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Red Flags in Witchcraft & Magic

There is bad information regarding witchcraft and magic everywhere. I don't expect beginners to know how to spot bad information when they are just starting out, but that does not make learning red flags less important. Knowing how to spot bad information when researching can save you from a lot of trouble- spiritually and mundane.

Now, bad information does not necessarily make the person a bad practitioner. Sometimes people make mistakes. How they react when told of their mistakes is what you should pay attention to. That being said, here are some red flags to look out for when researching for your craft. [TW: mentions of racism, homophobia, misandry, mental illness, disabilities and more]

🚩 The person tries to claim their path is the only path, and that all other paths and methods are wrong. This is a big one. There are a lot of people like this out there. While they are entitled to their opinions, this mindset is simply wrong. There are thousands of religions, spiritualities and belief systems out there. One path being different from another does not make them wrong by default.

🚩 The person claims using things from closed practices is okay. This is another big one. Closed practices do exist, are valid and should be respected as such. There are just some things that should stay reserved for certain people. This does not make certain people more special than you- it just means their path is significantly different from yours. If it is something sacred to or rooted from a closed practice (such as certain plants, deities and magic) it is best to leave it alone.

🚩 The person claims that open practices are closed. I don't see this one quite as often as the previous, but it is happening more often now that the occult has become more mainstream. Things like tarot, paganism and many other practices are open. If you see somebody claim these are closed practices, be wary. This type of claim tends to stem from a place of racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc...

🚩 The person is racist, antisemitic, homophobic, ableist, classist, etc... Unfortunately, we do have these types of people to look out for. Some people are convinced only women can practice witchcraft and magic. Some people are blatantly racist towards bipoc and try to exclude them from witchcraft and magic. Some people try to exclude people with disabilities and mental illness because their craft is different. Be careful when coming across these types of people.

🚩 The person claims that a rule in their practice is a universal rule you must follow. This is a claim I most commonly see with Wiccans and the three-fold law but is a claim anybody can make. Understand that different religions, spiritualities and cultures have different rules. They all have different standards. Things like the three-fold law, karma, reincarnation and many other things aren't universal concepts. You can believe in whatever you wish, but don't expect other people of different backgrounds to have that same belief.

🚩 The source is purely based on UPG (unverified personal gnosis). This one is mostly regarding things like deities, entities and spirits. Everybody will have different experiences with these beings; but you have to consider the origins of the deities, entities and spirits if you are trying to worship or work with any. If you are going into a branch of paganism, you have to study the religion and its stories. If you want to worship or work with a deity, you have to study that deity and their stories. The stories and beliefs are what provide us with knowledge of their existences, how they present themselves, their relationships with other beings and their conflicts with other beings. To completely disregard them and go purely off UPG is a dangerous thing.

🚩 The person believes that religion, spirituality and witchcraft can cure mental illness and disabilities. I see things like this often. Religion, spirituality and witchcraft will not cure a mental illness or disability. These things require more than faith and crystals. Some are not curable. Although religion, spirituality and witchcraft can be helpful to some degree... these things aren't the cure.

🚩 The person DMs you without consent trying to make profit off of you. Listen, people who have respect for themselves and others will not DM you at random claiming that they can solve your problems. They won't DM you at random offering paid readings, spells and mentorships. If you want to pay for such things, you should be the one going out of your way to find a reputable person. Don't get scammed.

🚩 The person claims you are required to work with deities, entities or other spirits. You don't have to be religious or work with any beings to practice witchcraft and magic. If you want to work with different beings, by all means please do your research and go ahead! Don't feel pressured to work with deities, entities and other spirits just because somebody on the internet says you have to.

🚩 The person claims that paganism and new age spiritualities are superior to other religions. Listen, I understand some people have religious trauma. I have religious trauma due to my mum's mother. However, you cannot allow your trauma to cause hatred for the entire religion by default. Understand that religious text is up for interpretation and that there are shitty individuals in all religions- including paganism. There are good individuals, too.

🚩 The person claims that spellwork doesn't come with consequences. Sometimes spells backfire. Sometimes spells come with unexpected results. Sometimes we get results at the cost of something else. You shouldn't be afraid of these things, though. Just be careful and take precautions. Be specific in what results you're seeking. This is why beginners are pushed to learn how to protect and ward so early on. It's in your best interest to do so.

🚩 The person claims that you must do shadow work to be spiritual or a witch. Listen to me closely. Shadow work is not inherently a witch thing. It is a psychology concept. Although shadow work can be beneficial for some people, it can be harmful to others. If you are a person with severe trauma and are easily triggered by those subjects, please don't go trying to unpack it all because somebody on the internet says that you have to. If you can afford it, consult a therapist who can help you. Shadow work is not required to be a spiritual person or a witch.

