Hello, I hope you're doing well!! I honestly left helpol/witchblr months ago and it was an amazing decision. I haven't deactivated my helpol blog but I've honestly considered it as I doubt I'll ever post on there again.
Sorry for the ramble, just thought I'd let you know. I hope your break helped you <3
Thank you for sharing! I enjoyed the ramble!
Honestly my break was wonderful! It’s still mostly going, but I do miss writing about witchcraft, and I feel like I can come back with a level head and some better boundaries around my tumblr usage! Here’s hoping!
this is a pretty long post. i’d really appreciate it if you would read it in full before reblogging or commenting. additionally, this is not meant to be a vaguepost about a specific individual or discourse. this is a discussion of the trends i’ve seen on witchblr over the last year or so, experienced through the discourse i’ve been a part of and also what i’ve seen in the wider witchblr ecosystem.
the short of this post is that i’m stepping away from this blog for the simple reason that tumblr has stopped being a good place for my practice, and for a long time i’ve been trying to pretend otherwise. this blog will still be up as an archive, and it will be essentially abandoned. this is something i’ve considered doing before, but i think it’s a decision i really need to commit to. and, i want to explain why.
i’ve been on witchblr for six years. i’m twenty-one now; i started this blog at fifteen. that’s a long time. my opinions have changed and evolved, and i’m a completely different person. somewhere along the way, that evolution has become something folks have felt okay to police. this is a part of being on the internet for a decent amount of time, of course, but it’s felt like every time i’ve said something new or changed my mind on something, someone has dug up posts from earlier in my blog to show that i’m contradicting myself. this doesn’t just happen with old posts, as well. i recently shared how i wasn’t sure if my communication style with the gods fit in with the community, and an anon immediately used that as ammunition to undercut my reasons for disliking godspousal, without considering that my opinion on godspousal might be changing, and that post was indicative of that self reflection.
i don’t think of myself as a big blog. at the time of writing i have 12,628 followers, which is a large number (i think they’re mostly dead blogs from the boom of witchblr in 2020). but, i have noticed that when i share posts they do get some attention. i make an opinion post and i see five vagueposts about it, and get six anons. i don’t say this to gloat, but to say that i am the topic of conversation occasionally, and that’s a really weird experience. if you’ve never come across a reblog thread about whether you were a good person before and had to ignore it because to respond would be petty, it’s hard to explain just how awkward and uncomfortable it can make you feel. or to see anonymous asks to other blogs about how they feel about me. it’s weird to be spoken about behind your back and also publicly simultaneously.
and beyond all that, there are messages and interactions i don’t often talk about. i’ve received incredibly uncomfortable messages before. people have called me slurs, insulted me, made sexual comments. i’ve been called a bully, a nazi, a traitor to women. a transphobe and a tranny. i’ve had rumours spread about me, and interactions with other blogs on here in which they’ve been manipulative and made me feel deeply uncomfortable. i’ve been dogpiled because someone misread or understood me, and i’ve had people insist they know my motives better than i do. i’ve even been called a fake witch doing this only for clout.
to be clear, the whole community is not like this. but it is a very loud part of it. and it all builds up. it changes the way you think and talk, and it changes your actual practice. and i find i really hard to remember that talking about witchcraft is not the same as doing witchcraft.
and i think i’ve really forgotten that. the more time i spend arguing, clarifying or defending my position - the more time i spend trying to manage how others feel about me - the less time i spend actually being a witch. i’ve become someone who scrolls the witchblr tag instead of doing rituals or connecting to nature. and that’s not who i want to be. tumblr, and witchblr, has made me a worse witch. but also a worse person.
what i keep thinking about, and what i think i tried to escape by moving to substack, is how impossible it is to learn here. there’s this expectation that once you say something - whether it was six months ago or six years ago - you’re stuck with it forever. when i admit i don’t know something its seen as ignorance. when i apologise for something its seen as an empty apology. when i ask questions, folks see that as a loaded gun.
i think that’s partly because my questions can be provocative, but also partly because we’re all so driven by the need of validation. we don’t like it when someone questions our practice, or even disagrees with it. and that need for validation means the same questions are all we ask on witchblr. “should we call beginners baby witches or is that infantilising?” “is it okay to culturally appropriate?” “is wicca a good practice?” and “is godspousing real?”. these questions will never be answered with the way any of us talk about them. it’s because we’re all picking a hill to die on, and we’re not allowed to change our minds without it feeling like a betrayal of whatever side we’re on.
i also think that what makes all of this harder is the sheer volume of voices here. witchblr is crowded, contradictory, and often so loud that it becomes impossible to hear your own thoughts. people just state their opinions, often with a catchy slogan, with no desire to have a deeper conversation. there’s no depth, just positions floating around, unexamined and uncontextualised. you form a worldview incredibly quickly because the cliques of witchblr ask you too, and then once you’ve picked a position you have to stick with it.
