[strangesigils]

This was the first method of sigil making I ever learned, from a post by @the-darkest-of-lights. I decided to make my own tutorial on it with my spare time. Happy sigil making! I’ll be making more of these on other methods of sigil making I think, because there’s so many different methods, and this was quite enjoyable to make. (I know that you can make sigils with the other various planetary numerology squares but honestly I still haven’t figured out how, I only know this one.)

[carbon-heart]

Stone Hex

To give a person horrid luck for a given amount of time.

Find a smooth stone and spit on it. Whisper their name over it. Turn it thrice counterclockwise.

"With this stone, I turn your fate,

misfortune shall be your mate,

until again I turn the one

on blessed path of setting sun."

The person shall suffer misfortune on top of misfortune until you take the stone in the same hand and turn it thrice clockwise.

[growing-yet-into-magic]

In regards to research:

Don’t accept witchcraft books for history. Read history texts. 

Don’t accept witchcraft books for mental processes. Read psychology and biological texts. 

Don’t accept witchcraft books for mythology. Don’t accept witchcraft books for religion. Read original texts and papers written researchers credited in their fields. 

Use witchcraft books for witchcraft, and witchcraft alone. That is what they specialize in and what they are published for. If it branches out into a different subject, be suspicious and research the topic later. 

[followingtheladyofthesacredflame]

On the note of that last point: if you’re reading a witchcraft book and they make a historical, medical, psychological, anthropological, or scientific claim, do one of two things.

Stop reading right then and look up what they’ve claimed

Make a note of the fact - sticky notes, notes app, notebook, etc. - and research it at a later date

When researching, look for high-authority cross-reference sources. What I mean by that is, look for sources that have a legitimate, easy-to-prove claim to expertise. This’d be sources like (for example, not exhaustive) university presses, scientific research papers, museum publications, experts with degrees and years of experience in their fields, and, for cultural information, elder members of said culture and internally-run cultural heritage organizations.

Great places to find solid sources for cross-referencing:

The Smithsonian

Encyclopedia Britannica

JSTOR

Oxford Academic Journal

Sage Journals

Science Direct

Google Scholar

Your local library

If no one else has made this claim, it’s probably not true and you should take it with a massive grain of salt.

[crabwarlock-deactivated20260108]

Draft of Saturn Talisman for Spirit Protection inspired by Benebell Wen's Tao of Craft and @sewceress 's shield talisman.

The house is made of the symbol of Saturn, sometimes connotated as the symbol of Azazel the Scapegoat.

Possible offerings for ritual include goat feces or hair, fat and other such impure items. Main ritual implement: Fire.

Water for asperging.

[xgeronimowrks]

Magic Hands: A Path to Restful Sleep and Renewed Energy

We all have our rituals and practices to help us wind down after a long day. For many, the age-old techniques of counting sheep or a steady countdown are methods of coaxing sleep. But what if there’s a way to actively guide your body into deep relaxation and restore its energy while seamlessly drifting off?

One such powerful practice involves the visualization of hands—not just any hands, but ones imbued with care and healing energy. Before I fall asleep, I often picture a pair of hands, their palms facing upward, radiating warmth and light. To me, these hands are comforting, nurturing, and gentle. They begin their journey at my head, softly massaging my temples and neck, before traveling down my body: shoulders, arms, torso, legs, and finally my feet.

As I visualize these hands, I don't just see them—I imagine the sensations they evoke. The imagined touch soothes away tension, releasing aches and pains as it moves downward. Every muscle unwinds, every joint feels fluid, and a gentle warmth settles over me like a golden blanket.

There’s another dimension to this practice that makes it even more compelling. These hands are no ordinary appendages—they’re luminous, emitting golden light from their palms. This light, in my mind, holds profound healing properties. It flows into each part of my body where I imagine the hands resting, gradually removing discomfort and replenishing energy. The light isn’t just surface-level—it penetrates deeper. It cups vital organs like the lungs, heart, and stomach, surrounding them with warmth and care.

This visualization isn’t rigid; you can adapt it to suit your aesthetic preferences and needs. Maybe your healing hands look like mystical, scaly beings as depicted in the accompanying artwork—vibrant in shades of turquoise and green with magenta accents. Or perhaps they’re ethereal and ghostly, or covered with feathers, emanating light through their unique textures.

The practice is simple: hold the visual of the hands for 5–10 seconds at each part of the body, allowing the warmth and light to do their work before moving on. Over time, this technique can become a cherished nightly ritual. Not only does it help relax the body and ease aches, but it also creates a serene mental state conducive to sleep.

Whether you see your hands as radiant, scaled, or glowing with magical energy, this visualization offers a gentle and effective way to calm the body, mind, and spirit. Why count sheep when you can count on magic hands instead?

[snakeflower-cottage-deactivated]

Animal Familiars, the Spirit in the Beast.

I have brought this topic up before in passing or in reference, however I don’t believe I’ve deep-dived into it, for those who are unsure of what I was talking about. So, let’s talk about animal familiars (the real ones). Not the aesthetic black cats with crystal collars (though cute, not practical), but the spirits that inhabit creatures like this in your service, slip into feather and fur, and watch through someone else’s eyes.

