Witchcraft & Magical Theory

Ash W. E. // 30 // Practicing Green Witch of 7 years //  I Take This Spellcraft Stuff Seriously (TM) // eclectic solo ritualist practitioner w/ trad & wiccan structure // hellenic + regional pagan // published author // Aquarius sun, Cancer moon, Aries rising. I love you, fight me! // Asks are Open! // NO TERFS, NO NAZIS, you know the drill x

[theoryofmagick]

Hi everyone! Five years ago I started THE WITCHES' WORKBOOK, a book project designed for beginners to start their practical journey into magic, witchcraft, and spellcraft. I'm so happy that it's been helpful to you all over these years, and wanted to put up a post!

CHAPTER ONE: BEGINNING WITCHCRAFT is an orientation into what witchcraft is and isn't, common misconceptions, avoiding cultural appropriation, vocab, and other basics.

CHAPTER TWO: ELEMENTS OF WITCHCRAFT goes into all the aspects and fundamental pillars of witchcraft, ritual, spellcraft, and other "witch adjacent" crafts like herbalism and divination.

CHAPTER THREE: ENERGY ESSENTIALS is a guide on how to perceive and manipulate energy, including meditation, grounding and centering, raising energy, charging, and more.

You can read the three chapters so far here: https://theoryofmagick.gumroad.com/

It's also available in PDF form on Discord, via @archives-discord.

The books are always free, but tips are always appreciated! I hope to continue the project with more volumes as time goes on. Happy 5th Bookiversary to you all! <3

Full list of contents below:

WITCHES WORKBOOK I: BEGINNING WITCHCRAFT

Introduction

- Where do I begin?

- Disclaimer: My Own Beliefs

- Using This Series

- Following Along

Part One: Modern Witchcraft, in Brief

- What Do We Mean by "Modern Witchcraft"?

- Supplemental Reading

- Essential Vocabulary

Part Two: Building your Practice

- Your Core

- Building Part by Part

- Personal Tips I've Found Helpful

Part Three: Common Misconceptions

- Paths

- Religions and Spirituality

- Who can be a witch?

Supplemental Chapter 1 Reading

"Homework"

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WITCHES WORKBOOK II: ELEMENTS OF WITCHCRAFT

Catching up - Using This Book

The Elements of Modern Witchcraft

Energy Work - Examples of Energy Work

Spellcraft

- Components of Functional Spellcraft

-Intent & Will

-Mechanics

-Components

-Further Examples of Spellcraft

Ritual

Examples of Rituals

Secondary Crafts

Brief Examples of Secondary Crafts

Magic in Witchcraft

"Magic"

A Source of Power

Supplemental Ch2 Reading

Reference Books: Grimoires, Herbals, Spellbooks, Books of Correspondences

"Homework"

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WITCHES WORKBOOK III: ENERGY ESSENTIALS

Using This Book

What is Energy?

Feeling Energy: The Basics of Meditation - Accessability

- Exercise: Tuning in to the Local Energy

- Basic Meditation

Drawing Down the Everything

- How to “Draw Down” Color, or, Color Breathe

Grounding & Centering

What is Grounding & Centering?

- "Grounding"

- "Centering"

- How to Ground and Center

- Why and When should I Ground & Center?

Charging: The Basics of Energy

- Charging with Energy

- Charging a Candle with Energy: Traditional Method

- Charging with Energy: the Energy Field Method

Raising Energy in Spells & Rituals

"Homework"

[archives-backup]

These workbooks are succinct and well put together, the essential 'beginner' text that everyone's been begging for in a modern witchcraft resource!

These workbooks have been a server favourite since they were submitted, so if you haven't had the chance to read it, now is the time.

[theoryofmagick]

Thank you all for the shoutout! <33 The Archives Discord is a fantastic place for resources and texts, so definitely check out the rest of the library while you're there!

[theoryofmagick]

is it okay to use your cauldron for other purposes after you do a rite of banishment in it?