the truth is i want to start again. i want to be a beginner witch again. to learn again, and make mistakes. i want to open books i’ve missed, revisit foundations i didn’t learn properly and unlearn the habits i’ve learnt here. i want to be able to ask questions, and i want to explore without someone pulling up a post from two years ago to tell me what i actually believe. i don’t want anyone asking me how to be a witch, because i don’t know myself.
this isn’t about running from accountability. as i’ve mentioned, this blog is staying up. i’m not burning the archive, or hiding the discourse that happened on this account. but i don’t want this space to define where i’m going. i’m not disappearing, just stepping aside.
i’ll still be signed in, and if someone sends me a question or a message i might answer it, but this era of this blog being the centre point of my practice is over.
i’ve tried for months now to find a version of this blog that feels like me again. i’ve tried to course-correct, to adjust my tone, to post less, to post differently, to find community instead of conflict. but the truth is simpler. i don’t like it here anymore. i don’t like who i become in this environment. i don’t like the way my reputation precedes me, or the way any question becomes a thesis, or the way i feel obligated to defend things i don’t even believe anymore because someone dredged up an old post. running this blog feels like a chore. and so i’m stepping away.
--
thank you if you read all of this (holy yap), and if you’ve interacted with me at all over the years, thank you for that too. the conversations we’ve had are ones i think about often, and i’m grateful for all the time you put into them. please take care of yourselves, and i wish you all the best.
this is a pretty long post. i’d really appreciate it if you would read it in full before reblogging or commenting. additionally, this is not meant to be a vaguepost about a specific individual or discourse. this is a discussion of the trends i’ve seen on witchblr over the last year or so, experienced through the discourse i’ve been a part of and also what i’ve seen in the wider witchblr ecosystem.
the short of this post is that i’m stepping away from this blog for the simple reason that tumblr has stopped being a good place for my practice, and for a long time i’ve been trying to pretend otherwise. this blog will still be up as an archive, and it will be essentially abandoned. this is something i’ve considered doing before, but i think it’s a decision i really need to commit to. and, i want to explain why.
i’ve been on witchblr for six years. i’m twenty-one now; i started this blog at fifteen. that’s a long time. my opinions have changed and evolved, and i’m a completely different person. somewhere along the way, that evolution has become something folks have felt okay to police. this is a part of being on the internet for a decent amount of time, of course, but it’s felt like every time i’ve said something new or changed my mind on something, someone has dug up posts from earlier in my blog to show that i’m contradicting myself. this doesn’t just happen with old posts, as well. i recently shared how i wasn’t sure if my communication style with the gods fit in with the community, and an anon immediately used that as ammunition to undercut my reasons for disliking godspousal, without considering that my opinion on godspousal might be changing, and that post was indicative of that self reflection.
i don’t think of myself as a big blog. at the time of writing i have 12,628 followers, which is a large number (i think they’re mostly dead blogs from the boom of witchblr in 2020). but, i have noticed that when i share posts they do get some attention. i make an opinion post and i see five vagueposts about it, and get six anons. i don’t say this to gloat, but to say that i am the topic of conversation occasionally, and that’s a really weird experience. if you’ve never come across a reblog thread about whether you were a good person before and had to ignore it because to respond would be petty, it’s hard to explain just how awkward and uncomfortable it can make you feel. or to see anonymous asks to other blogs about how they feel about me. it’s weird to be spoken about behind your back and also publicly simultaneously.
and beyond all that, there are messages and interactions i don’t often talk about. i’ve received incredibly uncomfortable messages before. people have called me slurs, insulted me, made sexual comments. i’ve been called a bully, a nazi, a traitor to women. a transphobe and a tranny. i’ve had rumours spread about me, and interactions with other blogs on here in which they’ve been manipulative and made me feel deeply uncomfortable. i’ve been dogpiled because someone misread or understood me, and i’ve had people insist they know my motives better than i do. i’ve even been called a fake witch doing this only for clout.
to be clear, the whole community is not like this. but it is a very loud part of it. and it all builds up. it changes the way you think and talk, and it changes your actual practice. and i find i really hard to remember that talking about witchcraft is not the same as doing witchcraft.
and i think i’ve really forgotten that. the more time i spend arguing, clarifying or defending my position - the more time i spend trying to manage how others feel about me - the less time i spend actually being a witch. i’ve become someone who scrolls the witchblr tag instead of doing rituals or connecting to nature. and that’s not who i want to be. tumblr, and witchblr, has made me a worse witch. but also a worse person.
