An Inner Pursuit

An academic, hard polytheist pagan. Oracle readings and other divinations on request and availability.

[nightskeptic]

Apologies for everyone who was tagged by that awful Ray Ban spam. Password has been changed. That shouldn’t be bothering you again. 

[nightskeptic]

I know I said this was closed, but I had to share this news:

No Evidence of Disease. My cancer is gone. I have some details left to resolve (like the damage done) but here. As long as hot blood runs through my veins, I’m still alive. 

[nightskeptic]

This blog is now closed

I will still pay a little attention to it, and I’ll address private asks. I’m making a new account to get away from someone. If you want to message me to stay in touch, let me know. Also, thank you @thefacebeneaththewaves for the banner logo. 

[danger]

Disclaimer

I SUCK and get sad a lot

[nightskeptic]

I'd give a lot to get the ever loving frick out of my head.

I wish I were capable of drastic options.

I wish I could forgive myself.

[nightskeptic]

Question for the crowd: I don’t want oral sex, and I absolutely don’t want to perform oral sex.  I’m happy to do literally anything else, even the kinda repulsive act of actual sex, if it makes the other person happy and I’m comfortable with them. Does that make me a bad person?

[natural-magics]

Books and Resources (Paganism, Witchcraft and More)

This list has been updated over the years and will continued to be updated over time. If you re-post this elsewhere, kindly credit me because it’s taken a long time to compile what I feel are useful resources on the following topics. The very basics are covered in my FAQ.

Last updated: 6/20/2015

Paganism:

A Pagan Primer — For Those New to Paganism

Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions by River and Joyce Higginbotham

Pagan Spirituality: A Guide to Personal Transformation by River and Joyce Higginbotham

Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America by Margot Adler

Connecting to the Power of Nature by Joe H. Slate

Exploring the Pagan Path: Wisdom from the Elders (a collection of articles, essays and general commentary from various pagan authors)

ChristoPaganism: An Inclusive Path by River Higginbotham and Joyce Higginbotham

Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe by H.R. Ellis Davidson

Wicca:

Wicca for the Rest of Us

Wicca Resources

Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin

Witchcraft Today by Gerald Gardner 

The Meaning of Witchcraft by Gerald Gardner

The Spiral Dance by Starhawk (most recent edition only, old editions have inaccurate info that has since been updated)

Elements of Ritual: Air, Fire, Water & Earth in the Wiccan Circle by Deborah Lipp

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner and Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (Scott Cunningham) – note that this book is somewhat outdated, due to it being written in the 1980s.

Witchcraft (non-Wiccan):

The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft by Judika Illes

Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells by Judika Illes

Crone’s Book of Charms & Spells by Valerie Worth

Witchcraft: a History by P.G. Maxwell-Stuart

Mrs. B’s Guide to Household Witchery by Kris Bradley

Candle Magic for Beginners by Richard Webster

Master Book of Candle Burning by Henry Gamache

A Grimoire for Modern Cunningfolk by Peter Paddon

Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways by Gemma Gary and Jane Cox

Non-Wiccan Witchcraft Reading List

Witch of Forest Grove: Sarah Anne Lawless

Welcome to Witchcraft - A Post for Beginners

The Salem Witch Hunt: A Brief History with Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture) by Richard Godbeer

Witchcraft by Type:

Hedge Witchery Resources

Traditional Witchcraft Resources

Historical Witchcraft Books

Sea Witchcraft Resources / Sea Witchcraft Tag

Cottage Witchcraft Resources

Kitchen and Green Witchcraft Resources

Green Witchcraft: Walking the Green Path

Kitchen in the Cottage

Urban Witchcraft Resources

College Witchcraft/Tips

Chaos Magic:

What is Chaos Magic?

