#geekomancy

[sunsinourhands]

Boy Do I Hate Generative AI

Dearest Readers, I never imagined I would have to make my stance on this subject any more blunt than it already is. And yet, we live in a so

Not quite on the nose with occult. But, I have been getting asks about people who want to use ChatGPT to cast spells for them and I justtttttttt

[grimoire-of-geekery]

LEGEND OF ZELDA OCCULT ASK MEME

POWER QUESTIONS

Sword: Name a kind of magic you have that gives you an "edge."

Shield: What is your go-to for protection magic?

Tunic: Describe your preferred ritual attire.

Boomerangs, Magical or Otherwise: Tell us about a time when you used magic unconventionally.

Bows and Projectiles: What kinds of tips do you have to help improve a spell's accuracy?

Bomb: Can you tell us about a time when a spell blew up in your face or had "explosive" results?

Hookshot: Share a time you "bridged a gap" in your Craft.

Flutes, Ocarinas, and other instruments: What is your favorite way to use your magic?

WISDOM QUESTIONS

Hearts and Heart Pieces: What's something you've found that completes you?

Rupee and other Currency: What advice do you have about spending magical resources?

Mushrooms and Monster Parts: What are the weirdest or most interesting spell components you use?

Potions of Various Colors: What do you do to refuel and recharge?

Big and Small Keys: Share a way you use your magic to open doors for you, and any potential risks involved.

Bottle Fairies and Other Allies: What aid or advice have you received from an ally that you really need to use?

The Triforce: What wish would you make if you could have any wish granted, and is it a wise wish to make?

Map and Compass: What do you consult when you're lost and need guidance?

COURAGE QUESTIONS

Octorok: How do you handle attacks from out of the blue?

Moblin: What do you do when your problems are bigger than you?

Zora: Share a strategy for using your Craft to deal with "what lies beneath."

Keese: What's a good way to deal with troubles that aren't really dangerous but are more like nuisances?

Wizzrobe: What's your advice on dealing with other magicians, particularly hostile or inimical ones?

Stalfos and other undead: How do you deal with your past coming back to trouble you?

Like Like: Have you ever been suckered and taken advantage of? If so, how did you handle it?

Dungeon Boss: What has been your greatest challenge to overcome in your Craft?

[sun-geekomancer]

Grief Seed is a spread about your very own Madoka-Verse Magical Girl Sona--and your Witchsona from the same universe. I tried to make a light and fluffy themed spread, but I’m told this gets intense.  Current graphics reference my main/shitpost blog. Cost: $40 PM me for paypal info. 

[strands-of-starlight]

Clow Sorcery: Clear Card Edition

Alright, so I recently caught up on the CCS: Clear Card manga and am therefore back on my bullshit with regard to Clow sorcery stuff. I have a lot of thoughts on various aspects of this arc and what the potential implications are for those of us who like to play in that magical sandbox, but for now I’d like to start with taking a look at the original Clow cards in comparison with the Clear cards. Specifically, I want to delve into what these two systems (because yes, I am about to argue that they are in fact separate systems) can tell us about a) the types of magic present in this paradigm and b) the different types of magicians we’re working with.

As a note, this post will be somewhat image-heavy so I apologize for that in advance. Additionally, I will be discussing SPOILERS UP TO MANGA VOLUME 5 since that’s where we really start to have a clearer picture of things. I won’t be addressing anything specific to the anime because I’ve not watched it yet and have discovered via discussions with other fans a number of divergences on some key plot points, so I’m leaving that alone atm. Be advised.

Now, we have concrete confirmation that the Clear cards are the sole product of Sakura’s power and imagination (something which I speculated on nearly a year ago, so I feel rather validated on that front). For anyone who has been dipping into Clow sorcery, this is kind of a big deal on multiple levels. First and foremost being, they are not Clow cards. These new card spirits exist wholly outside of the original framework that governed the Clow. This is evidenced by a few things, starting with the names and appearances of the respective spirits.

A large majority of the Clow cards were anthropomorphic/humanoid in appearance. Only a handful of them did not fit into this category, and even most of those could be identified as an object of some sort. With the exception of the Illusion and the Wave, every Clow spirit had a definitive and recognizable form that personified its inherent power. The Clear cards, on the other hand, are largely abstract. Even those that are described as birds (Gale, Aqua, Blaze) are not any kind of bird that is immediately identifiable as such. To date, the only truly humanoid Clear card spirit is one that is directly inspired by a Clow card, and consequently shares the original spirit’s name (Mirror).