what i keep thinking about, and what i think i tried to escape by moving to substack, is how impossible it is to learn here. there’s this expectation that once you say something - whether it was six months ago or six years ago - you’re stuck with it forever. when i admit i don’t know something its seen as ignorance. when i apologise for something its seen as an empty apology. when i ask questions, folks see that as a loaded gun.
i think that’s partly because my questions can be provocative, but also partly because we’re all so driven by the need of validation. we don’t like it when someone questions our practice, or even disagrees with it. and that need for validation means the same questions are all we ask on witchblr. “should we call beginners baby witches or is that infantilising?” “is it okay to culturally appropriate?” “is wicca a good practice?” and “is godspousing real?”. these questions will never be answered with the way any of us talk about them. it’s because we’re all picking a hill to die on, and we’re not allowed to change our minds without it feeling like a betrayal of whatever side we’re on.
i also think that what makes all of this harder is the sheer volume of voices here. witchblr is crowded, contradictory, and often so loud that it becomes impossible to hear your own thoughts. people just state their opinions, often with a catchy slogan, with no desire to have a deeper conversation. there’s no depth, just positions floating around, unexamined and uncontextualised. you form a worldview incredibly quickly because the cliques of witchblr ask you too, and then once you’ve picked a position you have to stick with it.
the truth is i want to start again. i want to be a beginner witch again. to learn again, and make mistakes. i want to open books i’ve missed, revisit foundations i didn’t learn properly and unlearn the habits i’ve learnt here. i want to be able to ask questions, and i want to explore without someone pulling up a post from two years ago to tell me what i actually believe. i don’t want anyone asking me how to be a witch, because i don’t know myself.
this isn’t about running from accountability. as i’ve mentioned, this blog is staying up. i’m not burning the archive, or hiding the discourse that happened on this account. but i don’t want this space to define where i’m going. i’m not disappearing, just stepping aside.
i’ll still be signed in, and if someone sends me a question or a message i might answer it, but this era of this blog being the centre point of my practice is over.
i’ve tried for months now to find a version of this blog that feels like me again. i’ve tried to course-correct, to adjust my tone, to post less, to post differently, to find community instead of conflict. but the truth is simpler. i don’t like it here anymore. i don’t like who i become in this environment. i don’t like the way my reputation precedes me, or the way any question becomes a thesis, or the way i feel obligated to defend things i don’t even believe anymore because someone dredged up an old post. running this blog feels like a chore. and so i’m stepping away.
--
thank you if you read all of this (holy yap), and if you’ve interacted with me at all over the years, thank you for that too. the conversations we’ve had are ones i think about often, and i’m grateful for all the time you put into them. please take care of yourselves, and i wish you all the best.
Being a Hellenic Polytheist means to worship the gods. Everything else doesn't matter: it quite literally only means to worship the Greek gods.
Communicating with the divine in whichever way is not a requirement or responsibility of Helpols, never has been. That was generally reserved for Oracles or other religious officials in ancient times, so its certainly not a necessity for all of us now and it certainly does not define our relationships with the divine.
You are simply a helpol, if you worship the Theoi. /nm /info /gen
(just in reference to your earlier posts)
thank you for this!
i think the frustration also comes from a lot of what i see in the helpol tag is modern interpretation or UPG. this is obviously fine, but i lean more towards the traditional, and i really like the history of this religion especially, and i don't see much of that. maybe i'm not following the right blogs or looking in the right places, who knows?
so how are you gonna hate on godspouses if you admit you don't have the depth of the relationship they do? You're kinda proving their argument right that it stems from jealousy
i don't hate godspousing, or godspouses. i have issues with it (mainly concerns about the health of the dynamic, and whether it has historical backing) but if you wanna personally marry a god and acknowledge it's UPG i certainly don't mind. i only have an issue when folks claim its historically based, and even then i just want to discuss the evidence because i'm curious, and i've had some good conversations recently that have given me more to research and think about.
also, i very obviously don't have the depth of relationship, even if i had a godphone, because i am not married to that deity. i think that's kind of obvious, and i don't think that has a sort of moral quality. unless you're saying i'm less valid because i don't practice the way you want? but i think that gets a little dicey, y'know. i don't think godspouses are the only ones with authority over the relationships with the gods.
you are obviously free to interpret my intentions as jealousy, i cannot stop you, but i'm not sure how you got that reading from what i said?
no hate at all, but can I ask how you have a relationship with the gods if you don't talk to them? How to you know their likes? Their dislikes? Do you have any upg for them if you don't communicate? How do you know how they feel about you? How do you know offerings have been accepted or rejected? How do you have any relationship with an entity you don't communicate with?