Resources for Sigil Magic and Crafting

World Mythology:

www.sacred-texts.com (free archive of online books about religion, mythology, folklore, and the esoteric)

Mythology: Myths, Legends and Fantasies by Alice Mills

Illustrated Dictionary of Mythology: Heroes, Heroines, Gods, and Goddesses from Around the World by Philip Wilkinson

The Oxford Companion to World Mythology by David Leeming

World Mythology: The Illustrated Guide by Roy Willis

Hellenic Polytheism and Greek Mythology:

www.hellenion.org

www.theoi.com

neokoroi.org

baringtheaegis.blogspot.com

Hellenic Recon Beginner’s Guide

Reconstruction of Hellenic Polytheistic Practices

Hellenic Calendar

An Outline for a Presentation on Hellenismos

Hellenic Resources by Bayoread

Hellenic Resource Download Bundle 1 by Elaphos

Hellenic Resource Download Bundle 2 by Elaphos

Orphic Incenses

Hellenic Terminology

Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monst​ers by Donna Jo Napoli

D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths by Ingri d’Aulaire

Old Stones, New Temples by Drew Campbell

Greek Mythology and Prehistory by W. Harris

The Gods of Reason by Timothy Jay Alexander

A Beginner’s Guide to Hellenismos by Timothy Jay Alexander

Hellenismos Today by Timothy Jay Alexander

The Complete World of Greek Mythology by Richard Buxton

Did the Greeks Believe in Their Myths? by Paul Veyne

Kharis: Hellenic Polytheism Explored by Sarah Kate Istra Winter

Homer’s Iliad, The Odyssey and Homeric Hymns

The Homeric Hymns (PDF) and The Orphic Hymns (PDF)

Homer’s Odyssey (PDF)

Homer’s Iliad (Theoi.com)

Hesiod: Works and Days (PDF version here)

The Theogony of Hesiod (PDF version here)

Magic in Ancient Greece:

Magic in the Ancient Greek World by Derek Collins

Magic, Witchcraft and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds by Daniel Ogden

Arcana Mundi: Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds by Georg Luck

The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation (PDF)

Magika Hiera: Ancient Greek Magic and Religion

Greek Folk Religion by Martin P Nilsson 

Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World by John G. Gager

Magic in the Ancient World by Fritz Graf

Magic and Magicians in the Greco-Roman World by Matthew W. Dickie

Roman Polytheism:

Click Here for Books and Resources

Kemeticism and Ancient Egyptian Mythology:

www.egyptianmyths.net

Kemeticism by The Twisted Rope

The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt by Richard H. Wilkinson

Symbol & Magic in Egyptian Art by Richard H. Wilkinson

Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt by Geraldine Pinch

Celtic Recon and Myth:

Celtic Folklore on Sacred Texts

The Celtic Recon FAQ

The Religion of the Ancient Celts (Sacred Texts)

What is Celtic? 101

Carmina Gadelica by Alexander Carmichael

The Celts: A Very Short Introduction by Barry Cunliffe

The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales by Patrick Form

Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend by Miranda Green

Gods and Heroes of the Celts by Marie-Louise Sjoestedt

The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles by Ronald Hutton

Early Irish Myths and Sagas by Jeffrey Gantz

Druidry/Druidism:

druidry.org

druidnetwork.org

Druidry - A Mega List of Resources

Non-Wiccan Witches: Modern Druidry

Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions (Sacred Texts)

Asatru, Heathenism and Norse Mythology:

www.thetroth.org

grumpylokeanelder.tumblr.com

“Alright, I’m interested in this Norse stuff. Where do I even start?”

The Eddas: The Keys to the Msteries of the North by James Allen Chisholm

The Poetic Edda (PDF)

The Prose Edda (PDF)

Exploring the Northern Tradition by Galina Krasskova

Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs by John Lindow

Dictionary of Northern Mythology by Rudolf Simek

Teutonic Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

The Nature of Asatru: An Overview of the Ideals and Philosophy of the Indigenous Religion of Northern Europe by Mark Puryear

Crystals and Stones:

The Encyclopedia of Crystals by Judy Hall

The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall

Crystal Healing by Judy Hall

Rocks & Minerals by Chris Pellant  (identification handbook)

Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic by Scott Cunningham

Crystal Grids: How and Why They Work by Hibiscus Moon

The Book of Crystal Spells by Ember Grant

Herbal (Magical, Medicinal):

The Master Book of Herbalism by Paul Beyerl

Compendium of Herbal Magic by Paul Beyerl  

The Green Mantle: An Investigation Into Our Lost Knowledge of Plants by Michael Jordan

The Book of Magical Herbs: Herbal History, Mystery, & Folklore by Margaret Picton

A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs: of Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guides)

Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham (good for quick reference, but not in depth information)

The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews by Scott Cunningham 

A List of Threatened Magical Herbs

Resources to Start Learning Local Plants

Notes: please take care before using herbs for medicinal and/or supplemental purposes. Many herbs are toxic (some authors fail to mention this!) and/or have harmful side-effects. Always do research and consult a professional before use. 

