman even slapped or hit her hard enough to knock her to the ground before laughing wildly and leaving. The blows never hurt or left marks that she could see. The woman never left food or let her use the bathroom. And she never needed either. She didn’t wonder why that was. She didn’t want to know why that was true.

She just knew her shack and that something was wrong. She knew that she was both dead and not and that it was wrong.

She was wrong. She didn’t know how to be right again. Maybe if she thought about it a bit more, something would come to her.

 

[Original work by Samantha L. Davidson / This Crooked Crown. Support This Crooked Crown on Patreon for more short stories and novellas. Originally posted here.]

 

How to Share Your Home with Ghosts & Spirits

Living in a haunted house is some people’s dreams. And for others, it’s nightmare material. We’re apathetic here. We moved into a somewhat haunted house but the initial spirit fragments that remained behind went away eventually and now the only spirits that are here are either passing ghosts looking for help from the Necromancer or my own spirits doing their thing.

You can absolutely live harmoniously with spirits. It’s totally doable. Here’s how.

 

Be respectful

You’re sharing space. It’s a non-corporeal roommate. Remember that whoever is staying with you might not be human (anymore) but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a person. Respect their rights. If they’re not human to begin with, such as fae or other spirits, then you’ll want to pay special attention to their particular cultural habits.

That being said. They should also be respectful of you. You’re paying rent after all. They’re not. You get to set the rules first.

 

Set up your protections

Setting up protection spells can be as easy as dumping as many protection spells as you can cast on your space. But how do you set up those protection spells that will still allow spirits in?

Easy. You specify in the spell that you want only malevolent spirits or those with ill intent to stay out. It’s as easy as that. If you already have protection spells set up, you might need to tear them down and put the back up accordingly.

Save yourself some trouble and put up your regular “no entry at all” protection spells in private areas like bedrooms and bathrooms. You only need to look up to see a ghost looming over you in the bathroom mirror once to make sure that it never happens again. (FYI, in such an example, don’t punch the mirror. It doesn’t help. Trust me.)

 

Establish household rules (Set up a magical information board)

One way to do this is to pick up an object and magically set the rules. The information could be something like “anyone who harms a member of the household evicts ALL spirits” or “no playing music at three a.m.”. That usually makes sure that spirits govern each other and gives you less work to do. Set the item in a window, by the door, in the yard, or by the offerings. If the spirit has a space, leave it near their space (but not in the space).

How to do this is easy. Pick up your selected object and let it sync up with your energy. Keep the energy level minor (you don’t want to hurt the entity). While passing on a light trace of energy, also think or say what you want to say. A quartz crystal is especially good for this.

If you’re really lucky, you’re rooming with an entity that can also do magic and you can pass each other imaginary memos about stuff. Which can be really cool or completely weird.

 

Set up some offerings

This is hit or miss. I leave offerings but not daily. It allows me to keep my schedule flexible and makes sure people don’t get greedy. There’s nothing worse than spirits setting off fire alarms or breaking stuff because you didn’t give them a glass of water.

It’s up to you though. Do what you want and work that out among yourself.

 

Leave a space for them

This might not be doable for you but leaving a space that’s their is important. Usually spirits will treat to less used areas when we inhabit homes. Leaving a space dedicated to them means that you know where to go when you want to talk to them and you’ll know where they hang out.

You should not enter this space unless you need to talk to them or need something stored in this room. For example, our spirits have three rooms, technically but two rooms have animal inhabitants so the spirits tend to stay away. Instead, they hang out in the heater room is where we store things like paint cans, tools, and cat carriers. Since we rarely need those items or check the machines in there, we leave it for the spirits.

That’s only possible because we have a lot of unused space in our house. Your situation will be different. A closet or basement is popular but might not be ideal merely for the creepy factor. You could also set aside a chair or something similar for them instead.

 

Warn when you’re going to cleanse the space

Cleansing is the “did you turn it off and on again?” of magical practices. Which means we tend to do it a lot when weird stuff happens.

But cleansing can be harmful to spirits. To hedge your bets, give the spirits a warning when you plan to cleanse the space. A simple “hey, I’m doing a cleansing. Clear out for a while” works just fine.

