#a. nonymousse

[breelandwalker]

I'm starting to question how much the "old" pagan costumes and festivities were indeed about fertility, sex, etc.

Ronald Hutton claims that there is no evidence in history that the maypole was saw as a phallic symbol, for example. And there are other possible meanings. But you usually just read in books as a matter of fact that it was a phalic representation and the dance around was about fertility etc

I recently read the witche's bible because I was curious about traditional wicca rituals and there is suuch a high focus on how every single costume or holiday was about fertility and sex that honestly it makes me wonder, how much it was indeed about those things and how much is just the interpretation of modern people like Gardner making it about those things

You're hitting the nail on the head without even realizing it, Anon.

SO much of what we think we know about "old pagan customs" comes from books written by Victorian-era occultists. And if there is one thing to be said about Victorian-era occultists, it was that they were horny as FUCK. (And the Edwardians weren't any better.)

These people went around rubber-stamping FERTILITY in big red letters on anything to do with goddesses or springtime or even the most passing reference to pregnancy, childbirth, midwifery, or babies. Literally any excuse for ritual nudity or a sacred orgy. And no, that is not satire. Or a euphemism.

The other thing that can be said about Victorian-era occultists is that quite a lot of them were history buffs and very prolific writers. (If you look at the roster of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and their regular guests, it reads like a Who's Who of the writers of fantastical fiction and poetry at the time.) So the result of that is a whole lot of literature about folklore and "ancient pagan customs" written by people who were filtering what little historical information they had at the time through the lens of their own opinions and those of their colleagues.

(It's worth noting that that "lens" often consisted quite heavily of free-associated ideas not supported by history or things they completely pulled out of their own asses. Leland's "Aradia" is a good example of the "Ancient Sacred Text Given To Me By A Real Witch Who Totally Exists And I Definitely Didn't Write This Myself And Make Up This Claim For Clout" genre.)

Quite unsurprisingly, a lot of these beliefs got absorbed into the roots of the modern witchcraft movement a few decades later, since those were the popular resources available at the time and the same generally-prevailing opinions and biases were still present. So this started WELL before Gardner and his coven were on the scene. They just picked up the thread.

And as we all know, once there's a generation or so of removal from the founding beliefs of a movement, people tend to take the older texts as gospel, regardless of how flawed they might be.

See Also: We Still Have To Talk About The Witch-Cult Hypothesis Because Margaret Murray Wrote The Encyclopedia Britannica Entry On Witchcraft And It Wasn't Updated Until The 1960s.

See Also: We Still Have To Explain The Difference Between Historical Fiction And The Historical Record Because Of The White Goddess And The Mists Of Avalon.

See Also: We Still Have To Talk About The Burning Times Myth Because Raymond Buckland Made That Stupid Fucking Documentary.

See Also: Why The Hell Is Anyone Still Recommending Silver Ravenwolf.

Anyway, the short answer is that yes, your impression is correct, and I'm glad you're reading Hutton and forming that practical context for the witchcraft/pagan literature and media that you encounter.

Keep honing that bullshit detector and best of luck!

[breelandwalker]

Oh no. What's wrong with Silver Ravenwolf? I feel like I see them recommended everywhere...

Yeeeeaaaah, it's an ongoing problem. Her books were wildly popular for over a decade and they're were widely marketed as THE Book To Have for beginner witches by Llewellyn, which was the heaviest of the heavy hitters in occult literature at the time.

The problem with Silver Ravenwolf is largely that she is wildly out of touch in a very New Age White Woman kind of way. Her books tout loads of misinformation, appropriation, and historical revisionism that are simply not acceptable (i.e. claiming victims of witch trials were actual pagan witches, citing a fictional ancient matriarchal goddess religion that never existed was the basis for Wicca, leaning into the hereditary superpowers / indigo child / starseed narrative, etc). Besides which, the theories she posits contradict each other from page to page and chapter to chapter, claims a Gardnerian lineage which can’t possibly exist, and trumpets Buckland’s personal theories on the Burning Times and interpretation of the Threefold Law as if they were fact.

And thanks to her runaway popularity, those of us who instruct and answer questions from newer witches have to UNTEACH all of this nonsense.

If it were simply a matter of being a product of her time, I could forgive some of the nonsense. But she’s still selling mammy dolls on her website, though she labels them as “primitive” and equates them to “positive voodoo dolls.” Yes, she's been confronted about this, and yes she doubled down. I don’t think I need to explain how gross and racist this is on SEVERAL levels. She's been given opportunities to show growth and self-work with regards to her work and simply refuses to believe that she was ever wrong about anything.

So, her books aren't entirely worthless by any means, but they require a LOT of critical reading and a strong understanding of actual history and science. Furthermore, she leans rather hard into a borderline cult mentality that boils down to, "Nobody understands you, but because you're drawn to witchcraft, you're SPECIAL, probably because of some ancient hereditary superpower, so don't worry - Mama Silver understands you. Also, there's no need to read further into anything, just take my word for it."