You may be asking why any of this matters. Obviously they needed a new #aesthetic to hook people, so that covers that, right? Well, I think it’s a little more significant than that, especially since Sakura responded so well to the original cards and developed a decided friendly relationship with them. Why, then, would her own cards be so different to the friends she had already made?

I believe it boils down to a key difference between Sakura’s and Clow’s magic which becomes pretty apparent when you examine their respective mahoujin. Looking at Clow Reed’s magic circle, we see a TON of different magical elements. At first glance, we clearly have some astrology, some sacred geometry, the kanji for the four cardinal directions, and a host of symbols, sigils, and script all divided neatly into sections that obviously have some type of mystical correspondences. This mahoujin is absolutely packed with occult knowledge that Clow spent years painstakingly crafting into a coherent system, the final product of which were the original Clow cards.   

Some of this detail and structure is maintained in the magic circle Sakura ends up using in the second half of the series, but some of it is also lost. We retain the astrological symbols and the Sun, Moon, Star motif (slightly rearranged to reflect the source of Sakura’s power). We still have the cardinal directions and the interlocking geometric designs, but the rest of the glyphs and magical script have gone missing. Looking at this mahoujin, there are enough similarities to clearly show these magicians are still working within the same paradigm. One is a little more heavy on the elements you might expect to pick up over a life-long study of the occult, while the other has been parred down to reflect a magician who is still growing into their craft.

Virtually all of this changes with the Clear cards, though. Absolutely everything about the original mahoujin, save for the presence of the Sun and Moon, has been edged out by the dominance of the Star. Even the four kanji representing the cardinal directions have been replaced by the kanji for Fire, Wind, Water, and Earth. Perhaps even more fascinating, the circle no longer even manages to contain the whole of the design. This magic circle is literally bursting with Sakura’s own power, and very little else.

What this says to me is: Sakura is not only stronger than Clow was, but she is also an entirely different type of magician. While Clow relied heavily on various elements of ceremonial magic and established lore to create a new system that married Eastern and Western philosophies, Sakura isn’t so much creating a new system as she is unconsciously harnessing raw elemental power through sheer force of will.

This is also demonstrated in the different incantations for unleashing the Wand. Both the original incantation and the one Sakura uses in the latter half of the series call upon a very specific force - the “power of the Dark” or the “power of the Stars”. In the Clear card arc, however, she calls upon the “Force without Master” to release her staff and secure the new cards. Honestly, I suspect the only reason the new cards are even cards at all is because she is mimicking a familiar template without realizing it.

The point is, this explains a hell of a lot. The reason the Clear cards are more abstract is because they haven’t been refined by any formal rules or tools beyond the power that is required to wield them. It also explains the disparity in the range of their application as compared to the original Clow. Clow spirits all had a very narrow set of skills and parameters specific to their nature. By contrast, the Clear cards have a broader range precisely because they are, in essence, still very raw. Which is understandable, since it takes years of learning and practice to develop the control necessary to work with fine lines as opposed to broad strokes.

But what this proves is that Sakura’s power is far more chaotic than anyone except perhaps Eriol may have realized, simply because she has no boundaries to contain it.

I’m still not entirely sure what all this means for practitioners of Clow Sorcery, but there are a few things I can say with relative certainty. The first is that I absolutely believe one can choose to work with the new cards without having to give up the Clow. The second, is that anyone who does decide to work with the Clear cards should probably keep in mind that they are an entirely different beast born of a much wilder magic than the original Clow, and therefore may not necessarily play by all the same rules.

Tune in next time...

[badpsychicadvice]

Bad Occult Spell Boosting Tip

You know how some people boost the power or success rate of their spells by speaking in a solemn or deep or enchanting manner? I’ve got great news: you can get the same effect with your best Batman voice.

[magpie-joyful]

Sailor Moon Wake Up Spell

If you don’t have a magic cat to yell at you to wake you up in the mornings (or if you do, but you tend to ignore them), here’s a fun and silly little ritual to help you start the day with energy, confidence and a smile!

**Author’s Note: I am not a witch who enjoys following other people’s spell recipes step by step, so this is not going to be a straightforward spell description.  Any components you pick or elements you choose for this need to be what seems right to YOU -- While telling you exactly what works for me might work for you, it’s just not my style. (It’s also nunya beeswax! ^_~) Instead, what follows is basically a process you can use to tailor this spell for you!

