Witch of Rijeka

Friendly neighbour millennial anxious witch, reads too much, practices too little. She/her, 34 years old, very much queer. Find me on ig: https://instagram.com/witchofrijeka?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM=

[cryptotheism]

"Liminal" means "boundary" as in "the veil is thin here"

Liminal spaces are places that feel dreamlike, fuzzy on reality. Their boundaries are unstable. A bus station at night. A long desert highway. A bridge over a river.

They do, however, have an opposite; the Proximal space. These are places that feel far too real, extremely defined, boundaries that seem to override natural forces like time or space. Large warehouses without windows, identical chain stores at disorienting hours, your home after a nap of indeterminate time.

[cryptotheism]

The traditional liminal space is the crossroads. Liminal spaces are places you travel through, but never stay. Motels in the middle of nowhere. Airports. Places like that.

The traditional proximal space is the monument. Anywhere that exists but isn't really "used" for anything. Their presence resists use, closer to landscape than location.

[worship-of-the-gods]

Hail to you, Amun-Ra, Lord of the thrones of the earth, the oldest existence, ancient of heaven, support of all things;

Chief of the Gods, Lord of truth; Father of the Gods, Maker of men and beasts and herbs; Maker of all things above and below;

Deliverer of the sufferer and oppressed, judging the poor;

Lord of wisdom, Lord of mercy; most loving, opener of every eye, source of joy, in whose goodness the gods rejoice, You whose name is hidden.

You are the one, Maker of all that is, the One; the only One; Maker of gods and men; giving food to all. Hail to You, You One with many heads; sleepless when all others sleep, adoration to You.

Hail to You from all creatures from every land, from the height of heaven, from the depth of the sea. The spirits You have made extol You, saying, welcome to You, Father of the fathers of the gods; we worship Your spirit which is in us.

-  https://www.academia.edu/33951716/Book_of_Maat_-_Anubis_Hotep

[hats-off-to-hermes]

Online Resources About Angels

Check out the rest of my angel work posts here -> MASTERPOST

Are you interested in online resources to read more on angels?

While each of these sources may not share the same beliefs, you can cross reference a lot of information and also dive deeper into different pages provided by each link.

Archangels and Angels (Pauline Art)

• Archangel Correspondences and Details

• Angels of Zodiac

• Grimoire magick + ceremonial magick

Angels and Miracles on Learn Religions (Multiple Beliefs)

• Questions about angels

• Practices for angel work

• Angels in different cultures

Angels Names (72 Angels)

• Read about your guardian angels and a range of other angels

Spiritual Experience (Multiple Beliefs)

• Information on many angels

• Questions about angels

Archangel Secrets (Multiple Beliefs)

• Angel Numbers

• Connecting with angels

• Questions about angels

Have anymore websites you know of? Feel free to share!

[godsofsandandwater]

Hymn to Thoth

To Thoth, keen-minded judge of Ma'at, I offer my praise. O wise one of Hermopolis where ruled the Ogdoad, stander at the scale, holder of the stylus, chronicler of deeds, good and ill, yours it is to watch and to record. O god of all language, friend of the scholar and the scribe, the writer and the reckoner, god of the word in all its might, master of mathematics, I pray to you for insight and for understanding, for learning and for reason, for the gathering of knowledge and the judgment to use it wisely and well. Best of arbiters, most skillful of questioners, conciliator of gods and examiner of the dead, all works of word and wisdom are yours to wield. Thoth, great of discourse, great of voice, may I speak and perceive with all clarity.

[stsathyre]

Magic and Psychodrama

I creep on a lot of magic blogs around here, and you know, one of the reasons questions like this appear, is because we don’t discuss psychodrama. And honestly, because I’m sort of old, I’m not sure if psychodrama is taught anymore? As in I’m not sure if it is appearing in your reading and research.

I encourage the lot of you to take some time and read up on psychodrama. Ritual magicians use psychodrama to set a mood, and get into a magical mental space that pretty much leads to being in a magical physical space.

Psychodrama lays the smackdown on doubt. You’re in character. You become a character actor. You lose yourself in the process and you come away with a fan-fuckin-tastic completed spell. Psychodrama gets you out of your own way.