🚩 The person claims that medication will cloud your psychic abilities or your ability to practice magic. This is another dangerous idea and I have no idea how it was thought of. Coming from a person with depression and adhd: do not listen to people who makes claims like this. If you are taking medication for something, don't stop taking it because somebody claims it is hindering your abilities. If you aren't taking medication for something but believe you should, don't avoid it because somebody claims it is hindering your abilities. Medication is important to many people in order to have a sense of stability and it is not going to harm your abilities.

🚩 The person claims your mental illness or disability is a karmic thing or spiritual gift. Don't. Fucking. Listen. To. These. People. I cannot even begin to explain how much this idea enrages me. My adhd isn't some new age "karmic" thing. My adhd is a chemical imbalance caused by a gene I inherited. I do not have adhd because of some spiritual debt or gift. Don't be fooled by people who make harmful claims like this.

🚩 The person encourages you to consume or burn poisonous plants. This is one of the reasons why I always encourage people to study the medicinal uses of plants to learn their magical correspondences. Always check to see if the plant is poisonous to you or your pets. Accidents happens but many can be prevented with a little time and research.

🚩 The person references authors or sources that aren't trustworthy. Always do research on authors before buying their books and check to see where people get their information from. There are many authors and bloggers who are racist, homophobic, transphobic and more. There are also many authors who write books with bad information targeting witches and spiritualists to make a quick profit.

These are all the red flags I could come up with, but I'm sure there are more. Always cross reference your information and check to see if the people you're sourcing from has a negative reputation.

ravemey

Love this!! Keep sharing!

fiagai-cnuasaitheoir

This is Cultural Appropriation

The version of the wheel of the year we see today was popularised by Wicca which was founded by Gerald Gardener. Who was an English man. Ireland was very badly oppressed by English colonialism. The British slaughtered a lot of Irish people while they were being overtaken. And they are also the reason so many people starved in the famine. The British are also the reason Ireland converted to christianity instead of paganism.

This wheel is a jumbled up mess of a variety of European holidays all merged into one and labelled “Wicca”. This is appropriation as its unacknowledged where all these came from.

Not all European countries are the same and these colonial countries are not entitled to claiming the traditions they colonised.

In Ireland May Day/Bealtaine was still celebrated in certain counties until the last century. But people are still misusing it and mispronouncing it. Pronouncing Samhain “Sam hain” instead of “sow wen”, unaware that it is the Irish word for October. And that Bealtaine is the word for May. In a language still used.

English colonialism is the reason we starved The reason we stopped speaking our language as widely. And a religion popularised by an English man is now using our words without directly crediting the cultures.

And now its further reinforced by the way that people are taking these words out of context. Mixing them up with other European words. Without giving credit to any of the countries they came from.

Its like how people will take chakras from hinduism and sage from native americans and throw some jesus in and just call it “new age spirituality”

(Native people have it even worse than the situation with Irish culture. Native Americans are going through so much shit. Cause people use spirituality as an excuse to just take shit)

You can’t use things without acknowledging the fact that they are from specific cultures.

This is a more Irish accurate wheel of the years. Please acknowledge the cultures you got these words from.

I have more info on the holidays on my page. Lora o brien is another good native resource. Please share this with anyone who uses the wheel of the year.

Other European countries feel free to share a your countries more culturally accurate wheel of the year.

thegirlinyourmemories

nancy fouts

sagelanding

source

tourist-666

This is what I need. Everything about this picture.

nevver

Bomb craters, Henning Rogge

baroquehedgewitch

✨2022 Celestial Events✨

✦✧ Lunar Events ✧✦

🌑Jan 2nd New Moon in Capricorn at 18:35 UTC

🌕Jan 17th Full Moon in Cancer at 23:51 UTC ~ Old Moon;

🌑Feb 1st New Moon in Aquarius at 5:48am UTC

🌕Feb 16th Full Moon in Leo at 16:59 UTC ~ Snow Moon

🌑March 2nd New Moon in Pisces at 17:38 UTC

🌕March 18th Full Moon in Libra at 7:20am UTC ~ Worm Moon

🌑April 1st New Moon in Aries at 6:27am UTC

🌕April 16th Full Moon in Libra at 18:57 UTC ~ Pink Moon

🌑April 30 New Moon in Taurus at 20:30 UTC

⚪ May 16th Full Moon in Scorpio at 4:15am UTC (Sagittarius from 11:51 UTC) ~ Flower Moon ~ Total Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio visible in North America, Atlantic Ocean, western Europe and western Africa