Yup! Just go ahead and cleanse/prep it as usual (with whichever method you usually use - saltwater with rinse/dry, smoke cleansing, etc), and it should be good to go!

[theoryofmagick]

Cross-Checking & Intentional Obfuscation

Reminder to my researching witch pals: Always, always cross-check; for newbie and veteran witches doing thorough research is pivotal, tons of documents and books have either intentionally misleading items, intentional obfuscation, and/or intentional - and not so intentional - mistakes, frequently to throw off irresponsible users, sometimes due to genuine mistakes, and, most of all, you might know where something works for your specific practice that fills in an obviously missing or incorrect piece. As you read and learn and progress, keep in mind to read lots of sources, cross-check them, and use your critical thinking skills.

[theoryofmagick]

Ash’s Original Witchery Posts MegaIndex!

Below are all my original posts on witchcraft & witchery sorted by subject. I’ll be adding to / editing this post each time I post something new - stay tuned!

BOOKS

Reading List: Secular & Wicca-Based Basic Books

Favorite Spellbooks

The Witches’ Workbook

CHARGING

Charging 101: The Quick Basics

CIRCLES

Three Simple Ways to Cast a Circle

Delineating the Boundary: Ways to Line your Circle

Circle Casting Clinic 101: What’s Wrong With My Circle?

Anatomy of a Circle-Casting: Circle Casting Structures

CHEAT SHEETS

Candle Magic Cheat Sheet

Spell Jars: A Guide & How-To

Moon Phase Cheat Sheet

Expanded Moon Phase Cheat Sheet

Celtic Tree Calendar Cheat Sheet

CLEANSING

A Basic Home & Apartment Cleansing

CONSECRATION

Consecration Basics

The Lazy’s Witch’s Ring Consecration

Consecrating a Tarot Deck

DIVINATION & PSYCHIC MATTERS

Getting Started with Tarot

Dice Divination

Make an Emergency Tarot Kit

The Types of Psychic Power

Herbs for Psychic Ability

ENERGY WORK

How to Raise, Move, and Throw Energy

GREEN WITCHCRAFT

“My Throat Is Trying To Kill Me” Ginger Brew”

A Basic Wishing Spell, Green Witch Edition

Cauldron Tips & Tricks

HELLENIC PAGANISM & PAGANISM

Non-Conventional Ways to Worship Artemis

MEDITATION & VISUALIZATION

Starting Meditation

Exercises for Beginning Visualization

MOON MAGIC

A Witch’s Full Moon Traditions

Moon Phase Cheat Sheet

Expanded Moon Phase Cheat Sheet

The Movement of the Spheres: All About the Moon, its Movements, Phases, and Celebrations