One might notice that I teach a lot of low-tool no-tool magic, and that’s one of the reasons I say that I am not a good beginner practitioner teacher. Beginner magicians, in my honest opinion, must develop a sense of psychodrama. It is the ultimate in fake it until you make it.  Tools, clothing, music, and atmosphere all make up things that contribute to psychodrama. Even ritual design, where things are a little more theatrical, add to it. Once you feel like you’re the bee’s knees of magic, then you will naturally progress towards a lower-tool, less flashy, less prep-heavy practice. But first, one must build confidence.

The point of psychodrama is to feel witchy as fuck. If you feel witchy, you are witchy, and everything is right with the world.

I super encourage that if you are having difficulty developing confidence in your practices, to develop a more dramatic practice. Mold your magic into an art. Do things that make you feel like the witch you know you are.

Now go forth, and be witchy.

-St.

[grimnirs-child]

Yep. 

Also - for things like ecstatic or trance work, for ritual, for connecting to divinity or spirits, I find the psychodrama, the setting of the atmosphere and the ~aesthetic~ really do contribute. It’s all about taking yourself from your everyday mindset into your “now it’s time to do the thing” mindset. So get out some incense, turn down the lights and put on some spooky music.

[scalywingedwitch]

This is so fuckin real. Like seriously when I started with my coven, whenever I wanted to do something powerful I would use our full ceremonial circle. It made me feel the witchy-est, cause of the DRAMA OF IT ALL, and while sure I sometimes still do that (it can be fun as hell if nothing else), I can easily create almost exactly the same effect just using a few things that feel useful to this specific working.

But like… If I’m in a rut, I pull out ALL those fuckin candles, incense, music, ect, cause holy damn does it help you get in the head space for magic! It’s like when an actor puts on their costumes and goes under the lights, new actors are like 100% likely to give a better performance, and even the best actor in the world still gets an extra bang for their buck. tools don’t give you magic, they help you realize YOU’RE DOING SOME MF-ING MAGIC RIGHT NOW

[witches-bottle-deactivated20241]

A Magus's View - Drawing of Sigils as a Devotional Practice

This mainly comes from my studies in Aaiyyani philosophy but also other aspects such as sigil magic, the ideas of Bhakti, some Orthodox Aspects and so on...

To begin, we need to understand the sigil. The Sigil is the pictorial representation of an abstract concept of idea. I consider the Sigil to be one of two main things

A Lens through which energy is filtered and essentially programmed with the intent that the sigil represents

An anchor for that sigil's representing energy in the physical world. The sigil thus takes on less of a role as a talisman/amulet and more of a semi-portal to the energy.

Deity sigils are the latter, they are not lenses of sort but more act as conduits and portals through which the energy of the deity may present itself. The additional pro to this is that most sigils are simple in form, and are thus easier to meditate upon rather than statues or vivid artwork, thus the magus is able to achieve a better communion with the deity as their mind is not focused on where to look but is able to allow themselves to become absolutely absorbed by the line work, the background and foreground and the interior of the sigil proper.

For the formation of the sigil, one needs only look at the variety of signs and symbols that deities are associated with. One can take a simple drawing of a crocodile for meditation on the Divine Lord Sobek. One can use the Labyrinth of Hekate as a meditative device, which is better empowered by the tracing of the maze, thus falling into a trance.

Eye movements are a very potent tool in witchcraft.

Now we come onto the idea of drawing the sigil. Drawing the sigil is essentially akin to dialing the number. Every sigil is linked to a concept, a deity, a spirit or another force and it is thoroughly connected to them in many aspects. For most sigils, they were channeled to the magus's by the spirits themselves. Drawing the sigil thus catches the spirit's attention because the magus begins the process of establishing the portal/anchor through the sigil. If we were to go further, the mind and spirit are aligned as the magus is focused on the drawing of the sigil entirely. Their mind is focused on the linework, the spirit behind the sigil, the name, the essence and this formulates a sort of energetic resonance.