In folklore, an animal familiar wasn’t the animal itself… Not really.

It was a spirit.

Sometimes given, sometimes met by chance, sometimes bargained for.

Otherworldly and dangerous. Not your pet, but something that could wear these creatures like a jacket.

These spirits came in animal form because they needed a body.

Flesh and shape as an anchor and disguise.

But make no mistake, the witch’s bond was never with the creature, but was with the being inside.

Take Elizabeth Francis, 1566. Her familiar, Sathan, appeared as a white cat. He spoke, brought her herbs, ruined her enemies. When the cat died, the spirit didn’t. He just showed up in a new form.

Same being, different skin.

(The Examination and Confession of Certain Witches at Chelmsford, 1566)

Reginald Scot recounts how supposed familiars “enter into beasts” and describes learned men attributing unnatural animal behavior to possession by spirits. “These spirits enter into beasts… the witch hath power by her familiar to make the beast do her bidding.”

(Reginald Scot, The Discovery of Witchcraft)

In 1611, in the Swiss territory of Vaud, Gresilla Fesançon had a black chicken that locals said was “ridden” or filled with a demon. It vanished for days at a time and returned with secrets. It wasn’t the chicken they feared, it was the imp wearing it as a mask.

(Levack, Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe)

And that’s the truth of it. Animal familiars weren’t common pets that took interest in the incense you were burning.

They were spirits who borrowed bodies. Sometimes your pet, sometimes a wild thing, sometimes something conjured from nothing at all.

The witch’s pact was with the spirit, not the animal. That’s why familiars fed from blood. Not as a snack, but as virtue, as life-force. A contract signed in red.

And when the animal died? The spirit didn’t.

It just moved out, found a new shape, a new skin.

[windvexer]

Finding entrances to the otherworlds in order to engage in astral travel

(At this time I don't differentiate between astral travel and hedge crossing. I define astral travel as being undertaken in a trance state where some degree of awareness of your physical body is retained. This post contains UPG)

To travel to spirit worlds or otherworlds, you typically go through a door or a passage. Some sort of 'road trip' is often required. You can't just go through the door in the tree trunk; you have to go down the trunk, and through the other door, and down the path, and down the well, and through another door.

This isn't just head games. You are traveling somewhere. Sometimes these entryways are blocked and require sorcerous technique (or diplomacy) to traverse.

Doors are everywhere. They are affixed within physical times and physical places. Some doors open during certain times and are fixed shut during other times. Some doors will lead to one location for a while, and then suddenly lead elsewhere. A single path, known and familiar, can one day lead to a different location, or grow longer with more things in-between.

They are fairy roads and fairy doors, if you like. They do not operate by boring rules.

The following troubleshooting is based on the assumption that in order to travel to an otherworld, you've got to find a door that leads there. Therefore if you're struggling with travel, it may help to troubleshoot your door.

Guided meditations can be useful ("...you are standing before a tree with a door in the trunk"). We can imagine that we're being guided to build our own doors and roads, which of course people have the power to do - that's what laying a compass or calling the quarters is.

In any particular guided meditation, try it a few times just to make sure you've given yourself enough chances to build the road. For the purposes of troubleshooting, consider that you're literally build-discovering your own actual portals to otherworlds. This takes time and energy. You may be too tired to do it all at once, or it may be a bigger project than expected. This is why it's useful to keep re-using the same ones once you've built them. Between various meditations, try sticking with your same old tree, or hole in the ground, and so on. It's hard to make a blanket if you start a new one every time you sit down to work.

It can be remarkably helpful to align attempts at a guided meditation with times of power. Full moons do pretty well for this. Or, give it a try at midnight.

Other methods of creating and opening your own doors include drawing a door with chalk, knocking on it, and calling forth the path. A holey stone makes a fine door, just as a braid makes an excellent ladder to climb up or down. Many enchantments can be created which either function as doors, or which facilitate travel itself.

But remember the road trip - it's not just passing through a door. You also usually have to walk a little while. Therefore, also just walking a little while can get you there.

In a trance state, while your body is at rest, send your mind walking out of your room, to the vent over the stove, and climb up into the air ducts. Keep climbing up and try to find the exit. The exit might lead to the top of your domicile, but it certainly may not.

Alternatively, climb down the plumbing. Or, mentally walk yourself out of your house, to the nearest tree, and climb up it. Or down it, through a hole in its roots. Maybe an angry gopher is at the roots. Back away and try a different tree.

Perhaps your nearby environment won't do. That's alright, there are doors everywhere. Go and find one while you're out and about. To go downwards, find holes. To go upwards, find things that are tall. Suppose there's a water tower in your town. Go there and really take a good look at it. Dwell in the present moment with that water tower, as much as you can.

At home, in a trance state and while your body is at rest, remember going to the water tower. Relive exiting transit, going closer to the tower, and looking at it. Start remembering something new. Remember how you started climbing it. Climb and remember how you climbed this water tower to find a door that would lead you to an upperworld.

Is there a door at the top of the water tower? Well, maybe not. But there might be one along the way that you'll creep into if you keep your focus on finding a door that takes you to where you want to go.

Always keep a very strong focus on finding a door that leads to your desired location. And I mean that you should know exactly where you're trying to end up at, don't insert "*desired location" as a wildcard.

