Poison

is in everything, and no thing is without poison. The dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy. -Paracelsus

[alchemagick]

An Alchemy Discord Server Appears

Hello friends! I’ve decided to start a discord server dedicated to the research and practice of alchemy. I don’t expect it to be very active, as my intention is for this to be somewhat of a community grimoire/research journal of sorts. It’s in the early stages and I’d love to see some more alchemy enthusiasts there to help me fill it with information!

https://discord.gg/gntYeGV

[alchemagick]

Guys this is still a thing! I recently revamped the discord but don’t have many active people to participate in my weekly discussions, etc. I’d love more people to discuss, learn and grow with! :)

[alchemagick]

Hello! If it's not too much trouble, could I please have a tarot reading? I'm interested in magic in general but I tend to stay on the sidelines, sticking to reading theory and not practicing myself. I am always unsure how to even go about it. Any advice on where to start or how? Or the best way to hone my abilities?

I hope you are well and don’t hate me too much for how long this reading has taken me to get to. <3 I could make up any number of excuses and none of them would be good. But I did finally draw a card for you. :)

What is keeping you from practicing - Nine of Pentacles

It seems like you might be afraid of failing, of practicing “wrong”. This card is traditionally about success, comfort, etc., all the things you hope for in practicing but are afraid of not seeing in the craft. Everyone’s craft is different, so no matter how you practice, there’s really no way of doing it wrong. If you find that one thing in the craft doesn’t work for you, then you don’t have to do it! Make it your own and don’t let anyone stop you. The best advice I can give about starting to practice is to just start. But if you need some ideas on ways to do so, check out these posts: [X] [X] [X] :)

[alittlewitchindisguise-deactiva]

So uhm, five things I like about myself uh?

1. My memory (Lol strange but I like it)

2. My eyes (yey)

3. My lips (Why not!)

4. My hands (I like em)

5. My… Uh… Idk.. my intelligence? Idk had no idea sorry lmao.

SO MY FELLOW FELLOWERS(lol); @5-is-a-tux @deep-body-of-water @upcsdedown @grimlilli @darkfyretheumbrawitch @hufflepuff-from-canada @literature-witch @alchemagick @matauryn @matauryn (i haven’t talked to some of you, but you seem nice)

YOUR TURN NOW !

[alchemagick]

I don’t normally post anything other than alchemy/witchcraft stuff buuuutt.....

My intelligence - this was almost my second favorite thing about myself, but it’s just something I wouldn’t ever feel comfortable without. After a lifetime of being told I’m always wrong and doubting myself, this is something I have to hold on to very tightly for my own sanity

My empathy - It sucks to feel what other people are feeling sometimes, but most of the time I’m really glad I have this ability. I’d have a hard time socializing and making friends without this.

My psychic abilities - It’s getting to the point where I can see spirit auras and I’m super stoked about this. I feel like these abilities make up a lot of who I am.

My voice - Being in a college level choir was one of the best experiences of my life. Singing is one of my lost passions that I hope to pick up again soon. The goal was once Broadway, but we’ll see where life takes me.

My tattoos - 5/6 of them are Harry Potter related and 80 year old me will feel no shame

I won’t burden any of my followers with a tag, but feel free to do this if you wish. :) It’s a good exercise for daily positivity!

[alchemagick]

Project Time: 81 days of Tao

Recently I’ve been really trying to get in touch with my Buddhist self. I mean, that’s kind of the point, right? Part of my process for doing this is contemplation of the universe and how we fit into it. What better way to do this than with the Tao Te Ching?

Some important background info

Taoism and Buddhism are not one in the same. The Tao Te Ching, as the name suggests, is an ancient Chinese classical text written (possibly) by enlightened philosopher Lao Tzu. The text places a lot of focus on our material world, whereas Buddhism focuses on becoming one with our higher self through release of material ties.

It is my belief that in order to fully release from the material world, we must first understand it and all its workings. This is where a comprehensive look at the Tao Te Ching comes in.

My challenge to you

Over the next 3 months or so, I’ll be reading a chapter a day and recording my thoughts and feelings about what I’ve read. I challenge you to join me! I’ll be posting my journal entries here but you certainly don’t need to do so. I would, however, like to hear your experience along the way if you decide to join me with this project. There are 81 chapters in all. It’s a big task, but I think it’ll be worth it and beneficial to us. Who doesn’t need a little spiritual enlightenment, amirite?