TL;DR Version of the spell:

Pick a planet or other source of power to invoke

Charge it up

Set your alarm to play with music or just pick a piece of music to hum under your breath when your alarm goes off

When you wake up, do a stretch or movement that you come up with, connect with the energy you’re invoking, and shout “Moon Prism Power, Wake Up!” or “Citrine Power, Wake Up!” etc, depending on what you chose.

Picture your Sailor Guardian transformation sequence as you roll out of bed to the music, do a final stretch, and pose!

Say a final phrase to cap it off.  “By the power of the moon, I’m going to kick ass today!”  (or whatever sounds good to you)

Is this silly?  HELL YES.  Will it get you out of bed without hitting the snooze button, to start the day with energy and a smile on your face? ALSO HELL YES!

For a full version of the spell, with my unstoppable rambling, check the read more.  

Step One: Pick a Planet!*

You’ll need to pick a planet* to invoke for this spell.  There are a few ways to do this!  Some are more complicated than others, and it really depends how much of an astrologist you are, but it doesn’t matter how you pick as long as you pick one!

Pick a planet that corresponds to your personal astrology.  For example, my sun sign is Taurus, so I might pick Venus.  You can also pick a planet that corresponds to a specific house in your chart, depending on why you want to wake up on time -  the 6th house if you’re getting up early to go to the gym for example - but I must confess this is a little beyond my astrological skill level.

Pick a planet that rules the hour at which you want to wake up.  This is a more complicated choice, since which planet rules which hour changes by the day of the week, so you’d be doing a different planet every morning.

Pick a planet with qualities you want to bring into your day!  

Pick a planet you like or that matches your favorite Sailor!

*Alternate Step One: Pick Something Else!

You don’t necessarily have to call on the powers of a planet.  You could call on a star, god, spirit, herb, crystal, tarot card, or literally anything.  If you’re calling on something tangible it might be a good idea to actually have some on hand, but this will work with the power of Citrine or Coffee just as well as Jupiter or the Sun. 

Step Two: Charge it UP!

Whatever you picked in step one, as a nightly ritual, charge it with energy.  This might be something like petitioning the planet you chose, brewing coffee or tea, or lighting a candle and directing its energy into a crystal or object. I have my own methods for imbuing something with magical energy; I’m assuming you have yours as well.  If not, look up a way or follow your instincts and just try something!  

Whatever you do, if you can have a specific object to charge up that represents what you picked in step one, charge it and set it by your bed when you go to sleep.  (Make sure you seal the energy in the object so it stays there until you call upon it, or else you might have trouble falling asleep!)

Step Three: Music!

Every good Magical Girl Transformation has kickass music to go along with it!  Download the transformation music straight from the anime, or pick some other song that pumps you up and makes you feel confident.  

If you can, set this music to go off as your alarm. If you can’t, practice humming it under your breath or hearing it in your head.  My husband sleeps next to me, so I can’t do any of the super-loud versions of this spell.  It still works!

Step Four: Transformation: Wake UP!

When you wake up and hear the music playing, take a moment to connect with the energy you’re invoking.  Then move into a stretch and say, “Moon Prism power.... Wake UP!”  Or “Coffee Power”, “Hermes Power”, “Magpie Power”, etc, whatever you chose.

On the word UP, sit up!  as the music continues to play, envision your Sailor Guardian transformation in your mind’s eye.  Get out of bed and do another stretch, ending in a pose that makes you feel both powerful and hella cute!

As you strike your final pose, say, “By the power of the moon, I’m going to kick ass today!” (As with the other phrases, customize this one to your own purposes.)

**Note: If your movements or chanting are a little stilted or you can’t remember what to do right away, that’s OK!  Sailor Moon is the exact same way.  If you want to be smooth and confident in your movements though, it’s a good idea to take some time to practice your stretches and poses before using them to wake up.

Congratulations!  You’re awake and energized!  Those evil monsters had better watch out, because you’re going to kick ass today!  

[teaandtarot]

I hate the phrase “so mote it be”. Something about it doesn’t roll off the tongue for me. So since I’m a huge nerd I always say “make it so”. Because we all need to be a little Picard.

[celebriance]

invite me to hang out with your Portland based intersectional witchy community pls

PS I’m going to the pagan faire at oaks park Saturday be my friend