Budget Witch Tips #3

Decolonize Witchcraft and Spirituality!

That means:

Respect closed practices! Either go through the proper channels to be initiated or leave them alone!

Respect indigenous and diasporic cultural traditions! Many of these cultures were nearly wiped out by colonization. Respect the boundaries of what you can and can’t practice as an outsider.

Purchase crystals from reputable sources! Some crystals are mined unethically and through minimally-paid or slave labor.

Stop supporting shops and authors who appropriate from closed cultures! It should be obvious, but don’t buy dreamcatchers from a non-Native person and avoid metaphysical authors who perpetuate racist stereotypes about marginalized religions and magical traditions.

Listen to and prioritize witches of color/practitioners of color in dialogues about racism, cultural appropriation, and exotification in the magical communities.

Examine your own craft and see if you are unintentionally appropriating any cultures

Educate yourself on practices outside of your own so you don’t unintentionally invalidate or appropriation marginalized religions and spiritual practices.

i couldn’t just stop with the “common” variety of Mooshroom, so i doodled the brown variant as well! ………and then another Mooshroom and her baby as well so the first duo would have friends to hang out with.

as with the previous Mooshroom and Mooblooms that i posted, these darlings will be available as prints, buttons, and stickers on my Redbubble, so please check out my pinned post for a link! 

How do I know which deity I’m talking to, or if it’s just my own inner voice?

Silas’s guide to Deity Communication 101:

Okay, so the absolute first step is to get to know yourself. You need to be able to identify what it feels like to be alone in your head/body, in order to identify when something else is there with you. So step away from your altar, don’t call upon any deities, and just spend a few days alone. Things to pay attention to:

what does your inner voice sound like? does it change or is it always the same?

do you think in a monologue, or have conversations with yourself? do you play different voices?

have some imaginary conversations, with your mom or best friend or a celebrity even. what does that feel like, sound like, etc?

how often do you hear your own voice? are you monologuing constantly? do you have to convert your thoughts into words?

is it usually quiet in your head, or pretty loud with lots happening? what do each feel like to you?

how often do you visualize? what does that look like? do you pick what you’re seeing or does it pop up randomly?

Talk to yourself out loud. does your inner voice respond?

Talk to someone else out loud. what happens in your head during that conversation?

Really pay attention to these things and getting a solid grasp on how your own brain works and responds to all sorts of situations.

Ready to move on? Now you can start learning to identify your deities. Depending on how your brain works and how your relationship with each specific deity works, communication could look any number of ways. Be open to learning what that is, rather than trying to force a certain communication style!

Start out by just trying to get time with your deity:

pray or talk to them, out loud or in your head!

spend time at your altar, gather things that remind you of them or that are associated with them.

write them letters

meditate while focusing on them & your connection to them

Hold crystals you associate with them, light them a candle, so a spell for them with herbs they like, etc

give an offering, invite them to join you for a meal

read their stories and myths, get to know them, learn how their worshipers usually get in touch with them

go out in nature, find a spot that reminds you of them. Could be a tree, a body of water, a clearing in the woods, a patch of wildflowers or mushrooms, a big rock, etc. Make that your place, meditate there and invite them to join you.

use tarot, a pendulum, etc. (pay attention to the energy you feel, if the same cards come up frequently, etc.)

Look for art, music, etc that reminds you of them. or make some!

Now WHILE you are doing all of the above, pay very close attention: does it ever feel different than when you’re alone? what does it feel like? Pay attention to all your senses!

How does it sound in your head? is it louder or quieter? does your inner voice respond the same as usual? does it take on a different tone or pace sometimes? do you hear a different voice altogether?

do certain things pop into your head, like you don’t hear a voice but knowledge or answers are just kinda… air-dropped to your brain?

How do you feel emotionally? is there a sense of calm/peace? is there a rush of excitement? does your energy feel different?

what do you see visually? is anything different about your visualizations? do you picture certain animals, imagery of your deity or things associated with them (plants, the sun/moon, water, etc)?

do you taste or smell anything specific?

do you have any bodily sensations, like butterflies in your stomach, a tingle down your spine, hair standing on end, goosebumps, a warm feeling in your chest, a sudden burst of energy, or a suddenly so calm you’re almost sleepy?

does music play in your head?

do you recognize an energy or “vibe” when you’re interacting with them? what does it feel like?

Be patient with yourself, it may take time to really tune into these things and feel the connection. But eventually you might see a pattern of how you feel when you interact with your deity. I recommend trying to start with just one, and really master how it feels when you’re together.

Once you know what they sounds like or feel like to you, it will be easier to tell when they’re around or communicating with you. You’ll learn to recognize them even when you’re not at your “spot” or specifically praying to them.

Everyone deserves a livable wage, because there is no such thing as unskilled labor.

Art by Liberal Jane

I think that witchcraft is one of the best ways to learn how to love yourself and trust yourself. It's one of the greatest forms of self care.

Dear Budding Psychics, Mediums, Divinators, and Everyone Else Going Around Telling Non-Witches That They're Secretly Witches During Readings,

STOP.

Being a witch is not a secret superpower that has to be unearthed. It is not an inherited genetic marker that magically manifests at a certain point in a person's life.

Being a witch is a choice that a person must make for themselves. They cannot be INFORMED that they are a witch if they have not previously made this choice of their own volition. You don't get to TELL people that they're witches. That is their decision to make.

It's not something you can read in a palm. It's not something you can see in cards or tea leaves or a psychic vision. It's not something you can TEST for arbitrarily.

You don't get to tell someone they're a car mechanic if they aren't. You don't get to tell someone they're in a coven if they haven't taken vows. You don't get to decide for someone whether or not they're a witch.

(Apparently, this is a new "thing" among novices, particularly those of school age, this idea of doing a reading for someone and "determining" that the client is a witch, without the person having ever made that choice for themselves. Sure, it might spark interest and bring them to the community looking for more information, but the idea of being able to designate or "tell" other people that they're witches, independent of their own choices, needs to be squashed.)

Even if you have reason to believe that someone is secretly a witch, it is Very Poor Form to inquire directly, if they haven't chosen to share. Plenty of practitioners have Very Good Reasons for keeping their practice under wraps. If you want to make a private inquiry, that's fine. Just be prepared that you might receive a denial, no matter how sure you are. If the answer is no, that's it. Don't invade people's privacy, especially if you live in an area where being publicly labeled as a witch might be unsafe.

I know we like to say that witchcraft doesn't have universal rules, but there ARE overarching codes of conduct. And one of them is that you do NOT out someone as a witch without their permission. Ever. Because you do not know what the repercussions might be for that person and you may be placing them in danger without knowing it.

If someone decides to be a witch or to live openly as such, that is their decision to make and theirs alone. And if they choose not to be, this must likewise be respected. You don't get to make that decision for them, just as you wouldn't want anyone else making that decision for you.

Sincerely,

Someone Who Lived Through The Satanic Panic And Has Done A LOT Of Research About Witch Hunts

Fairuza Balk in The Craft (1996)

Source: Unknown

Do these purrscription glasses make my eyes look big? 🤓