Untit de mortuis nil nisi bonum

morgan//kitty. devotee of Hekate. worshiper of the theoi + select other gods. witch. seer. necromancer.

[norsemoonscyther]

Hekate.

[magpiespotting-blog]

[zay4ik]

[anothersusurrus]

Can You Imagine?

A Poem by Robert Frost

       Can you imagine a world without witches,        A world with all people the same?        Where the only known dragons are hiding in books,        And children are terribly tame?        A world without magic would be sad indeed.        I cannot imagine the pain        Of having a world where there’s no Santa Claus,        Where wizards are searched for in vain.                Can you imagine a world without spells,        That science and businesses run?        And think of the sadness a unicorn feels        When he no longer plays in the sun        Can you imagine a world without witches,        No elves, and no magical pools?        And can you imagine how dull it would be        If all that we had were the schools?                I cannot imagine a world without witches,        A world with no magical wand.        A world without beauty, or even a dream,        Or a wood sprite of whom to be fond        They say I should grow up and be more mature,        Like a normal adult ought to do.        But I’d rather, at night, go to dance with a witch,        And I’ll bet that you feel that way, too.

[beautiful-moon-child]

[kitschandvintage-deactivated201]

[katphilbin]

[angelg59]

The Warren 8x10” Ink and Watercolor on Paper

[cashmeremammoth]

book witches they know the myths, the curling legends. and so when odd things start to happen (when one makes the table shake its contents off and another looks down to see her hands stained with light) they know what they’re dealing with. and what’s more, they know where the answers lie.

[brattybatt-blog]

❤️♦️❤️♦️ indecisive ace from outer space

[graveyard-keys]

Charm School for Beginners in Dealing With Spirits

Everyone’s been a beginner, and if you think you haven’t, then you may be lying to yourself. Horror story upon horror story (pun intended) has been told about beginners in dealing with spirits messing things up terribly. We’ll all probably have a little mishap at some point, but there’s one thing many newbies miss, or simply don’t know enough about, that could save them a lot of trouble: being polite! 

I know, I know. It seems obvious, but hear me out. Certain things that are common to do might not be acceptable, and you may not even realize that you’re doing anything wrong. Sometimes it’s hard to keep in mind that you’re dealing with things that require just as much respect as you do, with their own boundaries. Your own mileage may vary, as there are all sorts of experiences (and in fact, different things you could encounter with varying levels of coherence and alignment). I’ll gladly take any question/comments/concerns, but generally these things will make your life much easier. 

Hosting a party? (summoning/meeting with spirits): You've picked up your pendulum, are honing a natural talent, or have a little more experience and are actively calling something to you? Well, good for you! We’ll assume that you’re speaking with or summoning something you've never dealt with before. In this situation, it is very important that you put your best foot forward, since some spirits tend to be gossips, and word will get around quickly what sort of person you are. Unlike dealing with humans, though, there can be some serious repercussions aside from a bad social reputation, including getting on the bad side of deities, haunting, and being stalked and followed in your own home and spaces. It’s always best to have a clean space (energetically and physically), a level head, and something to sweeten the deal for your guests-- oh, I mean this literally. Most ghosts/spirits like sweets. Also, it’s important you speak in a manner that conveys respect, which brings us to our next point.

Conversation: Always keep in mind that you are talking to a dead creature, but a creature like you or I all the same. It is rude to order a spirit to do something for you with no payment, it is rude to ask deeply personal questions about a stranger (or about yourself to a stranger-- imagine walking up to the man on the subway and asking him about your relationships or other personal matters!). It is rude to shove a spirit away because you’d rather talk to someone else. With regards to the dead, it is especially rude to ask how they died, specific questions about being dead, etc. Should you cultivate a relationship, these topic may be offered up or made easier to talk about, but never assume.

Attitude: A spirit is not a joke for you to laugh at. A spirit is not something to scream and cry at. It is not wise to summon something just to see if you can/if an entity is real. Divination tools don’t exist to be played with as toys. This is all rude, and some of it can be dangerous. You may find out that you’re biting off more than you can chew-- like inviting a house party you didn't intend to happen, or a full fledged murderer into your home. Remember: you are not better than anyone else. Your natural talent doesn't make you the best to ever live of die. Getting cocky or talking trash about others will get you in trouble. Don’t do it.