PROTECTION

Simple Methods of Protection

Basic Shielding

RECIPES

“My Throat Is Trying To Kill Me” Ginger Brew

Lemon Cayenne Wakefulness Potion

A Green Witch’s Herb Bread

Things to Do With Rose Oil

…and Tea Tree Oil

Herbs for Psychic Abilities

RITUALS

Ritual of Announcement - for Witches Starting their Path

A Basic Home & Apartment Cleansing

A Witch’s Full Moon Traditions

The Tea Ceremony

SAFETY

Safety Tips for Witches

SPELLCRAFT

Attraction and Banishment in Spellcraft

Charging: The Quick Basics

Candle Magic Cheat Sheet

Cauldron Tips & Tricks

Circle Casting Clinic 101

Spell Jars: A Guide & How-To

Moon Phase Cheat Sheet

Expanded Moon Phase Cheat Sheet

Celtic Tree Calendar Cheat Sheet

Magical Timing: The Sun & Moon in Witchcraft

Amelioration: Using Honey in Spells

Using Dirt and Ash Without Being Appropriative

What to Do With Dyed Glass & Fake Stones

SPELLS

Three Simple Ways to Cast a Circle

Enchanting a Necklace for Courage

Enchanting a Soap or Cleanser to Help Clear Skin

The Lazy Witch’s Ring Consecration

Getting It Done: A Virgo Moon

Simple Methods of Protection

A Basic Wishing Spell, Green Witch Edition

Wards for Resisting the Power

Rapid Fire Summoning

TOOLS

The Athame

Cauldron Tips & Tricks

Athames VS Wands

WANDLORE

How to Fix Up & Set Up a Stick as a Wand

WARDING

Wards for Resisitng the Power

Technomancy Warding for Blogs & Sites

WHEEL OF THE YEAR

Let’s Talk… Imbolc

Let’s Talk… Litha

Let’s Talk… Lammas

WITCHCRAFT 101 / WITCHLINGS

Witch Starter Kit: First Year Supply List

Witching on the Cheap: First-Year Supply List II (Redux)

The Difference Between a Book of Shadows, a Grimoire, and a Witches’ Almanac

The Difference Between Witches, Wiccans, Magic, and Magick

The Difference Between A Hex, a Curse, and a Spell

The Difference Between Magic and Magick with a K (one more time!)

Why Do You Seal Off a Spell Jar?

Making Witchcraft a Daily Practice

On Reading Off Spells

Tips for Newbies Starting Spellcraft

WITCHY TIPS

Recharging Tattooed Sigils

Witchery and Mental Illness

Five of My Favorite Witchy Tools

Holy Crap, Ghosts, Leave Me Alone

Circle Casting Clinic 101

The Science of Spellcraft

[Ask Ash || The Witches’ Workbook]

You guys help me keep TheoryofMagick running and bring major appreciative vibes to this happy Green Witch! :>

[theoryofmagick]

Added a LOT of new posts to my archive! Have fun witching <3

[theoryofmagick]

How to Raise, Move, and Throw Energy: A Practical Guide

One of the most common questions I get is "Ash - how do you ACTUALLY, PRACTICALLY move, throw, and raise energy? A lot of those guides seem to be missing some key steps!" I hear you - and I'm here to break it down.

Below is my own method, slowed down piece by piece. Remember - raising and using energy is a personal matter/varies from person to person, so feel free to adjust, change, or discard any part of this guide to suit your practice!

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1. Raising Energy

With a combination of physical action, “psyching yourself up”, verbal action, or psychological methods, raise your adrenaline, emotional, or excitement levels in a way that gets more intense the more you do it. E.g., chanting until the words start to lose meaning or you get into a trance state, dancing around the circle until you get a runner’s high and start laughing/having fun and forgetting yourself, and then basically keep performing that action until your emotional/excitement/adrenaline reaches a breaking point. The best way to describe this is escalating excitement. If you’re into EDM, this is how it feels when a beat is about to drop and keeps escalating. This should feel physical and psychological - literally like hitting a runner’s high when you’re exercising, or getting so excited about a date you start to shake. The easiest way to do this is to raise energy with physical activity or chanting. You can enhance this action by doing it moving in a circle around the object you’re going to put energy into.

Many sources cite a series of ways traditionally used to raise energy, which are practical actions to be used in conjunction with the above, as a focus: Raising power with chanting (sub in your own belief system in what you choose for the chant), dance, or singing is common - you can stick with praying too, just be sure to raise and escalate, just to name a few.

2. When you’re sufficiently pumped, keep going. Now, let's THROW!

At this point, you have two options: Physically moving the “energy”, or achieving “gnosis”. (This is the beat drop.)

A) Gnosis

Gnosis is (oversimplifying) the moment when you fully forget yourself and the energy takes over. Basically, you lose sight of where you are and what you’re doing and there’s a moment where everything snaps into place. A real-world example would be, if you’re raising energy with sex magic, the moment of climax. A SFW example would be - this should feel like, when you’re staring at a magic eye painting, after a long while of staring it “clicks” to form an image. Physically IRL, this should feel like - for a split second, even - you do not have control over your energy or emotion. When achieving gnosis, look at (direct your attention to) the object you are raising energy for.