If you’re not sure where to access the Tao Te Ching text, there are a few apps that give free access to all the chapters and a quick google search turned this up: boop it’s a link.

If you’ll be joining me in this project, leave a comment! If at all possible, I’d love for you guys to keep me (and others) accountable. If you see that I haven’t posted a journal entry in a while, kick me in the butt about it!

[alchemagick]

Hello! I was seeing if you were still doing tarot readings and could possibly do one on me! I know I have a purpose in some spiritual way but am having trouble finding it.

Hello, hello! Yes, free readings are still open. :) I should probably go through and change a few of my pages....but eh, I’m lazy. I don’t have my physical deck on me, so I hope you don’t mind that I’ll be using a digital deck. If this is an issue for you, feel free to send me another message and I’ll redo the reading. <3

Current situation: Tree of Life

The tree of life reveals itself here to confirm what you’ve already been feeling. The universe is calling to you, and now is a wonderful time to take a moment to listen to what it is saying! Most spiritual paths begin with a lot of meditation and introspection. Ask yourself: what is the universe to me? how do I fit into it? how do I become more in sync to its energies as well as my own energies?

Action to take: III of Coins

The suit of coins highly suggests that embarking on this journey will bring you not only spiritual gain, but material gain as well. This may be in the form of praise from those around you, a promising advance toward your career, etc. Combined with the tree of life, your course of action is to get more in tune with yourself. After all, the Self is at the center of spirituality.

Outcome: VI of Swords

As you may hope, I see you coming out of this more aware of yourself and the world around you. It doesn’t all happen at once but the rewards are well worth the wait. Start slow and eventually you’ll be able to see a huge difference between who you are now and who you were when you first started this journey.

I hope this helped! If you need more tips on where to start, just let me know and I’d be happy to type something up with sources. Love and light, friend! xoxo

[alchemagick]

To all you Witchblrs out there

It’d be really cool if we all started linking the references we used for our information at the bottom of our posts. I love using tumblr, but it’s really hard to trust the info here. I’ll start linking, will anyone else join me?

[alchemagick]

What schools of magic are there other than alchemy ?

Wowza I apologize for the time it took to answer this. D: To be quite honest, I hadn’t really considered any other schools of thought so I had to do a bit of research of my own! What I found was this link on wikipedia which links to information on a bunch of Esoteric Schools of Thought. It seems like a good place to start! I’d suggest reading the wikipedia article on them first and then reading some of the search results that pop up on google for specific schools of thought that you wanna look into.

I’m not sure if this helped, but I hope it did! Love and light, friend.❤

[alchemagick]

Do you have any tips for alchemy beginners?

Yeeees so many. I’ve been trying to find the most opportune time to make a post about this so thank you thank you for asking!

Alchemy for Beginners

So you wanna be an alchemist, huh? Welcome to the dark side, my friend. >:) Here I’ll make a list of steps I think will be helpful when first starting out your journey into alchemy. You don’t have to follow them, and you can certainly go out of order, this is just what I think will be easiest to do and understand.

Why Alchemy? - Consider what has drawn you to this practice. (Maybe write this down in a journal, it could be the start of an alchemical grimoire!) Was it the symbols? The elixirs? The Great Work? Ask yourself, what impressions do you currently have about alchemy? These are all important questions to answer with yourself because it will set you up for which path to follow in alchemy.

The History - Researching the history of alchemy - how it came about, how it differs in different cultures, etc. - is so important to understanding what it is today and the type of alchemy you would like to practice. It wasn’t originally associated with the occult; its journey there is really quite fascinating (as well as learning where a lot of modern medical practices stem from).

The Greats - Paracelsus, Carl Jung, Paracelsus, Nicolas Flamel, Paracelsus. Did I mention Paracelsus? All jokes aside, definitely do your homework on some of the really influential alchemists. I lean toward practicing both from Paracelsus’ teachings and the teachings from Taoism. I’m not sure if this is true for everyone, but you may find an alchemist that really rings with you that you want to follow through all their teachings. I’m even going to set up a space on my altar (eventually) dedicated to the memory of Paracelsus because I vibe almost as strongly with him as I have deities.

A Big Decision - Alright, you know your history, you know some great alchemists, what’s next? By now you will have learned that over time alchemy has shifted from meaning one thing to another. It is up to you to decide which methods and which path is the best for you. As I said, I follow Paracelsus’ teachings and dabble in Taoist teachings, so I take a little from both. Most people that I’ve seen today (I’m looking at you my fellow alchemy blogs 👀) practice the more modern and spiritual side of alchemy. I guess I’m just old fashioned. Neither is more correct than the other, it’s all just up to personal preference.

