So I Don’t Think A Lot Of People Really Understand How Often South Asian Culture Is Misinterpreted

use, and i cannot stress this enough, thriftbooks

Just some witch stuff Dress: favorite Coat: Atelier Boz Hat and brooch: Vintage Shoes: Yosuke Tights: Verum by Grimoire Bag: Métamorphose, temps de fille Wand: USJ

for those looking to start witchcraft

this is gonna be a resource for y'all. lots of times when you wanna start witchcraft there’s a loooot of info to search through and it can be pretty overwhelming. i want this to be a database for everyone, so that you can have just a broad starting point for your craft. this is long so its under a read more.

Keep reading

Racism, Spirituality, and Witchblr

As a Black witch, it first made me relieved to see so many people in the community band together for Black Lives Matter. Over the past 5 years as a member of the Witchblr community, I have been subjected to numerous acts of racist microaggressions and attacks ranging from slurs being thrown at me, death threats, insults to my cultural practices because they’re different from European witchcraft and folk magic, attempted doxxing, and more because I was outspoken about anti-racist action. And that doesn’t include the many accounts of racism and bigotry that I witnessed secondhand. So seeing the community come together to support BLM made me hopeful that there would be a cultural shift within the community. 

But, as time went on, the amount of support for BLM that I saw in the tags slowly began to dwindle as if the movement had some hidden expiration date for allies, as if all the work was done after the mass spells performed on the eclipse.

The work is far from over, witchblr. We still need to protest, sign petitions, donate, and do our part to end police brutality, defund/disband the police and abolish prisons, and address the systemic racism that exists in all facets of society.

To look “locally,” the same problems in our community still exist. And while we alone cannot eradicate racism from the whole of society, we can absolutely prevent its spread on witchblr and in other spiritual/occult communities. 

Being an ally means more than posting a black square on your Instagram page or changing your profile picture to “heathens against racism.” Being an ally means actively being anti-racist and doing your part to ensure the community is truly inclusive and safe for people of color.

So, how can we begin to address the problem of racism in the spiritual communities both online and offline? Here are a few tips. I’ve focused largely on how white allies can address racism as it impacts Black practitioners, as I can only speak from my own experience as a Black person. Other people of color of all races are welcome to add onto this.

Stop supporting cultural appropriation. I don’t care if they’re your favorite blogger, your favorite diviner, your favorite occult supply store, etc, but if they’re posting about hoodoo sweetening/honey jars and they’re not Black, it’s time to block and unfollow. If they claim they speak for the Orisha or the Lwa and they aren’t initiated, it’s time to block and unfollow. If you don’t respect our cultural practices, you don’t really respect us.

Educate yourself on non-European practices. Did you know that there are more ATRs than just Lucumi, Vodou, and hoodoo? Can you explain the difference between Voodoo/Vodou and hoodoo? What is the difference between hoodoo and witchcraft? If you can’t answer these questions, time to do some reading! Educating yourself prevents you from appropriating or saying/spreading ignorant misinformation.

Stop supporting spiritual/occult organizations that act as performative allies and/or refuse to explicitly support practitioners of color. That means covens, fraternal organizations, Discord servers, pagan temples, conventions, and other spiritual organizations (large and small.) Don’t donate to these groups and don’t attend these groups or their events.

Amplify the voices of Black practitioners. How many Black spiritual/occult authors, diviners, bloggers, podcasters, astrologers, priest/priestesses, and/or vloggers can you name? How many African or Black philosophers can you name? Our voices and contributions to religion, spirituality, and the occult matter. Listen to us.

Deplatform racists. If you are a moderator or leader of a spiritual/occult community, delete/ban/kick out anyone who expresses racist or bigoted ideologies. Defending racists under the guise of “freedom of speech” just allows them to spread their hate and potentially harm or traumatize POC. Even if you’re not in a position of power, refuse to engage with bigots to prevent their message from spreading. Don’t reblog their posts, watch their videos, buy their products, etc. If you can, spread receipts of their racist acts instead.

Stop speaking over practitioners of color. If we say that something is racist/appropriation/insensitive, listen to us instead of arguing in an attempt to “save face.” We all make mistakes. Just own up to it and do what you can to fix the situation. Attacking us just because we demand equal respect is an act of racism in and of itself.