B) Moving or “throwing” the energy

Moving or Throwing is a little more abstract, but I’m going to guide you best as I can. By now, you’re buzzing with actual physical energy, like before a birthday party (nervous jitters OR excitement), or like when you’ve just finished a workout. Take a moment and feel the physical and mental effects of this. Do a body scan if helpful. (The reason why visualizing is helpful is that you can visualize this buzz as a physical thing, once you sense its effects with a body scan, for the next part.) You’ll now need to “direct” the energy. Try and physically move your body to “gather” all your energy up (moving your arms to see how far-reaching the effects of the buzz are, then experimenting by moving your body to see if it changes the scope of the buzz). Then, physically thrust your hands or arms (or your body parts of choice) at the object you’re directing energy to. Do this by performing a strong, firm, decisive physical action, and, if it helps, visualize the energy flowing from your body into the object like a giant blast of fire/light. If done correctly, YOU should no longer feel a buzz - the buzz should now be entirely within the object. If you still feel full of adrenaline, try again - perform a physical throwing movement or (sorry for the dumb example ahoy, it’s 9AM) Dragonball style kamehameha at it. You know how when you’re really upset or nervous, and you shake it off or primal scream and your energy dissipates? Do that, but this time, using a combo of physical actions (and if you wish) visualization, instead of shaking it off into the air, “shake it off” into the object. Try and repeat until you feel like you can appropriately “transfer” the energy using physical movement, and you are able to reliably A) create the physical emotional buzz, and B) use physical actions to move that buzz into something else, removing it from yourself.

------------------------

Over time, you’ll become adept at not only raising that energy, but physically sensing it and acknowledging it, and then you’ll get quite good at being able to move the energy around without using visualization at all, if you wish. It does take practice and it is rather abstract.

A great way to practice this sort of energy movement is (and I’ve seen folks bring this up on witchblr lately!) tai chi (with love, your favorite Cantonese witch). Your local park should have approximately 20 aunties doing this at any given Sunday morning.

Ash

[theoryofmagick]

What’s Wrong with my Circle?, or, Circle Casting Clinic 101

You’ve probably heard of how to cast a circle, and of many methods to do so, a dozen times in the course of studying magic or Witchcraft. But have you ever felt your circle waver, your boundary un-drawn, or your sacred space distinctly not sacred? Here are some common problems with drawing and casting a circle of (most) any type, and some possible solutions.

Cleansing and Prepping: Is the space around you ready for a circle to be cast? Many casters find it helpful to sweep the area with a besom, or broom, beforehand. If you’re not the broom type, you can cleanse an area by walking the circle’s area clockwise sprinkling saltwater. (Don’t use salt outside - or your grass will be sorely upset).

Cleansing and Prepping Yourself: If you’re stressed out, you’re in no shape to cast anything! A ritual bath is the best way to ready yourself for magic, but in a pinch, asperging yourself with incense smoke (best blends for purification include sage, pine, rosemary, and cypress) will do just fine. If smoke is out of the question, a good grounding and centering, imaging the negative energies drawing out through your feet and drawing in the earth’s solid energies, will do the trick. You could also try a ritual tea to get your mind and body in the right mood (try something with rose or calendula), and to flush out previous energies.

Consecrating Yourself within the Circle: Feel like you drew the circle just fine, but you’re not exactly connected within it? Consider consecrating yourself within the circle, if you haven’t done so already. An easy and common means to do this is to dip your finger into the oil you are using for the circle, or, sans oil, the sacred water or regular water, and drawing a sigil representative of your circle on your forehead after your circle is drawn, in order to vow your connection to the circle (if it helps, say “I am now consecrated within this Circle.” as you do so). An all-purpose sigil would be a simple circle, but a cosmic lemniscate, or solar and lunar sigils, may be appropriate, depending on the circle.

