Less Than Omnipotent

Eirik's blog for occult nonsense and religious sundry. Find my main blog at ObsessivelyGalahad. Male/25yrs/Tired of Heteronormitive Paganism Gemini Sun/Leo Moon/Scorpio Ascendant

[thecharmingchimaera]

I just had a thought.

Going off how Odin’s simultaneously a god of knowledge and a god of ‘fury/madness/whatever you want to call it’…

Would that make him affiliated with anxiety? Anxiety, but also the creative rush, when you’re so immersed in the creative process you lose track of time. 

[systlin]

Yes, absolutely.

He’s also the good of madness, and he seems to have a soft spot particularly for the non-neurotypical.

[langernameohnebedeutung]

it actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Having anxiety is a pretty solid motive to give up an eye and hang yourself from a tree to gain universal knowledge - and having universal knowledge probably causes even bigger anxiety.

[systlin]

YEP BINGO. 

This precisely. 

Dr. Jackson Crawford, a scholar of Norse literature who wrote my favorite translation of the eddas, has done several youtube videos on old norse mythology and language, and he calls Odin “A profoundly anxious god.”

And he’s right. The knowledge of what is to come always hangs heavy on the Allfather, and it shapes many of his actions. And the more he learns to prevent it, the more it weighs on him. 

Also, your tag is fucking great and needs to be preserved here

#Odin becoming blood brothers with one careless clown: This is my emotional support trickster

[wodneswynn-deactivated-deactiva]

It’s not only a thematic association but also an etymological one. Odin’s name literally means “the mad one.” The particles oth, wod, vot, god, etc. all mean “madness, fury, or inspiration.”

Y'all who know your Chaucer or Malory might remember characters “going wood” under duress. Same shit. Middle English “wood” = OE “wod” as in Woden.

[orphicgallant]

The binding of Fenrir is a prime example of the foresight/knowledge causing bigger problems. And Odin's response to that knowledge? That's classic Anxiety Problem Solving (based on personal experience).

[magica-pseudoacademica]

“The Roman religion consisted of worshippers holding disunified polythetic sets of beliefs. The overlap of these sets of beliefs might produce some beliefs that were more common than others, but the lack of an orthodox mandate for uniformity meant that the beliefs of an individual need not be affected by the variant beliefs held by another Roman. A man who believed that di manes had powers to preserve life in their own right and a man who thought they preserved life by posthumously invoking the help of other supernatural beings could both believe, on a practical basis, that honoring the manes could help preserve their lives. A Roman who thought the lares were another form of the deified dead and one who thought they were the children of a nymph could both believe that the lares were important guardians of the home who needed to be worshipped. Worshippers could disagree about the nature of the god Mars or the god of the Lupercalia while all agreeing that these gods existed and had powers that could benefit the lives or worshippers. Rather than searching for orthodox doctrines in the Roman religion (or seeing their absence as a weakness) it is better to study clusters of beliefs in the understanding that each individual variation could be important to the belief holder’s understanding of how to obtain the benefits that Rome’s pantheon of gods could offer the individual.”

— Charles W. King, “The Organization of Roman Religious Beliefs” (2003)

[thedesertgod-deactivated2020013]

Important to remember how much doctrinal infighting amongst reconstructuonist pagans is very much a biproduct of Christianized culture and not actual paganism.

[blackthornwood]

Big truth. This is why I’m not a reconstructionist. Because people practiced these religions across towns and cities and countries and continents and theres no way that there was a uniform black and white way of doing it. Shit, Hellenic religion (yes I know the post is about the ancient Roman religion but mine is ancient Greek in nature) differed by city state.

Everyone can agree that the gods are good and they have domain over x thing but the way we worship and what we worship for has always been highly individualized and that’s never been a purely modern concept.

[renthony]

“Necromancer” has come to mean “one who raises the dead,” but I’m into necromancy in the original sense–the kind where you consult the dead for wisdom.

And, sure, for me that applies in a spiritual sense. Deathwork and ancestor veneration are important to my faith. But it applies in a more “mundane” sense, too. Know your history, study those who have gone before, learn from the past, and learn to recognize patterns. 