Support Black-owned businesses. Instead of buying your herbs from Amazon, go to a botanica. Get readings or other metaphysical services from Black diviners. We deserve to be compensated for our labor. It’s the least you can do considering a large chunk of modern folk magic is inspired by, influenced by, or straight up stolen from Black spiritual practices.

De-center yourself from the conversation. Cool, you’re an empath or a “sensitive”, but venting all day about how much pain you’re in is honestly insulting. And, if you want to rant about all the racist things your family has done, maybe go to one of your other white friends instead of forcing us to listen to you repeat their racist garbage.

Acknowledge your own biases and privileges. There are tons of resources out there on white privilege, white fragility, and unconscious forms of racism. Educate yourself.

Keep up the work outside of witchblr and spiritual communities. Keep donating, keep signing petitions, and keep using your platform for anti-racist action.

These points are only the tip of the iceberg. Racism is so deeply embedded in our society that it won’t be removed overnight. But if you want to claim the title of “ally,” you need to join in and continue doing the work. Unlike you, we don’t get to “opt out” of caring for the movement as racism impacts us every single day of our lives. Don’t opt out on us now.

#2 Basic No-Tool Spell #2

To get rid of negative self-talk

Best performed under waning moon🌒 (As most releasing spells are)

Write down every negative thing you think about yourself that's stopping you from being your best self. Light a candle and hold the paper close enough that it slowly burns, not fully in flames. As you watch the fire burn away all your negative thoughts slowly, say the opposite of whatever you've written out loud ("I am worthy", "I am beautiful", "I am capable of that job I'm applying for", etc).

Better if you perform this spell outside or with the window open. Watch as the ashes disperse and fly away and similarly let go of the negative thoughts holding you back. Repeat as many days as needed to fully affirm yourself that you're a wonderful human❤️🌠

🌙 Moon Phases Masterpost 🌙

Following the moon phases and adapting my magic to their power and correspondences has been crucial to my practice. If you’re interested in connecting to the lunar cycle, here are the links to my previous posts on each moon phase. 

🌑 New Moon Magic 

🌒 Waxing Crescent Moon Magic

🌓 First Quarter Moon Magic

🌔 Waxing Gibbous Moon Magic

🌕 Full Moon Magic

🌖 Waning Gibbous Moon Magic 

🌗 Last Quarter Moon Magic

🌘 Waning Crescent Moon Magic 

Things I’d Advise You NOT To Do

Seriously…Don’t. These are things that I have stupidly done, or I have seen someone else do. It would be wise to listen.

 Do not give spirits your name: To many people and cultures, your name holds a lot of power. I may not know much of anything about the fae or fae witchcraft in general but I have read many witches are not a fan of giving out their name. Lots of witches go by their ‘witch’ name for this reason. I’ve even read you have to say you may call me (insert name here). But I don’t even like the idea of calling people by their name when we suspect spiritual activity. Imagine hearing a malicious entity calling you by your name. Growling it. Whispering it in your ear. I don’t even like when people here know my damn name when they’re alive. Imagine unseen forces having you, having power over you by your name. Don’t give them your damn name.

Do not challenge a spirit without knowing what you’re getting into: I stupidly called out a poltergeist in my spouses family home and I called it verbatim, “a little bitch”. Talk shit get hit still applies and I got socked in the eye. My eye was aching and burning for minutes after I said what I said. The spirit didn’t want to be seen and I was threatening it. Be prepared for anything to retaliate. Cause it just might.

Never Panic: I don’t care that you’re scared. I’ve been scared. I’ve been choked. You. Don’t. Panic. You’re going to do nothing but feed the damn thing that’s scaring you and that is no good. You won’t think straight when you panic, you won’t be rational if you panic and you can’t communicate well when you panic. It is okay to take a deep breath even right then and there. And just try and calm yourself. It’s okay to be scared, but do not panic.

Don’t be afraid to stand your ground: Let them know you’re not to be fucked with. Don’t falter to them. Speak your piece and be firm and kind. If they are posing an issue, you let them know you’re not going to stand for it. Stand your ground.

Don’t just assume the ghost you called for is there: Spirits are just as capable of lying just like you are. You ever hear your name with a voice you’re familiar with? You ever hear whispers in your ears that sounds like someone. Make sure you know you’re speaking to who you wanted to speak to.

Oscar Wilde, from At Verona