Ritual Consciousness: Your circle seems to be drawn right, you feel pretty okay, but why aren’t things “lifting” to that magickal place? If you’re finding it hard to bring your circle to the otherworldly realm, take a second to breathe deeply. This is a broad question with lots of potential solutions: Strewing herbs associated with the moon phase and hour around the circle, matching your incense to the time or deity called, ensuring your lights are turned off, and making sure music doesn’t reach over a threshold where it can steal your attention. There are so many fixes - the main thing is to try and see what works by practicality! A surefire way for me has been to ensure the appropriate scent, whether it be through oils or incenses.

“Is My Circle Working?” and Circle Doubt: This one is an easy fix. Using an athame or other tool (if you drew a circle using natural power, use two fingers set together in an athame point) and cut a doorway in your circle. Step outside your circle, and back in, seeing if you can sense a difference in energy (and what that difference is). If it helps, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths in and out of the circle, feeling the ways of each. If your circle lacks staying power, close your circle and try again, seeing where you went wrong. But remember - the power is in you. There’s no “Wrong” way to cast a circle, but you can trip yourself up sometimes!

Hope that covers some of it - I know there’s endless ways. If I’m missing any major or common problems, let me know and I’d be glad to cover it!

[theoryofmagick]

Just wanted to pop in and say Hi to everyone! Still journeying on my journeyman journey (...journey), and really trying to get back to basics on some fundamentals. Sometimes when I was in my apprentice era days I would get really excited to move onto advanced/Phase 2 stuff, but nowadays it's like lifting weights - sometimes you gotta strengthen those pillars!

...Said Ash, the Esbat-forgetter

It's a full moon tomorrow early-morning (midnight-ish here, EST), so I'll be doing something a bit quiet I think. I'm charging up for a big wham bam thing this Hawthorn moon and am still scrambling to find the very last two ingredients somewhere in my house. Maybe I should just bite it and actually get ribbon spools next time instead of shoving my collection of embroidery thread into a box??

On top of that, I did intend to organize my massively shaggy grimoire into something more workable. I'm pretty sure I've been doing this for so long that I forgot to update my own old notions!

Ash

[breelandwalker]

2022 Witch's Calendar

For all my witches out there, here's a handy list of the 2022 dates for the major holidays, full and new moons, and special events. I've listed my sources at the bottom. Dates and times for all events are calculated for Eastern Standard Time, USA, Northern Hemisphere. Adjust for your location as needed. Enjoy!

WOTY Holidays and Solstices

February 1-2 - Imbolc

March 20 - Spring Equinox / Ostara

May 1 - Beltane

June 21 - Summer Solstice / Midsummer

August 1 - Lughnasadh

September 22 - Autumn Equinox / Mabon

October 31 - Samhain

December 21 - Winter Solstice / Yule

Full Moons

January 17 - Wolf Moon ♋️

February 16 - Snow Moon ♌️

March 18 - Worm Moon ♍️

April 16 - Pink Moon ♎️

May 16 - Flower Moon ♏️

June 14 - Strawberry Moon ♐️

July 13 - Thunder Moon (aka Buck Moon) ♑️

August 11 - Sturgeon Moon ♒️

September 10 - Harvest Moon ♓️

October 9 - Hunter's Moon (aka Blood Moon) ♈️

November 8 - Frost Moon ♉️

December 7 - Cold Moon ♊️

Fun Fact: The title of Harvest Moon is given to either the September or October full moon, whichever falls closest to the autumn equinox. In 2022, that month will be September.

New Moons

January 2 ♑️

February 1 ♒️

March 2 ♓️

April 1 ♈️

April 30 ♉️

May 30 ♊️

June 29 ♋️

July 28 ♌️

August 27 ♍️

September 25 ♎️

October 25 ♏️

November 23 ♐️

December 23 ♑️

Special Events

April 30 - Black Moon & Partial Solar Eclipse (10:42pm EST)

May 16 - Total Lunar Eclipe (12:11am EST, coinciding with zenith)

June 14 - Supermoon

July 13 - Supermoon

October 25 - Partial Solar Eclipe (11:01am EST)

November 8 - Total Lunar Eclipse (5:59am EST, coinciding with zenith)

SOURCES:

Inverse - Full Moon 2022 calendar: Dates, times, schedule, and names for the brightest nights all year

Astroseek - Full Moons 2022 & New Moons

The Pagan Grimoire - The Wheel of the Year: The 8 Festivals in the Wiccan Calendar

[breelandwalker]

If you're enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊

[theoryofmagick]

Expanded Moon Phase Cheat Sheet

This is a much longer version of my original Moon Phase Cheat Sheet - with more phases, terms, and definitions for your quick and easy magical reference!