Dive - Diving deep into the infinite waters! If you don’t understand this reference, please go watch this video. I guarantee it’ll brighten your day. Here is where you begin the practice of your path. I highly suggest keeping a written record of everything you learn and experience on this journey. One day you’ll look back at all the progress you’ve made and realize that you’ve unknowingly become a well-versed alchemist!

Eventually I will make reference posts for some different paths in alchemy, but for right now I just don’t have the means to do so. I hope this has helped you, and if you stumble along the way and need any help at all, don’t hesitate to PM me. Love and light, friend! ❤

[alchemagick]

Alchemical Process - Calcination

Calcination is the first step in that of 12 described by the early alchemists in the process of substance transformation. There are three physical forms of calcination - actual, potential, and philosophical - and then spiritual calcination.

Calcination - heating to high temperatures in air or oxygen

Actual Calcination - calcination brought through the use of actual fire from wood, coals, or other fuel, raised to a certain temperature.

Potential Calcination - calcination brought about by potential fire, such as corrosive chemicals (ie. mercury, sal ammoniac, salt, alkali salt, sulfur, vinegar, antimony, aqua fortis, etc).

Philosophical Calcination - horns, hooves, etc., were hung over boiling water, or other liquor, until they had lost their mucilage, and were easily reducible into powder.

Spiritual Calcination - breaking down the ego to allow for rebirth and renewal

[alchemagick]

Hello ! I'm not even a starter because I haven't started yet but I've always thought that I have a connection with this world and I just read your post about witchcraft for starters and I couldn't help but ask you. How would you define what is witchcraft nowadays for someone who has no idea? Thank you for taking your time on reading this !

This is such a beautiful question, thank you for asking!

If I were to describe what witchcraft is to someone who is completely foreign to the concept, I’d probably start by saying that witchcraft is a way of harnessing and using the power that is within us.

Hmm…

It’s funny, I’ve been practicing witchcraft for a few years now and I’m honestly having a hard time coming up with an answer for this. I think because it’s become a second nature to me, I can’t imagine not practicing. It’s so much more than just waving some burning plants around and chanting some rhymes. I think, in a way, I’d describe witchcraft as its own sort of religion in which the prayer, the ritual, the worship, etc., is all centered around the self. We use witchcraft to help make our lives easier and to become closer with our inner self and surroundings. We use our energy to become one with the energies of the earth and worlds beyond. Witchcraft is a way of life, not just a thing we do. It’s who we are.

I hope that answered your question. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to answer until I tried! I also feel no shame in admitting that I will in fact be quoting myself in a quote post.

Love and light, friend xo

[alchemagick]

Hi! Well.. I'm just starting into this, so.. I'd like to know what's the best thing I could do to start in the correct way... Reading a book or something... (I don't know if there's anything to help with mental health too) Anything... Thanks

Hello,friend!

For starters, there’s really no“correct” way to go about the craft. No two witches are the same; we all havedifferent affinities, abilities, opinions, etc., which help to shape our path.That being said, here are a few things you may want to look into to start yourjourney!

Your hobbies

Start here. Might seem odd, but whatbetter way to start practicing witchcraft than to incorporate it into somethingyou already love to do?

“Being in nature fuels me! I love learning about different herbs and plants!” You might like Green witchery.

Plants used in herbalism

Another list for cross reference

Books on herbalism  Herb metaphysical correspondences

Another herb correspondence list (these last two were heavily Wicca based, so I’d suggest a lot more cross-reference if Wicca isn’t something you’re into)

“I often have very vivid and intense dreams and love looking into the meanings behind them!” Take a look into Dream Witchery.

Dream interpretation symbols

More symbol interpretations

Books on dream interpretation

The Interpretation of Dreams - Sigmund Freud

Have some PDFs: [X] [X] [X]

“I feel a deep connection to the sea. I love spending my days walking along the beach, collecting shells, and taking in the ocean’s energy.” Sea Witchery for the win.

Sea Witch vs. Water Witch

Ocean Magick

Correspondences AF

Shell Correspondence List

“I long for rainy days and feel empowered by strong shifts in the weather. Splashing in puddles, who doesn’t love that?!” Storm/Weather Witchery may be calling you.