They are fairy doors and fairy roads. A memory of a water tower from this morning will do. What about a memory from 30 years ago, from when you were a kid? That mountain you'll never forget at the place you'll never return to. That's fine. A good memory makes a fantastic porch for a door. Relive the memory. But when you get to the part when you looked at the mountain for the last time, don't turn away. Remember that you walked towards it. Remember that you started climbing up it.

Remember that you climbed up the mountain to find a door.

Spirit helpers can be of immense assistance in all manner of travel, including finding doors, the "road trip," navigating the otherworlds, and safely returning. I don't mean to pray to your ancestors for guidance. I mean to engage an individual spirit helper to literally walk in front of you, show you the way, and even carry you.

Just now I drew a sigil on a piece of paper. I did energy work to charge the sigil, which represents a door. I placed the paper on a tray on the rug, and knocked on it. Then I went to lie down in bed. I practiced progressive relaxation to facilitate trance. When I felt relaxed and fuzzy, I chose to remember drawing the sigil, putting it on a tray, and knocking.

I remembered that when I knocked on the paper, there was a scratch at my door. I had opened the door and my spirit helper was there. I turned around - I remember it clearly - and the paper wasn't normal paper any more. The sigil was a doorway, it appeared like magic. My spirit helper reminded me to become small, so I did and sat on xer back.

Xe walked through the portal, and we both change sizes. I sit on xer back as we pass through a dark hallway, then a natural cave, and then the cave opens into something I'm about to see for the first time---

The bed is soft underneath me and it's dark in this room, and soon for the first time I will see what's on the other side of the cave.

.

If a guided meditation door doesn't work, make one using sorcerous techniques. If that doesn't work, find a natural amulet - like a holey stone. If that doesn't work, find one in the world around you. Try a few different ones. They really can be blocked, and that's got nothing to do with your skill. If that doesn't work, try traveling during special times. If that doesn't work, try engaging the help of a familiar spirit who is willing to teach you how to travel, and who will assist you while you travel.

Remember:

Know where you are trying to get to

Keep a strong focus on trying to get there

Most people are not able to leave their body fully behind

Your level of immersion depends on travel skill and trance skill

Seeing can feel low-resolution despite Knowing remaining strong. Do not discount valid travel experiences because your spirit eyes are weak.

Always strive to go back the way you came and return through the same door. Spirit helpers can carry you out if you get too tired or are about to fall asleep. Forgetting to do this isn't the end of the world.

Astral travel is distinct from daydreaming but those who struggle with maladaptive daydreaming may want to invest in building an infrastructure of discernment between the two activities

[cultkinkcoven]

I have no idea who came up with this but thanks.

I haven’t been using it to encode writing, I’ve actually been using it with my wand during rituals. After creating a magic word I translate it into a series of “strokes” that I can then act out with my wand. It’s been pretty effective so far. I just got a beautiful wand for christmas but I’m always at a loss for what I’m actually supposed to do with it lmao, so this has been really helpful.

[callese]

refseek.com

www.worldcat.org/

link.springer.com

http://bioline.org.br/

repec.org

science.gov

pdfdrive.com

[growing-yet-into-magic]

Worldcat is my bestie and my one true love!! Not only does it tell you what library a book is at, but it also price compares different used book sites against each other for easy view! It's how I got Tarot For the Master for $10!!

[growing-yet-into-magic]

Oh, and since I have your attention: z-library (books and textbooks) and sci-hub (gatekept scientific journal articles.) I just ripped a textbook for class off z-library and snatched a required reading from sci-hub. Life is good and education should be accessible at every stage and station of life.

[mckitterick]

information wants to be free

[snakeflower-cottage-deactivated]

Witches and the Genius Loci: Folkloric Methods of Contact and Communion

The witches of old knew how to speak with the land. They didn’t just live in the wild, they wove themselves into its fabric, calling on the hidden ones in the earth, water, and wind. How did they do it? The answers would be as varied as the forests and fields they walked. But there are patterns we can see in all of them. Here are some of the ways I have discovered witches (in European folklore) reached out to the spirits of the land.

𖤐 Offerings at Spirit Dwellings

A witch rarely arrived empty-handed. Milk poured at the base of an ancient tree, ale left at the mouth of a cave, a bit of bread crumbled into a stream, these were ways to invite the unseen to draw near. Scottish folklore describes the gruagach, a guardian spirit, receiving libations of milk at stones and riverbanks (Campbell, Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, 1900). In Belgium and the Netherlands, witches were accused of offering beer and bread to the duivel, a local spirit often conflated with the Devil in later Christianized accounts (De Blécourt, Het Duivelspact, 1993).

𖤐 By Bone and Blood

In Scandinavian folklore, the practice of bjarmic magic involved burying bones to anchor spirits to the land, while Livonian witches were said to whisper their desires into a skull before placing it in the earth (Rääbis, Eesti Rahvapärimus ja Nõiakunst, 1926). In the 17th-century Scottish witch trials, accused witches described sealing pacts with land spirits by pricking their fingers and pressing the blood into soil or stone (Pitcairn, Ancient Criminal Trials in Scotland, 1833).