In a previous post on Devotional Study, I mentioned Bhakti as formulated through bringing the mind to the divine force. It becomes a rite of mental worship and devotion, meditating on the divine names of a deity, their epithets, hymns, stories and the like. This is well proper in sigil devotion as well. The mind is focused and the spirit is focused in the process of drawing the sigil that the Bhakti begins to establish itself. In Aaiyyanist Philosophy, this goes further. Through drawing the sigil and focusing on the deity, through mantra or chant, the magus begins to establish not only a physical resonance (the charging of the sigil during its drawing) but also a spiritual one (in which the mind and soul begin to focus in and create a path of communion to that deity, a sort of spiritual attunement). Thus, repetitive drawings of yantras and sigils become akin to communing and attuning with the energy of the deity prior to their actual invocation/evocation.

In some Buddhist and Hindu schools of thought, when one uses a mala to chant a mantra, the energy of the mantra empowers the mala itself. The mala thus becomes a storehouse of the energy summoned during the chanting of the mantra and can be used as a talisman or a more esoteric device for ritual work. This also occurs with sigils in the same way. I sometimes find myself unconsciously using this principle when I chant a deity's name, mostly my patron's, during the writing of talismans, brefs and the like before putting them in their sachets or bottles for wearing. It proves well.

Now we come unto the next aspect, the Prayer of the Soul. Although the idea of the Prayer of the Soul requires a half million posts on its own and I also like to apply it in the context of the Stages of Prayer as given by St. Teresa D'Avila, it is still a prevalent idea in occultism in some degree or another. The Prayer of the Soul comes about when the heart, the very existence of the magus or devotee, becomes a vessel for the prayer in question. In Hinduism, this would be called "Siddhi" or an accomplishment of a mantra. In Catholicism, this would be the Unitive Stage of Prayer, in which the soul has been purified and one begins to unite with G-d through the process of internal prayer. So too does this apply in the way of writing the sigil, in which the sigil - combined with the prayer/mantra - begins the process of uniting the spirit with the deity through repetitive motion, meditation and focus. When all falls silent, the one can witness the deity...

Therefore, drawing the sigil of the deity on a consistent basis, or even meditating on it while chanting the name, an enn, a chant, a prayer, an adoration, a mantra or a supplication is a worthwhile practice. It silences the material mind, allowing the Inward Silence to appear, the communion with the deity to occur, the inner world starts to transform and one gradually becomes more attuned to the energy, the prayer and the hidden mysteries of the deity and thus begins to embody that energy in their day to day life.

[thegrapeandthefig]

Why water is not a "lazy" offering

Water was a requested topic and there was plenty of ways to tackle the topic. I’ve chosen this angle of approach because I know I’ve seen some people struggle with the idea. So let’s talk about it and give some context: if you’ve grown up with the luxury of always having had access to clean water, it’s something you take for granted. I urge you to think of the last time the water was shut off in your house for any reason and how it impacted your comfort.  

Water in Ancient Greek life The Ancient Greeks did not have running water directly in their homes. In Athens, the first hydraulic project is dated between 546 and 527 BC. The city was supplied in water: they had functional lavatories, functional aqueducs and water pumps but those were public commodities, not private ones. In fact, Plutarch tells us that Solon, an Athenian statesman between the 7th and 6th century BC, encouraged individuals to build their own wells if they lived in an area that was not sufficiently supplied and had the right to ask their neighbor for about 40 liters of water a day and make provisions in case of need (Plutarch, Solon, 23).  Water safety was a legitimate concern, as it depended on the clemency of weather and could be jeopardized in emergency situations like wars.

The philosophy of water by Thales of Miletus (626/3-548/5 BC) Without going into the details of Thales’ thought, he theorized the idea that water was the fundation of matter and thus, is the first principle. It is through Aristotle that we know of this hypothesis. While a lot of the theory is scientifically wrong, I think the theory serves its role in showing us how much water mattered as a substance essential to life.

On a religious level Spring water is potable. It is its greatest difference with sea water, which while abundant, is not drinkable. Poseidon, as the master of seas and Zeus as the bringer of rains play an essential part in the natural cycle of water. Lack of water has catastrophic consequences on living things, and the Ancients knew that they relied on Zeus’ rains for their crops to grow, for their springs to be filled, for their cattle to feed and drink.

So when the Ancient brought water to the altar as an offering, they brought something precious. They sacrificed a substance that they relied on for their own survival. They knew that water supplies were not infinite and that the rains bestowed by Zeus allowed for their well to stay full.