Some Storm basics

Harness the power of the storm

Weather Magick Practices

“I love cooking. I spend a lot of my time cleaning up around the house and keeping life in the home comfortable.” You may thrive with Kitchen Witchery.

Tips and Recipes

Spice Magickal Properties

Tips, Tricks, Info

Kitchen Witch Books

Tea Magick How To

Tea Magick Recipes

“Everything I do is centered around technology and I wouldn’t have it any other way! Playing online games and browsing social media is where I’m most happy and comfortable.” Tech Witchery, here you come!

Master Post – So, I’ve been trying to stay away from just linking tumblr posts (I sort of take issue with people getting all their information from Tumblr), but seeing as Tech Witchcraft is a newer thing, there just isn’t much information on it, so here you go!

“I’m a pyro/geo/aero/hydro-maniac. Okay, not literally, but I feel a deep connection to the elements.” Elemental Witchery might be for you.

Fire Magick

Water Magick

Earth Magick

 Air Magick

“I wanna practice witchcraft but I love living in the city… I don’t have to move, right?!” No, you don’t Urban Witch.

Urban Witch Tips

Spell Casting

Urban Witchcraft How To

Spells/Rituals Book

“I love learning about mythical creatures! Fairies are especially beautiful and I’ve always been interested in them.” Buckle your seat belt, Fey Witchery is a wild ride.

The truth about Fey

Working with Faeries

Faery traditions – This page is amazing, it has links to books, articles, lots of historical info

Wow okay thatwasn’t even the tip of the iceberg. There are so many different types ofwitches; if I were to list all of them I fear this answer would be postponedanother week. You can find a list of types of witches/witchcraft here.

As far as witchcraft for mental health, this can be tackled with any form of witchcraft. I personally think that there is a little Green Witch in all of us because knowing the medical uses and correspondences of herbs and oils can be really useful. Take me for example! I’m slowly working toward switching from using medications to only using herbal remedies (please do not jump into this right away, this is something I’ve been researching for over a year now and takes lots of time and dedication to really understand and put to use) for my medical problems, and soon my PCP will be a naturopathic doctor. This doesn’t work for everyone, but it just goes to show that there is so much merit in using what nature freely gives us to cure our ailments.

A few more tips for you to start out:

Go to your local library and check out some books on the occult. Even if it’s a book about the history of witchcraft, that is an awesome place to start.

Get yourself a journal/the start of a Book of Mirrors. Here’s a great post explaining the difference between different witchy books. A BoM isn’t necessary, but it could help you immensely in keeping track of all the info you find and figuring out which path is right for you.

Don’t limit yourself! If one form of witchcraft seems to contradict another, you don’t have to throw one of them away yet. If you are interested in both of them, then study both of them; challenge yourself to find ways to make them cohesive. You may discover new beliefs you never knew you had.

You don’t need any deities. If you have one/some that’s great! But if you don’t currently follow any deities and don’t see yourself doing so in the future, that is completely and 100% valid. Do not let any old crotchety witch try to tell you that you need deities.

Have fun - I think a lot of new witches get caught up in the seriousness of research and forget that witchcraft can be so much fun. It’s empowering, incredible, breathtaking - it is what you make it, and if you’re constantly stressed about it then what’s the point?

Good luck, friend! I hope this helped to guide you in starting your journey. If you have any other questions or want to talk to me in PM, please feel free to do so! I’m happy to help in any way I can. Love and light. ❤

[alchemagick]

Witchy asks

My brain is crying for something to do today, guys. If you have any questions about witchcraft or my general craziness, please feel free to send them here! I’ll answer to the best of my ability. :)

[alchemagick]

Discussion Time: Cursing

Disclaimer: I’m aware that I have an unpopular opinion among witches about cursing but I feel I really need to get this opinion out there. This post isn’t about telling people they shouldn’t curse others (I mean, I really couldn’t stop you even if I tried), it’s just my thoughts on it and what I tend to do in my practice as far as this is concerned.

I’m very thoroughly against cursing. I do not believe that it is right for any one person to use their power, whether this power is magickal, political, etc, to control or take away the free will of another person. Just as I don’t believe it is right for a person to say that certain individuals cannot get married because of their sexuality, or just as I believe that a person shouldn’t have less of an opportunity than another based on their skin color or gender.

“Cursing is my right. By saying I can’t curse, you’re taking away my free will.”

As I said, I’m not telling you that you can’t curse. I just don’t think it’s right and stay away from it as much as possible. I agree that some people have it coming, and while they definitely deserve hardships for their actions, I don’t believe that I (or anyone for that matter) should take it upon myself to do Karma’s work.