Fae and Faerie Faith:

My Masterlist of Fae Resources

Fairy Faith 101

Working with Faery (Info and Resources)

The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries by W.Y. Evans

Runes:

Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic by Edred Thorsson

Runelore: A Handbook of Esoteric Runology by Edred Thorsson

The Complete Illustrated Guide to the Runes by Nigel Pennick

Authors to avoid (due to misinformation, historical inaccuracies, poor research, potentially harmful advice, and/or failure to cite sources):

Silver Ravenwolf (here’s why)

DJ Conway

Edain McCoy

Ann Moura 

Ralph Blum (runes)

approach Llewellyn-published books with caution — there are some great ones, but many aren’t well researched and may contain misinformation.

if all else fails, Google the author and ask around to see what people have to say about them - many bad authors have entire pages or discussions dedicated on why to avoid them!

always fact check information (especially if it involves ingesting anything or putting anything on the skin — just because an ingredient is natural does not mean it isn’t harmful/toxic)

How do I know what to believe? Critical Thinking and Pagan Books

[the-memedaddy]

[spellsinsugar]

Hot take:

Everyone has their own personal relationships with their deities. Even if you worship the same deity, someone else may have a different comfort or identification level.

If you choose to mock people for that, /you’re an asshole/.

(Also - reposting other people’s personal worship poetry/spell work into a group to make fun of them makes you an even bigger asshole.)

[astrolocherry]

the great trick would be… that if you were chosen and taken to the guru that contained all wisdom, experience, and knowledge to answer all of your grandest and most profound questions… you would get there… and like it would just be you looking at you… both  saying “um what are u doing here???!!!”

[nightskeptic]

Legit, one of the both of us would be the first to say “Yeah...this was unexpected.” “The other would offer to break out a 2-player game. Who better understands my gaming aesthetic?” this is an idea worth exploring...

[nightskeptic]

Alright, so I’ve seen some plot twists in my time. Well done Steven Universe team. Well done.

[likespinninplates]

[Learning Irish as an Adult] 1. Basics

Alphabet

The Irish alphabet consists of only 18 letters

a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, l, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u

while the vowels a, e, i, o and u have accented (with a fada) versions which are pronunciation longer.

Word Order

Compared to the “Subject - Verb - Object” word order, Irish uses “Verb - Subject - Object”. Thus Ólann sé uisce = He drinks water.

Pronouns

Definite and Indefinite Articles

There is no indefinite article in Irish, thus buachaill can mean either boy or a boy. There are, however, two forms of the definite article: an is used for singular nouns, while na is used for plural nouns (and feminine nouns in the genitive case).

Caol le caol agus leathan le leathan

This is the golden rule of Irish spelling (slender with slender and broad with broad). Like Russian, each consonant in Irish can represent two different sounds, called broad and slender, which are dependent upon the surrounding vowels.

The slender vowels in Irish are e, é, and i, í, and the broad vowels are a, á, o, ó, and u, ú. The rule says that the vowels on either side of any consonant should match: they should both be slender, or both be broad.

For example, the word folús has two broad vowels o and ú surrounding the constant l, while dóimaid is clearly incorrectly spelled as a slender vowel i and a broad vowel a surround the consonant m (the correct spelling is dóimid).

Nouns

Nouns in Irish are either masculine or feminine, the majority of which are masculine. The following is a general rule of thumb for nouns which are generally feminine:

nouns ending in a slender consonant

nouns ending in -eog, -óg, -lann

multi-syllable nouns ending in -acht or -íocht

names of countries and languages

abstract nouns ending in -e or -í

Noun Plurals

Unlike Russian, forming plurals in Irish is quite irregular. Some patterns do develop but it is best to learn these when learning a new noun.