WAXING: These are the phases when the Moon appears to be growing. This period is divided into the First Quarter and Second Quarter, and takes about 14 days.

Good For: Drawing things towards you, increasing

New Moon: This is when the moon is just a sliver in the sky. From here, the Moon takes about 14 days to reach Full. (First Quarter)

Good For: New beginnings, potential, starts

Crescent Moon: When the Moon is a visible crescent in the sky - “The Moon of Continuing Dedication”. (First Quarter)

Good For: Treated magically like the New Moon.

Waxing Half-Moon: When the moon is half full, and growing. Occurs about a week after the New Moon. (Second Quarter)

Good For: Progressing from verbal to thought magic, plans forming into actualities.

Gibbous Moon: The last slip-thread before the Moon is full. (Second Quarter)

Good For: Deep love spells, relationships, peak emotions.

FULL MOON: This one’s self-explanatory! The Moon  remains looking Full for about 2 to 3 days, though purists choose to work magick only on the peak day. It is considered part of the Second Quarter by some.

Good For: The Full Moon is considered the most powerful Moon, due to it shining at full brightness. Many Witches choose to commemorate the occasion with a ritual or Esbat, and even more use this moon for their main spellcraft.

WANING: The phases when the Moon appears to be dissapearing. This period is divided into the Third and Fourth Quarters, and includes the Dark Moon. The Moon takes another 14 or so days to complete its cycle.

Good For: Removing, drawing away, banishing, and cleansing

Third Quarter: The waning quarter after the Full Moon. (Third Quarter)

Good For: Dissolving problems, letting go, endings, and detoxifying

Disseminating Moon: The beginning of the Moon dissappearing. (Third Quarter)

Good For:  Breaking bad habits, legal matters, cleansing

Waning Half-Moon: When the Moon is half light and half dark in the circle, and getting darker. (Fourth Quarter)

Good For: Reflection, meditative thought, ridding self of unwanted things

Waning Crescent Moon: The last slip of moon before it grows fully dark. (Fourth Quarter)

Good For: Serious issues, quitting something, understanding unfathomed elements

Dark Moon: The period of time when the Moon is completely invisible in the sky. For our course, this is considered the last part of the Moon’s cycle (some traditions count it as the first – neither is wrong). (Fourth Quarter)

Good For: Protection, wisdom, self-honoring rituals, purificaton, banishing

Apply in accordance with your magical intent, and use the lunar tides to your advantage. :>

Ash

[theoryofmagick]

It's the new moon tonight! What have you all got cooked up for this go-around? I'm going to try and clean out my altars and refresh some of the shrines around the house for springtime!

[theoryofmagick]

Tumblr Messenger Upkeep

Hi everyone! So I logged on this morning and.... all 99+ of my read AND unread tumblr Messenger messages are gone. Did something happen while I was gone?! And also, if you've messaged me in the last 6 months, you might want to resend it. I am SO SORRY. Also.... if anyone knows how to get 'em back, I would be very very very appreciative. <3

[theoryofmagick]

Aquarius Season!

Iiiiiit's Aquarius Season! I don't post much astrology content but I have always been absolutely delighted with how the Aquarius stereotype is essentially an absent-minded, weird alien. What adventures are you all up to as we shift into the snow-melt?