Yes, I’m a follower of Buddhism and believe that Karma follows all of us. A curse, whether you believe it to be for an overlying good cause or not, is still an ill wish and bad intent that you are sending out to the universe and specifically toward another person, and therefore will eventually find its way back to you. I know not everyone follows the Threefold Law or Karma, and so again, do as you please.

I should probably follow up with the fact that I don’t perform any spells or anything of the sort that takes away free will of another person. I.e. love spells or anything that a person did not know of or wish upon themselves. I hardly have time to cast spells anyway, but I would always make sure to ask someone before performing a spell for or on them, and if I come across an individual who Karma seems to not have caught up to yet, I would instead shield myself from their negativity and perform spells on myself to find peace in whatever the situation may be.

Now, I’m not perfect. I struggle with this concept nearly every day and sometimes find it rather difficult to stick to my own moral code. This is just part of growing up and I constantly remind myself of my goals and how to achieve them. This post is less for those that want to freely curse (I know I’m repeating myself a lot but I want to make sure that this point gets across: do as you please. I can not nor wish to stop you) and more for those witches who are also against cursing but are constantly bombarded on Tumblr with pro-cursing posts. It’s okay to be against it, and my only purpose for saying any of this was to shed light on another opinion on the topic.

I honestly really love posting these discussion topics, and I love even more when people join the conversation! If you’ve got a topic you’d like to see me discuss, send it to me in an ask and I’ll post my opinion on it. :)

[alchemagick]

Hello! Thank you for your gracious offer of the tarot reading. I appreciate It :) My question is this: I've been working on trying to make manifest some, albeit selfish, things. Money, cars, a woman I like, a successful business career and what not. Should I still keep sending energy to the universe to make those things manifest or am I just wasting energy?

How to manifest your desires - Justice

This card signifies karma, fairness, honesty, balance, and reason.

Step back from your situation and take a few moments to analyze what it is you desire, why you desire it, and if it’s truly what you need to reach your end goals. You want a new car, well why? Does yours no longer run well? is it because a new car looks cool? is it to save money on gas in the long run? These are important questions to ask yourself in finding the things you truly desire and the correct course of action to manifest them. Don’t stop putting energy into manifesting your desires, but rather shift where your energy is directed for a more practical and fulfilling outcome.

Hope this helped! Good luck with your endeavors, friend. ✨

[alchemagick]

@itsniku on Instagram: “Please! I need some shares to help my Indonesian friend find his lost kitten! It's a little girl named Niku, about 1,5 months old and went…”

5 Likes, 1 Comments - @itsniku on Instagram: “Please! I need some shares to help my Indonesian friend find his lost kitten! It's a little girl…”

This isn’t alchemy or witchcraft, but it’s for a close friend. They’re trying to spread the word about a lost kitten in Indonesia. No kitten left behind!!

@nikucomics

[alchemagick]

Free Tarot Readings

Hello lovely humans! So, ignore my info page, I’ll be doing free tarot readings for the next two weeks until the 31st of March! I’ll be using the beautiful Linestrider tarot deck.

Please send your questions in an ask here. ✨

[alchemagick]

Magnum Opus

The Magnum Opus, or Great Work, is a term used to signify the creation of the philosopher’s stone. Symbolic of personal and spiritual transmutation.

To achieve The Great Work, 12 stages or alchemical processes are described. Traditionally, however, there were only four.

Nigredo - Black: putrefaction or decomposition. In this stage, matter and ego are broken down to their most primal states.

Albedo - White: purification or the washing away of impurities. In order for this stage to be effective, blackness was necessary to reveal each impurity.

Citrinitas - Yellow: “transmutation of silver to gold”; “yellowing of the lunar consciousness”. For the ego, the lunar light is left behind and gives way for the higher, solar light. A spiritual awakening.

Rubedo - Red: This is the end of the process, the completion of the philosopher’s stone, merging of the ego and Self. Oneness.

Through continued research, alchemists elaborated on the four original processes and came up with up to 12 steps in the entire phenomena, sometimes only represented in 7 steps. The extended research includes:

Calcination

Dissolution

Separation

Conjunction

Putrefaction*

Congelation*

Cibation*

Sublimation*

Fermentation

Exaltation*

Multiplication*

Projection*

*In the seven step process, these steps are omitted and fermentation is followed by Distillation and then Coagulation.