Noticing is a Net for Catching Magick: Spiritual Discernment, The Magicians Maxim, and How to Know Who You're Talking to.
Good evening, Tumblr friends! I am back with another old blog repost. This one is a bit longer and perhaps a bit...juicier.
I wrote this one October 17th, 2023, during a very rough patch in my life. I was dealing with a painful schisming of my friend group, which had resulted in me having to move on from some unhealthy relationships. I was feeling angry, let down, and defensive. I had opened up about my faith to someone in this group that I trusted, only to realize the hard way that they were not a safe person to be vulnerable with. It left me open to a bit of mockery, and I wanted to "bite back."
These complex emotions certainly come through in this piece, and some of my language is a bit... spicy. In the spirit of being authentic, however, I choose to repost without changing it too much. This time, I removed an announcement about an art show I was vending at. I think it's important not to alter these TOO much, though. They stand as a testament to how far I've come and how much I've matured.
Overall, I still agree with these takes, even if I presented them in a somewhat aggressive and self-agrandizing way! I implore you, lovely readers, to keep this bit of context in mind as you read.
~~~~~~~
Today's blog is about Spiritual Discernment, the Magicians Maxim, and generally how we can know who and what we are interacting with when it comes to spirits.
The short answer, you just have to get out there and practice. What you read in books will only take you so far. I aim to touch on some ways we can practice this, as well as a few other elements that are not often talked about when it comes to practicing witchcraft- especially when your practice takes you into the realm of Theurgy and other forms of spirit contact.
There is the pervading belief that spirits are either strictly good or strictly evil. As a youth, I was exposed to this line of thinking immediately upon discovering the very concept of spirituality itself. Spirits and Spirituality are bread and butter. In Christianity we see this idea of good vs evil spirits in nearly every aspect of the religion. We also see this in modern New Ageism, what with the rise of alien conspiracies and the like. It would seem you can't have any sort of spiritual narrative without this dichotomy tacked onto it.
....But what if I told you this might not be the case?
Today's entry will definitely tow the line of UPG (Unverifiable Personal Gnosis), I am not trying to change any minds here. I know the idea of good vs. evil in the spirit world is an extremely important belief that gives some folks a sense of purpose. If you're on the CORRECT side of spirit, then the Godhead/Universe will favor you, right? I can understand why people would want to gravitate towards this.... The majority of us like to feel good, useful, justified, and generally not evil.
However, I have always thought this line of reasoning is far too simple. Things in mundane life are rarely that simple, so why must spirit be different?
Personal Experience
As a child, I really struggled with my gifts. I am a clairvoyant, as is my mother, her mother, her grandmother, and so on. In fact, I get my clairvoyance from both sides of my family. Both my father and mother's lives have been steeped in mysticism and strange happenings. They chose to ignore it (or at the very least acknowledge the existence and stay as far away as possible), but for one reason or another I was not afforded that luxury. In my case, the spirits did not give me a chance to block them out.
As a very young child I would experience things in the darkness of my room or the stillness of the forest that I did not understand and the adults in my life didn't give me any helpful answers either. There was a variety of responses that was usually along the lines of "ghosts aren't real, you just have an over active imagination". However, once in a while I would be faced with the most dreadful explanation a child in my position could be faced with.... It is the DEVIL sending evil spirits to haunt me and I must pray to God/Jesus for protection.
This declaration felt like spiritual warfare to me, at the time a young child, barely even six years old. I remember being frozen in terror in my bed as the swirling mass of twisted shapes, lights, and faces danced behind my eyes and in the solitude of my room. I remember crying and refusing to sleep in my own room because I knew that if I was alone in the dark, my little body could not stop my spirit from traveling to other places as I slept.
I tried prayer, I tried asking Jesus for help. I never got a response. The cold silence that hung in the air when I would pray to the Christian god was deafening. I tried and tried and tried to get a response, any response, yet it never came. I remember asking myself "What does the Devil want with me? Why has god abandoned me?"
Heavy questions, especially for a child under 10 years of age.