𖤐 Spirit-Flight and Dreamwalking

Witches didn’t always wait for spirits to come to them. Many traveled in spectral form, slipping into trance states with the help of charms or salves to reach spirits. The Trollenfrauen of German folklore and the Heks of Scandinavian folklore were said to enter deep sleep while holding a stone, allowing them to fly in spirit to the places where land spirits dwelled (Müller, Sagen aus Westfalen, 1857). In 17th-century witch trials from Flanders, accused witches claimed to lie still in darkness, feeling themselves lifted away to converse with spirits at crossroads and hollow hills (Proces tegen Tanneken Sconincx, 1606).

𖤐 Bone Charms & Rattles

A witch’s tools were often made from the dead. Flemish folklore mentions witches carrying duivelsfluitjes—small bone whistles said to call spirits when blown at twilight (De Meyer, Volksverhalen uit Vlaanderen, 1970). The bohnenzauber of Germanic folklore involved threading small bones together to create a rattling charm that stirred spirits of the wild (Grimm, Deutsche Mythologie, 1835).

𖤐 Turning Up the Soil

Some witches were accused of whispering into the ground, digging their fingers into the soil as they spoke. In Swedish folk belief, jordfastan involved burying a charm/offering (usually a piece of cloth or a coin) under a tree to call on spirits of the land (Hylten-Cavallius, Wärend och Wirdarne, 1863). Scottish trial records mention witches placing coal or burned bones in the earth as a form of spirit-binding magic (Pitcairn, Ancient Criminal Trials in Scotland, 1833).

𖤐 Skin-Turning and Familiars

In Breton folklore, witches who wished to meet the hidden spirits of the woods were said to transform into black dogs or other beasts before travelling into the deep forest (Sébillot, Le Folklore de la Bretagne, 1904). In Scotland, it was believed that witches who took the form of hares or crows could cross into the spirit world more easily (Popular Tales of the West Highlands, Campbell, 1860).

𖤐 Betwixt Earth and Water

The land’s voice is loudest in the places where two worlds meet. Marshes, riverbanks, and tidal flats; these places belonged to neither land nor water, making them perfect for spirit-calling (my favourite method). In English and Welsh folklore, witches were said to stand barefoot in water at night, calling on spirits with secret words (Henderson, Folklore of the Northern Counties of England, 1866). In Estonia, it was believed that standing in a bog at sunset allowed one to hear the voices of spirits whispering in the wind (Loorits, Eesti Rahvausund, 1949).

Seeking out the spirits of the land is integral to building a foundational practice in witchcraft and connecting to your landscape. It is these spirits that grant you access to the powers of the land that you require to make your works work.

[arlechinav-blog]

What is Trancework?

Trancework is the majestic art that I like to refer to as Magic Floppy Time. Trance naturally happens when you set your body to a simple repetetive task with some kind of rhythm either built in or in the background. It is not a religious experience by itself. It happens when driving in the rain with the windshield wipers going. It can happen while reading or doing the dishes for an extended period of time. These things happen on accident which means that this is something our bodies and minds were built to do and it does not require training to get the basics. But if you want to do it on purpose and learn to do some really neat things with it, that would take some skill development. And that is what trancework is--trancing on purpose. What does it feel like? Trancing is rather like sleepwalking. If you slip into it without realizing it then you will really only become aware of it once you start to wake. At that point you somewhat suddenly come back to your senses with absolutely no idea how much time has elapsed since you were last fully conscious. You may just feel a little disoriented and possibly a little groggy. However, if you slip into a trance while fully conscious of it, you will likely feel a few effects. There is a spectrum of normal at play in trancework--which is to say that there are a good number of sensations that can be experienced. For some it may feel like a narrowing of the field of vision, for others it may feel like your consciousness is pulled into either your stomach or right above your head. Still others may just feel a bit woozy or they may feel like their bodies are locked into a particular motion and that they cannot make themselves stop doing it.

Hold out your hands and spin in a field for about 20-30 seconds and then either stop or just try to stop. That's what it feels like. And the reason that is what it feels like is because that is actually a method of getting yourself into a trance on purpose. While any simple repetetive motion can get you into an altered state, the heavy hitters are movements that disrupt the body's equillibrium--that sense of balance in your inner ear. This is why dancing is so strongly linked to trancework and it is why I refer to trancework as Magic Floppy Time. It is because the movements of the body become more and more relaxed as you get into an altered state. You largely surrender your spine for a while and get... well... floppy.

(Playing with the big drum, aka Making Magic Boom-Boom)

Why does this happen?

I have my theories. I personally think that our bodies do this to conserve energy. If you are going to be doing the same activity for a while and utilizing just a select group of muscles to do it, your body will eventually just relax the ones it doesn't really need. Same with the mind. If you don't need it to make decisions or take in the sensory environment, it starts to relax everything that it doesn't need. The unused parts of your brain and body start going night-night.

Is trancework religious or not?

It can be if your religion has a purpose for it. Trancework can have a profound impact on the psyche and it is strongly associated with meditation, chanting, and prayer recitation. So, either we started doing this as a means of reaching towards the spiritworld OR we started praying and noticed this happened as a byproduct. It doesn't have to be an either / or really. The end result is that trancework is and has been used by a lot of religions.