I would not recommend them for beginners, which is a problem because that's exactly the demographic her work is marketed toward. (Personally, I would not recommend them for anybody, but that's just my opinion.) They require so much effort to fact-check and unpack that it's almost not even worth the time and energy for whatever ideas and information you might actually find useful.

For more details, I suggest the following articles:

Continuing Anger Over Silver Ravenwolf

The Problem With Silver Ravenwolf

Trae Dorn (@traegorn) of BS-Free Witchcraft expands on the topic in this video. They've been wrestling with this issue for YEARS within the Wiccan and wider witchcraft communities and I'm sure they could cite examples I've missed.

[breelandwalker]

Got any info about St Patrick's Day? ^^

It's...an Irish Catholic holiday celebrating St. Patrick that's way more popular in the US than it is in Ireland?

From a pagan standpoint, nada. And the snake thing was apocryphal and had nothing to do with druids. (St. Patrick didn't even do a very good job at conversion. The Wolves of Ossery is a good tale, but we're not sure that was him.)

Fabulous time to learn a bit of Gaeilge or read some Irish history or folklore though.

Or Oscar Wilde, absolutely fabulous queer icon that he was. Or W. B. Yeats, who loved fairy lore and was part of an occult society and once superkicked Aleister Crowley down a flight of stairs.

True story.

[breelandwalker]

sometimes I feel bad about banishing spirits from a new space because its like. they were here first. maybe I'm the evil spirit for kicking them out of their home like some kind of settler. is there literally any merit to this worry or is it simply anxiety and overthinking getting the better of me?

This is an interesting way of looking at the process of claiming a space and banishing spirits, and it certainly is a good idea to be consciously decolonizing our thinking whenever possible.

However, in the context of most homes (I assume that's what you're referring to), they probably haven't been around long enough to really build up a strong ancestral energy presence. The land the structure is built on might have residual energy, but whether that rises to the level of a conscious entity is a debatable topic and depends on your own background, the history of the site, and the entities which could be argued to be present. (See Also: Genius Locii, land spirits, elementals, fae, etc.)

And even assuming that is 100% possible, there's the additional layer of how often it happens and how many / what type of buildings it affects. Really more of a question for spirit workers and hardcore animists in that case, cause you're getting into philosophy and a lot of conflicting theoretical ideas.

And yes, to answer the back half of the question, I DO think that some of that is anxiety and overthinking putting a word in.

If it helps, you might look at the cleansing and claiming of a new space as less of a fire-and-brimstone banishment and more of a notice of new occupancy. "Hi it's me, I live here now, this is me putting up new drapes and changing the locks, as all new tenants do. Previous residents sentient enough to notice are kindly asked to either go to the place best suited for them or remain here peacefully. If you can do that, then we'll get along fine. Hope you like the new decor!"

If you regularly engage in spirit work, you can go a step further and invite any peacefully-remaining spirits to use your pre-existing system of communication to alert you of danger, provide small requests, or help out with the household. Think of it like asking the neighbors what day the trash goes out and occasionally borrowing a cup of sugar. Giving them a little honorary spirit house or symbolic place to live can be a nice gesture. (I've done this for household spirits before.)

Hope this helps!

[breelandwalker]

How do I know if I should give up? My spells never work, I haven't been chosen or approached by any deities, and I just feel like I'm not really a witch. Is this just impossible for some people?

Oh honey....listen, come sit by me for a second.

What you're feeling? This is totally normal. And just about every witch I've ever talked to has felt something similar at some point in their practice, including me. Success in spellwork is not a requirement for being a "real" witch, although it is nice when it happens. Contact with deities isn't a necessity either.

To be a real witch, you just have to decide that you are one and practice some form of witchcraft, whatever that means to you. What's most important is that you feel fulfilled by what you're doing, even if that means taking a break from casting just to rest or reflect or research. Sometimes it's hard to feel that connection and fulfillment, especially if things are frustrating or don't seem like they're working, or if you don't really have a community connection to pull you through, but that does NOT mean you're in any way a failure or not a real witch. It just means you've hit a slump.

Let me offer a little advice that might help.

If you're having trouble with your spells, try new methods. Review what you've done before, mark down what doesn't work, and try it another way. See if you can close some loopholes or approach a problem from a different angle. Don't be afraid to start small! SO much of witchcraft lives in the little things we do, and it's not necessary to put all your proverbial chips into big all-or-nothing spells and rituals. It can be as simple as stirring a blessing into your tea or setting your protections when you lock your door. Record what you do and look back at it later. I think you might be surprised by the results.