🌑May 30th New Moon in Gemini at 11:32 UTC

🌕June 14th Supermoon in Sagittarius at 11:52 UTC ~Strawberry Moon, Rose Moon

🌑June 29th New Moon in Cancer at 2:53am UTC

🌕July 13th Supermoon in Capricorn at 18:38 UTC

🌑July 28th New Moon in Leo at 17:55 UTC

🌕 Aug 12th Supermoon in Aquarius at 1:36am ~ Sturgeon Moon; final Supermoon for the year

🌑Aug 27th New Moon in Virgo at 8:17am UTC

🌕Sep 10th Full Moon in Pisces at 9:58am UTC ~ Corn Moon, Harvest Moon

🌑Sep 25th New Moon in Virgo at 21:55 UTC

🌕Oct 9th Full Moon in Aries at 20:55 UTC ~ Hunters Moon

🌑Oct 25th New Moon in Scorpio at 10:49am UTC & Partial Solar Eclipse in Scorpio

⚪ Nov 8th Full Moon in Taurus at 11:03 UTC ~ Total Lunar Eclipse in Taurus visible in eastern Russia, Japan, Oceania, western North America

🌑Nov 23rd New Moon in Scorpio at 22:58 UTC

🌕Dec 8th Full Moon in Gemini at 4:09am UTC

🌑Dec 23rd New Moon in Capricorn at 10:17 UTC

✦✧ Solar Events / Wheel of the Year Dates ✧✦

✨ Feb 1st-5th Northern Hemisphere Imbolc; Southern Hemisphere Lammas

✨ Mar 21st Equinox at 15:24 UTC ~ Northern Hemisphere Vernal Equinox/Ostara; Southern Hemisphere Autumnal Equinox/Mabon

✨ April 30th Partial Solar Eclipse in Taurus visible from southeast Pacific Ocean; southern South America

✨ May 1st-5th Northern Hemisphere Beltane; Southern Hemisphere Samhain

✨ June 21st Solstice at 9:05am UTC ~ Northern Hemisphere Summer Solstice/Litha; Southern Hemisphere Winter Solstice/Yule

✨ Aug 1st-7th Northern Hemisphere Lammas; Southern Hemisphere Imbolc

✨ Sep 23rd Equinox at 12:55am UTC ~ Northern Hemisphere Autumnal Equinox/Mabon; Southern Hemisphere Vernal Equinox/Ostara

✨ Oct 25th Partial Solar Eclipse visible over western & central Russia, Kazakhstan

✨ Nov 1st-7th Southern Hemisphere Beltane; Northern Hemisphere Samhain

✨ Dec 21st Solstice at 21:40 UTC ~ Northern Hemisphere Winter Solstice/Yule; Southern Hemisphere Summer Solstice/Litha

✦✧ Astrological Events (Mostly Retrogrades) ✧✦

💫 Dec 28th 2021 Jupiter Moves into Pisces ➛ May 10th (positive for mutable signs)

💫 Jan 14th Mercury Retrograde ➛ 3rd February

💫Jan 19th Uranus Ends Retrograde

💫Jan 29th Venus Ends Retrograde

April 3rd Mercury at superior Solar Conjunction

💫 May 10th Mercury Retrograde ➛ 2nd June & Jupiter moves into Aries ➛ Oct 28th (positive for cardinal signs)

💫 June 5th Saturn Retrograde ➛ Oct 23rd

💫 June 28th Neptune Retrograde ➛ Dec 4th

💫 July 29th Jupiter Retrograde ➛ Nov 24th

💫August 24th Uranus Retrograde

💫 Sep 9th Mercury Retrograde ➛ 2nd October

💫Oct 31st Mars Retrograde

💫 Dec 29th Mercury Retrograde ➛ 18th January 2023

✦✧ Dates for Viewing Planets/Meteors ✧✦

⋆⁺｡ Jan 3rd & 4th Quadrantids Meteor Shower (Above average shower; runs from Jan 1st-5th; peaking on the 3rd) Near Constellation Bootes

🔭Jan 7th - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation (19.2 degrees from the Sun) Visible in Western Sky after sunset

🔭Feb 10th Venus at greatest brightness

🔭Feb 16th Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation (26.3 degrees from the Sun) Visible in Eastern Sky before sunrise

⋆⁺｡ April 22nd & 23rd Lyrids Meteor Shower (Average Shower; runs from April 16th-25th) Near Constellation Lyra

⋆⁺｡ May 6th & 7th Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower (Produces more meteors over Southern Hemisphere; runs from April 19th -May 28th) Near Constellation Aquarius

🔭June 16th Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation (23.2 degrees from the Sun) Visible in Eastern Sky before sunrise