It is also something that just naturally happens during repetetive physical labor. Like mining, weaving, spinning thread, rowing a boat, threshing, kneading, etc. Most pre-industrial occupations involve trancework at some point in the process so it has been a useful tool in the workplace. Think of the musical traditions associated with things like fulling/ wauking, seafaring, and chain gangs. These are secular examples of people using trancework on purpose to coordinate their labor together with others.

Trancework can be secular or religious, it just depends on what you are trying to do and how you go about it.

How do I do it on purpose?

Put on some music with a good beat, give your body permission to relax into it deeper every few bars, close your eyes a little or all the way, sway your shoulders in a figure 8 and let that whole body just go with it. Imagine your body moving like water and let it happen. Say bye-bye to your thoughts. They do not matter. Picture a flowing image--a river flowing around the base of a mountain, a gust of wind carrying a little bird on an adventure, a serpent eating its tail... whatever floats your boat. After about 10-20 minutes of this, allow yourself to slump over, give away all excess energy, and just flop somewhere comfy. Let yourself return to consciousness gradually. When you do, have a snack and drink some water. Do something relaxing like taking a shower or a nap. That's pretty much it.

What if I want to use trancework to do something magical or religious?

Trancing is a skill. You can be good at it and you can be bad at it. It is something that you can improve at over time and with experience. Once you can get into an altered state on purpose reliably and get yourself back out again safely every time, you can then start exploring the other things trancework can be used for. Things associated with magic like: Divination Bilocation Shapeshifting

Or things associated with spirit-based religion like: Possession Mediumship

Or things associated with religion like: Deity Bridalwork Presence Ceremonies

Each of these things have unique structures to the rituals that will get you through them successfully. Think of them like recipes. Because there is a physical and neurological component to trancework, this is not a matter of making up whatever you want or doing what you think makes sense. You can absolutely do that but you will not get the same outcome as what someone who uses a traditional method of doing so would get. If you smoke bacon but call it bread, you're only really fooling yourself. The tried and true recipe gets you the predictable result. (I have to mention this because there are A LOT of modern trancework practices out there that are not based in anything traditional--they're just something someone made up because they moved around it made them feel tingly and they assumed it was the same thing as what the traditional folks were doing. It really isn't. No matter where you go on this planet, traditional trancework functions in the same spectrum of ways. It really is an exact recipe and you can't make changes to the load bearing aspects of it and expect to get the same results. Technique matters.)

If you look around on this blog you will find loads of posts on how to get into the more complicated forms of trancework and what exactly those are used to do. So, I recommend starting there or reaching out to someone who has ties to traditional forms of trancework who can walk you through the exact kind of thing you want to do.

What other beginner questions do you have? Did I miss any? Let me know how I can help!

[fox-teeth]

Today's the last day of April, and to belatedly celebrate my birthday I'd like to share a comic with you: it's about getting revenge against the people who wronged you, and it's called Werewolf's Lament.

Werewolf's Lament is printed with florescent orange and mint risograph inks on light brown paper; cut and folded in the shape of a wolf. Physical copies are for sale in my online shop.

[slewfootwitch]

𝔞𝔠𝔞𝔡𝔢𝔪𝔦𝔠 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔠𝔥𝔶 𝔱𝔢𝔵𝔱𝔰 𝔦 𝔲𝔰𝔢 (𝔦𝔫𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝔬𝔣 𝔪𝔞𝔰𝔰 𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔨𝔢𝔱 𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔡𝔢 𝔟𝔬𝔬𝔨𝔰)

[Alt Text for Screen Readers: "Academic Witchy Texts I Use (Instead of Mass Market Trade Books)"]

These are certainly not the only academic texts available for those looking to advance past mass-market trade books. This list is just a few of the books that I own and that I have found useful for my own practice. Some of these are specific to my own ancestral practice; some are more generally European.

Witchcraft in Europe , 400-1700: A Documentary History (Kors & Peters)

Witchcraft & Magic in the Nordic Middle Ages (Mitchell)

The Witchcraft Reader (Oldridge)

The Witch-Hunt in Early Modern Europe (Levack)

Witch Craze: Terror & Fantasy in Baroque Germany (Roper)

Wicked Arts: Witchcraft & Magic Trials in Southern Sweden, 1635-1754 (Per Sorlin)

The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present (Hutton)

The Penguin Book of Witches (Howe)

Witchcraft in Russie & Ukraine, 1000-1900: A Sourcebook (Kivelson & Worobec)

The Witchcraft Sourcebook (Levack)

European Magic & Witchcraft: A Reader (Rampton)

Witchcraft Confessions &Accusations (Douglas)

Witchcraft & Sorcery (Marwick)

Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe: Studies in Culture & Belief (Berry & Hester)

Witches & Neighbors: The Social & Cultural Context of European Witchcraft (Briggs)

The Voices of Women in Witchcraft Trials: Northern Europe (Willumsen)

Premodern Beliefs & Witch Trials in a Swedish Province, 1669-1672 (Malmstedt)

Cunning-Folk & Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Visionary Traditions in Early Modern British Witchcraft and Magic (Wilby)

Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic (Stanmore)

Tidebast Och Vändelrot: Magical Representations in the Swedish Black Art Tradition (Johnson)

[juniper-divination-and-witchery]

Gnosis Techniques: 3 Ways to Achieve Altered States in Chaos Magic

You've read the glossary definition. You know that gnosis is the altered state where magic happens. But what exactly does that mean and how do you enter it?