[aspergersprincess]

Auditory Processing Problems

• *someone says something* “what?” *repeats themselves* “sorry?” *repeats themselves again* “pardon?”

•"hey, y'see the red thing at the top of the shelf, will you get it?“ “Sorry, what?” “On the sh-” “oh yeah sure, I’ll get it.”

•*doesn’t hear teacher because someone’s pen is making a scratchy sound at the back of the room*

•*replays video 10 ten times to figure out what they’re saying*

•teachers asking, “why do you always stop writing in the middle of a sentence, just write down whatever I’m saying,” followed by the response, “I’m just processing it,” rebuked by, “we’ll stop processing it and just write.”

•*gets really focused on staring out the window and goes through four songs without hearing a single on*

[jaspurr]

someone is whispering to their friends in the library, you don’t even know who this person is but you know their major, what state they grew up in, and their hobbies during high school. you just wanted to find a quiet spot to do your chemistry homework.

wanting to chime in on other people’s conversations all the time, but don’t, because you’re not suppose to be “listening” to them.

being the only person in the house that can hear that awful buzzing sound certain electronics make

hiding in your room because everything is too loud. 

motorcycles were invented by satan

being told that you have dog-like hearing by friends and family

being yelled at for “not listening” by friends and family. 

[ossuariies]

God. God. God. God.

[milliecoyote]

This entire post is so fucking relatable it hurts

[winterwombat]

“You just need to learn to tune it out.”

Forgetting how to think because ambient noise is drowning out your internal monologue. 

“No, I don’t need the volume up, I’d just really like to put on subtitles. No, I don’t need to move closer, I just…”

Leaving the room whenever someone starts talking on the phone. 

Pausing your video whenever someone starts talking but trying really really hard not to seem passive aggressive about it. 

Struggling to explain why this one sound is the most horrible thing in the world while other very similar sounds are fine. 

[vibinwitch]

you’re trying to listen to what some very important person is trying to say, but you can only focus on the conversations of the ppl around you

[cupcakeslushie]

sitting in a restaurant and thinking the people sitting next to you are being SO loud because you can hear everything they’re saying, but when you mention it you get weird looks so obviously you’re just overreacting.

not being able to handle the little keyboard sounds as your mom types a text from across the room, but when you ask your mom (who is a quadruple texter) to put her phone on silent you get a murderous look, like you’ve asked her to kill her cat.

turning on ambient noises and trying to relax, only to end up turning it off because it’s not actually helping you fall asleep.

“the speakers are making this high pitched noise”

“what the hell are you talking about?”

“THE SPEAKERS ARE PRACTICALLY SCREAMING HOW DO YOU NOT HEAR THAT??”

“Just ignore it, and focus on the show.”

[nightskeptic]

Well whaddya know...a word that finally captures my state of being. “Demigender” ain’t that bad. Wish this sort of thing were widespread like...20 or so years ago, but better late than never. Can’t really talk about it outside of tumblr, tho. Eh. Beggars can’t be choosers. I will buy a burrito tomorrow to celebrate.

[markv5]

[sailorbrazil]

absolute unit

[kaible-deactivated20181205]

ROUND!!!!!!!!!!

[kaijuno]

R O T U N D

[kelssiel]

A Full-bodied Experience

[softest-star-deactivated2021053]

B O D E

[alolanzubat-moving]

@bizarrolord

[medertaab]

- I feel terrible, like there’s a weight on my chest.

- A heart’s a heavy burden.

Howl’s Moving Castle is perhaps my favorite Miyazaki film, which is why I really enjoyed drawing this. Hope you enjoy it too!

[nightskeptic]

Hey, NightSkeptic. Don't know if you ever made your move to another city, but I'm in Portland. Found you last night through Lilith research--Lilith and Pluto rule my chart and it gets extreme sometimes. Been through the ringer in ways you could imagine with those two. I desire to use what I've learned in a higher job though--I have skills far above current min wage existence. Have moving/travel info if you want. Either way, best wishes for you.

Hi Nonny. It’s been a long time since you asked this and I apologize.Yes, I’d like that moving/travel info. I hope you’re doing well.