Genuinely no hate, I'm just really confused by your recent post and I want to learn more so I can understand
sorry i should have been a little clearer! i mean i don't have a godphone, but i do "talk" to them through divination, dreams, trancework etc.
but i don't have a lot of UPG for them because that relationship is communicated through divination, so like, they don't come and tell me "oh i want this thing". it's more so i ask for advice, then give an offering, and they tell me if they like it through a pendulum. which doesn't seem to be how most people communicate. it's very vague and riddle-y (like i get images when scrying).
and probably explains why godspousing confuses me so much, because i could just never have the depth of the relationship without a godphone. i don't think i could godspouse through like, divination, and i don't actually talk to my gods like other folks on here do. i rely on myth to like, communicate some of what the gods don't through divination, and use the structure of helpol to guide me.
starting to think i might not even be a hellenic polytheist anymore (and also questioning what that term has come to mean) considering i consistently disagree with the majority of the helpol community.
of course it's natural for there to be some difference in faith and interpretation and stuff, but maybe i'm just... not a helpol, and that's part of why i feel so not in the community, and keep butting heads, and why i disagree on so much.
"One common misconception about witchcraft is that it requires tools, plants, and magical allies that are difficult to come by. This certainly is the case in some works, but it needn't be. Witchcraft should be both accessible and adaptable to meet the needs of the practitioner, and the witch's toolset should be the same."
-'Practical Magic: Everyday Items You Can Use in Witchcraft; Part 1' (2025), Keziah Zibelmann (@sheydmade)
Learning discernment really changed my witchcraft and spiritual practices.
When I first began interacting with witchcraft and paganism in the 2010s, I had very little discernment, and I believed everything I saw. I believed things people said on their blogs and microblogs. I believed random websites I saw. I believed people who said they had something to tell me from whoever/whatever.
I wish I had learned that I did not need to listen to everyone, and I seriously wish I had understood how to critically consume witchcraft and pagan content.
I'm thankful I eventually learned discernment and critical consumption, and I'm very thankful that I came to my own understanding in regards to faith; learning those things really helped me grow as not only a witch but also as a pagan.
my point is moreso to point out why people are so frustrated with you, because you just don't seem to understand. To be honest I think the best thing to do is to just understand that so you can do better in the future. But please don't imply that I want you to break down or deactivate your blog? Nowhere did I say that, and it's yet another reason why people may be frustrated
listen, anon. i'm not sure if you are aware but you have been sending these anons for the last several hours, to the point when i turned anon off you sent it to another blog. if you're goal is trying to make me understand, it isn't working, because you've guiltripped me, called me names, and taken things i've said out of context (like the vague post, in which i apologised for, but also the post was about how i like and respect the individual and wish them the best, and wish i could have picked their brain more. the intent was not to be nasty).
i fear you also are missing the context in which many other individuals have vagueposted about me in the last day, including calling me names and sending me asks all day. i have apologised three times, and probably more, for my tone and harm, and i have received zero apologies for the insults and harm that has been done to me.
this is not to hold you accountable for others actions, or to ask you for an apology you don't want to give, but to explain i am at my wits end. i understand your criticisms, although i disagree with them. i have apologised for the things i understand were wrong.
but the notion that i am forcing anyone to debate or interact with me is absurd. folks chose to engage with me. i appreciate that i can be provocative and dismissive. i appreciate that my actions hurt people. i am trying to be accountable. but i just cannot understand why no one else is accountable for their actions but me. why no one else is getting asks telling them to apologise or calling them a bully despite them insulting me. i am not responsible for another person's mental health or breakdown, and i feel horrible that they have had one as a result of my actions.
i hope this explains a little where i'm at, although i'm sure this "vaguepost" will put me in deep shit, so sorry in advance for that too.
"if you're happy to, turn anon back on because l'd rather not bring other blogs into this discussion, thanks."
You wanted a discussion. I gave it to you. And now you don't like it because I said I wasn't going to dig through your blog further? What do you want? Because at this point, I think what you want to be is RIGHT.
i don't know if you meant to send this three times anon! but i'll respond to this version as i think it makes the most sense.
i'm happy to have a discussion if you still want, but your post made it sound like you didn't want to continue talking, and i didn't want to push that. i can absolutely give my thoughts on what you said if you'd like, but as you've said, you don't owe me a debate.
i'm obviously not expecting you to dig through my blog further, i didn't mean to imply that, but my question was genuine. what do you hope to get out of this interaction? for me, the goal would be a little more understanding from where i was coming from (as in, that it wasn't done with harmful intent) and some practical advice on what i could do better without just, not blogging anymore. i want to understand, so i can apologise where i need to, and this can be resolved. that is all i've wanted, and all i've tried to do in the last 24 hours.
amandla
turnnoffyourmind
kianamaiart