Most chaos magic texts assume you already know how to enter gnosis states. They tell you to "achieve gnosis" without explaining the gap between sitting normally and reaching the mental state where your conscious mind shuts up long enough for magic to work. This article covers three techniques you can practice right now to achieve it.

What Gnosis Is and How to Enter It

Your conscious mind filters everything it takes in. It questions, analyzes, doubts. Useful for daily life, but counterproductive for magical work.

When you think "I want a new job" while scrolling through job listings, that's just a thought. Your conscious mind immediately follows with why you won't get the job, or gets side tracked day dreaming about an idealized fantasy. Either way, the intention gets buried under commentary.

Gnosis quiets that commentary. The altered state bypasses the filters so your intention lands without interference. Whether this accesses your subconscious mind or something more metaphysical depends on your framework. The mechanism works either way.

Three types of gnosis exist: * inhibitory - stillness until the mind goes quiet * excitatory - overwhelming intensity that short-circuits thought * indifferent vacuity - everyday mental blankness

Each one works differently but achieves the same result.

Why You Need It

Magic without gnosis is wishing. Magic with gnosis is working.

The difference shows up in results. An intention formed casually while doing dishes might or might not manifest. The same intention embedded during altered state carries weight your conscious mind can't dilute.

This matters especially for sigil charging, where the moment of gnosis determines whether you're making art or working magic.

A Word About Physical Methods

Some gnosis techniques use hyperventilation, physical exhaustion, or uncomfortable positions. These have real effects on your body. Know your limits. Skip techniques that conflict with health conditions. Don't push through pain that feels wrong.

Method 1: Inhibitory Gnosis - The Death Posture

Austin Osman Spare developed this technique using physical discomfort to exhaust your conscious mind.

Why it works: Sustained discomfort forces your mind to either maintain constant complaint or give up and go quiet. Most minds eventually choose quiet.

How to do it: 1. Choose an uncomfortable but sustainable position. Standing on one leg works. So does holding your arms straight out to the sides, or sitting in an awkward squat. The position should be difficult to maintain but not painful. 2. Hold your intention clearly in mind as you take the position. 3. Maintain the position. Your mind will resist. Your muscles will complain. Hold it anyway. 4. When the discomfort peaks and your mind goes quiet, release the intention. 5. Release the posture.

What to expect: Mental resistance first. Then a shift where the discomfort becomes background noise. Sometimes a "pop" of release when you fire the intention. Sometimes nothing obvious.

Common mistake: Giving up before your mind quiets. The discomfort is the point. If it's easy, it's not working.

Method 2: Excitatory Gnosis - Rhythmic Breathing

Controlled hyperventilation overwhelms your system to create altered state.

Why it works: Flooding your body with oxygen through rapid breathing creates physiological changes that shift your mental state. The conscious mind gets too busy managing the physical sensation to maintain its usual filtering.

How to do it: 1. Sit comfortably. Have your intention ready. 2. Breathe rapidly and deeply for 1-2 minutes In through your nose, out through your mouth. Deep full breaths, not shallow panting. Iif you're not sure how to do it, use this video on the Wim Hof Method to guide you. 3. When you feel lightheaded or your extremities start tingling, hold your intention strongly. 4. Release the breath pattern. Let your breathing return to normal.

What to expect: Tingling in your fingers and toes. Lightheadedness. Sometimes euphoria or a rushing sensation.

Common mistake: Breathing too shallow. You need deep, full breaths to create the effect. If you're not feeling anything after a minute, you're probably not breathing deeply enough.

Method 3: Indifferent Vacuity - The Automatic Action

You enter light gnosis states every day without noticing. This technique uses that everyday mental blankness deliberately.

Why it works: Your mind goes quiet during repetitive automatic tasks. Highway hypnosis. Forgetting why you walked into a room. The moment when you finish washing dishes and realize you weren't thinking about anything.

How to do it: 1. Choose a repetitive automatic task. Washing dishes, folding laundry, walking a familiar route. 2. Hold your intention briefly as you start the task. 3. Let your mind wander. Don't try to maintain focus on the intention. 4. Trust the intention is working in the background while your conscious mind zones out.

What to expect: Nothing dramatic. That's correct. Indifferent vacuity feels like ordinary mental blankness because it is ordinary mental blankness.

Common mistake: Trying to maintain conscious focus on the intention. That defeats the purpose. Let it go.

Experimenting Beyond These Techniques

These three methods are starting points. Other practitioners use mantra meditation, drumming, dancing, sex, long-distance running, sensory deprivation, or intense focus on complex tasks.

Pay attention to when your mind naturally goes quiet or gets overwhelmed. Those moments are your entry points to gnosis. A particular song that makes you lose yourself. The mental state after an intense workout. The third hour of a long drive.

Keep notes on what works. Your gnosis practice will develop its own patterns.

Common Questions

"How do I know if I actually reached gnosis?"