Considering water as a “lazy” offering is just the epitome of privilege. The privilege of not having to worry about your access to water, the privilege of not having to wonder if the water coming from your tap is clean or not. All while forgetting that access to potable water is still a problem today for many. If what you see when you think of offering water is the easiness of turning on your tap and tossing a glass on your altar, then you’ve forgotten what your offering means.

Sources: Terje Tvedt, Terje Oestigaard, A History of Water: Water and Urbanization, 2014

[witches-bottle-deactivated20241]

For all my Mental Illness Witches

The spiritual community has the tendency to take symptoms of mental illness and "spiritualize" them. Are there times where you wonder if the symptoms you are experiencing are spiritual in nature or the effect of your mental illness? is there any method that you guys personally use or apply to distinguish between "ok this is spirit brain" and "ok this is Brain-Brain"?

I'm curious because I got mental illness and I've seen a lot of people fall down the rabbit hole of "this thing said that this is a sign of this so I'm going to spiritual bypass the fact that I have a mental illness that is severely affecting my ability to function by saying that it's actually because I'm a this and that" and I'm hoping that it reaches the right people because maybe someone who is experiencing that will read it and be like "Oh, ok, maybe I should check that out"

[witchofrijeka]

Bipolar here, with anxiety that went from generalised to social over the years. Now, before we get onto the spiritual part I'm gonna have to give you some background in the mental health part.

I was diagnosed with bipolar at the age of 26, that is over a decade since I had my first serious mental health issues. For the majority of that time I thought I was just depressed and that my mania was actually my "normal" me. Not ideal, to put it mildly. In my mid twenties I started to question this and began paying attention to my mood shifts (when did they occur, how often, how long, was there something that triggered them, etc, I even made a nice chart for it because I'm a nerd like that) and that made me realise the highs I experienced were not in fact "normal". Fast forward half a year of therapy and I got my diagnosis.

Why is this important, you may ask? Well, it's really at the heart of the issue.

You gotta know yourself and how your mental disorder manifests. Understanding how an episode feels, how it appears, evolves and dies down makes it possible for me to discern if there is something else at play that has nothing to do with my diagnosis but everything to do with the spiritual.

Now, since I've been on meds for a long time and in the past year I switched to a stabiliser that actually works for me I don't have episodes unless I'm under an enormous amount of stress. So if I start feeling like I'm entering an episode of some sort and my life has been chill lately I'm gonna get suspicious.

The same logic applies to anxiety, but here the discussion is about triggers. If I'm feeling anxious the first thing I do is ask myself what triggered me? Anxiety is a response to something so there is always a trigger of some sort. When I figure out what it is the next question is why is this a trigger? 99% of the time it's something that makes perfect sense so I know it's just my brain doing its thing. But if there is no discernible trigger or the trigger is something that I just cannot fit within the fucked up landscape of my psyche then I start to consider the possibility there might be something spiritual afoot.

I know this sounds very taxing and time consuming but in reality, most of the time it's the work of minutes for me. I'm used to paying attention to the ebbs and flows of my mental health so I've learned what's normal for me.

The next thing I do is use some form of divination to get a better understanding of what is going on (if there even is something going on).

Bottom line is: you need to know how your brain works before you can figure out if the spiritual is trying to "talk" to you.

Honestly when in doubt I believe it's safer to think something is just (part of) a mental health issue, rather than chalking it up to the spiritual.

[windvexer]

As a practitioner, how much do you "content create" in occult communities?

I never create or comment on occult related media (but I might reblog)

I might add my own thoughts to someone else's content, but I never make OC

Sometimes I like to make and share my own content

I often make occult OC in a general sense and enjoy talking about it openly

A majority of my participation in occult spaces is creating original content

Voting ended onApr 21, 2023

[banebite-deactivated20230414]

Witchy Quick Tips

Remove black soot from the inside of candle glasses as it is flammable and will ruin your day if it catches fire

Keep a metal tray or other fireproof surface on your altar for placing free-standing candles (those without a holder)

Never consume fragrance oils, essential oils, or burning oils (Food-grade absolutes are a great alternative)

Try to avoid burning anything with pets in the room (especially if they are of the avian or reptilian variety). If you are going to burn something, do so in a well-ventilated room.