[hustlerose]

“humans are just meat puppets controlled by the brain”

“i wish i was free from this flesh prison”

girl the meat IS you!!!!!!!! the brain and the body are one. the human experience is made of flesh <3 cognition is rooted in physical space. the brain is just one part. the self exists in the whole body. the body exists in the world

[theoryofmagick]

Follow-up opinion from a trans person: If your flesh prison displeases you, feel free to modify or adjust it as necessary until it's a flesh vacation home

[theoryofmagick]

hi! my culture doesn`t really use wands, but we do use daggers. i was wondering whats the practical difference between an athame and a wand? i tried doing my research but it just says wands AND athames are used to manipulate energy, so whats the difference? do they direct energy in the same way, but athames are used to also cut them?

I have a few answers to this, some of which may or may not apply!

The first thing that comes to mind from a Western ritualist perspective is that athames and wands are attributed to different elements. Wands are traditionally attributed with/to the element of Fire, and athames Air (you can see this reflected in Tarot suites) for a lot of modern witches. If you dig into the practical side of things with existing traditions, there's actually different specific tasks the athame vs wand can do. Within each framework, you're correct in that they're both used to direct energy. Athames can also be used to cut and split, and wands used to describe and draw, but (in practicality, to me at least) it feels like using two different tools that have similar purposes - like, chopsticks vs a fork; you can use both of them to pick up food, but each has their own advantages and disadvantages depending on the dish (and some dishes mandate you use chopsticks - like old-school coven Wiccans with athame circles).

Basically, athames and wands share some of the same uses (directing energy, drawing a circle, etc) but come at it from different directions/methods/reasons; aside from energy manipulation, they have other usages based on their place as a ritual tool - for wands, you'd have to draw a doorway into a circle, for athames, you'd cut one, and so on. A lot of ritual tool usage and altar arrangement in more structured traditions rely on an idea of balance, in that there should be a balance of tides with your tools on display/items used, so you could also make a convincing case that the wand and athame are two points of the same spectrum - the wand point being fire/creation and the athame being air/cutting.

Let me know if you'd like me to elaborate or go more practical - there's a lot to be said on the subject (and I'm sure my readers have things to add!)

[Ask Ash]

[windvexer]

You don't have to memorize all this stuff

You don't have to memorize the tarot cards. I've been reading tarot near 14 years and I still look up the meanings, all the time.

You don't have to memorize lists of stones and herbs.

You don't have to memorize color meanings.

You don't have to memorize the Wheel of the Year.

You don't have to memorize constellations, planets, houses, and signs.

You don't have to memorize spell rituals.

You don't have to memorize charms or incantations.

You don't have to memorize prayers or hymns.

Give your brain a lil smooch and thank it for all the hard work it does, then release it from carrying the heavy burden of rote memorization.

[theoryofmagick]

Damn right, my brain is swiss cheese and without my giant ridiculous binder full o' grimoire notes I would be constantly starting from scratch

[theoryofmagick]

Working on the Workbook - Paths Chapter!

I'm tinkering away at a new supplemental chapter for the Witches' Workbook series - Paths! This one will cover lots of umbrella groups of paths, both historical, lineaged, new, and old, from across the world; and hopefully serve as a bit of a phone-book guide to all the paths available to you to learn about. As the workbook is designed for all magic practitioners, some paths will be closed to some people, as it's my goal to be as comprehensive as possible, in an encyclopedic way!

Do you have any paths you'd definitely like me to cover in this upcoming chapter (The big tradcraft umbrella? Neowicca? Druidry? A specific Grimoire Tradition?) Let me know!

[theoryofmagick]

Seriously though if I have imparted anything to you all I hope it's a good sense of questioning authority, finding facts, cross-checking, and trusting your gut. You're the ruler of your own kingdom and I fully believe you alone can make the best decisions about yourself. Don't let anyone else be your spiritual boss.

[theoryofmagick]

Hey guys! Friendly reminder:

1. Never blindly trust an authority

2. Always question authority

3. That includes me, I can be wrong, anyone can be wrong.

4. GOTO 1

[theoryofmagick]

beep beep it’s that time of year again

[theoryofmagick]

ding dong