Don't try to analyze it in the moment. That analysis is your conscious mind reasserting control, which is exactly what you're trying to bypass.

Judge by results. Did your magic work? That's your answer.

The "did I do it right?" anxiety prevents gnosis. It's a catch-22. Try to let go of the need to know.

"Can I combine methods?"

Yes. Many practitioners combine uncomfortable positions with breathwork, or use rhythmic breathing while performing repetitive movement.

Find what creates the strongest effect for you.

"What if nothing happens?"

Gnosis isn't always dramatic. Indifferent vacuity feels like nothing because it is nothing. Your mind going blank while doing dishes is the correct experience.

If techniques consistently don't work after multiple attempts, try different ones. Not every method works for every person.

"Do I need gnosis every single time I do magic?"

This is debated among practitioners and, as with everything in chaos magic, you will ultimately have to decide for yourself.

Most say yes for best results, especially when you're starting. Some experienced practitioners develop shortcuts or find their baseline state shifts with practice.

Start by using it every time. You can experiment with skipping it once you have enough experience to judge the difference in results.

"Is this dangerous?"

Physical methods carry risks if you ignore your body's signals. Don't hyperventilate if you have breathing problems. Don't hold painful positions if you have joint issues.

The mental aspects? You're just quieting your thoughts. That's not dangerous.

Moving Forward

Gnosis transforms intention into magical work. The techniques look simple on paper. Practicing them shows you the difference between knowing about altered states and experiencing them.

Start with whichever method feels most accessible. Practice with low-stakes intentions before using gnosis for important workings. You're building a skill that gets easier with repetition.

Now that you can enter gnosis, you're ready to learn what to do with it.

[windvexer]

offering of the true witch

"I bless this half a hotdog and the rest of these Cheetos under the sun, so they are filled with vitality. I bless this half a hotdog and these Cheetos under the moon, so their ethereal bodies reflect into the spirit world as the full moon illuminates the night sky.

Now at this time, here in this place, I give these offerings to the spirit of this tree, which I will identify as soon as I can get back to cell range and use iNaturalist.

[Use finger or stick to draw doorway sigil into the soil; you can also trace it if the earth can't be drawn in]

I take the spirit of these offerings, illuminated by the Sun and Moon, and as a Shepherd I guide them into the spirit world. The spirit of the hotdog walks through the doorway. The spirit of the Cheetos walks through the doorway.

I send the vital energy of these things into the spirit world, as a gift for the spirits. Let the sustenance of this food enter the spirit world, so that it becomes like ash in the mouths of beast and men. Let it become whole and fruitful for the spirits.

The offerings have walked through the doorway, and now they lie at the feet of the spirits. Let these offerings take any form that is desired. Let them become the finest food and drink. And let the spirits partake in peace, unto their greatest satisfaction.

This food I now hold in my hands is empty. Like a cloud it holds shape but no substance. The true offering is within the spirit world.

[Erase the door, or "wipe off" the visualized door]

The offering has been delivered. The door has been closed."

[Gather up physical offering remnants and depart]

[windvexer]

Brief notes on conjuring and creating to fill a void left by banishment

I've had a solid rule of thumb for many years, maybe one of the first bits of actually useful magical things I learned, and it's just that banishing and conjuring go together and inasmuch as possible you should always do them both if you're going to do one.

We can conceptualize any given life or situation or whatever is cosmically 'full.' I don't mean full of metaphysical energy, but rather that the strands of fate that weave the tapestry of life are always woven tight. Necessity and the Fates do not leave gaps.

Therefore, if you want to conjure something into your life - manifest something new - then it serves you very well to first banish something else, like slipping a thread out of the tapestry of your life, so that there is a blank space ready to be filled up with what you want to conjure.

Conversely, if you want to banish something and really keep it gone for good (and I mean, banishing spirits, cord-cutting to get people out of your life, banishing situations or even banishing likely futures), then you'd really be stacking the deck in your favor if you conjured something else to sit in that blank space and fill it up right away, so that the old thing you banished can't sneak it's way back in again.

What you conjure to fill up a banishment-hole, and what you banish to make space for conjuring, can be pretty loosey-goosey. The magic will do it's best to fit in.

To make room for what you'll conjure, try framing your banishment as a sacrifice. All magic requires sacrifice, it's sometimes said. Perhaps true, and many such cases.

Knowing that what you want to conjure will take up such-and-such energy, time out of your day, resources in your life, occupy your available slots for relationships or brainpower, what exists in your life now that you will sacrifice on your altar so its blood can nourish your seedlings of desire?

Along very much the same lines, anything you banish can be viewed as a sacrifice to let something else in (maybe a very useful mindset if the banishing is of unwanted people). The key is that you should choose what you want to bring in and cast a spell to manifest it as soon as possible, even immediately after, you cast the banishment spell.

But that being said, are there any practical considerations you should make for how to choose what you banish or conjure?

I recommend approaching it somewhat like breaking a bad habit by substituting it with something else.

A cigarette smoker trying to quit might identify the oral aspect of their addiction, the ritual of lighting a cigarette, or the quiet time alone outside as things they feel compelled to engage with, even if they don't want to.