Never burn Cedar in a room with pets, no exceptions

Add a small amount of isopropyl alcohol to any river or sea water you make keep on your altar to slow the growth of bacteria

In leu of a dedicated oil burner, scented oils may be added to lit unscented candles to give a similar effect

Massage oil candles exist, give them a look

Do not eat any foraged material unless you are absolutely sure of what it is and it's ediblity

Sticks and drift wood used for crafts can be sterilized by heating in the oven for 2 hours at 250*f (120*C), check on it often to watch for burning

Honey, oils, wrapped chocolates, and high proof alcohol are great long-term food offerings

Pretty much every handy-craft can be used for magick, including but not limited too: metal working, wood working, sewing/embroidery, book binding, gardening, pottery, etc.

Non-witchy books on meditation, gardening, yoga, foraging guides, medicinal plants, and history are great sources of information to round out your practice

Ethically scavenged or harvested animal parts are okay to use in your practice, never purchase any bat specimens as thay are almost always killed purely to be a specimen (as opposed to deer which may serve as food and the left over parts sold)

Bless clothing you wear often for protection

Never place any of the following in direct sunlight: amethyst, kunzite, smoky quartz, jade, lapis, aquamarine, citrine, and rose quartz. There are many more so when in doubt, look it up

Never place any of the following in water: selenite, malachite (turns toxic as it can be absorbed into the skin), moonstone, tourmaline, desert rose, amber, hematite. Once again, there are many more so do your research.

Random stones you find can work just as well as crystals

Have a separate set of utensils, pots and such if possible strictly for your herbal creations (another set should be used if you work with poisonous plants as well)

A good pocket knife is any practitioner's best friend

Beeswax candles are cleaner burning than paraffin and bamboo charcoal blocks are (reportedly) cleaner burning than charcoal

Instead of wild bird feathers; purchase chicken, pheasant, goose, duck, and turkey feathers

If you want an item that is considered strictly apart of a specific culture, see if people of that culture willingly sell them. Many indigenous groups have lost business because people are too afraid to purchase from them for fear of being called out for cultural appropriation.

While "classical" correspondences exist, they are not a set in stone thing. Make your own correspondences within your practice.

Be inspired by others' practices, but never seek to imitate as you will lose sight of what it is you're trying to accomplish

Incense ash, charcoal ash, burned herbs, salt, and other spent ingredients can be added to black salt (or goofer dust for my hoodoo practitioners)

[crazycatsiren]

When you look around you, flowers blooming, grass growing, leaves on trees turning green, bees buzzing, birds singing, a breeze lifting your hair, how can you not believe in magic.

"But that's just nature."

My dear, nature is magic.

There are reasons why indigenous cultures around the world have venerated nature and honored its miracles and mysteries for centuries.

Because nature, in and of itself, is fucking magical.

[creature-wizard]

Eugenicist and bioessentialist beliefs about magic

Like New Age, modern witchcraft developed at a time period when eugenics and so-called race science were highly popular ideas - and consequentially, some of these ideas influenced people’s beliefs about magic. These beliefs also influenced modern conspiracy theories about the occult, which in turn influenced perceptions of magic in general. Here’s some of these beliefs:

People are either born with magical gifts, or they’ll never have them at all.

People born with magical gifts are meant to be spiritual leaders and guide the world into a new age.

There are special bloodlines whose members are more capable of performing magic than others.

People who can perform magic are able to do so only because they have special ancestry.

Some racial groups are more capable of performing magic than others.

Some bloodlines or racial groups are more capable of performing certain kinds of magic than others (EG, so-called “light magic” or “dark magic”).

The traditions of your genetic ancestors will always come to you easily and intuitively, with little to no study required. (And if they don’t, you aren’t a “true witch.”)

Modern witchcraft was also hit by the gender essentialism stick, and claims that come from this line of thinking include:

Magic requires or at least massively benefits from some performance or symbolic representation of heterosexuality or heteronormativity; other forms of magic will be inherently weaker.

Literally all magic is a recreation of heterosexual reproduction.

The womb is a woman’s most potent source of magic.

There are only two important deities: the god and the goddess.

All goddesses represent the divine mother archetype, all gods represent the divine father archetype.