Listen to the necromancers, and listen to the dead. 

[hereticalapothecary]

So you just met a spirit from a closed culture/religion/practice. Now what?

Haha, no seriously. Put it back. 

I’m looking especially at other white witches here who think it’s okay to work with Native American spirits. 

This just in: if you are not Native (specifically Ojibwe, Salteaux, Cree, Naskapi, Innu or I think Cherokee) a wendigo WILL kill you. Don’t work with wendigos if you are not Native!!! This isn’t Supernatural!!

No but seriously, sometimes spirit workers can and do run into spirits from closed traditions, and if you’re not interested in cultural appropriation, it can be intimidating figuring out what to do. 

1. Ask it what it needs. Sometimes a spirit from a closed culture will get lost or mixed up. So if you run into one, ask what it wants/needs. Sometimes it’s just an accident that they showed themselves to you. If it’s lost, tell it where it can find the nearest place that belongs to said culture or religion. 

2. DO NOT FORCE IT TO DO ANYTHING. Spirits can trick you, and vice versa. I’ve seen people take some really roundabout ways of working with spirits to justify working with spirits from closed practices. And in some cases, people will try and trick these spirits into working with them, even as far as binding memories to get them to work for you. Even if it’s friendly, leave it be. 

3. Nine times out of ten, a spirit from a closed practice will outright refuse to work with/for you if you are not part of that culture. Spirits from closed practices can range anywhere from amiable but hesitant to outright aggressive and hateful when it comes to outsiders. (Especially white people!) I’ve even heard that people of mixed heritage can have trouble with spirits from closed cultures because not every spirit sees them as “enough” of that heritage. For those of you with mixed heritage, I will leave this 100% up to you. Not like, “I’m 1/36 Cherokee!” but like, you know your history and try to be involved with it because it has near family history. It’s up to your own comfort levels, not me (as a white person) to decide.

Basically, leave them be. There are TONS of spirits out there from open cultures and practices that are really fun to work with. Leave the few who belong to cultures that have gone through near cultural genocide to the people of that culture/practice. It’s like taking a handicapped parking space. It’s shitty and entitled. There are so many other parking spaces you can park in, but you really really wanted THAT ONE that is specifically marked for elderly/pregnant/disabled people. Don’t do it!!!

There are very rare cases where a person not of said practice may come across a spirit from a closed practice and need to work with them. For example, I recently rescued a number of spirits from closed cultures from a spirit collector. I’m helping heal these spirits and finding them places/witches from their own heritage to work with. (I mostly let my nonhuman healers and healers with heritage from said culture help them, however.) If you find yourself in some sort of situation where there is a spirit from a closed practice that you need to deal with in some way, (again, 9/10 just leave it be!!) make SURE that you do your research on the culture. 

Be respectful. Read up on history and heritage and culture of that spirit. Donate if you can to heritage preservation societies or religious temples or closed practices. 

And once again, DO NOT WORK WITH SPIRITS FROM CLOSED PRACTICES. If you find one, leave it be. I can guarantee that you will incur more favor by saying “hey you’re nice but I’m not comfortable working with you given our respective histories” than working with a spirit from a closed practice. Guarantee. 

Don’t culturally appropriate.

[gefdreamsofthesea]

Things to Remember Regarding Heathenry

All of the deities are either a) jotnar b) descended from jotnar or c) married jotnar, the idea that jotnar represent non-white races is racist bullshit that, ironically, means the deities are either not white, biracial, or in interracial marriages. Sorry racists! All ur faves are biracial.

Innangard is bullshit.

The Nine Noble Virtues are also bullshit. Here are some concrete reasons why they’re bullshit. 

Frigga is not “just” a housewife. She canonically tricks Odin twice. (Once in the Longobards’ origin story, and once in Grímnismál). So-called “women’s work” like textile production and cooking were vital to survival in the Viking Age (if you don’t believe me, look up how prominent spinning and weaving is in Norse myth–and fairy tales).