 

Have your banishing tools on hand

If a spirit becomes aggressive, banish it and cleanse the space. You may want to adjust your protection spells or you can let it back in once it has learned it’s lesson. Up to you. But keeping those tools available on hand can save the day.

 

Be patient

Just because you’re sharing space doesn’t mean that they’re going to be around all the time. You may never physically see the spirit sharing your space. That’s OK. You’re not meeting them on their level either so they probably won’t try to meet yours.

If you do want to see them, then you may need to try some meditation or astral projection in order to sync up spiritually. Even then, you’re more likely to sense them than see them. Physical manifestation is difficult for spirits to do and for people to see. The mind doesn’t really like it. Be patient and know that it may never happen.

 

htsyhwgas

That’s it! Living with spirits is a lot like living with people. Sometimes they’re annoying and sometimes they’re awesome. It can take a while to get use to living with them but the most important thing to remember is to stand your ground. You pay for rent, not them, so you get to make the rules. When in doubt, kick them out.

Binding Bad Habits (Spell Saturday #27)

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We’ve all got bad habits, right? I bite my nails when I’m nervous or idle. It’s one of those things that I hate so much and yet can’t stop myself. This spell is designed to help stop those bad habits.

This can be used on yourself or on someone else. I only caution that you make yourself aware that bad habits often have deeper root causes and binding the bad habit can lead to other negative behaviors. Just a heads up.

The beauty of this spell is that it’s knot magic! I love knot magic and it’s so easily customized to your needs. You can use this spell while making a friendship bracelet, tie a few simple knots in a piece of string, tying your shoes, or even braiding your hair. For the purposes of writing, I’m using a single piece of string but if you’re doing something else then you say each thing while crossing the strands and repeat the entire spell as a chant.

 

You’ll need:

  • String

Measure out your string accordingly and say the following,

I bind my body

Tie a knot

I do not [bad habit]

Tie a knot

I am not [bad habit]

Tie a knot

I will not [bad habit]

Tie a knot

My will is strong

Tie a knot

I endure and surpass all impulses to [bad habit]

Tie a knot

I am strong enough.

Tie the piece of string around your wrist as a reminder. Touch the string when you catch yourself doing the bad habit or desiring to do so. Repeat the spell when the string becomes damaged or needs replacing.

bbh

That’s it! Happy casting!

50 Offerings to Give a Faerie

Ever want to get in contact with the Fae? Leaving an offering is the best way. Set down something wonderful and prepare for mischief and trouble!

50otgaf

  1. Water from a spring, river, or purified water
  2. Bread
  3. Honey
  4. Wine
  5. Milk or cream
  6. Alcohol
  7. Small palm-sized petite fours or cakes
  8. Unwrapped candy
  9. Meadowsweet
  10. Roses
  11. Daisies
  12. Violets
  13. Bluebells
  14. Primrose
  15. Thisledown
  16. Cowslip
  17. Pansy
  18. Foxglove
  19. St. John’s Wort
  20. Bouquets of flowers
  21. Mushrooms
  22. Strawberries
  23. Berries
  24. Elderberries
  25. Peaches
  26. Apples
  27. Plums
  28. Other fresh fruit
  29. Mint
  30. Clover
  31. Thyme
  32. Mugwort
  33. Ferns
  34. Hawthorn
  35. Willow
  36. Elder
  37. Birch
  38. Shells
  39. Feathers
  40. Coins
  41. Jewelry
  42. Silver or gold
  43. Crystals
  44. Beads
  45. Shiny objects
  46. Interesting stones
  47. Spirit house
  48. Faery garden
  49. Bells
  50. Cheerful music

Of course, these are just some of the offerings that can be made. Some fae will appreciate some gifts better than others. Some items are merely associated with the fae and may interest them, if not precisely count as an offering.

You may also want to double check whether your offerings are also good for the environment. The fae may enjoy a cookie but the wildlife probably won’t.

Remember your fairy tales! Don’t eat anything, don’t offer up your name (instead say something like “you may call me X”), and don’t agree to anything!

Have fun!