Feminine energies are soft and nurturing, masculine entities are aggressive and bold.

Masculine energies are too strong in the world, and are the reason for imperialism, violence, etc. The imbalance can be corrected by focusing on feminine energies.

So yeah, always watch out for claims like this because they don’t come from a good place.

[thewoodbinewitch]

The longer I have a casual relationship with my faith, the more I understand why land-based practices were such a large part of pre-Christian Scandinavian culture and religion (and, like, a lot of religions, but I'm thinking through a Heathen perspective). The land is right there. There's no need to remember to connect with your gods and spirits, they're available anytime by just walking outside

Like, today after work I saw a dead squirrel on the property, and even though I was tired and had worked an hour of overtime, I stopped and buried it. And in doing so, I was able to introduce myself to the land as one of its stewards, even though I've already been gardening. It's the spiritual equivalent of "I've seen you around but we haven't formally met"

From a witchcraft analysis point of view, I introduced myself in the liminal space between life awakening with spring, and burying the dead. I could go into the analysis of why this was the perfect time to do it, but really it was just what needed to be done right then. I could have walked away and gone home, and I wasn't thinking about it being an important part of my land stewardship or my witchcraft or my heathenry, I just knew the squirrel would've ended up in some garbage can somewhere and that was not a fitting end

This is one of the things I love about being casual with my faith, it's gotten to the point where I now do things because it's what you do. So much of changing religions and the early days of building faith practices is having to consciously remember the new things, but there comes a point where it is second nature. I'm pretty sure this is why folks say it takes 5-7 years to start feeling like you're no longer a "baby witch", because after six and a half years as a Heathen and a witch, I'm finally doing things on autopilot

Anyway, I gave the squirrel a fircone and buried it beneath the tree it built its nest in. I hope the furry friend sleeps soundly cradled in the roots of its home

[screeching-0wl]

A guide to worship of Hekate - cheat sheets

Hellenic cheat sheets

If you like my content consider supporting me on: https://ko-fi.com/screeching0wlet

[screeching-0wl]

A guide to worship of Hermes - cheat sheets

Hellenic cheat sheets

If you like my content consider supporting me on: https://ko-fi.com/screeching0wlet

[screeching-0wl]

A guide to worship of Artemis- cheat sheets

Hellenic cheat sheets

If you like my content consider supporting me on: https://ko-fi.com/screeching0wlet

[lovecorekiss]

On some hellenic polytheists hating witches

I know I posted the “on the strange ideas about gods”, which does mention witches, but I’m going to ramble about the flip side. Most hellenic polytheists I know are pretty chill with witches, or are witches themselves. And they respect and honour the theoi. But there’s always that one polytheist…

I hate it so much when (recons especially) say witchcraft is evil/unwanted/the gods will kill, curse or abandon you for it/ahistorical. Which isn’t true - the ancient Greeks had magical practices, which today we’d call witchcraft. We can see Medea calling upon Helios, her grandfather and god of the magic of witches (it’s on theoi.com) for the purposes of witchcraft.

There’s even gods like Hekate and Kirke (Circe) - goddesses of witchcraft and sorcery. Or as I mentioned, Helios, who is the father to Kirke. Or even in the curse tablets: they asked for help from the theoi to curse someone. 

Some may claim that magic, and by extension, is not in any way recon or historical. Which is strange because we have evidence of magical practices. Curse tablets, amulets, etc. And secondly, witchcraft today is so different from witchcraft thousands of years ago. What a witch is now is not what a witch was back then. 

Lastly, just for my own blog: I completely welcome witches. Witchcraft is so cool - and simply amazing. No hubris no problem, honestly. 

I hope, once again, that I didn’t come off as rude. While yes, there is a lot of misconceptions in witchcraft circles, there’s also plenty of amazing people (who honestly know more than me). So yes, don’t be rude to witches for witchcraft and my blog completely accepts witches. 

[pearledmoon]

It’s definitely historical. There is no debating that, it’s simply fact. I’ve heard arguments on it being a fringe thing as if that invalidates it. I’ve heard it’s hubris when I don’t think it necessarily is. I don’t think it is any more so than many mundane actions which have an equal or greater potential of offending the Theoi. More an issue of how you use the tool than the tool itself, in my opinion.