Therefore, a smoker might choose to start chewing gum (oral stimulation), fold a paper crane (ritual focus), or repeating a prayer (calming distance) in order to replace their addiction with less harmful habits.

When you want to work a conjure-banish combo (in either order), try approaching it in the same way.

I want to conjure more hours at my job, which will require my time and labor. Maybe I sacrifice hours spent in my garden, or my gaming guild.

I want to banish a person who always makes me nervous and sad, so I pick up a habit of watching k-dramas.

I want to experience the satisfaction of attainment by seeing more money in my bank, so I sacrifice the satisfaction of attainment I get from impulse purchases.

I do not find any of the particular things to be of importance:

That the newly conjured thing be vastly different, new, or unique in your life; it only needs to be something that can expand to fill the space.

That the banished thing be unique or singular; other similar things can remain in your life, as long as their waterways don't spill over into the pond you're trying to drain.

That you must replace a banished person with a conjured person, or a banished object with a conjured object, or anything matchy-matchy like this; you can replace links with other people with hobbies, interests, an improved sleep schedule, or anything that will sufficiently blossom to fill up the space they took up in your life.

I find the following to be true and helpful:

Conjuring and banishing go hand in hand. To redouble your efforts, cast two protections: one to protect yourself against the banished thing (so it can't easily return), and one to protect the conjured thing's rightful place in your life (so it can't easily be displaced).

[[There exists magic to expand, retract, or modify the boundaries of your life so that more sum total things can be attained at once, without having to sacrifice other things; Saturn is a solid lead on that, as well as a variety of magical remediations which overlap with healing and doctoring. Basically, you want to heal, reinforce, and sometimes recondition areas of your life, like mending a broken bag, so that (say) your Financial Life can literally hold more things without dropping them.]]

[gladstones-corner]

Liber Null - A Primer

This is the first article in a series on Liber Null by Peter J. Carroll. 

"The secrets of magic are universal and of such a practical physical nature as to defy simple explanation" (Carroll, 1987, 9). 

I'm going to break from my normal commentary to delve into one of my favorite books on Chaos Magic: Peter J. Carroll's Liber Null. 

Originally published in 1978, Liber Null was reprinted with Carroll's 1982 collection of essays, Psychonaut. Though I will be quoting from the 1987 edition of Liber Null & Psychonaut, this series will only focus on Liber Null for now. 

Let's begin. 

For those unfamiliar, Chaos Magic is a school of thought codified in the latter half of the 20th century by authors such as Peter Carroll and Phil Hine. Its central tenet is that there is no objective truth. Therefore, any tool or technique is available to the practicing magician—provided the magician believes in its efficacy. 

The freedom and flexibility to believe and practice whatever works is guard-railed by the approach to this freedom. Chaos Magic is analytical and experimental, relying primarily on the magical diary as a sort of laboratory record. The goal is standardization against a benchmark that constantly renews itself with each new revelation. Still though, at its core, Chaos Magic is about liberation. 

With that in mind, let's move to the central aim of Liber Null: 

"Two major themes run through this book: that altered states of consciousness are the key to unlocking one's magical abilities; and that these abilities can be developed without any symbolic system except reality itself" (Carroll, 1987, 7). 

In fewer words, Liber Null imparts agnostic tools and techniques designed to achieve altered states of consciousness for magical purposes. 

A brief note: when Carroll was writing Liber Null, he wrote it for students of his order of Chaos Magic in mind. He did not necessarily write it with the intention of defining Chaos Magic for a generation. This is especially salient to this next claim: Carroll posits that the IOT follows an unbroken chain of evolution from the earliest form of magic, which he terms "shamanism". 

Here's the issue with that statement: there is no such thing as an unbroken line of magical tradition surviving from ancient times. However, bold and often fictitious claims to lineage have always been a problem in magical orders. The IOT is no different. 

Fortunately, we don't need to outright discount the theory. One of the fundamental teachings of Chaos Magic is that there are common threads running through all esoteric traditions. To illustrate this chain of influences (rather than direct teachings), please refer to Carroll's flowchart below: 

(Carroll, 1987, 8) 

A deep commentary on how these threads are related is beyond the scope of this post, but I highly encourage you to study at least the direct influences on the IOT as defined by Carroll: 

Austin O. Spare/Zos Kia Cultus: the grandfather of Chaos Magic and popularizer of the sigil method of magic 

Aleister Crowley: a man who needs little introduction; founder of Thelema 

Witchcraft: relies on personal relationships with the natural and supernatural worlds 

Sorcery: relies on analytical manipulation of symbols and ritualistic techniques 

Note that these influences cast a wide net in the magical world—from philosophical to practical and from organic to mathematical. This makes Chaos Magic a well-rounded tradition in its own right, but it also grants a variety of expressions based on personal experience. 

Overall, Chaos Magic as defined by Liber Null has become the de facto standard for any serious Chaos Magician who wants to build their own tradition. And since building traditions is the whole point of this blog, it's important to go even further than Liber Null and study spiritual practices that apply these techniques. This helps you understand the alterations you make yourself.

We'll talk more about this as we dig into each chapter. For now, thank you for reading. I hope this was a helpful primer to Chaos Magic and Liber Null. 

Blessed be~