Angrboda is mentioned a grand total of twice in the lore. The whole “Angrboda is feuding with Sigyn” thing is UPG. Lokavinr put together a helpful list of Loki’s children by various women with lore references. Please give it a read.

All ur fave deities are queer. Some of ur fave heroes are also queer.

Heathen culture is neither closed nor living. You cannot “appropriate” Heathenry. There is a REASON we call our religions “revivalist” or “reconstructionist”.

Folkishness is racism, full stop. If you aren’t a racist crapbag, don’t call yourself folkish. (Note: Not to be confused with folketro, which means “folk belief”).

[irisedwhisperer]

Quick idea I had and need to note down before I forget it:

a witch bottle designed not to harm the incoming energies (like most witch bottles seem to be with their nails, thorns and black pepper) or block them (like the protective witch bottles I’ve seen with rosemary and basil), but filter and transmute.

Somebody throwing bad luck at you? Great, you’re giving me energy, I’ll filter it and change it into a blessing. 

“When life gives you lemons” sort of idea, inspired by a post I’ve seen floating around about that witches shouldn’t ground bad energy, but filter it and transmute it, because earth only can take as much negative. 

[blackbearmagic]

I know that she doesn’t like to divulge the details of her personal shielding, but I know @necromouser does something similar to this, so perhaps she’d like to chime in?

[dumbbbunnnyy-deactivated2021021]

i make “traps” that harness negative energy and then purify it

[upthewitchypunx]

Witch batteries keep going and going and going…

[torelloditasso]

I came up with an off-the-cuff kind of jar sympathetic spell that I just implemented that’s kind of like this - it’s aiming to help the target grow into a better person but if they continue on their path it’ll harm them.

[profeminist]

Fool’s Journey: The Fascinating Life of Pamela Colman Smith

The most popular tarot deck in the western world was illustrated by a queer woman who is often ignored in esoteric history and omitted from the deck itself. Read about how awesome she is here!

“For those who don’t know the name, Pamela Colman Smith, she’s the artist behind the most popular tarot deck in the western world, the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot or RWS. This deck is generally referred to as the Rider Waite Tarot, omitting Colman Smith’s name.

As an artist, she changed the face of tarot, illustrating the world’s first “mass market” deck. And hers was one of the very first to have illustrations on every card in the deck. Her work inspired my life to take this whole different direction, and if you’re reading this, it’s probably had an impact on yours too.

Despite this, she died penniless, in obscurity, as so many women artists did and do. But she was a fascinating, truly original woman, and I want to celebrate her life and give thanks for her work in this article.”

Read her story here

The Smith-Waite Tarot Deck  

[goblinmarket-deactivated2018121]

“An Illustration Shewing the Spiritual Dynamics of the BANJO”

[brehaaorgana]

Okay another thing about spirituality or whatever is I…really love Rabbi Heschel’s statement about spirituality:

“Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement. ….get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.”

Everything is incredible!!! Everything is phenomenal! Radical AMAZEMENT. …I like that. It challenges me when I need to have something other than depression brain talking.

[daturablessings]

If some people that identify as pagans believe that there is no deity, are they really then, by definition, pagan? Is there some other term for those of the pagan community that are atheist but still hold similar beliefs? This is something that just occurred to me, and I’m interested to see everyone’s thoughts on the matter!

[gefdreamsofthesea]

Yes they are, because a) Paganism is an umbrella term for a variety of beliefs and practices, not a single faith b) most Pagan traditions are more concerned with what you do than what you actually believe about deities, spirits, etc. c) there were people in antiquity who didn’t necessarily believe in the deities but still participated in and were accepted by their societies. For example: there are people in the sagas called “godless” who rejected the deities but still participated in their culture and traditions and d) there are religions that don’t involve any sort of “higher power” or, if said higher power exists, is not interested or capable of interacting with humans, and yes, they are actually seen as religions, not philosophies,

[ahappybird]

tfw you’re pagan/wiccan and beltane is coming up but you’re a sex repulsed ace that is uncomfortable with the holiday and its entire theme/rite and want to die because lets face it you arent a real witch nothing you do works and at this point you’re sticking to it out of habit even though you know you don’t belong in the comunity

[gefdreamsofthesea]

Here is a post about celebrating Beltane as an aro/ace Pagan.