Eventually, I just learned to live with it. I learned ways to block it out. I'd sleep with the lights on and my cat in my bed or I'd go to my parents room. I slept in my parents room until I was nearly 13, out of fear of what lay in wait in the darkness. I also learned not to talk about it, because people just didn't understand. The experiences would happen to me still and I would confide in my mother, yet I still did not understand.
Then, in my 12th year of life, I finally found what I had been looking for. It was late summer, as I recall, when my mother and I had gone to the local Mall for a day out. Eating my french fries in the food court, I look up and see it. A metaphysical shop, full of beautiful statuary and glittering stones in the front window. This place was called the Wishing Realm and in that moment I knew I had to investigate. My mother, being a passionate collector of stones and fossils, happily obliged. We stepped into the store, the tinkle of the bells at the door stirring excitement in me. Although I could not consciously articulate it at the time, I knew deep down I would finally find the answers I sought for in this place.
We browsed the stock and my little mind was blown wide open. There were crystals I had never heard of before, immense statues of dragons and the Gods of my most beloved mythologies, shelves lined with books with titles like "Magick" and "Spellcraft". They even had preserved bat hearts, bones, and feathers. My mom bought me a small crystal that day and the woman behind the counter, with twinkling eye, gifted me a small bag of stones meant for Scorpios-my Sun sign. I could tell from the way she looked at me that she, too, was like me.
I remember looking over my stones in the car and being so excited to return. I hadn't wanted to leave! I wanted to know more, I needed to know more. That night I placed my stones under my pillow and prepared to sleep. Somehow, I was not scared to sleep that night. It was as if something was calling me, I knew I needed to sleep in my own bed that night, in the darkness.
I slipped peacefully into my dreams and found myself back at the mall, everything was exactly the same as it had been earlier that day only now it was dark, the shudders were pulled down in front of the stores. The mall was closed. I remember thinking to myself "How did I get back to the Mall?". It was so vivid, I believed I was actually there. I began walking and I found this hidden corridor that I had never seen before. As I walked, I saw a golden throne at the end of the corridor. A man wearing white sat upon the throne and a woman clothed in a beautiful blue shawl stood next to him. The man's skin was green. He lifted a hand and beckoned me closer. I stood at his feet, feeling as small as a rabbit before him.
He looked at me with dark eyes and said nothing. I offered a small hello and in a thundering voice he told me his name is Osiris. A group of figures moved out from the shadows to make a circle around me. I recognized them all as the Egyptian pantheon, the Gods that weigh the human heart against the feather to allow passage into the spirit world. I had seen them in my mother's art history book.
Osiris smiled at me and told me many things, things which I forgot upon waking, but the one thing I managed to retain was "You are a child of the gods, you are to walk this path".
From that moment on, it became clear to me that these experiences were not just my imagination, nor were they some spiteful devil. This had nothing to do with the Christian god, I was not being punished. I was given a task- a task to seek knowledge and share what I learn. I awoke the next morning and made it my mission to become a witch. The rest is history.
.....So did this actually happen? Is any of this real? Am I insane? Honestly, I can't say for sure! I often times find myself wondering all of those questions, even to this day. I've had phases where I've felt like it's all made up. I've had people tell me its all Satan's lies. I've had people tell me I am psychotic and should be locked up. I've had people tell me the opposite too- that I'm a demigod, that I'm the chosen one, etc. I don't think any of these things are entirely true, but perhaps not entirely false either. I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I would encourage you, dear reader, to assume that at least some of this is bullshit because that's the safer option.
Spiritual Discernment: The Nitty Gritty
Spiritual Discernment is a concept that you've likely heard of if you're Catholic/Christian. It is the ability for spiritual leaders to know if something is God or the Devil, it is the ability to speak for God and pass His message along. Spiritual Discernment is not just for preacher men in the house of the Christian god, however. It is something anyone can possess if they so choose. Some folks are born with it, such as myself, and others have to work to achieve it. Both ways are wonderful and valid, one way is not superior to the other and both ways have their own pros and cons.