Appearance: Oh, I’m not talking about yours! I just think it’s useful to remind that the dead can be tricky-- what looks like a little girl could be an old woman, or an entity trying to feed off of you. What sounds like a nice man could be exactly that-- or something that will become obsessed with you and stalk you around. What something appears to be or says it is may not be the truth. Yes, behave respectfully, but always with caution and proper precautions in case things get out of hand.

Doing their part: Just like a living guest, a dead guest should never overstay their welcome. They should never harm you or make you feel uncomfortable. if they do anything that you are not alright with, you may politely ask them to leave and cleanse your area. If this doesn't work, gradually increase the forcefulness as needed. Remaining polite may keep you from getting in trouble in certain situations, but when anything was going to hurt you from the beginning, it is not worth it to continue trying with your safety at risk.

[ianception]

[wilted-scenes]

[brutalgeneration]

[graveyard-keys]

Curses...

Curses are almost illicit in the general pagan community, and let’s face it, it’s not too hard to see why. Pop culture influences our views on what they are and what they are not, lends them a cliched feeling, and makes us conjure up the image of badly worded (or perhaps simply nonsensical) Latin spells. It’s not just that that taints our views on things, though. So many modern pagans attend to the idea of “love and light”, which is definitely not a bad thing. Somewhere along the lines, though, misinformation was spread about curses, and now when they’re mentioned they’re often met with a huge gasp and a scolding at the least. This simply shouldn’t be the case.

Keep your own moral codes in mind as we continue here. It’s up to you to decide what is right and wrong, and it’s up for you to do it for yourself. This is mostly opinion and general knowledge, and may not ring true for you. Questions/comments/concerns are welcome.

Curses aren’t inherently a bad thing?: This can be hard for many people to wrap their heads around, but it’s the truth. Of course, there are different kinds of curses, and different moral codes. Cursing a book (ie. If someone touches this book, they will feel an intense pain in their arm) is different than cursing a person (ie. This person is going to feel an intense pain in their arm for a week/month/year). There’s a difference between cursing a book simply, and making it more extreme (ie. if someone touches this book, they will become violently ill for an extended period). It’s up to you to decide where it becomes too much/too far.

I’ve heard of people using curses as protection?: Yep! Some people will curse themselves to avoid certain actions (ie. if I smoke, I will have an uncontrollable twitch for an hour), and others will curse themselves as a form of a ward (ie. If someone harms me, they themselves will feel intense pain). Also, you can protect objects with a curse-- see that book example above.

“But the law of three--”: Not everyone is Wiccan. I’m not. While I’m not judging your path, you have to remember that not everyone follows it. Saying this to someone who is not Wiccan is the pagan equivalent of that one person who screams bible passages from street corners. Please don’t judge non-Wiccans that don’t believe in or follow this rule. Also, don’t judge other people on your path for cursing! You could create a curse that causes a twitch, or a tick. You could create a curse that makes someone’s mouth dry. Not all curses hurt. Since I’m not a member of your path, I won’t say more.

Let’s be honest with ourselves: I have seen far too many people who do practice cursing claiming that they can kill someone with a curse. I just want to say this-- what deity is going to carry that out for you? What entity? What spirits? Even if you could figure that part out (and you won’t), how would it weigh on your psyche? These people are mostly bluffing, or people who think that they’re all-powerful and are clearly not. Don’t let these people scare you away/think that all people who lay curses on things are awful.

In conclusion: Hey, let’s not be jerks! Everyone walks a different path, and those who do practice witchcraft are going to do it in different ways. There’s no reason to be judgmental. On the flip side of the coin from those who are judgmental, there’s no reason to be cocky. You look stupid and give us a bad name.

[love-personal]

[libraford]

“Don’t fuck with spirits” they say.

“Don’t summon things,” they say. 

“Don’t play with ouija boards” they say. 

How is any hard-working necromancer supposed to get anything done around here?

[marcomazzoni]

“The Tamer” #coloredpencils #paper for #home @galleriagiovannibonelli thanx to all the people i met yestersay for the opening!