Here are some more ideas.

IDK if it helps but Pagan/Neo-Wiccan Beltane has almost nothing in common with the traditional Irish festival it takes its inspiration from. It’s about fire, cows, and wells. If anything, it’s more about cow fertility than people fertility.

[stormbornwitch]

Sinking

(photo credit)

Sinking refers to a method of grounding which is favoured by water/sea witches. To use this method you will need a body of water. This could be a freshwater stream, a slow moving river, a lake, the ocean or even just your bathtub. The water should be cool (but not super cold) and deep enough so that you can sink below the surface of the water.

Ensure you will not be disturbed during the sinking process (if you are nervous though it is perfectly alright to have a “spotter” there to check that you’re not drowning)

Slowly step into the water and close your eyes. Feel the water as it caresses and flows around your skin. Slowly sink beneath the water until only your head and shoulders remains above water.

Slow your breathing and listen to the world around you. Feel your muscles relax as you float in the water.

Now sink below the water. Do not take a massive breath of air before you sink. Just breathe normally and as you slip below the water, release the air through your nose. The less air in your lungs the easier it is to sink below the water.

Try to think of nothing. Empty your mind completely and allow your mind to drift as you float beneath the water.

If you are relaxed you will be able to stay under the water for longer so do not focus on the air you breathed in (if you begin to panic you use up your oxygen faster and you will need to go up for air faster).

Instead focus on your heartbeat. Feel it pulsing in your temples and hear it in your ears. The water around you will warm as your energy (in the form of heat) seeps into the water.

Now slowly rise back above the surface of the water and take a slow breath in. As you breathe out sink below the water again. You should repeat this process a few times.

Not only does sinking help ground and centre yourself it is also extremely relaxing.

CAUTION: I do not recommend sinking to those who do not know how to swim proficiently or to those who are afraid of drowning. Please, do not do this in harsh running water (whether it be in a rushing river or in the ocean with crashing waves). I don’t want anyone to drown doing this.

- Marci

[witchoftheways]

I’m a witch who lived by the ocean (San Diego) for most of my life, so I’ve done a lot of swimming. Here are some other tips and facts to add on to this already lovely post:

*Salt makes you float, so the more salt is in the water (like in ocean water, or possibly lakes with lots of minerals) the more you will float. Sinking will most likely be easier in clean or fresh water.

*Once you’ve gotten the hang of sinking, another good thing you can try is to adjust the air in your lungs to achieve neutral buoyancy - aka, a state where you are neither floating back up to the surface, nor being pulled to the bottom. Scuba divers do this with a belt so that they can swim freely without constantly being pushed back up. It’s a great way to exercise your self control, and really, really tune into yourself. Again though, harder in salt water.

*When you go anywhere that’s not your bathtub, don’t be afraid to go somewhere with a life guard or experienced spotter. Heck, I’d even recommend that all water loving witches learn basic lifeguard safety themselves so that they can be safer :)

*Here IS something for you sea and salt water witches: wave greetings, cleansing, or “flying”, whatever you want to call it. This is actually a fun game that can actually be a useful tool in your craft. Stand a little deeper in the waves, somewhere you feel comfortable. For those who are not comfortable or strong swimmers, I recommend the classic rule where you stand in water that goes no higher than your belly button. Adjust and stand in shallower water if the waves are too strong. Now crouch down when the wave is at its lowest point. Spring up as the crest goes in, and if all goes well, you will be lifted up with the power of the wave, and then gently set back down, exactly where you started. When you’re on the way down/crouching, imagine the negative energies on you, being sucked out of your body, and as you jump, the waves knock them off of you, and fill you with their own energy. The reason I call this wave greeting is because you can get a feel for a body of water and get to know it’s personality so well. Do the waves caress you? Or are they strong and forceful? Do they playfully splash around your and tickle your fingertips, or do they seem controlling, and try to drag you? Get to know your oceans before you work with them, or use their water for spell work, because it could really affect your spells!