Those born with this ability, such as myself, actually have it harder in some ways. The experiences are fantastical and feel so real. This can get in the way and can often times lead the practitioner astray. If you've frequented any New Age communities, you've likely heard of 'Ego Traps' which is when someone gets too wrapped up in their Unverifiable Personal Gnosis to function as a pleasant and well adjusted human. Those who can avoid/work through ego traps, however, can become very skilled in this ability.
Those who must work hard for this ability will often times find themselves doubting. I've seen folks get very depressed, nihilistic, and even bitter about it. It takes regular practice and dedication to rewire your brain for these things. However, when a person finally achieves it, they are usually a lot more measured in their understanding and less likely to fall for their own imagination.
So how can we use Spiritual Discernment? The mundane definition according to Google is simply "the ability to judge well". It's the ability to "read the room" or "take a hint" as well as one's own ability to assess danger. Discernment is a facet of ones intuition, your 'gut feeling'. Discernment is choosing to count your money in the bathroom stall instead of in a crowded sidewalk. It is not telling the creepy man your address, even though he's asking politely. Discernment is being able to realize Karen the 3-D starseed Warrior Woman Acrobatic Yoga instructor in your Facebook DMs is probably not actually a shaman and her over priced smoothie mixes are not worth the money. Being able to read situations, form quick opinions, and conduct yourself accordingly is what Discernment boils down to. This can all be applied to spirit contact.
Spirits are just like people, in my experience, though there are a few things that make them a bit different. In general, however, view them as people with their own personalities and agendas. This applies to all sorts of spirits- Gods, land spirits, angels, demons, deceased loved ones, etc. They are not strictly good or evil, they are all doing their own thing and have their own morals. Also consider who they are associated with. You can learn a lot about anyone by taking a look at who they hang out with.
If you have an acquaintance who's been known to hang around people who gossip, lie, and steal, would you give them a key to water your plants when you're out of town? Probably not.
Same goes for spirits, if you know a spirit is associated with some nasty business, you probably don't want to get wrapped up in what they have to offer.
'Mall Santa Effect'
Something that I feel I must touch on is something author and occultist Jason Miller calls the 'Mall Santa' effect. This is something that I've observed myself. I feel I would be doing a disservice if I didn't mention it, because it certainly clarified some things for me when I learned about it. Hopefully it will be helpful for you as well.
As Miller explains it, there comes a point in every American child's life where we might still believe in the entity of Santa Claus, but we are old enough to know the man in the costume at the mall is not the Santa himself.
Miller argues the same is said for spirits. In Greek mythology, the Gods are only a single entity and cannot be in more than one place at one time. In the ancient Greek world, the shrines of the Gods/Goddesses were thought to be spots where they resided most often, thus making it easier to get their attention there.
Personally, this idea resonates with me as I have observed it. Jason Miller goes on to explain that while spirits cannot be in more than one place at a time, very powerful spirits have lesser spirits to stand in for them. The proverbial 'Mall Santas' who put on the image of the powerful spirit, but are more of a stand-in.
Reaching Out and Building A Relationship
Firstly, meditation. You can't get anywhere if you don't meditate. You have to know the fabric of your own mind before anything else. This is because the imagination is our window into this world. For whatever reason, we can't comprehend spirits in their truest and most unadulterated form so our imaginations act as a buffer. This can make it tricky to know where real experience begins and imagination ends. Through meditation you can start to see the boundaries.
Meditation also gives you patience and the ability to observe. It slows you down and lets you perceive the subtle, both within and without.
Second, JOURNAL. It doesn't have to be a complex journal, just write something down. Keep a record of what happens. Trust me, you will thank me later.
Thirdly, this is probably the most tricky, allow yourself to be open in the moment but seriously question it afterwards. If you question too much as its happening, the experience will stop because your brain will not allow you to perceive it. If you don't question at all, you will get yourself in trouble.
Think of it this way, you shouldn't believe everything you hear right away. If a person tells you fish are made of chocolate, you're going to question it. Do that with spirit contact.