⋆⁺｡ Jul 28th & 29th Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower (Average shower; runs from July 12 - August 23rd) Near Constellation Aquarius

⋆⁺｡ Aug 12th & 13th Perseids Meteor Shower (Runs July 17th to August 24th) Near Constellation Perseus

🔭Aug 14th Saturn at Opposition (at its brightest)

🔭Aug 27th Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation (27.3 degrees from the Sun) Visible low in Western Sky after sunset

🔭Sep 16th Neptune at Opposition (most likely still invisible without telescope)

🔭Sep 26th Jupiter at Opposition

⋆⁺｡ Oct 7th Draconids Meteor Shower (Minor meteor shower; runs October 6th-10th) Best viewed early evening, near constellation Draco

🔭Oct 8th Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation (18 degrees from the Sun) Visible in Eastern Sky before sunrise

⋆⁺｡ Oct 21st & 22nd Orionids Meteor Shower (Runs October 2nd to November 7th) Near Constellation Orion

⋆⁺｡ Nov 4th and 5th Taurids Meteor Shower (minor meteor shower runs from September 7th - December 10th) Near Constellation Taurus

🔭Nov 9th Uranus at Opposition

⋆⁺｡ Nov 17th, 18th Leonids Meteor Shower; (1st since 2001; runs November 6th-30th) Near Constellation Leo

🔭Dec 8th Mars at Opposition

⋆⁺｡ Dec 13th & 14th Geminids Meteor Shower (Biggest Meteor Shower, runs December 7th-17th) Near Constellation Gemini

🔭Dec 21st Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation; visible in Western Sky after sunset

⋆⁺｡ Dec 21st & 22nd Ursids Meteor Shower (Minor shower, runs December 17th-25th) Near Ursa Minor

happinessfordeeppeople

Angel Trumpet or Brugmansia suaveolens

Beautiful and deadly as well.

nanabanane

665

sulfatto-deactivated20241018

hauntedmushroom

doomhope

[ID: A frozen waterfall; layers of icicles hang from rocky outcroppings. /End ID]

tourist-666

[Twin Peaks Theme Plays]

somnium13-deactivated20191213

Penelope by Leonora Carrington, staged by Alejandro Jodorowsky

herbwicc

Protection/Warding Black Salt

Not to be confused with volcanic salt/Himalayan black salt/kala namak. Black salt has strong protective properties, especially when combined with other protective/uncrossing herbs (herbs meant to undo a curse or hex). It’s used to absorb negative energy, create wards, and undo curses. It’s also good for banishing and binding. Here’s my recipe:

What you’ll need:

Cleansing items, such as smoke, bells, spray, whichever you personally use.

Sea Salt

Charcoal Disk (or charcoal powder)

Black Candle

Rosemary

Garlic Powder

Chili Powder

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Paprika

Black Pepper

Black Candle

Bowl

Mortar & Pestle

Black stones/crystals

Any additional protective items you may have. (Here I gathered dried red peppers, dried chili peppers, lemon, sage, and ashed from a Litha bonfire.) These items are for You to draw some extra energy from, and won’t be directly added to the salt.

Frankincense and/or Dragon’s Blood incense.

Instructions:

First, cleanse your space using whatever best works for you.

After cleansing, start your frankincense and/or dragon’s blood incense, this will be going for the duration of the spell.

Light your black candle.

Gather your supplies as seen in the picture.

As always, make sure your intention is strong, and continuously draw from it. Return to your intent no matter how often your mind wanders (which it will, that’s ok).

In a bowl, mix the salt with the herbs first.

Remember your other protective items are there for you to use. If needed, refocus on their protective energies and draw from that.

Use a mortar and pestle to crush the charcoal disk separately. This takes a lot of physical energy, and it is very messy. If you prefer to use charcoal powder, that’s ok, though charcoal disks will be cheaper. I like charcoal disks because I feel more energetically involved in/connected to the process.

Mixing counterclockwise, mix the very finely crushed charcoal into the salt. Mix. Use as many charcoal disks needed to get to the level of darkness you want.

Mind wandering? Remember your intent! Refocus!

When you’re done, transfer the black salt into a jar and set the crystals around it in a circle. Let it continue to build and charge this way, until you feel it is ready. If you’re not sure, it can also be until the candle or incense goes out.

Done! Sprinkle this around the parameter of your wards, such as along doorways and windows. It can also be used during unhexing/curse breaking spells, general protection spells, banishing, and binding.

This is NOT FOR CONSUMPTION.

Even if you used edible activated charcoal, know that 1. charcoal interacts with many medications by basically absorbing them and rendering them useless, including birth control, diabetes medications, cancer drugs, and more. and 2. I’m not sure this would taste great?