*Lastly: IF YOU GET CAUGHT IN A RIPTIDE, DON’T FIGHT IT. SWIM AT AN ANGLE AND TRY TO SLIDE OUT OF IT!!!

Sorry for the long rant, but Marci did such an amazing job, that I felt compelled and inspired to add on.

[deactivated-blog]

Is the pentagram always used religiously? Like do non wiccan witches use it too?

I am a non Wiccan Witch and use the pentagram on occasion, although its not a regular part of my craft. So its not always used religiously! :)

[julianjaymes-deactivated2017031]

I’m an Eclectic, non-Wiccan Witch, and I wear my pentacle every day. :)

[fluorite-witch]

Now off the bat, I should mention that Wicca is not the only religion to use the pentagram by far (some branches of Satanism, for instance, use it inverted I’m given to understand), so I don’t think you should feel restricted just on the basis of being a Wiccan or not. More what I think is important is just like checking in with yourself: what does this symbol mean to me? And kind of going with your gut on whether you’re using it in a manner that's respectful or not type thing - the same way you might consider whether or not you should use a cross might be a good standard - would be my personal two-sense.  So For me, reasons I feel comfortable using the pentagram: 1.) I used to be a Wiccan and my craft itself is actually, when you look at it very heavily Wiccan influienced because that was my first exposure to magick and it’s kind of stuck with me, and affected the way I look at things, including symbols like the pentagram. 2.) While I do do curses/bindings, my ceremonies are a hair less complex and I work almost exclusively with female deities these days, I don’t believe in an afterlife or law of three and I only call quarters. not cast formal circles, my quarter calls are rather similar to Wiccan ones. I use five elements, not four in my craft, as some other Traditionals I have met do. 

3.) I consider myself first and foremost an elemental witch. Therefore to me, the pentagram is a very important symbol of the elements. 

[gefdreamsofthesea]

The pentagram is also used in Christianity to represent the five wounds of Christ. You can see some pictures of both the upright and inverted symbol decorating churches here.

It’s also associated with Abe no Seimei in Japan. Here are some pictures of a shrine that was dedicated to him. You can see the pentagram on the fountain.

I think the takeaway is that it’s used by many traditions and each of them assigns different meanings to it. For some, it has religious significance, for others, it’s an important part of their magical practice, which may or may not be religious.

[gefdreamsofthesea]

PSA

I’ve been seeing something like this in the tags lately so here is a tarot PSA.

Tarot is not inherently religious.

People of all religions and no religion can use tarot.

Tarot was first used to play games, the occult associations came later.

Stop telling people they can’t use tarot cards because it’s against your religion. Plenty of people use tarot cards as part of a religious and/or spiritual practice but tarot is not inherently religious.

This has been a PSA.

[gefdreamsofthesea]

So I remember that people were asking you questions about pantheon-building from your religious studies degree, and I was wondering- did you learn of any 'universals' amongst human religions/polytheist systems? Like, there's always hierarchy or there's always a creation story or something like that?

I think there are things we call “universal” but based on what I’ve learned in school, I wouldn’t say anything is truly universal.

Many cultures don’t have a single creation story. Some cultures (like Ancient Egypt) have multiple creation stories. There are pantheons that have a strict hierarchy, and then there are ones that don’t. A lot of people think, for instance, that Odin was and is the head of the pantheon, but in actuality, the position of “head deity” depended on where you lived (Thor was extremely important in Norway, for instance) and a myth in the Gesta Danorum states that he was even outlawed by the other deities and replaced because he was being an asshole. Divine hierarchies can also shuffle around depending on politics. An example of this is Marduk, who wasn’t nearly as important as other Mesopotamian deities until Babylon decided to kick ass and take names. In earlier periods, Enlil and Ea were far more important.

I guess the only true universal among polytheisms is that there are many deities but how many is anyone’s guess.

[danskjavlarna]

Thanks to the reviewer over at Amazon who rated our Hexopedia four stars: “Interesting read!  So far, the effects are subtle, but they are there.”

  Meanwhile, here’s a page from the book, revealing the forgotten secret of bibliomancy.

[ancientdelirium-deactivated2019]