A spirit might come to you and say something like "Do this spell for me and you will be rich". Question what the spirit has to gain, question if the spell is even possible, question if this is a real experience or just your imagination. Look at it from all angles before proceeding.
Fourth, if you are scared of spirits, start by asking a spirit guide to help keep you safe. Honestly, you shouldn't usually start with this stuff right out the gate. This is more advanced working in that you need to have confidence, understanding, and the ability to handle it. Magick is like working out a muscle. You don't try to deadlift 315 lbs your first day in the gym! Work up to things by learning to meditate and protect yourself.
Dealing with Unwanted Visitors
Failure is inevitable. You will eventually fuck up and likely have to deal with some unwanted house guests. It's okay though, the majority of the time you just have to ask them to leave in a firm but polite manner and they will leave.
There are a variety of spells, talismans, rites, and rituals to help remedy this problem as well, so just know it's not hopeless if you find yourself in this situation.
Types of Spirits as I Know Them
This is another one of those completely UPG moments that you can either take or leave. I'm going to do this section in a list format because its easier.
• Deities- This includes the gods of mythology but I would also put other named spirits like spirit guides, archangels, demons, and catholic saints.
• Deceased Human Spirits- This one is self explanatory.
• Ancestor Spirits- For me, these differ from deceased humans in that they tend to be much more ancient.
• Land spirits- Spirits of the land, plants, animals, and general environmental spirits.
• Egregores- Spirits that arise from collective belief.
• Parasitic spirits- These spirits feed on energy such as our emotions. Not great to have around but not like Hollywood demon movies. Think of them like ticks or leeches.
The Magician's Maxim
Do you know the Maxim? Many modern witches don't and I think we would all do well to consider it.
The Maxim is Thus:
To Know What One Must Do
To Dare to Do it
To Will it to Be
and To Keep Silent (*with Discernment)
Essentially this means you need to know what you're doing, you need to have the confidence to do it, you need to have a plan on how you will accomplish it, and you need to work on it silently. I add 'with discernment' as a caveat, as I believe there are benefits to sharing this information. After all, I'm writing a blog about it.
Personally, I find it embarrassing when I see the majority of people on the internet practicing witchcraft. I find it appalling how so many people read one book and decide they are a professional. I find it upsetting that the people with the least knowledge are not only the loudest in the room, but also the folks who have the biggest following. These days, people listen to those who have the best aesthetic and the snappiest tik tok transitions. That's not to say I am the one you should all listen to. I'm not a professional either. What I mean is that it seems no one listens to the spirits, no one listens to the elders. You will learn a great deal more listening to nature than you will listening to anyone on tik tok. Not only this, but posting pictures and videos of your practice CAN and WILL have real consequences. If you want to post pictures of your altar or videos of your spellwork, I can't stop you... but it will change how things work. People do not need to be in your business like that, point blank. I wish folks saw these things as more sacred, but that's just my opinion I guess. I bring all this up because I want to drive home the point that spirit discernment begins and ends with YOU and YOUR relationship to the divine, other people will generally just complicate things.
To Keep Silent is a very important of our history as cunning folk. Born out of necessity, keeping silent was a matter of life and death literally. Just because society has moved past burning witches does not mean you should just throw this entire tenant out. From a mundane perspective, posting about these things can affect personal relationships and jobs. Religious family members could cut you out (which is not always a bad thing), in America family members could have you locked up believing you're having a mental breakdown (5150). In other parts of the world like parts of Africa and South America, there are still literal witchhunts that take place. That is partly why the majority of witches use fake names online.
From a magickal/energetic perspective, posting these things publicly can affect your magick. Emotions, intellect, and imagination are the seat of magick within oneself. Someone having a strong negative opinion can cause your spell to fail. Not only this, but there are baneful magicians out there. By posting pictures of your altar or tools, you could be making yourself a target for Magickal Attack.
Again, I cannot stop you from doing what you want to do. That is why I add the last part... with Discernment.
That's all for this entry, friends. Thanks for tuning in! If there is something you'd like to see me write about, don't be afraid to reach out!
Until next time
~Sigrid