As for deities, if there's someone you'd like to venerate or work with, there's nothing stopping you from reaching out first. Make an overture, make a petition, say a prayer, put out a little offering. You can do all of these things without being "chosen" or dedicating yourself to a deity. It's perfectly fine to just offer a little praise and thanks or to ask for help when you need it. You don't need permission to say hello. (And I'll let you in on a secret - most witches who venerate deities or work with them? Aren't "chosen" or approached by anyone. YOU can be the one who chooses.)

If you're feeling like you have no spark or motivation, you might try returning to the things that inspired you to take up witchcraft initially. See if that reignites anything, or maybe inspires you to try something new. If you need somewhere to start, there's a tag marked "Advice for Beginner Witches" on my blog with lots of tips and ideas. Also, talk to other witches! Sometimes an outside perspective might help move a block or provide fresh ideas.

Hope this helps! If you have more questions, please feel free to reach out!

[breelandwalker]

Where do you think this idea of gods "choosing" or "calling out to" specific practicioners (and thus making them So Special and More Legitimate) came from? I'm thinking main character syndrome but you seem more informed on these social circles and on the history. It's just so frustrating to see so much of it and think "I have to be Chosen to be a Real Witch" and give myself so much pressure, when it was all a bunch of nonsense.

Actually, you're spot on. It's a heaping dose of Main Character Syndrome with a smattering of Gatekeeping, and it's one of the many iterations of the I Need To Feel Special And/Or Rebellious And/Or Artificially Oppressed In Order To Feel Legitimized In My Craft complex that's been part of the modern witchcraft community since...pretty much forever.

It runs in the same circles with such sentiments as "We Are The Granddaughters Of The Witches You Couldn't Burn" and "My Granny/Auntie/Whoever Was Secretly A Witch Of The Old Secret Religion (but i can't show you proof bc coven secrets)" and the like. (@traegorn has OPINIONS on this one and I welcome them to share.)

The whole You Have To Be Chosen To Be A Witch complex isn't anything new. It's only the language surrounding it that's changed over time, and even that hasn't changed TOO much. People want to feel special and empowered, that's a normal desire to have, and in witchcraft terms, one way that's expressed is to say they were Chosen to be a witch, whether it's by genetics (not remotely a thing) or by a secret coven or by a deity. It's Flavor of the Week.

And thing is, you're absolutely right - the idea that you must be Chosen in order to be a Real Witch is Utter Bullshit. As mentioned above, it's Main Character Syndrome, but it's also Gatekeeping. It's a way for people who are already in the craft to pretend that they are somehow more special or more powerful or more knowledgeable than people who are just coming to the community. And while that may make them feel better about themselves, it's also harmful and discouraging to newcomers because of the needless pressure it puts them under.

Do deities call people to the craft or inspire them to explore witchcraft and paganism? Absolutely! Happens all the time. Divine inspiration has been a thing for ages and it's hardly confined to one group or belief system.

Is a divine call a requirement for being a witch or pagan? Not in the slightest.

Witchcraft isn't some secret superpower that manifests under the right circumstances or a grand inherited destiny that you can't escape. This isn't Charmed. Being a witch is a CHOICE, and THAT is why there's power in it.

Hope this helps! (Or at the very least, gives you some vindication.)

[breelandwalker]

whats shambles?

A shamble (or shambles) is a magical object from the Discworld book series by Sir Terry Pratchett. They were introduced in "The Wee Free Men," the first book in the Tiffany Aching cycle.

Shambles are used by witches for a variety of magical uses. They can detect or amplify magic, send a spell, protect a dwelling, or really whatever is needed. (Some shambles are also purely decorative, because a proper witch ought to maintain a certain level of ambience. Unless, of course, your name is Esmerelda Weatherwax, in which case the darn things just get in the way.)

There are no hard and fast rules as to what EXACTLY a shamble should look like, or even what it should be made of, only that it must be able to hang like a wind chime and must contain something living (or once-living) at the center).

A capable Discworld witch should be able to put together a shambles from whatever materials are at hand and the most powerful and effective shambles are the ones you make when there is the greatest need for them. It's all about capturing the moment and following one's intuition and sense of need during the construction.

Illustration by Hedgefairy (Deviantart)

I may or may not have had shambles in mind when I created the tutorial for Witch Webs for one of my books, but they certainly capture the same feeling - a woven hanging with no definite pattern which can include whatever feels right and may be used for whatever purpose one has need for at the time. Plus they make fabulous decorations.

[breelandwalker]

Leviticus 20:27

Luke 22:20.

Also, that verse from Levitticus was changed during the creation of the King James Bible to include the word "witch." The previous translation was simply "poisoner." Additionally, divination was "forbidden" because knowledge of the future was considered the realm of the divine, and that rule also used to apply to.... -checks notes on hand- ....forecasting the weather and creating horoscopes for anyone of royal birth.

Learn your own history instead of parroting buzzwords and biblespeak you don't understand, you useless cardboard submarine.